ITT: We Are Monsters on a Spooky Quest

(Elisa turns to the others.) Whaddya say, guys? Wanna take a shortcut?

It's not going to hurt, right? (Jacoby asks.)

"I shall not be foolish again, my dear Gwendolyn!"

   "...What in the seven hells was that?"    Kevan grunted after receiving the vision. He then turned to Erik.

   "Fine, go for the shortcut. Most of those idiots can't fly like me, and I don't want them to slow us down."    he said.

"You're married like me, you know monstrosity can take many forms."

Silas

"Good on you, man- er, spider." Silas hums happily, before turning to the rest. "So you all are gathering the Crystal Bats for a king. Sounds like an adventure! May I- huh?"

he falters, seeing his new companions suddenly start...glowing? From the heart? That was kinda cool. "Smoky what?" he tilts his head. "Well, if I'm allowed to come, that sounds interesting. Despite the... crude way he said it, I agree. It's simply too cumbersome for me to walk all the way." Silas nods in agreement.

You piss off the Venom T-Rex. Roll initiative.

Alright, here we go, says Erik. Goodbye, friends! And good luck!

Erik holds out his palms. A long, glowing string comes from his palm. The string spins into a large web that falls over all the monsters. When everyone is in the web, there is a flash of light. Instantly, the monsters find themselves at the train station.

It's dark and foggy, and no one else is around outside. However, there is a light on inside the train station. There is a sign reading "Next Train," with a timer made from rolling slots like a slot machine. The timer currently reads 10 minutes and 31 seconds.

I haven't played the particular game that Tango is from, but still... robo kitty. :D

(And just like that, everybody is right at the spooky train station.)

(Jacoby is still a little nervous, but then again, what else is new?)

Hey, don't worry about it, Jackie. Hey, this'll be a new experience for you anyway, won't it? (Elisa says.) Never took ya to see a train before.

Well, uh...that's true. (Jacoby says.) I just hope there's not anything that looks like it wants to eat us on it too.

"I shall not be foolish again, my dear Gwendolyn!"

Kevan looked around the train station, clearly unfamiliar with it. He wasn't spooked in the slightest however.

   "Oh... Don't tell me we have to wait for that "train" or whatever it is to come?"    he complained.

"You're married like me, you know monstrosity can take many forms."

Bird-Thing looks around at the new surroundings. They are very strange... but they feel more familiar and comfortable than the swampy tower they were in before. The creature sits down, mumbling to itself as the timer ticks down.

Welcome to Ideal's World

"Does this place allow cats? or do I have to take my human form" Yami asked as he knew some train stations weren't fans of animals going walking around there.

"I think it'll be fine. There are all kinds of creatures in this land," says Melvin. "Let's go in."

The monsters go into the train station building.

---

Inside, there is a ghost at a desk. He's dressed in Victorian era clothing and has a curly, white mustache.

"Pardon us," says Eleanor. "But we're searching for the Crystal Bats, and we have reason to believe one of them is here. Do you know anything about this?"

"The Crystal Bats, eh?" says the ghost. "That's quite a risky mission. But if you must know, the one here is hidden within the Ethereal Express, which should be here in just a few minutes. Anything else I can help with?"

Edited by DrNoPuma on Dec 4th 2023 at 7:36:19 AM

I haven't played the particular game that Tango is from, but still... robo kitty. :D

Hey, looks like we got here right on time, huh, guys? (Elisa says.)

(Jacoby is still nervous.)

How, uh, dangerous is this train? (He asks the ghostly attendant.)

"I shall not be foolish again, my dear Gwendolyn!"

"Well, don't you worry about a thing. It's not that dangerous at all... if you're a ghost. Oh, wait. You might be in trouble after all. BWAHAHAHAHA!" The ghost suddenly pulls a Nightmare Face and does an echoing Evil Laugh.

Eleanor slams her paw on the desk. "Leave our friend alone. Can we or can we not retrieve the Crystal Bat from the train safely?"

The ghost looks a lot less confident now. "Oh, uh, certainly. There are some strange things happening in each car, and you will have to search each car until you find the Crystal Bat, but it is doable."

I haven't played the particular game that Tango is from, but still... robo kitty. :D

   "Really? How awfully convenient."    Kevan sarcastically said upon laring about the Ethereal Express. He too grew annoyed at the ghost pranking Jacoby by juggling with his sword.

   "Well we'd better geet to the correct car quickly. I already hate this place."    he grunted.

"You're married like me, you know monstrosity can take many forms."

(Jacoby naturally recoils in fright. He only starts to relax after the explanation.)

Phew...you had me at "it's doable". (Jacoby says.) I'm with Kevan, I hope it doesn't take long...

"I shall not be foolish again, my dear Gwendolyn!"

Silas

"Well from my experience, what has died can be killed again." Silas shrugs. "Worst comes to worst, we can try forcing our way through,"

You piss off the Venom T-Rex. Roll initiative.

Suddenly, there is a loud rumbling from outside as the train pulls up to the station. The train's whistle was loud and startling.

"Ah, the train is here," says the ghost ticketmaster. "Here are your tickets."

The ghost ticketmaster suddenly squashes and flattens himself into a long strip. The strip then forms into a bunch of tickets, which separate and float into the hands of each monster.

"Looks like it's time for the next part of our journey," says Melvin, looking at his and Eleanor's ticket.

Edited by DrNoPuma on Feb 4th 2024 at 8:09:55 AM

I haven't played the particular game that Tango is from, but still... robo kitty. :D

Guh-! (Jacoby gasps. Nevertheless, he takes his ticket and just stands there with it, his eyes darting from side to side a moment.)

Let's see what this train's about then, huh? (Elisa says, looking toward the train.)

"I shall not be foolish again, my dear Gwendolyn!"

Bird-thing grabs the ticket with its beak. It looks towards the empty landscape around everyone, shaking with excitement. It had only seen glimpses of trains before, and now it would get to see one on the inside!

Welcome to Ideal's World

The monsters step outside to see the Ethereal Express waiting for them. It looks like an old-fashioned steam train, but it appears bluish and transparent. The front of the train has two yellow, glowing angry eyes that function as lights. The train's smokestack is constantly spewing out bluish-gray smoke.

The door opens on the first car behind the engine.

"Well... I guess this is it," says Melvin.

I haven't played the particular game that Tango is from, but still... robo kitty. :D

(Jacoby is nervous as always as they move to board.) This is my first time on one of these things...hope nothing bad happens.

Don't worry, Jackie, how dangerous could riding a train actually be, anyway? (Elisa says.)

"I shall not be foolish again, my dear Gwendolyn!"

The monsters all step into the open car. It's dark enough already, but it gets even darker when the door suddenly shuts behind them.

Melvin and Eleanor try as hard as they can to push the door open, but it won't budge. Eleanor fiddles with the knob, but it won't unlock. "We're trapped!" she says.

Then the train's whistle is heard, along with the sound of the engine slowly chugging up to speed. The train is on the move.

Then, the lights come on. This car is a padded room filled with tons of different pillow forts.

"What the...?" says Melvin.

"Language," says Eleanor.

I haven't played the particular game that Tango is from, but still... robo kitty. :D

(Jacoby naturally yelps when the lights go out and pounds on the door as well.) AAAAAH IT WAS A TRAP! HELP US!!

Jackie, wait! Look! (Elisa says, tapping Jacoby on the shoulder.)

(Much to Jacoby's surprise, the interior of the car is...pillows? And full of pillow forts?)

Wha-...? This place looks...comfortable? (He says, looking between the interior and the door.) I was expecting something run down and grimy...

Yeah, I hear you there, Jackie. This place just makes me wanna lie down and take a nap! (Elisa says, lightly jumping up and down.)

"I shall not be foolish again, my dear Gwendolyn!"

Yami was already getting a headstart in enjoying those soft pillows, laying down on one of them making himself comfortable, he couldn't help but purr in pleasure by how soft the blankets were.

"This place is so... relaxing..." says Melvin. "I kinda wanna just lie down and... take a little rest..." Melvin makes himself and Eleanor lie down.

"What are you doing, you great behemoth?" says Eleanor, trying to make their body get up. "Don't you know there's work to be done?"

But as soon as her head touches the mattress floor, her eyelids begin to droop. "Oh... all of a sudden I'm feeling rather tired too..."

All of the monsters begin to feel a sudden drowsiness.

I haven't played the particular game that Tango is from, but still... robo kitty. :D

(Jacoby finds himself oddly starting to relax as well, which he can't help finding a little strange since he was so nervous about getting on the train in the first place.)

Well, can you help how cozy it looks in here? (Elisa says, tempted to curl up on a pillow as well.) ...But hold it, shouldn't we look for the next crystal bat first?

Can't it wait? (Jacoby yawns. The soft pillows are looking VERY inviting.)

"I shall not be foolish again, my dear Gwendolyn!"

   "Uh..."    Kevan muttered, grabbing a ticket bfore boarding the train. Once inside, he was about to try to smash the door with his shield when they got trapped, until they got a better view of the scenery.

   "Really? What are you cretins doing?? We don't have time to rest!"    the dragonman warrior complained, refusing to even sit on a pillow. Even though he started to feel drowzy, he stayed up.

"You're married like me, you know monstrosity can take many forms."