Ezreki: Enter?

Ezreki: What are you up to?

You're still engaged in STRIFE with your STUPID LIZARD LUSUS. You are now OUTSIDE.

Meteor: Be alarmingly close.

Ezreki: Notice certain doom.

Ezreki: RETRIEVE DOWEL. FINALLY.

Ezreki: Return to computer.

FA: > I have RETURNED. >;I -->

FA: > took me for QUITE the TRIP this TIME. -->

FA: > and ARETHUSA... -->

FA: > have you looked to the SKY RECENTLY? -->

FA: > if NOT I suggest you DO. -->

FA: > I think I KNOW what the COUNTDOWN is FOR now. -->

PH: ...Ahahaha! Really? 

PH: Stargazing, Ezzy? 

PH: Now???

FA: > I am SERIOUS, ARETHUSA. -->

FA: > look OUT of your WINDOW. -->

PH: How very sla?dash and im?rudent! Reckless, even! I'm shocked that with only -- 

PH: let me see --

PH: two minutes? --

PH: left on the countdown -- you have enough time to suggest squandering it. Bravo!

FA: > LOOK OUT now. -->

PH: NAY, not only shocked -- also made a little bit >;) breathless.

FA: > I am going to place the DOWEL on the FINAL MACHINE. -->

PH: All right, all right! If you insist!

FA: > good LUCK, ARETHUSA. -->

FA: > hopefully this WILL NOT cause you TOO much DIFFICULTY. -->

FA: > but I NEED you to CONCENTRATE. -->

FA: > and DO what this GAME requires of YOU. -->

Arethusa: Look out your window.

You do one better. You go onto your observation balcony where you have three TRULY EPIC SPYGLASSES, each BUILT FROM SCRATCH, because, after all, you know how to MAKE THINGS other than FICTIONAL SHIPS, and you have a VARIETY OF INTERESTS, such as those mentioned in your INTRODUCTION. There are a couple of "shooting stars" streaking across the night sky. You adjust the SPYGLASS in the GENERAL DIRECTION of EZREKI'S HIVE, THEN SWING IT UP.

PH: [spoken] Hm?h. You know what, Ezreki. I ho?e it's a creature that chews off one of your horns. "ho?efully this will not cause you too much difficulty but I need you to concentrate." ?ft.

Hey, look. A comet! Or is that a meteor? You make wishes on them, don't you? Like: STRIKE DOWN MY ENEMIES.

Hey, wait. Wait. The trajectory looks --

Holy shit!

Ezreki: Do something.

You are doing something.  [INSERT SOMETHING HERE. THAT IS NOT AT COMPUTER. MACHINE-SOMETHING? Whatever.] The kernelsprite continues to be a GIGANTIC PAIN IN THE ASS, FLITTING AROUND YOUR HEAD.

FA: > [SPOKEN] ARETHUSA! -->

FA: > DEAL WITH THIS CREATURE! -->

FA: > QUICKLY NOW! -->

Arethusa: Take this game seriously already.

Fine! Fine. You're taking it seriously. You're actually more than a little alarmed. Then again, you're also exhilerated, because you like danger. You'd just rather it wasn't falling for your friends hive. You try to grab the kernelsprite, but not before typing a succinct message to Ezreki.

PH: !!!!??!??!?!?!?!?!?!

Kernelsprite: Dodge.

Arethusa: Menace kernelsprite with some of Ezreki's things.

You keep an eye on the timer. Because -- meteors. They're alarming. When that sucker hits, it's going to suck for your hive, too. You just know it. The kernelsprite dodges again. And again. A lot, actually. It's kind of agile.

Ezreki: Declaim.

FA: > AMAZING. that THIS would be the... -->

FA: > the END. -->

FA: > struck DOWN by the SKY itself. -->

FA: > FITTING, PERHAPS. -->

FA: > DISAPPOINTING? certainly. -->

FA: > ARETHUSA. we have WHAT? less than a MINUTE? -->

FA: > if this DOES NOT work... -->

PH: ?lease, Ezreki. You are not going to be struck DOWN by the SKY ITSELF.

FA: > I APOLOGISE for -->

PH: Argh, you aren't looking at your com?uter.

FA: > HAH -->

FA: > certain THINGS. -->

Arethusa: Be horrified.

You really don't want to hear this. You're completely horrified. What to do? Ah hah!

Ezreki: Be poked by that damnable cursor again.

FA: > certain THINGS I- OW! -->

FA: > I was TRYING to do an EMOTIONAL MONOLOGUE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! -->

PH: Now is not the time for that s?eech, Ezzy!

PH: Or... well, I su??ose it would be....

PH: ...if you were actually going to ?erish now.

FA: > don't ATTACK ME! attack the FLOATY CREATURE! -->

PH: Which you are not! 

FA: > I can't DIE here! -->

FA: > get ON with it! -->

PH: Argh??????!!!!! GET A MOVE ON! 

PH: I wish I could yell at you!!!!!

FA: > I CANNOT do ANYTHING if you don't STATE its NEED for WHATEVER it is AFTER -->

Arethusa: POKE AGAIN FOR GOOD MEASURE.

You are seriously annoyed. Which means there was probably some MALICE AFORETHOUGHT in your choice of Ezreki's Prized Final Trollacy Limited Edition Whatever Pristine Condition Talked About For Perigrees Gamegrub to squish into the spritekernel.

With a vengeance.

FA: > WHAT ARE YOU DOI- -->

FA: > oh. that APPEARS to have DONE something. -->

Ezreki: What did it do?

Hey, a new wise sprite thing. Ezreki talks to it.

Countdown: Where you at?

00:00:05

Ezreki: TOTEM into TOTEM LATHE.

You've got a massive storybook. There will probably NOT be enough time to read it all.

Countdown: Where you at now?

00:00:03

Arethusa: Try to select meteor.

You can't do that!

Well, it was worth a try.

Countdown: Where you at now?

00:00:02

Arethusa: Spy.

Okay! You can't sit still anyway. You leave the computer to spy on Ezreki's hive via SPYGLASS OF BADASSERY.

Countdown: Where you at now?

00:31:15

What? No, seriously.

00:00:01

Ezreki: Turn page.

Meteor: STRIKE.

Arethusa's hive trembles. A hairline crack appears in a wall down in one of the LOWER CATHEDRAL-HIGH ROOMS, where her GIGANTIC CROCODILE LUSUS IS PATROLLING, ON EDGE. It's probably not going to be important or anything, though.

-- facetiousAnimus [FA] has ceased trolling plotHooked [PH] --

Arethusa: What do you spy with your little eye?

What's big and deep and smoking? The big fucking crater where Ezreki's hive was. You didn't see his hive disappear in a flash of light or anything magical. You saw his hive. Then you saw the meteor. Then you saw the crater. The fire. The impact. You saw that.

Arethusa: Check the SGRUB screen. Maybe Ezreki's hive was magically transported to another dimension?

The SGRUB scene is frozen black. Occasionally, it skips and fizzes to show the SKAIANET SIGIL. FacetiousAnimus is offline.

You proceed to feel really, really horrible (?).