telerib | Mars needs pigeons

Greh, already there at the department of THE Computer Science, noted that the party looked just right (read: standing right there and not moaning incomprehensibly on the floor) to go with him and two other gradthings he'd already jacked into THE Computer. In its virtual reality matrix, they could reset it from the inside.

Perhaps luckily, no one thought to ask what would happen if the computer rebooted while they were inside it. The adventure would have been much shorter.

The VR matrix had shaped itself around the thoughts of the first gradthing Greh had hooked up, Solomon D'Aventant. As such, everyone found themselves is pseudo-medieval attire, with gear changed accordingly. Amaranth's blaster had become a staff of fireballs, for instance. Greh's avatar was a gnome, and DelMonte showed up as an elf; Amaranth, oddly, remained herself.

Greh, Amaranth, and the Captain met Solomon and Edward as the latter pair came tearing around a corner with six half-ogres in hot pursuit. That was soon five ogres and DelMonte finally booted up, falling from the sky and landing on one. Another four were handled with chi attack, rapier, blaster and secondhand hemp smoke; Greh simply analyzed half-ogre behavior quickly and thoroughly enough to assume the stance of a tribal alpha male and command the last one to follow him.

Before being chased by ogres, Solomon and Edward had learned that the "center of power" was located in a subterranean complex outside of this virtual town. Off they all went.

Doors, hallways, traps and locks: Captain Cannabis finally recognized this as the beginning of "The Best Little Keep on the Borderlands" or something like that. His smoke formed a map in midair, which Greh memorized and then reproduced in more concrete form. Two sets of stairs to other levels were of interest, as was a vaguely chapel-looking room on this one. Following the precept of "clear the level first," the group headed for the chapel - all except Cannabis.

The Captain went off in search of the kitchen and munchies; so intent was he on this that he forgot about the forty-foot pit-trap. Undeterred, he grew plants to climb up, out of the pit - then he was captured by kobold guards and carried off.

The main group heard the yipping of kobolds and hid: a mixed party of kobolds and kender marched past, their feet tapping out "Mars needs pigeons" in Morse code. After a brief debate, it was decided that the code had to be broken up, either by taking out the kender leaders or just knocking over humanoids until it stopped. Chasing after the group, they first found the Captain being carried by the kobolds. The costumed hero somehow, just then, managed to make the kobolds believe he was one with them - they were a subroutine designed to isolate and remove foreign influences.

The heroes quickly realized that there were far too many kender and kobolds to deal with individually, and set their sights again on taking the chapel and, hopefully, the reset button. A series of challenges held back members one at a time until just Amaranth entered the chapel full of buttons - all identical. Deciding that the right decision was that none of these buttons were the correct one, she exited. Then she noticed that the guard (who Edward was keeping busy with logic puzzles and attempts at paradox) was actually standing on a large red, round stone. The wand of fireballs was brought to bear on the problem.

The backlash knocked Edward and Amaranth into the wall, which set off the rest of the fireballs. A shockwave, traveling ahead of the flame, threw them back down the corridor. As they passed each person left behind, he or she was grabbed and dragged along. Finally, there was a wall...

And they all woke up.

THE Computer rebooted shortly after.