Sunday, March 3, 2019

Bugs and Bad Guys

Tuesday, March 26th, just after Spring Break, Alistair was looking through a book and found a note. It didn't have much - it just said that that Saturday, someone would die, unless something was to be done.

That afternoon, a young woman named Missy contacted Toby. Hoping that he and his friends would be able to help her, she shared her story: it seems that a young man had taken an interest in her. As kind-hearted as she was, she was flattered, but not particularly interested. Especially since the suitor was Johnny Chafe - aka, Bug Boy. Though known for his bad personal hygiene and even worse manners, Johnny was a brilliant student, and did well in his classes. However, after Missy turned him down, he decided that stalking was the next best thing. Missy hoped the gang would be able to convince him to lay off...

Toby, realizing she might be holding back, pressed a little; Missy added that a close friend was hospitalized that weekend from numerous wasp stings. While she didn't see how it could be relevant, Johnny had asked her friend to "back off."

After looking into Johnny, Toby decided that he would lure him out, by "asking Missy out" - in reality, just walking the Loop. After a pleasant evening talking, Missy bid farewell. None of the crew saw Johnny... but the next morning, Toby awoke to find his bedroom awash with roaches! The creepy crawlies covered every inch of the room! With a yelp, he bolted outside, standing well away as the bugs scurried out into the sunlight. He called a friend in Maintenance, Phil, who arrived a few minutes later. Realizing it might be a big job, he suggested Toby stay out of the apartment for a few hours while he sprayed bug killer...

Will caught sight of Johnny after classes, and followed him. Watching from afar, he saw Johnny working with some strange, yellow liquid. Johnny caught sight of him, but didn't recognize him.

Alistair, meanwhile, decided to do a little research of his own, and happened to run across what purported to be a ritual that wards against insects... Spending $60 on it, he soon received an email with the ritual: Brangian's Whizzing Composition, duplicated on a green page, torn from a book. He gathered the required materials: a rat's tail and a clove of garlic. He tried it out, but failed miserably... fortunately, the error informed him of another ritual: The Templar's Charismatic Glamour! It laid out the ingredients as 20 cc of morphine, 4 oz. whiskey, and 8 oz. of alcohol, along with a book on the subject of the knowledge you wished to gain...

Toby and Will, unsure of how bad this magic thing really is, were loathe to participate. Alistair tried again, this time successfully casting the ritual! And just in time - as the circle of protection enveloped Alistair, he saw that it shoved a swarm of fire ants back! The ants crawled on top of each other, trying to get past him to Toby! While Alistair ineffectually flung stones at him, Toby and Will darted to one side, away from the ants, then turned back to Johnny. As Johnny raised his arms - soaked in a yellow liquid - the ants responded, swarming over the two! Luckily, after the first nibble, the ants were quickly brushed off. Will dashed closer to Johnny, and stomped in a puddle, purposely splashing the muddy water onto Johnny's arm! The yellow liquid was quickly washed off. Toby tore off his sweater, dunked it in a puddle, and tackled Johnny, wiping the yellow muck from his arm... and throwing him headlong into the ground, knocking him out cold. The ants, no longer controlled by Johnny, vanished back into their holes.

After some light slapping, followed by some light intimidation (including a frank discussion on the nature of beheadings), they managed to convince Johnny to stay away. Hopefully, that, along with the previous communication with his professors, is enough to keep him at bay.

Meanwhile, Alistair finally tracked down the young woman who had written the note in the book - Sarah Woods. She explained that she would occasionally would have dreams that would come true, or almost come true. The closer it got to the date, the worse she would feel, but just before they arrived, she felt a weight lift from her shoulders. It seems Johnny was mad enough to take someone's life, but their actions had protected the eventual victim!

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