Another game. This time I was asked to take a pill before I went to sleep. I'm thinking I should maybe start asking more questions before I accept these requests. On the other hand, though, would I refuse them if I knew more about what I was getting into? At least if I'm there I can have some influence on the outcome, perhaps present alternatives to the violence some of the other players seem to be so prone to. It didn't work out that way this time. I don't think we could have gotten through without hurting the animals, but we could have at least avoided killing the people. But, I'm getting ahead of myself…
The harbinger was a man who called himself "Mark", and I awoke in some sort of arena along with my fellow participants: Dorian, whom I'd worked with before, a Russian called "Pulse" who seemed a bit too eager to kill, and Devin, an American who seems able to manipulate shadows, and performed one of the most impressive feats of prestidigitation I've ever seen: pulling a toolbox from behind my ear. Yes, that's right, an entire fucking toolbox! anyway, the arena was surrounded by windows, and behind some of them I could see lab equipment. Mark was also behind the windows. he said a friend of his had been missing for a week and needed help. There were several doors, all but one padlocked. We went through it and came out of a closet at the San Diego Zoo.
Devin was able to fill the front guardhouse with impermeable darkness, which apparently only he could see through. He went in and knocked out the guards, clearing the way for us to get to the lion cage, where the next set of guards were. We'd been told that several animals had disappeared from the zoo, including the lions. It seemed odd that there would be guards at an empty cage. Devin tried to draw them off, but got caught. Pulse went out to help him. I'm not sure what they said, but they were escorted out instead of being shot. It didn't keep them out long, and it did draw the guards away long enough for Dorian and I to get closer. I was able to climb up and get on the roof of the enclosure. There was a vent up there I was able to climb into, and I found two rooms, one seemed like a normal staff room and the other having two more guards watching monitors and a very old looking door. I returned to Dorian, finding that Pulse and Devin had returned. we discussed what I'd found, and decided I'd go back through the vent and let the others in to the staff room, and from there we'd deal with the guards. That was when Devin pulled a toolbox from behind my ear, because I'd probably need a screwdriver.
I did my part, and then there was some argument about what to do with the guards. Devin wanted to "throw shadow" into the room like he had before. I wish I would have backed him up, it would have been better. I tend to freeze up in those kinds of social situations though. I need to do something about that, it's going to be a problem if I keep participating in these games. Anyway, Pulse didn't want to "feel useless", so it was decided that Devin would disguise himself as a guard. He seemed to do so instantaneously by slapping himself in the face.
The guards didn't buy it. They must have heard us, because when Devin cracked the door open they pulled it open the rest of the way and had their guns in his face. Dorian and Pulse were on either side of the door with guns, ready for trouble. I was at the other end of the staff room keeping an eye on the outside door. Devin tried to talk the guards down, but they weren't having it, and it went bad. I helped Pulse barricade the outside door with the file cabinet that was in the room. He shoved a grenade under it, which ended up killing a few more of the guards. At least Devin and I were able to stabilize the two that had been shot before going into the old door.
We found the missing man down there, chained down in another arena. Devin broke the chains from the floor with blasts from his shotgun. I guess the guy is a famous boxer, but I don't really follow the sport. He was certainly an incredibly strong fighter. I can't imagine having to face him in the ring, though he seemed to be a pretty good guy. We, or perhaps I should say they, had to fight several lions, gorillas, and chimpanzees. The last was a huge gorilla, maybe three times the size of a normal one. John, the boxer, ripped one of it's arms off and slapped it in the face with it, which seemed to put it down. I didn't think it was possible for the human body to exert that much force.
After the huge gorilla we were able to leave, and ended up back at Mark's place. As promised, I gave my gift to the nine-tailed fox, requesting that she and her doings be concealed from the Lord. I've spent the last month in training, trying to perfect some of the many techniques I've been shown recently. I've also been working on my social skills. It's hard, but that constriction in my chest when I want to speak to someone loosens just a little bit each time.