355: 7th Anniversary Special - Tides of Terror: Part I

SPEAKER_02 0:04

Holy shit! I think I'm having a panic attack!

SPEAKER_03 0:12

Spooky season greetings and salutations, and welcome to Hacker Slash. If you're joining us again, welcome back! It's our party, and we'll cry if we fucking want to. If this is your first time listening, welcome to the party. We are a horror movie review podcast dedicated to telling you whether a movie is a hack, a total joke, a waste of time, or a slash.

SPEAKER_02 0:31

Totally killer, pun intended.

SPEAKER_03 0:33

We believe horror is for everyone, and as such, we typically rate movies with the perspective we've gained from our varying walks of life and the flavors of fear we fancy most. My name is Chris, I'm your friendly neighborhood slasher enthusiast. This week I'm joined by the Superfly Space Guy Mac. Hola Muchachos, the classic horror connoisseur Sean. Hey, the paranormal paramour Binx. Hola, and the Scream Queen Paris.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

Welcome aboard.

SPEAKER_03 0:57

While we usually rate movies, this week we're celebrating our seventh anniversary with another edition of our classic role-playing games. And this one's gonna be 100% wetter than anyone we've done before. Seven years! What a milestone! Look at us go!

SPEAKER_00 1:14

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 1:14

And look at how many generations of hosts we have here.

SPEAKER_00 1:17

It's great. We do have like a mashup here. I love it.

SPEAKER_01 1:21

It's a long lineage.

SPEAKER_03 1:22

A long story dynasty, some might say. Well, our adventure tonight is of our own making. It's like a hacker slash exclusive tides of terror. And we've created a survival horror game set on a luxury yacht where something has gone horribly wrong. Our objective is to work together to uncover the mystery, survive the threats of the ship, and ultimately, hopefully. And with that, turn it over to Magic.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

Hello, hello, hello. I hope you are all ready. Well let's hope. So I want you to clear your minds, put yourself into another world. You find yourself enjoying a bright, peaceful day on a yacht. The sun shines on the polished deck, and the sea stretches endlessly around you. The air is filled with the light sounds of waves and a distant breeze. The crew moves about, preparing the ship for its voyage, and the passengers are gathering, soaking in the luxury of the experience. Captain Elias Markham steps forward, his white uniform pristine, and he flashes a warm, welcoming smile. Ah, welcome aboard, folks. I'm Captain Elias Markham, and I'll be your guide on this little slice of paradise for the next few days. We're thrilled to have you with us and hope you're ready for a truly unforgettable trip. He gestures towards the horizon as the yacht sways gently beneath your feet. The seas are calm, the weather's perfect, and we've just got the right mix of luxury and leisure planned. There's nothing quite like a few days out here with no worries except what you're gonna drink next. He pauses, glancing towards the crew who continue with their duties efficiently. Now, I do have to apologize up front. We're running a little uh little on a reduced staff, you might say. A few of our deck hands and stewards had to stay behind due to an unfortunate bit of illness. Nothing serious, but we're a little shorthanded. He chuckles lightly, waving a hand in reassurance. Don't worry, though. The crew, we've got their top notch, and we'll make sure you hardly notice. Just sit back, relax, and let us take care of everything. We'll get those anchors dropped soon, and then your vacation really begins. With that, the captain nods to the guests, his demeanor confident and calm as he steps away to return to his duties. A young steward steps forward. His white button is crisp, white, neatly steamed. His hair is blonde, slightly messy, but somehow put together. Uh hey, uh welcome to the ship. Who are all of you? And and uh you know, how do you know each other?

SPEAKER_03 3:46

Oh, well, darling, I'm Benjamin Bentley. Uh, and these are my esteemed guests. Introduce yourselves, please. My name's Cairo.

SPEAKER_05 3:55

I haven't been on a boat in like five years. I don't even know why I'm here, honestly.

SPEAKER_03 4:00

Darling, you think you'd be a little more grateful? Ugh.

SPEAKER_05 4:04

Be grateful I'm here.

SPEAKER_02 4:06

Hey man, I'm just having like a really great time, man. This fucking boat is cool as hell. I can tell you, man, I was up here like a couple hours ago smoking a fat doobie. And what a view you got on this deck, man. Far out, dude.

SPEAKER_03 4:20

You see, Caro, you should be more like Ash. Ash doesn't have to have a good time.

SPEAKER_02 4:26

Oh yeah, that's right. My name's Ash.

SPEAKER_00 4:28

Ash Dankman. Well, uh, that's you know, you guys are you're an interesting group. I hope the three of you have a lot of fun. Um this is actually our chief stew right over here. This is this is Victoria.

SPEAKER_01 4:39

Hi there, Mr. Uh Bentley. Was it? I have been assigned as your uh personal VIP concierge for your time here on the cruise, and it is my uh pleasure to make sure that you and all of your guests have an incredible experience here today and for the rest of our voyage.

SPEAKER_03 4:53

Oh, excellent. Can we have a round of champagne? Yes, right away.

SPEAKER_02 4:58

Hey, you got any snacks?

SPEAKER_03 5:00

Absolutely. I'm sure we can go find something. We can probably go rummage over in the lounge.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

Rummaging won't be necessary, Mr. Bentley. I will have the needs of the team uh met immediately. It's been like two minutes, Ash, honestly. But I'm hungry. I got the munchies. Now suddenly two stewardesses arrive, one with snacks for Ash and one with a lovely little mojito for everyone else, as well as champagne for those interested.

SPEAKER_05 5:27

How nice options.

SPEAKER_03 5:29

Well, I just want to thank you both for joining me out here. It's been it's been hell since the incident, and I'm so glad we can really come together this way.

SPEAKER_00 5:41

Our characters stand on the front of the boat, staring off into the distance, enjoying the sun deck before the sun sets. But as the sun dips below the horizon, the sky shifts to hues of fiery orange and red. The calm seas reflect the fading light as the yacht remains anchored, gently swaying in the still waters. The gentle lapping of waves against the hull and the soft melodic music playing over the yachtspeakers create a peaceful, almost dreamlike atmosphere.

SPEAKER_02 6:11

Oh, yeah, I mean, I'm sure there's food in there.

SPEAKER_01 6:14

Where's that stewardess? I'm right here, Mr. Benjamin. I've been here the entire time. My job is to be discreet. To the dining room we go.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

And our guests make their way to the dining room along with the chief stewardess.

SPEAKER_01 6:26

Welcome to the dining hall. Everyone have a seat right here at this table, uh, and we'll have the waitress over immediately.

SPEAKER_03 6:33

It's a little quaint, don't you think? I thought it was gonna be a more grander. I'm so sorry, my friends.

SPEAKER_05 6:40

And you're trying to tell me about being grateful.

SPEAKER_03 6:43

Listen, darling, this is better than your studio apartment.

SPEAKER_00 6:47

Well, the tranquility of that moment is abruptly shattered by a piercing, blood-curdling scream. The sound rips through the serene night, high pitched and filled with raw terror, coming from the bridge. It's quickly followed by a series of thuds and crashes, violent, chaotic noises, as if a struggle is taking place. Everybody on the deck freezes. Some exchange worried glances, others begin to rise cautiously, looking towards the source of the scream. The crew, who only moments ago appeared calm and composed, now look as confused and alarmed as the passengers. Suddenly, another scream fills the air, more frantic and desperate than the first. The panicked shouting cuts off as abruptly as it began, leaving behind an eerie, suffocating silence. The music from the speaker still plays, its peaceful tones now unsettling against the tension that fills the deck. The only other sound is the ominous, rhythmic lapping of the waves against the hull. The peaceful evening is gone, replaced by a suffocating tension. The horizon, once promising luxury and escape, now feels distant and unreachable. All eyes turn towards the bridge, the source of the commotion, where only moments ago was calm. So what do you do?

SPEAKER_02 8:00

That didn't sound good.

SPEAKER_01 8:02

I think Victoria is gonna be one of the first people to stand up in this situation. And she's gonna say something along the lines of Mr. Benjamin, I am so sorry. This never happens on our cruise line. I assure you, we will do everything in our power to get that matter sorted. Don't you worry about it. Can I get you more champagne?

SPEAKER_03 8:19

Oh, yes, darling, please. What what's going on over here? They're you all having too much fun. What are the what are these people into?

SPEAKER_02 8:27

I don't know, man. This just did not sound cool, man. I don't know what it is, but I'm not getting a good feeling about it.

SPEAKER_05 8:35

Cairo is looking around very stoically and silently, and I'm gonna actually roll for insight.

SPEAKER_00 8:44

Oh. First roll, chorus going to Binx.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

Be gentle.

SPEAKER_00 8:51

It looks like you rolled a seven to me.

SPEAKER_05 8:53

Unfortunately, I rolled a seven, yes. But let me just double you know, let me just take a second gander here. Because I'm pretty sure No, never mind.

SPEAKER_03 9:01

What are you trying to see with your inside check?

SPEAKER_05 9:04

Just trying to look at that passive effect if I get like an advantage on my advantage, but that's fine. That's fine. I'll take what I can get.

SPEAKER_00 9:11

Well, all we know so far is that the scream came from the bridge and then there was some sort of commotion.

SPEAKER_03 9:16

I'm gonna wave my hand in front of Cairo's face. Dar darling, darling, just be present in the moment. I'm sure the stewardess will um Victoria, what's your name? I'm sure she'll she'll handle the situation. With champagne? That's none of our business, darling. We're here as esteemed paying guests. Fine.

SPEAKER_02 9:36

I'm just saying, man, like we just like barely got on this boat and some crazy shit's going down out there.

SPEAKER_01 9:44

So I have some news. Uh, it seems like there has been some commotion on the bridge. I've got my team working on it, and if we'd like to go to the other side of the boat now, we can make our exit quickly. We haven't even eaten dinner, darling. Oh man, yeah, where's my snacks? Yep, those snacks are definitely going to be delivered to us on the opposite side of the boat from the commotion. We are going to actually uh exit this room. This room is now off limits. I'm actually so sorry. It just came in through the walkie. Um, and we should go we should go. We're gonna go. Everybody, let's let's go. And then she hurries to everybody and kind of brushes them towards the exit away from the sound.

SPEAKER_03 10:24

Okay, I'm gonna as as I'm being hurried, I'm gonna like extend my arm back to the table to grab a fresh glass of champagne.

SPEAKER_02 10:30

Are there any snacks on this table yet? There's bread. There's there's just bread. It's it's baked bread. Is there butter? You can't be so demanding. I'm putting all of that into my backpack.

SPEAKER_00 10:41

It's like a dinner roll.

SPEAKER_02 10:42

I'm putting all of the table bread into my backpack.

SPEAKER_00 10:46

Okay, you have a basket full of table rolls.

SPEAKER_02 10:48

Sick.

SPEAKER_00 10:49

So the crew members aboard the yacht, not only Victoria, seem on edge. Whispers ripple among the passengers and staff as they scurry about while you grab your champagne. One of the crew approaches Victoria with urgency in their eyes. Victoria, there's there's something wrong. The captain is gone. And one of the crew members is missing too. We found a bloodstain on the bridge. You need to come see this. The crew member seems rattled, their eyes darting nervously as they urge the chief stewardess to report to the bridge. Around you, other crew members exchange worried glances, their unease growing.

SPEAKER_01 11:25

I heard blood. At this point, have I exited stage left to the bridge, or am I still here?

SPEAKER_00 11:31

You're at the door with champagne in their hands.

SPEAKER_01 11:35

Can I be talking to this person who just delivered this message?

SPEAKER_00 11:38

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 11:39

Okay, I'm gonna say missing? What do you mean the captain is missing? And who else is missing with him? Um, have you checked the bathroom? Do you remember what we had back in Bora Bora? Have we checked all of the bathrooms? We know how the captain gets after a few martinis. And the blood stain on the bridge. What do we um how big is the blood? Are we talking somebody who scraped a knee? Or are we thinking this is something more um severe?

SPEAKER_00 12:01

Well, we we checked all the bathrooms and we could not find him. Uh, and he is not answering his walkie either, and it's like it's a good bit of blood. There's like an actual footprint in the blood.

SPEAKER_01 12:13

Hmm. Okay. Thank you so much for letting me know.

SPEAKER_02 12:17

Wait, so we are only hearing about this or we're seeing this also?

SPEAKER_00 12:21

Currently, you're only hearing about it.

SPEAKER_03 12:23

And to my understanding, it's more like a is it's like a hushed conversation between the staff members, or can we overhear it as the guests?

SPEAKER_00 12:30

This is something you can overhear because we're all standing within just a few feet away from each other.

SPEAKER_02 12:34

Okay, I would like to roll for perception to try to overhear some critical information.

SPEAKER_05 12:41

Ooh.

SPEAKER_02 12:41

Ooh, 19.

SPEAKER_03 12:42

Fire. God damn! Alright. That motherfucker sees everything.

SPEAKER_05 12:47

That butter and bread's doing its job.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

Sometimes all you need is fuel, you know?

SPEAKER_05 12:52

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 12:53

Carbs. You overhear two deckhands talking to each other. The captain, where's the chef? He's supposed to be getting dinner ready, but the galley's empty. Not a single meal's even been started. We got guests expecting dinner, and he's nowhere to be found. Their annoyance is pretty evident. Beneath that is uh a hint of worry, though. The chef's absence, coupled with the captain's disappearance, raises more questions than answers.

SPEAKER_02 13:16

Oh man, guys, I literally just heard this crazy conversation where this chef guy is totally missing. He's totally missing and people are freaking out about it. I wonder if this chef has anything to do with what's going on here.

SPEAKER_03 13:31

Ugh, probably. I've never met a good chef.

SPEAKER_01 13:34

Did you eat him? I'm sorry, w Mr. Dankman was it? Um who where did you hear this from? The chef is now missing as well? How have I not heard about this?

SPEAKER_02 13:43

Listen, I don't know, man. I'm not trying to get involved in any kind of politics that you got going on on this boat here, but I can tell you what I do know, and that's what I heard, okay?

SPEAKER_01 13:55

Thank you so much, Mr. Dankman.

SPEAKER_00 13:58

As you stand around waiting to determine where you're gonna go next, you overhear a couple other deck hands speaking as well. First the captain, now the chef's missing too. I mean, just like an hour or two ago, the engineer was bitching about equipment problems. Something is not right. The words linger in the air, casting doubt and suspicion. Is the chef merely neglecting his duties? Or could there be something darker going on? And what about that engineer? The unease continues to grow.

SPEAKER_03 14:23

Look, all I'm saying is I don't really want to be standing around on foot if we're not going to be served. So friends chop chop. Why don't we go back to my room? It's large enough for all of us. We could have a nice martini, some more champagne, and maybe we can just, you know, catch up on the years that we've missed together.

SPEAKER_02 14:42

I mean, it doesn't sound like a bad idea. You're gonna make some martinis. You got like the little olives that you put in there too.

SPEAKER_03 14:49

Yes, yes, I know just how you like them, like the olives you could find in the Scooby-Doo sandwiches.

SPEAKER_02 14:55

Oh, yes. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 14:57

Yes, yes, I know you will. Come come now. Victoria!

SPEAKER_01 15:02

Take us to our rooms, please. Right this way, Mr. Benjamin. And then Victoria ushers everyone to the deluxe VIP Diamond Lounge, where Mr. Benjamin is residing.

SPEAKER_00 15:14

You gather your nerves, you make your way towards the lower decks. The farther you descend, the more luxurious the ambience of the ship falls away, replaced by the stark functional design of its hidden layers. The dim lighting casts along shadows, and the hum of the ship's engine rumbles beneath your feet, masking any sounds that may be lurking in the dark. The corridor feels unnaturally quiet, each step you take echoing off the metal walls. As you approach a narrow passage, the flickering lights make it hard to tell whether the shadows ahead are moving or if it's just your mind playing tricks. As you reach the bottom of the stairwell, you come upon a door marked the primary luxury cabin. This is the door to Benjamin's room.

SPEAKER_02 15:54

Primary luxury cabin, man. This looks like Freddy Krueger's fucking boiler room down here.

SPEAKER_03 16:00

No, no, darling. I I assure you it's much more spacious inside. We have nice leather sofas. It's very top shelf.

SPEAKER_01 16:09

Alright. I would like to interject, Mr. Benjamin. It is technically not top shelf. There is one suite above this one, the Deluxe Ultimate Double Diamond Lounge. Um, but yours is absolutely, I rest assured, our second best aboard the aboard this ship.

SPEAKER_03 16:24

Victoria, I when I booked this voyage for my closest friends and I, I demanded the best possible suite. Who has it?

SPEAKER_01 16:34

I'm actually not at liberty to disclose that information, Mr. Benjamin. Our clientele's privacy is of our utmost importance and respect. More champagne? Evergrudgingly push my glass forward.

SPEAKER_00 16:44

As the champagne gets topped off, the silence is suddenly broken as you open the door to the primary luxury cabin. Suddenly, without warning, something bursts from the shadows ahead. Quick, savage, and unnatural. It rushes at you with terrifying speed, too fast to react. It's the captain.

SPEAKER_05 17:06

Oh look, there he is.

SPEAKER_00 17:08

His face twisted in a grotesque snarl, lunging at Benjamin, attacking you without hesitation. This creature is no longer human. It's something far more dangerous. The attack comes swift and brutal, and in seconds, Benjamin is dragged to the ground, torn apart in a frenzy of violence. Blood pools beneath all of you, the reality of the situation crashing down as the rest of you are frozen in shock. This inhuman, undead creature grabs Benjamin's lifeless body and drags it ten feet away further into the room, leaving a gruesome trail of blood in its wake. You stumble backward in shock, hearts racing. The sudden shift from mystery to madness sending you into a tailspin. The once quiet corridor now feels like a death trap. The flickering lights casting monstrous shadows over the bloodied scene. The creature, still crouched over Benjamin's body, growls low and hungry, and then as if triggered by the smell of fresh blood, it begins to rise again, its dead, soulless eyes now fixed you.

SPEAKER_02 18:13

Holy shit, guys! Holy shit! I think I'm having a panic attack.

SPEAKER_05 18:19

I've seen a lot of things in a funeral home, but this was not what I expected at all.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

At this point, Victoria is flustered to say the least. She attempts to shield the other two guests that are still alive and under her care.

SPEAKER_00 18:39

Well, while you're doing that, you're all going to roll a fear check.

SPEAKER_01 18:43

Alright. Okay. What number is pretty scared?

SPEAKER_05 18:47

Five. I got a fifteen.

SPEAKER_01 18:50

That's pretty good. Or bad.

SPEAKER_02 18:52

Alright, I got a ten.

SPEAKER_00 18:54

It was twenty, so you all failed.

SPEAKER_01 18:55

Oh! What the fuck? Great. We're scared.

SPEAKER_00 19:01

You are scared, and you now have a disadvantage on perception checks.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

Fuck.

SPEAKER_02 19:05

Oh shit.

SPEAKER_01 19:06

So under general So uh I adding one fear? Am I checking the first fear box? Yes. Okay, I'm one feared. I'm scared. I'm a little scared.

SPEAKER_05 19:17

My entire personality. Disadvantaged.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

Is Benjamin dead now? I'm fucking dead. Benjamin was literally torn limb from limb, blood screwing out everywhere.

SPEAKER_03 19:29

I was a little buzzed.

SPEAKER_00 19:31

Yeah, your nerves, you know, your nerves are now starting to affect your ability to focus on your surroundings.

SPEAKER_05 19:36

I would say so.

SPEAKER_00 19:38

What do you do?

SPEAKER_05 19:39

Cairo's gonna run to the nearest room.

SPEAKER_00 19:43

Okay. On the port side of the ship, that would be the nearest room. And the port side would be if you're facing the front of the ship, it's what's on the left side. So you're going to run to the nearest room. Chicken.

SPEAKER_05 19:58

Chicken or prepared.

SPEAKER_00 19:59

Cairo has run to the nearest room.

SPEAKER_05 20:02

Yeah, I think I'm gonna roll for investigation just to see if there's any like weapons or anything that I can use to defend myself in this room. Oh my lord, have mercy. I'm when it matters, no dice. I got a six.

SPEAKER_00 20:19

Well, you're in a you're in a hurried frenzy, and so really you look around and you see a double room. It's got two beds, but you really can't focus on anything at the moment.

SPEAKER_01 20:28

For fuck's sake. Can I usher Ash in the same direction to that room?

SPEAKER_00 20:34

If if Ash wants to be ushered.

SPEAKER_01 20:36

Mr. Denkman, I think it's best that we follow Miss Thompson into the adjacent corridor.

SPEAKER_02 20:41

Anywhere but here, man.

SPEAKER_00 20:44

Anywhere but here. Okay, so you're now all in the double cabin. And the door to Benjamin's room has slammed shut.

SPEAKER_01 20:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 20:54

Great. Now we can just wait here. Are we just going to wait here forever? What the fuck was that?

SPEAKER_02 21:02

I don't know what that was, but it didn't look safe. We gotta find a way to figure out how to get out of here.

SPEAKER_05 21:11

It's not gonna be with your bread and butter, I'll tell you that much.

SPEAKER_00 21:14

The horror of Benjamin's death is still hanging heavily in the air. Blood is seeping through the door. If you were to open yours, you'd be able to see that. The flickering lights continue to cast ominous shadows down the corridor. The silence that followed the attack is suddenly shattered by a new unmistakable sound, a low guttural groan, accompanied by the shuffling of feet. Before you can really process what's going on, the unsettling groans echo again, louder this time, coming from further down the dimly lit hallway. Shadows shift, and then you can feel footsteps and hear more figures.

SPEAKER_02 21:50

Alright, guys, this is this is kind of I'm kind of getting the feeling that we might be hitting some zombie action or something.

SPEAKER_05 21:57

Well, I'm not necessarily afraid of zombies. I've seen enough dead people to last me a lifetime, obviously, but I usually don't have them chasing me in the funeral home.

SPEAKER_01 22:09

As delightful as these zombie notions may be, uh, I would like to use my walkie-talkie to um check in with the staff and see what's going on out there and call for help, more importantly. I'm going to roll a D4. Was that a one?

SPEAKER_00 22:27

That was a one.

SPEAKER_01 22:28

Oh god. Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 22:30

You're all doing really, really well tonight. I I should say that.

SPEAKER_01 22:34

No, a one is good in this case. That means in one turn I will hear back from the walkie.

SPEAKER_00 22:39

So you use your walkie, and you hear it squeak and squawk, and all you hear is the word help being announced over the walkie.

SPEAKER_01 22:48

Amazing.

SPEAKER_00 22:49

The shuffling continues past your door, and it seems to move away.

SPEAKER_05 22:54

I'm just gonna give this one more go. I'm gonna give it one more go. I need to find a weapon, and I need to find it right now. I'm gonna roll for investigation. One more time. Please, God. Oh, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 23:06

Nice.

SPEAKER_05 23:07

Thank you. 21. That's gorgeous.

SPEAKER_00 23:09

Your modifier. Good job there. Okay. So you investigate. What you find in this room on the nightstand, you see a silver necklace. When you open up the nightstand, you find a silver decorative dagger.

SPEAKER_04 23:22

This is pretty.

SPEAKER_00 23:24

Are you gonna hold on to your items?

SPEAKER_04 23:25

Yes, I am.

SPEAKER_00 23:26

Alright, your decorative dagger is 1d4, piercing ornate. And your silver necklace is worth 25 gold.

SPEAKER_03 23:33

Anyway, like dollars.

SPEAKER_00 23:36

Exactly, doll hairs.

SPEAKER_04 23:37

Any attack bonuses, you know, just out of curiosity, you know, don't feel like crazy. Asking too much? Okay. That's fair.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

You know, we're just starting out here. We got things to do and things to see and whatnot.

SPEAKER_02 23:48

And what is this decorative dagger made out of? Silver. Silver? Okay.

SPEAKER_05 23:53

Interesting. And the necklace is also silver?

SPEAKER_02 23:55

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 23:56

So I found this dagger that I hope can help us in some capacity with what we believe to be zombies on the other side of this door, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_02 24:07

Well, man, I mean, that thing could be cursed, you never know.

SPEAKER_05 24:11

This whole boat is cursed, Ash. Obviously.

SPEAKER_01 24:14

Uh so there's only one door out of this room.

SPEAKER_00 24:18

Yes. So you are in simply a double suite right now. You left the biggest suite possible, and you went into a double suite. The three of you are packed in. You've only found two things that, you know, aren't the beds.

SPEAKER_01 24:32

Okay, so in response to these sounds uh clearing up and sounding like they are more distant from our only exit from this room, uh, Victoria would like to stand up from the bed and make an announcement. I think it's time we move on from this uh lovely tour of our double deluxe suite. Uh, and I think it's important that we head our make our way to the uh captain's stern. The the crow's nest, where the captain You You meant the bridge? The bridge. Yep. The bridge is where we're gonna go.

SPEAKER_03 25:07

Let's go. Suddenly the question of how Victoria came to be the chief steward is crazy everyone's mind.

SPEAKER_05 25:13

Yeah, Cairo's definitely looking at Victoria like, how did you get this job again? So you want us to leave this room towards where a lot of the blood may be?

SPEAKER_01 25:24

I don't know, Miss Thompson. It sounds like it's getting a little bit quieter out there, and now might be our only chance.

SPEAKER_05 25:30

That is true. But should we at least check on our friend? I mean, although he's definitely dead. I could try to piece him together. I've seen and done some remarkable work. Have you never heard of Thompson and sons? Um it's odd. It's a weird thing. I I'm I'm an only child and I'm definitely not a son, but you know, I I I respect it. It's a long story.

SPEAKER_01 26:00

It certainly seems so, Miss Thompson. Now, if you are to stitch Mr. Benjamin Bentley back together, uh, it would require that we leave this room. So I would say let's make haste and do that now. Mr. Denkman, if you would like to lead the way.

SPEAKER_02 26:16

Well, you want me to go first? That would be lovely. Oh man. Do I have any weed or do I have to find some weed? Because I feel like this is gonna calm my nerves.

SPEAKER_01 26:26

Are you asking for weed because I can get you weed?

SPEAKER_02 26:29

What? Oh my god. That would be like you'd be like a total lifesaver. The weed is gonna save your life. I mean, I feel like weed's been saving my life my whole life, you know? That's fair. Let's go. Amazing.

SPEAKER_00 26:44

For her to get the weed, you will need to make your way towards the crew quarters.

SPEAKER_02 26:48

Oh, we're going.

SPEAKER_00 26:49

So you step into the hallway. More groaning fills the air. From around the corner, from in the shadows, they come. Zombies. Their bodies twisted, their hands outstretched towards you. There's no time to think, only time to act. The undead creatures are advancing, their pace slow but relentless. You can hear the soft dragging of feet, the wet sound of blood dripping from their wounds, and the low inhuman growls getting louder with each step. You have seconds to make a decision. The zombies are closing in. You stand your ground and fight? Or do you run for your lives hoping to find safety?

SPEAKER_02 27:26

Okay, are they coming from one direction?

SPEAKER_00 27:28

You're not sure which direction they're coming from. You can just hear them down the hallway.

SPEAKER_05 27:32

Okay. Hear me out. I believe I'm the only one with a weapon. I feel like that being said, going back into Benjamin's room and at least fighting off the captain is maybe like a higher likelihood of survival versus a horde of whatever's coming.

SPEAKER_02 27:55

So in that room, there's the captain and the other zombie, so we'd have to take two things down potentially.

SPEAKER_05 28:04

Well, I guess that's true. Uh assuming that Benjamin has become a zombie and whatever he would look like, considering he's just body parts.

SPEAKER_02 28:12

Or we can go back into the other room and try to let zombies in one by one and take them out with your dagger.

SPEAKER_05 28:20

Yeah, but okay. That's also true. These plans sound crazy. They sound nuts. We can we can run for safety just in general. I just where would that lead us? I don't know. I guess we could do that.

SPEAKER_01 28:32

Are we digging in Benjamin's butt?

SPEAKER_05 28:34

No, I I we could just investigate that room for more for more weapons.

SPEAKER_02 28:39

May maybe maybe we can walking dead that shit and cover ourselves in zombie guts. Ooh.

SPEAKER_05 28:44

I can I can also watch I don't know if this is actually allowed, but technically I can speak with the dead because I'm working up here home. That's one of my strengths.

SPEAKER_01 28:53

Maybe you should on Benjamin and we can find out. That's why the main person here suddenly died at the beginning. Let's ask those questions.

SPEAKER_05 29:02

Yeah, he definitely mentioned something about an incident that happened not long ago.

SPEAKER_01 29:06

I think that's worth investigating.

SPEAKER_00 29:08

Hmm. Alright. Alright, we're moving into Benjamin's room. Yep. This time Victoria goes first. You're now in the room. You were in the double suite, but now you're in the primary. Is there a map? Oh yes. Do you not see the m the the map?

SPEAKER_01 29:21

Where's the map? Hit join session. Go to s oh oh my god, look at this big ship. Oh, this changes everything. And everyone could have seen this the whole time. It was me the only one that didn't have this open. Got it.

SPEAKER_05 29:37

Incredible work that you've been naming all these things.

SPEAKER_00 29:39

You were doing great. I was I had no idea you couldn't see the map.

SPEAKER_05 29:42

You said dining room. You said all of these things so well. Right.

SPEAKER_01 29:45

I'm just remembering what was said.

SPEAKER_00 29:48

This is perfect.

SPEAKER_01 29:49

Okay, cute. It's a bit smaller than I thought I would work on, but sure.

SPEAKER_00 29:54

Alright, so you are now in Benjamin's room. Alright. The room itself is nice. As mentioned, it's maybe not the highest end, but it is very nice. And the body is gone. There's only some blood, but there's no sign of the zombified captain, and there's no sign of Benjamin's body parts.

SPEAKER_02 30:14

Bullshit, man. Where the fuck would these things go? Bullshit. Alright, do I have my weed? I'm smoking this thing right now.

SPEAKER_05 30:21

No.

SPEAKER_02 30:22

You have one joint. Alright, I lit up the joint.

SPEAKER_05 30:25

I I'm just a rolling girl if you can't tell with the kind of player that I am. I'm going to roll for perception. Even though I know we're at disadvantage, I'm gonna say fuck it because I have an advantage on it, and maybe that will cancel that bullshit out.

SPEAKER_03 30:39

Also, Sean, if you're trying to recover from fear with your weed, being that you're a stoner, I think you can roll a d20 with an advantage to recover.

SPEAKER_02 30:49

Fair enough, fair enough.

SPEAKER_01 30:50

And then Binks, is Ms. Thompson gonna be trying to speak with the dead? Oh wait, no, the body's gone. The body's gone.

SPEAKER_05 30:58

Yep. Fucked.

SPEAKER_01 31:00

Stupid. Okay. Victoria will let's go ahead and um rummage through Mr. Benjamin's belongings, um, looking for something of value or use in this situation.

SPEAKER_00 31:13

You look around, but you're still caught in the haze, and you can't really focus on anything except for the pool of blood.

SPEAKER_05 31:19

What I should have done is done my wisdom check to get rid of this goddamn.

SPEAKER_02 31:24

Um I will roll, I guess, for advantage.

SPEAKER_00 31:27

Ash also looks around. In a semi-intoxicated state is unable to perceive much.

SPEAKER_03 31:34

That weed just ain't the premium stuff, my friend.

SPEAKER_02 31:37

Oh man, I just gotta smoke twice as much.

SPEAKER_05 31:40

Is there like a drawer or something that I can move in front of the door? Like to block it off?

SPEAKER_00 31:47

As you make your way to the door, you check the handle. The latch securely locks. And there's one of those extra hotel locks that gives you that extra sense of security.

SPEAKER_05 31:57

Go ahead and put that on.

SPEAKER_00 31:58

Now you have safely locked yourselves in Benjamin's room.

SPEAKER_01 32:02

I would like to go out and do a little bit of scouting while the two remaining guests under my watch stay here in the locked, almost deluxed suite.

SPEAKER_05 32:17

You're a brave bitch.

SPEAKER_01 32:18

I'm a woman of integrity and I am very good at my job. Um, so I would like to go back up the stairs and lock the door behind me.

SPEAKER_00 32:27

You leave the room. The others lock the door as you leave. You can hear the two latches click into place as you are now in the hallway. From down the hall, shuffling footsteps seem to be moving faster than the other ones. The groan is louder, scraping along the walls of the hall, heading straight towards you.

SPEAKER_01 32:48

Can I go up these stairs that are right next to me?

SPEAKER_00 32:51

You look up the stairs, more sounds, stumbling down, scraping down the banister. A loud groan emits.

SPEAKER_01 33:00

I'm gonna go up the stairs. Oh Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 33:04

You walk up the stairway. As you go up the stairs, you feel a sense of vertigo as your heart beats faster and faster. As you're trying to make your way up, step by step, you stumble and you trip backwards all the way down the stairs into the hallway. You take no damage.

SPEAKER_01 33:21

I just feel stupid.

SPEAKER_05 33:23

Mac Max said, You're not going up there. Okay. Fair enough.

SPEAKER_00 33:28

At this point, the sounds from the hall are pounding.

SPEAKER_05 33:31

Cairo thinks that she hears a loud noise, like happen right by the door. It's gonna like whisper to the door.

SPEAKER_01 33:40

Victoria? I'm fine. She shouts from the other side of the door, trying to maintain composure, but very dizzy and a little scared.

SPEAKER_02 33:51

I think we should get her back in here, man. It doesn't sound good out there. She sounds like she took some of your weed. Sounds like she needs some of this weed right now.

SPEAKER_05 34:01

Victoria, do you want us to open the door and let you back in?

SPEAKER_01 34:06

Or Victoria shouts from the other side of the door. No, no, please stay safe. Safety first, guest experience. Above all else, I'm just um getting a lay of the land out here, and I will let you know um exactly what we're dealing with.

SPEAKER_00 34:22

As as you bravely try to face whatever heads your way, the walkie squawk once again. Oh dear God, wherever you are, find cover, they're coming.

SPEAKER_05 34:33

I'm assuming that Ash and I heard that.

SPEAKER_00 34:36

Yes, it was loud and squawked.

SPEAKER_05 34:38

Victoria, for fuck's sake. You don't get paid enough, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_01 34:42

I don't know. With all due respect, Miss Thompson, I don't want to just wait in this almost deluxe suite and die. That's fair.

SPEAKER_05 34:50

We we need to pa we need to pass these perception checks.

SPEAKER_02 34:53

I I know. I need to find more we need to find more weapons, I think. So desperately. A roll for investigate.

SPEAKER_00 35:02

Go for it.

SPEAKER_04 35:03

Christ have mercy, what is happening?

SPEAKER_00 35:05

You look around, you don't see much. It's a pretty standard room, aside from the fact that it's larger than the other ones. There's a couple trinkets here or there, but nothing really worth much. So at this point, you're now really worried about Victoria. But it seems like she's bravely chosen to stand alone in the hallway unless she can be coaxed into rejoining you.

SPEAKER_05 35:28

I'm gonna move a little bit closer to the end of the room, so there's like a it seems to be like there's a TV and some chairs towards the end of that room over there.

SPEAKER_00 35:37

Okay. You move into the other Can I see anything else? There is a very comfortable looking sitting situation. Lots of cushions, lots of pillows. There's perhaps a game of back em on the little coffee table.

SPEAKER_02 35:51

That's about it. I'd like to go check the bathroom out.

SPEAKER_00 35:55

Okay. Ash heads towards the bathroom, as only he would.

SPEAKER_01 36:01

What does that mean?

SPEAKER_00 36:05

Slowly but securely.

SPEAKER_01 36:06

He eats a lot.

SPEAKER_00 36:07

You enter the bathroom. It's a bathroom. There's not much going on. They cleaned it out pretty well. This crew is actually good at a couple things.

SPEAKER_02 36:15

Oh, but there's this closet over here. Is there also a plunger here?

SPEAKER_01 36:21

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 36:22

There is a plunger receptacle. The thing that you could stick it onto, but the plunger's missing.

SPEAKER_02 36:28

I'm moving into the closet.

SPEAKER_05 36:30

I'm gonna like move if it's okay, I'm gonna move myself a little bit closer to the closet.

SPEAKER_02 36:34

You can move yourselves, by the way. Okay, perfect. Oh, cool.

SPEAKER_05 36:36

I'm gonna move myself to the closet.

SPEAKER_01 36:38

Okay, I'm moving down the hall. Oh my god. And I'm going to explore the room that is south.

SPEAKER_00 36:46

Okay, so you head towards the starboard, the starboard side of the ship. Starboard, of course. In this case.

SPEAKER_04 36:54

Of course, of course. What the fuck, Victoria?

SPEAKER_00 36:57

Bauster and Port Starboard, you know, cardinal directions or whatever. So across from the double room, there is another luxury cabin. This one's, you know, not as it's not as big as the one you were just in because it's it's not the primary. But it's another luxury cabin. So, you move into the room, the lights are off, you flick around for the switches, but you just can't seem to find it.

SPEAKER_02 37:19

No lights.

SPEAKER_01 37:20

Okay. I would like to remove from my blazer a small pen light and click it on.

SPEAKER_00 37:29

You successfully remove your pen light, flick it on, and start looking around the room. Suddenly, a thump to the back of your head. And everything is black. You're unconscious.

SPEAKER_01 37:41

Oops! Well.

SPEAKER_00 37:43

So at this point, in this point in the game, we're gonna turn things on their head. You have an experienced game master here.

SPEAKER_01 37:50

And at this point, they're gonna jump in. Oh no, I've put myself in quite the pickle.

SPEAKER_03 37:55

You sure have. Over in Benjamin's room, the room falls silent except for your labored breathing. The pounding on the door continues, but the barricade holds. You hear the oncoming footsteps of zombies, but you manage to have bought yourself some time. As you hear those sounds, the realization sets in. The ship isn't safe. It's infested with the undead, and you're trapped here with. There are no easy answers, but one thing is clear. This is no longer just about missing crew members or mysterious sounds. It's about survival. As you gather yourselves in the small secure room, you take a moment to regroup. You'll need to figure out your next move quickly. The ship may be full of dangers, but it's also the only thing standing between you and the ocean. Whatever's happening here, you'll have to face it head on. Or die trying. And with that, we're gonna transition to the actual film here, Act One.

SPEAKER_02 38:53

This was all prequels? This is just the pre-credit.

SPEAKER_03 38:56

This is the pre- That was all prologue. That was the cold open.

SPEAKER_01 38:59

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_05 39:01

And Victoria's out here just the prologue.

SPEAKER_01 39:04

Just rummaging about. I get knocked out in the prologue. Well, this would be a fun place to start. Can only go up from here, right?

SPEAKER_00 39:15

Thanks for tuning in to part one of our seventh anniversary special. Will our heroes make it off the yacht alive? Or will they be doomed to feed the insatiable hunger of the undead? What was that mysterious incident Benjamin alluded to? Will Cairo's enhanced perception finally prove useful? Will Victoria find help at the other end of her walkie talkie? And exactly how many dinner rolls can Ash eat before he gets a stomachache? Find out next time on Tides of Terror.