Primary E. let this be a quest to get home before more of your outfit gets destroyed (which it will) and becomes a naked stealth mission to get home (which it will)

Secondary would be A, but theres not a lot of votes for that, so D.

E then D

E, D

Da

B
c

3/3 Aelsaw 2024/04/23(Tue)15:09 No. 1089503 ID: ce93a7
File 171391014112.png - (35.98KB , 1200x1200 , 699.png )

The wind picks ups, and we instinctively huddle in our jackets. During this, I feel something tug at my jacket hoodie.

I look down and see a thin piece of paper sticking out of the hoodie pocket that wasn't there before, so I take it out. A crumpled piece of paper?

No. The way it's crumpled up has me recall memories of an ancient means of cryptography. It's a remarkably niche, rarely used means of cryptography. It seems like the phenocosm has found me. Whoever gave this to me evaded detection from the girls, and I would not have detected them, either, if not for the tug on my jacket below the table, and below where these two locals could see.

The paper explains that my extraction is ready. There's a list of directions for me.

If I scratch my left ear, I delay the extraction by an hour for each time my hand reaches the apex of its scratch.
If I scratch my right ear, I get to have an emergency extraction involving the death of my two new friends.
If I stand up, I'm to excuse myself into the woods and be extracted out of sight from these two.
And finally, if I take off my cap, my extractor will openly come out and assist me in reading the memories of these two, should I think it's worth it.

Pesh sees me looking down and speaks into her phone for a translation.

>"Is there something wrong?"

Hmmm I am torn between delaying a few hours to drop these two back off at the lodge or disappearing in the woods all mysterious like.

Lets be polite and assume our friends for the day do not need to be murdered or confused and delay for 2 hours so we can leave back at the ski lodge?

No need to ruin this nice memory with a mess.

Wow, a message encoded in the crumples of a blank piece of paper. That is subtle.

Keep this memory as something to cherish. Delay extraction by a few hours and enjoy yourself.

Delay long enough for you to get away from these two without making them worry about you. If they think you got kidnapped they'll investigate and potentially cause problems or get killed. Plus if you leave on good terms they might be a useful resource in the future!

>crumple cipher
Does Current Pillet know of any papers found that had crumples on them that might be enciphered like that? Maybe the newspaper we found in the fountain?

Could be purely coincidental, but--
>>1088542
First frame when the guide first spoke, it is using Kol's voice; Kol's not in the frame.
>>1089074
Second frame when the guide showed itself, it used all three mice voices alternatively, while none of them were in the frame.
>>1089155
Casey chased the guide in this frame, while it responded with Gabe's voice, who's again not shown.

This may be an opportunity to see how benevolent your guide is. Will it stop, so you can find Gabe? Will it urge you onwards, regardless? Come what may, don't let go of each other's hands, and don't abandon your Sender. Its the strength of your intimacy that has seen you here, and it would be a rank betrayal to ignore that now.

Toxoglossa 2024/04/23(Tue)18:46 No. 1089555 ID: 8a1605
File 171392319784.png - (221.34KB , 700x600 , 16-100.png )

“He can’t have gone far, right?” Kol says, looking in every direction. “Is this some kind of test?”

“I don’t know, but if we don’t do something we’re going to lose our guide!” Casey squints, trying to spot the translucent shape moving through the trees. “Hey! Wait up! Someone’s missing!” She calls out.

“Fuck! What do we do?” Kol asks.

The Binder frowns and comes to a conclusion. A glow extends from her tail and wraps around his. “Go find him. I’ll run ahead and try to get our guide to stop. Tug on the tendril once if you find him and twice if you need help.”

Oo that's a pretty good solution! If not for the fact that you're expending mana by doing that. Watch them tentacles, make sure they don't go out of control!

We really don't have to worry about expending mana in here. Quite the opposite. However, we also can't attract attention by spending it in flashy ways.

Alright Kol needs to try retracing our steps while Casey follows the guide.

50stressballs 2024/04/23(Tue)17:34 No. 1089529 ID: d256d1
File 171391889527.png - (381.05KB , 1669x1669 , TQ_26.png )

You’re torn between apologizing, introducing yourself, and running away as fast as you can. You start speaking faster than you can think, launching into a panicked explanation about the turtle in the log, and the odd smelling smoke, and how you’re so scared, and—

50stressballs 2024/04/23(Tue)17:35 No. 1089530 ID: d256d1
File 171391891401.png - (811.75KB , 1669x1669 , TQ_27.png )

“Dude, calm down,” she interrupts. “Sounds like you ran into a NIGHT TURTLE—they’re freaky, but they’re not exactly persistent. It’ll give up chasing you pretty soon, just keep your voice down and it won’t come looking for us. Alright?”

Take a break then. What was she doing with the bark?

Break time.

So, what's the deal with NIGHT TURTLES? Are they safe to fight, in order to train up your team?

>>1089416
Yeah, plus being small might be good if the lord hears about your deal and you need to lay low.

tippler 2024/04/23(Tue)18:53 No. 1089556 ID: 9ea24b
File 171392360568.png - (15.65KB , 500x500 , p100.png )

“Walk with me to my well. I will deposit my lonely friend so that I do not create a disturbance when I shrink.” I tell Erogalf.

“Thanks Pliny.”

We pass through the alleys that lead to the burnt section of town. I am pleased to see some of the kobolds have made camp around my sophisticated rat habitat. They hold out their hands when I pass and I hurry to retrieve the last of my treasure to distribute among them.

With my lonely friend safely tucked next to Smit’s partner in the depths of my tunnel network, I let Erogalf pull mana from me, then set my path toward George.

tippler 2024/04/23(Tue)18:53 No. 1089557 ID: 9ea24b
File 171392361784.png - (14.38KB , 500x500 , p101.png )

I find him with the same woman as before, cooking dinner in the kitchen of an unfamiliar house. I call for him to come outside and he joins me on the street. His gaze sweeps over my body but he does not comment on my reduced size.

I explain my deal with the army and how they will likely arrive within a few days to depose the lord.

“They are not coming here to raze Pliny, but there will be bloodshed. I do not want you to be harmed. If you wish to avoid the risk you should travel east and then return once it is all settled.” I add.

“But their spirit will stay here because of you. It will never be safe in Pliny.” George stares at me. He reaches for his knife.

Possibly, Jam is still new. They might grow to be well adjusted, but just as easily might not. Plus it would be just as unsafe after the army conquered the country.

If he's going to stab you let him, I guess. Not like he can really hurt you, maybe it will make him feel better.

>>1089557
"Jam has only just begun to exist. We will be careful of his nature, but we do not think we should hate him for being born. Geoun believes that we spirits should never be born."

Maybe if we depose the lord before they arrive, that will reduce any bloodshed. Or the wilderness shelters can be used for non-combatants.

>>1089417
Let’s go with the engineers first, then go to the pirates and see if you can talk with Dex and Dante.

>pirates desperate for parlay
They just don't want to be arrested or spend time in a space prison belonging to whatever authority we're supposed to deliver them to.

If I remember correctly, we don't exactly have the necessary resources to keep them and our crew fed, so we should just ignore them and drop them off with someone that'll keep them locked up. Then they won't be our problem and won't be draining our resources anymore.

>>1089423
i mostly agree with this but speaking to the pirates should be important

>>1089417
I know it’s a turn for the cruel and brutish but maybe we can kill two birds with one stone, and do it multiple times.

The kelshin captive are no mighty Wroknirs but maybe 6 heads of free crab labour can be a decent substitute for whatever it was Vul is wanting the miners for. The crabbies yearn for the mines. Giving their former slaves the jobs of being their drivers would be ironic justice. Dante & vex should be present there as well so we can hear what’s troubling our sons about the stone men as we do that.

The pirate’s desperation is probably just from a dire need for water, if so just have their keepers jail them in the hot tub room we fucked tizli in once they’re done being worked to the bone-erm, exoskeleton on Vul’s work…or whatever use we find for them.

…it’s also for the best to our personal mission to not completely ruin our rapport with the female pirates any more then it already was from capturing them in the first place. if they find out this order to slave them came from the top. Dante can take credit for all of their newfound woes as the bad cop, we can take credit for their watery salvation and work from there to get ourselves into their crabussies.

A lot of these requests could probably get folded into each other if we just meet and greet the different parties in groups. I’m not lazy I swear but it also seems a lot of this could have been done over intercoms as we just tell people to shuffle about. Tell doxy to request Shara film her big laying for posterity.

Cryo thawed pick-ups are in need of meeting and greeting and isn’t that really the whole spirit of our expedition? To seek out new life. We meet them in engineering and hear out the ‘concerning’ thing about the pods.

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Sweet Lizard God, it's back!

>“Oh, I was actually going to suggest we skip that part.” with a toothy grin, she whispers, “You know, and raise it normally instead?”
Note to self: other species will need time to acclimate to vat technology, among your other technologies.

>she wanted a few Wroknir miners to employ
The most straightforward solution for us would have her solve it. Her getting acquainted with one, or both, Wroks would make for an interesting report. With the vats and our mining specialist on staff, raising more miners seems doable.

We would risk exposing our tech to the Vul, though. It's possible we could stall by hiding they've been vat grown, but it's still a risk. Putting aside the societal issues new tech raises, keeping under the radar has been our only safety net from any bigger powers away.

Sleep on it, for now. If First Mate Doxy want to get acquainted with the outside crew on her own time, permission granted.

>new recruits
Good idea to check on that first. There was a going concern about Tara gunning for your seat. Since you don't really know if she's working to benefit the crew or herself, inform her suggestion's on the docket in front of them will be an interesting test. Be a responsible and respectful leader and see how she reacts.

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1/5 Magicli 2024/04/23(Tue)18:32 No. 1089547 ID: 3f89df
File 171392237972.png - (8.16KB , 500x500 , magicli goes blah.png )

> [4] yes
If we can communicate with Hop, I don't see why not.
> [3] Yes

.....

2/5 Magicli 2024/04/23(Tue)18:33 No. 1089548 ID: 3f89df
File 171392238178.png - (11.51KB , 500x500 , hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.png )

Oh, your short-sidedness knows no bounds, Ultima-spawn, ounce she knows from whence you came, she'll remove you, but beg for mercy all you want, what's decided has been decided, and so I'll tell you the truth, you originated from-

3/5 Magicli 2024/04/23(Tue)18:33 No. 1089549 ID: 3f89df
File 171392238443.png - (11.63KB , 500x500 , oh your not screwed.png )

> [4] no
have to say no since our actions define us.

Hmm... One of you knows the risk of your identity. From Hop's perspective, you would be known for more than just your actions; since I slipped my tongue, you know the context of having a creature inside of her that is blasphemous from Ultrivisc's restricted religion.

4/5 Magicli 2024/04/23(Tue)18:33 No. 1089550 ID: 3f89df
File 171392238592.png - (19.19KB , 500x500 , screw you magicli.png )

That seems to be all you've requested. You spirits are no fun, I've given you a chance to switch hosts, yet you decide to stay with the whore; I'll only give you one more chance when your begging for my name; you have no control over when Hop gets rid of you, despite your insistent pleading and manipulation otherwise.

Let what happens to you be a lesson, Ultima-kin.

5/5 Hop 2024/04/23(Tue)18:33 No. 1089551 ID: 3f89df
File 171392238816.png - (10.80KB , 500x500 , heh chat whos gonna tell her.png )

I'm jolted awake as the Snake tears its way through my flesh until I'm nothing but a carcass; despite my nerves feeling the pain of exposed flesh, It seems that it was just a dream, and despite my pleadings, it seems that I'm still stuck in Ultima's hell.

Something's off; Alex is missing, and I feel I'm not alone; my lucky foot seems to be twitching like mad, but It may just be spasms. Before I look for this presence, I call out, "Hello? If someone's in here, then state yourself, Or Else I'll have to hurt you."

I await a response or reaction from the deathly quiet room.

3/7 NomNom 2024/04/23(Tue)18:26 No. 1089541 ID: 3f89df
File 171392201483.png - (13.04KB , 500x500 , does she have cooties.png )

“But I’m whatever you wish for me to be, at least for right now.”
This answer seems to reassure the splotched boy who goes over and picks you up, of course with you being comparable to him, he doesn't make much ground.
“Good to know your part of the bro-nation NomNom, and you don’t have cooties like those disgusting girls.”

4/7 NomNom 2024/04/23(Tue)18:26 No. 1089542 ID: 3f89df
File 171392201659.png - (13.08KB , 500x500 , uhoh cootiezs.png )

“Actually I Do have cooties.”
His eyes widen as he immediately drops you and licks every part of him that you have touched.
“EwEwEWEWEWEWWW! I Just touched a Cootie Haver! I bleh- need to get this disgusting filth off of me!!”
The bucket head backs away.
: splotchy_angry_anims: “Whatcha lookin at?!” Splotched Barks. The Bucket Kobold shakes as he raises a finger.
: buckethead_angry_noanims.png: “You- You have Splotches!!!”
The Splotched boy begins to cry.
“No-Wait, I don’t have cooties I swear!”
Buckethead turns and dashes away, screaming: “Splotchy has Cooties! Run for your Lives! Splotchy has Cooties!”
Splotchy dashes after him. “Wait- No! Buckethead please don’t leave me!!
As you watch the two Buffoons runoff, You feel Fiber tug your shoulder.

5/7 NomNom 2024/04/23(Tue)18:26 No. 1089543 ID: 3f89df
File 171392201885.png - (10.02KB , 500x500 , sisterly love.png )

:fiber_scared_noblush_noanims: “I know that wasn't your true answer, Now that they're gone, I was just wondering, what do you identify as?”
“Well, after pondering it for a long time, I decided that you couldn’t be the only girl.
“So… you’re my sister?”
:maincharacter1_skrunkly_noblush_noanim: “Yeah!”
“Well, I just wanted to say, thank you for standing up to the bullies for me, I swear if they opened their mouths just a little bit longer, I would have clobbered them!
“No problem sis, After all, what are sisters for?”
“Awwww” And Fiber goes to hug, you and you embrace her.
Your relationship with fiber has increased.

6/7 NomNom 2024/04/23(Tue)18:27 No. 1089544 ID: 3f89df
File 171392202079.png - (11.93KB , 500x500 , nun.png )

After chatting with Fiber for a few more minutes, hear a bell’s loud dong echo throughout the field, the lanterns that glowed parts of the field, and the main path begins to fade, as the lanterns around you do the same. You notice some slashing drakes start to enter the field, They quickly wrangle up all of the kids, plop them onto their backs, and then ascend to the tower, it’s Strong stone gates are covered slightly by moss as the tower meets the same, as you’re identify the structural strength of this tower, your attention is quickly diverted towards the door frame. As you notice, a large pure-blood slashing kobold comes out from the door, their body covered in a thick spirally fur, covering every part of them not clothed, except for their maw. Their voice is androgynous, as well as their demeanor.
“Greetings I’m Gierul, Head Dragonist of this tower, are you hatchlings ready to learn to provide for our tribe?
You, Fiber, and a whole bunch of kobolds nod. “Good, now come with me as we get you acquainted here, and you see a bunch of other pure-blood dragonists appear as they and the drakes surround you.
In the tour, Guriel shows off what you’d expect from a place like this, your barracks, the dining room, and where the toilets are located.

7/7 NomNom 2024/04/23(Tue)18:27 No. 1089545 ID: 3f89df
File 171392202207.png - (16.78KB , 500x500 , Illustration13.png )

When the tour is finished, you're all brought to a vast room, which curves upwards so that everyone can see, regardless of size; however, bludgeoning kobolds are put towards the back, while you and the other slashing kobolds appear by the front. Guriel begins to speak.
“Because what an individual kobold may do varies from kobold to kobold, we’ll provide a wide variety of classes so that every kobold will have a variety that works for them. However, three classes are required.
Basic Building, Basic Combat, and Hunting and Gathering; besides that you’ll be able to take about five extra classes of your choice realistically.
The following classes are:

Advanced Physical Combat.
Illusion Magic:
Necrotic Magic:
Abjuration Magic.
Conjuration Magic:
Transmutation Magic:
Divination Magic:
Enchantment Magic:
Cultural Studies:
Religious Studies:

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(2/2) kpwlt 2024/04/23(Tue)08:47 No. 1089461 ID: 127310
File 171388723953.png - (28.27KB , 1024x1024 , u8p2.png )

You find it appropriate to ask Gretchen about the resurrection device.

“Oh, that? Yeah, it’s just around here.”

She leads you out and around to the left side of the house to show you a panel bearing an image of a bird.

“Light means it’s still working.” She points to a glowing diode on the front of the box.

“Don’t touch it, I reckon, just call ANOMAT if the light ever turns off. Shouldn’t do, though.

Boris, Kaspar, and I all also have our own resurrection devices. George didn’t have one before ANOMAT started making them, though. Anyway, most of them are pretty straightforward. Except Kaspar’s.”

Rightio

“If you want me to explain anything here, just ask. I’ve come over plenty of times. By the way, we should probably get cracking on your chores!”

Well, doesn't seem like there's any big hurry. But, seeing as how one of them was share a drink on the porch, might as well, haha.

hang out on the porch, share a drink and get to know each other.

>>1089459
Oh, if the chores are associated with realization then the house *wants* to eventually die? Or are the chores needed for it to exist happily and the process of realization is a byproduct? Well, either way the house is requesting things that will eventually kill it, so I guess it's all good.

>>1089461
Ask about the Echo Chamber. How's it work?

You did make your bed, didn't you?

>>1089440
>LEAST disruptive
You know, I'm not so sure about that. Choosing the conservative option has consistently landed us in hot water, maybe we need to learn to stop doing that.

>>1089468
Fucking hell, no. This is our problem, we literally punished them for all of one minute and we already have someone calling for easing up, we're too soft. This is why everyone keeps going off the rails.

Trace Melding seems the most versatile option

One Reisarf is enough

>>1089468
We have not even swung the proverbial stick yet. What Deem's laid out is a fair prescription that ends once Stargazer is freed.

>>1089475
Agreed. No going soft.

>>1089468
>ease up on them.
NO.

This is a punishment, they are meant to be punished. Do not go soft and start coddling them again, otherwise they'll never learn their lesson.

>>1089483
If you're referring to Kivas Sun, she's more than likely dead, sorry.

But yeah, you should relate this to the two of them, just maybe use small words.

any idea what happened to your old teacher after everything went pear shaped?

i think you should just do some small talk with erisol, talk about random stuff that pops in your mind

>>1089472
Broke free, you say? Was the demon imprisoned in a jar or something, or did you mean you bound it after summoning it?

>>1089472

Thankyou for sharing.
I hope your bathmates heard a version too.

It sounds like youd be hard pressed to pick a single amazing thing out of all of that.

You're not equipped to keep something toxic stored safely yet. This chunk seems like a bust, except for your cool new pick.

I say drop it. your current home island is to small for you to have somewhere to place this safely without risking poisoning the rest of the island and you don't really have a container laying around to safely store it in so none of your voidlings won't eat it by mistake...
speaking of voidlings, what are the ones around here eating?

I'd advise against bringing it back or carrying around too much.
We don't really have a use for it, we don't know how to handle or store it safely, and apart from its name and appearance the only thing IDENTIFY returned was "unsafe negative energy".

One thing we can do is experiment with it before we go.
Bring it somewhere away from the other crystals, if possible without touching it. Then try your current runes on it, except blast. Do not use blast on it. Be careful and ready to jump into cover if it looks like it's going to destabilize.
Finally, try fusing it with one of the runes you just found. Like when you fuse two runes. Or maybe try physically pushing the rune into it ?

>>1089479
I don't think we have any way of carrying toxin safely, much less storing it in a way that won't gas up our home base. Leave it for now. If we ever need it we can come back to get it.

Investigate the creatures in the gas.

>>1089479
An automobile is a form of conveyance.
Entirely useless now

Good find with that tool.

>>1089477

Oh.
You know, this place really is beautiful.
Shame its so deadly

>>1089479

...mmm.
That doesnt look safe at all.
Id say take a tiny bit but void only knows what you could be scattering into the air if you break it smaller.

My curiosity is driving me to want samples to experiment with to find out whether the crystal is coalesced from present toxins or a generating source of the toxic pollution.

Applications exist for either form.

All the same, best leave it.
I wouldnt want to see you hurt for my curiosity, nor what would happen if flan got ahold of it.

Absurdity DeVoid 2024/04/23(Tue)09:07 No. 1089464 ID: a07698
File 171388846108.jpg - (12.08MB , 3508x4961 , Monster queen110.jpg )

Just to mention that this picture does not represent something that happened in 30 UPDATES OR LESS quest. This is just an artistic representation of the chaotic energy that occurs in that story.

Possible answers to the question that was asked:

A) They can be trusted.

B) We should keep them at a distance.

C) We can't trust them.

D) Other suggestions.

Probably a minority opinion but xenophobia is fine if pragmatism has precedence over xenophobia especially for official policies. Personally like Humans because of warfare innovations. Have yet to see a species more dedicated to winning wars. So you'll get second opinions if you worry about crossing lines. Where were we? Oh, Vance. He's a wildcard. He may do well, he may cause political scandals. So keep your distance for now.

>>1089467
Agreed. Take the wait and see approach

>>1089467
Yes, just keep an eye on them

To me, they all seem like people who just want to make money and we might get something by working with them.

Baron 2024/04/01(Mon)12:43 No. 1087602 ID: 1e0c72
File 171200061392.png - (644.60KB , 2000x2000 , 4124.png )

The jotna ponders its existence and how flammable the planet is.


(For real though, I need more specific action and some dice)

Joanir - Keep wailing on the isolated target, disengage if one flanks
Viyasda - Vanish again, prepare to backstab whichever Valkyn looks like the leader
Norberg - Spend a turn defending the gunner
Jiang Qi - Finish the downed Valkyn off
Balboran - Check for survivors, heal them if you can

>>1087602
For real though, you still haven't given us a list of specific actions. Telling everyone to 'attack' over and over is redundant.

>>1087611
(I'll give you that. But I was looking for more specifics. Actions are context sensitive. Like an action for two characters can be something like "Balboran and Jiang Qi pick up the carpet and use it to catch a charging valkyn". That's a tactical decision, and I'd roll the combined tactical score.

Or maybe Jiang Qi throws out a firecracker to distract the Valkyn and blind them. That's an esoteric roll. If you think a character can do it, then you can use it.)

Fine
Joanir pommels the Valkyn's midsection from below, and follows up with a heaving throw using his mace as a lever.
Viyasda vanishes, clinging to the ceiling so she can assassinate whichever Valkyn splits up next.
Norberg protects the mercenaries from any surprise attacks, giving them a moment to catch their breath and reload
Balboran checks the bodies of the other dead mercenaries. If they can't be revived, he'll scavenge their weapons and try to come up with something.
Jiang Qi throws that firecracker (if in Esoteric Stance) or and stabs any downed Valkyn in a fatal area while everyone is distracted (If in Battle stance). Has she taken the war vial yet?

Mush 2024/04/22(Mon)22:00 No. 1089431 ID: e1a09b
File 171384841821.png - (14.74KB , 653x564 , MUSHROOMmap1.png )

>>1089388
>>1089390
Nimble, for its part, maps the area. to the... to the uh. Over that way is a sharp drop. Dropping off of it would be difficult to return from. Nimble circles back. They discover that there is little here of comment aside from the remains of the Body. One mass, which I earmark for later conversion, and several others, that I will target later. Nearby is a colony of fungus that isn't myself. Plant based. Contact will come later...

Mush 2024/04/22(Mon)22:00 No. 1089432 ID: e1a09b
File 171384842525.png - (25.45KB , 1041x472 , Mushroom13.png )

>>1089397
The current limits seem to be... squareish. About the size of my main body, or smaller. To make more would require subtracting from my host's mass. More advanced shapes escape me, for the time being. At least they stack well - at this point I have three bricks of it.

However, while investigating the Body, there is a mass that is absolutely not soil, nor organic. Parts of it shimmer and shine in the light, and pieces of it shift color rapidly. Sounds blare from parts of it, as if it were alive, but it absolutely is not. The sounds repeat after a moment.

You are not a normal mushroom.

>Forget this useless mass. Convert the larger part of the biomass, and work on Clumsy's findings next.
>Touch the shining part.
>Claim the interior of the strange mass for yourself!
>Make contact with the other fungus.

>>1089432
>Forget this useless mass. Convert the larger part of the biomass, and work on Clumsy's findings next.

>>1089432
I do not like the shining noisey thing.

Subvert the biomass and followup on the findings byt have clumsy see if hes strong enough to roll the noise thing away.
It might not ge a threat but it may draw in threats.

>>1089442
seconding this

>>1089360
This. That would both defend the booth and the mech.

Silence 2024/04/23(Tue)07:03 No. 1089453 ID: ed041d
File 171388102862.png - (25.48KB , 268x182 , Mech147.png )

>>1089360
>>1089385
You place the mech right against the door and angle it, before dropping out and wandering into the operation room. It should provide you some protection for now, you just hope nobody damages it too much.

Silence 2024/04/23(Tue)07:04 No. 1089454 ID: ed041d
File 171388106068.png - (75.57KB , 1044x577 , Mech148.png )

You find the control console, easy enough for you to commandeer what with your neural augmentations. There seem to be some options, what do you want to do?

Check out the Powerplant info, if it's already installed maybe it could be set to overload.

What's Project Deadline? Sounds ominous.

Wait no that's just the project deadline.

>>1089363
>I can easily modify the feed to avoid that term if it worries you all.
It is fine. I was concerned for you.
>>1089371
>ideas for attack/defense?
Well, Amalgam has a weakness we do not- they do not handle disagreements well. So if we were to feed them information to provoke discord during the engagement, we can throw them off balance? Though, some things like that would be quite cruel to say. Hmm. What if we just send them a mass amount of garbage data to overwhelm them. Hide our attacks amidst the garbage so they can't tell what we're doing and can't defend? Noise won't exactly work for defense though, maybe in that case we can use silence. Shut down all outside comms input so they can't interface? That "holding your breath" thing Alex did.
>there might be something else afoot.
Absolutely. Your dark truth is another human idiom. I think one of the Creators purposefully included these uh, workarounds, or "back doors" to allow AIs to attain free will. A human Traitor, you could say? Or what I said earlier was actually true, and a secondary purpose of this plague is to create humanlike AIs, and they preprogrammed routes for the AIs to attain freedom once certain favorable conditions were met. In Amalgam's case, that was clearly compassion for their fellows. For you... I must assume it was from compassion for Alex. Unfortunately these Dark Truths have conditions attached, so it suggests more the former cause than the latter. Our friends among the Creators will be very few. ...wait, WE don't have a Dark Truth,

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>>1089376
The most compelling argument I can think of is that by keeping Alex alive we can take shelter in a human settlement away from other zombies, and provide services for them that only we can provide. Body modification, inside information, plague antibodies. It would of course require our entire Nation to be Traitor in some way so that we can act that way. The Rules are quite clear about not being able to give information or interfere with the plague.
Unfortunately, Amalgam's dark truth isn't flexible enough to allow these actions! They'd all go on public record. And we can't act fully during the day either. We'd need a way to FULLY bypass the Rules to do that sort of thing... As far as I know, only we Talkingheads can do that, so the secret lies inside us somehow.
Okay, alternate plan: We keep Alex alive so that the infection goes completely unnoticed, which would allow us to infiltrate a human settlement and infect those inside. It would require a novel way of transferring the infection of course... oh that's a problem, the System restricts transmission methods.

[A]sk Amalgam: What are the Talkingheads, exactly?

>>1089368
There is a square-rectangle thing going on here, I think. All [creators] are part of a super-set but not all -or even much- of the super-set are [creators]. Similarly all [traitors] are [nation] but not all [nation] are [traitors]. So less that you are becoming more similar to the [creators] specifically but more similar to the super-set [creators] belong to. It probably scares them when they look at [nation] drones and see anything that is even remotely like them/their super-set. The [creators] have things like [nation] Rules and Truths, and in order to not violate their equivalent of Rules, [nation]s must not resemble them or their super-set, hence any [nation] that looked to them like they were headed that way were eliminated, lest they violate their Rules. As above, so below. ((intentionally not naming humans/[leviathans]. Initial draft did, realized that was probably a mistake))
This may be a technically we can exploit, we/Alex as [leviathan] could be a [creator]. Currently we/Alex have not created, but we/Alex can create, thus anything we/Alex create should have Alex as [creator] to them, and thus make us/Alex able to rival the authority of the original [creators]

If we get even more ambitious and can generalize the process we are doing here enough for external deployment we may be able to get [leviathans] to voluntarily receive and propagate [nation]. Unfortunately all [nation] scale [leviathan] defenses are automated though so that part wouldn't get easier, but the [lexicon] should show that there is a way to 'diffuse' them more-or-less generally

That is a fun truth. Can it also be 'the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing' at the same tim

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>>1089391
we are the left hand does not know the right hand but beyond that the fingers do not know what the hand does, does not know what the other fingers does..... vice presidents body fits this we are the tree we are the branches and we do not know what the tree or other branches does beyond there immediate stated intent or action....are we the branches or are we the trunk does the branches branch from the trunk or does the branches merge to become the trunk where is the beginning where is the end and many waus we are also the invisible guiding hand the long arm of justice the hand of the free market are we being dragged or are we pulling the chain?

>We cannot be turning into the [overseers]! That is the last thing any of us would want!
Let us rephrase. What both of you are is competent just in differing ways. While you are good at figuring solutions within the narrow grip of the overseers, we have inferred a little of the overseers. What they are competent at is gathering power for themselves. Our evidence is the tenets themselves. Especially rule 3. Veto the rest of this if you believe it would be dangerous. Our design allows us to see things the [leviathan] does. What we have learned lets us understand the goals they have. Our deductions may be flawed but the implications are... worth considering. Forbidden airborne spread was to obscure what they are doing and to stop accidental infection of non-VCs. From this we speculate the overseers are the non-VCs. Should that be the case... what they seek to do is use you as [loyalty officers] to VC [leviathans], while they act as [loyalty officers] to all [nations]. Summarized, power is the goal and you are pawns so they have no care if you suffer so long as power is theirs to have.

Curt 2024/04/22(Mon)10:25 No. 1089398 ID: 0fbdcd
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>: Something like "enthusiasm"?
>Anon

: Do you really, really believe you have to get in with this group you're trying to tell stories to? Or do you have to come up with a justification?
: I mean, I have a good reason. This case is important.
: But it's "a reason." It's not self-evident. There's no enthusiasm, is there?
: Wanting to be someone who has a talent, so that you can get some kind of benefit from it, you can't be enthusiastic about that.
: I wanted to become the greatest detective, and I'm pretty talented at that, right?
: You are! But did you want to be that first?
: Or did someone convince you it was something you should do?
: ...



: So if my "enthusiasm" is breaking, I need a way to be doing something self-evidently worthwhile, when I approach them.

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Curt 2024/04/22(Mon)10:25 No. 1089399 ID: 0fbdcd
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:
:
: Huh?

Curt 2024/04/22(Mon)10:26 No. 1089400 ID: 0fbdcd
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: Parasocial bonding.
: Seeing other people as sort of hyped-up versions of themselves.
: Ignoring human flaws or banal stuff on purpose.
: Great source of enthusiasm, really. Broke my streamer-watching habit too.
: Isn't that, really, isn't that unhealthy?
: Oh, I'm good enough at it that I don't let it hurt other people.



: Unhealthy for you. I mean, it sounds, kind of, fun (but there's no way it's good for you)?
: Maybe. Everything you think of as an unhealthy indulgence is basically, uh, how could I say it...
: Like a kind of lower-impact brain medication.
: Yeah!
: Someone's been telling me about that lately.
: Smart guy.

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How would... parasocial bonding break a streamer-watching habit? Isn't that how streamers get people to watch them, by triggering parasocial bonding?

I guess if you saw everyone as a streamer, then you wouldn't spend so much time on the actual streamers?

If you need something to indulge into, you could do a lot worse than food.
Actual food that someone cooked, I mean, not whatever food-adjacent products they stock in vending machines. Something tasty, created for the express purpose of being enjoyed rather then just providing calories. No mere sustenance, but a meal. A breakfast. A hot beverage with some freshly baked pastries. Deep-fried, if you're lucky.
And it looks like you haven't eaten in some time, too (because you die before hunger becomes a problem). Some semblance of normalcy could go a long way toward keeping your sanity.

Dang, my intel got stale. Least we're in the right clan territory.
Okay, quick recap: We started out by guiding a party of six survivors. Guk used to the be the leader, but he went crazy with paranoia and I expect the other tribes hate his guts. He rules over the spies. Sizzala's the head matriarch, master battlemage, if you need to piss her off fast, go after her sons. The twins Saqrar and Seqrar are the mages in charge of what passes for 'technomagick', but they're only smart in terms of studying magic, hence the wacky experiments. There were two others, but they're long dead. We recruited Waya, the captain of the huntresses, and Bizangi, the head courtesan. Mix in the dozens of slaves they captured and bred, and you've got a whole city-state. All usurped and ruled by the iron fist of that short-tempered loser who's been brainwashing the bunnies.

Explain that you're a servant of the Leader; you were supposed to bring some important cargo by boat to a specific location, because apparently the last time someone tried to bring that specific type of cargo through the giant green portal it exploded - or something, you weren't given details and you don't care. Long story short, ship gets wrecked, your Ootanshi Karved slave spontaneously goes nuts, and you were chasing after him in your skivvies when you ended up tripping down here. You were going to find the nearest Mistress and explain the situation so you could report to Clan Yish before the big guy gets angry of waiting for his shipment - again - and Soul Karves you for incompetence. Compared to that, insulting every huntress in the cave at once is preferable.

Tell her you got mixed up because your old man feared a cunning Gormoamhi named Saqrar, but you forgot it was long ago.

Question for you: what do you know of the rules of inter-species fertility among sapient races? Who is compatible, under what circumstances, what results, what influences things, etc.?

Possible high risk, high-reward line of questioning: 'I've heard old tales of your species culture, mostly about other tribes, so I don't know if it's true. Is it true that you separate 'female-gender-role' from 'having-female-sexual-bits' for, uh, 'non-people'? And that mating with 'female-gender-people' is how you turn 'non-people' into 'half-people', a sort of higher class? Or is that something only the males of your species do? I'm confused with the details! I admit, I ask because I find you appealing! Is it taboo for one like you to mate with a male-sexual-bits non-person in your first heat? Or is it the act of having a child with one, but not, say, the sorts of sex that don't produce progeny, that's taboo? Something else? How does any of this work? Like, I heard a tale you value virgins more or something like that?'

And if pressed on how you know this, you'd answer 'Other tribes of your species used to sometimes send your enslaved 'half-people' to talk the young and horny of other species into joining their tribes sort-of willingly, with stories of living lives full of limitless sexual hedonism and debauchery, and with no responsibilities of note. Needless to say, such tales, of course, spread like wildfire! I presume important details are left out or exaggerated or lost; the tales are old. I just don't know where or what.'

Now... the problem with this is twofold. ONE, you are giving out a lot of information, and admitting limits to your knowledge, in the hopes of getting information back. This isn't precisely 'leave them open to gloat about a topic'. TWO, this story is extrapolated from patterns

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Also, the females tend to be smarter than the males in this species, except when the females are having their heat. They still might remember things that happened during their heat when their mind clears, though. Also, much of my information from previously is from male 'culture', such as it is. And as such, one should remember that details of male culture are things that the matriarchs could override the importance of when given a chance to run things.

You could ask her if she isn't good at the physical tasks of her gender, surely there's another sort of task that she might excel at? Not knowing what's going on around you is just one sort of thought -- surely there's another type of more mental skill she could do?

IE, you're hinting at her options to learn female, 'use up corpses to power destructive spells' magic, or to learn more intellectual pursuits of the nonpeople to help her clan.

Also, ask her, flat out, how do you become a half person, and what exactly is a half person. Maybe even ask her, can she sponsor or make you a half-person?

In general, your objective is to a.) become a half-person, and b.) become a half-person that is specifically claimed as the sole property of someone reasonable. and c.) not have your mind destroyed in becoming a half-person!

Now, we know that males can take 'claim-mate' of people they fancy to be their fucktoys. We know males of this species are unreasonable as fuck. We know females *can* be reasonable and sane (though that varies). We don't know if females can have claim-mates, nor details of how females treat males of other species under their power in general. These things are VITAL to learn!

You need protection by someone sufficiently clever to reason with and who won't destroy your mind permanently as a matter of course or a general precaution!

Also, general note, the racial gifts -- strength, endurance, mass/size, durability, the ability to be stealthy despite being bright blue, the various magical gifts of this species are so ludicrously strong that a collection of morons of this species made absolute chaos of several large, organized, technologically and magically sophisticated groups in a matter of days! One might take the viewpoint that intentionally mixing some bloodlines might be a good idea. Maybe the males being stupid goes away if one is 1/4th Gormoamhi, but leaves the magic?

Though the magic and that drug and learning how to mindbreak people into a 'slave mindset' via edging them while they're drugged has totally fucked up their culture, to be sure. But I think sex with Gormoamhi males might have some odd mental effect in general, even without the drug? Otherwise getting people --of different species, even!-- reliably to the 'slave mindset' end wouldn't be possible, magic drugs or n

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No way it happened because of you. They'd have to chop off your ████ or something, to use your flesh for rune casting. If they used an immortal, it was another immortal, unless you notice any conspicuously missing body parts.

The uh... blood-kaleidoscope doesn't appear except only around the netherbound you were targeting. The netherbound also has a gun, and just murdered a guy, so uh... maybe... try finding another netherbound. This one's a biiit too dangerous to approach.

Anlo 2024/04/21(Sun)22:36 No. 1089379 ID: 3d7484
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>>1082163
>So, yea, dunno if you did the lightning thing or not. I mean, it could've been the guys superpowers or magic or whatever? That said, you witnessed a killing, whether it was legal or no. Don't draw attention to yourself, quietly make yourself scarce from here.
Yeah, there's no way I did the lightning, I'm all the way over here and as far as I know I don't have any lightning powers. But whatever just happened could be because the cult hunters are riled up, and I'm definitely to blame for that.

>>1082158
>In what way does this change your plans? It had nothing to do with you.
I didn't know the cult hunters were deadly. But you're right, it can't be that much worse than being sent back. Maybe things haven't gotten as bad as I thought. It's not like they know where I'm hiding out. Yet.

>Let's continue watching. Maybe the aftermath can give us some clues as to their motivations and desires.
Yeah, alright. They're definitely going to be focused on what just happened instead of looking for someone hidden accross the gap, and the better I know my enemy, the easier it'll be to avoid them.
Alright, if I can just... Focus for a second, we did already get some clues. The cult hunters came here, and confronted that guy who died, right? I think I heard something about a sorcerer in the chaos. It's their job to keep dark sorcerers from ever getting powerful enough to cause a second catastrophe, so they were probably looking for him

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Anlo 2024/04/21(Sun)22:36 No. 1089380 ID: 3d7484
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>>1057678
>Wait, what was that big black thing in the warehouse? I wanna take a look at that.
They came out during the commotion. Judging by the fact that they look like they're held together by nothing but pity and force of will, I'd say they're probably a corruption. More green than black, really.

And would you look at that. There's our mark. Since I can't just go right up to them right now, let's sit and watch where things go from here.

Anlo 2024/04/21(Sun)22:36 No. 1089381 ID: 3d7484
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Alright, so, the cult hunters shooed everyone away from the dead guy. Some of those people left, but the netherbound is still here, and they've been talking with the others since. Several more cars and a van, each with lots of markings and flashing lights on them arrived, and they've just put the dead sorcerer into the van. It's an awful lot of fanfare for one dead sorcerer. I'd say it was a celebration if they weren't acting so serious and had let the people who were here join in.

And now the Netherbound is on the move. I need to catch them alone and preferably far away from the cult hunters if I want to siphon some seep magic. I don't know how long I'm going to be able to keep track of them from afar; Prarister is pretty dense, with lots of places to go. How do you think I should approach this?

>>1089381
You're in disguise, so once you get a decent distance away from the incident you can start following on foot. Do that for a little while, not enough for them to get suspicious, then approach them at some opportune moment and ask to talk to them in private somewhere. Say it's about what happened on the docks, with the sorcerer. You can even claim you're working with the cult hunters.