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>>38570069
>[X] [THERAPIST] Explain to Neptune what the hell your newest power is all about!
>[X] [EAVESDROP] on the conversation going on inside!
>[X] [WRITE-IN] Try and use Therapist to ask Rokko what's going on, because there's no reason not to!

You’re standing in front of the Rococo Robotics Lab, out in some ancient, half-abandoned part of Lowee's capital. The architecture around here is pixelated, worn-down, and frankly old enough to give you the heebie-jeebies, so the only reason you're here is because Rokko called you in to bail her out. Out of /what/, she didn't bother telling you, but you're willing to give her the benefit of the doubt; the Blue Bomber's pretty level-headed and she's saved your ass a few times, and you don't have THAT many friends that you can afford to throw them under the bridge.

... what you DO have is party members you can't really dump yet. Like Neptune, patron goddess of Planeptune, who's inching back toward the door. You don't bother dragging her back this time; in fact, you slip right up against the heavy and surprisingly old-fashioned wooden frame, pressing your ear against it. But while you're doing /that/, you figure you'd better do something you've been putting off for a little while, so you charge up Dwarf Therapist and do your mentalepathy thing.

>So anyway, I just got this newfangled thing that lets me talk to DON'T SCREAM.

Neptune dutifully closes her mouth. Her eyes light up in sudden comprehension. "... ooh! From that treasure cube the merchant slipped you, right?" she whispers.

>Yeah. Seems like it lets me keep track of allies, talk to them if they're close enough, that kind of thing. So don't fucking scream if you suddenly hear me in your head, alright?

"Roger that!" she chirrups. "You're the main character, I'm just the main goddess! Now c'mon, let's listen in."

(Cont.)

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>>38570082
Jeez, there's no 'just' about /that/ statement. And you're pretty sure there are at least three more goddesses out there who'd dispute the bit about her being the 'main' one. But you shelve the potential theological debate. Speaking of keeping track of allies... you close your eyes, try to reach out to Rokko using Therapist.

... no go. Her name's ON the list, but it's grayed out. She's been on your team before (such as it is), and you KNOW she's friendly, but it looks like she needs to... agree to join you, or something, before you can check her status or beam her messages. Like Therapist is insistent on honoring the difference between past/potential ally and current ally.

You take a moment to unclasp your flask from your belt and treat yourself to a good long drink. Some days, you don't know what to curse more: Gamindustri's occasionally slavish devotion to game physics, or the sheer clumsiness of your OWN internally coded physics.

(Cont.)

>>38570119
Anyway, eavesdropping isn't quite as helpful as you'd hoped; it's a robotics lab, so there's some pretty crazy machinery whirring away in the background, making it that much harder to keep tabs on the conversation. Judging by the lack of static-laced slurring, Rokko's stopped talking, so it's mostly just one loud voice doing all the berating. You can just about boil down the lecturer's words to a few key phrases: "don't even think about it," "you're staying right here," "we'll hunt that bitch down for you," "we won't let you get hurt again."

... honestly, that says a hell of a lot, right there.

What ALSO speaks volumes is the sudden silence, followed by the sound of footsteps running headlong toward the door you're listening through.

[ ] [OPEN SESAME] Tear open the door, then fling yourself to the side. You've got a bad feeling about this.
[ ] [HIDE!] Drag Neptune back around the corner before you're discovered eavesdropping.
[ ] [STAND RIGHT THERE] The hell do you have to hide? You'll stand right the fuck there, you're here on business.
[ ] [NEPNEP] Hide behind Neptune and use her body as a shield. Then duck.
[ ] [WRITE-IN]

>>38570195
>[x] [NEPNEP] Hide behind Neptune and use her body as a shield. Then duck.
You want to be the main goddess? Do goddess things, like smite people.

>>38570195
>[ ] [OPEN SESAME] Tear open the door, then fling yourself to the side. You've got a bad feeling about this.
Surprise motherfuckers.

Great to see you back Blorp, I've missed our crazy drunk sorta dwarf.

>>38570195
>[ ] [HIDE!] Drag Neptune back around the corner before you're discovered eavesdropping.
Shiiit.

>>38570195
>[ ] [OPEN SESAME] Tear open the door, then fling yourself to the side. You've got a bad feeling about this.
>>38570195
Action Dorf to the rescue

>>38570195
>[X] [KNOCK ON THE DAMN DOOR ALREADY] Why stand there and confront them when they come when you can preemptively demand entry?
Methinks breaking down the door might get us on their bad side.

>>38570195
> [ ] [STAND RIGHT THERE] The hell do you have to hide? You'll stand right the fuck there, you're here on business.

>>38570195
>[x] [STAND RIGHT THERE] The hell do you have to hide? You'll stand right the fuck there, you're here on business.

So who is it, Lee Fi, Arthuria, and Mokku?

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>>38570195
>[X] [OPEN THE DOOR]
>[X] [STAND RIGHT THERE]

You COULD knock on the damn door already. You know, like any normal person would do. Or maybe you could hurl yourself aside to dodge the blow you KNOW is coming. Except you've heard that strident bitchy voice before, you've got a hunch about what's gonna happen next, and you're too damn tired to even bother exerting the energy needed to move your ass.

So you pull open the door and stand right there, looking as bored as you possibly can. All you can make out is a rapid blur of red silk before you're staring down the business end of a platform shoe, stopped an inch from your nose. A few /more/ inches and it'd be caving in your skull and turning your brain into a fine puree.

As the breeze settles, gently tousling your hair on the way out, Lee-Fi holds her perfect high-kick pose for a few more moments before stepping back with a scowl. "You again," she mutters, looking like she's not sure whether to be annoyed or apologetic and sort of resenting it. "Can't we get even one moment of peace and quiet?"

"Now, now, that's no way to treat a guest!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTZQKVlzXQI

Oh, THIS is a new face- a redheaded girl wearing goggles and grease-stained clothes sidles up, making soothing gestures at the street fighter before slipping herself between you two. She pushes up her goggles, and favors you with an easy grin. "Anyway, welcome, welcome! The name's Quinte. If you're looking for something within the boundaries of my R&D and Inventor's Friends, then you've come to the right place!"

(Cont.)

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>>38571717
"N-No. She's come for, m-me," Rokko stutters, pulling up her ponytail as she approaches, and-

You blink. She's actually walking. Hell, you almost don't recognize the broken-down super fighting robot, cleaned up as she is; her armor's whole and undamaged, cleaned up to the point that it shines, and there's no trace of the ragged gashes and open wiring you've come to associate with Rokko. Her movements are so smooth that she looks like a human in power armor, rather than a creature of metal and synthetic flesh. You can almost fancy that you see that aura of understated power surrounding her, just like Estelle.

This must be what the Blue Bomber looked like at the height of her adventuring days, back when she was fighting fit, not a relic of the past on her last legs. Only her stutter gives her away, and- of course- her empty expression is as blank as ever, although there's a flicker of something in her dead-fish eyes when she looks down at you. Gratitude? Or surprise that you even came down so fast?

In an instant, that guarded look is back on Lee-Fi's face. "What do you mean, she's come for you? You're not going anywhere," she insists, stepping out from around Quinte. "You're staying here! Safe and sound from any more attempts on your life!"

"W-We're going on a dungeon, run," Rokko replies, cool as ever as she walks over to stand next to you. "Agreed to that after, the b-battle. Could use a few more t-treasure cubes under, my belt."

(Cont.)

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>>38571750
"Over my dead body!" Lee-Fi sort of yanks you aside to stand in front of Rokko. "Rokko- please- what about the Smash Festival? Okay, sure, so it's been delayed, but it could resume at any moment! At Blanc's say-so! And this 'adventurer' couldn't keep you safe then, she's not going to keep you safe /now/-"

... well, you sure didn't talk about an adventuring run with Rokko, but that's probably the least of your worries right now.

[ ] [HOLD IT] Okay, wow, no, interrupt the hell out of Lee-Fi. You're strong enough to hold your own! You'll even show her if you have to!
[ ] [ROKKO] Ignore Lee-Fi's protests and drag Rokko out into the street. She wanted to use you as a way out of this situation in the first place, so you'll honor that request- you can find a different place to bust open that lockbox you got from the merchant.
[ ] [QUINTE] ... let them fight it out. Try to chat up Quinte in the meantime, see what you can do about getting that merchant's lockbox open.
[ ] [WRITE-IN]

>>38571779
>[ ] [HOLD IT] Okay, wow, no, interrupt the hell out of Lee-Fi. You're strong enough to hold your own! You'll even show her if you have to!

Bitch what? We just took down the motherfucking Master of Magic kinda mostly.

>>38571779
> [ ] [WRITE-IN]
Why is it you can repair her body, but not actually FIX her? What the hell do we have to do?

>>38571779
>[ ] [ROKKO] Ignore Lee-Fi's protests and drag Rokko out into the street. She wanted to use you as a way out of this situation in the first place, so you'll honor that request- you can find a different place to bust open that lockbox you got from the merchant.
Rokko's a big girl, she wants to go out and be a cool girl that's her choice.

Plus look at her, when was the last time you saw her this happy/excited?

>>38571779
>[x] [ROKKO] Ignore Lee-Fi's protests and drag Rokko out into the street. She wanted to use you as a way out of this situation in the first place, so you'll honor that request- you can find a different place to bust open that lockbox you got from the merchant.
If Rokko didn't want to be here, she wouldn't have called us so soon.

>>38571779
>[x] [QUINTE] ... let them fight it out. Try to chat up Quinte in the meantime, see what you can do about getting that merchant's lockbox open.

>>38571865
Yeah why is that?

>>38571779
>[ ] [ROKKO] Ignore Lee-Fi's protests and drag Rokko out into the street. She wanted to use you as a way out of this situation in the first place, so you'll honor that request- you can find a different place to bust open that lockbox you got from the merchant.
>[ ] [NEPTUNE] Ask Neptune to get Quinte to get the box unlocked. She can come find us once she has it unlocked.

>>38571779
>[x] [WRITE-IN]
↑↑↓↓←→←→BA

>>38571999
...How, pray tell, do we enter this code?

>>38571779
>[X] [ROKKO] Ignore Lee-Fi's protests and drag Rokko out into the street. She wanted to use you as a way out of this situation in the first place, so you'll honor that request- you can find a different place to bust open that lockbox you got from the merchant.

>>38571779
>[ ] [ROKKO] Ignore Lee-Fi's protests and drag Rokko out into the street. She wanted to use you as a way out of this situation in the first place, so you'll honor that request- you can find a different place to bust open that lockbox you got from the merchant.
>[ ] [QUINTE] ... let them fight it out. Try to chat up Quinte in the meantime, see what you can do about getting that merchant's lockbox open.
Yeah we totally promised that, us two, Nep, and Estelle maybe are totally going.

>>38571999
>>38572070
... however you enter it, I'm just wondering if that might have the same effect as chanting "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."

>>38571999
>[x] [WRITE-IN]
↓ → → FP

>>38571779
[ ] [ROKKO] Ignore Lee-Fi's protests and drag Rokko out into the street. She wanted to use you as a way out of this situation in the first place, so you'll honor that request- you can find a different place to bust open that lockbox you got from the merchant.

>>38572118
I'm thinking of a method to enter it I saw once, but in involved an android girl in a hentai so... yeah.

>>38571999
They're not Konami characters, why are you entering that code?

>>38571779
>[ ] [ROKKO] Ignore Lee-Fi's protests and drag Rokko out into the street. She wanted to use you as a way out of this situation in the first place, so you'll honor that request- you can find a different place to bust open that lockbox you got from the merchant.
Actually we do have a quest leftover, that one Estelle got that we were suppose to do with Mokku that we forgot about because stuff happened all at once.

>>38572284
And after that maybe we'll finally make it over to Leanbox and see Mahjong.

>>38572413
In sure Rokko will appreciate that, it kinda feels like she's being babied here.

What we have to do is feed Rokko as many treasure cubes as it takes until she gets self repair functions.

>>38572455
True true. I believe Rokko is almost certainly coming with us one way or another.

And through the journey, we will watch her return to her former glory.

>>38572474
Why not just go to a merchant (a different one) and ask him if he has a cube for Nanomachines, Son?

>>38572572
We can't choose what congress out of the boxes, plus everyone's boxes have different stuff.

>>38572614
>congress
Comes I mean.

Typing on my phone.

>>38572572
>In the new Mega Man, Zandatsu the enemies to restore health.

>>38571779
>[X] [ROKKO] Get her outta here, pronto!

Ignoring the dig at your fighting prowess, it's your turn to yank Lee-Fi aside and stand between her and the Blue Bomber- though you're pretty sure that you can't actually block /anything/ given how much shorter you are. But yes, this dungeon run IS totally a thing that's happening, and you and Estelle and Rokko are totally going. Together. Not alone. So there's absolutely nothing to worry about!

That sort of mollifies the martial artist. Sort of. She still looks pretty damn distraught, wringing together hands that have probably broken more limbs than you can count. It's a pretty ludicrous sight. "But-"

You brush past Lee-Fi and take the robot by her hand- well, okay, by the Mega Buster, which is like her entire forearm- and start walking her out into the street. "I-I'll keep in touch," Rokko calls back over her shoulder. "Need you and, Arturia to k-keep looking for that bitch. A-And watch over, Moru."

... it sorta feels like "that bitch" should be capitalized, the way Rokko grates it out.

"But...! You can't go adventuring in your state!" Lee-Fi almost wails, standing in the doorway, tensed up like she's half-prepared to /violence/ her way out of this conversation. "Not until you recover!"

"I'll be f-fine. Lee-Fi..." Rokko sighs- it's a gesture that you still can't get used to, especially given how /human/ it makes her look. "I've w-waited, long enough."

You're halfway down the street before you hear Quinte's voice calling out to you, cheerful despite all odds. "Rokko! And... er, kid! Tell Estelle I said hi!"

(Cont.)

>>38573119
... so where the hell did SHE get off to?

"Oh, me?" Neptune slides back into place on your other side, causing Rokko to twitch slightly. "It's my new superpower! Now that I'm not the main character, I can fade into the background until things aren't so serious anymore! Now, about that lockbox..."

You'll all figure that out later. Maybe the Basilicom will have something for blasting open lockboxes, or maybe Estelle will have an idea. And then-

"T-Thanks. This should be, far enough."

You slow to a stop as Rokko lets go of your hand, looking slightly embarrassed. "I-If you don't actually. Have a dungeon run p-planned, that's fine. W-Will hang around, t-town. Until I can, blow off s-some steam."

No, that's not-

"C-Called you out, of nowhere," Rokko continues, her static-laced deadpan somewhat rushed. "So you c-could bail me, out of an a-argument. It was... unsightly. I don't n-need to, burden you. Anymore."

...

Well, you DO have a dungeon run. You're still planning on going with Estelle all the way over to the border of Lowee and Leanbox, into some underground area to mine out some whatchamacallits. But okay, let's see...

(Cont.)

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>>38573152
>CHOOSE ONE OPTION FROM THIS CATEGORY:
[A1] [BRING ROKKO ALONG] Yeah, why not? Rokko needs this, maybe more than Estelle does. Maybe more than you do, even. After what that last treasure cube did for her, NOT letting her come along might be worse.
[A2] [LEAVE ROKKO BEHIND] Lee-Fi will probably punch your brains out for this. So will Arturia and Moru. And maybe there's a reason they're worried about Rokko getting seriously hurt...?

>CHOOSE ONE OPTION FROM THIS CATEGORY:
[B1] [ARTURIA/MORU] So where ARE the rest of Rokko's friends? What are they up to?
[B2] [ASK QUESTIONS] Hopefully, this isn't prying too much, but- who's "That Bitch"? What did she do to Rokko? And how is it that Quinte could fix up Rokko's exterior, but not whatever's ailing her?
[B3] [COMPANIONABLE SILENCE] Make tracks for the Basilicom. Estelle's waiting- once you get some of this outta the way, you can finally head for Leanbox.
[B4] [WRITE-IN]

>>38573183
>[A1] [BRING ROKKO ALONG]
>[B1] [ARTURIA/MORU]

>2015
>not bringing the Super Fighting Robot along with the goddamn Dragon Warrior on a dungeon run
pls vote correctly anons

>>38573183
>[A1] [BRING ROKKO ALONG] Yeah, why not? Rokko needs this, maybe more than Estelle does. Maybe more than you do, even. After what that last treasure cube did for her, NOT letting her come along might be worse.
>[B1] [ARTURIA/MORU] So where ARE the rest of Rokko's friends? What are they up to?
Nah we're totally taking Rokko, she's cool dudes.

>>38573183
>[B4] [WRITE-IN]
Tell me about Roll.

>>38573183
>[A1] [BRING ROKKO ALONG]
>[B1] [ARTURIA/MORU]

>>38573183
>[A3] [LET ROKKO DECIDE] You're friends, aren't you? You're not about to drag her somewhere she doesn't want to be. But you're also not going to leave her alone when she needs company.
>[B1] [ARTURIA/MORU] So where ARE the rest of Rokko's friends? What are they up to?

>>38573183
>A1
>B2

Our favorite steak sauce and favorite vitamin, all in one neat package.

>>38573183
> [A1] [BRING ROKKO ALONG] Yeah, why not? Rokko needs this, maybe more than Estelle does. Maybe more than you do, even. After what that last treasure cube did for her, NOT letting her come along might be worse.

> [B4] [WRITE-IN]
Ask about her health.

>>38573280
She is Roll. And Rock. And Protoman.
Roll never had her own game, so she probably doesn't have a representative in gamindustri, she just makes up part of Rokko, like the hair.

>>38573183
>[A1]
>[B1]
>[C1] [BOOZE TIME] Time to strengthen our bonds of comradeship by sharing the book.

Guys. I just figured out what needs to happen for Rokko to be whole again.

The Protomen need to release Act III.

>>38573391
So can she use Megaman glitches to her advantage like we can use Dorf Fort glitches? Can she turn invulnerable or glide long distances by pausing repeatedly?

>>38573456
I guess I can listen to them again for the next few weeks.

>>38573484
I suppose it's possible, but I assume she wouldn't get those kinds of abilities from Treasure Cubes. Dorffort is known for it's bugs and it's still in production, so it's thematic.

>>38573183
A1
B2

>>38573484
Give her Thunder Beam and she can kill anything. ANYTHING!

>>38573484
What about secrets?

Has she ever used Hadouken on Lee-Fi?

>>38573605
Well, looking at the history of their games-

>implying Rokko and Lee-Fi haven't fought side-by-side for years
>implying Rokko and Lee-Fi hadn't fought AGAINST each other more than a few times
>implying Lee-Fi didn't teach Rokko a few tricks along the way

>>38573183
>[A1]
>[B2]

>>38573680
I didn't mean "learn from Lee-Fi" so much as "have it because it was a hidden upgrade in Mega Man X".

>>38573680
Now I want to see Rokko come up against something immune to being shot for some reason, and she pulls out random street fighter moves.

>>38573541
I imagine glitch use is a probably an inherent ability, seeing as we did the cats thing early on. So presumably Rokko also has a few tricks up her non-existent sleeves.

Wonder when we will fight someone just as buggy as we are in no-holds-barred glitch-to-glitch combat till the other is exhausted of RAM?

>>38573680
Does Rokko represent the entire Mega Man franchise or just the core Mega Man series? Like, is there a 63-Zero around too for that series?
The Hadouken was actually X.

>>38573763
The entire Mega Man franchise! I try to limit it to one character per whatever, because cast bloat is a real and present danger that I'm not sure I'll even be able to avoid, only mitigate.

>>38573816
The only option is to start dropping bodies.

Please do not actually start killing your friends.

>>38573816
So what you're saying is
She probably has a Beam Saber somewhere up her metal sleeves.

>>38573841
Yes. Hyperdimension Dwarf Fortress Quest: Grimdark Edition

>>38573853
More seriously yes! Technically.

>>38573816
Does have we not seen her use the Robot Masters' moves because she can't use them, or because she doesn't want to use them? Or were we just looking through wrong way whenever it happened in the Myrra fight?

>>38573872
Rokko was FUCKED UP.

Dat smile though.

>>38573891
A little from column A, a little from column B! She's most comfortable with the weapon she uses the most, though.

>>38573918
Yeah, and then the pic got deleted for some reason.

>>38573939
>>38573918
because i'm retarded and had that pic ready to use for my next update, except i forgot to remove it when replying to someone else.

>>38573872
>More seriously yes! Technically
Guess that means Program Advance stuff could be a thing.
>>38573939
And I didn't even get to see it

>>38574024
Just give it a minute

>>38573183
>[X] [A1] [BRING ROKKO ALONG]

You look Rokko up and down, but you don't even have to fucking THINK about this. Even if she wasn't one of the most veteran of the veteran adventurers in Gamindustri, she seems like a solid ally to have watching your back. Despite being a super fighting robot- THE Super Fighting Robot- she's pretty damn grounded, with a dry sense of humor to offset her rigidity and the time to spare for schmucks like you, and you can't help but feel a sort of grudging admiration for that. You can even spare some empathy for her.

But not pity. Nothing remotely like pity. You just... you know what it's like to be at the bottom of the pecking order. You can't even BEGIN to imagine what it'd be like to /fall/ to the bottom, after spending so long at the top of the heap. Hell, in Rokko's case, her reputation and her condition means she's at the bottom AND top of the pecking order at the same time.

You can't help but compare that to the way Mojang looks up to you, versus the way just about everyone else looks down at you. Maybe Rokko's something of a kindred spirit, even though she's made of metals and alloys and circuits and internets instead of flesh and blood.

... anyway (you grumble conversationally), you're gonna fucking punch Rokko right in those refurbished abs if she keeps talking about unsightliness or burdens or whatnot.

Surprise flits across the Blue Bomber's eyes, and she actually covers up her stomach out of reflex. "W-What?"

You hook your thumbs at your belt and keep on walking, leaving Rokko to catch up; her ironclad footfalls aren't particularly stealthy, not against the cobblestones. Anyway, what you said back there was true, y'know- you ARE going on a dungeon run, and you ARE going with Estelle. And you're not nearly stupid enough to turn down an extra pair of hands.

Besides, you add, you've seen the way Rokko fights. If she wants in, you're sure as hell not gonna stop her.

(Cont.)

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>>38574510
A fairly long stretch of silence passes before you glance back over your shoulder at Rokko.

... you immediately turn to face forward again, mostly to give her a little, y'know. Emotional space. You keep forgetting that Rokko does have tear ducts, or something like them, although you're probably not gonna forget that goddamn smile anytime soon. Or the gratitude in her voice. You're still not used to hearing that sort of thing from people.

"T-Thanks, Urist. Won't, let you d-down."

You bluster a little bit more, your voice gruffer than normal. Tell that to Estelle! She's the one who's dragging the both of you along on this trip!

"Statement still stands," Rokko insists, walking up next to you and clapping a hand on your shoulder.

"Mmhm!" Neptune adds out of fucking nowhere, slapping her own hand against your other shoulder. "You've got a good heart underneath all that grime, and that violence, and that alcoholism, and that-"

You elbow the goddess in the stomach and plow forward, ignoring Neptune's quavering and overly dramatic death cries as you change the subject. o what's the deal with Arturia and Moru? Where'd they get off to? You can understand Lee-Fi getting sorta clingy, but you're surprised the other two didn't take the chance to stick to Rokko like glue.

The Blue Bomber had wiped away her tears when she wasn't looking, and she grimaces slightly. "Headed out," she grates out, her voice growing rougher than usual. "S-Something about. An escaped, prisoner."

(Cont.)

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>>38574532
Your stomach drops. The only prisoner you remember hearing about in recent memory is that fearmonger who apparently made things harder for EVERYONE. This is pretty much confirmed when Neptune makes a strange "eeeeeh!?" sound of disbelief, that sound that every anime-esque person around Gamindustri makes when something horrible or stupid or embarrassing happens. "Freddie escaped? No way! But Blanc broke, like, every bone in that jerk's body!"

... see, it's things like /that/ that make you wonder if you've got something in common with Blanc. Hell, that's the sort of thing they should put on Lowee promotional brochures, you'd have moved here in a heartbeat if you'd known about this sorta thing earlier-

"Uriiiist!"

You're interrupted by Estelle, who waves as she runs over to you. Apparently, you'd gotten to the Basilicom without really noticing- the damn thing looms over you all, and looking into the building, you can't help but notice that there's a hubbub over by where the priests are. The Dragon Warrior quickly blocks your view as she skids to a stop in front of you, bouncing on her heels. "Took you long enough to get here! Don't worry, I got everything under control, and- oh, hi Rokko!" she pauses, waving at the super fighting robot (who nods back, calm and steady).

The goddess gets a bit of a double-take from Estelle. "And... uh, hi, Neptu- nep," she finishes lamely, glancing back over at Lowee's priests cautiously. And then she glances back over to the three of you, looking slightly confused. "Did I miss something?"

She could say that, yeah.

>CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TO FOCUS ON FIRST:
[ ] [BLANC] Estelle was in a better place to hear any news; any word from the goddess yet?
[ ] [PRISONER] ... okay, so. About that escaped prisoner. How the hell did she escape? Where's Arturia and Moru /now/?
[ ] [LOCKBOX] So you got this lockbox from a merchant, possibly the same merchant who gave Myrra and Keeper that power-up. Let's open it.
[ ] [WRITE-IN]

>>38574561
>[ ] [PRISONER] ... okay, so. About that escaped prisoner. How the hell did she escape? Where's Arturia and Moru /now/?
That sounds pretty important

>>38574561
>Hell, that's the sort of thing they should put on Lowee promotional brochures, you'd have moved here in a heartbeat if you'd known about this sorta thing earlier-

I can see the brochures now. "Come to Lowee, or we'll break every bone in your jerk body!"

>>38574561
>[x] [LOCKBOX] So you got this lockbox from a merchant, possibly the same merchant who gave Myrra and Keeper that power-up. Let's open it.

>>38574561

>[ ] [LOCKBOX] So you got this lockbox from a merchant, possibly the same merchant who gave Myrra and Keeper that power-up. Let's open it.

The prisoner has it's own team on it. What could go wrong?

Besides it is our best lead, other then simply beating the anime out of the merchant.

>>38574561
>[X] [PRISONER] ... okay, so. About that escaped prisoner. How the hell did she escape? Where's Arturia and Moru /now/?

>>38574561
>[x] [LOCKBOX] So you got this lockbox from a merchant, possibly the same merchant who gave Myrra and Keeper that power-up. Let's open it.
We've hauled it around long enough...
WHAT'S IN THE BOOOOOOOX!?!?!?

>>38574561
So Blorp, how does Freddie react when a new game comes out? Does she just get a power up?
Because I can see her being able to summon the Illusionary Animatronics and cause hallucinations even more now!
(Also, the good end totally makes me think there's a nice person who will totally be our friend inside her. We need a debuffer for our party anyways.)

>>38574838
In some sense, yeah! In in-quest terms, it'd probably be something close to the other way around- an adventurer gets a power-up (or two or five or a dozen, depending on a number of factors), and hey presto, this just so happens to correspond to a new game in our world, what are the odds?

So when that kind anon last thread posted that Dragon Quest Heroes announcement pic, then... yeah, maybe big sis Estelle's got something in the pipeline.

>>38574561
[x] [LOCKBOX] So you got this lockbox from a merchant, possibly the same merchant who gave Myrra and Keeper that power-up. Let's open it.

>>38574898
Estelle isn't done just yet.

>>38574561
>[ ] [LOCKBOX] So you got this lockbox from a merchant, possibly the same merchant who gave Myrra and Keeper that power-up. Let's open it.

>>38574561
>[x] [LOCKBOX] So you got this lockbox from a merchant, possibly the same merchant who gave Myrra and Keeper that power-up. Let's open it.

The rest can wait.

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>>38574941
Damn straight

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>>38575039
Is there a canon F-Zero rep in Neptunia? And if not, she'd probably look like this right?
We totally need to go to the Smash Festival and be friends with her.

So I guess the prison wasn't ready for Freddy?

>>38575218
I was really trying my best not to make this joke anon.

>>38574561
>[X] [LOCKBOX] WHAT'S IN THE BOOOOX

You snap your fingers, and Neptune places the lockbox in your hands before she can remember that she's actually a divine being of ultimate power and kick your- no, she really doesn't seem to care, she just ruffled your hair because she probably thinks you're being cute. Goddammit.

Anyway. First things first, you've got this fucking lockbox that you totally didn't steal from a merchant whose store you totally didn't leave a smoking crater in the ground-

... on Blanc's orders, you add after an uncomfortable pause when Estelle's eyebrows go so high that they hit her hairline. And then you quickly remind her of that whole treasure cube thing being held by the Master of Magic and her merry friends (but not without adding that the store getting trashed was Dao and Lian's fault anyway because fuck 'em).

"Right," the Dragon Warrior drawls, scratching her head. "I dunno if it's a big sister's place to approve of breaking shops, but I guess if it's in pursuit of justice- let's break this box opNOT THE MEGA BUSTER PLEASE-"

Rokko stops charging her blaster and, in one smooth motion (and with the most ridiculous deadpan poker face), swivels her arm like she's piercing the heavens before letting her charged shot go straight up. A seagull shrieks in absolute terror as it narrowly avoids exploding into burnt meaty chunks.

"S-Sorry," she murmurs sheepishly.

Okay, there's someone inside who can open this thing without melting /everything/, right?

(Cont.)

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>>38575463
A few minutes later, you're all seated in one of the Basilicom's meeting rooms- you're pretty sure this is the room where you met Blanc, actually. The four of you're up at the table, while a handful of Blanc's priests are clustered around your lockbox, figuring out how to crack it. You... never would have guessed that a bunch of holy men would have ANY sort of formal training in lockpicking and general rogueishness, but you're starting to realize that religion in Gamindustri is a hell of a lot less esoteric than you'd have guessed.

"Well, Arturia and Moru aren't really going out to /catch/ that fearmonger that Blanc made a prisoner," Estelle clarifies as Basilicom staff members work on the lockbox. She's leaning her elbows on the table, her chin cupped between her gloved hands. "She was going fast. Legendarily fast! Like, the minute the guards turned their eyes away, she stood up and- swiggity swooty!"

... the hell?

"That's how the guards described it, at least," Estelle adds, your slightly judging stare sliding off her back like water off a duck. "I don't think that's actually the sound effect that happened, though."

"S-So that's, three confirmed. Working together." Rokko drones, tapping her fingers against the table as she mulls this over. "Myrra. Keeper. Freddie..."

"It's nothing Blanc can't handle when she gets back!" You're not really sure how Neptune was even allowed INTO the Basilicom, but here she is, nibbling on a cookie. Blanc's cookies, most likely. You gather the purple-haired Sega girl is a lot less recognizable when she's not in her taller HDD form. "And if anyone can help her, it's Vert!"

(Cont.)

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>>38575491
... you try not to dwell on that fucked-up phone call you had with Mojang, the one that got interrupted. So does /Neptune/ have any insights about this? She's a goddess, and all. Just like Blanc and Vert.

"Nope!" Neptune chirrups, much to your absolute lack of surprise. "They're all Leanbox outcasts, so I dunno a single thing about them. I mean, it'd be different if there were any Planeptune outcasts there, but we don't really have any-"

Okay, there's nothing like the foreboding priestly gasps and the clatter of objects falling out of the merchant's lockbox to get you ALL up on your feet. It's even worse when Estelle's own question trails off into a strangled gasp of her own. You squeeze in between Estelle and Rokko, and there's a familiar sight strewn all over the carpet:

Official Arfoire fanclub gift boxes. The type you'd found in those cultists' homes, those cultists who'd been given instructions to go out and pry some treasure cubes out of the ground for the good of The Cause.

You break the stunned silence by pulling out your trusty barrel of power mushroom booze and upending it straight into your parched mouth. Because seriously, how the hell else are you supposed to respond to something like this?

>TO BE CONTINUED NEXT THREAD

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>>38575463
>Rokko stops charging her blaster and, in one smooth motion (and with the most ridiculous deadpan poker face), swivels her arm like she's piercing the heavens before letting her charged shot go straight up. A seagull shrieks in absolute terror as it narrowly avoids exploding into burnt meaty chunks.
Sometimes life is worth it, Blorp.

>>38575517
>Official Arfoire fanclub gift boxes. The type you'd found in those cultists' homes, those cultists who'd been given instructions to go out and pry some treasure cubes out of the ground for the good of The Cause.
We got a Illuminati style conspiracy, how far does this run?!

Probably only the treasure boxes and the merchants really.

>>38575517
Blorp, is it possible to get Freddie to do a Heel Face Turn? She'd be worth it just for some of the silly memes that'd come with her.

OKAY, that's as good a place as any to end this thread! We'll pick up next time with finally getting out of Lowee, with any luck!

Next thread will be on 3/11, Wednesday, again starting from about 9-ish pm EST. Schedule changes and such will be posted to https://twitter.com/BlorpQuest, and questions and stuff can go either here or to ask.fm/BlorpQuest since I really shouldn't keep forgetting to mention ask.fm.

Thanks for the thread, guys, and I hope you enjoyed it; see you next time!

>>38575517
>>TO BE CONTINUED NEXT THREAD
Thanks for the thread as always Blorp, can't wait for next time.

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Forgot my picture! Now it is officially end of the thread.

>>38575076
There's a canon F-Zero rep somewhere in Gamindustri, although given her games, chances are good that she's either Ascended or straight up semi-retired.

... I'm not sure I'd be able to write her as anything /other/ than C.Falcon's depiction in Smash, though, so it's an open question whether it'd actually be worth it.

>>38575554
It's honestly hard to say at this point!

>>38575554
First we gotta take down her boss, then she can serve under us as punishment for all her crimes

>>38575517
>someday.jpg
That's so cute.

>>38575635
>it's an open question whether it'd actually be worth it.
100%.
Wouldn't even have to change anything other then making it a chick. Could still be called Captain Falcon and everything.

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>>38574898
I posted that picture, but when it didn't get any replies, I was afraid that it was an implication of the quest abandoning estelle as a former shadow with everyone moving on. Now I'm finally relieved from that creepy feeling that hanged on me while browsing /tg/.

>>38575940
Sorry man! Nah, it's more that I sometimes lose track of replies, especially when I'm cranking away at updates, worried that I'm taking too long between posts, or just having stamina issues. I've been trying to reverse that trend.

... although I still take a helluva long time between posts, oof. Dragon Quest IV was one of the first RPGs I've played/seen played, so I'm pretty goddamn pumped for Heroes. And I ain't planning on THAT fate for Estelle, even if she takes her lumps and more as the quest goes on.

>>38577077
>not abandoing big sis
This is great, since up there you posted something like >>38573872 and I was worried!
Oh yeah, also, thaks for running!

>>38575635
So if having multiple games is an indicator of being really STRONK.....Estelle would probably be great friends with Ys-tan. And dear god is COD going to be strong.

Oh, and does Bravely Default fall under FF's range of games/powers?

>>38579614
Not sure about anyone else, but Rokko has ~30, with some pretty absurd stuff the protagonists can do.
I mean, Zero alone can stop time, alter reality by overlaying cyberspace on it and remotely control all machines in the world.

>>38580648
CoD is still popular, though, as are the sports games.

Releasing the Sigma/Zero Virus might fuck her up as much as pulling out cats does to us.

I know there are at least 3, around 5 timestop powers, but all of them drain energy all up in the wazoo. So CLEARLY Rokko needs to binge drink WE tanks to keep the enemy in permanent timestop.

Cyberspace probably means she has infinite pocket space already, like nanoembark.

>>38580677
Eh, I dunno.
Cyberspace in megaman is so much more than a storage compartment.
It's also a method of travel, a means of immortality and an alternate universe defined by the will of powerful robits that can replace the standard one within a given area.
I mean, by the time ZX came around cyberspace had physically manifested an echo of Omega during his fight with Zero. That's some pretty eldritch shit.

>>38580945
>method of travel
Just like the random encounter system

>means of immortality
Everyone is nigh-immortal here, though. Having a cyber-ghost might be cool, but that would involve actually dying.

>alternate universe
Here's where I think it gets tricky. It's not like Rokko is the only one who can "shift" to a different plane, but if there are all these shifters, it would make sense for all of them to shift into the SAME plane. But then you would just have shifters and non-shifters, which is kind of an unbalanced advantage that doesn't create good drama.

And, well, a LOT of the characters could conceivably pull off some pretty eldritch shit. It wouldn't be fair if only Rokko could do it. Summoning Gygas, Fatalis, or any of the final/bonus bosses is entirely unfair.

>>38577373
Hah! I probably should've added something to note that I was kidding.

>>38579614
Having multiple games is one indication of strength, but not the end-all! It's like... how long someone's been out on the field, how much experience they have, that sort of thing. There are other equally important factors, like (and this is just off the top of my head) quality, innovation, reception, etc etc.

tl;dr It depends!

Also, Bravely Default is its own beast, so it's not a part of Ain's powerset. Except it turns out her name's been localized as Ein or something, so RETCON HO

>>38580677
Sports games yes, tie-in sports games no. So no sports games based on real life teams and players or whatnot. So we won't get Madden-chan running around, sadly(?).

>>38581642
>Ein
>One
>personification of FINAL fantasy
goddamnit