>>4148358
Seems like there’s some folks in here with some hidden violent desires. Well, far be it from you to ignore that desire- it’s something you can respect. Although considering your limited time here…

“Alright. So, yesterday I talked about debilitating techniques- simple strategies you can use to end a fight quickly if you’re in the right position. But today I’m going to show you how you can get INTO that position in the first place. I don’t have a lot of time here, so I can’t really teach you how to fight ‘properly’. That’d take more time than what I have, and half-baked techniques are arguably worse than not using a technique at all. So I have something else in mind. It’s not going to be fancy, and it’s not going to be anything resembling honorable. In fact, it’s going to be the exact opposite.”

“Wait, what?” one bold girl asks in curiosity.

You glance at the actual physical education teacher, only to witness him blanching. Good. He know what’s up. “I’m going to drill into you the not-so-fine art of fighting dirty. Now, there’s many different ways to do that, and what I’ll be focusing on is...”

> “An upgrade to what I was discussing the other day. Weak spots, joint locks, abusing positioning and different physiques for maximum possible punishment with minimum possible retaliation.”
> “Abusing the environment. Whether you’re in the woods, a desert, the mountains, inside a building, outside of it, even a flat plane. Anything and everything you can get your hands on can be a weapon with some ingenuity.”
> “The fine art of disorientation and deception. Generally, there are unspoken ‘rules’ even folks like bandits or bounty hunters or the like unconsciously follow when in a fight- or when trying to track you down. I’m going to tell them to you- and then show you how best to BREAK them.”
> Other

>>4148363
>> “Abusing the environment."

>>4148363
> “Abusing the environment. Whether you’re in the woods, a desert, the mountains, inside a building, outside of it, even a flat plane. Anything and everything you can get your hands on can be a weapon with some ingenuity.”
Miranda? Teaching someone the art of deception and stealth? No way in hell.

>>4148363
>“The fine art of disorientation and deception. Generally, there are unspoken ‘rules’ even folks like bandits or bounty hunters or the like unconsciously follow when in a fight- or when trying to track you down. I’m going to tell them to you- and then show you how best to BREAK them.”
After all, the best way to win a fight is to not get into a fight at all

>>4148363
> “The fine art of disorientation and deception. Generally, there are unspoken ‘rules’ even folks like bandits or bounty hunters or the like unconsciously follow when in a fight- or when trying to track you down. I’m going to tell them to you- and then show you how best to BREAK them.”

>>4148363
> “Abusing the environment. Whether you’re in the woods, a desert, the mountains, inside a building, outside of it, even a flat plane. Anything and everything you can get your hands on can be a weapon with some ingenuity.”
I think we're working near this world's Australia, so this might come in handy.

We shall redefine their understand of the term 'environmental hazards'. Hopefully.

Writing!

>>4148427
Awww, we're teaching babby control mages!

Remember, if the environment isn't advantageous, you can make it so! A small flask of oil goes a long way, especially if you make it viscous enough to stick! Impromptu fire wall, human torch, heck you can even lay it down like a wet fuse leading to explosives for demolition!

>>4148363
>>4148372
>>4148372
>>4148385
>>4148416

Put simply, these kids weren’t using the entirety of what they had available to them. You’re going to correct that. “Abusing the environment. Whether you’re in the woods, a desert, the mountains, inside a building, outside of it, even a flat plane. Anything and everything you can get your hands on can be a weapon with some ingenuity. And I don’t just mean using the elements to your advantage, but using surroundings and objects that you may not even have thought of before. Any questions?” Immediately two hands still go up. You point at one at random. “You, on my right.”

“Uh, if we ‘fight dirty’, doesn’t that mean we’ll lose honor and respect as mages?” One girl asks. “Wouldn’t that make it harder for people to take us seriously?”

You frown. You REALLY hope this wasn’t one of those worlds where ‘honor is all’ or some dumb shit. Nonetheless, you might as well answer. “I’m not sure if you were taught this, and it sounds like not, but in a real life or death fight, you can’t always afford to play by the rules. What you learned in a structured environment isn’t necessarily going to be enough to save you if there’s a power difference that’s too severe to overcome with brute force. I assume everyone here LIKES living, right?” Everyone nods or agrees, thank goodness. “Then you should all be willing to DEFEND your right to life, no matter the method behind it. That’s my philosophy, anyway. Now, the good news, is that your teachings in elemental magic CAN help, even if it’s just as a supplement to what we’re going to be doing. For example, if you’re in a house, things like cooking oil, or perhaps using a pin or a even a cup of hot water properly can help, and if you’re outdoors, well, I’m wondering if you’ve heard of pocket sand, or have an idea of what happens when you displace all the air in an area temporarily…"

>3d20, best of three.

>(Suggestions for strategies welcome.)

Rolled 8, 5, 3 = 16 (3d20)

>>4148511

>eggy bread
Did you mean french toast?

>>4148516

Mhm.

Rolled 4, 2, 5 = 11 (3d20)

>>4148511

Rolled 18, 11, 20 = 49 (3d20)

>>4148511
See if we can show them our Sticky Mana spell as an example of how to incapacitate someone or slow down pursuit.

>>4148519
Cylica is right, Miranda would make a fine general.

>>4148511
>metal objects are good at conducting electricity and heat, either for emmiting or drawing it

>>4148511
>using light and shiny metal to blind an enemy
>mixing water and some sticky stuff to stop enemies (show off sticky mana I guess)
>using the wind to generate sounds that can stun/make the target dizzy
>Using fallen trees as temporary barriers if they have wood element?

>>4148511
>>4148527
>wet surfaces can mess with opponent's footing or slow them down, it can help with electricity and cold elemental spells. You can intentionally 'miss' some water spells to create favorable terrain.

>>4148536
>air spells could be used to change direction of the sound and trajectory of projectiles.

>>4148531
>dispersing flour and then lightening it up to create an explosion
>combining bleach and vinegar then running the hell outta there

Take notes. Pain can be delivered in many many ways.

Writing.

>>4148550
>Welcome to war crimes 101, or how i like to call it: the geneva convention can't sanction you if you nuke geneva first.

>>4148540
>if you need to obscure vision, burn thing to create smoke, fan dust with air or earth magic, vaporize water, cool the air to create a mist, flash light magic on reflective surfaces

>>4148552
Geneva Convention rules don't apply in dimensions where Geneva never existed.

>>4148561
replace geneva with the fantasy equivalent.
that reminds me:
>a cunt punch hurts the same as a dick punch.

>>4148511
>>4148513
>>4148518
>>4148519
>>4148527
>>4148531
>>4148536
>>4148540
>>4148542
>>4148555
Your lesson seems to be a surprisingly big hit, you find as you continue your info session. You only had an hour and a half, so you ended up both showing and telling, thanks to the willingness of the teacher to fetch a few things after you’d gotten started on the explanations. Seems like in due time he’d become just as fascinated as the kids. Some bits like metal and lightning or heat seemed to be known to a point, but in particular the attractiveness of metal was new to them- it was interesting showing that off (especially considering how surprised they were to learn you could utilize it for whatever reason). More esoteric tactics, such as using reflections to blind someone, were met with surprise and eager attempts to try it themselves on a few poor students as ‘practice’ during their turns at trying.

You got a big laugh out of them demonstrating how flour and water (or most liquid in general) could be used to create sticky traps; you weren’t sure about showing off the sticky mana, as you didn’t think they could replicate it...but the two bags of flour got put to good use for sure. Apparently, NO ONE realized that the stuff was mildly explosive. An easy homemade flashbang or firebomb if they wanted it.

Wind was the easiest- the idea of throwing your voice apparently was already known, but the idea of using air pressure as a stunning attack, or tactics affecting the inner ear and their stability turned out to be a winner, too- though you suggested against trying THAT one out.

Smokescreens, as well, were a big hit as you basically told them about all the classics- pocket sand, burning smoke, water vapor and mist, and using that as well to not just blind, but distort vision and depth perception...

And that leads to this. “So, that actually brings to mind something else- you guys have...what kind of cleaning materials do you have up here?”

They blink and start muttering in confusion, but then the teacher starts answering. “We have soap, whitening liquid, limestone, purifying acid…”

Wait. “Hold on, what’s the ‘whitening liquid’? Just want to be sure it’s what I know.”

“I mean...y’know, the stuff you use to whiten your clothes and other stuff at times. Smells awful, but does a good job.”

Bleach. Hm.

You feel a vague sense of embarrassment...can’t quite tag why, though. Meh, you’ll mull on it later if you remember. “Bleach can work as a poison. Obviously. But there’s also something special about it- but I’m warning you NEVER try it unless you’re REALLY cornered.”

(cont)

>>4148611
“What is it?!” Naturally, that just makes them even more curious. Even the teacher, cautious as he is about where this is going.

“Simply put, combining it and vinegar is...NOT something you want to inhale. If you find yourself in a kitchen, or somewhere like that, throw those two together and run like your life depends on it. Makes a powerful, burning substance that can REALLY damage you or your enemy.” Really horrid combo, but useful. “So, with that-”

“Actually, I think it might be good to leave it at that,” the teacher finally interjects. “We’ll, uh...make sure to keep those two VERY separate from each other. Now, class, thank her for being so willing to accommodate you, and we’ll, uh...get back to normal for the last quarter of the class, alright?”

There was a chorus of awws and ‘thank yous’ as you subtly get shuffled out of the classroom, but to much fanfare. Seems like you at least left an imprint on the tykes.

Huh. Yeah, that wasn’t bad. Not at all. But, that was that. Now, you need to get back to business. And that involved touching base with the trio. Hopefully, they’d come up with a plan of attack- and you can take a closer look at those Ivonium weapons...

>Switch Characters?
>Cylica
>Owlia
>Nura
>No

(Done for tonight.)

>>4148613
>>Nura

>>4148613
>>No
Gotta take a look at those weapons, and I’d rather look at it in depth sooner rather than later.

>>4148613
>Nura

>>4148613
>>Nura

Let's see what the new girl has.

>>4148613
>Nura
Seems safe enough to switch for now.

>>4148613
Wish we could have mentioned about peeing in a rag to help mitigate the effects. I'm not sure who to be.

>>4148611
>Bleach. Hm.
>You feel a vague sense of embarrassment...can’t quite tag why, though. Meh, you’ll mull on it later if you remember.

Heh.

>>4148613
>Nura

>>4148613
>No

>>4148613
>>Nura

Switching to the new girl. Writing.

>>4148613
>>4148622
>>4148626
>>4148629
>>4148631
>>4148634
>>4149778
Phewww...have to admit, it’s been an interesting last few days. Picked up by an Outgoer company, and tossed feet first into the fire! Heck of a welcoming, but you think you’ve been handling it pretty well so far. There’s been a few hiccups here and there, but largely you can’t say you’ve been disappointed or overwhelmed. A lot of the kids here seem like the fun sorts, despite the prestige this air...ship...thing supposedly has. Good that the curriculum here isn’t preventing them from enjoying their youth. Some of them can be just -adorable-.

Not that your stick-in-the-mud acquaintance here seems to care. This Cylica girl has been up yours pretty much as soon as she saw you. You’re fine with it- it’s not the first and certainly not the last time someone’s disdained you, and if nothing else you can understand why she’s so easily frustrated. The lady has a ladyfriend, and, well...you won’t deny that you’re rather skilled at attracting lovers of all types. Partially went hand in hand with...well, your OLD job, and you have to confess, you found the act in and of itself...fun. You know you can get a bit careless sometimes, but really, it’s harmless flirting, and you’re no homewrecker. She really should chill out. In fact, it’d probably be fun to- oh. She’s scowling at you again. Did she read your mind? She seems to be able to do something like that, apparently, maybe you should ask her about it… “Sorry, lost my train of thought for a second. So what are we doing after we set up down there and get the pumps going?” She’d been talking work; the Ivonium down earthside would require some level of ferrying back and forth, due to the limited cargo room. You had a decent sized transport, and it could carry about five of those containers at a time… but if what those kids said was accurate, those alone wouldn’t be enough. There’s going to need to be consistent trips back and forth, seems like, which WILL be a complication...

Before you can go much further on that train of thought, however, the door opens and Miranda- going by Zinna now, you have to remember- walks in, looking...well, less grouchy looking than she usually does, from what you’ve noticed. “Hey.” Taking a seat on the bed, she looks around at the lot of you as she pulls out the two devices that you’d helped them ‘acquire’ temporarily. Ah, that’s right. You need to do right by him and visit later. But for now, business. “Alright, let’s get down to it. I want to scan these, and I’m going to do that while you three tell me the gameplan so far. I might be helping out a bit more than expected, but it’s still your show.”

(cont.)

>>4150407
And so you do. Indeed, Cylica is the one that does most of the talking, but Owlia occasionally interjects, too: the basic idea is to spend some time investigating the area and making sure there are no nearby hostiles. It sounded like they had an operation going on in there, which meant that some clearing actions would be necessary- having Miranda’s support on that front would be quite welcome, which she agrees to. There’s also the matter of transporting said Ivonium, to which, well...Owlia was probably the most qualified pilot here, which mean she’d be making runs back and forth, leaving yourself, Cylica, and Miranda to keep the area of operations safe. It’d be continuous, until either the source was depleted or the school called things good.

All the while, Miranda nods idly as she focuses on the mechanical device in her hand. She’s paying particularly close attention to that little thing…

>Maybe you could take a little peek over Miranda’s shoulder. Wouldn’t hurt, would it…?
>Well, Cylica’s made a good gameplan, you think. Although you might have a question…(What?)
>Owlia seems like she’s bored. Or dismayed, at least. Wonder what’s bugging her?
>Other

>>4150410
>Maybe you could take a little peek over Miranda’s shoulder. Wouldn’t hurt, would it…?
Being chummy with your boss is a staple to go up on the ladder.

>>4150410
>Maybe you could take a little peek over Miranda’s shoulder. Wouldn’t hurt, would it…?

>>4150410
>Maybe you could take a little peek over Miranda’s shoulder. Wouldn’t hurt, would it…?

>>4150410
>Maybe you could take a little peek over Miranda’s shoulder. Wouldn’t hurt, would it…?

Just gonna...sit right here. Right behind you. Don't mind us.

Writing.

>>4150410
>>4150415
>>4150433
>>4150467
>>4150476
Hmmm...well, she’s never given off any particular indication she didn’t like you...then again, she always struck you as a hard nut to crack. Still, whatever she’s doing seems fascinating. You’ve had to acclimate to technology in your time here, but you’ve never stopped being curious about it- part of the artificer in you, you suppose.

With that in mind, you sidle behind her as Cylica continues talking, heedless of the scowl she gives you as you do so. Really, you’re just curious. Nothing to bite your head off for…

Miranda gives no indication of her noticing you, although you can’t imagine she wouldn’t have, and so when you take a look at the image in her hands, you find that it’s a sort of three dimensional cutout of the arm device you’d gotten. Seems like she’s trying to figure out how it works. “Oh,” you find yourself saying. “I didn’t think you’d be interested in schematics. Do you dabble?”

She pauses, barely glancing back at you. “Not really. It’s more to make sure that it’s not dangerous to use, or that operation for us would be impossible, or something like that.” Ah. So more of a cursory overview than anything else. Well, that’s responsible of her. “From the looks of it, this arm enhancement thing seems to be something akin to an exoskeleton, superpowered by Ivonium. There’s an injector system to inject Ivonium into the user itself, likely for further power, but it’s manual, so as long as we don’t activate it intentionally, we should be good. The gun is a slightly different matter. Seems to basically be a remote injector; fires Ivonium ‘seeds’ of a sort from what I can see here; some system that compresses the stuff into a gel-capsule like form. My guess is that it’s basically an intentional overdose of the stuff, though, looking at the relative amounts between the two.”

“Ouch. I wonder what the side effects are,” you find yourself wondering as you lean closer. She doesn’t seem to mind.

“Same,” Owlia says, apparently neutral to you practically resting your chin on your boss’s shoulder. “From the sounds of it it’s not good, but...might be worth testing.”

“On something small and NOT yourself,” Cylica says, quickly pivoting her attention to her beloved. “If you don’t mind.”

“Relaaaax! I meant like a tiny bug or a rodent or something!” Owlia clarifies. “Not me!”

“Well, regardless, we need to make sure we’re all rested. I vote we turn in a bit early today anyway.” Before you can say anything to that, though, Miranda turns to you. “Before this is over, I’ve got to ask you something.”

“O-oh.” Oh dear. Oh no. Did you do something wrong after all? Maybe you shouldn’t have been so friendly with her from the start- you thought it’d be nice, she seems like she needed someone to hug her, maybe more, but if she’s not the sort, that’d- “Wanted to discuss some of your abilities. You mentioned shadow abilities. Mind walking us through them?”

(cont.)

>>4150652

Oh. Phew. “R-right! Well…basically...” Phew. Didn’t have to worry nearly as much as you thought…well, for now. Tomorrow, if everything went as planned...you'd be off to the mission site.

>Roll 5d5. Best of three.

Rolled 4, 4, 5, 4, 3 = 20 (5d5)

>>4150659
Show us your moves.

Rolled 1, 2, 2, 4, 2 = 11 (5d5)

>>4150659

Rolled 1, 1, 5, 5, 3 = 15 (5d5)

>>4150659

Ivonium looks more and more like tiberium to me. At least the thing doesn't try to consume and replace the minerals in its surroundings with more of itself.

And finished this. Y'know, since we're learning about Nura.

https://pastebin.com/wRfBFmRM

File: Nura's Interview.png (22 KB, 1636x124)

22 KB PNG

>>4150722
Wow, she's pretty strong. Though I think I need to point out that her support abilities are missing.

>>4150768
Yeah, I forgot to paste a few. Hold on.

>>4150768
who needs support skills when you can send everyone you don't like to the shadow realm?

>>4150722
She's decently packed for a courier. B ranks yo.

>>4150722
Any chance she got a magical weapon or piece of armor from her old career she could use?

>>4150722
>pure stealth power set
>Lori's doppelganger technique but more refined
>shadow realm
Shame she's a courier but rank B is rank B

How long has she been in the Intersection handler?

>>4150797
>>4150768
Alright, that should do it. And yeah, she's good. Recall she was an assassin, and a damn good one.

Her downside, as you might've noticed, is that a lot of her good stuff has an 'extra price' attached, or can be called inefficient under certain circumstances. (At least, that's what I was going for.)

>>4150828
She's been here for a little while- over a year, but only just. She's still finding out about certain types of technology and isn't comfortable with absolutely everything yet.

Also you'd call it more refined? Huh.

Anyway still writing.

>>4150832
>Strengthening- 150
>Nura summons her magic to increase physical prowess via area of effect to anyone within 10 yards of her. However, she cannot do so to herself. This increase doubles physical strength and resilience. However, it is temporary and only lasts approximately for 5 minutes.

>Enfeebling- 150 (Projectile- 200)
>Nura summons magic to her hands, and can physically weaken anyone with a touch, or in certain cases, with an orb of energy she can toss. Their physical strength and durability drops to roughly half of their original capability. However, it is temporary, and the target can recover depending on their physical constitution; the healthier they are, the faster they can recover from weakness.

>Dark Will- 500
>Nura can enhance the magic of anyone within 10 yards of her via a spell. However, she herself cannot be affected by this spell, and it is less effective depending on relative power in comparison to herself. The stronger the target is in comparison, the less effective it is. The duration lasts longer or shorter depending on the level of magic the recipient utilizes, but will last for roughly 10 minutes without major usage.

>Shadowstep- 250
Nura can enhance the speed of anyone within 10 meters. The speed increase is approximately three times the recipient's natural speed. This lasts for approximately 3 minutes, but also carries the effect of resulting in immense hunger once the spell ends if it has been utilized even moderately.

>Dark Reconstruction- 800
>Nura can restore the body to whatever state it was in provided the injury happened less than 10 minutes ago. This, however, results in sympathetic pain half of what was felt by the injured party being delivered onto Nura, and will not work even a second past the deadline, even for small injuries. It also cannot restore someone to life. It also only works on living beings.

>Healing Grace- 1200
>Nura can utilize light healing in order to heal small to moderate injuries. This causes intense pain to Nura, however, possibly debilitating her if utilized too frequently. This can be used at any time on the injured party. It cannot restore someone to life, and it only works on living beings.

Holy hell she's so fucking stacked. Why wasn't she picked up by other outfits before?

>>4150835
because she wants no trouble and she has self esteem issues

>>4150652
>>4150659
>>4150670
>>4150681
>>4150683
You’re pretty sure Miranda is looking at you differently now after spilling what you can do. The others certainly are. You had...a lot of experience in stealth arts. Not exactly something you want to get back into heavily, to be honest. You’d much rather hang out in a laboratory and make things all day- less people getting hurt, and you get to discover new and fun things to play with!

But...well, yeah. Just...hopefully, she doesn’t force you on killing missions. That...you’re not sure how you’d handle that. IF you’d handle it. Still, she’d just nodded in apparent satisfaction, and left you to sleep, or do whatever. Well…

You’re kinda looking forwards to visiting that goblin guy a bit more, now. He seemed nice enough...

-----------

After the night in honestly enjoyable company (he seemed rather surprised that you’d followed through, and proved to be a gentleman of the first water throughout), you find yourself easily slipping out in the early hours of the morning after leaving a note of thanks...much like old times, really. Well, mostly. The note is a lot nicer to leave than what you used to be ordered…

No, moving on. Today’s the day you get sent down to the island chain to search and acquire the liquid Ivonium. You’re honestly excited- this little ‘delay’ was pleasant, but you kind of didn’t want to get TOO distracted with the adorables up here. It’s easy enough to slip back into your room, change clothes, and with a bit of a wash-up, Nura the Artificer is here to study!

The others seem in good spirits as well; Miranda, Cylica, and Owlia all are ready and gathered, and all (even Cylica) greet you casually upon seeing you. While Cylica and Owlia return to whatever they were talking about as you approach, you notice Miranda fixing you with a slightly longer look- her nose twitches briefly, before turning back to the others and getting their attention. “Alright, everyone. I got up particularly early to make sure that everything would be ready for us, and fortunately, it is. We’ve got five collector tanks all ready and loaded in the transport. I know that’s not what they’re technically called, but that’s what I’m callin’ them. They’re as good as they got, for the most part. Did as many tweaks as they could to max out capacity while still keeping functionality. As we discussed last night, Serval gets pilot duty- she’ll be ferrying shipments to and from the Express, along their travel line.” With that, she brings out a device; the same one that she was using the other night. “I managed to get their flight plan and downloaded it into this. The ship has an onboard system for flight paths, and I’m pretty sure we can use the data. If not…” She pulls out from her pocket a map, which she hands to Owlia. “That’s got dates and times for when and where they should be in the next several days. You should be able to use that, intercept them. Obviously, you call us if anything goes wrong, alright?”

(cont.)

>>4150894
“Gotcha, boss!” Owlia salutes.

“Last check- no one needs anything before we set off?” You can’t think of anything, and so there’s a round of headshakes. “Good. Let’s load up, and ship out. Cyrene? You’re in charge once we hit the ground. Understand?”

“Of course. You need not worry; I know precisely what I’m doing,” she assures. “This’ll be little different from the mining operations I used to have ordered to replenish our natural crystal supply.”

Wait, what?

>Continuing tomorrow.

>>4150835
Basically >>4150848.

>>4150835
> You will never have a pocket cleric GF roleplay her in IRL game.

>>4150898
>Wait, what?
wait did I miss something?

>>4151104
Nura doesn't know about O&C's past.

>>4151104
>>4151106
Basically, she's less than a week in and hasn't even started working in the lab.

>>4151104
You'll get to enjoy best possible seats for when nura learns that cy was a world conquering warlord

Not feeling it today, honestly. Will attempt to run extra long tomorrow if possible; like, from morning till night.

Spent today cooking.

>>4152334
What are the girls' best dishes?

>>4152334
No problem, boss. See you around tomorrow.

>>4152349

Miranda: Grilled or Baked fish with Cream Sauce and fettuccine alfredo.

Lorelei: Angel Food Cake (although if you asked her she'd say Banana Cream Pie).

Izumi: Tonkatsu, and it's also the most elaborate thing she can make. Izumi is many things, but she's not a great chef.

Mono: Sandwiches. She can't really cook either.

Owlia: Her old world's equivalent of Ratatouille, and salads in general, as well as grilled meats.

Cylica: "Cooking is for lesser people and Owlia as she deigns to do so."

Prima: Does not need to eat and thus has no specialty, but is capable of replicating any recipe she might download provided she has access to the proper materials.

Jago: See Above.

>>4152369
You're missing Nura and Sal, boss.

...I am kinda curious if Cylica ever tried to cook for Owlia once, like for her birthday or something...

>>4152369
>Cylica: "Cooking is for lesser people and Owlia as she deigns to do so."
oh, so instant ramen then.

>>4152369
>Miranda
I can appreciate a girl who likes a good fish and cream pastas.

>>4152378

Nura: I honestly haven't thought of anything for her yet. Jokingly, I'd say bratwurst.

Sal: He doesn't cook, he 'taste-tests'.

>>4152378
And yes, she has. Cookies, specifically, anticipating a cake would be too much for her.

It was adorable to Owlia, but also resulted in Owlia getting a...stomach bug, we'll say. Cylica was terrified, Owlia just found it hilarious despite it all.

The incident is considered a state secret.

random question handler. had you planned cylica and owlia to be a real couple from the get go(when we went to the skyworld)? or did you change your mind mid mission?

>>4152405
From word go. They were essentially their nation's power couple after Owlia defected. They just understood that they wouldn't be seeing the other for stretches at a time since duty called. Naturally that issue is relatively muted or moot here.

>>4152402
Any chance we might be able to see a second attempt eventually?

>>4152419
Does Nura use her tail to grab tools?

Running shortly. Slept in late.

>>4152452
Mebbe. Need to up that there social rank if you wanna witness it.

>>4152454
Yes, actually.

>>4150898

The trip proves to be fortunately uneventful, barring your shocked surprised at learning abou Cylica’s previous...profession. A warlord!? Really?! But...why would...heck, HOW? She hadn’t answered, merely looked at Owlia. But really? To give all that up…?

Well...you suppose that in a way you understood...but in another, you very much did NOT.

Looking out the window to clear your head, you figure that maybe it wasn’t nearly as big as she claimed, but you get the feeling she’s not exaggerating; Owlia hadn’t interrupted or corrected her even once. Maybe it’s best that you don’t ask anything further about it, or so you presumed, and so the majority of the flight has been in relative silence. And now…

As you fly high over the oceans, seeing the islands in the distance you’re kind of awed. You hadn’t seen any other realms since arriving, although you knew they existed; talk of Outgoers was always a hot topic, and you did enjoy gossip...still.

It reminds you of home a bit…

“Aaand if you look ahead, we are on final approach to lovely and valuable Tatun Island!” Owlia says in a strange voice, yet smiling. “Please return all seats to the upright and locked position and make sure all loose objects are safely stored away, thank you!” Right…you don’t think these seats actually lean or anything, do they?

“Now, if their information was correct, the cavern was a tourist spot, so it shouldn’t be hard to find,” Cylica mentions, assuming her role. “We don’t know if those mystery men ever left, so we’ll do well to be cautious during our descent. We at least know the path- or at least, I trust people other than myself remembered the instructive tale they told, yes?” Yeah, you recall it- that kind of thing was vital in your old line of work…

...you kind of hate how much your old line of work is proving important, actually. Although, a thought comes to mind. If we don’t know, maybe the local populace has a clue towards them? It sounds like you’ll be going straight towards the area, though…

>Suggest that it’d be better to get some information from the locals about possible masked men first.
>Well, it’s unlikely they’ll know much- or worse, someone might be an informant if they’re still there. Better to just get right to it and keep the element of surprise.
>Other

>>4153740
>Suggest that it’d be better to get some information from the locals about possible masked men first.

>>4153740
>Other
Go scout the locals first while have the others on standby and do other things.

Nura should have experiences working alone right?

>>4153740
>Suggest that it’d be better to get some information from the locals about possible masked men first.
Might also learn if local government is making moves to secure Ivonium for themselves and also learn some more about the dangerous wildlife

>>4153740
>Suggest that it’d be better to get some information from the locals about possible masked men first

Writing!

>>4153740
>>4153762
>>4153769
>>4153778
>>4153767
No, no. Better that you get as much information as possible. “Hey, sooo...just a thought, but wouldn’t it be best to land, make like tourists, and see if the locals have spotted anything unusual themselves? Y’know, in case the kids missed something?” It’s a common thing to get as much information on...the subject...before you head into dangerous territory.

There’s a moment of silence, before Cylica huffs. “Well. It’s not a BAD idea, I suppose…” And with that she turns around, fixing you with a stare. “But if that’s the case, then considering you suggested it, YOU’LL be the one in charge of that. Dear, drop her off somewhere close to the masses. We’ll go on ahead with general scouting of the area. She’ll catch up after a couple of hours.” The tone in her voice brooks no argument, not that you had one anyway. Miranda, likewise, doesn’t voice her opinion.

“Roger that. Everyone buckle in!” Owlia says as you begin your descent…

As you arrive, you notice that there’s a lot of people...bird people. And a lot of them are looking in curiosity at the strange aircraft that’s swooping overhead. Still, you notice that it seems very...welcoming. Bright colors, cheerful signs, many tall buildings with advertisements...astounding.

Fortunately, there’s an empty plot of land not too far out of the city limits. “Good thing they’ve got no anti-air defenses,” Owlia chirps. “Then again, maybe that’s not so good…” Why wouldn’t that be- oh. Nevermind.

“Well, let’s not question it for now. I believe this is your stop,” Cylica says primly as the craft hovers a few feet above the ground. It’s on a large hill overlooking what seems like a fairly thriving small city. How interesting!

Deep breath, then. “Right. Well then! Don’t miss me too much!” you say cheerily as you hop off. The welcoming feel of earth greets you as you land easily, and straightening your clothes out a bit, you head towards civilization.

(cont)

>>4153867
The road is cobblestone, and the people here seem at the least friendly and warm, with nods and smiles thrown your way casually, be it from people walking or flying low. The bird-people definitely seem to be the majority here, with many buildings having second story entrances. There’s a healthy mix of humans, goblins, and even the occasional tiefling, from the looks of it. Although it seems like that last is FAR less common, which might explain the stares you’ve caught some folks giving you…

Ah, but no time for that. Let’s see what you can find out…and where might be best to go.

>No reason to worry about the specifics. You can probably walk the streets and ask the occasional passerby with the right wording…the common folks tend to hear a lot of different gossip.
>There’s a sign that mentions a ‘Tourist Information Area’ and an arrow pointing in that direction. Probably the best best for information considering your intended destination...well, hopefully.
>Finding the local security may actually prove beneficial, if only to make certain of what they do and don’t know of the situation. Don’t want them to get involved...or maybe you do?
>Other

>>4153871
>There’s a sign that mentions a ‘Tourist Information Area’ and an arrow pointing in that direction. Probably the best best for information considering your intended destination...well, hopefully.

>>4153871
>There’s a sign that mentions a ‘Tourist Information Area’ and an arrow pointing in that direction. Probably the best best for information considering your intended destination...well, hopefully.

>>4153871
>There’s a sign that mentions a ‘Tourist Information Area’ and an arrow pointing in that direction. Probably the best best for information considering your intended destination...well, hopefully.

>>4153871
>>There’s a sign that mentions a ‘Tourist Information Area’ and an arrow pointing in that direction. Probably the best best for information considering your intended destination...well, hopefully.

>>4153871
>Other

Check out the local pub. Ask about the history of the island, keep an ear out for crazy rumors.

Had to go out briefly. Writing now!

>>4154012
> Had to go out.

That's how you get the Wuhu Flu, bruh.

>>4153871
>>4153875
>>4153877
>>4153880
>>4153891
Well, no reason to not look a gift horse in the mouth.

...you never got that expression, but you’re pretty sure it fits here. There’s a sign pointing straight towards a place offering information, and you need information about a place considered a tourist spot. No better option, you figure!

The walk is relatively pleasant, if a bit awkward. You have to admit, you’re not used to being looked at so readily by absolutely anyone, but they don’t have to know that. Just need to make sure you keep a spring in your step and look casual- which you’re rather an expert at. And at least you don’t feel like it’s hostile looks. As before, it just seems to be that folks of your make are a rarity. You saw maybe two pairs of horns amid what’s likely thousands of wings.

It’s not just around the corner, sadly- you have to travel down a few streets, which are in fact rather pleasant and largely have numbers of flowers among various windowsills. In fact, several merchants are set up here and there, and you find yourself stopping briefly to browse...well, once. You’d forgotten about the crucial issue of money.

Still, you in due time arrive at the Tourist Information Area- little more than a decently sized wooden building, if well kept and made. Stepping inside, you find a desk nearby with a pink receptionist birdlady sitting there, apparently gossipping with a purple one who looks far more grouchy on the other side; from the purse she holds, similar uniforms, and her slackened posture, you can only presume that she’s an exhausted employee. “...just be careful, Phyllis, that’s all I’m asking,” the lady says imploringly.

“Relaaax, I’ll be fine. Nothing ever seriously happens around here, and if it does, the Guard’ll handle it- peck on wood.” The last bit is mumbled, but you’ve long learned to read lips. “But, since you’re so worried, I’ll try to find an escort home, okay?” As you approach, though, they both turn to look at you- the pink one with a business happy expression, the purple one not so much. “Probably my cue to leave. Later, sis. Have a good shift.”

“Buh-bye! And hello, how can I help you?” she asks, now focusing on you.

>Ask directly if there’s anything interesting going on at the Trials of the Faithless caverns nearby. You heard there was an event…?
>Inquire a bit more subtly- are there any fun tourist things to do here besides enjoy the food and atmosphere? You just arrived, after all…
>Phyllis hasn’t quite left yet, maybe this could be an opportunity to ki- uh, question two birds at once.
>Other

>>4154176
>Inquire a bit more subtly- are there any fun tourist things to do here besides enjoy the food and atmosphere? You just arrived, after all…

>>4154176
>Inquire a bit more subtly- are there any fun tourist things to do here besides enjoy the food and atmosphere? You just arrived, after all…

>>4154176
>Inquire a bit more subtly- are there any fun tourist things to do here besides enjoy the food and atmosphere? You just arrived, after all…

>>4154178
>Inquire a bit more subtly- are there any fun tourist things to do here besides enjoy the food and atmosphere? You just arrived, after all…
Say something about nature sight seeing or cave spelunking.

>>4154215
Oops, I meant to link >>4154176

>>4154176
>>4154178
>>4154195
>>4154195
>>4154203
>>4154215
Well, might be best to be subtle about it. “Hi!” you start off cheerily as the purple harpy exits the building. “Soo, I just got here, and I heard this place has some great things for tourists to do. I don’t really know what EXACTLY, though, so I was hoping you could help me out…”

“Oh, sure!” she beams as she starts taking out fliers. She’s honestly adorable; seems like she really likes this job. “Well, for non-flyers, I recommend our fly-by-night tour, you get a WONDERFUL view of all the natural splendor of the island, lit up by both natural and harpy-made beauty! There’s also our coastal waterway tour, our forest exploration tour, our...”

Bingo. “Oh, forest exploration? That sounds more up my alley. I’m big on the whole ‘venturing out into nature’ thing.” Might not be the most clear considering your wardrobe, but… “So stuff like hiking, trailblazing, cave spelunking, that sort of thing!”

“Oh.” You wouldn’t have caught if you’d even blinked- her eyes flit over to where her sister had just left, her tone was slightly less enthusiastic, and her posture had frozen and unfrozen, all in the space of that one little word. “Wellll, we have a variety of hiking tours…”

“Yeah, that’d be nice...oh!” Ahh, and a perfect prop to help. “You have caves here, too, yeah, I remember being told that!” You point at one of the fliers behind her, obstenably free for everyone to take, proudly advertising a ‘Historic Exploration’ of the island’s famous cave system, The Trials of the Faithless. “That’d be really nice, too.”

“Ah.” If she could sweat, you’re pretty sure she would be right now with how her eyes started darting around. “Uh, terribly sorry, but I’m afraid that one has been cancelled for the foreseeable future, thanks to a cave-in.” She does seem to recover some of her composure near the end, smiling and bowing in apology.

Hmm. That’s a decent excuse. But it also means the incident is likely being covered up- but you’re not sure if it’s by her, or just what she’s heard. Now, how to sniff those facts out…?

>Action!

(Will continue tomorrow.)

I wish Cylica was here...

>>4154320
And we really should've given her some sort of communication device.

>>4154302
Gotta deflect. Ask for what she recommends then, ditz it up a dash.

I bet that with a name like "trials of the faithless" that we can find a church around here and investigate from that angle. Maybe there's an orthodox version that can tell us about local/native cults.

>>4154302
>>4154323
>>4154329
Pretty sure Nura has a communication device, Handler just forgot to mention? Would terribly be irresponsible otherwise.

>Deflect and ask for what she recommends. Occasionally prods her with questions about the cave-in.
>Get out, call for Cylica or catch up to our team if for some reason we don't have a communication device.
If we can contact our team, get them to come to us while we investigate the bread crumbs we have gotten from the harpy receptionist.

>>4154302
Supporting >>4154340

>>4154340
Voting for this.

Starting in about an hour.

>>4154302
>>4154340
>>4154362
>>4154500
Well, you’re not going to let up just yet. “Aww, that’s terrible. Well, aside from that, anything else you think is good?” You give her a megawatt smile, and she seems to fall for it.

“Of course!” Mind you, that doesn’t mean you’re going to press too hard when it’s clearly an issue. It’s about waiting for the right time… “So, in addition to the rest of these, let me explain about several events I have to say are just VITAL to visit…”

And so it goes, telling about various landmarks, locations (there’s apparently a gambling den, as well as a museum) and other tidbits about the island- and all the while…

“So, that’s near to the caverns, then, if it’s close to the mountain. That won’t be affected?” You ask after she gives a suggestion of a multi-day hiking trip.

“O-oh, no, no!” she says quickly. “The cave-in was, ah, deeper in. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Okay, just so long as the area’s stable,” you say casually. “I heard that there’s a possibility that places can get unstable after a cave-in. Do you have any kind of security?”

“Oh, it’s fine, don’t worry,” she waves off. “Nothing’s happening- happened- there.” She shakes her head, trying to put on a smile. “Sorry, just a bit beak-bent. And the Guard’s already said they’ll be investigating for the time being. So you’re in no danger! Now, moving on...”

Definitely going to have to warn them about this...hopefully that weird gem of theirs they gave you works…

>Roll 2d20, best of three.
>Other

Rolled 19, 4 = 23 (2d20)

>>4155016
...Just how long has Nura been living in the intersection, anyway?

Rolled 17, 1 = 18 (2d20)

>>4155016

>>4155023
>>4150832
>She's been here for a little while- over a year, but only just.

Rolled 4, 4 = 8 (2d20)

>>4155016

Writing, mind.

>>4155016
>>4155023 (Interesting.)
>>4155026
>>4155055
It doesn’t take much longer than that before you finally get a crack in her professional armor, and what a crack it is. “It’s been great talking with you,” you say with a placid smile. “You’re so professional and you look like you’re enjoying this. I can’t imagine anything better than that.”

“Ohhoh- thank you,” she demurrs. “Yes, it’s a lovely job, honestly! I enjoy helping people, especially when it’s to explore our natural wonders! The sea, the sand…and the lovely people, after all!”

“Right, everyone seems nice- except for that masked man I saw.” It’s a bluff, but…

“Oh, it’s fine, they’re just after the deposit downnn-” Ohh? Hm. You hadn’t expected her to be THAT informed. This is...concerning. Of course, that’s not nearly as concerning as the deer-in-the-headlights look she’s giving you. And for good reason; if she was privvy to such information, well...not many reasons for that.

There’s a cold silence between you two- the only ones in the room right now. The clerk’s smile is frozen, painted on, and you can literally see her feathers ruffle as she doesn’t dare to speak anymore.

> Time to play hardball. “Oh no, do go on! It sounds absolutely fascinating! Tell me everything.” It’s not really a request.
> Play with it. You might be able to work this to your advantage. “Well, that’s funny. It sounds like you’re friends with them. I’ve got friends that might want to meet you, too…”
> Act the somewhat concerned citizen. “And the reason I don’t want to go straight to the guard with this is…?”
> Other

>>4155133
> Time to play hardball. “Oh no, do go on! It sounds absolutely fascinating! Tell me everything.” It’s not really a request.

>>4155133
> Play with it. You might be able to work this to your advantage. “Well, that’s funny. It sounds like you’re friends with them. I’ve got friends that might want to meet you, too…”
Friends that are both quite wealthy and very, VERY keen on their privacy.

>>4155133
> Play with it. You might be able to work this to your advantage. “Well, that’s funny. It sounds like you’re friends with them. I’ve got friends that might want to meet you, too…”

"Friends that are both quite wealthy and very, VERY keen on their privacy."

I feel Nura wouldn't feel very keen on pulling up her old enforcer skills, and would like to at least keep up the pretense of being nice.

Well, I'll be back a bit later anyway.

>>4155133
> Time to play hardball. “Oh no, do go on! It sounds absolutely fascinating! Tell me everything.” It’s not really a request.

>>4155133
> Play with it. You might be able to work this to your advantage. “Well, that’s funny. It sounds like you’re friends with them. I’ve got friends that might want to meet you, too…”

>>4155133
> Play with it. You might be able to work this to your advantage. “Well, that’s funny. It sounds like you’re friends with them. I’ve got friends that might want to meet you, too…
You started too early compared to the usual time Handler.

Perhaps so. Alright, then, we'll start at the usual time today.

>>4156224
I mean. It's quarantine, so earlier is better for me. Some advance notice would probs solve the problem.

Writing shortly. Probably gonna run late.

>>4155133
>>4155141
>>4155144
>>4155258
>>4155286
Well, hopefully she’s feeling proper screwed right now. You play your cards right, you might be able to work this to your advantage. “Well, that’s funny. It sounds like you’re friends with them. I’ve got friends that might want to meet you, too…very strong friends. Friends that are both quite wealthy and very, VERY keen on their privacy.” You don’t have to be 100% honest; as long as you make them sound sufficiently intimidating, you should be good. “Maybe I can introduce you to MY friends, and then we can go meet yours?”

“...I...uh...er…” Hmhm, she’s clearly rattled. Not the best feeling anymore, but it’s fine as long as she doesn’t realize that you’re not actually going to hurt her any. Poking at people CAN be fun. “Well, uh, my friends aren’t really keen on being known either, you see…” she shakily says, eyes flitting about. “N-not to mention, I, uh, they aren’t, well...my sister, you see!” she blurts out, and you have to admit some confusion there. “She’s not- she doesn’t know, but it’s just, uh, circumstances and all…and they’re not friends with her, so...”

>Roll 1d10, best of three.

> “Well, that’s a shame.” And it really is. You should probably call Miranda like you’d meant to earlier- maybe in full view.
> “Your sister will be fine if you take your lunch break a bit earlier.” Going to have to press this a bit harder.
> “How about we go ahead and you tell me about your friends, then, and I’ll forget this little unfortunate meeting ever happened?”
> Other

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>4157608
> “Your sister will be fine if you take your lunch break a bit earlier.” Going to have to press this a bit harder.

>>4157608
> “Well, that’s a shame.” And it really is. You should probably call Miranda like you’d meant to earlier- maybe in full view.

Rolled 8 (1d10)

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>4157608
> “Well, that’s a shame.” And it really is. You should probably call Miranda like you’d meant to earlier- maybe in full view.
She's breaking, and we're going to deliver the decisive shot.

>>4157608
> “Well, that’s a shame.” And it really is. You should probably call Miranda like you’d meant to earlier- maybe in full view.
She's good at this. That enforcer experience is helping a lot.

It was about now that Penny the Friendly Tourist Clerk realized this might be the start of a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Writing.

>>4157633
We all had THOSE days in our lives. She's about to be in one.

>>4157635
We're about to ruin this girls entire career.

>>4157608
>>4157613
>>4157614
>>4157615
>>4157616
>>4157624
>>4157624
You sigh with a bit of sincerity. You’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this, really. She seemed nice, and not one to hold up well under pressure. “Well, that’s a shame,” you say, as you take out your contact stone. Society here used phone systems, but apparently there used to be similar communications as you had, although they were considered outdated. “Zinna?”

“Yeah?” she responds quickly as the clerk looks on in confusion. “What is it? Found anything?”

“Might have,” you say as you see the clerk’s eyes grow wider as she finally clues in. “Someone here seems to be particularly affiliated with our ‘friends’ at the Tourist Information Center, but she’s feeling a bit...ruffled about the situation.” Puns! “Doesn’t want to say anything. What do I do with her?” Hopefully, the answer is nothing except maybe pres-

“Is she alone?” Zinna asks. “Are YOU?”

“Yeah,” you respond as her beak opens a bit and her feathers shake- wait, no, that’s her body. “Seems like there’s no business right now.”

“Good. If she won’t talk, I’ll send Cyrene back; we’re investigating the opening of the cavern now. Cy’ll pry it from her head one way or another.” THAT causes her to jump, finally.

“N-no! Please, no, they’ll- Phyllis, I can’t- if they learned- ! I…I...I can’t...I ha...ha...” Oh dear, she’s…

“She’s hyperventilating. And fluttering. That’s not good,” you note with a frown. She can come back from that, but… “Should I try to keep her calm?”

“I heard her,” Miranda says. “And really, she should just say as much as possible if she wants to guarantee that her sister doesn’t get hurt, one way or another. Simple as that. Phyllis, was it?” Oh dear. That’s pretty callous of her.

But it gets the desired effect as suddenly the panic seems to slump out of her as she collapses onto the desk. “I-it’s not...I’m...they just want me to keep tourists away...a-and handle the payments to the Guard,” she mutters. So, she’s an intermediary- and the Guard are in their pocket. “I’m not even a high ranking member or anything…”

“But you ARE a member, then.” Miranda accuses.

“I-I...well...I mean...if the Republic heard about it, t-they’d come in and...besides, we want to...y’know...stand alone...uh…” she seems very timid about the reasoning, but is that really relevant anyway?

(cont.)

>>4157699
“My point is, you can get us in close, right?” Miranda says. Ah. So that’s her plan? “Tell me what they’re doing, how, and where.”

“...I-I don’t want my sister to diiiiieee…” she moans, and you feel more than a pang of sympathy for the poor girl as she starts sobbing. “They- they said if I told anyone, she’d be- she’d be the priiice…”

Hm. That’s understandable...you certainly would rather not kill, yourself. But leaving her alone with this having happened to her?

>Keep back and let Miranda keep talking. You’re not sure how to split the difference for certain, yourself…
>Well...maybe you can fix something up for her really quickly? Some kind of defensive charm?
>Maybe she can literally ‘get you in close’. More than once you used to fake capture. Maybe it’d work here?
>Other

>>4157703
>Well...maybe you can fix something up for her really quickly? Some kind of defensive charm?
"Is it just you and your sister that are at risk? Any other family here?"

>>4157703
>Well...maybe you can fix something up for her really quickly? Some kind of defensive charm?

>>4157703
>Maybe she can literally ‘get you in close’. More than once you used to fake capture. Maybe it’d work here?

Make sure the capture the three of us! It's a team building exercise, after all.

>>4157703
>Keep back and let Miranda keep talking. You’re not sure how to split the difference for certain, yourself…
We wouldn't wanna accidentally amateur things up and ruin our perfectly intimidating disembodied bosses voice.

>>4157703
>Well...maybe you can fix something up for her really quickly? Some kind of defensive charm?

We will try to help!

Writing.

>>4157703
>>4157710
>>4157711
>>4157718
Oh boy...this could turn out pretty badly for her. Maybe there’s some way to keep her safe? But there’s no way one of you would (or could) just hang back and play bodyguard for her sister. There’s got to be some way to defend her from retribution if she’s found out...wait.

Defend? Oh, duh! You’re pretty sure you can craft something for her...or better yet, give her one of your pre-made materials. You’ve got something in this suitcase of yours, you’re certain… “What if I said we could help protect your sister and make sure that she isn’t an easy target?”

“Aria?” Miranda asks curiously.

“...w-why would you even bother? I don’t- I don’t even know what you want with this?!” she half-wails.

“...Look, you tell us, and we protect your sister, or not, and she runs a MUCH higher risk of dying. I don’t have a lot of time, so choose now.” Miranda barks out.

“I- uh...okay, okay!” Finally, she cracks entirely, as she cowers below the desk. Poor thing, you’ve really done a number on her, haven’t you? Just, please…” she begs.

...just like old times. Well, not entirely. “Don’t worry,” you say as you lean over and give her a pat on the shoulder. “We’ll make sure nothing happens to her. Now, if you could tell me where she likely stays, and I’ll give you a peek at a nice little tool of mine that might ease your worries a bit…”

“AFTER she tells us,” you hear Cylica demand over the stone. “And the sooner, the better!”

“...right. Can’t argue her, I’m afraid,” you shrug.

Nonetheless, she takes a deep sigh, and begins recounting…

(Continuing tomorrow.)

>>4157778
We really have a bad track record with bird women

>>4157903
We got some decent glyphs from the last one so its more 50/50.

>>4158312
I think he means in terms of scaring them to tears.

No run tonight. Things happened. Not bad things, but not good things, either. Just busy things.

Fucking dogs.

>>4159119
Your dogs or other people's dogs?

>>4159122
Both. Oy.

File: 1474753320794.png (30 KB, 747x491)

30 KB PNG

>>4159119
>>4159122
>>4159126
This can be taken out of contexts.

>>4159138
Animals can't give consent!

>>4159138
Out and In of contexts.

>>4157778

From the sounds of things, it seems like the masked people are just called The Reclaimers. They’re a sect dedicated to the removal of Republic influence- through any means necessary. She’s not sure why they want the Ivonium, but she can hazard a guess. “Ivonium’s said to have...strange properties. Small amounts of it, properly processed, can strengthen you beyond anything mortal, and enhance your magic to immense degrees. There’s a bit of a toll it takes, but it can be recoverable. LARGE amounts, raw or processed- either cause death, or...well…” she shrugs. “We’re of the mindset that the right people can take it within themselves; control it and mold it into something that gives them godlike power. Old legend has it that this used to be one solid landmass before one of the Old Gods, Jahun, shattered the land during a fight with a great evil that spanned the world. It was to prevent him from corrupting the land and crafting a place for all evil to reside for his master. The result killed many of his followers, but ALL of the great evil’s, and created the island chain here, with the remnants of his followers settling here and becoming our ancestors. The remnants of that power he unleashed throughout the land became Ivonium, and because this was the location of the final fight, it’s where the most Ivonium is located.”

“Yes, yes, all very interesting, now about some PRACTICAL information, like how many of them there are, what they’re capable of, and where they’re coming from!” Cylica half-yells.

“Ah! Sorry! I just thought maybe if you knew why-” she starts.

“No, don’t care, now, data!” Cylica snaps.

That seems to at least get her on the right track- apparently, The Reclaimers are about a hundred or so strong, though that’s mostly footmen. The leadership consists of a High Council consisting of four leaders and an Arbiter to settle disputes. She doesn’t know their names or where they are, as that’s kept secret. However, she does at least know that there’s intended to be over a dozen individuals in the cavern, at minimum, and that same number for other areas. She claims that it’s one of ‘the bigger operations as of late’. They’re also likely capable of high-grade earth, water and light magic, as these are the general teachings of The Reclaimers and the more ‘permissible’ classes of magic. As for how they got in secretly, she isn’t sure. “Like I said, I’m just a Sparkling- the lowest class!” she implores. “So I’ve told you all I know. Now, please, PLEASE! I wouldn’t be surprised if they knew I said anything already! T-they like to keep tabs on their recruits...”

There’s a moment of silence from the stone before you hear a sigh. “Fine. Go set whatever-her-name-is up and then meet us at the opening to the cavern. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine so long as you’re not noticed heading this way. We’ve taken care of any prying eyes nearby.”

Right. Well, that shouldn't be too hard. "Can you give me directions, miss?"

>Roll 1d10, best of three.

Rolled 50 (1d100)

>>4160432

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>4160432

Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>4160432

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>4160432

its a d10 not a d100

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>4160442
Woops, it's a 10

Writing. Got taken to do a bit of shopping.

>>4160432
>Right. Well, that shouldn't be too hard. "Can you give me directions, miss?"
>>4160432
>>4160440
>>4160444
>>4160449
Fortunately, it’s not too hard; apparently the two live together in a small apartment not too far from here, and it doesn’t seem as though it’s very big. The plus is that your little device isn’t too intrusive- it’s largely just a bit of a warning system and protective measure...The small, picture-frame like device is placed just outside the window after making sure no one sees you melt into the shadow along the wall and onto the balcony, and that’s that. Ideally, since that’s the only entrance you can see barring the front door downstairs, well...here’s hoping.

With that done, you quickly return to street level and make for the caverns of the Trials of the Faithless. Hopefully, it won’t take you too long to arrive once you break through the treeline…

Fortunately, it doesn’t. The treeline is more tropical than anything- there’s a lot of space to run, and the actual terrain isn’t all that dangerous. Then again...there’s kind of a trail. Marked by signs. An empty trail, admittedly, but still a trail, which makes things MUCH easier. You spent maybe a half hour at a jog once you get out of the city limits proper to arrive at the area, not very far at all.

Sure enough, Miranda, Cylica, and Owlia are there, waiting. “About time,” Cylica grumbles, but lifts herself off the crate she’s been sitting on, some odd tape barrier (as far as you can guess) casually cut through by the lot of them, along with a trio of bodies nearby the area. You can’t see any of them breathing, though...oh dear. “Still, good work regarding the information. At least now we know their numbers and what to expect from them.” She points to the surrounding area, where there are some odd mechanical transports and a number of various steel crates and barrels. “It seems they’d gotten a solid start on things. “It appears these barrels have Ivonium inside. That makes our job just that much easier. Now, let’s be on our way- and be cautious. Miss Zinna, I request you take point ahead of myself and...Serval.” She gives Owlia a look that says she still doesn’t approve of the name, to which Owlia just snorts. “Aria, you will be scouting, due to your abilities. Do not wander too far off, however. Any objections?” You can find none. “Then down we go.”

>Switch perspective?
>Miranda
>Owlia
>Cylica
>No

>>4160654
>Cylica
Take the lead

>>4160654
>No

>>4160654
>No
IMO sticking with nura and cylica/owlia for this mission would be nice, the chance to see the world from their perspective might not come so easily later.

>>4160654
>No

>>4160654

Loot the Ivonium barrels. They weren't part of our mission, it's free game.

Dungeon crawling time!

Writing.

>>4160654
>>4160679
>>4160691
>>4160739

>>4162244 (He says as he takes for EVER...)

It doesn’t seem too bad initially; there’s a lot of signs to mark the way, and several plaques that tell various trivial about the area. As you’re doing the scouting, though, you can’t exactly stop and look. You’re more concerned about traps and possible contact.

...honestly, you’re finding it a bit too easy to slip into your old roles...maybe it’s because it’s been a bit since you last have had to do this? Really hope that this doesn’t say anything about you in particular.
Nonetheless, you soon find yourself traveling down a large hallway, which soon opens up into a massive, dome-shaped opening. Ahead is a large platform, and stretching from it are three hallways, one going to the left, one going ahead, and the last to the right. There’s a plaque in the center, and THIS one you probably need to read…

‘In old times, these three paths lead to the three major trials- they were both intended to test the individual in areas of physical power, intelligence, and magical aptitude. Those who failed a test were forced to re-take it over and over until they either succeeded or perished. After all three were completed, the ‘true path to awakening’ would be revealed, and the prospective devotee would be led down for a final trial. These days, the trials are inactive- please feel free to browse them at your leisure! NOTE: The way down further is sealed due to safety concerns- wild beasts have been noted to migrate through the area, or make their nests in the cavern system below. Please exercise caution.’

Hm. Well, that’s annoying. Also typical. When you call the rest of them in, Miranda takes a look over everything as well, and looks at the plaque herself. “Typical,” she grunts. “At least we don’t ACTUALLY have to do the trials. Now...I’m pretty sure we want to get down there. Question is how?”

“We can handle a few beasts,” Cylica boasts. “We’ll have to find the entrance and force the issue. Zinna, you can’t sense any power from this distance?” she asks.

There’s a few moments where she...sniffs the air? Before shaking her head. “Nothing.”

>Current Mana: 3500

>Offer to Shadowmeld and slip around.
>Might be best to investigate the rooms themselves, then. (Power/Mind/Magic)
>Other

>>4162511
>Might be best to investigate the rooms themselves, then. (Power/Mind/Magic)

I mean, time to show off the skills they hired us for.

>>4162511
>Offer to Shadowmeld and slip around.

>>4162511
>Offer to Shadowmeld and slip around.

>>4162511
>Offer to Shadowmeld and slip around.

Hmmm... is there a way to hint at summoning our second shadow scout without knowing about them in-character? That way we could cover more ground.

>>4162511
>Might be best to investigate the rooms themselves, then. (Power/Mind/Magic)

Writing!

>>4162511
Hm. Well, this might not be as bad a problem as it seems at first glance. “Well, I could Shadowmeld, see if there’s any gaps I could slip through and-”

“Ah, yes,” Cylica interrupts. It only kinda annoys you. “You DID mention an ability of that nature. Then by all means, proceed.”

“Right.” No sense in complaining now, and so with that you walk up to the nearest wall- fortunately although there are lights up to allow vision, the closed nature of the area means that it’s easy to melt into the darkness- the shadows stretch up, down, and all around, and travel for you is nearly pathetically easy to navigate.

>Current Mana: 3400

It doesn’t take long for you to locate a small crack that doesn’t seem to stop; delving down deeper, you get a sense of sudden openness- it’s not endless, either. Heading downwards results in you coming across a floor, alright. Something leading downwards...ah. Seems like the path was basically sunken just below the entrance to the trial of Mind. Straight ahead and sloping down, it seems that the ‘door’ is...about where you were standing at first when you made it into the room, if your sense of space is accurate. Now, though, the question is how to open it up. You’re not nearly strong enough to do so yourself...and you don’t see any mechanisms. Might have to brute force it.

You’re quick to jump back, and when you reform and inform them of the situation, both Cylica and Miranda seem satisfied with the results. “You have my thanks,” Cylica even says. “That was blessedly quick.” Huh. Maybe she’s warming up to you! “Well, unless we feel like doing ridiculous feats to prove ourselves to dead and gone irrelevant individuals, I propose we do this quickly and simply. Dear? Zinna? Could you both do the honors and open the door?”

With some pointing, the hidden entranceway is shattered, and you all make your way down towards the cavern system proper. Wild beasts, they said. You’ll have to be even more cautious- especially with the masked men no doubt down here.

>Roll 3d10, best of three.

(Forget it, continuing tomorrow.)

Rolled 2, 4, 3 = 9 (3d10)

>>4162739

Rolled 7, 9, 7 = 23 (3d10)

>>4162739

>>4162739
Oh my, we're just going to blaze a path straight to the ivonium? We will need to do multiple trips, perhaps leaving the trap doors on their hinges would be safer?

Rolled 1, 7, 1 = 9 (3d10)

>>4162739
Stay safe out there Handler.

>>4162781
Not with these rolls.

>>4163052
We’re rolling 3d10’s, anon, no need to panic.

>>4163202
Wups. Used to d20s.

Question: has a roll ever failed in this quest?

>>4163260
Critfails arent a thing here. If we're to fail, we will fail due to our own incompetence, and we have a lot of that.

>>4162739
>>4162760
>>4162775
>>4162845
It doesn’t take you long to hear and see that the warnings were perfectly valid. It’s a whole ecosystem down here! Bats galore- large ones, too, with vicious teeth and wings. A few strange worm creatures, several in the midst of burrowing- and most of them looking as though they come up to your waist at the least. You can also see some strange shelled creatures scurrying about on and off the walls themselves. Speaking of seeing, however…

“Torches,” Cylica mutters lowly. Indeed, there are lit torches in your immediate view, although the source of them seems to be some kind of bulb rather than a fire. “Someone’s been here, although how recently, I’m unsure. I don’t think these beasts would be here if it were relatively so. Nonetheless, tread carefully. Nura, continue scouting maneuvers, if you please.” Well, then. If she can put her game face on, so can you.

It’s a pretty sizeable cavern, but you can spot elements of people having come through- too smooth bores in stone, an impossibly rusted sword, the occasional bone (admittedly that might be from other animals)... but for the most part, this cavern seems to be devoid of anything worrisome.

However, that’s before you round a corner of the tunnels, and notice two things: One, an exit. A small ‘hallway’ that you’d bet was carved intentionally- as before, it’s too smooth edged to be natural. The second thing: a massive, oversized...thing, standing sentinel in front of the exit. Or at least, you think that it’s supposed to be doing that, curled up as it is. It seems to be some variant of a large snake, or perhaps a worm. A couple of smaller feet poke out from its belly, however, so maybe not even that, and it has bulbous orange eyes, one currently closed for some reason. It’s bright red and black coloration is impressive, but an unaware enemy is an dead enemy, and it seems most unaware of you.

>Best to get the others to handle this. You don’t want to overstep your station, and who knows what might be in store?
>Well, wait- you should be able to handle this, right? Even if it...kind of hits close to home. But it’s a beast, not a person, at least…
>Other

>>4164132
Dropped my trip.

>>4164132
>Best to get the others to handle this. You don’t want to overstep your station, and who knows what might be in store?

>>4164132
>Well, wait- you should be able to handle this, right? Even if it...kind of hits close to home. But it’s a beast, not a person, at least…

>>4164132
>Best to get the others to handle this. You don’t want to overstep your station, and who knows what might be in store?

>>4164132
>Best to get the others to handle this. You don’t want to overstep your station, and who knows what might be in store?

We'll defer to the superiors. Writing.

>>4164132
>an impossibly rusted sword
...Anyone else curious about this thing, or am I just getting a bit too greedy?

>>4164203
Personally I think we should be "confiscating" everything not nailed down. We aren't getting paid for this.

>>4164132
>>4164153
>>4164174
>>4164176
No, no. Better to just let the experts handle this. Not that in a way you aren’t, but you certainly haven’t gone to other worlds for this kind of thing. You’re quick to report back just as you see Cylica pop a too curious bat over the head, killing it instantly. “Report, then?” she asks calmly.

“Nothing major,” you confirm, “except for this weird lizard-snake thing; it’s ahead and guarding the only exit out. Curled up right now, and even then it’s about twice Serval’s height,” you say. That put it well head and shoulders above everyone. Pretty thick, too; around...here to here,” you mention, pointing at two different spots on the wall. “Figured it’d be better to come back and see how you wanted to take care of it.”

“Right…” Cylica mutters as she takes a moment to think. “If they ARE nearby, well, chances are just hearing it engage will tip them off that there’s someone here. We’d have to kill it in a way that leaves things silent, optimally. Let’s see…” Thinking about it for a few minutes, she turns to Miranda. “I recall you have a technique that’s applicable for this situation; some sort of adhesive?”

“Yup. That’s what you want me to do?” she asks. It’s weird how she’s supposed to be the leader but is taking orders. Even so, the way she looks right now isn’t anything subordinate. If anything, she looks like she’s evaluating- oh, right. That IS probably what she’s doing. “Alright, then.” It’s not said with any kind of warning inflection, just a confirmation.

“Excellent. Aria, your ability to get close and bind the creature will come in handy. I want you to get in close to it first with your Shadowmeld. As soon as Zinna silences the creature, you are to engage it quickly. Myself and Serval will provide support. Any questions?”

>Anything?

>>4164292
>"Um, if there's any guardsmen ahead, how will we deal with them? More specifically, how should I deal with them? I'd prefer... not to use my previous skills to kill, at least..."

>>4164292
>can we teleport it away from the exit?
Gartoum and Cylica have teleportation techniques - less chances of people hearing the sound of combat

>>4164292
>Proceed with the plan.

>>4164292
>Proceed with the plan.
Would like to buff the team up before we cap this thing, but that might tick them off and wasting mana on a fodder isn't good.

>>4164755
>wasting mana
Laughsin4000pernightregen.png

>>4164755
>barely cost anything
>WASTING MANA
not this fucking argument again
We also have Meditation Room manacost bonus

>>4165523
>>4165552
Hmmm.
>Use Strengthening on Miranda
>Enfeebling on the guarding monster.

Sounds good?

>>4165557
Yeah, sounds good.
Still want to see how the science team would react to Gartoum though

M'not in the mood to run today. Got some bad news, job-wise.

>>4165568
ooof lemme guess, it's somehow related to the roners? Temporal contract suspension?

>>4165568
Sorry to hear, boss. If it makes you feel a little better, I got my work-related bad news last week Friday...

>>4165576
my work-related news refuses to drop on me, its been 2 weeks, just lay me off already at this point.

>>4165557
Way late but I can support this plan.

>>4164292
>>4165557
>>4165566
>>4168427

>Current Mana: 2550

“Mind if I make sure the odds are a bit better, then? It shouldn’t feel it unless it’s particularly magically sensitive,” you ask. You’re already triggering the strengthening increase; you should be out of range for the snake thing, at least. Really sucks that it’s an indiscriminate spell; it buffs anything in range. Miranda blinks briefly, looking herself over as she senses the power increase- the other two seem just as surprised. “There. I hope that helps.”

“I’m sure it will,” you hear from her as you turn to case Enfeebling on the guarding monster. It’s always a bit harder to let it fly; the one good thing is that although they’ll feel weaker, it shouldn’t alert them unless they’re paranoid…

The spell is fast and in this low light, practically unseeable. It connects flush, and you see the beast jolt slightly, but it only wavers its head a bit before settling down and snuggling up a bit tighter, likely thinking it’s come down with some malady. “Excellent,” Cylica approves. “Move out and be ready.”

You wordlessly nod as you melt into the shadows again. Your senses expanded to allow for navigation, you can see that its body is indeed preparing for slumber; its good eye closed in an attempt to get to sleep, perhaps simply tough its ‘sickness’ out. Perfect. Now it’s just time to wait. Ten seconds pass. Twenty...thirty...and then a flash of green comes out of the gloom, a glob of green, sticky stuff splattering across its face and clinging to it viciously.

There’s a joke in there, but you can’t think of one as you’re too busy rising from the darkness, calling binding shadows to your side to snatch up the beast and hold it down as tight as you can as it begins to writhe and thrash, its voice temporarily silenced and its body horribly weakened...

>Roll 1d8, best of 3.

Rolled 7 (1d8)

>>4169626
Evening, Handler.

Rolled 7 (1d8)

>>4169626
glad to have you back

>>4169647
>>4169650
Howdy. Glad to be back. Just needed to kinda decompress for a bit.

Rolled 2 (1d8)

>>4169626
Let's delve this dungeon.

>>4169664
Don't forget your trip.

Ah, thanks.

>>4169678
>>4169708
Trips don't work today.
Also *cough cough*

>>4169626
>>4169647
>>4169650
>>4169666
The beast struggles briefly, but all it manages is to kick up some dust- not enough for Cylica to miss the bolt of lightning she sends at it, running vicious current through its body; shadow doesn’t conduct electricity, at least, so you’re quite fine with that.

Nor does it prevent a beam of power from Owlia burning into its side, stopping even the little movement it managed, instead getting nothing but additional pain for its feeble efforts.

And naturally, it does absolutely nothing to stop Miranda from leaping in, greatsword drawn and lit, casing an eerie figure of her in the shadows as she dives down like a demon herself and cleaves its head clean off of its shoulders.

The whole process is quick, efficient, and most importantly, largely silent. Aside from some footfalls, a bit of crackling energy, some shuffling? You doubt any sound made it out of the tunnel. This is pretty ideal, honestly. The beast is dead in moments, and you’re all clear to look down the hallway. It’s a long one, lined by pictures and torches. But you can see that it expands into a larger cavern in the distance, from the looks of it. “Well, then…” Cylica says idly as she looks down the pathway. “Shall we? Same positions- actually, no. Aria, don’t meld. Conserve your energy.”

You nod in agreement, and the four of you continue on your way. Halfway there, you frown in confusion. “I hear...water?” No one says anything at that, but the mutual looks you share say enough of your curiosity.

You exit on the top of a rocky hill of sorts, laced with expansive fungi glowing a soft blue. Upon looking down below, you can see a number of beasts at the foot of it; seems like underground is an entire ecosystem. There’s is indeed water down here in the form of an underground river, but it seems as though it flows slowly; in it you can see strange, spiked fish swimming along, and some strange, lightly furred, star-nosed creature seemingly sipping from it; there’s a couple of them, and along with the bats and beetles from before, you can see smaller versions of those odd snake-things roaming about. There’s two exits as well; one directly to the north, and the other to the east, following the river. A pair of crates near the north entrance are open- one in fact busted open, and the fungi continue down the way to the north. The riverside exit, you notice, has continued torches, but they also don’t seem to continue all the way down.

“Hm...let’s be cautious,” Cylica warns. “Step lightly. We’ll follow the river.”

>Suggest to look elsewhere before leaving.
>Agree and continue to move.
>Switch Viewpoint Character.
>Other

>>4169851
>Agree and continue to move.

>>4169851
>Suggest to look elsewhere before leaving.
>Investigate the crates.

>>4169851
>Agree and continue to move.

>>4169851
>Investigate the crates

>>4169851
>Agree and continue to move.
>Investigate the crates

>>4169851
>>4169860
>Investigate the crates.

Writing!

>>4169851
>>4169856
>>4169863
>>4169865
>>4169869
“Alright, just give me a moment,” you say; the crates on the far end could give you some insight as to their movements, you figure. “I want to check out those crates over there, see if there’s anything we could use.”

Cylica frowns, but gives a silent look towards Owlia, who shrugs, before she snorts. “Fine. Be quick, be careful. We don’t want to aggravate the wildlife.”

“Right.” It’s a big area, sure, but you’re used to stepping lightly and keeping your presence small. You move around quickly, hopping down the little rock outcroppings, and make sure to stay clear of the drinking beast. The snake things notice you, but scatter, while several monsters seem to look at you, but tentatively look away as you step away from them. Before too long, you’re at the boxes, the fungi on the wall practically pulsing as you approach. Although concerning, you try to ignore it as you peer inside. As you peer into the normally opened one on the left, you see it has a small wand remaining inside of it- it’s simple in make, a thin, black piece of what looks like some sort of hardened wood sharpened at a point. You don’t really use wands, but...well, it’s right there. Why not? There’s also a tuft of white fur inside, but you’re not sure what that could be for.

The other box, on the left, is a bit more concerning. There’s definitely blood on this one; and the splatter tells you that whomever it was got thrown through the box- small pieces of meat and blood on broken edges, and a small blood splatter on the wall you wager came from someone’s skull, although you can’t be sure. The dirt’s disturbed, but you’re not sure how recent the event was- the blood and meat are well and dried, so you don’t think it was too recently. Not to mention, there’s no body, so whomever it happened to managed to survive past this, at least. You can’t find any footprints, though. No way to tell which direction they went. As for the contents of the box, it seems like it had clothing and supplies like a couple of lanterns, or at least something glass...there looks like there’s something under a few of the sheets, as well, something flat...

Before you can look more into it, however, you hear a pair of screeches; darting up, you see a trio of bats flying at you, their mouths screeching and fangs bared.

>No time to waste fighting them, just run back to the group.
>Gah, you can plunk these things out of the air without too much trouble. Time for shadowbolts.
>Wonder if this wand can do any neat tricks?
>Other

>>4170027
>Wonder if this wand can do any neat tricks?

>>4170027
>>Wonder if this wand can do any neat tricks?

>>4170027
>Wonder if this wand can do any neat tricks?
It's just bats.
Maybe this wand is one of the flesh-warping ones.

>>4170027
>No time to waste fighting them, just run back to the group.
We'll test the wand later, not in the middle of a stealth mission

>>4170046
Yeah changing to
>No time to waste fighting them, just run back to the group.
Not gonna test a potentially flesh warping wand while on stealth.

>>4170027
>No time to waste fighting them, just run back to the group.

Nura used Flee!

Nura Fled the battle!

Writing.

>>4170082
Hope the bats don't alert anyone we don't want alerted.

>>4170027
>>4170047
>>4170059
>>4170071
” Miranda suddenly interrupts, giving a mild look towards Cylica as you continue walking.

“Just a wand,” you say as you show. “Not sure what kind, and didn’t want to risk anything right now. That, and some fabrics. Seems like someone got attacked back there, but there weren’t any tracks or anything showing where they went. Didn’t seem like they died there either, though. Not enough blood.”

“Hmm.” Miranda mulls on it for a moment, but eventually just shrugs. “Something to keep in the back of our minds, I guess. Don’t worry about it for now. We need to make sure we keep an eye out on this path.”

“Agreed,” Cylica says as she turns back to focus. “It’s somewhat narrow, and capable swimmers or not, I’d rather not have to fish anyone out of the water.” Indeed, the cavern seems to have opened up a touch on the right side, allowing you to have a good, close view of the river; that luminescent fungus is still here, providing a modicum of light with the torches, but it’s still dark.

Before long, you see that the torches ahead are unlit- it’s only the glow of the fungus that keeps you from being more or less blind. “Ugh. This isn’t good,” Cylica grumbles. “We’ve lights, correct?”

In response, Owlia quickly removes her helmet, emitting a bright light from her forehead that causes everyone to pause and flinch a bit as the girl becomes a living bulb. “I can do this! Just cycling the power for my beam without going to output strength. Kinda bright, though…” She takes the opportunity to fit her goggles over her eyes. “Muuch better. That work for everyone?”

“Is it...safe?” Cylica asks tentatively.

“Yup yup! Just as long as no one gives me a smack on the forehead!” She chuckles, but she seems to be the only one that finds it funny. “...uuuh aaanyway guess this means I’m leading now?”

“As you say,” Cylica admits. “Aria, keep an eye on our rear, if you please.” You can’t help but smirk at that, and you’re tempted to say- “-and if you continue that obviously lurid line of thought I’ll shock you myself.”

“Aww.” Well, moving on, then.

The rest of you, considering that your vision is yet limited, keep your ears peeled for any strange sounds- so far, the water and occasional splashing of fish are all that meet you, but you never know...

>Roll 2d20, best of three.
>Note: You can change 'viewpoint' character at any time.

Rolled 16, 11 = 27 (2d20)

>>4170115
>Miranda

Rolled 3, 8 = 11 (2d20)

>>4170115
Not gonna change back just yet for me.

Rolled 19, 1 = 20 (2d20)

>>4170115
Coof Rolls!

They may be something out there...

Writing.

>>4170115
>"watch our rear"
>change viewpoint?
Ha ha, no

File: Cavern Area.png (285 KB, 1280x1280)

285 KB PNG

>>4170115
>>4170118
>>4170123
>>4170126
There’s nothing, fortunately, that comes up behind you; your trip along the river is welcomingly quiet, with only your footsteps to break the silence. You’re hoping that it’ll stay like that…

Which is why you curse to yourself when the procession suddenly stops, held back by Owlia throwing her hand out. “Whoa now, think I see something ahead. Big beastie. There’s a bit of light up there, too, so I’m gonna dim this down...” She does so, and the lot of you creep up, low and slow, to the waterway’s exit- and you’re atop a raised area, the water gently flowing down into a crevasse in the room and the area naturally sloping downwards.

The cavern area you’re in now has clear signs of being used- aside from more of those lights, you can see a TON of barrels in the far distance; still closed, but they’re organized in a way off to the side that make you wonder. There’s a number of grunting noises as well- humanoid, AND animalistic, along with heavy footfalls that tell of the beast that Owlia witnessed.

Indeed, as you get closer to the mouth of the exit, you can see a large, dangerous looking insectoid creature- six legs and a domed back, but with a pair of large, snapping claws. You can’t see its face, but it has two antennae coming from on top of it. It’s a mottled black and white, with that fungus sticking out of its shell as well. With your current point of view, it can’t see you, and it’s facing something just behind a rock outcropping. Eating?

“...thing’s doing well enough,” you hear an echoing voice from the far end, and you can just make out two figures thanks to the height giving you visibility. “Can at least use it for hauling, don’tcha think?”

“Probably gonna be put to use as an attack creature.” You hear someone respond. “We’ve got it on its second dosage, third’ll probably put it over the top and we can bring it and get out of here. Already got more Ivonium than we can haul.” Oh! Well, that’s pleasant to know.

“Eh, don’t worry too much. We’ll find a use for it,” the first assures. “How about we bail? This place is dangerous and we’re done with our shift. Could use some grub.”

“Egh, don’t say ‘grub’ down here! Seen enough of those.” Hm. You look towards Cylica, who’s looking like she’s putting together a plan herself…

>Suggest incapacitating the beast first.
>Suggest going after the two men first.
>Suggest waiting until they leave.
>Other

Last for tonight.

>>4170205
>wait until the thrid dose takes effect
>THEN go after the cultists

>>4170205
>“We’ve got it on its second dosage, third’ll probably put it over the top and we can bring it and get out of here."

Does this mean the third dose will get the thing under their control or will just knock it out?

If the former then I say we cap the men first, if it's the latter then I support >>4170224.

>>4170205
>Suggest going after the two men first.

Two fodders and a drugged out beast against what, four of us? Can capture them for interrogation too. Waiting takes too long and we have the jump on them.

>>4170205
>Suggest going after the two men first.

>>4170205
>>Suggest going after the two men first.

Howdy, folks. Writing. Seems like we're suggesting to go after the people. Writing.

...I repeated myself. Whoops.

>>4170205
>>4170205
>>4170428
>>4171583
“Shouldn’t we get the two men first,” you quickly whisper. “Just for information?”

She quickly turns to look at you. “That presumes that their beast isn’t going to come to their defense. They’ve clearly gotten some influence on it,” Cylica shoots back. “That said, it’d be nice...gah, we don’t have much more time. Go, then! You’ll begin the engagement and we’ll cut their path off. If it comes, we’ll distract it, but if so you’d better handle them!”

Well, that’s...understandable, you suppose. No time for debate. You take a leap inside, and hit the ground running as quietly as possible; the two are behind the far rock outcropping, but that doesn’t mean they can’t hear you. The big beetle doesn’t seem to notice you, which is good, but as you race past it, you hear footsteps, seeing a flash of something round the corner. “Wha…?”

>Action!
>Current Mana: 2550

>Try to slip past him, get to the further one first just to be safe and prevent escape or some kind of warning.
>Down this guy with a running tackle before he can get anything off- element of surprise at its maximum!
>Fire on both with Shadowbolts! Don’t leave either of them in top condition- you can take care of two at once.
>Other

>>4171872
>Down this guy with a running tackle before he can get anything off- element of surprise at its maximum!
We have Enfeebling as a cheap debuff option.

>>4171872
>Try to slip past him, get to the further one first just to be safe and prevent escape or some kind of warning.

>>4171872
>Try to slip past him, get to the further one first just to be safe and prevent escape or some kind of warning.

>>4171872
>Try to slip past him, get to the further one first just to be safe and prevent escape or some kind of warning.

>>4171872
>Try to slip past him, get to the further one first just to be safe and prevent escape or some kind of warning.

>>4171886
>>4171892
>>4171894
>>4171907

Juke and jive.

Will need a roll, 3d20.

Rolled 3, 17, 13 = 33 (3d20)

>>4171957

Rolled 2, 16, 4 = 22 (3d20)

>>4171957

Rolled 10, 16, 19 = 45 (3d20)

>>4171957

Wham bang boom smack and whatnot.

Writing.

>>4171872
>>4171886
>>4171892
>>4171894
>>4171907
>>4171959
>>4171961
>>4171964

You do your best to juke past him; your target is the one further back, closer to the exit, and clearly in the middle of deciding whether to fight or flee. It’s this indecision- just as he starts pulling out a wand of his own- that causes him to get tackled, yourself using the moment to springboard off of his body as he collapses with a thud.

Unfortunately, your movements left the other one free, and judging from the blast of fire that’s just feet from you as you land, he’s got some serious reactions- the stream of fire just barely misses you as you duck and fire off a Shadowbolt in his direction in response- he’s got enough space to dodge it barely, and from here you’re in a pickle, nearer as he is to the barrels of Ivonium and the two of you taking cover behind rock formations.

You hear a massive set of thumping as well- before an equally massive *thud*, the beast clearly attempting an approach but being stopped short, resulting in the whole cavern shaking from the impact as orders start to be given to the others from Cylica.

With one of them down but not out, and the other pinning you down with blasts of superheated fire, you’re going to have to be crafty on how to get out of this predicament...

>Action!

>>4172104
Hmm, break the suppressing fire with either.
- Cheaper option : Shadow Spike for a sneaky hit.
- More expensive : Shadow Clone for distraction.