>>4934964
>Ask what is going on
Not a bad start, especially for a first time QM, your doing fine for the most part but it's customary to put options for the players in greentext or at the very least indicate that you can vote using greentext

instead of ending the post with
"As conscious as you can manage with the splitting headache you’ve just noticed, you feel compelled to TAKE AN ACTION; whether that be a barrage of questions, an escape attempt, or a terrified scream; given as you’ve just noticed the man appears to possess twelve fingers. "

You should have ended it with


As conscious as you can manage with the splitting headache you’ve just noticed, you feel compelled to TAKE AN ACTION;
>Ask what the hell is going on
>RUN, RUN AS FAST YOU CAN
>Scream
>Write-in

It's not mandatory but it's what people are used to most of the time. Other than that good job so far. Writing is always the most important part of a quest and you have that down.

Cry

>>4934996
Yeah, always end with a suggestion. I stand by crying though, it’s what I’d do.

>>4934964
>cry

the most based action possible

>cry
Turn on those tear ducts and start bawing as loud and as hard as we can.

Not just any cry. Ugly Cry

>>4934964
>Ugly cry like the little baby piss bi*ch boi you are.

>>4934964
>Cry about it
>Maybe piss yourself a little
>Wimp

>>4934964
>Cry

>>4934964
>Cry like your life depended on it, it may as well be

>>4934964
>>4934996
What this guy said. If you leave the prompts open to just write-ins you run the risk of getting too much diversity in your player responses--a few prompts and a WRITE-IN option can also help narrow down what you're gonna draw--might make updates easier to make in the long run. Looking very promising, QM--hope you stick with it!

>Let's CRY! That should work!

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>>4934999
>>4935009
>>4935015
>>4935038
>>4935164
>>4935207
>>4935223
>>4935339
>>4935363


You feel a lump start to grow in your throat; your jaw quivering as it steadily grows worse and worse. Your vision blurs, and suddenly, all at once, you erupt into pathetic mewling. You claw at your puffy, reddened eyes as snot drips from your sniffling nose; your mouth contorts into a horrible crescent as your whole body shudders.

“Hey, hey hey hey... fuck!” the woman yelps, balling her fists. “This is definitely not doing us any favors. Are you sure you couldn’t have stolen someone more... functional?”

The twelve-fingered man shuffles across the room towards you, his cloak trailing a ways behind him. He places one of his frail hands on your quivering shoulder; his eyeless face turns towards you as his teeth grind together ambiently.

“Vam, ye fyth thu en the Va’at. S’ far frym thu ho’em, s’ certyn.” he says, his voice an oddly pleasant timbre, though so heavily accented you barely understand him.

>Ask what’s going on
>Knock some sense into this old weirdo
>Cry harder, then make a run for it
>Write-in

>>4935369
Hey, those prompts are lookin' much better! Thanks, QM.

>Ask what’s going on
>Keep crying! That'll keep them off-balance!

>>4935369
>>Ask what’s going on

>>4935369
>Cry harder
>GROIN KICK WHEN IN RANGE
>RUN

>>4935369
>Stop crying for a split second and say the following line in the most deadpan tone possible
"Fuck you."
>Immediately resume crying and follow >>4935377's path.

>>4935369
>Oh god why is his face a triangle, cry even harder, maybe piss a little.
>Ask if your going to be brutally tortured and then eaten/turned into a breeding slave.

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>>4935377
>>4935384

“Vam, I stolyth thu t’ hyr. En the Va’at, en more accur’yt, “HO’EM.”” he continued, his hand gripping your shivering shoulder. As you glanced down at it, and his unpleasant wealth of fingers, you also notice you’re wearing a scratchy, plain robe not unlike the ones worn by your captors. You can feel your jeans underneath it, though; at least you can put the thought of these two stripping you out of your mind. Hopefully they didn’t empty your pockets, though.

Suddenly, you grit your teeth and narrow your swollen eyes.

>“Fuck you.”

Though awkward from your nearly-sitting position, you manage to thrust a knee out into the man’s groin. In the instant it connects, you realize that you have no idea if a crotch shot would even be of any use on the bizarre figure.

Thankfully, applying knees to groins is universally effective. The man crumples and moans in pain; shuffling back long enough for you to get to your feet and haul ass out the basement’s only door. You turn a quick corner, then another, then climb a worryingly narrow set of stairs; finding yourself at a curtain blocking a doorway.

You peel it back just enough to glance through... and see some kind of restaurant on the other side.

>Try to sneak through and out the front door
>Blend into a table
>Wait for the pair to catch up to you and insist your outburst is a greeting where you come from
>Write-in

>>4935429
>Try to sneak through and out the front door
GET THE FUCK OUTTA DODGE.

>>4935429
Oh good god I was right
>Try to sneak through and out the front door, whatever you do don’t scream in fear

>>4935429
>Try to sneak through and out the front door
>If those guys follow, tell a passing waiter that it's their birthday and see if that will cause a distraction!

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>>4935443
>>4935444
>>4935454

You figure you’ve made it this far, and none of these patrons look any more approachable than the two people who kidnapped you, so you lower your head and weave through the crowd on your way to the exit. You turn the occasional head, but the cloak you’re wearing matches the style of everyone else’s apparel, so you certainly aren’t the oddest person here. You’re pretty sure you see some other humans.

Exiting past another curtain, you slip down a shaded walkway between buildings; the only light coming from a mix of candles and neon signs as yet more unusual figures watch you: horned, fanged, and... occasionally mechanical.
Finally, following the soft glow of natural light, you work your way out of the urban sprawl; in your haste, nearly falling off of the railingless walkway hugging the building block you just escaped from.

The immediate sight was breathtaking; a city of immense buildings stretching as far as you could see, radiating out from a tower that climbed skyward until it disappeared into the clouds. You must’ve been thirty stories above the ground, though it was hard to tell from the patchwork of bridges and floating boats filling the space between the structures.

The magnificence of the vista was interrupted by something shifting around under your robe; it took you several attempts to grab it and pull it loose as it crawled around your body. It was one of those cat-sized imps from the restaurant, your cellphone in its stubby claws as it gnawed on a corner of it.

>”Uh, it’s... his birthday?”

You hold the imp up as you speak to nobody in particular. None of the passerby stop to investigate.

>Throw this little bastard off the building
>See if maybe HE has some answers
>Snatch your phone back and hope you get reception... wherever this is
>Write in

>>4935478
>Scratch behind his ears and see if maybe he has some answers

>>4935478
>>4935484
+1 to this. You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar, after all!

>>4935484
This. Maybe with a small kiss on the head or two.

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>>4935484
>>4935492
>>4935496

“Vam!” the creature squeaks, your hands sinking into it like it was a beanbag. Its teeth chattered and ears twitched; wide, yellow eyes staring back at you as it managed a guilty smile.

>”What’s going on?”

“I wish I could say, vam, I simply was caught in your oddlyscent back there... a slew of thoughts I’ve never smelled!” it replied, tension in its tiny body lessening as you gently rubbed behind its pointed ears. The imp’s nose wrinkled as it saw you shoot alien glances towards the rest of the city. “S’ “HO’EM,” vam. Or, just “home” to most. Heart of the Va’at, city above cities.”

You kiss it’s forehead, then think for a moment.

>”Who were those people that kidnapped me?”
>”How did I even get here?”
>”I’m ending up with more questions than answers, buddy.”
>Write-in

>>4935527
>”How did I even get here?”

>>4935527
>Write-In: "Hold tight for a sec, pal."
>Find a more secluded place to talk--those folks are probably still on your tail.

>>4935534
+1

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>>4935534
>>4935551

>”Hold tight for a sec, pal.”

You tuck the imp under your arm, listening to it squeak like a chew toy as your upper arm and side pressed into it. Throwing your cloak over him and pulling the collar up, you carefully look for somewhere you can hide, at least for a while. Though the walkway is wide, the lack of railing definitely worries you, as a fall from this height would almost certainly be death.

Eventually you wind back through alleyways, down a rather unpleasant, swaying stairway, and back into a dead-end alley in what seems to be a quiet part of the colossal structure.

“Psst, mendicant.” a voice beckoned to you. Partially behind a curtain, a woman gestured to you from a doorway. “You look weary, take refuge in here.”

>Ignore her, question the imp
>Accept her offer
>Hide somewhere else, you’ve no idea if she’s trustworthy
>Write-in

>>4935584
>Accept her offer

>>4935584
>Ask Imp "Trustworthy or not?"
>Follow his advice

>>4935584
>Accept her offer

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>>4935664
>>4935668
>>4935725


>”Trustworthy or not?”

The imp squeaks quietly to itself for a moment, ruminating as its eyes poke out from your cloak to glance at the women. “Well, vam, she looks awfully similar to you. Maybe you two will get on better than the oddlyfolk you’re running from?”

While not exactly a glowing endorsement, the imp seemed perfectly fine with taking up the woman on her offer of hospitality. With a sigh, you figured it was safer than sitting out in the open.

Following the woman past the curtain, she lead you into a rather tight, but homey living space. There were all sorts of plants decorating the otherwise plain environment, as well as rugs to cover the concrete floor.

“Please sit, mendicant.” the woman said as she reached into her cupboards. “Coffee or tea? You look like you could use a pick-me-up.”

>Coffee
>Tea
>Could someone please just tell me what is going on?
>Write-in

>>4935741
>Tea
We seem like the kind of guy to drink tea, and I don’t mean in the bad*ss ronin samurai kind of way, I mean in the can’t handle anything but tea kind of guy.

>>4935741
>Tea

>>4935741
>Could someone please just tell me what is going on?
We're not drinking SHIT until we get a feel for what we woke up in. For all we know this broad is gonna drug us and steal our kidneys.

>>4935741
>Tea
We're currently spazzing out a bit we should try and relax

>>4935801
Come on she’s human like us :) what’s the worst that can happen:):):):):):):):):)

>>4935741
>Describe and ask about the ugly mugs of your welcoming party and the restaurant
>Wait and listen, don't reveal so much about yourself
Rather tense, but I'm still paranoid about being in a foreign land.

>>4935741
>tea

>Ask her what her what she normally drinks

>>4935741
>>Tea
But don't drink it, if she brings two cups drink the one closer to her, if it's just one cup make an excuse like "I'm waiting for it to cool" and don't drink it.

>>4936302
+1, go for the tea, but don't drink it

I just realized something.
Do the robes of the woman and of the purple girl from the beginning seem similar or is it just me?

>>4936657
From what I can infer there are a lot of robes being worn around here, but I'm still paranoid as hell about this broad.

>>4936662
The folks at the noodle shop wore different clothes, they had white, gold and brown. the two girls have robes of the same color and both wear different yet still golden chains.

>>4936671
Actually we saw a dude wearing the same gold jewelry, so I’m thinking it’s either something like wearing a hijab as being related to culture, or it being like a fashion trend. But yeah she’s definitely going to steal our liver.

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>>4935778
>>4935784
>>4935811
>>4936302
>>4936527

The woman serves you a mug of tea, piping hot and a deep orange color. You shuffle the mug towards you and stare down into the beverage’s rippling surface.

>”I’m waiting for it to cool.”

“Suit yourself, mendicant. You seem to be in quite a disarray, what’s the matter? Your companion is certainly an odd one.”

>>4935865

>You describe the restaurant and your captors.

“Ah, say it is not so, mendicant! Of the store and the girl I am unfamiliar, but the twelve-fingered man could only be Vam Yslan Upon-Rocks. A dangerous individual who made his name in Home through thievery.” the woman paused, humming to herself as she scratched the back of her neck. “Are you lost? Perhaps Vam Yslan has stolen you from wherever you came from. He has stolen odder things, I have been told.”

>Drink the tea
>”Stole me?”
>”Who are you?”
>Write-in

>>4936841
>"...Stole me? You do know that people call that kidnapping, right? W-we have a word for that."

>>4936841
>”Who are you?”
>”Stole me?”
>"Just what the hell is this place we're in?"

>>4936841
>”Stole me?”

>>4936841
>"Stole? Not 'kidnapped'?"

drink tea. our thirst demands it

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>>4936843
>>4936870
>>4936876
>>4936884

>”Not ‘kidnapped?’”

“Stole, mendicant.” the woman said as she stood to fix herself a drink of her own. “Vam Yslan was a man, once; it is said that he stole the face of a demon. Stole a pair of fingers off of another thief. It is rumored he stole an entire day; what he plans to do with that time is anyone’s guess. He is a powerful man, and it is not surprising that he stole you from wherever you came from.”

You glanced down into your mug, only to find it gone; the imp, now sitting happily on the table, had it clutched in its puny hands and had turned it upright to enjoy its contents. It seemed alright, though you weren’t totally sure of this thing's tolerance to any kind of poison the woman could’ve put in the mug.

“Stolen from where, though, mendicant?” she hummed, sitting back across the table from you. “You are dressed modestly, and are a friend of demons... or one demon, at least.”

With its drink now empty, the imp dropped the mug and crawled back into your robe, its horns poking out of the garment’s wide collar.

>”Earth?”
>”Tell me about you first.”
>”Another drink?”
>Write-in

>>4936952
>”Tell me about you first.”

>”Tell me about you first.”

>>4936952
>"Honestly, I just found this guy chewing on my phone while I was fleeing. What's your name anyways, dude?"
>”Tell me about you first.”

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>>4936955
>>4936957
>>4936994

“Ah, of course!” she says, smiling warmly and bowing her head in forgiveness. “How did I forget my manners so easily? My name is Abya Han In-Silence; third order priestess of folds and edges. Former priestess, I suppose; I have not been aptly devout as of the last few years.”

Abya pauses to pull a wooden symbol on a thin gold chain out from under her layers of robes, rubbing it between thumb and forefinger solemnly.

“I came here to be closer to God; but when I returned home I found that little of it remained... pillaged and torn apart by greedy tyrants from other spheres.” she added with a sigh. “My devotion was shaken by the events... so now I live a humble, quiet life in Home.”

>”God? Your world?”
>”How do I get out of here?”
>Share about yourself
>Write-in

>>4936952
>"Tell me about you first."
Well, we may have just made ourselves a powerful enemy. Learn about the world a little more before we try to find somewhere safer? Arm up? Man, oh man.

>>4937016
>”God? Your world?”
>”How do I get out of here?”
>Share about yourself
We're going to have to trust someone if we're going to get anywhere

Also QM is this setting inspired by KSBD?

>>4937025

Yeah, definitely. Maybe too heavily but I wanted to post here and went with inspiration from something I like.

I'm looking for ways to make it my own, but I didn't know how long I'd be doing this for, anyway. I'm not hiding it; if you like this, but with better lore+art, go read K6BD.

>>4937016
>”God? Your world?”
>Share about yourself
>"So, I noticed that you and that Vam guy have a title at the ends of your names. Could you tell me what exactly that's about?"

>>4937038
>"Oh, and can I get some more tea?"
>"And another for this guy, here."

>>4937016
>Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I could never think of my home being gone...Wait did you say spheres?
>>4937034
Based, anything K6BD is instantly great and I can tell so is this.

>>4937016
>”God? Your world?”

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>>4937025
>>4937038
>>4937042
>>4937059
>>4937103

“God lives in Heaven at the top of his tower; none are permitted to climb it other than those He has named in Colors.” Abya says, turning her head towards the one window in her meager living space. “My world, my sphere, is like yours and like all others; it is a dream of something, somewhere. Every dream has countless people, each person countless dreams. Infinite.”

“My world may not be gone, truly, but the land is salted and the cities are razed.” She stood for a moment, fussing about at her kitchen counter. You saw her lift her kettle, carefully pour another drink, then slide another hot mug towards you and the imp each. “The Va’at is His dream, He is the Dreamer-In-His-Own-Dream. This is the one place that is safe from waking.”

You stare down into your tea for a moment, glancing at your reflection. Abya obviously had shared something rather personal to herself, it was only fair you did the same, really.

>Give her your name (Write-in)

And

>Tell her something about yourself (Write-in)

[Be reasonable, whatever answer(s) seem both best supported and suitable will be the ones that fly.]

>>4937285
>”Thomas Orden. I used to be a Park Ranger, not that it matters now…”

>>4937285
>Bong-Bong.
>I'm... nobody in particular. I work as a security guard in the middle of nowhere. I daydream about getting in a shootout or something exciting happening. Guess wishes do come true, haaa...

>>4937319
based cl*rk, Supporting.

>>4937295
+1

>>4937295
+1

This park rangers kind of a piss baby huh

>>4937285
>Kyle Burnbelly
>I work as an computer technician and I love with my girlfriend....oh sh*t Stacy!

Let’s go for full virgin cuck rout boys

>>4937319
Support.

>>4937518
This park ranger kicked a legendary thief in the groin, escaped his kidnappers while he is in an unknown land and has the common sense to not drink tea from an unknown stranger. If anything the crying was ooc.

>>4937295
Support

>>4937792
Crying was our fist act, it's our defining character moment
>>4937756
This

>>4937840
And what did we do when they lowered their guard? We did not hesitate and jumped to action, thus escaping our captors. We are the pinnacal of mankind, both pathetic and valorous!
On a more meta note, would you rather play a stranger in a strange land as a cuck or the cucker?

>>4937295
+1

>>4937851
Would I rather play as the same generic character /tg/ and later /qst/ always ends up playing, or a character who has a chance to grow and change? Hmn, tough question.

>>4937957
Character growth can happen no matter the protagonist. I wouldn't want to play as a whining wimp as much as I wouldn't want to play as anon's power fantasy, I would rather play as somebody in the middle of that spectrum.

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>>4937295
>>4937498
>>4937518
>>4937811
>>4937897

Your name is Thomas Orden, Tom to your friends, former park ranger. You figure “former,” because your boss is not going to be happy with you suddenly disappearing from work... who knows how long it’ll be before you get home, if you get home at all?

You became a park ranger because you loved being a boy scout as a kid; turns out that all your favourite parts of it were not ones that overlapped with your current job. You mostly drove your truck around and told people to put out illegal campfires. You had a rifle that you fired once, ever, to scare off a bear; or try to, at least.

You were a bit emotionally fragile, but good at pulling yourself together; you liked watching movies with your girlfriend because she could tell you what you missed when you were crying, but at the same time you were only ever a deep breath away from (attempting to) take control of a situation.

You talked for so long you almost forgot where you were; the imp suddenly speaking up was what snapped you out of it.

“Well, if we’re introducing ourselves, m’ name’s Al ast Al. Not that anyone BOTHERED to ASK.” it huffed, though obviously being dramatic only for emphasis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq-gYOrU8bA

A commotion elsewhere in the structure, but still too close for comfort flares up; you realize you might not be doing yourself any favors staying in one place.

>Ask Abya where the best place to lay low would be
>Ask Abya where you might find someone who could help you get home
>No questions, just grab her and Al and run
>Write-in

>>4938161
>Ask Abya where the best place to lay low would be
Time to go.

>>4938161
>Ask Abya where the best place to lay low would be
>”Mind if I come back to visit? You’re the second friendliest face I’ve seen arriving here.”
>”Of course you’re the first, Al…”

>>4938161
He’s perfect, exactly what I wanted him to be. Can’t wait to turn that cute little mug into something that’ll make you not believe he used to look like this.
>>4938193
+1

>>4938161
>Ask Abya where you might find someone who could help you get home

I know we're pressed for time, but we should grab leads while we can.

>>4938202
I’m going to turn him into a horrid mix of all the Demiurges

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>>4938182
>>4938193
>>4938202

>”Mind if I come back to visit?”

“Of course, anytime. Be safe, though; I would hate for your captors to track you here.” Abya said, lifting her hand to wave gently. “Out from here, keep taking stairs down until you’re too deep for sunlight to reach; travel away from the Tower until you reach a market to hide in. Do not speak with demons, do not speak with Coiled Monks.” she drew a spiral in the air with her finger as she finished speaking.

“And one more thing, take this-” Abya stood and lifted the large chain she was wearing over her head and placed it on you. “You look like a beggar, otherwise. Now people might manage conversation with you.”

Putting the mug down on the table and tucking Al under your arm, (you figure you wouldn’t be able to leave without him even if you tried) you give an extended thanks to your hostess before making for the door.

With every staircase you descend, more and more light starts coming from lamps and less from the pink sun above; the crowds also looking less and less friendly. In some narrow alleyways you can hardly get past the lanky individuals fistfighting over scraps.

“Psst.” Al whispers from inside your cloak as you try to keep your head down. “If anyone decides they want your shirt, they’ll snap you like a twig, see? I think we’d better grab something to scare ‘em off...”

Al’s right. Good thing there’s trash everywhere.

>Grab the metal pole, it’s subtle, but will surely pack a punch
>Grab the sword, it’s beat up, but you’ve seen Lord of the Rings enough times to feel good swinging it around
>Grab the rifle, there’s no way it’s got ammo, but it’s the only thing here you’ve actually used
>Grab the wrench, why not?
>Elect to use martial arts. The empty hand conceals only violence.

>>4938370
>Grab the metal pole, it’s subtle, but will surely pack a punch

Sounds like it could have some utility, too. Plus if anyone hassles us we can just say it's a walking stick! Gandalf got away with it!

>>4938370
>Grab the metal pole, it’s subtle, but will surely pack a punch
simple but effective

>>4938370
I’m not going to permanently ruin his life right just yet by taking up the blade or fist
>Grab the metal pole, it’s subtle, but will surely pack a punch

>>4938370
Pipe is long, superior choice

>>4938370
>>Grab the sword, it’s beat up, but you’ve seen Lord of the Rings enough times to feel good swinging it around

>>4938370
>Grab the rifle, there’s no way it’s got ammo, but it’s the only thing here you’ve actually used
literally pole mk2

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>>4938378
>>4938388
>>4938428
>>4938542

Between the robes and the walking stick, you’re starting to feel very warrior-monk. Maybe not as warrior-monk as you would’ve had you elected to fight barehanded, but it doesn’t seem sensible to go full Bruce Lee after landing one lucky groin shot. You can’t build an entire offense that relies on the element of surprise; at least not with your skills.

Wandering with a newfound, and perhaps foolish, amount of confidence; you eventually come to a busy plaza lit with lines of lanterns on strings. Stands and tents fill its middle, with storefronts and other establishments surrounding its edges.

Among the crowds, you would be a nightmare to find. Which would probably be a good thing.

The question was, where in this plaza would you lay low? You can’t imagine your streak of running into friendly faces would hold up very long, and there could easily be people here more dangerous than the master thief and his diminutive companion.

>Sit at a food stand. As frenzied as you were, the savory smell of the noodle shop is still in your head.
>Walk into “Alvin’s,” which you think is a bar. It sure sounds like one from the outside.
>Wander through the rows and rows of small stores in tents. Maybe you can find something to buy... or trade for, at least.
>Join in with a group of people meditating. There’s a few free cushions, and their pose isn’t too complicated.
>Write-in

>>4938627
>Walk into “Alvin’s,” which you think is a bar. It sure sounds like one from the outside.

>>4938627
>Walk into “Alvin’s,” which you think is a bar. It sure sounds like one from the outside.

Let's just hope it isn't one of those bars where everyone knows your name and they're always glad you came...

Unrelated, but I really like your art style, QM. It has soul!

>>4938627
>Sit at a food stand. As frenzied as you were, the savory smell of the noodle shop is still in your head.

>>4938627
>>Sit at a food stand. As frenzied as you were, the savory smell of the noodle shop is still in your head.

>>4938627
>Sit at a food stand. As frenzied as you were, the savory smell of the noodle shop is still in your head.

>>4938627
The question really boils down to where we can get a job at
> >Walk into “Alvin’s,” which you think is a bar. It sure sounds like one from the outside.

>>4934964
Aw yeeeah, major K6BD vibes, QM. Monitoring your career with great interest and REACH HEAVEN THROUGH VIOLENCE.

So, which Demiurge should we take the most from/aim to be? I’d say Jagganoth if I’m being hopeful.

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>>4938673
>>4939312

Thanks, I haven't put conscious effort into practicing drawing for probably 3 or 4 years; but I've been very weirdly inspired lately and I figured this would be a good motivator to at least get back into the swing of things.

I get reoccurring pain/weakness in my hands so I can't do much drawing today, there might be some art-free continuations if people would like, though.

Pic unrelated, something half-finished.

Metatron lives.

>>4939416
I'll change my vote to Walk into Alvin's if you're waiting on a tiebreaker QM

>>4939416
She'd be cute if she wasn't scum.

>>4938627
>Walk into “Alvin’s,” which you think is a bar. It sure sounds like one from the outside.
Forgot to break the tie.

>>4938647
>>4938673
>>4939119
>>4940257

Sorry for no updates today; hope to get at least one done before I go to bed tonight.

Thanks everyone for the interest so far.

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>>4938647
>>4938673
>>4939119
>>4940257

You make your way through the crowd in as inoffensive of a way as possible. You can’t tell which groups are pals joking around, and which are fights about to break out. Except for the pair of robots who dragged some demon into an alleyway and filled him with stab wounds; you’re pretty sure they’re not pals.

Under the neon sign and through the curtain; Alvin’s was oddly familiar in its decoration. The floor was stained wooden panels; the walls peeling wallpaper and cheap wainscoting. You weren’t a huge bar guy, usually, but something about this definitely struck the same chord as the ones you’ve been in.

The patrons were content enough on their own or in small groups; nobody stopped you from walking all the way up to the bar. A sullen figure was washing his hands and straightening the dozens of bottles on the shelves behind him.

>”So... are you Alvin?”
>”Give me a drink! And one for my imp as well!”
>”Uhh... hear anything interesting lately?”
>Write-in

>>4940371
>Write-in
Do we have any currency? What even is currency here? Maybe we should ask our imp

>>4940386
+1

>>4940386
>+1
>>4940371
And then this
>So .... need any work done?

>>4940371
Yeah, do we even have any legal tender in this realm?

>>4940386
>>4940532
Support to both

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>>4940386
>>4940447
>>4940532
>>4940560

You ask Al what sort of things people use for money around here.

“Eeh, mostly drams or obols, but any nice-enough looking bit of money will do usually. This far out people’ll usually take to barterin’ too.”

Well, you didn’t have any drams or obols, you didn’t think, at least. If it came down to it you could always trade away some of the garbage in your pockets; the gold chain was probably also worth something but it would probably be bad form to give away a gift like that.

You quietly cleared your throat, tugged at your collar, and leaned forwards onto the bar counter as smoothly as you could manage.

>”So, need any work done?”

The bartender turned the tap off, waiting for a moment before turning around to face you. “Yeah, I do... actually.” he said, grinning as he leaned in towards you. “There’s a penitent monk in the neighborhood who’s driving away all the good business with their meditating and proselytizing. People out here don’t give a rat’s ass about God and don’t wanna be bothered about it. Think you can scare ‘em off for me, vam?”

>”I was thinking more like bartending...”
>”What’ll I get out of it?”
>”I have a feeling this is more dangerous than you’re letting on...”
>Write-in

>>4940943
>”I have a feeling this is more dangerous than you’re letting on...”

You've seen enough movies to know that these 'penitent monk' types usually know Kung Fu and shit.

>>4940943
>"What’ll I get out of it?”
>”I have a feeling this is more dangerous than you’re letting on...”

>>4940943
>”I have a feeling this is more dangerous than you’re letting on...”
Monks are pretty dangerous where I'm from.

>>4940943
>”What’ll I get out of it?”

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>>4940965
>>4941020
>>4941090
>>4941168

Although you may not have been confident enough to go full Bruce Lee, that doesn’t mean that there weren’t people around here who were. The phrase “warrior monk” came to mind again, though this time in a way that made you feel much less confident.

“Okay, yeah, maybe this idiot knows a few things about fighting. And maybe I’ve sent a few other chumps and none of them have come back.” the bartender said. “Thing is, though, you’re a weedy little dude and these monks love to run their mouths even more than they like to fight; so I bet you could talk some sense into them, vam?”

You sat there and contemplated the offer for a moment.

“Believe me, you’re not gonna find easy work here. Anyone that offers you something’ll be a job to either steal something or beat someone up. The easy jobs already get taken care of, vam, people get hired to do the hard stuff.” he continued. “Fifty drams sound alright? Plus, you’ll end up on my good side... and then maybe you’ll get a shot at some of the easy work.”

>Agree, and follow the bartender’s directions to where you might find the monk
>Respectfully decline out of fear for your life
>Aggressively decline and demand at LEAST eighty drams
>Write-in

>>4941177
>Agree, and follow the bartender’s directions to where you might find the monk

I feel like we're too out of our element at the moment to effectively haggle, plus we need allies.

>>4941177
>Agree, and follow the bartender’s directions to where you might find the monk
I don't want to seem desperate but we kinda are, then again worst case scenario is that we can't convince the monk to leave and are back to being jobless on the street right where we started

>>4941177
>Agree, and follow the bartender’s directions to where you might find the monk
If we don't have to fight, I think we got this

>>4941177
>Agree, and follow the bartender’s directions to where you might find the monk
Maybe we can convince him that there's people willing to listen somewhere else in this place. Just not here.

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>>4941183
>>4941244
>>4941255
>>4941274

With a half-hearted smile and a quivering thumbs-up you left the bar in search of this troublemaking penitent monk. With Al at your side and your hands white-knuckling your weapon you felt some amount of insurance, even though your hope would be to solve things with words. The fact that you weren’t the first person being sent didn’t exactly fill you with confidence, but judging by how quick-to-anger everyone here seemed, you wouldn’t be surprised if you were the first one to try solving things with words.

You had been given directions, and Al was there helping to confirm; the imp didn’t know every single nook and cranny of the undercity, but he seemed to know his way around and could use his general knowledge to help steer you where you needed to go. Out from the plaza you were in, you passed through a maze of alleys and road markets. Home seemed to have a lot of verticality; city blocks stacked on top of city blocks. Some corridors seemed subterranean, while other areas were so open and well lit you almost forgot there was at least eighty stories of building above you.

As rowdy as the areas you had passed through were, it was very clear you were not in a very nice part of the city. The market roads and street-open restaurants were full of tough looking characters; but now you were unsettled by the lack of all that. The silence was much more off-putting, the few people that did linger in the narrow paths watched you with stern, lidless stares.

“Are you here for wisdom or violence?” a voice ahead of you said flatly.

You had almost not noticed where you ended up; an alleyway almost narrower than your wingspan. In the dirty light filtering from above, you could see the glistening of fresh blood, and lots of it; dripping off the walls and pooling at your feet. Your sneakers weren’t going to recover from this.

And across from you, sitting cross-legged and turned away, was the figure who asked the question. You really, really hoped that this wasn’t the problem you had been sent to deal with.

>”Wisdom?”
>”Violence?”
>”Actually, I was sent here by someone named Alvin... I think.”
>Turn tail and run
>Write-in

>>4941331
>”Actually, I was sent here by someone named Alvin... I think.”
Remember, we're coy as fuck.

>>4941331
>Write-in
I'm just here to talk so wisdom I guess?

>>4941331
>”Actually, I was sent here by someone named Alvin... I think.”

>>4941331
>>4941400
This is actually a good point. I'll support it.

>>4941400
>>4941453
this, but add a five second long "uhhhh" before it

>>4941457
Maybe not a full five seconds but putting an "uhhh" in front of the question seems in character

>>4941400
Gonna go with this, here.

>>4941457
Five seconds is a bit much, just two is fine.

>>4941400
+1

>>4941400
+1

>>4941331
>>4941400
+1
I really don’t want us to get turned into another stain on that wall

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>>4941400
>>4941453
>>4941457
>>4941484
>>4941486
>>4941510
>>4941538
>>4941541

>”Uhh... ... ... ... I’m just here to talk, so wisdom, I guess?”

The monk turned her head slightly, just enough for you to see her narrowed, yellow eyes. Her lips peeled back slightly to reveal a sneer of jagged teeth.

“Here to talk? Good, finally someone with some sense.” she huffed, balling her fists and very nimbly hopping to her feet. With a quick pivot to face you, she relaxed her hands and brought them up into a very threatening kung-fu stance. (Or you think it was kung-fu. As much as you liked martial arts movies, you really didn’t know much about the actual styles.)

Almost before you could react, her extended spear-point hand jabbed you in the gut; winding you and sending you stumbling backwards, just barely catching yourself with your staff.

“Not very quick, are you?”

In the most harrowing sixy-or-so seconds of your life, you batted away blows with your pole; many of them connecting, but none hard enough to do more than send you reeling. And leave a bruise tomorrow, probably.

With a fearsome yawp, you swung your staff in a horizontal arc, just clipping the monk’s loose outfit. Both of you paused in surprise as she glanced down at the minute tear you’d left in it.

“Not bad. But sloppy.” she said.

In your brief moment of triumph, you failed to react to her clenched fist colliding with the center of your face. Thankfully, you were unconscious before you could hear the sound of bones breaking.

>End of part 1.

>>4942126

Hi everyone; sorry for the rather unceremonious end but I need to take some time to practice (drawing and writing) as well as definitely give my wrist some time to relax. I hope that I can work on my art, as well as make the actual, uh, cyoa part of the cyoa a bit better.

Hopefully I’ll be back with some more original ideas; I can’t promise it’ll be Thomas again immediately but provided I find a good workflow to post on here, this definitely won’t be the last you’ve seen of him.

I’ll keep my eye on this thread if anyone has any suggestions or questions or whatever, but no more story posts for a few days at least. Sorry again for the sudden ending! I figured I’d rather leave it on a considered cliffhanger than just stopping at random.

>>4942127
Hope you're back soon, I at least am enjoying this quest and want to see where it goes

>>4942126
I'm guessing this means that we're not getting that reward money.

>>4942127
Damn, that's a shame. I'm really liking where this is going storywise. Hope your wrist sorts itself out, OP!

>>4942126
Oh no she’s hot
>>4942127
Can’t wait for more op

>>4942127
Thanks for letting us know OP, don't forget to archive on sup/tg/.

>>4942127
Definitely a bummer, but it was fun while it lasted! Thanks for letting us know and for what you wrote--the premise is really promising!

>>4942167
>>4942182
>>4942184
>>4942380
>>4942407

I don't think I'll be gone for a super long time. Just need to practice enough for the impostor syndrome to go away and wait for some more ergonomic hardware to arrive.

Thanks everyone for the interest!

>>4942413
Trust me compared to 99.9% of quests this one is much higher quality. You don't need to worry about practicing more if your going to make quests lol

>>4942413
What >>4942491 said, your art is pretty good and much better than the majority of quests

>>4942491
>>4942580
Both of these guys are speaking the truth op, this quest is pretty dang good on my account.

>>4942413
>Just need to practice enough for the impostor syndrome to go away
It can take years for imposter syndrome to go away, just use the quest to practice your art because trust me what you've been posting is pretty damn good already and I'd hate to lose a quality quest when there are so few of those around

>>4942413
Don't worry QM, this quest be banging.
Also regarding that impostor syndrome: own it! Be the greatest of Gatsbys, the very best of the very sus! Fool reality itself, and you'll find you're what you tell people you are!

>>4942413
I hope QM comes back

>>4942413
I don't know if you're still checking this QM but please restart this quest, it's fun and I hope you can feel more confident in your abilities

Hi all! Thank you so much for the kind words. Been IRL busy, but I'm glad people want more.

I was actually thinking of starting something else quite soon; just to try out a few different ideas/inspirations I have and see which ones are most popular.

I would also regardless love to continue this sometime; it's definitely on my mind. Sorry if it seems abandoned, I might not be posting but it's still bouncing around in my head plenty.

>>4959071
Oh shit, that'd be great. I was liking our wimpy ranger adventures with his wisecracking imp buddy. Please come back soon!

>>4959071
Good to hear you're coming back I look forward to seeing more of your stuff

>>4959071
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b40P861l6pM

>>4946486
>>4957844
>>4959479
>>4960076

Hey; sorry if this was unclear but the current project I'm running is over here.

>>4967030

Like I mention there, I wanted to run something a bit less shamelessly inspired. And again, this quest isn't necessarily gone forever, I just had ideas for other adventures.