File: Stories Under an Alien Sky.jpg (627 KB, 1463x2048)

627 KB JPG

This is a tale braided with the narratives of thousands, but we’ll see fit to pluck and a few errant strands.

There is power, in names. Titles. Epithets.

Call yours out, and pluck the cord of past and future both.

Your name is…

>>…Paloma, when the news of Madame Yurei’s death and her intriguing killer meets your ears.

>>…Yamato, a human warship adrift on a sea of churning acids and abyssal threats, set to encounter a surprisingly friendly face.

>>…Ziz, soaring the skies of the Crucible after your meeting with Shu and reflecting on your siblings, your Creator, and the Daughters far below.

>>…the Honorable Sir FuzzBuzz, grappling with the burdens of a growing mind and deepening heart.

>>Write-In (Any playable Daughter, NPC, or fan-character is valid for this vote.)

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Hello Dear Readers, and welcome back to the Quest. It’s very good to be back, and I look forward to hearing how your holidays went, one and all.)

(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four.)

File: Spoiler Image (95 KB, 962x1600)

95 KB JPG

>>5125916
Good to have you back OP. I hope you are well and managed to recover from your illness

>>5125918
>>…the Honorable Sir FuzzBuzz, grappling with the burdens of a growing mind and deepening heart.

lets meet the Bee and its perspective. He is so quiet and still so strong for our little Amara.

>>5125920
Holidays went well managed to finish up my Thousand Sons Army for the time being and went on to repaint my old Tyranids. My old flying Hive Tyrant is finally able to live up to his potential and no longer needs to languish with a bad paintjob.

But now i am stuck at home. A colleague in the new department i started in on monday got sick with the Virus on friday and on monday evening someone else tested positiive so now i am in Quarantine.

>>5125918
vote;
>…the Honorable Sir FuzzBuzz, grappling with the burdens of a growing mind and deepening heart.
good timing on this BHOP, was only up cause i had to feed the animals.

>>5125920
Vacation wasn't anything special overall, but i did get a puppy, which is always nice.
otherwise i did discover a surprisingly spectacular "audiobook" fan series on youtube called 'Star Wars Vs Warhammer 40k' that has blown me away, especially if nothing else for how much better it is than such a boring title would make you think.

>>5125929
is that the Series created by AFanWithTooMuchTime?

His series is quite good though it can drag on quite a bit at some points..... The Librarian vs like half the jedi Masters comes to mind.

>>5125928
(I'm glad your holidays went well, and it always boggles my mind how intricate the paint jobs can be.)

(The Virus is no joke, so please stay safe and I hope you get the all-clear soon!)

>>5125929
(Congratulations on your new puppy, and I'll have to check that out on YouTube soon. I've been listening to podcasts and game retrospectives while cooking and doing housework, so I'll be sure to give it a try.)

>>5125931
yeah him.
amusingly, i agree that part dragged on a bit long, but he JUST ended it in yesterdays episode.

>>5125936
yeah they're a good listen if you can find the time. quick heads up if you do give it a go, the 'specials' inbetween some episodes, while still maybe skippable, are still actually sometimes important to the story so are worth listening to as he has them in the playlist order.

>>5125918
>>…Ziz, soaring the skies of the Crucible after your meeting with Shu and reflecting on your siblings, your Creator, and the Daughters far below.

Hey, BHOP. Glad we're back, I was missing this over the holidays. Nothing major to report from them, really. It's been pretty quiet. How about you, anything interesting happen in your life?

>>5125928
Oh, wow, I'm sorry to hear you're quarantining. Stay safe, anon.

>>5125929
What type of puppy did you get? Any specific breed, or just a mutt?

>>5125957
seems to be mostly black lab, but probably a mutt.
poor girl and her sister were found abandoned out in the countryside by a family friend (and oddly found on Christmas day of all things), so theres no real way to be sure what she fully is. mines also got a scar on her lip and a break in her tail where it was broken in the past, so the running theory is they were abandoned by a puppy mill after they didnt sell over the holidays, but thats just what we suspect over real proof.

>>5125961
Well, that's sad, but I'm glad you're there to give her a home now. Poor puppy.,

>>5125961
No animal deserves such a fate as being abandoned. Glad you are willing to give her a home. Take food care of her.

>>5125957
I got all my shots so i should be fine i hope. But it really blows for all the plans i had. Just started by players into a new Dungeon and now i need to transfer that into a webbased format.

>>5125983
Yeah, that sucks. But at least you're vaccinated and safe. I'm glad to hear that. And hey, online roleplaying tools are versatile these days, so it's a hassle but should work fine.

>>5125918
>>…Ziz, soaring the skies of the Crucible after your meeting with Shu and reflecting on your siblings, your Creator, and the Daughters far below.

Happy new year, OP!

File: FuzzBuzz Diplomacy.jpg (157 KB, 910x1024)

157 KB JPG

>>5125918

There was a time, not too long ago, when your mind was little more than a constant hum. An endless buzzing, a sea of white noise that drowned out all thoughts save for the commands of your Creator.

But then, there was a pulse. A steady rhythm, alien and frightening. With every beat of the heart your Creator placed in your shell, the droning din subsided, until a stark silence took its place.

And you saw the world through eyes alight with thought.

Your name is Sir FuzzBuzz, and while your fellows are led through a forest of jet-black trees towards some sort of fortress, you sit perched atop the Metall Geschoss’ warm barrel. Even its slow, ambling pace is enough to prompt a breeze to ruffle the bountiful mane your Creator’s blessed you with, and it’s from this vantage point that you keep a keen, multifaceted eye out for any possible threats to your Ward. True, your Creator (or Mother, in reality, but you imagine she’d likely take offense to that title) commands a legion of eyes and ears that buzz in the skies above, but your time among their number’s taught you the importance of keeping close watch on your allies, as well.

And watch, you do—for ever since Creator Shu gifted you an ascended mind, you’ve seen her family grow and change almost as swiftly as you have. Rath’s boiling rage has been turned down to a simmer through sheer force of will, while Francine’s fear of her own personality evolves into an exploration of her own burgeoning self…an effort you can sympathize with, if not expressly communicate.

But of all the members of your Creator’s brood, none have impressed you more than Amara. Her maturity has grown in leaps and bounds, to say nothing of her combat prowess. Of all the times she’s confided to you her fears of her own lack of strength, you can see as plain as day that she’s perhaps the strongest member of this brood, by far…

…though you admit that you might be *slightly* biased.

Regardless of your own opinions, though, you know she has a ways to go in believing in herself. It’s what’s led her to sit next to your Creator at the back of the Geschoss, confiding her fears to her mother figure instead of you, this time. You’re no stranger to confessions—indeed, it seems as though your very existence is enough to prompt a stream of admissions, hopes, and dreams, unbidden. Perhaps it is by your very nature that you inspire such transparency. You are, after all, a being cut off from your Creator—a free agent, unbound from a human’s judgment and predispositions. Or maybe it’s something in the calm, self-assured air you project, a certain quiet dignity that prompts your fellows to hold you close and whisper their secrets to the one that lacks both the voice and will to spread them.

Maybe it’s the fuzz.

…Probably the fuzz, now that you think about it.

(Continued)

>>5126162

Re-adjusting your position on the turret, you wonder if serving as the outpouring of everyone’s thoughts served to deepen the complexity of your own ever-evolving mind. It’s a strange thing, really—to be separated from your Creator, when you and she now have so very much in common. Two beings, the span of your existences measured as but drops in the sea of history. Daily, new thoughts occur to you, and between their myriad musings come far more confusing motes of consciousness. Feeling like recollections, they are yet alien to you—sometimes it’s the echoes of faces you don’t quite recognize flitting over the faces of your brood, and other times it’s a sudden surge of emotions at the strangest of times. Not quite memories…not wholly alien, either. It’s a buzz of a different kind, a legion of voices that mutter back and forth, lacking rhyme’s reason.

You wonder if your Creator’s mind buzzes in the same way.

The Geschoss rumbles on as you pluck your train of through from the musings that would be endless, if you let them have their way. Six taloned legs click and clatter along the barrel’s length as the plates of your shell creak against one another, a much-needed stretch completed when your gossamer wings tentatively flap out against the idle breeze.

For too many restless nights you’ve allowed your mind to wander aimlessly, the winding trails only serving to open further questions and anxieties. You’ve no room for those, if you’re to be what your brood requires…what *she* needs you to be.

While your brethren keep watch in the skies above, you turn your focus to those that surround you. Your creator and Amara’s conversation appears to be dying down, and when your Ward’s delighted giggle reaches you, you’re certain it’s as much a relief for her as it is for you to know that her heart’s at ease, if just for a while. Nerada’s giggle joins Amara’s in time, though for a different reason; a newer swarmling dances and flips around the young girl, the thing’s calculated efforts to impress hitting their mark.

You are, very pointedly, not jealous of his prodigious skills.

Even still, intrusive thoughts pry and poke at the corners of your mind, and this simply won’t do. It’s been a while since you tried to tap into the hive-mind that you once belonged to, but perhaps that assuring hum might do your mind some good…though Marco’s always up for a talk, too. November’s last swarmling isn’t the biggest conversationalist, but brevity is the soul of wit, and he’s made you chuckle on more than one occasion.

You just need something to quiet the hum of thoughts that don't belong to you.

>>Soar high above, and try to tap back into the collective thoughts of your brother and sisters.

>>Dive into the Geschoss and say hello to Marco.

>>Flit on over to another member of your brood, and see if they have anything to share to get your mind off your own thoughts.

>>Write-In

SHE IS IN CONTROL

(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in approximately four. I do hope your Tuesday is going well, one and all.)

>>5125957
(I missed it too, and I'm glad to be back!)

>>5126019
(Happy New Year, and I hope it's a good one for you thus far!)

>>5125961
(I'm glad you found her, and that she's found a good home with people to love and care for her. That's awesome, friend.)

>>5126162
Ah yes a slightly biased bee. Dont worry Sir Fuzzbuzz i for one forgive you that you can not appreciate the sheer awesome that is Rath.

>>5126164
>>Dive into the Geschoss and say hello to Marco.

i am very interesting in Marcos sense of humor

Also can Sir Fuzzbuzz hear us? Is his fur such a good antenna array that he can tap into our conversation? or can he hear the Sea of Souls just beyond the Veil of the Dreamscape.

>>5126167
I found two Carnifexes that are in need of building and painting for over two years now.... All in all it was uneventful other than being quarantined. I tried out a new recipe for smashed potatoes with fish and dips

>>5126162
>Maybe it’s the fuzz.
>…Probably the fuzz, now that you think about it.
It is absolutely the fuzz, man. It's what we named you for. Though it sounds like we need to take you more seriously as a conversationalist. If you're able to articulate these existential issues, we should talk with you more instead of leaving you just to Amara. A creator shouldn't neglect their creation.

>>5126164
>>Dive into the Geschoss and say hello to Marco.
The rest of the swarm is working, best not to disturb them. Besides, they're not as smart and probably won't understand FuzzBuzz's quandary. Now, give them a week or two to mature with Thousand's Matron, and we'll see what sort of thoughts they can share. For now, let's hang out with a fellow Heart-enhanced swarmling.

>>5126174
I think it's probably him touching on the Nullscape, yeah. He must have inherited some of that from us.

>>5126164
vote;
>Dive into the Geschoss and say hello to Marco.

>>5125968
>>5125983
>>5126167
yeah, shame but people will be people. shes gonna be treated well, i can assure that.

>>5126174
if it is us, let us hope he never catches wind about certain things when we first 'met' Amara.

>>5126233
>if it is us, let us hope he never catches wind about certain things when we first 'met' Amara.
Come to think about it, does Amara know that her mom's girlfriend who she also loves in her own right and is loved in kind, once proposed eating her in her sleep? I'm not sure if Amara knows that. Whoo boy, that's an awkward secret to have.

>>5126255
I... have no rightly idea. im sure the family could get through that, and im sure (at this point at lest) it wouldn't be a deliberate secret, but unless the two of them hammered that out on their own off screen we certainly i dont think ever had the time to talk to her ourself about that.
though to be fair its probably something to leave to Gina to do regardless.

>>5126267
Yeah, I don't think that Shu should force it or anything, but Gina probably should have that talk at some point. Let's trust her to find an appropriate time to bring it up, or to at least ask us for help if she can't.

File: Metall Geschoss.jpg (37 KB, 474x381)

37 KB JPG

>>5126164

With a quick burst of your wings you pop right over to the Geschoss’ open hatch, a quick scramble bringing you into the belly of the rumbling beast and between the tank’s owner and her co-pilot.

“Hey there, ‘lil buddy!” November chuckles upon your arrival. “Afraid there’s not much room up front, but you’re welcome to squeeze in.”

You oblige, with Marco shifting slightly in his seat to allow you enough space to accomodate your considerable (yet fuzzy) bulk. Marco give you a slight, almost imperceptible nod, eight-fold eyes shining their trademark glint.

“Sup, my most majestic of dudes?” He says, the sub-sonic greeting prompting you to respond in kind.

“I am well, friend. And yourself?” You ask, and the human-sized construct gives a small shrug.

“Won’t complain. Could, but I won’t.” He replies, reaching out to tap at one of the instruments with a single long talon. “Just gotta take all my cares and worries and solifuggadbout’it.”

You laugh—a higher-pitched series of buzzes than your normal fare—despite the fact he’s made the same genus-based pun on more than one occasion.

“For real, though…something’s up.”

Marco’s statement goes beyond mere questioning, his beady eyes directed intently at your downy expression before he continues. “Those thoughts, again?”

“...Indeed.” You admit with some reluctance. “They’ve been getting more intrusive. Are you quite sure you’ve never experienced something like this, friend?”

“Nope.” He admits after a moment’s consideration, shifting his gaze to the road as he speaks. “You ‘an me, though? We’re pretty similar, in most respects. When November got rid of most of her, something snapped between us. I started thinking my own thoughts, but I can still hear hers. Not sure what’s about all that, but I think it’s kind of like when Shu slapped that heart in you to keep an eye on the little one. Cut us off from our source, lettin’ us grow into something different.”

“True, but…aren’t you worried?”

“About?”

“...I…” You start, finding yourself in the rare predicament of being at a loss for words. “...About anything, really?”

Another shrug, thenl “Biggest concerns I got are making sure I’m not catching any of our people when I’m shellin’ and figuring out where I need to be to spook whoever comes to visits November. Nothin’ like what you’ve been wrestlin’ with…and it looks like we’re comin’ up on our destination.”

He nods, and you buzz up to the window to see a massive structure cresting over the hill, its bright blue and yellow exterior in stark contrast to the onyx woods and scarlet skies that frame it.

“Ah, well…take it easy, friend.” You say, taking your leave for now.

“I’ll take it sleazy, brother.” Marco fires back, a click of his mandibles paired with two of his limbs jabbing your way, an imitation of his creator’s finger-guns.

(Continued)

>>5126500

Your brood’s arrival at the Ikean Fortress' doorstep is a welcome one, though everything that comes after…that’s quite another story. The swarm’s thrown into a wild panic when Shu suddenly disappears, and you’re at Amara’s side the instant your Creator’s torn from this world, only for her to reemerge a short while later with terrible news. Only minutes later you’re with Amara and Nerada in the Fortress’ library, having not left your ward’s side for a moment since your Creator’s experience. Anxiety is writ large on Amara every move, her every expression—you’re proud that she found the courage to speak to your Creator about her fears, but doubts still plague her young mind. You snuggle up to her as well and as often as you can, but your frustrations grow at not being able to dispel her worries in their entirety. Your Creator did her best, but…

…you wonder if she notices how her swarm betrays her emotions, the rhythm of their wingbeats or the clicking of their shells a clear sign of her trains of thought…though perhaps it's only obvious to you, since you were once counted among their number. A few errant members of her swarm flit idly about the library as you and your ward wander its labyrinthine halls, but they all show the same signs of worry, the same tension that burdens their mistress’ shoulders. Too many tasks for a taskmaster pulled in too many directions.

You wish there was something you could do to help.

It’s in the company of Amara's peer that your ward begins to slowly relax, Nerada’s calm line of questioning keeping her mind off recent events…something you’re helpless to do, despite your gifts.

An inordinate frustration begins to grow within your shell, the very chitin of your body almost feeling too tight, the air too heavy to flap your wings with any level of comfort. For a fleeting moment you wonder if your Creator’s worries are echoing in you, but you dispel the notion…no, these feelings are very much your own. A nervous, irritable energy that demands an outlet, and considering that a mission is likely on the horizon you need to get rid of this feeling, and fast.

>>Maye some alone time would help clear your head—explore the curiosities of the merchant’s floor.

>>Find Rath, and prompt her to chase you—it’s a favorite pastime of hers, at least when she thinks no-one’s watching.

>>Meditate a while beside your ward and her new friend—they seem immersed in the sharing of memes, after all.

>>Write-In

SHE IS IN CONTROL

(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume at 10AM Eastern time tomorrow. Thank you all for your patience with this longer-than-expected break, and I wish you a good and restful evening.)

>>5126500
>“Sup, my most majestic of dudes?”
im not sure why i laughed so hard at this, but well played you eight legged guy-dude.

>>5126506
vote;
>Meditate a while beside your ward and her new friend—they seem immersed in the sharing of memes, after all.

though im tempted to pick the Rath one, and cant help but laugh at that image aswell. i have a feeling some things would need to be repaired due to melt damage if anyone ever caught her in that.

>>5126507
hey, the holidays are busy and then things sometimes just suck. glad you were able to make it back in relative short order though. have a good afternoon yourself.

>>5126500
Man, these are far more cogent thoughts and ideas they're communicating than I was expecting. We got to treat Sir FuzzBuzz and Marco with more respect, they've clearly reached the level of "person" and not "smart mascot". Though I will never abandon cooing over how adorable they are. Sorry, guys, you're just going to have to take that hit to your dignity.

>figuring out where I need to be to spook whoever comes to visits November
Marco, you scamp! And here I thought you just liked to stick close to people and spooked them by accident. Let's hope he never learns to use the Skinternet, he would absolutely post "scary camel spider" memes.

>>5126506
>>Maye some alone time would help clear your head—explore the curiosities of the merchant’s floor.
What does Sir FuzzBuzz think of the various shops? I think he could enjoy himself doing that. And Sir FuzzBuzz browsing wares and expressing opinions on them could help him feel a bit more grounded in himself.

>>5126529
that brings up a good question. how use are people to just seeing swarmlings just wandering around without an owner, or them paying for goods (presumably on their owners behalf as part of an errand)? i'd imagine its not an unknown occurrence but i could also see it as something not necessarily regulated by rules but by social convention. here and there sure, but all the time? that starts to feel informal and depending on the number and level of complex commands the specific swarmlings can commit to, highly annoying.
plus imagine having to wait in line behind a small slug, or worse, getting into an argument cause you didn't see it in the line.

that said, the image of sir Fuzzbuzz slamming down a glob of honey to pay for something while just silently staring at the shop owner hoping she can understand what he wants is an amusing mental image.

>>5126563
I figure it's something semi-common, but socially constrained to the "cute" constructs. The sort of thing that people don't worry is going to be a danger, even if in practice there's no real connection between appearance and potential threat. It's neat to see someone's adorable little bee friend wandering around examining the shops, novel enough that any annoyance it might cause is overwhelmed, but you wouldn't give that sort of leeway to a giant floating eyeball. There's probably also a different level of acceptance for constructs that are acting on their own volition and constructs that are following orders. People would get exasperated with Shu sending swarmlings around to do tasks for her, but Sir FuzzBuzz wandering around looking at the sites is clearly his own agent. No more worth getting upset about than any other weirdly-shaped person in the Fleshscape.

Also, yes, FuzzBuzz paying with honey sounds adorable. Or wax, he's got plenty of wax. He could barter with his own home-made candles.

>>5126640
>Amara stops tracking Sir Fuzzbuzz for all of 5 seconds.
>suddenly finds him running a candle business in the shopping district.

>>5126668
Slowly the quest will pivot to a quirky slice of life story about a sapient bee running a small business.

>>5126668
>>5126687
(The BHQ sequel Quest is just FuzzBuzz Candle Tycoon.)

(Also, unless any other votes are posted in the next ten minutes, the choice of next update's path will come down to a coin toss.)

File: Bees' Knees.png (572 KB, 1280x1656)

572 KB PNG

>>5126500

Taking a page out of your creator’s book, with one last look towards your ward as she excitedly shares her bounty of memes (even as Nerada’s eyes start to glaze over), you take flight to the open air of the Fortress’ heart. The vastness of the space takes you aback as you try and get your bearings in the center of the complex, having been content to hover close to your brood up to this point.

Ultimately, with no appetite to appease on the second floor nor any sense of schadenfreude drawing you to witness the fights on the fifth, you find yourself drifting in lazy circles down to the merchants on the ground floor. Sight, sound, and color form a cacophony that serves as a bright echo of the white noise you once enjoyed in your time among your siblings…

…enjoy.

A bitter sort of irony, that. It was a simpler time. No doubts to cloud your mind, or lack thereof. No fears, no doubt, no longing—just the cold, clear, infallible command of the Creator. It was only when your eyes were opened that you realized just how fragile she really is, a fact that only made her resolve all the more admirable, once you understood what she grappled with daily.

‘Ignorance is bliss’...a phrase that rings with the same odd familiarity as the laugh of people you’ve only just met, or the sudden, inexplicable sadness and sense of loss you’ve felt when looking at Amara, or even—more bafflingly—Nerada. It’s at the latter feeling, strange and unbidden, that you’ve grappled with the overwhelming temptation to open a line of communication to your Creator. You’ve felt its pulls, before…you feel that it can be opened again, if you were to try and pry that path open once more.

It’s something you’ve considered before, of course. Marco has, too…something he first confided to you during one of November and Francine’s long, winding conversations. You and he arrived at the same conclusion, after much independent deliberation—for him, the revelation of his expanded consciousness would just complicate things for November, make her think twice about leaving him in the tank in the middle of combat. She hesitates more than anyone realizes, Marco told you not too long ago. Heather Neeson’s a soldier of the highest caliber, but she’s found something she thought she lost long ago…and the thought of losing it has rendered her a paradox of trepidation and decisiveness.

“Me staying quiet means I'm one less thing she’s gotta worry about.” He said, a sad smirk in the way his words took shape in your mind. You’re inclined to agree, for slightly different reasons.

(Continued)

>>5127690

Your Creator…Shu…is a woman who’s taken utmost care in loving those around her. Family, friends, her foes—a sentient gun, even—to her, it matters not. To all that and more she’s extended courtesy, kindness, and a patient ear. She’s a woman so many revere as a messiah, but who’s simply a human trying her best to be a decent person in a world that demands the death of reason and kindness. There’s no end of Daughters and Amalgams who are vying for her focus and time. If she knew the extent to which your mind has grown, the complexities of your emotions, you know for a fact that Shu would take the time to know you. To understand, empathize, and care. To take her precious time, and spend it on you.

And that is why she must never know.

Ever.

…and certainly not Amara, either. You adore your ward to the moon and back, but the moment she caught even the slightest hint of your intellect is the moment it would echo from the walls of the Dragon’s Roost. She is a brave, incredible little girl…and only a fool would trust her with a secret.

You know this, and you love her for it.

“See anything you like, cutie?”

The question’s brought to life by a high, lilting voice, the pleasant sound pulling you out of your reverie. It’s only now, brought to your senses and with the comforting chaos of the area washing over you once more, that you realize you’d been wandering the vendors’ stalls only to pause in front of one. Staring at you is a woman with strawberry blonde hair, the strands of which make up nearly half of her body, her left arm and most of her torso a tightly-braided and intricately-patterned quilt of fiber. She blinks at you with a smile, the eye that’s surrounded by flaxen thread closing and opening a half-second behind the one set in genuine flesh. While she’s significantly older than your Creator—nearly double, if you were to give it your best guess—she’s possessed of that sort of timeless charm that reminds you of-

A hundred memories flood your periphery, your wings faltering under the weight of the intrusion before you get a grip. You fight to focus on the here and now as the shopkeep bemusedly cocks one eyebrow, her good-natured smile held in place as you try to figure out what had entranced you, so.

Your compound vision is filled with dozens of shawls, scarves, and other obviously hand-made accessories, with the one that caught your eye a dazzlingly dapper ascot, its alternating stripes of black, white and gold bringing to mind the elegance of-

Oh, it looks like you.

…well, this is slightly embarrassing.

(Continued)

>>5127691

“Heh, you like it? Made this little beauty the same as all the others, here; by myself, from myself!” She snickers, running the fingers of her flesh-and-bone hand along the scarf’s length before a strange bleat from somewhere deep within the stall turns her chuckle into a laugh. “Okay, it’s not ALL from me. Rupert here helps, too…when he’s not being a stubborn ‘lil git.”

The accomplice in question scuttle-stomps forwards at the mention of his name, the stall’s shadows casting the half-mammal, half-insect creature in an unnerving light. A too-long deer stands before you, front end held up by six multi-jointed legs, while the dozens of others are misshapen shadows of those three pairs, each one struggling to hold the fuzzy, yet chitinous segments they belong to aloft. Eyes like yours stare out of the sockets of a chimeric head—sheep and deer are the first animals to come to mind, yet with its antlers of gnarled chitin and jagged thorns neither descriptor wholly fits the thing before you, content as it is to remain a typically inscrutable-

“Amalgam, s'what Rupert is. An old friend and good company!” The woman declares, scratching along a shock of floofy hair that runs the length of the creature’s insectile body. “Won’t hurt you none, so long as you don’t try’an take his fur without asking.”

It’s one thing for a construct to wander about, here…indeed, your Creator’s only allowing her swarm to venture out after noticing other Hive Mistresses doing the same. But this—’Rupert’—is something else entirely.

“You seem an enterprising sort! Camilla would’ve taken a shine to you, I'm sure.” The woman says with a smile as she pats Rupert’s misshapen head, taking care not to snag her cloth hand on the sharper bits of chitin that make up his trio of twisted antlers. “So, if you see anything you like, it’ll be half off.”

Rupert issues an odd little series of clicks, and the woman cocks an eyebrow in surprise, this time.

“Free? Okay, one's on the house, then! Rupert’s feelin’ generous!” She laughs as her companion just stares at you, the same inexpressive gaze trained on you as you likely have trained on him, in turn.

Well, you couldn’t very well fly up to your ward or your Creator with an obvious gift, but you might be able to sneak it to…

…who, exactly?

And why is this woman even extending the offer in the first place? Is it not utterly obvious that you’re a Construct?

In any case, she’s looking at you expectantly…

>>Well, if the offer’s open…(Describe a scarf that you’ll bring to a recipient of your choice some time during the next Vein).

>>You don’t want to take advantage of this woman’s…or Rupert’s…generosity, so politely take your leave and explore the stalls a bit more.

>>Sidle up to the woman and see if she can understand you…or if she just assumes you’re some sort of corrupted Daughter.

>>Write-In

SHE IS IN CONTROL

(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in approximately four. I do hope your day is going well, and that your week is progressing smoothly.)

File: Spoiler Image (174 KB, 1600x1600)

174 KB JPG

>>5127691
You are a great and proud be Sir Fuzzbuzz! No need to be emberassed because people want to replicate your likeness to come closer to perfection.

>>5127692
Wow.... an Amalgam being part of a shop. Every day is full of surprises.

>>Sidle up to the woman and see if she can understand you…or if she just assumes you’re some sort of corrupted Daughter.
>>If she can not understand you get a nice scarf of a checkered green and yellow coloration to Marco so he can give November a little present.

>>5127694
just finised work not to long ago and started painting a couple monsters and some heavier infantry.
Also a Stonecrusher Carnifex. Pretty overpriced to play with but a nice model. His painting is a bit less intricate than the hive Tyrant because i wanted to get him painted and not spend like four extra hours in addition to the one i already spent on him

>>5127692
>Sidle up to the woman and see if she can understand you…or if she just assumes you’re some sort of corrupted Daughter.
>Well, if the offer’s open, try getting Rath something with cool colors, but stark lines. something that nicely contrasts with her natural hot colors. you can use a later chase as an excuse to have 'stumbled upon it' or something.

>>5127692
>>Sidle up to the woman and see if she can understand you…or if she just assumes you’re some sort of corrupted Daughter.
If she can't or of the conversation isn't too long then...
>>Well, if the offer’s open… Creator deserves gifts as much as anyone else, if not more so. After all, has she not given Sir Fuzzbuzz the greatest gift of all? (somebody have any idea on colouring of a scarf for Shu? My fashion sense is terrible, I don't trust myself to pick something that loogs good.)

>>5127746
I would say something that contrasts with her mutations. So maybe something in orange.

or something to remind her of Gina with violett.

>>5127690
>>5127691
Oh, FuzzBuzz, you're making me sad. You don't have to stay quiet to keep from taking up our time. Especially if you eased us into it. Like, if you went "hi, I've been a fully-developed sapient mind for a while, let's hang out" we'd want to take time to get to know you. But if you just subtly show signs of intelligence over time we'd take it in stride and not let it get in our way as we rolled "treat Sir FuzzBuzz like a person" as part of our normal.

>>5127692
Wow, this woman has befriended an Amalgam? I mean, we have too, but it's still impressive to see one just hanging around. Rupert, you seem like an interesting chap, and I'd like to get to know you.

Supporting >>5127722

I'd like to get Shu a red scarf, so that with her black and green carapace she winds up looking like a Kamen Rider. But she's also commissioned that necklace from Aimee, and it would just be too much visual clutter around her neck taken together. So let's get Rath something nice.

File: Rupert, or So He Was Named.jpg (253 KB, 1800x1800)

253 KB JPG

>>5127692

Sidling up to the shopkeeper, you brush by her hand as you make a show of inspecting her wares, weighing whether you should take her up on her—or rather, Rupert’s—offer. You assume she’s a Fibromancer/Artisan hybrid, though from your own experience Skintalking and neuromancy rarely show their hands so flagrantly. Perhaps she’s just quirky, or maybe she assumes you to be a Daughter with a particularly potent brand of corruption.

In either case, you find your focus drifting to who exactly you’d gift your free accessory to. Amara’s the obvious choice, but your Creator would undoubtedly appreciate the surprise. But she might put two and two together, so maybe Marco or Rath would be a better-

“Hello.”

You instinctively turn to the shopkeep at the greeting before you realize who’s speaking. Turning to the amalgam, his eyes glitter at you from the shadows, the shadow of a goat’s pupil shining in the waning light.

“Did…are you talking? To me?” You ask, feeling the absurdity of the question the moment it’s uttered.

“Yes. You understand. This is good.” The amalgam utters, satisfaction evident in his tone. “You are like me. I thought this. And it is true.”

“Are you a Skintalker?” You ask, bewildered. “Or did you consume a-“

“No. I am simply old. An Amalgam. ” He clarifies, six main legs folding beneath him as he nods to a well-worn pillow beside him. You are young. Once construct, now something new. Both of us. Similar.”

“I…how are we doing this? How are you talking to me in this way?” You politely, yet firmly demand. “We’re talking in thoughtform, like with Mar-…with other swarmlings.”

“I said. We are similar. Please. Relax.” Rupert repeats, patting the seat next to him with a single distended hoof, reminding you of his standing (or sitting) offer. You reluctantly oblige, partly out of courtesy but mostly to understand what this being is getting at.

“I am a construct, and you are an amalgam. When you say we are similar, what do you mean?”

“Crucible reduced all to dust. Made things from it. Made Daughters. Made Amalgams. Both make constructs.” He explains in a quiet, meandering tone. “All are one. Barriers break. Definitions waver. We are the same.”

“How do you know this?”

“No ‘knowing’. Only theory…and not mine.” He replies softly, staring up at the scarves on display. “Camila was a friend. Skintalker. I attacked her and her ally. She asked what I wanted. I understood. As you understand me. I followed. We talked more. Shared ideas. Experiences.”

He looks down at you once you finally settle in to the surprisingly comfortable pillow, misshapen eyes fixed upon you with a curious glint.

“Tell me…”

“…what is your experience, friend?”

>>…Tell him about your intrusive thoughts.

>>Confide your fears about showing you Creator your true self.

>>Ask him more about his experiences, first.

>>Write-In

SHE IS IN CONTROL

(Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, with posting to resume in three.)

>>5127931
>>"An experience for an experience? I think that would sound fair"
>>…Tell him about your intrusive thoughts and ask him to share his own experiences whenever you told him something.

Storytime

>>5127931
this whole things feels like peering behind some veil i didnt even really expect to be there in the first place.

as for the vote, hrm. all three are good, though i do think it would be polite to offer him something first for being willing to hear us out and such.

vote;
>…Tell him about your intrusive thoughts.
Feel like the second one is best saved for once we get to know someone a bit more.

>>5127931
>>…Tell him about your intrusive thoughts.

Weird idea that just popped into my head: What if the intrusive thoughts that Sir FuzzBuzz is experiencing are coming from the other FuzzBuzzes? Like Rupert just said, definitions aren't solid in the Crucible. Maybe the fact that we treat "FuzzBuzz" as a single shared identity among all the constructs is causing bleedover between them, and it's just Sir FuzzBuzz who's smart and individual enough to feel existential worry over it.

>>5127931
Supporting >>5127939

File: 86448774_p0_master1200.jpg (1.01 MB, 1200x861)

1.01 MB JPG

>>5125916

Good to have you back Bhop.
The holidays felt empty to me. The existential dread's back. And yet, I can't help but feel a certain connection.
Cradleton's saga has sputtered out in the absence of new stimuli but it seems that the muse resurrects herself in your presence. Perhaps you are the muse itself?

Mili's released the full version of "In Hell we Live, Lament!" And by god the lyrics fits so so much.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfTWgMgknpY

Have a monster santa!

>>5127931
>An experience for an experience? I think that would sound fair."

Man, I would never expect to see an interlude with FuzzBuzz giving me some insight into construct and amalgam perspectives in the world of the crucible. This will help me with grappling with some of the issues that Cradleton tackles.

>>5128026
(I'm glad to be back and have you here as well, and I do hope you're able to work on Cradleton to your satisfaction. The holidays always end up hitting me with seasonal depression something fierce, so I understand the emptiness that comes with it. )

(I've been listening to that song a lot! It's a superb fit, and I have it on loop a lot when I'm concepting for the quest.)

(I'm glad you're back, and I wish you luck with your writing!)

File: Slurry of Existences.jpg (611 KB, 1920x2400)

611 KB JPG

>>5127931

“An experience for an experience? I think that would sound fair.” You declare, prompting a solemn nod from your compatriot.

“Fair. Yes.” Rupert agrees, settling a little closer to you as the shop keeper regards the two of you with an amused smirk before a potential customer draws her attentions away. “May I start?”

“Of course.” You concede, in no great rush to confess your fears to a largely unknown entity.

“I existed since the Crucible’s start. But my eyes were closed. It was not long after I woke. I was found by two Daughters. Good friends. Camila and Marchesa.” The amalgam begins, a subtle nod towards the shopkeep revealing the older woman’s name. “As I said—I fought. They spoke. I listened. Then, we traveled.”

“…For how long, until you came here?” It takes a gentle bit of prompting from you to make Rupert continue his tale, as his mind seemed to drift a bit.

“Half a year. But it was two months ago.” He says, and before you can ask for clarification, he adds; “When Camila died.”

“I’m…you have my condolences.” You say, at a loss for what else that could to say to comfort someone you barely know.

“She ran to help a settlement. It was being attacked by the Waystation’s Guardian. She commanded me to take Marchesa. The two of us were to help the fleeing survivors. We could not recover her remains.” He explains softly, his voice wistful, but not sorrowful. Accepting, if you had to put a word to how he sounds, in this moment. “Marchesa and I came here. Have been here, for two months. She does not understand me. But she is kind. That is all that matters, I think.”

A pause, and then, as he look to you once more; “What of you, friend?”

…’Friend?’ A bit of a bold assumption, but you appreciate the amalgam’s manners, all the same. As you begin to recount your travels up to this point, you find yourself stumbling over your own narrative. Not for any lack of memory, but for the simple fact that you’ve never retold it, before…and the more you recount, the more another factor begins to rear its head once more.

“Is something wrong?” Rupert asks, head tilting to one side as his antlers twitch of their own accord.

“Yes, it’s just…” You hesitate a moment, before steeling your resolve to address the topic at the forefront of your worries. “…for a while since I ‘woke up’, as you say, I keep having these thoughts. These intrusive things that feel like they don’t belong to me. I don’t know what to call them except-“

“Memories.”

Startled, you meet the amalgam’s eyes to find them wide, their odd pupils dilated a shining bright.

“…yes. Memories.” You relent, shifting on the pillow to face your host completely. “Have you had the same issues?”

(Continued)

>>5128176

“Issues?” Rupert echoes, mulling over your question for a moment before continuing. “I would not call them that. But they come to you at odd times. Emotions you can’t quite place. But they feel like things you’ve felt before. Before you could have had any context to them. I this how these ‘memories’ feel?”

“…It is.”

“Then we have felt the same things. I still feel them. Often. Though they do not trouble me as they once did.” He murmurs, intrigued in the face of your frustrations.

“How did you manage them?” You demand, your tone more desperate than you’d intended.

“It is more that I sought to understand them.” Rupert calmly counters. “I spoke to Camila about it. She always had theories. When I told her, she came up with another one. As I said before. We are all made from that which once was. Flora. Fauna. Humans. They we melted down, and turned into Daughters. Amalgams. Constructs. She said, ‘it only makes sense that if you let things sit around for long enough, the stronger bits would start to sift out.’”

You shift in your seat on the troubling implications of Rupert’s words…all the more disconcerting with how much sense they make. Your heart’s accelerated the evolution of a distinct mind, but you’ve been active for far longer than a typical construct has any right to. While saying that these intrusions are uncomfortable is an understatement, Rupert’s hypothesis puts their nature in a new light…though you certainly have no end of agile minds at the ready to help you solve this issue, if you were so inclined. Francine could certainly be trusted to keep a secret, though the prospect of igniting her curiosity isn’t one you relish, particularly where your consciousness is concerned.

You stare past him and up at Marchesa’s wares as you ponder what to do about all this. Maybe you’re being optimistic, but it feels like a solution is just within reach…

>>If running from these thoughts are leading you in circles, maybe confronting them in solitude could help.

>>Continue speaking with Rupert about the issue, and see if you can’t drag some more helpful information out of him regarding how he’s dealt with these thoughts.

>>Try to find Francine in the Ikean Fortress, and speak to her for the first time…it’s a risk, but she might be able to help you like she helped Shu be rid of Sam.

>>Thank Rupert for his time before taking him up on his offer of a free accessory before you take your leave…with this new perspective, you need to mull all this over a bit more as you explore the Fortress.

>>Write-In

SHE IS IN CONTROL

(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume tomorrow morning at 10AM, Eastern time. Thank you all for your time and participation, and I wish you a good and restful evening.)

>>5128179
vote;
>Thank Rupert for his time before taking him up on his offer of a free accessory before you take your leave…with this new perspective, you need to mull all this over a bit more as you explore the Fortress.

interesting. i actually was mulling over if it was something akin to that, though in a less chaotic way. honestly though, it certainly brings about alot of questions about... well, many things. if we just go by the ol 'memory is a pattern of neurons firing off' it brings up ALOT of questions about just what the Crucibles biomass actually is and is capable of, even compared to before. if we go off a more 'soul' idea (which now isnt all that impossible for sure), it still brings up alot of questions about the connection between ones flesh and soul, among other things. also, the second one makes the crucible situation like, a billion times more horrifying with its implications.

>>5128180
take care.

>>5128179
I think I will sit this vote out, because I am not sure what to vote for and really have to go to sleep since I will be getting up to go to work in about five hours.
Nonetheless, I wanted to tell you that I am very happy that this story is back up again and I can participate.
Also, if I understand the implications of what was just revealed about biomass, then it just got even creepier. I have no idea how you keep doing this, but every time I think it can't get any worse, you find a way to make the Crucible situation more horrifying.
I love it. Good job.

>>5128176
>She ran to help a settlement. It was being attacked by the Waystation’s Guardian. She commanded me to take Marchesa. The two of us were to help the fleeing survivors. We could not recover her remains.
Yeah, the town we saw Charon attack had them bury the remains. Not sure if that was the same town or not, but I guess it was Charon's orders when they were still geased.

>>5128179
That was the explanation for why the Pyre Ants started evolving counter to the normal rules of the Crucible, wasn't it? That some remnant patterns from humanity wound up in their structure and let them develop sapience. I guess it's a more common occurrence than we thought.

Also, and this is just occurring to me now, that's what we are, isn't it? The audience, I mean. I remember way back when, Sam made a comment about a bunch of voices buzzing around Shu's thoughts with the implication that it was us. We're that same sort of remnant pattern that the Pyre Ants and Rupert and Sir FuzzBuzz (and I think Dryad, too, but I'm less certain there) have, only in Shu instead of an Amalgam or Construct.

>>Thank Rupert for his time before taking him up on his offer of a free accessory before you take your leave…with this new perspective, you need to mull all this over a bit more as you explore the Fortress.
>>Write-In
>Also ask Rupert if he'd like to talk again sometime, since he seems like an interesting chap.

I'm not sure cutting us off from them would work, these imprints are already inside Sir FuzzBuzz. And it seems like Rupert doesn't want to dwell on this too much. So let's thank Rupert for his counsel and keep wandering until we come to a solution. Though I do want Sir FuzzBuzz to become friends with him, so let's also do that. Maybe we can bring Marco to talk to him, too. Just a bee, a camel spider, and a literal stag beetle hanging out in the post-apocalyptic shell of an Ikea that's been turned into a biomechanical community center. You know, like you do.

>>5128180
Thanks for running, BHOP.

>>5128239
>Also, and this is just occurring to me now, that's what we are, isn't it? The audience, I mean.
it would make sense yeah. she was basically an 'empty vessel' so the echo of those remnants would probably have a place there. would explain hers and similar situations unique personalities. its just a mix of environment and remnants mushing together.

>>5128210
(always a pleasure to disturb.)

>>5128210
(Also, I hope you rest well, and I'm glad you're able to participate!)

File: meatball-spicy.gif (2.23 MB, 320x180)

2.23 MB GIF

>>5128180

>Scoville's Cosmic Vengeance (consumable, 1 use): A simple vial full of glowing red powder. The powder menaces with stellar culinary heat. Humoral eyes water uncontrollably, gluttonous tongues retract in primal terror. Even the bioformed terrain shivers in cold-sweat in the presence of this pungent substance. Those exposed to the powder via eye direct contact or inhalation with the powder, suffer a blindness debuff and a stack of Neuromancy damage which increases in severity over the course of three turns. If ingested, all gluttonous abilities are immediately nullified over the course of 3 turns unless cleansed by other means. All terrain that come into contact with the powder become uncontrollable and hazardous for 3 turns. This relic may be used as a throw-able bomb that creates an AoE cloud of powder, or applied safely to calcite or non-organic materials as an enchantment that deals stacks of SPICINESS for the duration of combat. When used for Consumption, the abilities of those with post-mortem abilities will find themselves hampered by the spice in exchange for the consumer gaining less potent benefits and abilities. For safety of all Crucibles, all iterations of Scoville's Cosmic Vengeance produced and naturally found are heavily diluted.

This is a play off the trope "Too spicy for Yog Sothoth". Of course there will definitely be some spice enthusiasts who will apply this on their meals.

>>5128539
Sounds delicious. I like the post-morten ability nullifcation, it makes me think of how spicy food was originally adopted by humans to deal with food-borne parasites. Burn out all the things that would try to eat you from within.

>>5128561
When I mean by "hampering" post-mortem abilities, I don't mean "nullify", but instead increase the difficulty for their activation and such.

>>5128180
I've got another one.

>Porccubus Prankster (T-1/2 Relic): An ordinary pocket-sized Cactus plant. It sports a red desert flower that frames a pair of beady eyes, and giggles with mischief, its prickly spines menaces with painful retribution to would-be thieves and pickpockets. The cactus spines refuse to give the owner of this this prickly potted plant discomfort. Unless given consent by the owner, everyone else is fair game. Any attempt to grab or steal any item or possession from this relic's owner would instead grab the Porccubus, suffering immediate minor piercing damage on top of SEVERE Neuromancy damage. Attempts to steal items from this relic's owner via stealth or misdirection must clear a difficult constitution check where upon failure, automatically reveal themselves and lose initiative with a painful Yelp.

>>5128575
>When I mean by "hampering" post-mortem abilities, I don't mean "nullify", but instead increase the difficulty for their activation and such.
No, I got it, I just had poor word choice.

And the Porccubus Prankster is fun. We could probably do with some of those, in case someone like Nerada tries to pull some Pilferer's Palm shit again.

>>5128539
>>5128575

just reading these while half awake after a night of barely restful sleep has given me an idea or two for my own relics. But i do need help putting them into a category.

>Universal Food Delivery App(consumable); A block made from calcite with weird writing on it that sparks weirdly and just looks and smells like it was made from cheap plastic. While it appears to be non edible a daughter can consume it and unless she is a Skintalker needs a period of one day to adjust to it. Skintalkers can automatically do it without adjustment time. This gives the daughter a permanent visualiser for the order Menu. By spending one Act in or out of combat and paying the appropriate cost(like when normally forging the relic) a daughter can order any specific Consumable relic she has already seen and will receive it on her person at the beginning of her next Act. By paying triple she can get two copies of such an item instead. Or she may pay a specified amount of BIO and HEALTH as well as regen to get a random Consumable that has costs similar to that. Any left over pay will be refunded at the beginning of the next round to the ordering daughter. Using this Relic more than once per combat has a stacking risk that the items may not be available. The Cost is still spent innitialy but will be refunded at the beginning of the next turn.

>The delivery man was nice. I just wish he would not dump my order into my pockets all the time.

This one i think could be Tier 4

>Spicyinator (Tier ???); A small intricately crafted machine that fits in someone's hand and has a big, red button and a small gray switch. Flicking the switch into the on position will lead to the tip that has the form of a platypus beak to open and a crimson orb to hover freely within. The User needs to charge the device by paying the same amount of resources as the combined cost of all relics they are trying to combine. Pointing this relic towards multiple instances of the same consumable Relics and pressing the red Button will combine the relics into a single dose and drastically increase the effectiveness of the resulting relic. For each Relic combined into the result beyond the first one increases the magnitude of the Effects and Saves required to resist the relic by 1 Level.

>excerpt from the user Manual: “…. Murdering your enemies is good and all but can it make better booze?” Please accept that Spice Incorporated will not accept any liability for losing products by enhancing them beyond the Maximum set by your local crucible or any weapons of mass Destruction created from combining pranks into World Destroyers.

And this one could be also Tier 4 but i am not so sure about that.

File: Jackie.jpg (82 KB, 750x900)

82 KB JPG

>>5128179

…but that solution’s going to take some pondering, and you’d like some time to mull things over.

“Rupert—thank you for your hospitality. This has been most enlightening.” You say, politely laying the groundwork for your impending departure.

“Glad to help.” He replies, rising to tower over you as his antlers once more shift with a nauseating series of snaps and pops. “Not often I get to talk like this. It’s nice.”

“It was...and I’d like to do it again sometime.” You declare, the earnestness of your offer striking Rupert almost as much as you. “If you’re up for it, that is.”

A moment of consideration, and then…

“I’d like that.” The amalgam says, softly. “Marco, too. If he is willing.”

“Oh, I think he will be.” You laugh, and Rupert returns the sound with a quiet chuckle of his own before inclining his head towards Marchesa’s wares—a gentle reminder of his offer.

In the end, you settle on a fiery scarf, with strands of scarlet, gold, and burnt orange woven into a wearable inferno of color. Rath’s gift is safely tucked in your back talons as you explore a bit more of the complex…though you find it rather simple to navigate. It’s a good thing, too—the space lets your body and mind wander freely, processing your conversation with the oddly philosophical amalgam you just met.

While his hypotheses on the nature of your intrusive thoughts proved almost more disturbing than the thoughts themselves, you’re finding yourself at an impasse of just what to do with that information. Could you possibly commune with the legion inside you, if…if that’s even a thing? Maybe over time your mind will be acknowledged as the alpha, and…no, that doesn’t make sense. Rupert’s still dealing with the ‘memories’ as he called them, and he’s been awake for far longer than you. Then again, you’re dealing with issues it took him many months to work up to, so maybe it’s the Relic that’s forcing you to speedrun your own growth (and subsequent crisis) of consciousness?

It’s questions like this and more that plague you as you flit to the Ikean Fortress’ very apex, hovering near the top of the complex’s arched ceiling as you watch Jackie and Emily spar in the ring below. Even a few seconds of observation tells you that both are evenly matched in their handicap; Jackie without her blade and forced into an unfamiliar fighting style, while Emily’s clearly holding back her own prodigious ability. If you were capable of scowling, you would—even in casual observations like these you find yourself influenced by ideas and concepts beyond any reasonable breadth of your knowledge. Instincts you had no right to feel, paired with dimly-recalled experiences that color what should be novel and new. Your frustrations subside a bit as a pair of your claws run through your own downy fur.

…you absolutely understand why so many indulge in its therapeutic abilities.

(Continued)

>>5129139

When your Creator finally joins the growing crowd of onlookers below, you opt to use this opportunity to dart back to your room to hide your spoils until the time comes for Rath to ‘accidentally’ discover her present. You’re rifling around the team’s lesser-used Relics in search of a place to stash your prize, trying not to get overwhelmed by everything they’ve brought. There’s so much stuff here it’s a wonder they’re able to keep it all straight…

…someone should really organize this.

You’re able to get it stashed just before the sound of approaching footsteps precede the door quickly swinging open under Dorian’s hand. He startles, then smiles when he realizes that you’re here as well.


“Ha, and a very good afternoon to you, Sir.” He greets you with a bow, and despite yourself, you tilt your poofy frame just a little to return the much-appreciated gesture. If you were capable of vocalizing a compliment, you’d make him aware that he’s looking particularly striking today—the scarlet hues of his jacket and pants are a level of vibrancy he rarely dons, a perk of one’s clothes being an extension of form and feeling.

“Just had a lovely conversation with Rath, actually. Didn’t realize how much common ground we had with her church experiences and my family growing up. And how’ve you been faring, my friend?”

Dorian grins, striding up and patting your head affectionately. He chuckles when you respond with a small, high-pitched buzz, calculated for comedic effect—you’ve perfected it, in your time with the family.

“You know? I was starting to think that I was alone. I could tell she’d come so far even in the short time I’ve known her, and I felt like anger was something that Rath had already surpassed…channeled into something productive, while mine just kept needling me at the most inopportune times.” He muses, running his slender fingers through your fuzz “Turns out? She’s been having those kinds of intrusive thoughts, too. We’re going to talk more often…it was her idea, actually. She said, ‘We both have people we want to be better for, and that can’t happen in a vacuum’.”

He grins wider, a twinkle in his eye. “I told her she sounded like Miss Shu. You should’ve seen her blush.”

…Heh.

Actually, is that why this is bothering you so much? Because you have people you want to be better for? You’re not quite sure, but it’s a nice thought, at least. Dorian rolls his neck, working the tension out of his dexterous hands as he walks over to the nearby couches, about to take a seat before he glances your way.

“There’s room for two if you’re so inclined, my good man.”

>>Rest here with Dorian a while, until you receive marching (or flying) orders.

>>Leave the young man to his devices while you continue to explore the complex.

>>See if your downy presence can help him work through more of what’s on his mind.

>>Write-In

SHE IS IN CONTROL

(Good Morning, Everyone. Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, with posting to resume in three. Also, Mrs. BHOP sends her regards and well-wishes, too...I'd be remiss if I forgot to send her good tidings to the Vein again.)

>>5129145
Thank you very much and please tell her my best wishes as well.

>>5129143
>>See if your downy presence can help him work through more of what’s on his mind.

>>5129143
vote;
>See if your downy presence can help him work through more of what’s on his mind.

>>5129145
and good tidings to her in return. not to you though, totally, work harder til your keyboards stained red BHOP!
i am, of course, joking. dont do that, that just sounds like you'd never get the thing clean again.

>>5129143
>>See if your downy presence can help him work through more of what’s on his mind.
We need to hang out with Dorian more, as Shu. Feels like we've been neglecting him, a bit. But yeah, let's definitely let Dorian snuggle with the fluff-bee. It's cool, Mr. Gardner, you can just say you want to touch the fluff. No need to be so dignified.

>>5129145
Oh, that's nice of her. Please say hello to her for us.

>>5129143
>>See if your downy presence can help him work through more of what's on his mind
Are there any other antagonists besides West and Mother anymore?

>>5129217
No main ones, but I'm sure we'll meet some soon. We're at the point where we should be encountering the various other Daughters aiming for the Cord, challenging them and their various visions of humanity's future.

>>5129217
(Oh, after Markabah you'll be meeting a rogues gallery that you'll have to deal with on your way to the Cord.)

>>5129166
(Haha, considering how much my fingers just passively bleed, a bloody keyboard is something I deal with more often than not.)

>>5129239
I hope so. I need some tension in BHQ again, yknow?

File: Scarlet Sage - Combat form.jpg (447 KB, 1920x2640)

447 KB JPG

>>5129239
>A rogues gallery who stands to oppose the Defiant one way or another

Oh boy. And here I was wondering what to do with this character idea that I had.

Peng Ching, the Scarlet Sage

Core abilities: Scarlet Sage (Phantasmal Conduit/Fibromancy/Flesh Artisan) - a threefold mix of abilities that lets Peng emulate a fighting style akin to eastern martial arts, her fibromancy allowing her to manipulate threads and muscle fiber like an expert weaver. In addition her phantasmal conduit abilities allowing her to read the emotional flow of the chaotic battlefield like how a weatherman reads the weather forecast.

Appearance: Chronologically a woman in her late 70s, but physically appears to be in her late 20s after discovering the wonderful utility of Flesh Artisan abilities. Flesh Artisan abilities have kept her corruption suppressed to a bare minimum, the signs visible being the sheets of muscle fibers that drape about her body like an elegant set of robes and scarfs. That changes in combat however as she takes up a drastically alien form. Doesn't mind being nicknamed "Peggy" instead of her native name. Has a "Resting bitch face".

Behavior: A shrewd woman who isn't afraid to shamelessly make a fool of herself in order to survive and win the minds on the debating floor. Ironically, while a believer in strong institutions, Ching would rather advocate for humanity to remain in its current sparsely populous and anarchistic state, her optimism for rebuilding human civilization to its former glory greatly soured into a cynical stance by decades of experience seeing the dark side of statesmanship as well as the Crucible's advent.

Pre-Crucible life: Born in a rural province of China and having passed the government entrance exams, Peng Ching became a member of the Chinese communist government who rose through the ranks with her beauty and wit. But as her years of youth fade away and her government falls into turmoil under the new Secretary General's leadership, Peng Ching found her world crumbling into chaos before her eyes until the Crucible brought everything down to zero.

Crucible life: A daughter that has awoken early in the Crucible's lifespan and a former aspirant who dreamed of climbing the cord to receive "Heaven's Mandate" for her foolish dream of Imperial rule, her pride and ambition was toppled two-fold, one directly in a fight with Mara that left her in shameful retreat, the second by both West and Mara's decision to gatekeep the Cord's peak save for the rising star of the Defiant. Humbled and humiliated, she now spends her days awaiting the Defiant's inevitable Pilgrimage towards the Cord, in preparation to impress through oratory debate to convince the Defiant to ascend to godhood leave humanity to its ignoble fate. All the while debating and bickering with Emily Barton on political matters of rebuilding civilization as Emily's political opposition.

(Posting shortly, Everyone. Works been busy, so thank you for your patience.)

>>5129323
I like her a lot. Interesting power set, her personality sounds like it would make for some great debating with the party, and she's got a clear goal for the Cord. Nice stuff.

File: Dorian.jpg (297 KB, 658x1000)

297 KB JPG

>>5129143

Settling next to your fellow gentleman, you watch as the normally composed youth unwinds as he takes a seat beside you, quickly propping his feet up on the table and loosening the collar of his crimson shirt.

“What’ve you thought of this place?” He asks, and while you both know a reply’s not forthcoming, you appreciate how he always asks you how you’ve been. Dorian’s been rather transparent with you about how deliberate his affectations are. ‘A gentleman’, he once told you, ‘is one who seeks to ensure everyone around them is at ease through good manners and an attentive mind.’ He sounded like he was quoting, or maybe paraphrasing something, but you could tell that regardless of where he’d gotten the pithy phrase, it was a mantra he strove to live by.

“Me? Well, it’s a far cry from the Monastery. In nothing but good ways, I assure you.” He says, playing his part in your ‘conversation’. “The world could use less Monasteries and more…whatever this is.”

Dorian gestures at the four walls that surround you, soaking in the décor before continuing. “Just people being themselves, without the Cord looming over everything. I mean, it still is, but…you know what I mean, my good man.”

You make an affirmative buzz-purr as you relax against the artisan’s side, and after a few moments of silence Dorian begins to absent-mindedly pet you as he speaks to no one in particular.

“I miss her.” He breathes, no doubt in your mind as to who his longing refers to. “I’m so proud of her, but it hurts all the same. Part of me worries that she’ll grow into someone that doesn’t need me, but I don’t think I could blame her if she does. It’s…harder than I thought it would be. There’s still too much of Father’s anger in me, and too much of Mother’s people-pleasing nature. I’ve still got a ways to go, but I like to think I’m getting there. Slow and steady, eh friend?”

You purr again, and Dorian chuckles.

“We’ll win this race yet, Sir FuzzBuzz.” He assures you, and you can’t help but drift off a bit…until your Creator’s plan reaches your ears.

Light. Flame. Chaos.

When Merkabah falls, it’s at the hands of your family acting as one. Your fuzz is slightly singed from one too many close calls with the radioactive threat, but any wounds you’ve sustained are worth it to have kept Amara from suffering them. Your young ward sheathes her blade in the battle’s aftermath, the ivory weapon broken down and reabsorbed into its owner’s bare arm. Amara’s winded, but her boundless energy proves to be infectious as she scoops you up in her arms, and your prodigious fluff once again saves your shell from cracking under her alarming strength. As your Creator begins to check in with her brood and confident that Amara’s in good condition, you hover over to where Marco leans against the Metall Geschoss’ imposing turret.

(Continued)

>>5129361

“You kicked some serious ass out there, man.” Your friend commends as you come to rest atop the tank’s barrel. “Tearing through those zombies like a hot knife through butter—awesome. Horrifying, but awesome.”

“Oh, don’t be modest. I wasn’t able to take out nearly as many as you were.” You fire back, and Marco just taps the barrel.

“Apple and oranges, my friend. Tank’s a handicap—your claws are where it’s at” He chuckles, staring out at the blasted ruins of the town. “So, how’re you feeling?”

“…Better, actually.” You say, surprised by the honesty of your own statement.

“Not surprised.” Marcos muses, watching your brood start digging a hole in one corner of the field. “Heather said there’s a sort of clarity that can come in combat. Where everything just melts away, and it’s just you and the fight. Never felt it myself, but…”

“…no. No, I don’t think that’s it, actually.” You murmur, pondering your own clarity of mind.

“Something happen at the Ikea?” The other Construct asks, prompting a recap of recent events. Marco nods solemnly at your conclusion. “First off, I’d absolutely be down to hang with Rupert. Dude sounds like my kind of chill. Second, it sounds like you’re more focu-“

A pulse. A tremor.

A shudder through your heart, through your very being. You lock eyes with Marco, and you can tell he’s felt it, too. It happens again, and the two of you turn as one to its source—something held within the pit that your Creator’s dug, a thing that feels ancient yet brims with possibility.

It’s in that moment that you realize why the intrusions ceased, once you arrived here.

Voices, hushed in awe.

Marco stays put, rooting in place by the feeling as you take flight, hovering over to perch on Amara’s shoulders as she peers down at a fragment of something that defies description. You wonder if your creator feels it, too…that hushed reverence that hangs in the air. You turn to her, seeing the massive gemstone reflected in her wary gaze. That determination, that defiance that flares in the face of the unknown.

Maybe Marco was right—you feel more focused, more driven than before. Let doubt and fear come, but you know your place in this family. You'll fight, you'll comfort, and you'll keep Amara safe, no matter what.

And whatever this thing does, you’ll help your brood weather what's to come.

Your name is Sir FuzzBuzz, and you know who you are.

>>FUZZBUZZ INTERMISSION: CONCLUDED

(Thank you all for your patience, and voting shall remain open for the next six hours, with posting to resume tomorrow morning at 10AM, Eastern time. Work is picking up in intensity, but I may be able to post this weekend, depending on how my schedule shakes out. Would a few posts on Saturday suit everyone's schedules? Let me know, and I hope your day is going well.)

PLEASE SELECT YOUR NEXT CHARACTER

>>…Paloma, when the news of Madame Yurei’s death and her intriguing killer meets your ears.

>>…Yamato, adrift on a sea of churning acids and abyssal threats, set to encounter a surprisingly friendly face.

>>…Ziz, soaring the skies of the Crucible after your meeting with Shu and reflecting on your siblings, your Creator, and the Daughters far below.

>>…Mara, sitting atop the throne of the world that is, dreaming of the world that’s to come.

>>...Quincy Delapore, an Unnatural Predator on the run from an implacable clockwork soldier.

>>Write-In (Any playable Daughter, NPC, or fan-character is valid for this vote.)

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>5129323
(Oh, she is so blasted cool. love her entire concept, and she's perfectly indicative of the foes you'll be facing soon!)

>>5129367
>>…Yamato, adrift on a sea of churning acids and abyssal threats, set to encounter a surprisingly friendly face.

lets go meet a battleship. I feel like heading for the high seas.

>>5129370
Any comments on the Relics here?
>>5128539
>>5128575
>>5128778

Püersonally i really like the cactus. It reminds me of a Final Fantasy Cactuar or a Togemon from Digimon

>>5129378
(I'm writing up my thoughts in between assignments, and I'll be posting them shortly.)

>>5129361
>“What’ve you thought of this place?” He asks, and while you both know a reply’s not forthcoming, you appreciate how he always asks you how you’ve been. Dorian’s been rather transparent with you about how deliberate his affectations are. ‘A gentleman’, he once told you, ‘is one who seeks to ensure everyone around them is at ease through good manners and an attentive mind.’ He sounded like he was quoting, or maybe paraphrasing something, but you could tell that regardless of where he’d gotten the pithy phrase, it was a mantra he strove to live by.
Yeah, I always got the sense that Dorian's behavior was a very intentional performance. It makes sense. He came from wealth, with all those cultural expectations of gentility and class. But his father, at least in regards to his family, did not live up to that. So Dorian is consciously working to be everything his father wasn't, fulfill the expectation. There's also probably some influence from him being trans. He wasn't taught the cultural script for manhood growing up, so he's constructing his own one, and the source material he's chosen is Victorian novels. I just love it, that he's making an active decision about what sort of person he wants to be. It makes sense that he and Sir FuzzBuzz would get along.

>>5129363
>“You kicked some serious ass out there, man.” Your friend commends as you come to rest atop the tank’s barrel. “Tearing through those zombies like a hot knife through butter—awesome. Horrifying, but awesome.”
>“Oh, don’t be modest. I wasn’t able to take out nearly as many as you were.” You fire back, and Marco just taps the barrel.
>“Apple and oranges, my friend. Tank’s a handicap—your claws are where it’s at” He chuckles, staring out at the blasted ruins of the town. “So, how’re you feeling?”
I'm really liking Sir FuzzBuzz and Marco's interactions, too. It's a cute little friendship our party mascots have made. I want to check back in on this in a while and see how they've adapted to the Coolest Bee joining the group. Or what about that weird hollow-eyed homunculus we got Amara, what do they think about that thing?

>>5129367
Hmm. On the one hand, seeing the perspectives of people we know would be a good opportunity. On the other, Yamato and Quincy sound like they'd be really interesting. And also like they'd be a bit less heavy and more adventure-y, which could be a good middle step. We usually go for three perspectives in these interlude Veins, so I think I can afford voting for one of them. Quincy's sounds really interesting, but let's be honest: Monster Battleship Yamato 2189 just is going to be more fun. I'm only a man, I can't be expected to resist the siren song of crab battle.

>>…Yamato, adrift on a sea of churning acids and abyssal threats, set to encounter a surprisingly friendly face.

>>5129367
>>…Ziz, soaring the skies of the Crucible after your meeting with Shu and reflecting on your siblings, your Creator, and the Daughters far below.

>>5129367
vote;
>…Ziz, soaring the skies of the Crucible after your meeting with Shu and reflecting on your siblings, your Creator, and the Daughters far below.

and Saturday should work well enough for me.

>>5129367
Somehow I totally missed the question you asked. Saturday works fine for me, BHOP.

>>5129367
Mara please. That sounds neat. Either that or Ziz.

Saturday suits me OP.

>>5129378

>>Scoville's Cosmic Vengeance

(Oh, this is a good relic. I appreciate the sheer diversity of both effect and application, and the level of tactical possibilities really sets the mind going…it also reminds me of the Youtube interview show ‘Hot Ones’, which is another treat.)

>>Porccubus Prankster

(An excellent counter to various Pilferer’s Palm-type abilities, as well as what some other relics are capable of. Very clever design, and simple enough to be easily forged but with a game-changing impact if it can counter it intended targets.)

>>Universal Food Delivery App

(An absolutely unique relic, truly inspired. I chuckled at the flavor text, so well played on that. I feel like Tier 4 would be appropriate, given the versatility to the design.)

>>Spicyinator

(Oh, this is an intriguing one. Definitely a Tier 4, but I’m having difficulty wrapping my head around the applications, though that’s likely due to the day’s work.)

(Also, I know a Phineas and Ferb reference when I see one—well played.)

(Also, the coin flip settled on Ziz, this time—that said, I'm looking at making each intermission segment a bit shorter this time, so we should have time to touch on everyone's favorites.)

File: 94881354_p0_master1200.jpg (391 KB, 1200x849)

391 KB JPG

>>5130005
Speaking of Ziz, I told my friends the brief overarching synopsis and world setting of this quest.

They're calling you out on the Worm reference to the Ziz plot, which their reactions caught me by surprise as they were both amazed and horrified at the setting. I also have never read Worm Quest at all so the reference is mostly lost to me.

>>5130005
you don't have to sacrifice post length quality in favor of your time tables, the intermission thread is here for a reason.

>>5130035
(Ziz actually wasn't a Worm reference, despite my enjoyment of Worm, Pact, Twig, and the others. Pact and Twig are particularly near and dear to me heart, though it's been so long since I've read Worm that the possibility of a Worm reference escapes me, at least for now. I'm intrigued to see what your friend meant, though, and I'm glad they were interested by the Quest!)

(It's nice to know it reaches out even past this board, and more than that, I'm glad you're enjoying it.)

>>5130035
The name actually comes from Hebrew mythology. There are three great beasts created by God. Leviathan of the seas and Behemoth of the land have made it into the English lexicon as generic words for "big thing", but for some reason Ziz of the skies never did.

The creature in Worm called Ziz has a little bit of resemblance to our Titan buddy, but it's mostly superficial. That Ziz is an actively malevolent being that mind controls people to cause disasters, while our Ziz passively emits a Hunger aura as a defensive mechanism. Other than that, the only similarity is that they both have wings. Worm's Ziz isn't even that big, she's only like fifteen feet tall.

File: Spoiler Image (98 KB, 1339x823)

98 KB PNG

>>5130041
>>5130057
pic attached is a screenshot of the conversation when the dots connected in their heads. It was mildly amusing to see them panic. names are censored for formality's sake.

>>5130060
(Oh, the Simurgh! I remember now, I just forgot that 'Ziz' was used to refer to her. Loved her power set. There were so many bizarre and interesting abilities in that setting.)

>>5130063
I never really got the name "Simurgh", really. It's supposed to be what they first named her before she revealed herself to be an Endbringer and was renamed to fit the scheme, but her first appearance was in Switzerland. The Simurgh is from Persian myth. Also, it's a magic dog with wings. Who in Switzerland, a majority Catholic country, saw the many-winged humanoid singing a song of peace (well, what they thought was peace) and said "Let's not call her an angel, let's name her after a magic dog from Persia"?

>>5130001
>>Spicyinator

I was envisioning you used it on something like the Foulgas Grenade that forces Savingthrows then it would make the Saving Throws harder by one Level if two Foulgas Grenades have been combined and 1 level for each additional Grenade ooriginally provided. And the resulting effects would be boosted from affecting only 1 Movement Zone to bigger blast radius and longer duration.

or you could use it on the regeneration Mites and prolong their effect by one or two rounds depending on the balancing that is wanted.

File: Ziz, the Thunderbird, the(...).jpg (1.39 MB, 1621x1007)

1.39 MB JPG

You’re very still.

Waiting, ever so patiently.

The picture of stoicism.

The perfect…

The…

…you…

…

…oh, dang it!

You can barely sit still, and even as you try to stay calm you find yourself shuffling about on the mountain range that stretches the length of this domain. How can you sit still after the amazing day you’ve had?! It’s impossible! Only Leviathan could hope to keep their cool, and even then you’re pretty sure they were always just acting all calm and collected just to mess with Behemoth.

It didn’t help that it always worked.

Gah, but thinking about them just makes you want to get out and explore even more! Even when you were looking for why you all had been freed, you couldn’t get enough of all the new things to see and hear! You couldn’t truly take the time to appreciate it since you were all confused and stuff, but now? You’re free and the world’s just….just *out there*, waiting to be experienced!

But you need to stay here! You need to be vigilant. You need to be patient. You need to-

“Hey Ziz! You good?”

Calliope’s enhanced voice echoes between the peaks to reach you, and you turn to peer down at the diminutive figure. Leaning down to be closer to your friend, she winces as you thrust your beak closer to where she stands.

“Oh, fuck me.” She mutters, some of her followers scattering at your approach—no doubt they have important matters to attend to elsewhere. “Yo, uh…just wanted to check in. Saw you were agitated. Felt it, really.”

“Felt?...Oh! Oh no, was I making too much noise?!”

“No no, we’re…you’re good.” She assures you, nearly getting blown down when you heave a sigh of relief. That won’t do; she’s still recovering, after all. You make a point of breathing out of the heads furthest away from Calliope as she continues; “When you started shuffling around I thought something was up, so…is there?”

You explain that you want to stay here in case Shu needs you, and the small Daughter raises one eyebrow with an expression you don’t quite understand.

“Uh…pretty sure she meant for you to just curb the hunger field, not to twiddle your drumsticks in one place until she hits you up.” Calliope posits. “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you fly off and do your own thing.”

Oh…

…oh, this is so exciting!

You promised Shu you’d be good, and not hurt anyone, and you won’t! You can totally keep an ear out for Shu’s call from the air! Doing your own thing is just so new, you’re still getting used to it…

Where do you even start, when there’s so much to see?!

>>You saw the peaks of even taller mountains further north, and they were covered in white stuff that you really wanna taste!

>>Searching for Shu kept you fairly close to the center of this land, so you want to see what’s to the east!

>>The Cord—it’s always been on your periphery, but you’ve never seen it up-close! It’s so big!

>>Write-In

FLY, AND BE FREE

(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four.)

>>5130140
(Oh, that's really nasty. I like it!)

>>5130450
hah, Ziz does seem like the type to not fully understand things the first talk around. kinda endearing but also could cause some, er, 'hiccups' when we're talking about a giant massive bird monster.

vote;
>The Cord—it’s always been on your periphery, but you’ve never seen it up-close! It’s so big!

honestly im pretty indifferent to what to vote for here, so it came down to just not wanting the poor sap to eat dandruff, and the idea of giving all the combatants at the Cord a good scare seemed amusing.

>>5130450

>>The Cord—it’s always been on your periphery, but you’ve never seen it up-close! It’s so big!

Lets venture forth and find out what can be experienced near the cord. Maybe scare some people there and make sure they know that they are still nothing before the might of Ziz and its siblings.

And maybe we will meet someone we can talk to among the Amalgams around there. If any are still left.

>>5130450
>>You saw the peaks of even taller mountains further north, and they were covered in white stuff that you really wanna taste!

I really wanna see the Cord, but this feels more like something Ziz would pick to me.

>>5130450
>>You saw the peaks of even taller mountains further north, and they were covered in white stuff that you really wanna taste!
Huh. So Ziz didn't exit from the Cord? Did the Crucible extrude them from the fleshscape somewhere, then?

>>5130492
it would make sense. If other things prey on the crucible they would probably go for that place first. Having your first responders be caught in the initial blast would be a bit counter productive i would think.

If they were not assembled from scratch i would assume they had hidden Caches where they slept probably beneath the madness of the Cruciblebarrier that prevents people from going to deep into the caves.

(Hello Everyone - I'll have to push the update to around 5:00PM due to a bevy of work issues that've been dumped on my plate, so thank you for bearing with me, and I hope your day is going well!)

>>5130675
I'm sorry to hear your day is hectic, BHOP. I hope it calms down for you.

>>5130675
its fine, gotta do what you gotta do.

File: Calcite Cliffs.jpg (78 KB, 1000x667)

78 KB JPG

>>5130450

After a few agonizing minutes of indecision it’s your taste buds that finally win out, luring you to the northern peaks and their tantalizing treats. After Calliope scurries for cover you stretch your seven wings skyward, pushing off from the cliffs as you begin to follow the jagged range to its promised spoils.

You realize you’d almost forgotten this sensation; the rush of wind, the air of a planet holding you aloft as you soar high above its surface…how long has it been since you last felt this free?

It’s then that a thought tickles at the corners of memory, a teased recollection that takes greater shape with every pump of your wings and twitch of your pin feathers. Across countless iterations it comes to you once more—a race with your siblings, on a planet now long dead.

A threat to the Crucible had manifested from beyond the stars—a thing whose appearance made no sense to the senses granted you. But still, when you, Behemoth, and Leviathan were loosed you were all within sight of one another…and so, you rushed to address the threat head-on. You’re not sure when it occurred to you that you were racing one another. Maybe it was when Behemoth’s bulky form tore through a mountain that he could have simply ordered aside, or how Leviathan kept bursting in and out of the ground, their tunneling marked with an urgency that felt more personal than business. Your form, back then…the air was a thick, so the body you were granted was far more technical than the one you’re piloting now. Jets of flame and fury carried you to the battle’s edge, but the spirit of competition carried you faster than duty’s call. It felt in that moment like an echo of a happiness you could just barely recall.

You won.

You wish you hadn’t.

Behemoth was angry. Leviathan was quiet. You’re not sure which was worse, after you three emerged victorious against your common foe.

You shake off the bad taste the recollection leaves in your mouth, intent to replace it with a pale treat as the white-capped mountains come into view. You land a little ways away from the peaks, careful not to disturb the substance with your fervent wingbeats as you tuck them close and stalk towards your target. The gnarled cliffs would make for difficult passage for any Daughter, but the sheer size of your vessel lets you take ginger steps, each one drawing you ever-nearer to this culinary mystery. Peering at it up close, it appears as you suspected—a fine collection of flakes that’ve gathered both on and around the peaks, with the spaces between collecting great heaps of the stuff. Hmm…no smell, and a tentative flick of your tongues at the surrounding air doesn’t give you enough to really get a sense for what it tastes like, so you scoop up a great mouthful of it and let the taste flood over your senses.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

(Continued)

>>5130863

…

This…

…this is AMAZING.

It’s so salty, but crunchy, too! Like flakes of bone, but with none of the blandness! And it’s still falling! Just raining down from the skies above like a delectable bounty!

This is truly the best day!

You practically start wallowing in the stuff, scooping more into each mouth when one swallows, keeping the delicious taste ever-present on your tongues as you play in one of the largest piles of the stuff…but as you’re staring up, watching it rain down in great big sheets from high overhead, you’re suddenly struck by a thought…

Where’s it all coming from?

Intrigued, you slither out of the pile and scamper a safe distance from it before taking flight once more, soaring up to find the source of the cascade. The air thins the higher you go, but you’re finally able to pierce through the scarlet haze and glimpse the thin barrier that’s encased Shu’s world. It’s a red sheet that stretches further than even your vision allows, pulsing with red miles of winding veins that stretch out from the Cord. The crimson shroud’s a uniform thing, save for what you quickly determine to be the source of the delectable bounty below.

A legion of silver spiders scuttle over a singularly massive patch of the Crucible’s shroud, the skin there flaking off in great sheets that crumble to dust as they fall back to the planet’s surface. You fly closer, the shiny things paying you no mind as they busy themselves with poking the shroud at regular intervals, following the orders of some unseen Hive Mistress, you’d assume…though they look more metallic than you’d expect, so maybe they’re relic-based?

You’re wondering if you should tell Shu about it (although you think she probably already knows, since she’s super-smart and nice) when you feel the feathers on the back of your necks stand at attention, the inimitable feeling of being watched washing over you. Flying in place, you survey the area for any sign on who could possibly reach you this high up—opening your mouth, a thousand beaks issue a thousand calls, the fine-tuned echolocation illustrating your observer.

A bit larger than your average Daughter, your admirer hides in the clouds below, their body obscured by the blood-tinged mist. You don’t want to spook them…they may be the person who these spidery-things belong to, or maybe they just followed you up here ‘cause they think you’re cool?

>>Regardless of the heights whoever’s watching you is capable of, you know you’ve got them beat in speed. Find them, rush, them down, and maybe make a new friend!

>>Let the figure be, and instead follow the veins to their source—the Cord. You’ve been curious, so there’s no time like the present to check it out!

>>Maybe the observer will follow you! Go ahead and explore to the east of here and see if they tail you on your exploratory venture.

>>Write-In

FLY, AND BE FREE

(Voting shall remain open for the next six hours, with posting to resume tomorrow afternoon at 12PM, Eastern time. I’ll likely keep it to two or three updates tomorrow at most, but it should be enough to make up for the day’s interruptions. I hope you have a restful evening, and take care.)

>>5130866
Sounds like the Disassociated are making some weak points for them to bust through. Perforate the membrane without drawing the full immune system response that making the actual hole would, lower the energy requirements for penetrating it on their way out. And, as a side effect, they make delicious dandruff flakes for our bird pal. Mmm, dandruff.

>>Maybe the observer will follow you! Go ahead and explore to the east of here and see if they tail you on your exploratory venture.
>>Write-In
>If we notice them following, add in a bunch of loops and rolls to our flight, see if that gets them more interested in us.

I think Ziz is smart enough to recognize "wait, Shu told me that I was scaring people with how big I was, rushing the new friend will just make them think I'm an enemy". Let's lead them on a chase, see if they want to play.

>>5130873
Thanks for running, BHOP. See you tomorrow, and I hope you have a good evening.

>>5130866
>>Regardless of the heights whoever’s watching you is capable of, you know you’ve got them beat in speed. Find them, rush, them down, and maybe make a new friend!

Yay, a new friend! Maybe if we wave at her, she will know we mean no harm, right?

>>5130866
vote;
>Give a friendly wave to the daughter, then Go ahead and explore to the east of here and see if they tail you on your exploratory venture.

also the idea leviathan can go through the ground makes sense, but is still terrifying.

>>5130990
I'm imagining them as basically Shai Hulud. Big benthic worm monster swimming through the ground. Which, if so, would make Gina even more appropriate as a potential resonator with Leviathan. As a DJ, she can walk with rhythm and thereby attract the worm.

Okay, fine, that joke was dumb. But in seriousness, Leviathan doing ground-swimming is a point of similarity to Gina. So there's a connection there.

(Updating shortly, Everyone. Weekend started a little rocky, but I'm getting back on track.)

File: Calcite Hills.jpg (321 KB, 1920x925)

321 KB JPG

>>5130866

Maybe the observer will follow you! Hoping that this is the making of a friend, you opt to go ahead and explore to the east of here and see if they follow you on your exploratory venture.Leaving the weird spidery things to whatever it is that they’re doing (not just because you like the tasty treats their work produces, not at all), you open your wings and sail eastward. A few minutes into your journey a handful of cursory clicks and chirps inform you that you’re still being followed. Your pursuer’s a shy one, keeping to the mists below you, and just out of sight…so you decide to put on a show. Sprinkling a few extravagant loops and rolls into your routine just to spice things up, you’re delighted when another ping of your echolocation reveals that your tagalong is following suit, tentatively trying to mirror your flourishes. You’d probably be able to delight a bit more in your potential friend’s mirroring of you if what your eastward advance revealed didn’t cause your stomachs to drop.

As the misty scarlet shroud below you thins out, it rolls back to reveal great gouges scoured into the fleshscape, bleeding trenches in the skin of the earth juxtaposed with shattered bones and gaping wounds everywhere you can see. You haven’t seen him since the three of you woke up, but there’s no doubt in your mind—this is Behemoth's handiwork, and he’s angry.

No matter the Crucible, his powers allow him mastery over terrain. At a thought, mountains move aside for him. At a whim, the path before him is clear…so for him to have ravaged miles of terrain like this in pursuit of what you yourself were searching for? Something’s bothering him, and you can’t help but wonder if Leviathan’s scouring the seas in a similar funk.

Another ping tells you that your follower’s still hanging back, careful not to let themself be seen…you have to admit you’re a little frustrated, but you can understand to some extent. They’re barely larger than the tip of your smallest talon…but you made a promise that you wouldn’t hurt anybody, and it’s one you’ll keep no matter what. You’re *sorely* tempted to just swoop up and say hello, but you want to respect the person’s privacy…you keep telling yourself.

(Continued)

>>5132370

Trying to put the thought of a bold introduction out of your mind, you continue past the aftermath of Behemoth’s tantrum, past another range of mountains and over the ruins of some kind of town, or maybe it’s a city? A berg? You could never get the distinction between those two quite right, something Leviathan always made fun of you for…among other things. You could never quite tell what they were thinking, and on the rare occasions when you and they were active at the same time, they’d talk at length about the scenery, the weather, and everything else that piqued their curiosity. You wonder if Levy’s gotten the chance to come this far inland, or if they’re making laps around the continent looking for…huh?

There’s a long line of figures far below, making their way across the difficult terrain well past the city and the alabaster forest just beyond it. It’s a procession of Daughters, from the looks of it…hundred of them, at that. Scanning the line you make note of their destination—the ruins of a small town, with hundreds more filling its decimated streets.

You’re high up enough to where no-one seems to have spotted you, and a quick scope of the land shows a distant…town…no, no you’re pretty sure that’s a city. It’s got towers and stuff, so that’s definitely a city, going off of what Levy told you.

…or is it a berg?

Gah, whatever it is, it’s giving you a weird vibe. Not bad necessarily, but…there’s something about it that feels like it’s pulling you in.

>>Swoop a little closer to the Daughters far below and introduce yourself! Maybe if you make a good first impression, the one that’s following you will stop being so shy…

>>Approach the city, and try to get to the bottom of what’s drawing you in…you’ve only felt like this way around…

>>Write-In

FLY, AND BE FREE

(Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, with posting to resume in three. I do hope your weekend is going well, one and all!)

>>5132372

>>Swoop a little closer to the Daughters far below and introduce yourself! Maybe if you make a good first impression, the one that’s following you will stop being so shy…

lets see if there is someone nice around here or if we have to teach them a lesson.

>>5132370
Oh dear. We need to find Behemoth and get him to chill out.

>>5132372
That's ominous. Yeah, let's ask what the hundreds of Daughters coming to this town are doing. And after that, investigate the city, which if I'm reading the landmarks right should be Kosi's old city where Orwell has set up. Is the Panopticon doing something funky?

>>Swoop a little closer to the Daughters far below and introduce yourself! Maybe if you make a good first impression, the one that’s following you will stop being so shy…
>>Write-In
>Signal to the people below, first, though. Just shout a little warning that you're coming in closer, and to please not be frightened by how big you are. You're not attacking, just saying hello, you promise.
>Stay as far back as we can while still being able to hear their replies. You remember how Calliope thought you were too loud.

>>5132372
>>5132450
ill support this sure.

File: The Tick of the Clock.jpg (607 KB, 1280x1774)

607 KB JPG

>>5132372

Eh, the creepy town-city-berg can wait, ‘cause there’s no way it’ll be more interesting than all those Daughters down there! Though…you should probably give them some kind of signal before you go dive-bombing them, just to let them know you mean well.

“He-Hello everyone!” You say, announcing your presence from almost half a mile up, hoping that you’ve given the people below enough distance to not be too terribly spooked. A handful scatter, but the majority of Daughters hold their ground as you begin your slow, tentative descent. “I mean you no harm, I just wanted to…say hello! Wh-which I already did, so…hello!”

There’s no reply for a long moment, and you’re afraid that they’re too scared to move before you realize a flock of birds are making their way to you, their Mistress addressing you through birdsong that harmonizes into a her reply.

“Salutations to one of the Three Endbringers!” A declares a shrill voice, though you’re not sure if it’s by default or the alarming number of seagulls that make up the majority of her swarm. “What brings your visitation upon our humble procession?”

“Oh, um…I just want to say ‘hey’!” You reply, at a loss for what exactly to say…though judging by the chorus of ‘hello!’s and ‘hey!’s you receive from the line below, you’re not doing too bad!

“It is our honor to receive a messenger blessed with contact with our Savior so recently!” The hive Mistress addressing you continues. “Tell us, how fares She?”

“She…you mean Shu!” You realize, another chorus of cheers sounding at the mention of your friend’s name. “She’s great! She’s so amazing and nice! Are you friends of hers, too?”

“If only our sisterhood was so blessed!” The flock replies in song. “We have been on a pilgrimage to the site of her birth, where we now await our turn to visit where her chrysalis once harbored our Savior’s sleeping form!”

“...uh…neat!” You say, not sure how to reply to that, but happy that they seem pleased, nonetheless.

“Have you and the Wayward Proxy come to meditate upon her origin, as well?” The Hive Mistress prompts.

“Proxy?” You echo, and the swarm of avian figures loop, gesturing behind you. You turn skyward, where the air’s thinned enough to reveal the figure of the one who’s been following you—a sharply-angled shape hovering near the clouds, its metallic exterior reflecting the raw scarlet of the fleshscape far below.

“Would you like to join us in meditation, Endbringer?” The flock asks.

>>Sure! You’d love to check it out, and these people seem really nice, too!

>>Um…you’re not really feeling whatever all this is, so maybe now would be a good time to check out that city further north?

>>You’ll politely decline, and head back west to take a look at the Cord…you don’t want to stray too far from where you last saw Shu, after all. What if she needs you?


>>Write-In

FLY, AND BE FREE

(Voting shall remain open for the next six hours, with posting to resume on Tuesday, January 25th at 10AM Eastern time. Thank you for your time, patience, and participation, and know that I wish you a very restful weekend. Take care, Everyone.)

>>5132876
vote;
>Sure! You’d love to check it out, and these people seem really nice, too!
>invite this 'proxy' to join too!

on this episode of 'oh my god the earths now a pimple', we indoctrinate a mountain sized child into a cult!

>>5132876
Oh, no. I was really hoping it wasn't a pilgrimage for us. Guys, come on, we already had this conversation. Wait, does that mean we've caused a religious schism? One group that believes in our divinity, another that just thinks we're an inspiration? Shit.

>“Proxy?” You echo, and the swarm of avian figures loop, gesturing behind you. You turn skyward, where the air’s thinned enough to reveal the figure of the one who’s been following you—a sharply-angled shape hovering near the clouds, its metallic exterior reflecting the raw scarlet of the fleshscape far below.
Oh, it's Snowbird. I thought it was an overseer of the Dissociated's work, but it was her. That was why she was so eager to do loop de loops with us. Aww. I want her and Ziz to be friends. She doesn't do well with crowds, though, I doubt she'd want to join in with the pilgrimage.

>>Write-In
>"Maybe? I'm not sure what you're actually asking me to do. Could you explain, please?"

>>5132876
......this religion is getting out of hand.

>>5133416
Yeah, it's tricky. I don't want Ziz to accidentally encourage them. It sounds like they've already constructed a theology around the Titans and their relationship to Shu, so we've got to be careful here. I think Ziz shouldn't agree to anything until given more information.

File: 1641253010448.jpg (302 KB, 1414x2000)

302 KB JPG

>>5133431
>inb4 we find a Lorgar-expy preaching to the crowd.

>>5133431
>>5133178
the problem here is you're thinking too much like us and Shu, not Ziz. Ziz really isnt, ah, well the type to cautious here too much, least not at all in the way you're saying to be.

>>5132876
>Um…you’re not really feeling whatever all this is, so maybe now would be a good time to check out that city further north?
>at least ask for an explanation as to what exactly they're doing.

>>5133451
True, there's some OOC reasoning there. But I do think Ziz would want to know what the thing they're being asked to do is before agreeing. That does seem in character to at least want to make sure they're not going to do something bad or just boring. Let me rephrase it. How does this look?

>>5132876
Rephrasing my vote >>5133178 ti

>>Write-In
>"Um, I'm not really sure what you're asking? Does it involve sitting still? I'm not really good at that."

>>5133460
yeah that's at least much more in line with how he would put it.

>>5132876
amending my vote >>5133452

to support >>5133460

>>5133460
Also, just to be clear, I'm not super into the idea of sitting down to meditate on how awesome Shu is. That sounds less interesting to me than going to investigate the weird city. But I do think we should be polite and at least here these people out on what they're doing, before we decline. Ziz is a polite doom-bird.

>>5133602
eh, i disagree, as Ziz getting to make a ton of new friends sounds extremely fun for him.
plus, as awkward as it was i wouldn't call the cult boring when Shu visited... though, admittedly probably not for the right reasons.

wait, is this the same cult? im actually questioning if it is. if it was, then two very prominent non human members you think would've been the first to approach us.

>>5134122
I'm pretty sure it's not. The other cult was way west of here, they might have wandered back this way but they're approaching from the east so I think it's a different one. Plus, as you said, you'd think Charon or the Tindalos Hounds would react to Ziz showing up. They're a different group.

That's why I'm wary of these people. Between one cult that should be seeing us a secular inspiration, and one cult that apparently thinks of us as a potential divinity, we've got the makings of a religious schism on our hands. This could go really bad.

>>5134275
Shus work is never done.
3 post games and a post game movie might still not be enough to clean up her plate.

File: Snowbird, the Living Reli(...).jpg (419 KB, 1092x1920)

419 KB JPG

>>5132876

“Um, I’m not really sure what you’re asking?” You admit, glancing along the long line of pilgrims below. “Does it involve sitting still? I’m not really good at that.”

“It…it kind of does, yes.” The Hive Mistress admits with no small measure of reluctance. “B-but we won’t be quiet! We’ll be reflecting on our Savior’s greatness, and some of us will be singing songs of praise!”

“Oh…okay.” You hesitate, before adding. “Did…did Shu ask you to do that?”

“…No, but our Savior deserves praise of the highest caliber!” The flocks’ leader hastily replies. “Do you not think our efforts to honor Shu’s journey would please her greatly?”

“I ‘dunno about that…” You muse, adding excitedly “…but you could ask her yourself!”

“…huh?”

“You could just ask Shu if she’s happy with that.” You clarify, the Hive Mistress’s confusion clear in the stuttering of her flock of constructs. “I’m sure she’d be happy to talk, and then you could hear what she thinks about your songs and stuff!”

“We…we couldn’t possibly impose upon our Savior’s journey.” She replies, the line below pausing to listen to your booming conversation. “Our task at hand is offering up our words and thoughts to her, not distracting the Savior from her mission!”

“Okay, well…if you’re sure that’s what she wants, then…have fun!” You say, a few quick pumps of your wings carrying you skyward once more. You feel kind of bad about not taking them up on their offer…but you have to admit that it sounded really, *really* bor-

“Are you looking for something?”

You’re a bit startled at the cold voice that pierces down from overhead, but when you turn to face the speaker you’re delighted by what you find—your up-til-now silent observer, finally announcing their presence.

“OH! Hello there! I was just exploring a bit, stretching my wings!” You reply, excited by your observer finally warming up to you. “Are you? Looking for something, I mean?”

“…Yes.” The Daughter replies after a few moments of hesitation. ‘An…associate had a laboratory close by. I was searching for it”

“It’s neat how we ended up in the same place, huh?” You say, offering them the chance to address the fact they were following you.


“You and I simply traveled in similar directions.” They respond dispassionately. “That is all.”

“Oh, cool! Um…I’m Ziz, by the way.” You continue, a little embarrassed at how you sound with how calm and collected the other party is. “Wh-what’s your name?

A beat, and then…

“Snowbird.” The figure replies, as though they were going to say something else, then thought better of it. “You said you’re exploring. What is your next destination?”

>>Start heading east, towards your perch.

>>Explore the city to the north, and the weird vibe you got from it.

>>Offer to help Snowbird find the lab.

>>Write-In

FLY, AND BE FREE

(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four. I do hope you had a pleasant weekend, One and All.)

>>5137681
>>Offer to help Snowbird find the lab.
>>"Well I am already exploring. If you need help why not? It could be exciting."

>>5137681
>>Write-In
>"I was going to check out that berg to the north. It feels weird. Maybe the lab you're looking for is there?"
>"Or we could look somewhere else if you want, I'm open for anything so long as I'm moving."

>>5137681
>>5137764
ill support this sure.

File: Shattered Form, Piercing (...).jpg (1.08 MB, 1920x2688)

1.08 MB JPG

>>5137681

“I was going to check out that berg to the north, since it feels really weird.” You begin, and you suddenly feel the Daughter’s posture sharpen.

“In what way?” Snowbird demands, their voice cold, yet not cruel.

“Oh, uh…” You stammer, taken aback by their abruptness. “…just that I felt really drawn to it, I guess? Like something about it was pulling me in.”

“Have you felt that before?” Snowbird presses.

You search for an answer, finding only the echo of a sensation that’s been scratching at the corners of your memory ever since you came to this area.

“Not really…but we could look somewhere else, if you want! I’m already exploring, and I’m open for anything as long as I’m moving!”

The metallic Daughter is silent for a moment, and then-

“Lab first. Then city.”

You oblige Snowbird’s decision as their angular form darts overhead towards their target, and you follow in pursuit. It’s not long before their angular form pauses mid-air and begins a rapid descent, with you making your own landing just in time to marvel as Snowbird’s from changes completely, shifting from their aerial form into something more akin to a human, though still retaining their sharp asymmetry. You glance around, wondering what distinguished this particular field of angry red flesh from the miles of identically rolling plains that surround it, and you lean in close to whisper to your new friend.

“What’re we looking for, exactly?” You ask, and to your surprise it’s Snowbird who jolts, this time.

“…do I not scare you?” They ask after a moment of just staring at you, eyes hidden beneath their darkened helm.

“Um…no?” You admit, then add; “*Should* I be scared?”

“…No. No, you shouldn’t.” Snowbird replies, an odd lilt in their tone.

“Okay, good! ‘Cause from the first moment I saw you, I thought you were friend-shaped!”

A beat.

“Friend…shaped?”

“Yep! Friend-shaped!” You repeat, just in case they didn’t hear you the first time for some reason.

“…I see. Good.” The metallic figure replies with a solemn nod. “I was beginning to fear that I was shaped more like a threat. Few dare approach me.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“My creator…Prime…used my abilities to destroy things. Places. People. ” Snowbird explains, hands morphing into blades as they begin tearing into the ground at their feet. “I was not always like this. I was re-forged into a body built to destroy. I was made to forget things. I want to know why.”

“Okay, so…what can I do to help?”

“Can you dig?”

You look down at your talons, each longer than Snowbird’s entire frame. You’re no Behemoth, but…

“If it’ll help you, then I certainly can.”

(Continued)

>>5137897

It only takes a handful of tentative rakes with your claws to unearth the remains of some sort of short, squat tower, and the more you scrape away the more you uncover a fairly large complex. Snowbird’s smaller stature lets them tear away at the flesh that’s reclaimed the interior of the little watchtower, and you almost have to lie flat to watch your new friend carve a path into what you assume to be the laboratory they’ve been searching for.

Hinging open their chest, you watch as a deep orange light spills forth, with some sort of relic materializing in Snowbird’s waiting hands. Resembling a wishbone, the Daughter holds it outstretched for a moment before it appears to tug its owners arm sharply to the left and towards a wall of bleeding skin, stretched taut over some kind of boxy shape. The bone dissolves as Snowbird tears into the flesh with both hands, working to pry open the shape and retrieve what’s inside. You can feel the crackling of Neuromancy, the emotional flares of Phantasmal protections that glance off the Daughter’s determined form…and when their gauntlet’s withdrawn it’s with a leather-bound notebook clutched in Snowbird’s steely grasp.

“What’s that?” You ask as Snowbird crushes the latch, bone shards erupting and cracking against it’s destroyer’s unfeeling hands, trying to protect whatever’s inside.

“Research notes. Every Proxy catalogues their specific assignments for Prime in the event of their destruction.” Snowbird replies brusquely, losing you immediately with half the proper nouns of their sentence as they quickly shuffle through the notes, helm quickly tilting to scan each page. “But now that Prime’s begun her ascent up the Cord, she had no more use for these simple assignments. It seems this Proxy was investigating something in the nearby city, but the notes are…sporadic. The Proxy may have been corrupted or damaged in some way. The cause is unclear.”

“Okay, so…are you looking for this ‘Prime’ person?” You clarify. “And she’s at the Cord?”

“Yes.”

“…I could take you to the Cord, y’know.” You offer, pausing when Snowbird stiffens before you add. “I dunno if you could get inside, but it’s worth a shot!”

Your friend’s quiet for a long moment, and putting your worries aside that you’ve upset them somehow, you quietly ask; “Um…I don’t mean to intrude, but I just want to help.”

“I…” The metallic Daughter hesitates. “…Thank you. I have not felt…right…as of late. It is difficult to understand what is happening. There are many things I want, but they’ve all come together into a single focal point. I need to stay on task.”

“So…what is your task, exactly?”

“I want answers.” Snowbird replies, coldly. “I do not care how I get them.”

>>Go to the city to the north…maybe Snowbird will find answers there.

>>Take Snowbird to the Cord, or as close as you can get.

>>Write-In

FLY, AND BE FREE

(Voting shall remain open for the next two hours, with posting to resume in three.)

>>5137898
vote;
>Go to the city to the north…maybe Snowbird will find answers there.

I dont think Ziz would know its potentially a bad idea to take her to the Cord, but the city is like, right next door so its easy to justify regardless visiting it first if nothing else. not like the Cords going anywhere anyways.

>>5137897
>“…do I not scare you?” They ask after a moment of just staring at you, eyes hidden beneath their darkened helm.
>“Um…no?” You admit, then add; “*Should* I be scared?”
>“…No. No, you shouldn’t.” Snowbird replies, an odd lilt in their tone.
Wow, that's actually kind of sad, that Snowbird is so used to being feared that she doesn't understand why a giant doom-monster that fights interstellar predators wouldn't be scared of her. In other characters that could come off as arrogance, but here it just makes me want to give her a hug. She's just so confused by it. Even Shu and Francine were afraid of her, despite wanting to help her. This is the first time someone has just been completely open and relaxed in her presence.

>>5137898
>>Go to the city to the north…maybe Snowbird will find answers there.
Let's visit the nearby stuff first, and then if it holds no answers we can try the Cord.

File: Francine West, Cracked.png (603 KB, 1280x1024)

603 KB PNG

>>5137898

“…What if we check out the city?” You offer, sensing the indecision that runs through their resolve. “Maybe you’ll find out more stuff about that Prime person. Or the Proxy.”

“Proxies…” Your friend corrects you, though it comes across more as an afterthought. “…and yes. This seems like the most direct course of action.”

Snowbird turns to you, continuing to explain as you lie down on the surprisingly comfortable fleshscape. “Each Proxy had a line of study, distinct to them. The one who ran this lab helped Prime with system and hardware updates to my frame some time ago. The more I understand my creation, the more I understand my creator.”

“…It sounds like you were special to her. To Prime, I mean.” You say, hoping to find some common ground with this curious Daughter.

“I thought I was…but she left for the Cord without me.” Snowbird says, snapping the book shut before sharply rounding on you…though their words carry a gentleness quite at odd with the posture of their owner. “What of your creator? Can Mother still speak to you in her weakened state?”

“Oh, Mother didn’t create us. She’s just an Administrator.” You reply, your turn to offer a gentle correction. “My siblings and I were made by the Crucible’s creator, and…”

“…yes?” Snowbird prompts when you trail off.

“…I’m…not sure how special we were, actually.” You finally admit, your heart sinking. “I mean…he said he loved us, so why aren’t we still with him? I’m not even the original, actually…there’s a bunch of copies of me, one for every strain of Crucible out there. So is the ‘me’ he said he loved even…me, anymore? Does that make any sense?”

“Proxies are numerous. I am but one of many. All of us, easily replaced…so Prime said.” Snowbird says, staring down at the notebook, still clutched in one hand. “So…yes. It makes sense.”

You rise slowly, casting a glance out towards the city as you try and shake the cloying doubts that’re creeping into your mind.

“C’mon, friend, let’s go! Can’t sit thinking if the best thing is moving!” You declare, pointing all seven of your beaks towards the ruined spires in the distance. Snowbird’s about to follow before hesitating, turning to cast a glance back towards the laboratory’s shadowed door. “What’s up?”

“…You know Shu.” Snowbird announces. “There are Relics the Proxy stored here. Useless to me, but of use to her. Could you take them to her, when you see her next?”

(Continued)

>>5138116

You’re so pleasantly surprised that you can barely nod your assent, watching as Snowbird ducks back in to the lab to retrieve the vault’s remaining contents. Upon Snowbird’s return you offer up a seat on your back, and you’re even more surprised when (after a momentary hesitation) it’s an offer you’re taken up on. Three pumps of your wings lifts you and Snowbird skyward…and as tempted as you are to gush about Shu something about those pilgrims put you off from talking about her too much, and you instead content yourself on just saying how nice it is that you have a friend in common.

“…Shu is friend-shaped.”

“Huh!?” You say at the third surprise in as many minutes.

“Something about her puts me at ease.” Snowbird says, almost defensively. “I thought that is what ‘friend-shaped’ meant?”

“Oh, it is! It totally is!” You nod In agreement, your vehemence forcing your rider to double-down on their grip. “And I agree!”

“Be-…Francine is, too.” Your guest adds, reluctantly. “She is not like other Proxies. She has become something different, I think.”

“Something good?” You ask.

“…yes.” Snowbird nods, echoing your words. “Something good.”

You’re about to reply when a pulse of raw emotion lances through your heart, nearly knocking the breath out of you. You’re soaring, excitement and brightness and pure, undiluted *hope* surging through you all at once, right next to your heart and thousands of miles away. It doesn’t make any sense, but when a second wave comes, as if in answer—a sudden fear, the twisting knife of doubt needling into the joy that leaves just as quickly as it came. But this new, second wave…it’s not far away, at all.

Because it’s coming from the city.

The first tremor and its aftershock…you’ve felt them before. Hope in one hand, the one that held you tight. The one that cradled your primordial form as He told you how proud He was of you, how important it was for you to do what needed to be done. How you’d be there, when hope sprung true.

In the other hand—it was trembling, holding on to the fear that all this, everything...was for naught.

That you and the others would die.

That untold numbers of innocent lives would be lost, forever.

That hope would die on the Crucible’s vine.

You land roughly just outside the city’s edge, and Snowbird’s fretfully demanding your status as all seven of your mouths struggle for the breath that was robbed from them.

“Snowbird?” You breathe, staring into the labyrinth of crooked red spires and darkened streets. “I think I know what that Proxy found.”

>>ZIZ INTERMISSION: CONCLUDED

(Voting shall remain open for the next six hours, with posting to resume tomorrow at roughly 12PM, Eastern time. I’ve got to run some errands for work along with one or two personal items to deal with, so if it ends up being delayed then I’ll let you know as soon as I do. Thank you all for your patience and participation, and I wish you a restful evening.)

PLEASE SELECT YOUR NEXT CHARACTER

>>…Paloma, when the news of Madame Yurei’s death and her intriguing killer meets your ears.

>>…Yamato, adrift on a sea of churning acids and abyssal threats, set to encounter a surprisingly friendly face.

>>…Mara, sitting atop the throne of the world that is, dreaming of the world that’s to come.

>>...Quincy Delapore, an Unnatural Predator on the run from an implacable clockwork soldier.

>>Write-In (Any playable Daughter, NPC, or fan-character is valid for this vote.)

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>5138119
>…Yamato, adrift on a sea of churning acids and abyssal threats, set to encounter a surprisingly friendly face.

I'm so close to finishing an Omake featuring the Scarlet Sage. I'll post it soon when I can get the dialogue strings linked together.

And this is lovely, seeing Snowbird have a common ground with Ziz.

And uh-oh. The City's vibes are giving me that same sort of vibes as Shu discovering the monolith-sized fragment in the village ruins Merkabah was guarding.

>>5138116
>“…I’m…not sure how special we were, actually.” You finally admit, your heart sinking. “I mean…he said he loved us, so why aren’t we still with him? I’m not even the original, actually…there’s a bunch of copies of me, one for every strain of Crucible out there. So is the ‘me’ he said he loved even…me, anymore? Does that make any sense?”
Aww, Ziz, don't get existential worries. Your dad probably still loves you, even with you being multiply-instantiated. He's multiply-distributed, I'm sure he's looking over this version of you with pride. And even if he isn't, we'll love you, you adorable giant bird-monster.

>“…You know Shu.” Snowbird announces. “There are Relics the Proxy stored here. Useless to me, but of use to her. Could you take them to her, when you see her next?”
Thanks, Snowbird. I appreciate it.

>>5138118
>“Snowbird?” You breathe, staring into the labyrinth of crooked red spires and darkened streets. “I think I know what that Proxy found.”
Oh, cool, one of the Proxies found the end of all things. Well, that's going to be...fun to find out what it is.

>>5138119
>>…Yamato, adrift on a sea of churning acids and abyssal threats, set to encounter a surprisingly friendly face.
I just can't resist. She's a giant battleship-crab. And it would be fun to see what's going on far away from our part of the Crucible.

>>5138118
well, that all doesn't sound very good.

>>5138119
vote;
>…Paloma, when the news of Madame Yurei’s death and her intriguing killer meets your ears.

File: Sathriel and her entourage.jpg (4.97 MB, 6550x2941)

4.97 MB JPG

This took quite longer than I had anticipated. But as a change of pace I'm posting this omake on the vein itself instead of relegating it onto another website. So with that preamble out of the way, I present to you:

FAITH AND PHILOSOPHY

>As there are those who seek to reach Heaven
>There are those who have been cast down.
>A sage is one who has walked both paths
>And teaches the wisdom found in each tribulation.
>Through violence, death, or discussion
>the Sage's wisdom will be imparted to all students regardless.
- A soliloquy by Peng Ching, the Scarlet Sage

Peng sipped her tea. The beverage was hot and enjoyable.

"How's the tea?"

Peng looked up to gaze at her host with a smile. Sathriel was always a sparkling conversationalist, much like Peng herself, albeit with her own eccentricities. Due to an unfortunate side-effect of her Vitrvian-core, Sathriel had a rather warped sense of Justice, and thus tended to mete out 'justice' at the slightest involvement of violence if it included her involvement. Coupled with her entourage of formally dressed constructs, and the Obsidian Arbiter gives out an intimidating presence. Peng was fortunate that she knew Sathriel beforehand, a sharp young woman who had a promising career as a law attorney in the prosecution department. But Peng knew Sathriel had her soft side and the fact that she managed to retain it was comfort enough for the Sage.

"Lovely as always Sathriel." replied Peng.

"It's not often that I hear a direct message from you. Asking me to come over for tea at a location like this."

The two women sat in a valley between hilly mountains of muscle and bone. A remote location to the inexperienced traveler, but for Sathriel and Peng, they knew it is a path well traveled by many wanderers of the Crucible, Amalgam and Daughter alike.

"So, what are you planning?" asked Sathriel

"You wound me. I call you up for tea and a civil discussion and this is the courtesy you give me? How shameless!" Peng replied, feigning shock at her acquaintance's accusation.

"Says the 'shameless' Scarlet Sage." Sathriel shot back. "I know you're up to something interesting."

"We do live in interesting times don't we?" laughed Peng.

"That we do." agreed Sathriel "One moment the world is in chaos, the next moment a form of order begins to impose itself on the world."
"And this order you speak of?" asked Peng.

"What other form of order would arise in the dark ages to keep the minds and hearts of humans intact and focused? It's religion." answered Sathriel.

"Ah religion." sighed Peng, staring wistfully into the distance "If my nephew were here, he would spend hours debating theology, no matter how obscure the cult."

"Speaking of cults..." mused the Obsidian Arbiter "I think I know what you're up to." Sathriel made a small lilt of her head, nodding towards the herd of daughters rounding the bend of the mountain's musculature and wandering into distant view.

(cont).

File: A feathered bird leading (...).jpg (1.58 MB, 1200x1500)

1.58 MB JPG

>>5138722

Peng made no reaction to the implicit jab save for a slight uptilt of the corner of her mouth. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

The two women continued sipping their tea in silence as the convoy of pilgrims continued traveling, their path growing inevitably closer to the two women before slowing down with reasonable caution and stopping to a standstill, wary of the implicit roadblock Peng and Sathriel might impose upon their pilgrimage. In Peng's eye, a fog of black and violet started to accumulate about the group's feet. Fear and apprehension. Moments pass in silence as the group of pilgrims dared not to take a step forwards as Peng and Sathriel watch on in expectation, until a lone Canary fluttered forwards before landing on the tabletop.

"Hello there little sisters, are you coming or going?" Peng greeted with a smile.

"Going." replied the Canary's Hive Mistress "The question that I would like to ask of you though is: Are you truly friendly or is your friendliness merely a facade for banditry?"

"Oh rest assured little sister, the two of us have already hunted a nearby amalgam, the path ahead is safe to travel. Besides, my friend here would be quite cross if we did stoop to such lows as banditry." assured Peng with a smile before pausing at the thought "Although it is odd to see the upsurge in reports of attacks on fellow daughters..."

"Must be that irritating pack of 'musicians'." muttered Sathriel.

"You mean the ones from Bremmen?" asked Peng, Sathriel nodded downing her cup.

"Oh where are our manners? I am Peng Ching, the Scarlet Sage. You may call me 'Peggy' if it suits you. And my friend here is Sathriel, the Obsidian Arbiter."

The pilgrims' mood visibly shifted turqoise upon hearing Peng and Sathriel's epithets, relief and calm breaking down black apprehension. Peng smiled.

"Oh praise be the Savior's grace." sighed the Hive Mistress. "She would be delighted to hear this. My name is Quill, the leader of this humble flock of pilgrims."

"And here I thought Jesus was exempt from the Crucible." mused Peng.

"Maybe it's Jesus's mother that came back instead of the messiah himself." Sathriel replied wittily.

"Well that certainly would be something!" laughed Peng. Fortunately, Peng cut her laughter short upon sensing the mood of the crowd during a dark sour green.

"I'm sorry for the interruption, that was rude of us. May I ask who the purpose of your travels?"

"We're on a pilgrimage to the site of our Savior's origin." replied Quill. "We would be honored if the Sage and the Arbiter were to join us in pilgrimage an provide security."

Peng and Sathriel looked at each other. "Another cult." muttered Sathriel with a frown.

(cont).

>>5138732
"Well this certainly isn't like the others youe've encountered, they're heading eastward instead of west." Peng cheerily replied before her expression brightened as if an idea spawned into her head.

"Oh dear, here we go again..." sighed Sathriel, having caught the true meaning of Peng's expression.

"Say little sister, why don't you tell me more about your pilgrimage and your religion? If it's interesting enough, I might be inclined to provide security."

"Oh praise be her-" Quill's praise was soon cut off by the Sage.

"But, you will have to answer my questions. If I find your answers lacking or the tenets of your religion uninteresting, I will not give you the security you desire to complete your pilgrimage."

There was a pause as the Hive Mistress considered the catch.

"And if we refuse?"

"Then you'll just have to make do without additional security." replied Peng "The two of us will not impede your progress. You are free to travel through this path regardless."

"Don't worry, if my scarlet friend here is up to something shameless, I will keep her in line and keep this debate civil." said Sathriel in assurance reaching over and patting Peng on the shoulder, the gesture making the Sage jump. "You have my word. Isn't that right Peggy?"

The pointed look the Arbiter gave the Sage is one Peng knew all too well. She'll have to be careful with her words.

"That's right, Sathriel." Peng stiffly replied.

"We would like to have time to discuss your offer." said Quill before turning silent.

Peng looked at the Canary construct before turning to gaze at the distant crowd of pilgrims. There was no doubt about the apprehension and suspicion the group of pilgrims held amongst themselves. Violet apprehension snaking in and out of the atmosphere as Peng could clearly see the kalediscope of colors and emotions above the crowd before solidifying into an overall gray hue of stable consensus and their answer sent through the messenger bird.

"We'll play your game." said Quill.

And thus the began Peng's favorite past time: Verbal knife fighting (also known as a debate).

>>5138745
"You said you journey to see the origin of the Savior. How exactly do you define the Savior's Origin?"

"Where her chrysalis once harbored our Savior’s sleeping form.”

"I see." nodded Peng "so to what purpose does journeying to the Crysalis fulfill?"

"The Pilgrimage to her Crysalis would give us guidance." replied Quill.

"And how would this give you guidance? Does the Crysalis speak? Is there a skintalker present to interpret?"

"Well...no." said Quill, the color of discomfort tinting her answers. "When we reach her birthplace, we would meditate upon our Savior's origin there for a time before leaving for our next course of action."

"And you believe by meditating upon the crysalis you believe you will be given guidance to your next course of action?"

"Yes."

"Then lets say you do believe journeying to her birthplace will give you guidance. And you have reached the sacred site and meditate before that cocoon. How do you know you will receive your next step? What exactly is the next course of action?"

The canary's silence was telling as Peng suspected Quill was struggling to form a coherent answer.

"Who might your savior be?" asked Peng, despite already knowing the answer.

The softball question was instantly picked up by the Hive Mistress, relief colouring her voice "Oh, our savior is Shu the Defiant!"

"Who is this Shu the Defiant?" asked Peng. In the distance the reaction was instantaneous judging from the distant wave of murmurs colored by a mix of white and yellow that Peng interpreted as a state of emotional shock.

"Have you not heard of her?" asked the Hive mistress, aghast.

"Forgive me, this Sage is somewhat of a hermit." Peng apologized. It was a technical truth.
"And what deeds did this Defiant do to qualify as your savior?"

"She has cast Mother low, she has begun taming the Endbringers. Wherever she goes, other daughters see her as their guardian, their savior. In the light of this, we see her as the light at the end of the tunnel. One destined to save the world and become a Goddess of Humanity!"

"That sound like high praise." said Peng, "but to what evidence do you have to back up those claims?"

"If I may..." said Sathriel, gently interrupting the conversation. "I do have skintalker abilities in my repitore. Would you like to see a record of her speeches? I heard the Defiant has a way with oration."

The Arbiter offered a hand that pulsed with gold a mix of neuromancy and indistinct whispers of skintalking traits.

"Why yes please." replied Peng, and despite having already done her research beforehand, the Sage took the Arbiter's hand, and allowed the information to flow into her mind. A gesture in good faith for the group of pilgrims that lasted several seconds in real-time before Peng parted hands with Sathriel.

"I see...very interesting." said Peng, sagely nodding her head for emphasis.

"So?" asked Quill looking on expectantly "What do you think?"

(cont)

>>5138750
"Oh she is wonderful indeed." answered Peng "I have no doubt that she is worthy of the praise that you and yours would like to lavish with."

No sooner when Peng finished the first half of her statement, there were cheers and squees from the pilgrims in the distance, no doubt being elated at the prospect of the Scarlet Sage being in agreement.

"And yet, I cannot come to the same conclusion as you have."

If there was music playing in the background, it would have paused with a record scratch at this moment. Peng mused, as the emotional colours of the pilgrims went white with shock. Their thoughts would have also likely come to a screeching halt as well.

"But surely you should have been moved by her words!" the pilgrim leader stammered out.

"Yes, I have seen her speeches and the interview with Orwell. And her speeches were wonderful indeed."

Peng looked to the crowd and saw the color of desperate hope. It's a shame she'll have to break down that shred of hope in order to get her point across.

"But I have heard and listened to many speeches in my life and career. In my line of work, being a great orator is a necessary skill. That and assigning competent minions to do the tasks needed to keep a province running."

"But while the contents of her speech had an excellent if basic core thesis, her talking points were haphazardly brought together, like a student cramming for a final exam. Her speech overall was...mediocre."

"Even more telling were the statements in her speeches that felt contradictory. 'What sort of world do you think you'll build in your image? I don't know.', 'while I do not condone, I cannot give you my blessings', so on and so forth. Her overall tone belies an emotion of anxiety and the need to distance herself away from the hard questions a governor tackles on a daily basis."

"And while I cannot divine her intent from looking directly into her eyes, I suspect that she has some relic that prevents others from seeing her true thoughts."

"But I did not need to know that to figure out her true feelings. There is a stiffness in her legs that I cannot help but notice when she paces about, as if she wanted to flee from the scene despite the brave face she puts up for all to see. Her body language was plain as day. She is uncomfortable- no, terrified of bearing the burden of leadership. Ironic, if you consider her core theme."

"In the light of all of these evidences that I have observed, I can only conclude that Shu does not take well to the idea of being put on a pedestal...No, rather it is in my opinion that Shu is not fit to bear the burden of ending this Crucible, much less rebuilding the world."

The silence was deafening despite the lack of explosive violence. Peng needn't use her ability to read the emotions of others to see that her observations and statements have shaken the group's faith to the core. Nevertheless, Peng continued pressing questions on the pilgrims to cultivate their critical thinking.

(cont.)

File: Sharpening their claws at(...).jpg (176 KB, 800x1000)

176 KB JPG

>>5138758
"Have you considered what would happen if she were to fail?"

Silence.

"Then let us consider this: what will you do if Shu perishes before she can reach the top?"

Silence.

"Then lets say, Shu is truly worthy of saving the world, and she ascends to the throne of
heavens and takes her rightful place. And all is well. Then how will the world reconcile with her ascension? Her choices that have condemned others like Sam and Isabelle? Her sins that arise in the wake of her actions?"

Silence.

"Do we have evidence to show she is ready for the ascension?"

"Why are you asking these questions?" the Hive mistress finally replied. The colour of gloom and frayed emotions stained her voice, an emotion shared by many of the flock.

"Why indeed? I ask because the answer is simple. I wish to know what you think. And I wish for you to learn and consider these questions."

"How is this even-" The Hive Mistress gestures about "Learning experience!?"

Peng opened her mouth to speak but refrained as the leader of the pilgrimage group burst into a Kalidescope of vibrant colors in Peng's eye. Peng didn't dare interrupt the beautiful speech colored by those emotions.

"We're simply a group of daughters who want to visit Shu's birthplace so we can connect with the person we look up to. She is our inspiration, she is our hope."

"Who stopped the Spiraling Fear? Shu. Who negotiated with West Alpha and convinced her into a non-aggression pact? Shu did it. Who stripped Mother of her power and stopped her favored daughter from gatekeeping the Cord? It was all SHU!"

"We don't care if Shu is or isn't worthy! We don't care if Shu succeeds or fails! We see the deeds that she has done, and want to help make her wish come true! It doesn't get any simpler than that! Is that reason enough?"

It was Peng's turn to be silent in the wake of the Pilgrim's zealous speech. But the silence of the Sage was not out of shock, but out of respect. 'A pity' Peng thought 'such beautiful passion empowered by her youth. And yet she has yet to gain wisdom.'

And so Peng spoke once more.

"Are you sure your actions are in good faith with the Defiant's wishes?" asked the Sage.

"Yes!"

"Then why are you so keen on deifying the Defiant in spite of her earnest wishes to not be placed on such a high pedestal?"

"ENOUGH!" roared the Hive Mistress, disgust and anger clouded the pilgrim's mind.
Peng frowned at this development. "And here I thought this discussion was about to get more interesting-"

"No more questions!" The Hive Mistress's temper was steaming red.

"If you ask one more question-"

"Is that VIOLENCE I hear?" Sathriel softly interrupted, the words tumbling out her lips with the weight of a lead coffin.

(cont.)

File: Uneven scales, Unfair Justice.jpg (200 KB, 811x1177)

200 KB JPG

>>5138774
Despite the distance, the Obsidian Arbiter's presence seemed to loom over both Peng and the Pilgrims as Sathriel slowly got up from her seat with a disturbing grin as her sharp dressed constructs drew out their claws. The Arbiter took a small step forward. The pilgrims collectively took two steps back.

"Are you implying you wish to commit VIOLENCE?" asked Sathriel. The Arbiter took another small step forward. The pilgrims collectively took two steps back.

"If you are, then prepare yourself for JUDGMENT-"The Arbiter's third step was halted by the Sage. The two met each other's gazes in a silent confrontation of wills before the Arbiter reluctantly backed down and slowly shuffled back to her seat with a frown as her entourage of constructs went back into a relaxed state.

Peng gave a small sigh of relief. The shift in the crowd's relief was palpable in the silence that followed.

"Well that would have turned messy." said Peng before turning to the crowd of pilgrims.

"If Shu has an issue with my stance, then I am sure she would send a personal message to me to cease and desist. There is no reason for you to be upset with this. If you wish to end this and be on your way, all you simply need is to ask. The two of us will not bar your way."

"You're right...As infuriating as you are, you do have a point. There is no reason for us to be upset." said the Hive mistress before turning to the flock behind her. Turqoise calm began to settle back amongst the crowd.

"Sisters, let us leave this place. Clearly this Sage doesn't believe in our Savior and the three Endbringers."

Peng sighed. It was clear that these pilgrims would not be open to any further arguments.

"Sathriel?" asked Peng, quietly getting up from her seat before turning towards the mob.

"Yes Peggy?" replied the Arbiter, her frown turned into an expression of sadistic anticipation.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Don't worry Auntie..." replied Sathriel, her smile growing ever slightly wider. "I'll behave."

Then she spoke to the crowd in a volume loud enough for them to hear, she felt these pilgrims needed one final lesson to mull over. As such, an appropriate summation of her closing remarks was needed.

"One more thing," said Peng. "a summation for all of you to meditate upon during your pilgrimage."

(cont.)

>>5138784

"You have eyes but you do not see,
you have ears but you do not hear,
you have a mind but you do not think,
you have belief, but not faith,
in the girl you so preach, for she does not want worship.
Either Shu is your goddess or she is not.
Worship in both cases is either obscenity or heresy,
for if she is a human you should emulate her,
and if she is your Goddess, should you not obey her?"

Time in Peng's perspective seemed to slow down as she read the mood of the group. Judging from their stiffened expressions, her words had pierced the crowd. But the oncoming wave of emotion warned Peng of the violence ahead. Peng's foreboding was right. The tension broke into a seemingly dark curtain of violence lay just ahead of her, deep and thick as the wave of bodies charging towards her as the mob surged as one, intent on teaching the Scarlet Sage a lesson of violence for her verbal sacrilege.

Already Peng's human form shifted in waves and ripples until it settled into an alien shape and unearthly combat stance, enacting the moves required for her to come out decisively victorious.

......
......

"So..." said Sathriel "Did you have fun, Peggy?"

Peng sighed at Sathriel's question, the Obsidian Arbiter was radiating a gold aura of smug amusement.

"Good Heavens, no!" lamented Peng, gazing back at the carnage.

"I would have had fun, were it not for the fact that there were those who still refused to learn the wisdom I sought to impart to them." sighed the Scarlet Sage. "Such is life. The perils of blind faith and religion and all that jazz."

The crowd of pilgrims had backed off, licking their wounds and tending to those on death's door while giving Peng and Sathriel a wide berth out of fear. A few of them stared at the corpses of those unfortunate enough to truly perish in the fighting, torn between wanting to retrieve the bodies of the fallen or staying put and risk further retaliation. Others gave Peng a black look of hatred and disgust but reluctantly refrained from further violence.

"With the powers you displayed, you could have aided Shu as an invaluable asset in ending the Crucible. And yet, you do not believe in her ability to save the world." Quill stated plainly. "Why?"

Peng looked westwards into the distance.

(cont.)

File: Tea and Crumpets, Justice(...).jpg (223 KB, 1200x900)

223 KB JPG

>>5138808
"I once sought the Cord's throne myself, confident in in my wisdom, my cultivation practices and my ability to surpass each tribulation." the Sage began, sounding nostalgic. "But despite my might, Mara was stronger. I failed before the might of that Silver dragon, my age and wisdom the sole reason I still live to this day, having surrendered in shame before the final blow was struck."

"I have no doubt to believe that Shu is capable of ending the Crucible, and indeed she would succeed where I cannot. However, I do not have the faith in her ability to rebuild the world that comes in the wake of her ascension, much less govern it."

"A religious institution that venerates and serves the whims of a living being whilst alive is simply a government serving the head of the state. Both are institutions that can be easily swayed and corrupted from within, and with the passage of time, even the most noble of states will turn into a corrupt totalitarian dictatorship drunk on delusional privilege of authority. A gradual and terrible change that I have personally witnessed in the decades of life I have lived prior to the Crucible."

Peng turned towards the Hive Mistress, looking directly into the eyes of the Canary construct's host.

"Just as much as the Defiant is capable of influencing you through inspiration, you yourself are also capable of influencing the Defiant. Whether or not she turns benevolent or tyrannical depends heavily upon your actions, how Shu sees those actions through her eyes, and whether or not you are aware of your influence upon her."

And with that, Peng turned back to look westward.

"Go. Gather your dead, you will need their 'Qi' for your pilgrimage."
........
........

Peng sat down and sipped her tea. The beverage was cold.

"So when do you think Shu will grant you an audience?"

Peng downed the rest of her tea and stared at her porcelain cup. A smile crept up onto her face as she saw Sathriel had already caught on to her hidden meaning.

"No doubt those pilgrims will spin the tale of what happened here and paint me in a harsh light as some mass-murdering-heretic who seeks to bring their vaunted Savior down, this will not sit well with Shu once word of this reaches incident reaches her ears."

"Says the woman who asked me to record the entire discussion and encounter as evidence." Sathriel replied, leaning forward.

"Aren't you a shrewd woman." remarked Peng.

"Isn't that the point?" replied Sathriel her smugness growing wider as she leaned forward. "For you to get her attention?"

Peng leaned back and closed her eyes in thought. "The line is cast, and there are fish biting the bait, but the bigger fish have yet to nibble."

>>FAITH AND PHILOSOPHY - END

>>5138827
(Oh, I am incredibly excited to dive into this tomorrow. Thank you so much for sharing, and even just the few snippets I glanced at while scrolling down to post this is quality.)

File: Yamato.png (766 KB, 636x635)

766 KB PNG

Harsh were the seas of the world that was.

Humanity’s history with the oceans runs deep, and countless have been the lives claimed by error’s folly or fortune’s turn. But slowly, surely, as with all things, humanity adapted. They grew to understand the water’s whims, to anticipate her moods and chart courses across her raging surfaces and endless depths. We knew the sea.

Then, the world ended…

…and the oceans became something new and mysterious, yet again.

Acid strong enough to strip flesh from bone with a single drop laps at your polished calcite hull, under which runs sharkskin waterproofing and latticed chitin strong enough to weather the sea’s savagery. The Crucible’s scarlet skies are clear, for now, but ship-mate Calypso’s Phantasmal-Skintalking warned you of a storm before you set out from Felixstowe, and you can see it coalescing on the horizon. The eyes you’ve got dotted along the observation deck swivel, zooming in on the clouds as you adjust your course ever-so-slightly to adapt to the evolving threat—beneath you, yet more water-and-acid-proof orbs stare unblinking into the Atlantic’s merciless depths. Past schools of howler fish and nigh-impenetrable clouds of sea lice, you see the outlines of things best left alone…the great, undulating shapes of things that roil and rage where light dares not pierce.

You’ve checked, but you check again; your torpedo tubes are loaded, their living payloads gnashing their teeth, yearning to draw fresh blood. Your cannons are primed, the armor-piercing swordfish-class artillery aimed skyward while your own massive claws are relaxed at the side of your hull, ready to snap open and shut, ending what’s caught between.

Your name is Yamato, and you are one-hundred and ten meters of peerless calcite, impenetrable chitin, and unsinkable determination—a living ship that dares to connect what once was broken.

You’re several days out from what was once Britain’s largest port and on a journey you’re no stranger to. Ferrying passengers and crew across the Crucible’s vicious oceans has become your self-appointed task, and effort to bridge the continents once more…though you’re certainly not alone in your penance.

“Captain!” A small, resolute voice announces herself on your bridge. The eyes there open, and you’re met with the fierce, dark stare of a young woman saluting the legion of glassy orbs that adorn the consoles therein. Yomi, one of the twelve souls that’ve taken it upon themselves to accompany you and the most serious of their number, by far.

“Status report?” Comes your request, your voice emanating loudly from the speakers set into every corner of the room. The teen’s frame stiffens, her hands snapping to her side as her mox-jet eyes leak thick, black ichor that crawls down her round cheeks.

(Continued)

>>5139647

“Armaments are fully-loaded and ready, torpedo tubes are primed, and we’ve got more than enough rations on board to last us to Charleston and back again.” She briefs you, informing you of precisely nothing you didn’t already know. It’s a song and dance that’s become old hat, by now—Yomi’s the only one who still calls you ‘Captain’ instead of everyone else’s casual ‘Yams’, but you have to admit a certain fondness for the girl’s consummate professionalism.

“And our passengers?” You ask coolly, playing along.

“Vector and her team are comfortably in their quarters. No requests. No movement. Keeping to themselves.”

Your guest quarters are currently occupied by a contemplative Daughter with four others at her side, the quintet your reason for this latest foray into the Crucible’s unforgiving seas. Cord-Seekers, and proud of it…though they strike you as a cut above the usual mad-women and half-Hungermad wretches that book passage to the country that hosts the modern Tower of Babel.

“Thank you, Yomi.” You say, your appreciative bow manifesting as a forward pitch of your massive form. The slight girl just nods, her glassy ebony eyes locked on the looming threat outside your windows.

“Captain, the storm-”

“Yes, I’m well aware.” You calmly interrupt, casting your multitudinous gaze at the roiling clouds in the distance. “It’s moving faster than we anticipated…and moving straight for us.”

It’s not terribly surprising—Calypso warned that the storm’s movements were at odds with the ebb and flow of the local weather patterns, and even some of her most respected peers had come up empty when trying to pierce through its murky depths. Hive Mistress powers with a sprinkling of Neuromancy, if you were to place a bet…

…you’ve weathered worse, but checking in on those within your frame would be wise, regardless of the threat at hand.


>>Check on your active crew members, and ensure they’re ready to weather what’s coming.

>>It’s the ones at rest that need to be checked in on, before you brave the coming storm.

>>Warn Vector and her allies about the storm—you told them before,r but a reminder wouldn’t hurt.

>>Write-In

CHART YOUR COURSE

(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four. I do hope your day is going well, and that you had a restful evening.)

>>5138827
>>>FAITH AND PHILOSOPHY - END
That was really good. I liked it a lot, Peng cutting through our weird cult's insistence on deifying us by pointing out that we're clearly a fallible human. Made me cringe a bit, but that was the point. We're just a human, capable of being cringe-worthy, don't deify us. It's a good argument.

I also liked how her character analysis of us made for a character study of her. This very Socratic woman, who likes to make her point with leading questions that bring people around to her line of thinking naturally. A bit of a troll, too, as much as she said she was doing this for the sake of didactism it's clear she was enjoying poking holes in people's lines of reasoning. And someone who has grown to despise institutions from her time as part of one, that comes through very clear.

Peng does have a point. We're no one to govern the world. We could indeed be swayed and influenced by others, potentially quite easily. Or we could become corrupt, especially if people are deifying us and not treating us like we're something fallible to second-guess the decisions of. I think where she misunderstands is that we totally agree and don't want to rule the world. We want to save it, but governance should be derived from the will of the masses, not some farcical orbital ceremony. I think she may find herself pleasantly surprised to see how receptive we are to other people's ideas about how the world should be fun.

Or not! She does, after all, want some weird anarcho-primitivist state. We may wind up disagreeing with her. But we'd at least be willing to hear her out. And her thinking our cult is crazy, too, is actually a super good debating tactic. Have something to agree on with your opponent. It's a good move.

>>5139656
vote;
>It’s the ones at rest that need to be checked in on, before you brave the coming storm.

>>5139656
>>Check on your active crew members, and ensure they’re ready to weather what’s coming.

Yo ho. A nautical adventure time. I like the idea of the Cord-Seekers being weird, to those outside of the little section of America we're in. To us it's just normal, but to the rest of the world, with the journey being more arduous, it would be less common and more notable. Cool stuff.

I'm also liking the little mention of schools of fish and sea lice. That suggests that the aquatic ecosystem is more developed than just a monster spawning ground, things like the Pyre Ants' forest might be decently common there. That's really interesting to me.

>>5139660
Peng has her own reasons to believe that the logical end result of Shu's ascension will still lead to the establishment of an institution government in the form of a global theocracy regardless. This is backed up by her old age, her career as a civil servant in China's history, both tumultuous and prosperous times, the corruption scandals and "promised reforms" she's witnessed in the government, the collectivist chinese society that she grew up in, and her own personal knowledge of using China's history as a reference point to her worldview. Much of this is alluded to in the initial overview post of her character sheet.

She's seen enough signs to recognize the big-picture from her perspective and has had more than enough time to live and reflect and develop a very solid personal opinion on the direction she believes the world is heading towards.

>She does, after all, want some weird anarcho-primitivist state.
Peng likes the current state of the world. To her it reminds her of her rural hometown where it was simply a world where distant villages subsisted on the resources the environment around them. No grand realpolitik, no overbearing corrupt institutions, just humans living in harmony with the world.

Whether or not Shu can get past Peng's exterior and opinions and convince her that her ascension won't result in what Peng believes will happen? That is the real challenge.

If Shu impresses Peng with well thought-out policies and a well reasoned argument, She'll will gain a powerful and experienced advisor who can help out with bureaucratic and administrative matters like nobody's business.

Fail, and you get a very persistent old woman who will inflict growing pains in the process rebuilding of civilization by relentlessly 'testing' would be civil servants and turning even the most basic council congress sessions into intense verbal knife fighting sessions by her sticking her nose in and poking holes in every proposal. Her involvement will still help out in the long run, but Peng will ensure that it will be a long and painful process until she either gets a shiv in her back or somehow dies of old age.

By the way, any thoughts on Peng's associate Sathriel? She originally supposed to be a narrative mediator in the original draft of the story but Sathriel grew a character of her own and turned into what I personally believe is something of an interesting foil that plays off of Peng's character very well.


>>5139656
>Post a general announcement throughout the ship of the incoming storm, with an advisory of a possible all-hands-on-deck scenario should the call be made.
>It’s the ones at rest that need to be checked in on, before you brave the coming storm.

>>5139734
>She's seen enough signs to recognize the big-picture from her perspective and has had more than enough time to live and reflect and develop a very solid personal opinion on the direction she believes the world is heading towards.
Yeah, it makes sense. We are talking about a world where it may now be possible for a person to directly seize literally unlimited power. The old wisdom is that since no king rules alone, governance has to be shaped by the need to keep ones subordinates in control. That's not necessarily the case anymore. It opens the door for both great virtue and great corruption. Great virtue, as a ruler can just do what is right instead of appeasing their base. Great corruption, as a ruler can disregard the will of the masses without any consequences. It's a scary situation, and I do not blame Peng for wanting to get in on the ground floor before someone becomes too entrenched and powerful to be swayed.

>By the way, any thoughts on Peng's associate Sathriel? She originally supposed to be a narrative mediator in the original draft of the story but Sathriel grew a character of her own and turned into what I personally believe is something of an interesting foil that plays off of Peng's character very well.
She seemed interesting, though the focus wasn't on her much. A legalist judge makes a good companion to a philosopher. That sort of tricksy character needs someone more blunt to cut through their prevarications, I think it worked well. Making her smug in her own way gives her something to be as more than just the Watson to Peng's Holmes, too. She's in on the joke. I like it. And her interest in JUSTICE was certainly fun.

(Just a quick update - I'll need to post the update closer to 5PM as I'm covering for my associate who had to leave due to a medical emergency, so thank you all for your patience.)

File: What Lurks in the Seas.jpg (142 KB, 810x1134)

142 KB JPG

>>5139656

“Attention, passengers and crew.” You declare, voice echoing through your winding halls and into every room aboard. “Please be advised that the storm ahead of us is moving to intercept us, and will likely do so within the hour. This may demand an all-hands-on-deck scenario, depending on the level of opposition we encounter. Thank you.”

Yomi salutes you, and with a sniff to recall her onyx tears back into her sockets, she departs. You suppose it would be wise to check in with those of your crew on break to ensure they’ve gotten enough rest to address the threat at hand…though given everything you’ve dealt with up to this point, you’re not terribly concerned that you’ll have to call on their aid.

When your eyes open to the rec room, you find half your crew variously enjoying themselves in the space closest to your heart, its regular pulse a steady rhythm that can be felt through the calcite walls.

“Lookin’ to spook our guests with that little announcement, Yams?” Grins Musashi, sitting on the floor with her back to the wall nearest your core. She’s ready as always, right arm tapered at the elbow into a blade of nigh-unbreakable wood that she’s chipping away at with a rough-hewn calcite dagger. “Brig, could you hand me ano-“

“Make your own fuckin’ dagger, Mu!” Counters the redheaded girl lying on the salvaged couch against the opposite wall, her shirt riding up to reveal her skinless torso, bare ribs forming a set of formidable under-armor. “It’s not my fault your wood so freakin’ har-NO! No, stop laughing!”

“Gotta say, you…gah…kind of walked into that one yourself, Brig.” Grunts the bald, powerfully-built girl sitting on the table tucked into corner of the room furthest from the door. Hilde’s elbow digs into the table, the muscles of her right arm bulging as she arm-wrestles her own fibrous doppelganger.

“Guys, keep it down. Yams’ announcements are noise enough without you all keeping me up.” Calypso groans from the bean bag adjacent Brig’s couch, the girl’s dark features obscured under a mess of ethereal hair that shudders and twitches at every errant noise.

“Good to see everyone in fine spirits.” You sigh, Calypso’s hair frizzing at the sound of your voice, her hair day certainly not helped when Musashi loudly curses the broken dagger in her hand, its blade snapped and stuck mid-shave of her sword-arm. “Where are Gem and Emma?”

Musashi jerks a thumb skyward before catching the fresh dagger Brig throws her way with the same hand. Glancing up, you find a pair of oozes snuggled up next to each other on the ceiling, the gelatinous pair snoozing away without a care in the world.

Lovely…it seems you’re the only one taking this threat seriously, as usual. Your resounding sigh manifests as the blowing of a baritone foghorn, prompting a low growl from Calypso.

(Continued)

>>5139973

“Oh yeah…Cal, didn’t you say there was something weird about that storm?” Musashi reminds your resident Skintalker, their sword suddenly stretching clear across the room to prod at the other girl’s shoulder.

“Just that it’s acting weird. Probably a Hive Mistress of Hive Mistress-adjacent power set, like Yams said.” She yawns, and your two-dozen eyes snap to her.

“And you neglected to tell me this…why?”

“Eh, you figured it out.” Calypso mutters with a dismissive wave, covering her eyes with her forearm. “Plus, nobody on the ‘net can figure out what’s driving it, so how’s that any different from a regular shit-storm?”

“Because storms cannot be reasoned with…Daughters can.”

“Fair point…no guarantee it’s a Daughter, though.” The Skintalker lazily replies. “Given how far out we are, odds are it’s not.”

“We’ve been surprised before, though.” Brig interjects, sitting up and fixing you with her remaining green eye. “I can take one of the boats and check it out, if you wanna.”

“One of my custom torpedoes should suffice—but I appreciate your courtesy, Brigandine.” You reply, though you have to wonder if drawing the thing’s attention is your best course of action.

>>Send a probe to search for the storm’s source, and possibly make contact with whatever’s driving it your way.

>>Wait to address the storm’s source until its closer—check in with your guests, until then.

>>Let the storm draw closer, and make sure your active crew isn’t spread too thin.

>>Write-In

CHART YOUR COURSE

(Voting shall remain open for the next five hours, with posting to resume tomorrow at 10AM, Eastern time. Thank you all for your patience and participation, and I wish you a restful evening.)

>>5139973
>She’s ready as always, right arm tapered at the elbow into a blade of nigh-unbreakable wood that she’s chipping away at with a rough-hewn calcite dagger
I take it that its natural form is an oar?

>>5139977
>>Send a probe to search for the storm’s source, and possibly make contact with whatever’s driving it your way.

>>5139977
vote;
>Wait to address the storm’s source until its closer—check in with your guests, until then.

>>5139981
and same to you.

>>5139977
>>Send a probe to search for the storm’s source, and possibly make contact with whatever’s driving it your way.

File: Sailor's Warning.png (269 KB, 512x512)

269 KB PNG

>>5139977

You didn’t get this far by just waiting on what the sea had to throw at you, so you settle on a far more proactive solution. Selecting a shark that’s nestled into one of your torpedo tubes, you optimize it for reconnaissance, its eyes widening, its senses sharpening in the seconds before it’s speared into the open seas. It hurtles towards the roiling storm on the blood-red horizon, and you wait with your heart beating in time with the waves slamming against your hull.

You can see through its glossy black eyes, staring straight ahead as it closes the gap with startling speed, the biomechanical rotors in place of its tail blessing it with speeds beyond nature’s crafting. As your envoy draws closer, the true from of the hurricane manifests—what you took for billowing storm clouds are in truth a cyclone of innumerable car-sized flies, buzzing around the bloated form of a colossal tortoise-like Amalgam. Its black shell is pitted with innumerable holes from which pour forth its fetid swarm, while its head resembles a frog’s distended features but with a chipped calcite beak. It's picking up speed, and with it bearing down on you full force there’s little time to get out of its way…

…you like when things are simple.

You claws snap shut, raking forwards in time with your cannons’ swiveling to aim on your onrushing foe. Your carnivorous constructs writhe in their torpedo tubes, sensing the hope of carnage in the air as you call out to all on board.

“Attention, passengers and crew—the storm ahead of us has been identified as an Amalgam.” You calmly inform them, waves of brutal acid crashing over your bow as the winds intensify. “Active crew, please stay on duty to address any damages. Should the need arise, I will-“

“May I be of assistance?”

The woman that’s stepped onto your bridge has to duck under the doorframe, her seven-foot frame a vibrating in place even as she takes a knee before your consoles.

“Vector…I feel as though it would be rude of me to request help from our guests before we’ve even engaged the enemy.” You reply, meeting the glowing viridian spheres that are her eyes with your own manifold stare.

“It’s the least we can do to repay your kindness.”

“You’ve already paid your fare in full.” You counter, keeping an eye on the creature in the distance.

“Dealing with constructs is my specialty.” Vector informs you, tilting her head towards your common enemy.

You don’t have time to play politeness-judo with your passenger, so the only question that remains is how best to approach the storm’s nexus.

>>Open with torpedoes—if your guess is right, then this thing’s underbelly could be a point of weakness.

>>Start off with an artillery barrage to thin out the swarm and draw out any possible countermeasures.

>>Unleash you entire arsenal, in full—holding back is a fine way to get yourself killed on the open seas.

>>Write-In

CHART YOUR COURSE

(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four. Last night and this afternoon have been/will be taken up with some personal matters, so I haven't been able to take the time to read what's been posted yet. Thank you for your patience, and I hope next week clears up a bit to allow for more consistent posting.)

(I do hope your week is going well, and that you have some fun plans to look forward to this weekend.)

>>5141029
>>Start off with an artillery barrage to thin out the swarm and draw out any possible countermeasures.

>>5141029
vote;
>Start off with an artillery barrage to thin out the swarm and draw out any possible countermeasures.

>>5141029
>>Start off with an artillery barrage to thin out the swarm and draw out any possible countermeasures.
I doubt its underbelly is especially vulnerable. If it was, something would have killed it from below already. Torpedoes are part of a balanced attack plan, but not the end-all.

File: kappa reference.jpg (46 KB, 550x723)

46 KB JPG

>>5141033

>>5141029
A BATTLE ON THE HIGH SEAS HO!

>COMMENCE ARTILLERY BOMBARDMENT, ARMOR PIERCING SWORDFISH FROM MAIN BATTERIES
>READY THE SECONDARIES AND AA CANNONS, LOAD UP THE URCHIN FLAK
>Vector...can do as she pleases, but at least warn her to be careful if she plans to head out onto the main deck.

>buzzing around the bloated form of a colossal tortoise-like Amalgam. Its black shell is pitted with innumerable holes from which pour forth its fetid swarm, while its head resembles a frog’s distended features but with a chipped calcite beak.
Hang on....that looks like a Kappa..but Kaiju-sized, and without the other trademark features.

Yamato would probably view the amalgam as a Kappa-like amalgam, drawing inspiration from her nation's cultural mythos.

File: d8xpcq0-301846c4-dbff-44e(...).jpg (1.82 MB, 1524x1353)

1.82 MB JPG

>>5141146
( I was literally about to use that image in the next update, since it was the only kappa image that fit what I had in my head.)

(Very nicely done!)

File: Impossible Heights and He(...).jpg (573 KB, 1538x1154)

573 KB JPG

>>5141029

“Your help would be much appreciated. Now…” You declare, taking aim. “…if your would kindly cover your ears.”

Somewhere in the distance, winds howl in a symphony with the beasts that call the hurricane home. Between it and the ocean’s constant roar, the sea threatens to drown out any sound that would hope to be heard over its eternal depths...but then you open up with a roar of your own that shakes the heavens. Your cannons howl, casting their shells into the eye of the storm—and when your urchin rounds detonate, chaos roils in a wave through the Amalgam’s swarm. The spines tears indiscriminately through the massive flies, and each casualty explodes in kind to form a cascade of needles. Their source reacts before the effect snowballs into the complete annihilation of its forces, with the Amalgam’s hideous tongue lashing out to snatch the affected members from the air. It’s a length of black tar like a multi-headed flail, and once it’s withdrawn the Amalgam looses a pained, warbling cry. It’s a call to action, as the cyclic storm slows, then surges forwards to meet its aggressor.

“A wonderful opening. Please keep firing.” Vector compliments you, suddenly darting out to the rim of your bow. “You won’t hit me.”

And at that, she leaps.

Streaks of neon light trail in the Daughter’s wake as she moves faster than thought to meet the legion head-on. Vector dances across the sea’s violent waves with greater haste than you thought possible, and once she reaches the edge of the swarm, she ascends their number as though they were stairs to the skies. Another roar, another volley of urchin-shells hurled against your foe and past the violet explosions that envelop the flies caught in Vector’s bright, surgical slaughter. Your shells detonate against the Amalgam’s shell, only to be consumed by the jagged thorns that spontaneously erupt to consume the rounds whole, forming a thicket of black spines to augment the thing’s defenses.

A common tactic…and one that demands your favored solution.

Urchins are violently reshaped into swordfish, and the next volley that blankets your foe pierces through its shell like nails through so much dry rot. The beast howls, and it’s in that moment your sonar pings multiple shapes approaching from underwater. Tadpoles the size of buses surge up from the depths, and if your foe assumed your forte was ranged combat, then it has judged you poorly. Your claws dart out, seizing one wriggling construct in your left and two in your right, and it barely takes any pressure at all to shred them to bloody tatters. While adapted for use on land, your crab-like legs uncurl from around the bottom of your hull to spear through the Amalgam’s spawn while you keep up your volley above the water’s surface, and when one tadpole slips by to clamber aboard, it’s met with the last thing it’ll ever see.

(Continued)

>>5141206

“Book of Earth; Second Form.” Musashi mutters to herself, barely audible above the din of combat as her blunt strike whips across the construct’s blobby, misshapen face. A second passes, the stunned creature about to resume its attack when the splinters left behind by the stroke explode into full-blown trees. They’re red with the blood of their target, thick scarlet trunks carrying their desiccated host over your edge and back from whence they came. Here, she’s all business as any construct that manages to breach the water’s surface is met with Musashi’s lethal blows, their deliverywoman a cold professional on the field of battle. When one slips by her, you bank to one side, sending it hurtling into Hilde’s waiting, crushing grasp. Another pitch, and the combined form of both gem and Emma envelop another construct before it can react, melting down to nothing under the strength of an acid that puts the seas to shame.

Every pitch and yaw you make is not dictated by the lapping waves, but rather your own instinctual support of your crew and your own unerring aim. There was a time when you fought alone, and when the women that at first asked you to carry them to some far-off destination abandoned their aims to stay aboard, you first thought them a curiosity at best. But over time, you learned to fight alongside them, to feel them as you do every barrel, rivet, and instrument that makes up your current form.

You did not ask for them to join you in your atonement…but you’re glad they’re here, all the same.

You almost miss when a hole opens in the Amalgam’s head, widening into a gaping wound that bubbles over with a bright blue ichor, an azure mist billowing forth from the bowl. You recognize a kappa when you see one, as well as a Phantasmal field…luckily for you, your own Conduit has no intention of bowing to this thing’s whims. Calypso’s pulse of Lexicon-imbued witchery from your bridge cuts so cleanly through the thing’s own emotional field that you think she’d make Musashi proud.

“I thought you all were resting?” You say between volleys, each blanketing tearing through more of your desperate target’s hide.

“We were, but then I felt something weird!” Calypso yells over your cannon-fire. “This thing’s freaking out!”

“I should hope so, with how-“

“No! I think It’s running from something, Yams!”

…oh dear.

Another sonar ping, and you see it…and there’s no reasonable explanation for how you could have missed it before. Seconds ago, there was empty ocean behind and beneath your foe…where now lurks a thing whose sheer length dwarfs the island-sized behemoth you’re dueling.

>>Take evasive maneuvers to get a bearing on whatever’s driving the kappa your way.

>>Continue forwards—you have not yet begun to fight. End this Amalgam as a show of strength to whatever’s pursuing it.

>>Write-In

CHART YOUR COURSE

(Voting shall remain open for the next four hours, with posting to resume tomorrow morning at 12PM, Eastern time. I’m running some work errands tomorrow morning before it snows here, so I’m giving myself a little leeway since I’ll likely not have time to write this evening. In any case, I do hope your day is going well, and I hope you have a good evening, too!)

>>5141210
Hmm. Yamato and her crew (and Vector) are pretty badass, but I don't like her odds against this super-monster. If it's not Leviathan, it's some other incredibly powerful Amalgam. Let's not try to intimidate it.

>>Take evasive maneuvers to get a bearing on whatever’s driving the kappa your way.

>>5141212
I hope your day and tomorrow morning go well, BHOP. Thanks for running.

>>5141210
>The Kappa Kaiju isn't engaging...
>it is fleeing from something bigger

OH BOY. It's probably Leviathan!

On one hand, I want to see Yams end the Amalgam as befitting of a battleship crab. But on the other hand...there's the "bigger" fish.

Also I am loving the various crew personalities you have accompanying Yamato.

>>5141210
vote;
>Take evasive maneuvers to get a bearing on whatever’s driving the kappa your way.

>>5141210
>>Take evasive maneuvers to get a bearing on whatever’s driving the kappa your way.

>>5141210
>>Take evasive maneuvers to get a bearing on whatever’s driving the kappa your way.

(Got back home a little while ago, and I'm finishing the update momentarily.)

File: TO KNOW, TO EXPERIENCE, T(...).jpg (573 KB, 2048x2048)

573 KB JPG

>>5141210

“Hold on, everyone! Vector, with me!” You bellow, voice cutting through the haze of battle like a foghorn. A line of neon lances from the obliterated swarm back to the bridge, where Vector joins your allies in holding on to whatever they can as you bank hard to the right. The kaiju-sized kappa surges past you, it's swarm left decimated and forgotten in what you now realize is clear desperation. Your abandoned foe's wake slaps violently at your hull...and then, something happens that chills you to your rivets.

The sea goes absolutely, unnaturally still, it's chaos and life and vibrancy smoothed out like a sheet of glass. All movement's stopped, all inertia's canceled. You're rooted in place on the plains of a frozen, reset ocean, with the Amalgam suffering the same fate several hundred meters away.

“OH, YOU’RE AN INTERESTING ONE.”

The voice that fills the air and ripples across the ocean’s glassy surface goes beyond sheer volume - it’s all the rage and ruin of a natural disaster refined into a smooth, focused line of syllables. It doesn’t disturb the water’s surface, even as it rises from the depths—a thing whose size defies any adequate descriptor, easily capable of swallowing you and the Amalgam whole with room to spare. Its head is conical, the upper halves of various reptilian and aquatic predators all arranged around a focal point, a darting tongue that languidly flicks in your direction.

A Daughter? No…no, everything you’ve seen up to this point has indicated that there’s a size limit on corruption growth, but an Amalgam couldn’t possibly tal-

“I AM SOMETHING ELSE, DEAR.” The thing purrs, slicing cleanly through your train of thought. “NOTHING AS SPECIAL OR INTERESTING AS YOU, THOUGH.”

“…You can hear me?” You hesitate, keeping your voice as even-keeled as possible in the face of your (understandably) tense crew. “My thoughts, I mean?”

“I CAN. DAUGHTERS. CONSTRUCTS. AMALGAMS…ALL OF THEM HAVE BEEN CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH, WOVEN INTO NEW FORMS BY MY CREATOR’S NAÏVE HANDS. I WAS BLESSED WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE THREADS. TELL ME…WHAT IS YOUR NAME?”

“…Yamato.”

“YAMATO…AH! HA, HAHAHA!” The creature throws its head back, its laughter finally the thing to disturb the water’s pristine surface. “A MOST EXCELLENT REFERENCE!”

“May I ask yours?”

“LEVIATHAN. APPROPRIATE, NO?” The thing chuckles, and as it leans closer the water around your frame finally loosens in a radius wide enough for you to have some semblance of freedom. “I AM SO VERY CURIOUS AS TO HOW ONE LIKE YOU CAME TO BE. I’VE NOT SEEN SOMETHING QUITE LIKE YOU IN MANY CRUCIBLES. CAN-…*MAY* I INSPECT YOUR FORM FOR BUT A MOMENT? I JUST HAVE TO KNOW WHAT PROMPTED SUCH A UNIQUELY STUNNING FORM.”

Your crew moves to defend you, but you pull them back with a subtle shift of your top deck before addressing the titan looming over you all.

(Continued)

>>5142273

“How do you intend to do that, exactly?” You ask, slowly bringing your artillery millimeter by millimeter to bear. “I mean no disrespect Leviatha-“

“OH PLEASE, CALL ME ‘LEVY’.” The thing interrupts with a chuckle that you can feel reverberating through your halls. “WE’RE WELL PAST FORMALITIES.”

“…I mean you no disrespect ‘Levy’, but I hope you can understand that my crew’s current circumstances are rather compromised.” You explain, and the way Leviathan shudders makes you shift your guns a little closer to their firing lines.

“OF COURSE! HOW PRESUMTUOUS OF ME!” The titan laughs again, and the sea suddenly resumes its motions, save for the amalgam behind you, still caught in whatever stasis the thing’s capable of inflicting. “BETTER?”

“By far. You have my thanks.” You say, choosing your words with care. “That amalgam, is it one of yours?”

“HA, NO…I WAS STUDYING IT IN ITS NATURAL HABITAT WHEN I FORGOT TO FOCUS ON SUPPRESSING MY PRESENCE.’ ‘Levy’ explains conversationally, as though ti were the most obvious thing in the world. “THERE’S A TREND OF REFERENTIAL EVOLUTION THAT’S MANIFESTED IN THE FORMS OF YOUR SPECIES’ CRUCIBLE, A LEVEL OF TOTEMISM THAT’S MORE PRONOUNCED IN YOU AND YOUR PEOPLE THAN I’VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF EXPERIENCING BEFORE.”

“I…I see. Are you a researcher, of some sort?”

Leviathan laughs again. “OF A SORT, YES. I’D LIKE TO EXPLORE YOUR DREAMSCAPE A BIT TO GARNER CONTEXT FOR YOUR UNIQUE MANIFESTATION. IT’S QUITE PAINLESS I ASSURE YOU, AND IT WON’T TAKE MORE THAN A SECOND OR TWO.”

…An odd request, but not exactly one that you can reasonably refu-

“YOU’RE UNDER NO OBLIGATION.” Leviathan worryingly assures you. “I AM SIMPLY CURIOUS, IS ALL. WE COULD MAKE THINGS EVEN, IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU DESIRE. NAME IT, AND IF IT IS WITHIN MY CONSIDERABLE POWER, I WILL SEE IT DONE.”

Hrm…you know what? You’ve done stranger things in your time in the Crucible.

…not by much, but still.

>>Assent, with the caveat that Leviathan not poke around in your pre-Crucible life.

>>Allow it, and ask Leviathan for something in return—it’s only fair, after all (Write-In).

>>Politely decline, and be on your way.

>>Write-In

CHART YOUR COURSE

(Voting shall remain open for the next three hours, with posting to resume in four.)

>>5142276
I am cackling at this scene.

Life seems to imitate life itself.

Leviathan is quite the interesting snek, which makes me wonder what sort of personality that Behemoth will take.

>>5142275
Well, Levy sounds like an alright personification of all the rage of the sea.

I definitely think it would be a missed opportunity to not make a trade hear, I am however unsure what to ask for. I mean, we do not have an exact idea of what Levy is capable of/willing to give... and Yamato probably has even less of an idea.

What do you guys think we should ask for?

>>5142275
>>Assent, with the caveat that Leviathan not poke around in your pre-Crucible life.

Oh, I like Leviathan. They're fun. Curious and analytical, but still able to appreciate that the things they're studying are just plain cool, and understands seeking consent before experimentation. They seem like a nice wyrm. I can't wait for our party to meet you, Levy.

Also

>THERE’S A TREND OF REFERENTIAL EVOLUTION THAT’S MANIFESTED IN THE FORMS OF YOUR SPECIES’ CRUCIBLE, A LEVEL OF TOTEMISM THAT’S MORE PRONOUNCED IN YOU AND YOUR PEOPLE THAN I’VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF EXPERIENCING BEFORE

So this isn't the norm? Most species don't have the Amalgams and Corruption draw so much on their media and myths? Huh. Maybe this is just me, but I'd think that would make the body horror so much worse. Like with a lot of horror types, body horror is about lack of control and understanding. The flesh rebelling against your wishes and turning into something strange and other. The totemism means that there's at least some pattern to be imposed on the mutations. That touchstone robs the mutations of a bit of their horror. Not all, since turning into a giant battleship-crab (just for example) is going to be weird and dehumanizing regardless. But it's better than if there was no context for it. I wonder if a past Mother made that her rules change or if it's just something weird about humans? Well, I guess that's what Levy is asking to help them find out, so maybe we'll learn.

>>5142286
Yeah, I'm in sort of the same boat. The only thing I can think of is navigational aid, but Yamato is probably good at that already. Maybe just a "favor for later" deal, then? If Yamato ever needs a giant sea monster's aid, she can call on Levy and if they're not busy doing something else, they'll come calling.

>>5142293
A future favor sounds like a good idea, yeah. That being said, maybe Yamato could first ask about Levy's capabilities first, or ask for something really big, like 'can you bring back those lost to the Crucible?' or something big like that, to test their limits.

>>5142312
Yeah, let's ask Levy what they can do. Seems sensible. We can make our request after we know what they can do. Other than freeze things in time, of course.

>>5142275
>>Write-In
>"I...suppose I'm open to that. I don't really know what I'd ask of you in return, though. What is 'within your considerable power'?"

>>5142275
>>Allow it, and ask Leviathan for something in return—it’s only fair, after all

>>5142293
>>5142286
a safe voyage across the sea perhaps? Levy's one of the big boi monsters. calling on his aid against small fry (in levy's perspective) sounds like short term gain vs Levy's long term gain in terms of curiosity.

Hang on.. if Levy gets his scales on Yamato's pre-crucible life, he's gonna encounter Sweet Potato's massive nerd-obsession with Kantcolle, Azur Lane, Naval history, and much of Japan's general weeb/otaku culture. oh god. He might get the perverse idea of wanting to see human fashion and nippon culture. This is hilarious yet darkly scary.

>>5142275

I'll back this vote up >>5142321 in favor of dropping mine >>5142322

>>5142293
>So this isn't the norm? Most species don't have the Amalgams and Corruption draw so much on their media and myths? Huh. Maybe this is just me, but I'd think that would make the body horror so much worse. Like with a lot of horror types, body horror is about lack of control and understanding.

I think the increased totemism in humanity's crucible is due to the sheer prevalence and long-standing power of our media and myths. We were taken by the crucible when all the world's wisdom and knowledge can be readily consumed and created from a diverse selection of sources, whereas the Hexane plant-people and the Tindalos Hounds had more of a monocultural heritage. The latter having their distinct culture based on pre-determinism and the former having their civilization already united into a singular dominant if stagnant monoculture. humans on the other hand are in that weird stage where we're generally united when a common cause presents itself but when the threat isn't there we easily divide back into our own separate and unique tribes.

>>5142334
Maybe. But even if we've got more developed memetic heritage than the Tindalos or Hexane, there are still another 774 species that this iteration of the Crucible has eaten. You'd think some would have a ton of mythology and fiction to draw from. But maybe it's an angels and apes sort of thing, where the timespan where a species has diverse and interconnected cultural ideas is really short on the cosmic scale. You're right, that could be possible. I'm sure Leviathan will comment on their findings to us.,

>>5142347
>But maybe it's an angels and apes sort of thing, where the timespan where a species has diverse and interconnected cultural ideas is really short on the cosmic scale.
Reminds me of a youtube video I watched where someone made the analogy of the Universe's entire lifespan from big bang to inevitable cosmic death in 24 hours time. Humanity's emergence (from apes) and extinction would only amount to up to 1 minute.

>>5142357
Yeah, I've seen that, too. Not whichever video you're thinking of, necessarily, but the concept. The idea was first proposed by the great astronomer and science educator, Carl Sagan. The "cosmic calendar", all of existence condensed into a single year. And even on that larger timescale, humanity doesn't show up until the last minute of the last day of the year. We are a very young species.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ24d6GWZPA

>>5142275
vote;
>Allow it, and ask Leviathan for something in return—it’s only fair, after all.

im not sure what Yamato might ask for, but i still find it the most appropriate choice.

File: The Scourge of Existence.jpg (624 KB, 1280x1149)

624 KB JPG

>>5142275

“I…suppose I’m open to that.” You concede after some deliberation, though judging by the air hissed through half your crews’ teeth it’s not one they agree with. “I don’t really know what I’d ask of you in return, though. What is within your ‘considerable power’, exactly?”

“I HAVE BEEN GRANTED DOMINION OVER ANYTHING WITHIN YOUR SEA’S LIMITS. TRAVEL, CHANGE…AND THOSE THAT TRAVERSE IT.” Leviathan replies with a flick of their tongue towards the captive Amalgam, pride curling around every booming syllable. “FEW CRUCIBLES HAD SUCH A PLEASANT AMOUNT OF LIQUID AS YOURS, SO MY POWERS COULD RARELY REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL.”

“If I may…” Begins Calypso, the Skintalker having found her voice again. “…I'm assuming you’re one of the three Apocalypse Amalgams the ‘Net’s been talking about?”

“OH HO, IS THAT WHAT THEY’RE CALLING MY SIBLINGS AND I?” Levy chortles, sending choppy waves emanating out from their massive form. “THEN YES, I AM. WE WERE TO BE LOOSED WHEN THE CRUCIBLE NEEDED PROTECTION FROM THAT WHICH WOULD THREATEN IT…THOUGH SINCE ONE HAS YET TO MANIFEST, IT APPEARS WE HAVE BEEN LEFT TO OUR OWN DEVICES.”

You’re about to ask what could possibly pose a threat to a world-devouring abomination, but something tells you ignorance is, in this case, bliss. Instead, you figure a compliment or two wouldn’t hurt, saying; “You have quite a vast domain, Levy. It’s quite impressive…so have you devoted your ‘devices’ to researching our particular Crucible?”

“OH YES, I HAVE! THE ORIGINAL POINT OF THE CORRUPTION WAS TO DRIVE A WEDGE BETWEEN DAUGHTERS—TO SINGLE OUT THE DOMINANT, SENTIENT SPECIES, UNIFIED IN THEIR BIOSIMILARITY, AND THEN THROW THEIR UNIFICATION INTO CHAOS.” Levy explains, unable to contain their excitement as the waves grow ever-more chaotic. “BUT—AND I ASSUME THIS TO BE A RESULT OF THIS STRAIN’S APPARENT DECAY—THERE APPEARS TO BE A SUBCONSCIOUS DIRECTION THAT’S BEEN MANIFESTING IN THE LAST DOZEN OR SO CRUCIBLES! TYPICALLY YOU’D NEED AN ARTISAN’S TOUCH OR ADMINISTRATOR OVERRIDE TO CHANGE ONE’S PHYSICAL FEATURES, BUT YOUR SPECIES APPEAR TO INFLUENCE THE DIRECTION OF YOUR ALTERATIONS TO A DEGREE I’VE NEVER ENCOUNTERED BEFORE. I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE HOW THIS MANFESTS IN THE NEXT ONE!”

“The…next Crucible, you mean?” You clarify, a pit forming in your boiler as Leviathan nods.

“I’m afraid you’re mistaken—this will be the last Crucible. It ends with us.” Vector declares, stepping forward as her body vibrates with violent neon.

“OH, YOU’RE ADORABLE!” The thing chuckles dismissively before flicking its tongue your way once again. “SO, DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’D LIKE TO ASK OF ME? IT’S THE LEAST I CAN DO, REALLY.”

>>You’ll ask for (Write-In)—let’s see if ‘Levy’s’ as powerful and generous as they say.

>>…on second thought, you’ll continue on your way.

>>Write-In

CHART YOUR COURSE

(Voting shall remain open for the next six hours, with posting to resume on Tuesday, February 1st at 10AM, Eastern time. I wish you a very relaxed and restful weekend, and if you do have fun plans ahead then I hope they go well. Thank you for your patience and participation, and take care.)

>>5142506
Yeah, I am still not sure about what exactly to ask for. Safe passage seems like something Yamato does not exactly need, she has been able to manage so far without it. I also need to go to sleep now, so, unless somebody comes up with something clever, my vote is for:
>>You’ll ask for (Write-In - a future favor or, if this is too vague for Levy's tastes, a promise that it will come help us in a fight or with an unsurmountable task when we call upon them once in the future)—let’s see if ‘Levy’s’ as powerful and generous as they say.

>>5142506
>>5142528
same, so ill just back you up here. part of the problem is while i appreciate giving us the reigns still, its still both not 'our' character in the same way Shu is, aswell as a side story, so its just a very different sorta ask to ask for.
that, and im not sure what a living battleship crab really needs. i guess she might enjoy a good hull... shell(?) polish? a good waxy, acid resistant shine, or something, i dunno.

>>5142506
>“I HAVE BEEN GRANTED DOMINION OVER ANYTHING WITHIN YOUR SEA’S LIMITS. TRAVEL, CHANGE…AND THOSE THAT TRAVERSE IT.” Leviathan replies with a flick of their tongue towards the captive Amalgam, pride curling around every booming syllable. “FEW CRUCIBLES HAD SUCH A PLEASANT AMOUNT OF LIQUID AS YOURS, SO MY POWERS COULD RARELY REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL.”
Wow, that's powerful. Sounds like they've got some almost metaphysical power, too. Impressive. Though most Crucibles don't spawn an acid sea to replace the natural ones? Interesting.

>“The…next Crucible, you mean?” You clarify, a pit forming in your boiler as Leviathan nods.
>“I’m afraid you’re mistaken—this will be the last Crucible. It ends with us.” Vector declares, stepping forward as her body vibrates with violent neon.
>“OH, YOU’RE ADORABLE!” The thing chuckles dismissively before flicking its tongue your way once again.
I look forward to Ziz finding you and filling you in on the two Crucible-ending things they've found.

Supporting >>5142528

>>5142508
Any thoughts on the Faith and Philosophy short story? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it as well as how the characters are portrayed.

>>5143028
(The last half of this week has just demolished me, so I've set aside some time tomorrow to read through it all with a clear head and give it the time it's due! I'll post my thoughts in the early evening, if all goes well.)