>>5366180

[1/2]

If she knows you're here, you might as well make noise - you take deep breaths, and count to five. On the last count, you jump back up and spin around the tree trunk. At this range, you can barely make out Gwynn's figure charging at you with her guard up. She obviously was prepared for an ambush, but you never were planning on fighting her in the first place. You aim your flashlight at her face, and turn it on. She cries out in pain and quickly covers her eyes - being able to see in this darkness must make her really sensitive to light, and a flash at this range would make anyone's eyes sting, especially hers.
As she tumbles past you, you realize she is in the ideal position for you to bash her head with the hefty light... But you break into a sprint instead. You're not sure if it's because you're afraid she'd shrug it off or some small part in you still believes her - you'll have to sort that out later. For now, you just want to get as far away from her as possible.

"DURGA!"

Not even a second after you process what it is she yelled, one of the twins suddenly stands in front of you. You try to swerve around her, but she grips your collar and hooks your leg with hers. Your momentum lifts you off your feet, and you land head first on the ground, the impact shearing your back. Durga doesn't hesitate to restrain you, pinning your arms under her shins, and gripping your throat.

"Try that agen and yer dead!"

She isn't choking you, but it's very close. Even if you had the energy to make another attempt to escape, you have no doubt she'll kill you on the spot.

"Durga, that is enough. Please loosen your grip, I can take it from here."
"...Ye can see arright?"
"Yes, it is... it is getting better. I am afraid I will be seeing spots for some time, but it is fine."

The drow pauses, and then slowly releases her hands. A moment later, she disappears, and Gwynn puts a hand on your shoulder, applying moderate pressure.

"I'm sorry Durga and I had to be so rough, Sergey. Neither of us were properly trained in negotiation."
You cough. "...Yeah, well at least you're real good at lying."

That seemed to have shut her up. She inhales, preparing to say something, but decides to hold her tongue.

"It's fine. You win. Now send me jail, or whatever."
"That's not... Thank you."

She pulls you back up on your feet and pulls out something from a pocket located on her waist. You can fee a wire being looped around your wrists behind your back, and with a pull, you are restrained once again. The handcuffs aren't so tight that they cut off your circulation, but you aren't getting them off any time soon. She then picks up the flashlight you dropped, and shines it on your feet.

"Let's go. No more tricks, ok?"

>>5366183

[2/3]

You make the trip back to the outpost in complete silence. You can see only one van left, but you can see Dr. Nevada pace around. After moving closer, Dr. Nevada takes notice and turns to face Gwynn, but widens her eyes as she stares at you. She then throws her head down and presses both her hands under her glasses, into her face.

"...Gwynn, tell me that's not the lackey kid."
"I'm sorry, Lady Doctor Gwynn. I tried to escort him back within safe range but-"
"You tried what? You're telling me you walked right into blast range while they were priming!?" You have never seen her so shocked before.
"I- I'm sorry, Lady Doctor Gwynn. I hoped there would still be enough time if I teleported... We got far enough, but he ended up seeing... well, everything."

Nevada looks at you, then at Gwynn, then back to you. She adjusts her glasses, and returns to her usual deadpan expression.

"Well kid, 'member that NDA you sign'd? Yeah, you're just gonna have t'work extra hard to keep your mouth shut."
"Are you kidding me? You wipe out my whole town, and expect me to just sit there and not say anything to not offend the fucking council?"
"Sergey, language!", Gwynn whispers. You couldn't care less right now.
"Seems like the least you could do given what Gwynn just did for you."
"What she did for- Do what, lie to me? Attack me? Threaten me? Have her psycho twin strang-"

Nevada slaps you across the face, leaving a dull stinging sensation. She looks furious.

"Gwynn had the clearance to kill you the second you strolled out here! But instead, she just risked her life standing next to over 2 Petajoule of psychic energy! You have NO right to talk about her like that!"
"Just like you have no right to kill a whole town!"

She takes a breath and manages to get rid of the fury in her eyes.

>>5366186

[3/3]

"Course I'd have the right. We came under orders of the council, 'member? That's as right as it gets. 'sides, not like I actually did that."
"Then tell me! Tell me what just happened!" She sighs.
"I told you, it's... Know what? Fine. Your town just got sent into a stable subspace pocket where it is suspended in a frame generating artificial sunlight and gravity. Happy now?"
"What? What is that supposed to mean!?"
While she is rolling her eyes, Gwynn chimes up. "The town is... in another plane of existence, more or less."
"Not another plane, it's subspace...", Nevada grumbles.
"...Anyway, your town, and its residents, are unharmed. The blast beacons were well outside range, and everyone can still continue their lives... just, in subspace, that is."
"What if something went wrong? You could have killed everyone!"
"It's plenty safe. We've done this hundreds of times already. You think we'd just start figurin' this stuff out with 2000 people? I've been workin' on this for almost 5 years now. Your ditch is just the first at this scale, really. Never needed more than 4 beacons before."
"Then why here? Why this town? Aren't we outside of council jurisdiction?"
"Gwynn?"
"...Springfield has a high degree of self-sufficiency and a low crime rate, making it ideal for sustained isolation. Adding to that, it's impossible to find a feydom that is willing to offer up a settlement of this size."
"But we're still outside the principality!"
"Eh, sooner or later you'd've join'd it anway. Sometimes they just like to jump the gun a little. 'Specially when the- ah, speak of the devil."

She looks over to the distance past you. You turn around and see a car rolling up, this time a... jeep, if you got it right. The car circles around the outpost and stops next to the van. The passenger door swings open, and out steps... Baroness Selène!? You should be relieved to see at least someone from your town again, but you just feel your stomach turn.

"There you are. You neglected to give me any directions, so we had to- What is *he* doing here?"
"Well, your highness, seems like one of your loyal subjects just couldn't let you go."
"I am not in the mood for jokes, dear 'doctor'. Kovlov, what are you doing out here? Am I to assume you were not part of whatever it was that occurred back there?"

> Ask her what she's doing here
> Ask her if she saw what just happened
> Ask her if she knew about this
> Ask her if she's responsible for this

>>5366180

First thread is now archived:
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=MPQ

>>5366187
> The good Doctor and Ser Knight have just given me a very basic explanation of what they did and why. If I had to make a guess as to who is responsible I'd probably say that you sold my home and everyone living in it to the fucking Council?

>Adding to that, it's impossible to find a feydom that is willing to offer up a settlement of this size
>Eh, sooner or later you'd've join'd it anway. Sometimes they just like to jump the gun a little. 'Specially when the- ah, speak of the devil
Seems to me that our noble lady made a deal with the feds.

>>5366196
Why make a new thread?? Didnt you just start the other one like 5 days ago?

>>5366218
I thought it reached the bump limit. What's the usual etiquette for starting a new thread?

>>5366187
> Ask her what she's doing here
>>5366221
/qst/ is a slow board, a thread lasts about a month here so no need to go making new threads unless you want to quickly hit the thread limit. 9/10 just ride it until page 10, the 1/10 is for the rare quests that get popular to the point the site starts to chug trying to load so many posts

>>5366187
> Ask her if she's responsible for this
>What makes you think I was aware of any of this?
>If anyone has something to explain it is you!

>>5366234
Ok, thanks for letting me know. I'll keep that in mind, sorry for clogging the board.

>>5366262
They're intentionally giving you bad advice so your quest doesn't get too popular. Don't listen to them, always start a new thread after 5 days

>>5366180
>The monsters have taken over earth! 115 years ago.
Ah, man, you're gonna need to fix this opening for the next thread you make. I think it's what turned off most potential readers. Assuming you're going for a feel like "reversed expectations: they already won a while ago," something as simple as changing that last line to "115 years ago, that is," would make it flow better. In its current state, the sudden stop is kind of jarring, like it's missing something. The rest of your writing is pretty solid otherwise.
Also, Earth - the planet - is a proper noun, so you want to capitalize it.

> Ask her what she's doing here

>>5366187
>>5366203
>>5366234
>>5366238

[1/4]

"What am *I* doing out here? What are you doing out here!? Are you responsible for this?"
"'Responsible' might be a bit too much. I am only doing as the house Daedal asks."
"Don't act like you had no part in this! How could you do that!?"
"Listen well, Kovlov, I shall give you a lesson in Arcadian politics. If you want to drive someone into a dead end, you send them to oversee a tributary settlement. A baroness of extraprincipal land is little more than a glorified landowner at best. I was simply offered an opportunity, and took it. Do not take it personal, and do not think of me as unusually cruel. Anyone in my position would have done the same."
"Geez, you make it sound like I just kill'd everyone.", Nevada adds.
"Is that not what just happened? I suppose it makes little difference; I will not be seeing them either way."
"Are you for real!? You endangered your whole town, and everyone in it, just to get ahead in your stupid career!?"
"Hold your tongue, mongrel. You may no longer be my responsibility, but a serf shall address with respect all the same."

The two of you exchange glares, but out of the corner of your eye, you can barely see Nevada tap her chin.

"...Actually, he's still your responsibility." A grin grows from pointed ear to ear.
"What are you talking about? Even if I was still baroness of this land, his residence is gone under any legal framework. Or are you saying there is some special clause given whatever you did to the town?"
"No, nothin' like that. Just that, Gwynn told me 'bout the contract you had him sign - basically slightly tweaked temp retainer stuff, right?"
"If you want to say something, Nevada, say it immediately. I have never had the patience for your irritating attempt at theatrics."
"Alright, have it your way. The contract runs out after 24 hours. I never terminated the contract. He is still your retainer."
"So? It expires all the same. Then my responsibilities end."

Gwynn lets out a gasp.

>>5366275

[2/4]

"If I may, Lady Selène, he lost his residence, meaning the service to the residing baron or baroness has ended. However, since he's your retainer, his service, and by extension the responsibility over him falls onto you."
"I still fail to see your point. That relationship expires tomorrow." Gwynn shakes her head.
"Except there's legal precedent against this. If nobility is the sole beneficiary of the service of a retainer, the retainer's service must remain as such, until a release ordered from a higher ranking official responsible for that nobility. A temporary status would be rendered void."
"You are lying. No such ruling exists." Gwynn lays a hand on her chest and gives a bow.
"Baron Lenz versus the house of Deirdre, 84 AD. I'd stake my title as a commanding knight of the council on it."
"Seriously? Why are you arguing for me to stay with the madwoman who sold out my FRIENDS AND FAMILY to the FUCKING COUNCIL!?"
"Relax, kid. She just got back int'the council. She's not gonna kill off her retainer first order of business, the optics'd be terrible."
"But still-"
"*But still*, the contract in question, along with all its copies, were located in Springfield, which tragically went up in smoke. You have no proof." The Baroness' scowl has been getting more and more intense as the two make their case.
"Told you I didn't blow 'em up, didn't I? All your documents are still safe in town hall, in a subspace pocket. If you really wanna make a fuss 'bout it, we can go get them, but Daedal's R&D branch is not gonna be happy 'bout abortin' an experiment like that."
"If that is the case, then his residence should still be intact. That means the responsibilities shall fall to whoever shall governs the town next."
"Intact? Sure. But in a legal sense? Not so much. The town's literally gone from the planet, and there's no law coverin' extradimensional residence."
"I..."
"You're welcome t'fight it in court... If you can convince Earl Daedal t'go public with the project, of course."
"Of all the..."

The Baroness stares daggers at Nevada. She clicks her tongue, takes a deep breath, and returns to an air of smug professionalism.

>>5366276

[3/4]

"Very well, I applaud your thorough familiarity with our legal system. However, as Baroness in house Daedal, I hereby relinquish custody of my retainer and transfer it to a vassal of lower rank... In this case, let us say you, Lady Nevada."
"Real funny. I don't have time t'put up with him, and you don't have that kind of authority. Even if you were still runnin' this place, a Baroness of a place like this is, like you said, a 'glorified land owner.'"
"You are correct, except for minor aspect. As of the completion of our agreement, which was the second you initiated your little experiment on Springfield, I am now the Baroness of the providence of Greenshire, effective immediately."
"What? Now you're makin' stuff up. Who goes from a tributary hovel t'a whole province?"
"I know a bargaining chip when I see one, dear *Nevada*. Besides, in spite of my... temporary demotion, I was still in good standing with many of the grand nobles of the house."
"Yeah right. Prove it."
"Your lack of trust is disappointing, but predictable. Luckily for you, in a moment of vanity, I chose to keep a copy of the contract right on my person."
She goes back to the trunk of the car and fishes out a thin, clear folder. She presents it to Nevada, who snatches it out of her hand. She starts looking over the multi-page document, flipping back and forth the pages. She then looks over to Gwynn, and tosses it towards her.

"Gwynn, is this legit?"

Gwynn pours over the document in silence, softly whispering to herself. After some time, she looks back up.

"...L- Baroness Selène's claims are correct. She's also within the legal boundaries to do this."
"You've got to be-"
"I am glad to see you being levelheaded about this, Dame Gwynn. Now if you would please be so kind?"

She holds out her hand expectantly. Gwynn steps forward and returns the folder to her owner. The freshly crowned baroness turns towards Nevada again.

>>5366280

[4/4]

"I was hoping to keeping this a secret until I could catch you disrespecting me in front of other members of the council, but you playing lawyer forced my hand. And now-"
"...Oh Christ..."
"-*and now*, I shall tolerate your flippant attitude no longer. I had a fine lesson in patience having to deal with your almost barbaric lack of etiquette, but going forward, you *will* treat me with the respect expected towards a noble such as myself. Have I made myself clear?"

It takes her a moment, but Nevada exhales and clears all signs of aggression on her face. She then gives the baroness the same bow you're used to giving her for all those years.

"Understood, Baroness Selène of the house of Daedal, regent of the province of Greenshire."
"And just when I thought that brain of yours had no room for manners. You may raise your head. I really must be going now, I wish to rest in my quarters before dawn. I do not particularly care what you plan to do with him, as long as you do not try to make him my problem again. I bid you adieu, and a pleasant remainder of this night."

She turns on her heel and struts towards her car with an air of superiority you find nauseating.

> Confront her one last time
> Keep your mouth shut for now

>>5366281
> Keep your mouth shut for now
Level head, level head. If even Nevada is shutting up, we probably shouldn't poke her too much, either.
...Damned if I don't want to flip the bird at her behind her back, though.

>>5366273

Thanks for the advice, I'll write up something different next time. Glad you're all enjoying the story so far.

>>5366281
>Keep your mouth shut for now
We can get back at her later, they said something about being able to abort the experiment to retrieve the documents so you could learn stuff from them.

>>5366281
>>5366284
>>5366290

[1/2]

You wish you could shove that contract down her throat, but you bite your lip and take deep breaths. If someone like Nevada is bowing down to her, you're certain doing anything stupid now will definitely be the last thing you'll do. That doesn't stop you from wishing she'll get in a car accident, though. After watching her jeep travel over the hill, Nevada stomps the ground in anger.

"DAMMIT!"
"Oh, sorry you couldn't weasel your way out of having to deal with me. You're gonna get rid of me now, like the rest of my town?"
"For the last time, they're not dead! All lights green, everyone's fine, your town didn't get scratched, okay?"
"If it's so safe, then why did your bodyguard have to stay clear from it, huh?" She holds her head, as if explaining something to a little child.
"That's why we pick'd this timeframe. No trade, no tourism n' no one's up t'do anything."
"How can you be sure of that? What's stopping someone from just randomly take a walk or leave?"
"...Acceptable losses."
"So you admit it! You potentially kill my own neighbors, and even make me help finish the job!"
"Don't oversell it. You mov'd some boxes around n' got us lunch."
"LADY NEVADA!" Gwynn's bright eyes are full of defiance, and her voice carries hints of desperation.
"Would you please just stop provoking him? He's right about everything. We deceived him, involved his hometown in an experiment, possibly took the lives of his friends and almost got him killed. Yes, it was out of duty to the council, and yes, I'd do it again, if that's what's needed of me. But he also is our duty now! And while you might find it expedient to have have him killed or brainwashed, I'm not going throw him aside after risking my life to save him back there!"

Nevada is looking at her stone-faced, waiting for her to continue.

"I know my tone is out of line, Lady Doctor Nevada. But by the letter of the law, I'm still the leader of this strike team, and I say that we bring him back, safely."
"Bold words, Commander Gwynn. Fine, no more bullyin' - at least, no more jokin' 'bout the dead. Alright, uh..."
"His name is Sergey Kozlov."
"Jesus, I'm never gonna remember that one. You got a nickname?"
"..."
"Middle name? C'mon, give me somethin' here."
"...Ivanovich."
"Ivan it is. Anyway, Ivan, we're not gonna screw you over again - Gwynn is genuine, n' I wanna respect her wishes. So for now, why don't you hop in that windowless van... n' we'll drive you somewhere far away?"

>>5366392

[2/2]

Gwynn clears her throat loudly to get Nevada's attention. You want to refuse to cooperate just to spite her, but then you start to consider your situation. You are alone. Tired. Everything in your life was literally plucked off the Earth, and you own likewise literally nothing but the clothes on your back. The closest settlement is about an hour away on foot, and you are witness to highly classified council secrets. You are a dead man walking, and here you have two high ranking vassals offering you an olive branch. Even if they are lying through their teeth, this really isn't much of a choice.

"Fine. But I first want proof that everyone in Springfield is safe. I want to know if even just one person is missing."
"You have zero leverage, but we can do that - once I get back to my lab."
"Why not now? Can't you use your computers?"
"Those 'computers' are enough to run the readings, flash the firmware onto the beacons n' browse the internet. To actually establish a connection to a subspace pocket you need a shed full of high-precision devices draining ten times the power your rinky-dink town consumes. Can't be done here."

You look over to Dame Gwynn, who just holds up her hands defensively.

"D-Don't ask me! I barely know anything about orgonomics, let alone anything the level of complexity Lady Doctor Nevada is working at. But she's right about the big machinery, if that helps."

This isn't the answer you wanted, but you at least have her word - whatever that is worth.

"Okay, I'll go with you. Not like I have much choice in the matter." Gwynn breathes a sigh of relief.
"Yes! I mean- I'm glad you've come to that conclusion. You've made the right call."

Nevada slaps you on the back.

"Knew you'd come 'round. Now then, you know how to drive shift, Ivan?"
"...Uh... I can drive a tractor."
"Good enough for me. Here you go." She tosses you the keys to the car, which you barely catch.
"Lady Doctor Nevada, are you serious?"
"It'd be a fun trust buildin' exercise, right? 'Sides, why are you against this? Thought you want'd me t'get some sleep, n' you trust him, right?"
"Well yes, but... I'm a little insulted you'd pick a tired man you don't fully trust and has only driven tractors over me, to be honest."
"Don't take it personal. I'd take the fear of the unknown over the known any day. You good to go, Ivan?"

> Accept to drive the van
> Refuse
> Insist Dame Gwynn should drive
> Other (Write-in)

>>5366396
> Accept to drive the van
No point in little rebellions. Save your energy for the big stuff.

>>5366396
>>5366482

[1/2]

"I'll give it a shot... No promises, though."
"You'll get the hang of it, once you got past the clutch. Oh right, you're probably tir'd, right?"
"It's been... it's been a long day."
"Alright, hold still."

She faces you and places both index fingers on each of your temples. What is she doin- OW!
You feel sting coursing through your skull, as if someone is pressing their finger right against your brain. Your vision blurs for a moment, but the pain vanishes as quickly as it appeared - the only remainder is a slight itch where Nevada touched your head.

"That hurt! What was that!?"
"Don't be a baby. I shocked your receptors to leak some adrenaline for the next half hour or so - barely a charge."
"Is that even safe? What if you scrambled my brain or something?"
"Not at that kind of voltage. 'sides, I've done it 7 times t'myself just today."
"...which isn't safe at that kind of frequency, Lady Doctor Nevada. That amount of adrenaline is dangerous in the long term."
"I'll manage. You feelin' better yet?"

You consider your condition. The discomfort from the shock has dissipated by now, and you actually feel... more awake? It's not the spike of energy you felt earlier when trying to run away from Dame Gwynn, and your limbs still feel heavy, but mentally, you feel pretty refreshed.

"Looks good. Gwynn, get the floodlight in the back. I'll give Ivan a rundown."

Nevada explains you how to work a clutch and change gears, and after stalling the engine twice, you manage to drive off somewhat smoothly. Gwynn, who offered to sit in the back, is giving you directions from a small window separating the trunk and the driver's cabin, and it's after you've settled on a dirt road that you realize that you are driving alone.

"Wait a moment, where is the other car? Where are the fairy and the construct?"
"Pan and Rho? I sent them ahead after I confirm'd the tunnelin' worked. I was just waitin' for Gwynn t'get back, and, well... here we are."

You cast a glance over to the doctor, who seems much more relaxed since you started moving.

>>5366654

[2/2]

"The next 80 kilometers will be bumpy, but pretty straightforward. You should be able to get some sleep, Lady Doctor Nevada."
"Are the roads further in any better? Tractors don't have nearly as much problems with this terrain."
"Some are maintained, but it's low priority. The council prefers to minimize pavement."
"Not much reason t'drive when you can just teleport. Keepin' the land green just has good optics."
"W-well, that too."

The conversation ends abruptly, the roaring of the engine and jostling of the chassis forming the entire ambiance. Nevada has reclined in her passenger chair and After some extremely long seconds, Gwynn dares to break the silence.

"I.. I know you don't trust me right now, but how about we just talk? Durga said it might help a little, or at the very least, pass the time."
"Durga said that?"
"Y-yes?"
"The one who hates my guts? The one who almost choked me to death not an hour ago?"
"She doesn't hate you! She's just very direct... and really particular about serfs showing respect. And she's sorry about earlier!"
"Well maybe if she didn't use you as a mouthpiece, I'd actually believe that."
"Okay!"

You hear a soft thud behind you. You glance back and see alabaster skin on Gwynn - Druga comes into view a bit after that.

"Gwynn! Aree daft? Ye talk to the serf, not me!"
"Now, Durga, you heard Sergey. You yourself said the best thing to do right now is to show we can trust each other, and the best thing to do that right now is for you to speak to him directly."
"Ye be the people person, not me! We talked abou-" She stops, and exhales.
"Fine. But don blame me if 'e don't like it. Serf."

You wait for her to continue.

"SERF!"
"What!?"
"It's Dame Du- OW!" That must have been Gwynn punching her.
"Serf. Ye might not like it, but we 'ave ta 'ave sum level of trust. So just talk to the dame, that's all I want from ye."
"...With all due respect, Dame Durga, but I was promised an apology."
"Ye assaulted a knight of the council. After resisting arrest. I ain't apologizing for standard procedure."
"Durga!"
"...But the choking wasn't necessary. I apologize for that."
"Thank you, Durga. I appreciate your humility."

That is considered being humble?

"Apology accepted, Dame Durga. But I doubt that shining a flashlight at someone could actually be considered 'assault'."
"Now then! With that out of the way, are you perhaps feeling any more talkative?"

Given the urgency of first phrase, you can tell Gwynn wanted to cut off her twin.

> Tell her something about you (Write-in)
> Ask her to tell you something about her first (Write-in)
> Ask what she wants to know
> Tell her you still don't feel like talking right now

>>5366661
> Ask her to tell you something about her first (Write-in)
Ask her what she did to make Doc Nevada afraid of her driving
> Ask what she wants to know

>>5366661
> Tell her something about you (Write-in)
>"I had a pretty good working relationship with some of the fae back home. They felt... human."
Subtle dig that these city slickers suck eggs in comparison. Also an opportunity to discuss (read: fling shit at each other, thanks Nevada) what it means to be human.

>>5366743
>+1
I wanna know about the noodle incident

>durga
good morning sirs

>>5367213
do the needful

>>5366661
>>5366743
>>5366998
>>5367024

[1/5]

"Before that, could you explain why Dr. Nevada is so against you driving? She said something about not trusting Dame Durga, but what does that have to do with you?"
"Truth be told, I never learned how to drive - Durga did. It is custom to educate future pact members in different aspects to a degree, to maximize expertise. After a pact, knowledge between either parties can be shared, including subconscious processes. So while I know how to drive, it is the muscle memory of my twin that takes over, and... well, her acceleration has been described as 'needlessly aggressive' by more than one passengers."
"...it be efficient. Gets uz where we need ta be, and fast."

You can hear Doctor Nevada mumble incoherently to herself.

"Now then, can I ask you something? You seem to be fairly unfamiliar with monstropology. Were you isolated from the monsters back h- before?"
"I had a pretty good working relationship with some of the fae. Unlike others, they felt... human."
"Ye WOT!?"
"Please Durga, I am sure he did not mean to offend. Sergey, saying something like that is very inconsiderate towards monsters. Please apologize."
"...I'm being inconsiderate to the creatures that enslaved humans for decades?"

You hear Durga inhale sharply, but Dame Gwynn cuts her off. You take a peek back, and see that the two of them have fused again.

"I know that you haven't been under a lot of monsters, but you really shouldn't say something like that. Any monster intelligent enough to be civil is doing their best to behave, and even if humans have been mistreated in the past, and still are in many places in the world, they still are people."
"Excuse me if I find that a little hard to believe."
"I'm not just making a moral argument. If the council hears you say something like this, they'll think you're a human supremacist, and send you off to a correctional facility, at best. Not even nobility is immune to this. ...You don't actually believe in human supremacy, do you?"
"That's the first time I've heard that expression. Do you mean whether I think humans are better than everyone else?"
"-more or less, yes."
"Well, not really. Fairies are are stronger than us, smarter than us and live much longer. And I heard that dragons and angels aren't much different, so we aren't superior to monsters in that regard. But I do think that the weakness of humans gives us an outlook on life that someone who is practically immortal can't ever understand, even if it would be a good outlook to have."
"...That's very mature of you. From what I've read, accepting their new place in the hierarchy is something that took a lot of effort and even more lives for our forefathers. But I think humanity doesn't need to be worse off, just because it has lost its position as the apex species."
"You are... not exactly selling me on both monsters and the council."

>>5367319

[2/5]

"I know it's easy to dismiss them both as a tyrannical force, but if you look at our history, the principality has been able to make big steps for human-monster relations, and the rights of humans. We even have elves gunning for the seat of Season Prince and Princess now!"
"Well I'm glad to hear at least someone is able to get ahead in life."
"...Anyway, you said you liked the feyfolk in your town?"
"Some, I guess. A lot of them would boss me - and most of the other humans - around, but some were pretty nice. They even weren't very particular about etiquette."
"That's good to hear. From the records I've seen, Baroness Selène was the only nobility in Springfield - the rest were servant races such as lower fey, mandrakes and elementals, correct?"

You nod.

"I heard that they tend to become more similar to and familiar with humans in smaller settlements. The ethnicities are more lopsided, and there isn't as much nobility keeping them under check."
"So because they're so low on the hierarchy, I assume that's also why they also participated in a mass experiment without their knowledge or permission?"
"Well... yes. It still is their duty, and research has very high priority. I'm sure that even right now, they accept their lot. ...Anyway, could you tell me a bit about your job? I'm interested in your finds out here."
"You mean during my dives?"
"HA!"

>>5367323

[3/5]

You both are startled by Dr. Nevada's sudden outburst.

"Lady Doctor Nevada! I thought you were asleep by now!"
"Not with all the yappin' here. Should've figured you were a diver, you're a walkin' stereotype."
"Don't say that, Lady Doctor Nevada. Diving is a respectable occupation! Besides, don't you support the retrieval of technologies?"
"Yeah, but what good is it if they can't-"

In an instant, the elf goes silent. She shifts in her seat to rights herself up, leans forward, and gets lost deep in thought as she rapidly taps her chin.

"Uh... D-"
"Shh."

After shushing you, she remains quiet for a full minute, until she finally speaks up.

"Gwynn? Let's go through some legal stuff. Where is Ivan registered to right now?"
"Well, he's your retainer right now, so by extension, he belongs to the house Daedal."
"I'm not talking 'bout that. Which city is he currently a resident of?"
"Didn't you say it yourself earlier? In legal terms, he has no residence, so right now, he is a citizen of... Wait, I guess... he lost his citizenship? He doesn't belong to Arcadia on a principal level, because he lives outside its influence. We'll have to register him as fast as possible to close that technicality!"
"Not so fast. Let's say our boy Ivan ran into some ruins, takes something, and gets out, all without a permit. What happens next?"
"What are you on about?", you inquire, but Dame Gwynn is mulling over the doctor's question instead.
"Obviously, he'd be tried as a fore- no wait, he's our retainer, so that wouldn't work. We'd be held accountable? No, divers can't be retainers, so that's not an option... Diver activity is specifically tried in accordance to their residence, but in this case... I- I think he can't actually be tried? Is that a loophole? I need to check the records, I can't think of any legal precedent!"
"Nah, I think your logic checks out. So till he fills out the paperwork, he can theoretically go diggin' through ruin sites."
"Technically, yes, but if he does anything that doesn't contribute to him responding to legal obligation, he'll get in trouble for that. Besides, the diving might not be punishable by law, but taking anything would still be theft from the earl of th- Oh no. Lady Doctor Nevada, please don't tell me this is-"
"Oh yes."
"What?" The exchange of judicial terms escapes you, but you are picking up a semblance of an idea, and it sounds like a bad one.
"You can't do this. This is abetting."
"Right Ivan, change of plans. We're going to Minsk."
"...I thought we're going to Minsk already."
"Not New Minsk. Minsk. Old Minsk. Or at least, what's left of it."
"Lady Nevada, this is extremely illegal. Sergey, as your commander, I order you to maintain course."
"Would someone explain what you are talking about?"
"I think there's less liability if we don't."
"Dr. Nevada, you clearly want me to engage in something that will get me in even more trouble. Liability isn't going to matter either way."

>>5367328

[4/5]

She sighs.

"Alright, story time. The council's always lookin' for lost tech n' old artifacts from the first 30 years AM. Anno Monstrum, if you didn't know."
"I know that. I didn't grow up without books."
"Anyway, we look for tech, it takes forever, we find somethin', get it back, n' have a look. That's how it usually works. However, since we found Minsk, we know we've been sittin' on somethin' for the last 8 years now, but we can't get it."
"Why not?"
"Because the council can't reach a conclusion on the ownership of the ruin, and everything inside it.", explains Gwynn.
"Doesn't it just go to whoever owns the land?"
"Normally yes, but this is an exception. The province had always belonged to Earl Daedal, but in 91, he signed at treaty between his house and that of house Titania, in which his part of the deal is handing over ownership of the ruins in several of his provinces - including the one in Minsk."
"So it belongs to house Titania, then?"
"...This is where it gets complicated. Minsk wasn't originally a ruin under their ownership - because it was lost. It was only after underground scans that the city was discovered. House Titania obviously wanted ownership of it too, but House Daedel insists that the treaty only applied to the ruins registered under their control at the time of the signature. Neither position wants to relent, so they've been locked in a judicial stalemate for some years now."
"Which I consider horseshit. Retrievin' n'studyin' lost tech has brought us massive advances, so t'bicker over who owns what for somethin' that will help the whole population is Arcadian drama of the highest caliber."
"I understand your frustration, Lady Doctor Nevada, but that doesn't mean we can just ignore procedure. If we act above the law, what's stopping others from doing the same? And they might not be as well-intentioned as you."
"Is everything in the council built on loopholes and technicalities?"
"When you wanna have a law for everythin', any edge case is gonna turn int'legal purgatory. Fairies live for this stuff."
"Loophole or not, the fact that you're even entertaining such an idea is insane. Sergey might not be prosecutable, but ordering him to dive without a license or permit could cost us or titles, and diving in a place like Minsk our heads!"
"But we aren't orderin' him to do anythin'."

>>5367331

[5/5]

"What are you saying? Of course we are-"
"He just manag'd to hop off the van and happened to wind up in the tunnels to Minsk. We tried our best followin' him, but didn't dare go in the ruins. He comes out with whatever is down there, we capture him , and confiscate his find. If he doesn't know about the registerin' bit, we can get charges on that dropp'd."
"You are asking me to lie to the council?"
"Yes. Please. I know you loathe the idea, but this goes beyond rank and file. This is important."
"...the ownership of any findings would still be in a legal grey zone."
"I don't care if I don't get to even look at it, Titania can have it if it makes 'em happy. I just don't want somethin' potentially life-changin' rottin' in a cav'd-in garbage bin."
"Even so, he'd escape under my watch. As acting commander, I would be help responsible for his unlawful breach into a ruin zone."
"I know how much your perfect record means to you, but I'm begging you. If we don't do this, it could be decades until we reach a conclusions, and anything down there might be gone for good by then. There's legal disputes that started in the feywilds, for crying out loud.

Dr. Nevada and Dame Gwynn are facing each other. Their desperation and guilt in their eyes mirror images of each other, though their reasons are different. The younger of the two speaks up.

"...Sergey. What do you say about this?"
"Why should I help you do something that is going to get me in even more trouble?"
"Like I said, you can't get prosecuted. And if they're tryin' to make anythin' stick, I promise you, I'll do everything I can to get you out of it."

You take a deep breath.

"Dr. Nevada. Do you really think whatever can be found in the ruins is really so important?"
"I don't know what's down there, but I know it's big. The orgone signatures were- well, honestly, I still can't work out what the hell it means, but that's all I need to know."

> Agree to help
> Say you don't feel comfortable doing this
> Ask for assurance (Write-in)

>>5366276
>Baron Lenz versus the house of Deirdre, 84 AD.

For the sake of clarity, AD was supposed to be AM.

>>5367334
> Agree to help
>"To be completely honest, your politics sound like a headache. That said, it's not like I disagree with the Doctor, even if she's... Nevermind."
>"Fine. I'll do it. Letting things go to waste goes against my principles. Besides, who knows when I'll get a chance to Dive like this again?"

Step by step, we pursue our greed.

>>5367334
>>5367357

[1/2]

"To be completely honest, your politics sound like a headache. That said, it's not like I disagree with the Doctor, even if she's..."
"She's not what?", Gwynn repeats.
"Never mind. I'll do it. Letting things go to waste goes against my principles. Besides, who knows when I'll get a chance for a Dive like this again?"
"There you go! See, you got your pipe dream after all. Gwynn?"
"...Fine. But please, Lady Nevada, don't make this a repeat performance. Also, we are going to stay for the night, then we can send Sergey to explore the ruins. He's exhausted, possibly hungry and doesn't have a weapon, let alone proper gear. We'd send him to his death if we went like this."
"If we'll enter a city, it'll be too late. We have to do it now, or else it won't make sense for him to have fled all the way t'an undisclos'd city ruin."
"Only if we go to a city with a teleporter station. There is a strike team outpost not too far off our route from here, we should be able to get lodgings and a chance to resupply there. We then carry on and say- and say he escaped during the second half of the trip. It will sound more believable that way... Ohhh, I can't believe I'm saying this."

Nevada looks you over. You still feel the energy boost she gave you earlier, but if she spoke the truth, you'll probably drop like a bag of rocks an hour later.

"Fine, you're right. You know the directions?"
"I'm looking them up right now. We'll have to backtrack a little, but we should be there... in roughly 45 minutes."
"Got it. I'm zonin' out, wake me up if we're here, or in an accident."

Dame Gwynn relays you the directions to reach the outpost, which are more elaborate than before. Shifting works... okay, you are starting to get a sense when and how to switch to a higher gear, but shifting down always results in the motor howling loudly - as if lashed like a beast - and you get occasionally accused of staying in too high a gear. Having to concentrate on the landmarks, shifting, instructions and the rough terrain gets even more difficult as your tiredness is slowly starting to settle in. So despite her asking you once, you aren't in a place to continue your conversation for now.
20 minutes pass. Then, 20 more. You have been staving off your fatigue for a while now, occasionally slowing down to refocus your vision or dig the nail of your thumb into your finger to let the pain distract you a little. Still, you must have made good time, because you spot a tower in the distance.

>>5367504

[2/2]

"Slow down, please. The speed limit 500 meters around a base such as this is 50 kilometers per hour."

You have no sense of how fast that is, but you check the speedometer, and release the gas pedal a little. As you approach, the headlights begin to illuminate a chain link fence and some buildings made from smooth concrete, steel and glass. The fence is periodically reinforced with bit pillars of concrete, and you notice that you're facing a gate. A man wearing body armor similar to Dame Gwynn and a rifle in his hand moves in front of you and gestures you to stop. You hit the brakes a bit too harshly, sending everything in the van to jerk forward, but before you can apologize, the engine stalls. Damn, you forgot the clutch. As the guard approaches the driver's side, you look back to Gwynn - who is nowhere to be found. You swing your head back towards the guard... And see that he is already talking to the changeling, who is standing outside. For a second, you were worried you were going to have to deal with him alone.
They seem to exchanging some words, then a salute, and walk their separate ways. The guard seems to wave to someone behind the gate, and a second later, the door is opening on it's own - you are not so technologically naïve to be impressed by a fence most likely guided by a motor along a rail, but you are surprised that they would bother automating something as trivial as opening a gate. You hear a clack from the rear, and spot Dame Gwynn entering the trunk.

"Alright, I told them we've returned from a mission and we wanted to rest for the night. I also explained that you are our retainer, so no untruths... yet. We'll be able to spend the night here, and they'll provide us breakfast."
"Sounds good, but... why did you use the door to get back in the car?"
"I can only teleport if I have line of sight to the space I'll occupy. In this case, it only works one way. ...By the way, can I ask you something?"
"Durga... wants to make sure you don't do anything while we're asleep. Is it okay if she keeps an eye on you for the night?" You feel a bit insulted.
"I thought Dame Durga was the one who wanted to build trust."
"She does, she does! It's just that... It's not like she doesn't trust you, per say, it's just that this is a military outpost with armories and potentially important people, payloads and intel. She wouldn't want anyone with sufficient clearance remain unguarded."
"Can't lock me in a cell, then? Or do you not have those here?"
"There are low- to mid security holding cells, but I already told them you are our retainer. I felt like requesting you to stay in a cell would seem suspicious... and not fair towards you, to be honest."

> Let Dame Durga watch over you
> Tell her she should trust you
> Insist that a holding cell would be better

>>5367506
> Let Dame Durga watch over you

>>5367506
> Let Dame Durga watch over you
invite her to sleep in the same bed as us if she wants to be sure

>>5367506
>>5367680
>>5367687

[1/2]

"Fine, I understand where she's coming from. If it makes her happy, she can keep an eye on me. However, doesn't that mean you won't get to sleep either?"
"Oh no, if I summon her before I fall asleep, she'll be able to persist, as long as she doesn't move too far away from me. I used to unsummon her in my sleep every now and then, but I managed to get that under control! She'll be pretty exhausted - even if she won't look like it."

She grins and suddenly braces her temple in pain - her twin must not have liked that comment.

"...Oh, before I forget, everyone here has been knighted, so address them like me. If we come across someone of higher rank, just follow my lead, and you won't step on everyone's toes."

You start the engine back up and are lead to a spot designated for the cars. Before taking out the keys, you check the digital clock on the dashboard you spotted earlier... 3:38. You rarely have been up so late, let alone away from home at this hour. Most of the artificial light in Springfield came from gas lights, and unlike the electric lights in town hall, they offered poor lighting, and depleted propane, so there wasn't much point in staying up long after sunset. You wake up Dr. Nevada and go through the motions - Dame Gwynn signs a document and you are shown your rooms for the night. The doctor seems to get her own room reserved for special guests, and as a knight, Gwynn get communal lodges separated by gender. As a retainer, however, you will have to sleep in one of the multiple double beds crammed in a single room, occupied by three other people fast asleep. Finally, you are given some clothes and shown the showers, which you waste no time taking advantage of - after everything that had happened today, you're glad to finally wash off the grime and soothe your joints with hot water, even if it is lukewarm at best right now. The clothes are a bit too large and feel thin - possibly only intended to be worn indoors only. However, you are impressed by the make, featuring uniform seams and no fraying edges. The bed is no exception - the mattress might be a bit hard, but the sheets are immaculate. You've read a bit about industrialization and it's not like you were living like a medieval village, but every piece of your wardrobe - any textiles in your house, for that matter - must have been patched up at least once, leaving them in a... lived-in condition. After making yourself comfortable, you hear the door open.

"Had a word with the guards. I be watchin ye from 'ere tonight."
You step out of the bed and give her a bow. "...Alright, Dame Durga."
"Now get sleepin. Ye'll need as much rest as ye can get."

You were thinking about making a joke about joining you, but you keep it to yourself - knowing her, she'll make you sleep in the woods for a comment like that. You lie back down and do your best to ignore the piercing magenta gaze of the drow in the corner.

>>5367807

forgot the name

[2/2]

"Ye know, I still owe ye an apology."
"You do?"
"Aye. Back in the car. I called ye a serf, but yeer no longer a serf, aree? Ye made it to servant. But I still saw ye as one, and I be sorry for that one."
"Oh... ok. I didn't realize. Are they really that different?"
"A werld of difference. Serfs got next to no rights - servants got sum protections, at least. Ye should be glad ye got in like that."
"Yeah, well, it seemed like a small price to pa- You know what? I'm tired of being passive-aggressive about this. I'm not any less mad, but I don't want to be brooding all day long."
"I ain't tellin ye cack about how ye should feel. But if ye want to do somethin about it yeself, I'll try tellin ye how."
"...Thank you, I'll think of something. Good night for now, Dame Durga."
"Aye, night."

As you begin drifting into sleep, the absurdity of everything right now is starting to crystalize. In spite of everything, you are in an Arcadian military checkpoint, and on route to dive in an untouched ruin! You can't help but reconsider Dr. Nevada's words. Sacrificing everything for the life you desire? Is this, all this, what she meant by that? Obviously, if you had the chance to get your town back, you'd take it - but how long until you wanted more again? Given different circumstances, you might have been in the same situation, except out of your own volition.
Honestly, if you were offered a choice between a life of adventure at the cost of never seeing the people you grew up with again, and remaining in your hometown with your friends and family until you die, which one would you choose?

> Adventure
> Your home
> Don't think about it

Sorry if Durga's accent is all over the place - I have a hard time figuring out a cornish dialect, let alone how to express one in text. It's the hardest part to write at the moment.

>>5367816
>Why settle for one when you can have both? Didn't Dr. Nevada mention the possibility of accessing that extraspace thing your town is currently floating around in? Something to think about for later. Much later, to be sure...

If a write-in isn't allowed:
> Adventure
You sacrifice a few things, chasing your dreams.

>>5366221
Nah, qst is dead and threads can live ages. Don't bother starting new ones

>>5367816
> Your home
Adventure is nice and all but not at the expense of everyone we know.

>>5367874
>You sacrifice a few things, chasing your dreams.
Griffith?

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>5367874
>>5368014

Resolving the tie -

1: Adventure
2: Your home

>>5367816
>>5368387

[1/3]

With a pang of guilt, you admit to yourself that yes, you probably would still choose to see the world, even if it means saying goodbye to everyone back home. Obviously, that doesn't mean they have to disappear in some secret experiment! But leaving the place you grew up in behind is probably fairly common, and if they really are safe, then you should be able to see them again, right? Come to think of it, Gwynn did mention seeing each other again when she thought you were going to stay with the others - she could have been lying there as well, but maybe she was referring to either the end of the experiment, or some means of checking up on them. That would mean seeing everyone again isn't out of the question! Hanging onto that fact, you fall asleep slightly easier.
You're usually not one to dream, but you remember some vivid images from tonight's sleep. Talking to your father, the baroness, Dr. Nevada, it's a blur. By the time you realize a teenage boy is nudging you to awake, you have already forgotten half of them. You take in your surroundings - right, this isn't your room. In fact, this isn't your house, or even town. You scan the corners and don't see Dame Durga anywhere. When did she leave? You put your shoes on and leave the barracks. You see her already waiting for you in the hallway - no, wait, that's Dame Gwynn, already in her uniform!

"Morning to you, Sergey. Did you manage to sleep well?"
"Oh, yes... When did you call back Dame Durga?"
"When I woke up, she informed me that you were fast asleep. I thought it to be prudent to let her sleep, so she would not have to push herself any more than is necessary. That must have been... about two hours ago, I believe."
"Two hours? What time is it?" You look around and see a clock set to 10:05.
"There is no need to worry, you did not oversleep. Lady Doctor Nevada is awaiting us at the mess hall, so finish up and join her. Do you remember where it was located?"
"I... think so? Yes, I'll be able to find it."
"Very well, I will leave you to it then."

You head back to the showers, where a helpful knight informs you of a supply of toiletries for you to use - all portioned in tiny sizes, and wrapped individually. You're glad you don't have to brush your teeth with someone else's toothbrush, but you didn't expect single use items for practically everything. You put your shoes back on and make your way to the canteen. Navigating through the building, you begin to examine it. You must have been so tired, you barely registered it, but this style of building is very unfamiliar to you. A smell devoid of anything natural, long hallways, neutral lighting everywhere, you can even see an air conditioner in every room you can peek into! You've only seen one AC before, in the Baroness' office. The availability of electricity here is in a completely different ballpark from Springfield.

>>5368410

[2/3]

You eventually find the canteen, which is almost empty, but staffed nonetheless. You know that meals at military facilities are usually at set intervals, but in this case, it seems to be far more lenient - makes sense, given that strike teams supposedly make use of this outpost without set times. Dame Gwynn is already waiting on you and guides you through the process. You order eggs and bacon and a coffee, while she sheepishly asks for double the amount. You join Dr. Nevada already sitting at an end table idly nibbling on some toast, and dig in.

"You okay, Gwynn? You're not eatin' a whole lot there."
"I am alright, thank you for your concern, Lady Doctor Nevada. I just feel a little queasy is all."
"Hey, we didn't do anythin' wrong yet." Dame Gwynn drops her cutlery and lets out a heavy sigh.
"...In any case, on the topic of legality, I was very impressed with your knowledge of our judicial system. I did not know your familiarity with obscure cases in our history was so thorough, Lady Doctor Nevada!"
"Do I look like I got time t'read law books in my spare time? I know the bare minimum t'get by in the council, that's it. For everythin' else I got you." Gwynn and you are a bit confused by this comment.
"But you knew about that caveat with the retainers to force the baroness on me."
"Pure bluffin'. I knew about you still bein' an aide to her, but had nothin' else. I was just bankin' on Gwynn to pull a loophole outta her ass."
"I- Could you please refrain from talking about my behind so casually?" Even with her dark skin, you can tell she is blushing.
"Okay, but there was that technicality... involving ruins as well. That sounded pretty obscure to me."
"I've spent the past 8 years tryin' t'figure out how to get past the deadlock. Had a couple of ideas, but nothin' that'd hold up in court. But enough 'bout that, I'd wanna leave before noon. I've already ask'd for a GPS, then I'm good t' go." Gwynn grows more tense, looking around.
"We might have to stay a bit longer to request sufficient equipment. I do not feel comfortable sending Sergey someplace dangerous without at least proper footwear, and something to protect his vitals."
"Are you expecting resistance?"
"You should not see any bandits or rivaling divers, if that is what you are asking."
"Only entrance t'Minsk is controlled regularly for signs of entry. There have been breaches in the past, but they got dealt with quick. Been months since the last attempt." Appropriate for discussing a sensitive topic like that, Dr. Nevada hushes her voice."
"Doesn't that mean I'm going to run into guards?"
"I know the schedule inside out. There's cameras, but it's not guard'd 24/7. You got plenty of time this afternoon.
"...There is a chance you might encounter some stray beasts, if there are enough animals in the ruins. But you might know more about that than us, though."

>>5368411

[3/3]

Hardly. all your dives had been small marks where you occasionally had to fend off coyotes, with the odd beast or vermin. These tend to a bit tougher and smarter than wild animals, but none of them were ever so large that they couldn't be scared off.

"If it's isolated, I should be able to handle it. It generally depends on how large the ecosystem is."

The two of them look at each other. Is it that big?

"I would really prefer if I could at least get a your baseline of your abilities and give you some basic training, it would greatly put me at ease."
"Don't have the time for that. 'member, we gotta move in a reasonable timeframe."

Dr. Nevada gets up and exits the canteen, and the two of you soon follow suit. Dame Gwynn moves quickly because she wants to cover as much as possible with the time left, and arranges some clothing more suitable for a dive.
Solid boots with a grippy sole, high-quality pants with embedded knee padding, a jacket with more pockets than you know what to do with and a vest and helmet for protection - much better than anything you ever had.
You then head for the outside of the armory, where she asks you to wait for her. You take some time to study the base now that you can see it at day. The first thing you take note of are the knights, some of which are moving with purpose, while others are standing in circles and occasionally laugh. Not everyone is in uniform, but they're almost all human, with only a few lower fae, mandrakes and elementals visible. Are they pactmates, or pure? You then scan the buildings, which look even bigger now that you can properly see them. The one you slept in even looks like it has three floors - you've seen wooden sheds at that height, but not a massive building out of concrete and steel. Before you know it, Gwynn interrupts your train of thought as she returns with a list in her hand.

"Very well, I reviewed all weapons in stock that aren't reserved right now. Here are the ones most suitable for a novice. I do not know if any of them are more suitable for diving than the others, but which one would you prefer?"
"I'm not sure, which one would you pick?"
"Ultimately, it comes down to what you are comfortable with and are most experienced in, so I can not make that decision for you in good conscience. Simply choose whichever you think is best for you."

> Revolver
> Dual Pistols
> Plasma Rifle
> Shotgun
> Sword
> Quarter Staff
> Hunting Bow

>>5368412
> Revolver
Gotta get the big iron. How many are we supposed to choose? If we can choose one other then I vote for the sword.

>>5368412
>Shotgun
We don't have a lot of training, so we want something simple to use. It should be pretty effective against anything that closes the distance on us.

>>5368447

Gwynn would tell you that she can't really take anything else as she is the only one in the team licensed to carry a weapon, and you're not allowed to rent more than one per person at a time without a special permit.

>>5368412
> Quarter Staff
Leery of running out of ammo, but we most certainly can't afford to take on protracted fights. Thud should be a nice medium between reach, utility (walking stick, never adventure without a long pole and rope, etc) and reliability.

>>5368447
>>5368464
>>5368510

I'll give it 20 more minutes, then I'll roll for it.

Rolled 2 (1d3)

>>5368575

1: Revolver
2: Shotgun
3: Quarter Staff

>>5368593
Aw maan guess im too late to choose big iron

>>5368593
Just caught up great quest so far

Ouch. Shotgun is probably the worst option, considering we don't know how long this Dive is going to take. Yeah, it's lethal, but our primary concerns are being able to sneak about and avoid fights to begin with. We are NOT a powerhouse, we're a human on a solo dive and have Stealth as a selected skill. Shotguns tend to have limited ammo and are incredibly loud. It's a last resort tool, lacking the range advantage that even just choosing the revolvers would have given us.

I seriously hope we'll have some degree of familiarity with using it, because if it turns out Sergey's never handled a gun before, the kick is going to knock out his teeth.

>>5368412
>>5368593

[1/3]

"Well, seeing how it has to be just one... Close combat might be good for enclosed spaces, but I'd still like to keep my distance. I'm mostly worried about hard-to-track targets, so... a shotgun should make sense, right?"

"Given the scenario you are describing, I am inclined to agree. I will return shortly. For now, bring the gear back to our vehicle."

As you carry the equipment to the parking area, you see that Dr. Nevada is stowing away two containers as well herself. Upon closer inspection, you see that they are full of bottles of water, as well as tightly wrapped packages label as rations. You decide to finally ask her something you've been wanting to know since yesterday.

"Dr. Nevada, about my town..."
"Not now. These are all vassals of the council, but it's still classified."
"Then, when should I-"
"When we're leavin'. Plenty of time then."

So much for that. Is she busy right now? She's just staring into the sky, eating her special fries again.

"Unrelated to that, Dr. Nevada..." She tilts her head towards you, but still seems to be more interested in what's above.
"I noticed that there don't seem to be a whole lot of monsters here, at least pure ones. Does the Arcadian army prefer humans? Or are we just seen as expendable?"
"Bein' a monster doesn' make you any less expendable in war. But from a logistics standpoint, it's a no-brainer. You can give humans any slop t'keep 'em fed, but for monsters it's gotta be orgone. Sure, there's biomarks, but those're stupid heavy and unaffordable at a large scale."
"Oh, so with a pactmaker, you'd have the strengths of a monster, with the upkeep of a human!"
"Right, more or less. Pacts used t'have a bad rep not too long ago, but it's almost sad t'see how easy it is t'ditch all your principles when lich platoons are chippin' away chunks from your turf." Another handful of fries follow.
"If you don't mind me asking, how does a pact work anyway? Do you just... shake hands?" She lets out a barely audible chuckle.
"Eh, kinda. There's some prep involved, but basically, y'both have t'say y'want it, and fusion happens. There's some rules to it, though. First of all, you both have t'legit want it, no lyin' or mind control. You still can get tricked int'doing it the old-fashioned way, but that's y'own fault. Next, y'both have t' be able t'understand each other, so you gotta know the language of the monster. So if you wanna make a pact with a fairy, it's *has* t'be in Sidhe."
"Well so much for making a pact with a noble. My Sidhe is terrible."
"Trust me, that's way down on the list of reasons why you ain't gonna fuse with one."

>>5368637

[2/3]

"Does that mean you can only form pacts with intelligent monsters capable of speech?"
"Nah. If the monster can't talk, it still has t'be willing t'go through with the deal, but at that point it's more like baitin' a dog with treats: They can still refuse if they don' like you, but it's a whole lot easier. If they've got zero sentience, like Rho from before, they can't choose at all. It's just up t'the human."
"Wait, that was a monster? I thought it was a construct." She flicks your forehead for that comment, though it feels more like a static shock.
"Constructs *are* monsters, numbnuts. They're created with orgone, and still need it t'not turn int'trash."
"Huh. It sounds to me like it's fairly easy to form a pact, then."
"Well, here comes the kicker. If you want this thing t' work, you gotta have have matching personalities. Similar sense of self, ideals, mood, all of this crap. The closer you are, the more likely the pact is going t' be successful. So only a complete idiot would make a pact with someone they don' match with. Still happens, though. So once again, a lot like sex."
"...What happens if the pact is unsuccessful?"
"Best case? Nothin', you just wasted everyone's time. Worst case? You end up a freak. And believe me, you don' wanna be a freak."
"...well at least it doesn't kill you."
"It can. It just isn't worst case material."

You gulp, wondering what she could be talking about. As you look away into the distance, you spot Gwynn making her way towards you, with a large briefcase and a backpack stuffed to the brim in tow.

"What about Dame Gwynn? She seems pretty different from her twin. Is she a..."
"Not a freak. The two actually have a lot in common. Just 'cause they match doesn't mean they've got t'be the same. Oh, and Ivan?"
"Yes, Dr. Nevada?"
"Don't call someone a freak. It's really rude."

This is the first time she'd reprimanded you for your manners. Is it that bad? Or is she being sarcastic? By now, Gwynn is in earshot distance.

"I apologize for the delay, checking out the weapon took longer than I expected, and I went ahead and announced our leave. I also got some more equipment... I do not know what would be ideal for the- the excursion, so I ended up grabbing perhaps too much. I hope you did not wait on me too long."

She gives the doctor her usual bow and places the briefcase and backpack in the back of the van. You can see a box of spare shells peeking out of the backpack.

"These are for shotguns, right? You sure you can handle a big boy weapon like that?"
"This type of gun is actually quite easy to get accustomed to if you use proper posture, actually. It also is quite forgiving to grime and rarely jams, making it a good match for this environment!"

Her enthusiasm for the gun fades, and she then speaks to you more softly, trace amounts of worry and nervousness in her eyes.

>>5368640

[3/3]

"I... I am not allowed to let anyone beside me handle this weapon, so we will need to get some distance from prying eyes before I can let you get familiar with it. I do not wish to stay near the site any longer than absolutely necessary, so we will... we will..."

Gwynn is starting to look like she has something stuck in her throat. As she trails off in her sentence, her voice grows shaky. She is avoiding eye contact.

"Gwynn?"
"Y-yes, Lady Doctor Nevada?"
"I know you're really stickin' your neck out for me. I'm glad that you're willin' to give me a shot. Thank you."

Gwynn shows a forced grin, but her cramped hands don't sell her supposedly relaxed demeanor. Dr. Nevada slightly raises her arms to the side, her hands barely peeking out from the oversized sleeves, and smiles awkwardly. Gwynn immediately accepts the wooden invitation to hug and throws her arms around the elf's chest.

"Oookay... Yeah, sure. Go ahead, if it helps. You deserve it."

Unsure how to reciprocate the situation, she pats Gwynn's back, who releases her grip only after half a minute or so.

"Oh great, you got my sweater wet. Aren't you s'posed to be able to deal with that sorta stuff?"

She dries her wet eyes and looks sheepishly at her feet, a slight smile on her lips.

"Normally I am not made to make a choice between the council and my... my lady."
"Don't you want Durga with you on this one?" She shakes her head.
"No, she stayed up all day. I do not want to wake her up, I can handle it by myself."

You feel uncomfortable, having been privy to such a personal exchange. You're about to step into the car, when Gwynn addresses you, this time with her usual blend between professionalism and politeness.

"As I was saying, we will be making a stop midway from here and our destination. You will get a chance to prepare there."

Should you say something to her or save it for another time?

> Say something (Write-in)
> Give her some space for now

>>5368642
>"Alright. And... for what it's worth, thank you for not leaving me to die last night."

>>5368624
actually happy with the shotgun pick, they may be loud and have limited ammo, but man do they fuck stuff up depending on the kind we got
>>5368593
what kind of shotgun is it? (Pump, semiauto tube fed, semiauto mag fed)
>>5368645
this is fine

wonder if we get our group rep up can we drop the lord and lady shit, kind of grating on me but I guess we picked it in character generation

>>5368676
>wonder if we get our group rep up can we drop the lord and lady shit, kind of grating on me but I guess we picked it in character generation

I've been wondering about the titles myself. I keep wondering if it gets too exhausting for the reader, but for a political structure like Arcadia they'd be a really big deal, and I don't know how to work around that without straight up saying "just imagine them using them all the time lol". Even if Sergey's rank were to change, it would still be present because for example, there is no way Gwynn would not address someone appropriately if they outrank her, unless I kill her off. I have been using titles in Sergey's thoughts to himself on and off again on purpose, but if the benefits of this stylistic choice are being outweighed by a worse reading experience I could at least drop that without sacrificing much.
Do you have any solutions for that?

>>5368858
Yes, I highly recommend swapping them out for Japanese honorifics of -senpai, -paisen, -sama, -kun, -chan...this is a joke
I'm fine with it, personally. Adds some character to the setting.

>>5368858
this isn't meta criticism, QM
I'm just saying if I was in this situation I'd hate having to bow and scrape to every elf or whatever I came across and might take advantage of my newfound agency with them to push the boundaries a little. We didn't have to explore this ruin for them, but we did, and maybe they could treat us a little better.

>>5368676
>>5369077
variable IP, both are me, etc etc

>>5368642
>"Alright. And... for what it's worth, thank you for not leaving me to die last night."
just finished reading up to this point, this is really neat stuff, QM

>>5368642
>>5368645
>>5368676

[1/2]

"Alright. And... for what it's worth, thank you for not leaving me to die last night, Dame Gwynn."
"Oh! That was, well, to be completely frank, I was not thinking at that moment. We were in a blast zone, I saw a civilian,... it was as though my body went on autopilot. Besides, I... I had dragged you into the blast radius in the first place. It was my poor judgement that almost had you die in the first place."
"That too, but I was talking about your decision not to just have me killed, and convince Dr. Nevada to keep me around. Were you actually allowed to take me out back then?"
"By the council, commanding knights such as myself have the authority and obligation to execute and order the execution of any serfs who can be reasonably deemed to be a threat to the council and its houses, as well as their interests. So, yes."
"...does that mean you should have killed me, then?"
"The events were a bit of a blur to me, but at that time, I must have decided that you were not, in fact, a threat. Had there been more time to escort you back into Springfield, you would not have violated any rules and the department would not have to be concerned with a potential leak."

You think over her words.

"In that cas-"

The blaring scream of the car horn make you jump. You check the driver's cabin and see Dr. Nevada already sitting on the wheel, urging you to get back in. Gwynn quickly rides shotgun, leaving the trunk of the car to you. The ride is not nearly as comfortable as before - you are sitting on the same makeshift bank (that really is just a strapped down crate with a blanket) Gwynn sat on yesterday, but you have a hard time not getting flung off it as the doctor makes sharp turns and navigates over rough terrain. Luckily for you, the car eventually settles on a more worn down gravel road.

"...and at this point, we can continue straight ahead for another 28 kilometers. I will point out the next exit as we reach it, Lady Doctor Nevada."
"How much longer?"
"The entrance to the caves of Minsk is still about 95 kilometers away, but I planned in a bit of a detour for a patch of isolated forest. It is fairly remote, so Sergey can prepare in peace here. It will add another 23 kilometers to our route, however."
"Uhm, how much would that be in miles?"

Through the small window, you can see the two in the cabin exchange a look, then Dr. Nevada turns back to you.

>>5369520

[2/3]

"Look kid, first things first, we're gonna have t' get you t'drop the imperial units. The council is real big on 'the science', so if you get caught using 'stones' or 'feet' in a big city, they're gonna laugh you out of wherever you are and send you back t'whichever plantation they think you escap'd from."
"Do you mean measurements? What's so bad about miles?"
"'Sides from the shitty conversion rates, the council really wants everyone t'use 'em. But backwater towns without much of an education like yours stick with what they're used t', which in the west is imperial."
"Most of the western territory was conquered from the Gaians, so some influence remains in the smaller pockets. Springfield uses Geomancy to promote fertility of your grounds, yes? You might already know that this practice most likely originates from druidic orgone manipulation that is commonly observed in Gaian settlements."
"...And Gaia enforces... 'imperial units', you called them?"

Gwynn's face darkens.

"Gaians do not enforce anything that does not benefit their draconic lords. Even if it comes at the cost at all of their followers."
"...at the risk of sounding treasonous, that sounds not too different from the council to me.", you quip, half-jokingly.

Gwynn immediately whips her head back and scowls at you.

"I would *highly* recommend you retracting these words immediately."
"Oh, I just thought-"
"The lords of Gaia only care about themselves and their ideals, and are willing to sacrifice everyone around them if it helps them protect either. It is because of their primitive beliefs that all their people, strong or meek, end up miserable and suffering. The council, on the other hand, has moved mountains in their feudal structure to become more progressive than any other superpower! How can you make these statements when you do not even know our history?"

You are tempted to test her beliefs and see where the doctor lies on this, but Dame Gwynn looks really on edge right now. She does have a point - you never learned a whole lot about Arcadian history, let alone that of Gaia. Besides, with how much she is in conflict with herself over going behind the council, it's best not to provoke her any further.

"I apologize, Lady Gwynn. I did not mean to offend."
"...Think about your words more carefully. Anyone having been faced with the horrors of the 'Children' of Gaia would never say something as insulting as this."

You sit in silence, letting a foul mood hang in the air. After a few minutes of think of what to say and listening to the sounds of the engine, you speak up.

"Dr. Nevada, I-"
"Not talkin' politics with you, kid. Don't have the head for it right now."
"No, that's not it! No politics, I swear. It's just that, back at the outpost, you said we could talk about my town, and... where it is right now."
"Ah great, I promis'd that? Fine, you get one."

> Ask one question about your missing town (Write-In)

>>5369522
>[2/3]

Meant to be [2/2]

>>5369522
>Is there a feasible means of traveling to and from my town in its current state via the outside world?

>>5369522
seconding >>5369670
finding out if it's possible to ever visit home seems good

>>5369522
ask about possible rewards (titles?) and possible stuff we can find on our dive

>>5369522
>>5369671

[1/6]

"Is there a feasible means of traveling to and from my town in its current state via the outside world?"
"We're not at that level yet. Theoretically it should be be possible, but you'd need a shit-ton of energy and processing power to guide that amount of matter to the exact same location as the first pocket. And since this is psychic energy we're dealing with here, I don't even wanna think about the effects the natural orgone field has on the tunnels. For now, we can reliably transport an inorganic payload of up to 2.7 kilos. We usually use that t'send them data storage devices that contain explanations, instructions n' so on."
"And can the town in the subspace send things back, too?"
"Not without the right equipment. And the right math. Which we only have the first thing of. Havin' a transporter in subspace is a topological nightmare because you're dealing with holes within holes."
"Then what about water? And- and air!? Aren't they cut off from that?"
"Don't need t'transport that. Remember the nodes we set up? They're in there too, and they let us transmute the ambient psychic energy int'water and oxygen. We can cycle the whole thing - their faucets aren't gonna work as long as they're here, though. We haven't figured a way t'get around that yet."
"How long until you figure out how to transport people, then?"
"That's like asking a toddler how long until they can do a backflip after it learned to walk - there's still a world between that. We're making good progress, but unless you are okay with going back home as a meat salad, you're gonna have to wait."
"Then I won't see anyone until you make enough progress? Isn't there some other way?"
"That'll have to wait till next time. That was your one question."
"But why can't you just answer more? There's nothing st-"
"Just say it's an incentive not to screw up. If you find whatever is making that signature, and get it back to the surface, you'll get another one."
"...Very well then."
"Don't worry, you don't actually have to make it out alive t'earn another question. You probably won't care at that point, though."

There is a growing intensity in the vehicle's atmosphere that is keeping conversation light. The doctor and Gwynn exchange a few words to decide where best to position themselves while you are down there. Half an hour later, the car comes to a halt. Apparently, you stopped near a clearing after driving through a more overgrown path in a forest.

"Alright, you two do your thing. I got stuff to set up."

With these words, Dr. Nevada retreats to the passenger seat. Dame Gwynn asks you to put on the uniform, while she sets up everything else. The clothes give you some trouble as you try to fit on all these different layers and strap on multiple armor segments the right way while inside now rather small seeming trunk of the van. It also doesn't help that the doctor could turn around any second and see you in a state of undress, but she never seems to move a muscle.

>>5369914

[2/6]

You step outside the car, enjoying the increase in headroom. The uniform, which is very similar to the one Dame Gwynn is wearing, is definitely stuffier and heavier than what you wore before. However, you still appreciate the light breeze you can feel blowing through the fabric, and the material of the body armor, which seems lighter than aluminum, but much less prone to deformation.

"Is this right?"
"Ah, you finished changing. Looks g- Oh, you got the shoulder guards mixed up. I can assist you with that."

As Gwynn switches the guards, you take a look at what she had set up. The large backpack is partially emptied and resting next to the crate you sat on earlier, now filling in as a coffee table. On top of that is the opened briefcase containing the shotgun embedded in foam, surrounded by multiple boxes of ammunition with different colors. She carefully pulls out the shotgun, making sure not to line it up with either you or the car. The gun's big, blocky body immediately sticks out to you, as well its black finish, which seamlessly ends in a bump stock.

"This is a Leroy A7, a semi-automatic inertia-driven shotgun which is standard issue for frontline soldiers. First used by drow forces in 19, it is the earliest weapon adapted by the Arcadian army still seen in service today. That makes it comparatively low-tech, but due to its reliability and cheap manufacturing costs it has truly stood the test of time. Oh, and while I might have said standard issue, I took the liberty of picking a model with a short barrel, for increased maneuverability."

Knowing Dame Gwynn, you're certain that she is reciting a book she memorized, but you'll humor her.

"It can hold up to 9 rounds - 10, if the barrel is loaded. It fires 12 gauge shells - proven to be a good middle ground between stopping power and usability for goblins, which are used as the minimum viable body size for universal firearms. Have you ever shot this before?"

You pick up one of the shells displayed on the table, examine it and throw it back and forth in your hand, feeling its heft.

"Not at this caliber, no. I never really shot anything bigger than a rabbit."
"That is a shame... Nevertheless, after your first few shots, you should be able to get accustomed to the kickback."

She continues giving you a rundown of the gun, telling you how to reload, fix jams, work the safety as well as the different types of compatible ammunition. She reiterates the rules of gun safety more than once and continues to drop in historical factoids that won't increase your chance of survival, but she seems happy to share them with you. After giving you an earful, she finally lets you hold the gun, yelling nervously whenever your finger brushes the trigger. Once you are comfortable with the weight, you decide to give it a try. You grab a buckshot, load it in and pull the bolt. You then aim at a distant tree and disable the safety. You slowly move your index finger on the trigger, preparing to s-

>>5369919

[3/6]

"What do you think you're doing!?" Gwynn looks horrified, as if you just took aim at her puppy.
"Uh... practicing?"
"You absolutely must not shoot outside a firing range like that! Only if you have a hunting permit, reasonable cause as a member of the Arcadian military, or are ranked a commander or higher!"
"Then... where can I shoot? I need to get used to it at some point."
"Well, I was hoping... when you have reasonable cause?"
"I'm sorry, but if I have reasonable cause to shoot this gun and still no practice, it's going to be too late."
"You- You are correct. I was just hoping we could avoid yet another felony."
"I'm entering disputed territory under the pretense of having escaped my master and stolen a weapon of a strike team commander. I don't think that's gonna make much of a difference."
"...If you say it out loud like that I *really* do not want to go through this."
"Dame Gwynn. I'm not going to say I don't want to do this - a chance like this had been my dream for years, and under different circumstances I'd be ecstatic... But from how Dr. Nevada put it, you are going to be bearing the brunt of the legal ramifications for this. At the risk of being out of line... If you think that this is going to eat you up inside, there's still a chance to turn back without having broken any of the rules."
"No... I still believe in our justice system, but Lady Doctor Nevada make a convincing case. The Arcadian Principality has seen many changes made within its borders to acclimate to a new age of technology, therefore an existing law can become inappropriate as times change. I really wish this could be settled through legal channels, but considering what my lady had accomplished before, I am sure she could help a lot of people with whatever she believes to be in this ruin."
"Well said. I also wish I could do this without slipping through the cracks of your legal system." She gives you a weak smile.
"Please, you are making it sound much worse than it actually is. In any case, I apologize for my emotional outbursts. It is very unbecoming for a knight."
"Please, you don't have to apologize on my account. I know you are concerned with your image, but the way I see it, it makes you h- well, more of a person."
"B-back to the matter at hand, I will allow you to shoot. Just... not too much. And not too fast. And not too loud, if possible. And above all, do not load the incendiary shells."

>>5369921

[4/6]

You fire off several rounds, rotating between different ammo types. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Gwynn wincing with every shot - not because of your form however, as she is quick to point out. Gwynn was right - while the gun has much more of a kick than what you are used too, your shots become more precise and your movement less wasteful as you become accustomed of the recoil, especially if you use the bump stock.

After firing the last shell in the chamber, you pull back the bolt to show your teacher that the gun is, in fact, empty. She nods in approval and takes the gun off your hands.

"Now that you're done wavin' your phallus around, we can now move on t'the important stuff."

You jump, ducking slightly and taking a step forward. You must have been so absorbed in shooting, that you failed to notice Dr. Nevada standing right behind you. She plants two devices on the crate, both with a miniature screen and a few buttons, and points at the left one.

"That's a GPS, it's suppos'd t'read your position at an accuracy of 5 meters. There's a good chance it'll get less accurate the further down you go, but I put in the coordinates of the signal we track'd. It can display maps, but they're gonna be useless down there, so it can only show where you are in relation to the target. The signal, however, could only be pinn'd down at a radius of 'bout 80 meters, plus we can't measure depth. Best case, it's sittin' in a plaza, worst case, you don't see jack because the thing is 10 floors below you. Or above you."

She grabs the other device.

"That's where this thing comes in. It locates orgone fields in a specific bandwidth and tracks them in three dimensions, but it's really short range - 30 meters at best. So one more time for the yokel: First you use this one till it's useless, then you use that one until you find the source. And don't press any of the buttons except this one and this one, you'll mess up the settings. Got it?"
"...Seems pretty straightforward, yes."

>>5369923

[5/6]

"Sorry, Lady Doctor Nevada, but did you just assemble this? That's really specific."
"I couldn't do that myself if I want'd t'. I literally carri'd this everywhere I go for the last 3 years for a chance like this."
"Wha- A-a-anyway, Sergey, I also got you this two-way earpiece which we can use to stay in contact with another. Then there's this scrying badge, which should allow us to view your immediate surroundings. I don't know how long the connections will hold, though."
"Wait a second, this is an old city I'm entering, right? Aren't there old maps that I could use for navigation?"
"Yeah, but preliminary subterranean scans show the place got mess'd up bad. If you actually compare maps of Eurasia then and now, the whole thing mov'd by a few kilometers."
"It moved kilometers? How does something like that even happen?"
"...Draconic geomancy.", Gwynn replies with a bitter tone.
"The entrance t'the shafts has cameras, but I know a path 'round them. Gwynn and I are gonna sit tight in the car, a good amount away from where we drop you. If I set everythin' up right, I can even get a feed of the short range scanner."
"Alright, understood. There's more gear in the backpack, right? It looks really heavy... Oh, yeah, that's heavy. I'm going to have to leave some of it behind so it won't slow me down too much."
"Yes, I ended bringing everything that seemed useful. I hope you have a better idea of what you should actually take with you."
"Hm. Do you also have night-vision goggles?"
"Huh?"
"Night-vision? I know we're doing this during the day, but it's probably going to be really dark in there?"
"OH NO. I totally forgot about those! I'm so sorry, I normally don't need them so I never bring them but of course you'd need something like-"
"Ok, ok, it's fine. It would have been nice, but I have plenty of other light sources here... I'll just have to make due with them, somehow.
"Aaahh! What was I thinking? I'm sending a civilian into an untouched underground ruin and don't even give him infrared goggles? If he ends up dying because he runs out of light or something jumps at him out of the shadows, I'll *never* forgive myself!"

>>5369923

[6/6]

> Choose your inventory.
> Each item has a point value that will contribute to the total.
> Below 16, you will travel light, giving you a bonus in agility-related activities.
> Above 24, you will be encumbered, giving you a penalty to agility-related activities.
> The total can't exceed 30.
> Items marked with * can be picked multiple times.
> Each box of ammo contains 5 rounds.
> Every item can be held in or used by one hand.

Already in your inventory:

> Leroy A7 shotgun
> Chest-mounted flashlight
> Gun-mounted flashlight
> Earpiece
> GPS
> Short-range Scanner
> Drinking water
> Waterproof lighter

> Shot Ammo * (2pt): Standard pellet shell.
> Slug Ammo * (2pt): Standard single shell.
> Incendiary Ammo * (2pt): Shoots pellets of burning synthetic lubricant that sticks to the target. Hard to remove, and hard to extinguish.
> Taser Ammo * (2pt): Shoots a single projectile that penetrates lightly and sends a continuous electrical charge through the target for about 30 seconds, disabling it.
> Rubber Bullets * (2pt): Non-lethal single projectiles. Gwynn brought them for completion's sake.
> Combat Knife (3pt): A well-weighted knife capable of cutting, stabbing, sawing and opening bottles.
> 50m Rope * (2pt): Long, sturdy rope that can be cut, but easily supports 500 kilos of load.
> Smoke Bomb * (2pt): Emits thick jets of smoke that limit visibility when thrown. The smoke is also foul-smelling and ejects smoke at different temperatures, throwing off scent and heat vision as well.
> Flash Bomb * (2pt): Emits a bright light that disorients and injures sensitive eyes. Also contains orgone crystals that impede orgone manipulation techniques for a short time.
> Remote Explosive * (3pt): A handheld trigger broadcasts radio waves to detonate the explosive remotely. Each explosive has its own trigger.
> Portable ODAR (5pt): Detects orgone fields in a range of 10 meters and displays them in relation from your position. Can be blocked by walls and concealment techniques, and can't register the orgone fields of animals.
> Ration * (1pt): Calorie-dense food that satisfies your hunger, but not your appetite.
> Sleeping bag (6pt): Keeps you warm and lets you sleep in relative comfort.
> Medigel * (1pt): Heals and disinfects minor wounds such as cuts, burns, stabs or strains.
> Panacea * (2pt): Heals a single part of your body completely.
> Runestones * (1pt): Small stones already inscribed with Optimancy. When thrown, they begin to glow and can light up a small room for an hour. 10 stones each.
> Oxygen Tank * (2pt): A small tank containing an hour's worth of breathable air. Also comes with a mask and hose.

>>5369928
Trying something different.
I just threw the numbers and items together and did zero testing, so I have no idea how this will work out. That said, some items are definitely less useful than others.
I also have no idea how to resolve ties.


Oh, and the shotgun comes fully loaded with an ammo type of your choice, so pick that too.

>>5369928
Hmmmmm
> Shot Ammo * (2pt): Standard pellet shell.
> Incendiary Ammo * (2pt): Shoots pellets of burning synthetic lubricant that sticks to the target. Hard to remove, and hard to extinguish.
> Flash Bomb * (2pt): Emits a bright light that disorients and injures sensitive eyes. Also contains orgone crystals that impede orgone manipulation techniques for a short time.
> Combat Knife (3pt): A well-weighted knife capable of cutting, stabbing, sawing and opening bottles.
> 50m Rope * (2pt): Long, sturdy rope that can be cut, but easily supports 500 kilos of load.
> Runestones * (1pt): Small stones already inscribed with Optimancy. When thrown, they begin to glow and can light up a small room for an hour. 10 stones each.
> Ration * (1pt): Calorie-dense food that satisfies your hunger, but not your appetite.
> Panacea * (2pt): Heals a single part of your body completely.
Rationale: Incendiary ammo and flashbomb for surviving whatever magic shenanigans we might find down there. Fire is a common weakness in fairytales, right? Anyways, I was thinking about how we'd get the fire pellets out there if we needed them. Can we alternate the shells in the tube like shot>fire>shot>fire? It would be easier than trying to fumble a shell into the gun when there's something around that needs burnin'
The knife and rope are for utility, Fallout taught me that going out on adventures like this without rope is hopeless, and the knife is multipurpose enough that it will surely come in handy.

>>5369979
cont.
The main thing I'm unsure about is not bringing along the remote explosive. It seems to be a really high value pick both for utility in clearing a path, or in dealing with anything really big and scary down there. I like the idea of staying under the limit for the weight bonus more though, since we aren't really some trained soldier that can dig their heels in and fight, and our stuff gives us a good amount of utility and survivability as is. I'm hoping that we can stay sneaky with the agility bonus, and if anything mean gets on our trail then we mess them up a bit with our tools before we hit the bricks and gtfo.

>>5369932
Whoops, just saw the bit about the shotgun coming loaded. Does that mean we don't pay points for the first ammo type?

How long is this Dive expected to take? Within 24 hours? Because 30 is a painfully low limit when the sleeping bag takes up 6 slots. Also, what kind of environments can we expect? Following the standard hierarchy of needs, food and shelter are non-negotiable, but if the Dive is only expected to last less than 2 days, we can probably skip the bag since these ruins are presumably mostly intact. Medicine is also a no-brainer, though I suppose we can live with only 1 Panacea instead of 2, seeing as we don't want to fight to begin with. Since Ammo all costs the same, get the most lethal ones for max effectiveness. Combat Knife and rope are also absolute must-haves for sheer utility (and also as a backup weapon). Oof, now I really wish we had a quarterstaff so we could jury rig a spear.

>>5369979
+1 looks good enough to me

>>5369979
No oxygen tank?

>>5370104
Yeah, if I'm reading >>5370018 right I'd like to put the two points it would free up towards an oxygen tank in>>5369979

>>5369928
Also we are basically a STALKER, we are heading into a zone the world has PSY storms the kit QM gives us is basic stalker kit with the ODAR being the artifact scanner. Now where are the DEADLY ANOMALIES DANGEROUS MUTANTS ANARCHISTS AND BANDITS?

>>5370184
in that case we're boned if we don't have an unlimited supply of bolts to throw ahead of us

>>5369979
> Can we alternate the shells in the tube like shot>fire>shot>fire?
There's nothing stopping you from doing that.

>>5370080
> How long is this Dive expected to take? Within 24 hours?
You aren't sure, but from what you've heard about diving, some people can spend several days around ruins. That being said, dives usually involve sweeping an area for as many finds as possible. You've never had coordinates this specific before and were only planning to just take a single thing however, so a lot of the time scanning the area will be cut short.

>>5370184
> the world has PSY storms
Psychic storms are known to form in the stratosphere, and you haven't heard of equivalent phenomenon appearing in caves. If you were to ask Dr. Nevada, she'd tell you that while pockets of stagnating psychic energy can occur on ley lines, Minsk should not be near one.

All in all this is more of a story than a crunchy dungeon crawler, so don't overthink it. That being said, being prepared helps a lot.

>>5369928
>>5369979
>>5370150

Current Inventory (15pt, Agility bonus):

> Leroy A7 shotgun (Loaded with x10 Shot Ammo)
> Chest-mounted flashlight
> Gun-mounted flashlight
> Earpiece
> GPS
> Short-range Scanner
> Drinking water
> Waterproof lighter
> x5 Incendiary Ammo
> x1 Flash Bomb
> Combat Knife
> 50m Rope
> x10 Runestones
> x1 Ration
> x1 Panacea
> x1 Oxygen Tank

Content with the items you pick, you zip the backpack shut and sling it over your shoulder.

"You good? Then let's get outta here. Gwynn, stop mopin' n' help us get this stuff back in!"

The three of you clean up Gwynn's belongings, and much to the chagrin of Dr. Nevada, the changeling makes sure to pick up every casing you've ejected. Only after she is satisfied is when you drive off for your last stop. The doctor gives you an overview of the layout of the entrance, describing blind spots and directions while you listen carefully. After some waiting and trying to find a comfortable position with your gear on, you feel the car slowing down. Looking through the window to the driver's cabin, you can see Dr. Nevada has perked up and looking around.

"Are we there?"
"Almost. We're gettin' real close, so I gotta make sure there's no one 'round. If someone spots a van with a car with a council emblem, they're not gonna get too suspicious, but we'll have to do some rounds first."

The careful and deliberate movement continues for a few minutes, then stops. The elf turns around to face you, while Gwynn looks around nervously.

"Aright, showtime. The entrance is 150 meters thataway, you should know it when you see it. Don't forget what I told you 'bout the cameras, but if you do, I'd rather you tell me than stumble into view. Earpiece works?"
"Yes, we just tested it, Lady Doctor Nevada."
"Good. If you have any questions or need to piss, now's the time."
"Juust one question. Have there been any more earthquakes in the area? The last thing I need is a cave-in."
"No noteworthy seismic activity since I started watchin' this place. If there's a cave-in, you only got y'self to blame."
"That's... great to hear. Well, no sense standing around, then."
"First intelligent thing you said today, kid."

You pick up the backpack and fasten the straps, but it's only when you have trouble securing the buckle that you notice your hands shaking. Now that you are about to actually do this, you realize that this is scaring you more than you thought. Entering an untouched underground ruin is one thing, but doing it behind the backs of the law enforcement? That adds a whole other level of danger, legal immunity be damned. You briefly consider backing out, but grit your teeth. This is the life you wanted! If you didn't want risks in your life, you'd be repairing tractors, not climbing structurally unsound buildings to look for pre-apocalypse remnants to pawn off. You grab the shotgun, check if it's fully loaded and the safety's on, and sling the tight belt over your shoulder.

"Alright, let's do this."

>>5370482

[2/4]

You hop out of the car and close the door behind you, Dr. Nevada wasting no time to drive off. Moving towards the direction you were given, you don't see much - just a rounded hill sprinkled with bushes. As you reach the other side, however, you begin to see hints of a recess dug out in the side - hard to spot when passing by, but obvious enough when you know where to look. Keeping your distance, you check for movement... No one around, like Dr. Nevada said. You approach the edge above the recess and peek below - no blockades, no guardhouse, just some shrubs, a hole in the side side of the ground and an inconspicuous metal box - that must be the camera.

"Huh. I know that the personnel is gone right now, but I expected more security. There's not even a chain-link fence."
"That's because they prioritize stealth over defense. This location is only known to the house of Daedal and Titania, and rogue divers are few and far between. That's how they can get away with no major defensive measures."
"The guards only really show up t'check for signs of entry or triggered traps. Almost all of them aren't even pactmates. But remember, this isn't where you enter. Head further up, there should be a birch tree. That's where they cover'd up your way in."

You advance further to the birch tree she mentioned and begin stomping around. Sure enough, one spot in particular stands out, feeling and sounding different from the rest. You get down on your knees, pull out your knife and start carving out the soil. Behind a thin layer of dirt and grass is a wooden board - it takes some effort, but you manage to remove it, revealing a dark crevice leading into the ground. You turn on the flashlight on your chest and are relieved to see that while it is partially caved in, there still is enough space to squeeze through it, even with your backpack on. You enter it and after a good 2 minutes of shuffling along a tight tunnel, the path widens to a burrow that is clearly manmade.

"You're past the chokepoint. Now stick t'the walls n' get t'the elevator."

You immediately push your back against the wall, worried about getting spotted. Still, Dr. Nevada's previous record with the assessment of this place gives you confidence, and you push on. You soon make it to the elevator which required a weird angle to enter undetected, but you breathe sigh of relief - you made it past the surveillance. Taking a moment to catch your breath, you check your surroundings and see that the cave opens up on one side - and how.

>>5370484

[3/4]

Your mouth drops open as you observe the scene in front of you - a skyscraper, dozens and dozens of stories tall, broken in half and forming some makeshift brace to keep the ceiling from collapsing. Below, you see torn plates of asphalt, littered with concrete, stone, glass and metal. The only vegetation is comprised of patches of small growths that can survive in this kind of darkness. A two-story building with a sign containing illegible letters has been seemingly crushed by one of the skyscraper halves. The thing that unnerves you the most is that it seems to keep on going - while there's a wall behind you, even the piercing rays of your flashlight get snuffed out by the endless black behind the wreckage.

"Woah... Are you seeing this?"
"Unfortunately, no. Unless you're trained, scrying badges only give you a radius of about 4 meters at best. I can't see what's around you, but in this case, I can only see you in an elevator, mouth wide open."

You close your mouth and check the GPS. According to the display, you're just a few hundred meters away from the marked area. Unfortunately for you, however, these meters will most likely be filled with difficult terrain and who knows what else. Your gawking is interrupted by a sudden jolt as the elevator hits the ground and stops automatically. To help you improve visibility, you turn on the flashlight mounted on your shotgun and check the ODAR... You only see a dot in the center of the screen, but according to Gwynn, that's supposed to be your own orgone field - no one around, then. You step off and gingerly make your first steps towards the target. The ground seems solid enough, even if it is fairly jagged and broken up, but you still don't relax your posture quite yet. Looking around, you see broken remains of the city you've seen either in picture books or previous dives - road signs, wrecked cars, tipped-over lampposts and more. You continue along the street, sticking to the crushed building, until you make it to a drop. From the looks of it, the road collapsed, but it's not just that: the whole area in front of you appears to be at a considerably lower altitude.

>>5370485

[4/4]

"Hmm, looks like a fault line... How deep is that drop? I can't see the bottom of it."
"From here, it looks like... 25 feet? Maybe 30? Sorry, I don't know how much that is in meters."
"7.6 t'9.1 meters.", you hear Dr. Nevada mumble with her mouth full.
"Can you jump that? I'm not sure what you're used to. In any case, did you check the ODAR for signs of life?"
"Yeah, I can't jump that without maybe breaking a leg. Anyway, I checked earlier, and didn't get anyth- Oh shit, there's something!"

Having had another look at the sensor, you see that there is now a faint but visible line stretching from the center all the way to the top of the screen. You quickly move back from the edge and hunker down.

"It looked like it was straight down the road! It doesn't look like a strong signal, but I didn't see anything..."
"Whatever it is, it's probably in hiding."
"The ODAR you got only has two dimension, direction n' intensity. The field falls off the further you get, so you can't tell the difference between a close weak signal n' a strong distant signal with that thing."
"If you rappel down and whatever is down there is hostile and spots you, you'd be an easy target. Maybe you can find a building with a basement? if it's right on the fault line, you might be able to get down there with minimal visibility."
"Maybe. Entering buildings is always a risk though, because you never know when one can collapse."

> What will you do? (Write-in)

Keep in mind that your items can all be used at your leisure.

How does everyone feel about skill checks? Do you prefer the readers to roll each of them, or do you not mind me making some offline rolls to keep the story flowing better?

>>5370487
>Search for a building with a basement
I'm fine either way with the skill checks.

>>5370487
>Prioritize your safety and take the building. You don't want to see any more encounters than absolutely necessary.

Offline rolls since it might take a while for a player response. You can spoiler/bracket/greentext/whatever the numbers if you want to show them in the middle of the post.

>>5370487
>Search for a building with a basement
maybe do some looting if this place really is untouched

>massive skyscraper, untold technological development
LOOK AT WHAT THEY TOOK FROM US

>>5370487
offline rolls are fine, you tend to post in the middle of the night for me.

>>5370487
>>5370583
>>5370629

[1]

"Still, if I know for a fact that something's down there, I'd rather take my chances with the buildings. If I watch my step and don't overextend, I should be safe."
"If you say so. Lady Doctor Nevada, do you know anything useful about structural integrity? Something Sergey can look out for?"
"Nope. Not a mechanical engineer."
"...Well, I used to read some books on architecture of that era. If the town is that big, it should have large underground structures, maybe even a subway. However, places with underground cavities are more likely to collapse, especially if the foundation got torn up like that."
"So the only option is to climb down, after all?"

You look around and move up and down a little, analyzing the buildings.

"Nnot necessarily. This skyscraper here... it's still intact - at least the foundation is."
"And you think there's a basement below?"
"A building that size often has one or two levels below ground. I... can't see an exit below, but most of it is obscured. I just hope I can find some access down below somehow."

You circle the building to look for an easy way in - in this state, you want to disturb as little of the structure as possible - and eventually spot a glass front that has been smashed almost entirely open. The wide entrance gives you a chance to scope out the inside without having to enter the hall. The floor is littered with remnants of furniture, one of the corners has collapsed and there even is half a car that somehow ended up in the middle of the room, but aside from that, it looks fairly safe. Still, you don't trust the integrity of the floor and you still can't see a way down, so you gingerly step into the building as close to the outer walls as possible. You shift your weight onto the first tile under the roof... and it looks good. There's a good amount of crunching from stepping on the glass shards and other bits covering the floor, but nothing is moving. Your next few steps aren't any faster - at this point you're being far more careful than you ever were on your dives, but this is a very different ballpark.

"If you keep up this pace, the council's gonna end the dispute before you get t'the signal, y'know."

Dr. Nevada's sudden comment catches you off guard, and you almost jump.

"I'm just being careful! Better late and in one piece than not at all!"

You know you're right, but that comment is motivating to move a little faster regardless. You circle half of the hall and spot a short hallway lined with metallic doors - bingo.

"I found the elevators."
"I... don't think they're going to work anymore, Sergey."
"I know that! But there could be a maintenance ladder in the shaft."

>>5370760

[2/6]

There are three shafts, but they are all closed and you don't want to use too much force prying them open. The first one... jammed for good, must have gotten damaged. The second one opens a little, but you see the elevator - no getting around that. You check the third, and no elevator in sight! With some effort, you carefully push the double doors apart, getting them to stay open. Pointing your gun down, you see that the shaft continues down a few floors - bingo. You also found the elevator: smashed at the bottom of the shaft. After noticing the ladder to your immediate left, you give it a few experimental kicks and shakes. There's some creaking, but it seems sound enough, so you decide to climb down, but not before tossing a runestone down the shaft. The stone impacts with a satisfying CLANG that reverberates along the whole shaft, and a soft blue glow illuminates the surroundings.

"These stones are really useful. I had to make due with flashlights and lanterns myself."
"The council has it's advantages, doesn't it? These are very popular for placing waypoints, signals or breadcrumbs."

As your entire weight is being supported by the ladder, the creaks of the ladder echo along the long walls. You count to five to make sure it isn't budging, and begin your descent. The sweat on your palms mixes with the layer of dust resting on the sprues and after advancing a few steps, but you ignore it. The door of the next floor comes into view, but you want to get as far below as possible to clear the drop. Since the door is halfway open, you can't help but peek into the floor anyway. You can't see much besides a hallway, but it looks like it's in better shape than the first floor. There still is some furniture lying around: chairs, shards of pottery, and... is that a rat?
As soon as you turn to fully shine the light on what you thought is a patch of fur, it moves out of the way so fast you can't tell where it went. A second later, a sharp gust of air coming from the door blasts you in the face! You almost lose your balance, but barely manage to hold on.

"What the hell was that!?"
"What happened? Are you okay?"
"I- I thought I saw a cat or something, but I think it jumped out of the way when I tried to get a good look at it. Then there was this blast of air, and... Did you see that?"
"If you're talking about what's past the wall, I can't really see anything from here. You'd have to go through it for us to see."
"No, it definitely wasn't an animal - and if that's the case, I don't want any unnecessary encounters."

Agility Check passed![\spoiler]

>>5370763

[3/6]

You continue to make your way down, this time grabbing the sprues even tighter. The ladder continues, but you've made it to the end - below you are the shattered remains of the elevator, blocking the way to the last floor. You pry open the door - with a bit more effort than last time - and step through it, finally making it onto terra firma. The room here was never intended to be as welcoming as the entrance hall - tight corridors and plain brick walls suggest that this floor wasn't meant to be seen by many people. Pulling out the GPS, you orient yourself towards the signal and start moving forward. You notice that the symbol in the corner has one less bar - Dr. Nevada mentioned that this means that the connection is getting worse. After navigating some of the hallway, you decide to calm your nerves with a light conversation.

"I just noticed. I haven't seen any human remains so far. There's no way this city was successfully evacuated 100%, right? Can you just make them all vanish like that?"
"Guess if you're powerful enough. Easier explanation would be that tons of weak of monsters ate 'em all. Probably been down there for a while now, after all."
"So how did this place get sunk into the ground anyway? You said the dragons were behind this?"
"Yes. Accounts are fuzzy because Arcadia conquered this territory long after it must have happened - which was in 66, by the way. However, the latest record that confirms the city still standing our council could verify was way back in 15, so it could have happened in a span of over half a decade."
"What and how were they fighting that they'd flatten an entire city? Did they wipe out an strategically significant base? Or did they run this city and demolish it in a last-ditch effort?"
"I can't say for certain, but I think it's neither. What you're looking at is what happens when the Children of Gaia win."
"What do you mean?"
"Above all else, the Gaians loathe technology. They see any structures as a cancer, waiting to get cut out. This town could never have seen conflict, for all we know - just its existence was enough for the dragon lords to wipe it from the map."
"R-really?"
"From what I heard, these guys'll look at you funny if you show up with a wheelbarrow. This's totally up their alley. The fact they just shov'd millions of tons of toxic metals and undegradable materials doesn't seem t'bother 'em, tho."
"Wow... Apparently, my hometown used to be part of Gaia, but I always remember having access to stuff like artificial lights and running water."

>>5370767

[4/6]

"That's 'cause it became our tributary town before you were born. The council likes to send new settlements at spicy Gaian borders care packages with plumbing, to convince 'em to not switch teams."
"That, and your region is a bit of a special case. Because of the terrain, surrounding territory and relatively frequent psychic storms, it generally doesn't pay to have a strong influence there, so your town probably adapted to technology pretty quickly. If you built a pipeline in a newly conquered Gaian settlement that's been very entrenched in their beliefs, it would take months, if not years to get them to stop destroying them over night.
"That sounds pretty awful. I wish I could see all the big cities they razed to the ground."
"Well you're lookin' at one now. N' from here, it doesn't look that impressive."

The hallways are winding, narrow and damp, but thanks to the GPS, you think you are on the right track. You keep checking your ODAR for activity, but in these tight corridors, the effective range of the device is almost zero. You likewise don't see anything that could be a monster either - just some rats, bats and a whole lot of insects scurrying along the walls and floors. After a good 20 minutes of walking you spot a caved in section in the corner. You noticed a while ago that the GPS seems to have a function that traces the path you've already walked, which is now coming in handy. Judging from where you currently are in relation to some previous waypoints, you have a good feeling that you are as close to the edge of the cliff as you can get. You start moving the rubble and debris aside - first small and loose pieces, then you move on to bigger chunks that don't upset the balance of the collapsed wall too much. Eventually, as you pull out a block of concrete loosely still attached to some rebar, you see another piece of rubble in the wall falling towards the other side of the wall... and leaving the sound of two pieces of concrete banging on each other behind. Could it be? You grab the longest piece of rebar you've found and drive it through the hole, feeling no resistance. You can't see very well, but you might actually have broken through the outer wall! You spend the next 15 minutes carefully shearing the rebar against the hole, slowly but surely widening it with every few strokes. After the final stab seems to finally have made the gap big enough, you back up several steps and wait a few minutes for any movement, anything that could indicate a collapse...

Perception Check passed![\spoiler]

>>5370768

[5/6]

Nothing. Looks good! You take off your shotgun and backpack, carefully guiding them through the wall first. You might barely fit through the hole, but with the backpack you certainly wouldn't be able to make it through. As you clear the hole, you immediately duck behind a large chunk of road and put your gear back on. Only then do you scan your new surroundings: For the first time since you've entered the tower, you can't see the ceiling again. You made it out! Looking back to see if you've actually made it down the drop, you see a sheer wall of sediment, concrete and glass rising multiple floors above you and teetering carefully on the precipice. When you consider that you've just messed with incredibly delicate and enormous balancing act, you begin feeling dizzy and back away from the skyscraper.
You continue making your way towards the signal and merge back into a street. Judging from the line of houses with one large display after the next, you assume you're in some sort of commercial district. You stay on the lookout for any suspicious movement - you are so focused on registering motion, that you almost miss it.

Perception Check passed![\spoiler]

>>5370769

[6/6]

"Look at that! Are you seeing this?"

You point your gun at a lamppost. Despite being the first one you've seen still in one piece, the base of it is covered in countless of fine but long and deep cuts, all horizontal but none at or above knee height.

"Do you think these were made when the place was destroyed? It doesn't look like damage you'd get from a car crash or an animal."

Dr. Nevada sounds excited - at least, for her standards.

"Oh, I think I know this. The fur, the wind, the cuts, it's- what's it call'd? It's definitely a beast, not a big one tho."
"Well do you know anything else ab-"
"Kamazuchi! No, shit, Kamaitachi! That's the fucker."
"...Well do you know anything about them?"
"Number one, they're stupid fast."
"I gathered that already."
"Shut up. They're also suppos'd to have blades for feet."
"Blades for feet? How's that supposed to work?"
"I dunno, could be a big nail or somethin'. Anyway, they naturally got weather manipulation techniques, which they use to get around. So they fly in low, cut your legs n' bail. Rinse n' repeat until your skull hits the pavement and they eat your head."
"Sounds... great. Any idea how to deal with them?"
"Not a fighter. Gwynn?"
"Well, I haven't ever come across these, but from what I am hearing, you might want to look for high spots and open areas. Rooftops or plazas, maybe? Their hit-and-run tactics will be severely crippled if you can see them coming and going. Of course, that will leave you open for any other predators, as well."
"If they are light enough t'move that fast by wind, they gotta be pretty frail. I don't know how much they hurt, but if you can deal with some cuts n' get a shot in it could be over fast."
"Ideally I'd prefer to attract no attention. Do you know if there's a subway system? Maybe some parts are still intact."
"Not sure, but I think so. I can check. Why, aren't you underground enough?"
"Well, I'd like to keep my options open."
"Just remember to prepare whatever you have planned. If these beasts are as fast as Lady Doctor Nevada and you say they are, you probably will only have barely enough time to react if you get ambushed.

> Spent 1 Runestone (9 left)

>What will you do?

Shit, fucked up the spoiler tag on all of them.

I wish these were shorter but I'm having more fun writing these than I thought.

>>5370771
The flash bomb is an obvious solution but we only have one.

>Move near walls with an eye on the ODAR and prepare to dodge or clothesline with a shell

I'm suggesting this as we get a warning and depending on the Wind rats angle of attack it might hit a wall or other debris giving us the chance to club/shoot it while it's down

>>5370771
>Kamaitachi
Yokel vs. Yokai, who will win?
I'll second >>5370778, if we can find a wall to creep along around here we could keep a good field of view while still having at least a little bit of cover. Ducking into the subway is tempting but I don't wanna keep getting pushed off track by every sign of wildlife, and there could be worse stuff down there...
as far as additional planning, maybe them flying with the wind would make a distinctive sound? The air is probably pretty still down here normally, so it might be something noticeable if we keep our ears open.
was also about to suggest limiting radio talk while we deal with this to be able to hear better, but I don't think that would stop the doctor from chatting...

Might want to keep the combat Knife handy in case of any emergency parrying, assuming it doesn't just shear through the steel. But yes, for a hit-and-run blitz opponent, reducing the angles of attack open to it is for the best. Stick close to walls and avoid open areas.

Also just noticed we only have 1 ration. Why did we only pack enough food for 1 meal?

>>5370771
>>5370778
>>5370784
>>5370968

[1/6]

You hurry towards the nearest wall, keeping an eye on the floor.

"Okay, I got a plan. Dr. Nevada, Dame Gwynn, I'm going to need both ears for this one. If you want to tell me something, now would be the time."
"Wait, when are you going to plug the earpiece back in, then?"
"I... haven't thought about that. After I kill it? But then I might never see one, and there could be more..."
"In that case, report back in 30 minutes. The GPS has a clock, use that to check. If you're unable to answer because you're busy fighting we'll be able to tell, but I want to keep each other updated."
"Understood. I'll try to be there on time."

You take a look at the GPS... 15:04, and you're just a bit over 600 meters away from the target location. Next, you pull out the earpiece and slide it in a breast pocket underneath your armor. Standing perfectly still, you then focus on the noises around you to try to get a sense of all the sounds currently in your surrounding. The slow creaking of a girder. The echo of droplets landing on a sheet of metal. Soft humming? Either that, or it's tinnitus. In any case, now that you have a sense for the background noise, you are poised to pick up anything out of the ordinary - a high-pitched howling of the wind, maybe, or the fluttering of a wi- well, blade? You make your first step... And are confronted with an immediate flaw in your strategy. The shards of the displays, almost all of which have long been shattered, are scattered along the path, especially the sides. If you want to hear this bastard coming, you are going to have to take your time. You peek up and down the road and check the GPS one more time to make sure you are moving in the right direction. You disable the safety of your gun, make sure it is loaded and rest the barrel on your left lower arm, in which you are gripping the ODAR. Feeling as prepared as you can get, you advance.

>>5371475

[2/6]

You are moving painfully slow - after each step, you pause to let the crunching of the glass die down and give yourself a chance to listen for changes in the air. How long must it have been? 15 minutes? 20? 30? You slowly reach for the GPS and throw quick glances at the display. Since you aren't on a direct path, you haven't even closed 200 meters, but it's getting close to half past 3. Should you check back in early? You feel like something is going to jump at you any second. You don't want to leave the others hanging, but you're worried that you are going to get attacked while you are fidgeting with the earpiece. You take another step, CRUNCH, and- Wait, a flash! It immediately disappeared, but you definitely saw the ODAR light up! You drop the ODAR, letting it dangle on the short string you attached to your torso and wave your gun in the direction of where you thought you saw the blip. Nothing. To make matters worse, you didn't hear anything - at least you think you didn't hear anything. Can these things move without making a sound? It certainly made noise when you saw one back in the elevator shaft, but you did stand right in the backdraft.

Perception Check passed!

>>5371476

[3/6]

Then, you hear it. A soft whistling behind you! You whip around, finger on the trigger, and spot a dark smear zooming slightly above the floor. Without thinking, you pull the trigger. The booming shot echoes throughout the street, throwing decade old dirt and debris flying. Did you get it? You feel a rush of air rustling your pants, followed by an immediate pain in your right leg. You swing around and try to track the beast. You can see it slipping between two buildings, but looks a bit slower than before. There's also a trail of blood behind it! You definitely hit it. Still, it must have gotten you good as well, because you can feel the pain pulsing with your heartbeat, in spite of the shock and adrenaline.
You grit your teeth and run for the gap the monster slipped into. As you shine a light down the alley, you get a good look of your attacker. It looks similar to a weasel, but it's the size of a dog, and bulkier. A sleek white and brown coat is stained with the blood leaking out of a wound going from the front shoulder all the way to the middle of its torso. And most noticeably, it is shakily balancing on long and sharp blades that shine like silver and curve like a sickle. It is panting heavily, but its sneer on its face is telling you it isn't done yet. You waste no time taking aim again and pull, but with a sudden burst of speed, the beast slips under your shot and comes flying towards you. This time however you are prepared, and the wounds must have taken their toll on the thing.
You jump to the side, making sure to maintain line of sight. As you land with your injured leg, the pain shoots throughout your whole lower body, forcing you to your knees. The overgrown weasel isn't doing much better, attempting to turn on a dime but dropping just next to you. You freeze for a second as you watch it trying to get back on its feet, and decide to finish it before it can do anything else. You pull out the knife strapped to your leg and plunge it into its body. The knife cuts through the neck, tearing muscle and sinew. With a final gurgle, the last bit of life leaves the monster, and you let out a deep breath.
You sit back up and lean your head against the cold wall and check your injury. Your pants aren't stained with blood? There's a big gash in it and your leg still hurts, so you definitely got hurt, but as you take a look at your skin peeking out of the torn pantleg, you don't see anything, neither blood nor a cut. As you run your fingers along your leg, you feel a small gap on your calf. It hurts, but can pull it apart, revealing a deep gash that almost runs across half your leg. While you can see the exposed muscle, no blood is leaking out. What the hell? You fish out the earpiece and put it back in.

>>5371477

[4/6]

"-rgey? Sergey, can you hear me?"
"Y-yes, I can now."
"We saw you shoot and kill the kamaitachi! Did you get injured?"
"I- I think I did, but it's weird. There's a cut, and it hurts, but there's no blood."
"These guys are s'ppos'd t'do that. Folklore used t'say they cut so fine you there's no wound, but I guess it's some kinda biomancy to keep the cut from bleedin'. Try scratchin' it, I wanna know if it opens."
"...Sorry, Dr. Nevada, but- I'd rather not risk it. Does that mean I'm not actually hurt?"
"Nah, you definitely are. Your muscles still got cut, and your orgone field might've gotten nicked."
"That can- Ah, that stings - can happen too?"
"Your orgone field is intrinsically linked to your soul, and most psychic attacks target it to injure without harming the body. Can you keep going?"
"That would have been handy a minute ago. Yes, I should be able too - I think the pain is subsiding already."
"Good, then run. You need to stay on the move, now."
"Why? I won't be able to hear them co-"
"Your shot gave away your position to anything, and anyone that could be down here. If something is big enough to not be bothered with a noise like that, you do not want it finding you."
"U-understood. Running, now."

You start to move quickly down the street, but still slow enough to preserve stamina and keep your shotgun somewhat steady. Still, your rapid steps fill your ears with the crunching of the rubble beneath your feet, so you just will have to accept the risk of getting ambushed. After 2-3 minutes of this pace, taking twist and turns, Gwynn speaks up again.

"Okay, you should've gotten enough distance from the site for now. You can slow down now."
"Hah, finally. At least there weren't any other beasts around."
"Maybe they were hiding from somethin' larger."
"Do you really think there's something bigger down here? Wouldn't that just starve without people?"
"If there's enough smaller monsters, they could sustain a large one."
"But I thought monsters can only eat from humans!"
"Correction, monsters can only survive consumin' orgone. Humans're just the best source of the stuff. Why'd you think monsters need it?"
"Well I heard that they need it to survive in this plane, right?"
"That's just rephrasin' the question. What makes orgone necessary for their survival?"

You stop your careful walk to ponder the question.

>>5371479

[5/6]

"I... I never really thought about it. Something to do with psychic energy?"
"It's 'cause they're made of orgone. A monster can eat the orgone of another monster. There's some caveats, but with enough prey, even big guys can stay 'round for a long time without feedin' off a human orgone field."
"Wow, I... I didn't know that was possible. Does that happen often?"
"Depends on where you're at, but not here as far as I know. Generally kept hush hush t'not give humans any funny ideas."

You continue navigating through the rubble and observe the many different types of buildings and methods of transport. It's a shame you're only here for one specific thing, if this place is truly untouched as it supposedly is, there must be a lot of stuff in here that would blow anything you ever recovered out of the water. You hear Dr. Nevada's voice again.

"Startin' to pick up some ambient noise on the scanner, kid. Doesn't mean much, but it's somethin'. How's the GPS looking?"
"According to this... Still 257- no wait, 252 meters. Is it getting less accurate?"
"Probably refreshin' less and less due t'packet loss. Accuracy's probably getting worse too. The target's also a rough estimate, so this thing is startin' to get useless. God, I hope the scanner goes off before that thing completely goes in the shitter. You see somethin' that looks like highly experimental magitech yet?"
"Well, actually, I don't see much of anything. I just walked into some pretty massive chunks of concrete - they don't look like pieces from the ground."
"The scrying image is wearing off. Are they from a building?"
"Nnno, they don't match any of the constructions I see here. It's too thick for any walls, even an outer wall. But these seem to be going on forever, both left and right! I can't see where they end ahead of me, either! Is this the edge of the city?"
"You mentioned a commercial district, right? Those usually are located fairly center, at least, according to Arcadian city planning principles."

You peer into the darkness, trying to make out anything familiar that could tell you more about your position.

Perception Test failed!

>>5371482

[6/6]

"You're probably right. I think I can climb over them, but from here, I can't see far enough to know what's ahead. Dr. Nevada, do you have a map of this place? Does anything look like something these boulders could belong to?"
"Found a city map all the way back from 12 BD. Don't know where you're at, but I'm not seein' anythin' weird, so they probably built somethin' till then."
"The question is, who?"
"I don't think that matters anymore. For now, all I know the orgone signal is coming from there. I really hope the target isn't buried beneath all of this mess."
"It just keeps going to the sides too, right? Maybe there's some other way around?"

You carefully weigh your options. From where you are standing, this sea of massive rubble continues at least for the next 100 feet outwards. These aren't rocks from the terrain the city collapsed in, so they had to come from some structure - but you can't see it from here. Is it better to go ahead and try climbing through the rubble? Or run parallel until you get to the end of this? Maybe there's another way past it...

> Spent 2 Shot Shells (8 left)
> Down to 8/10 HP

> What will you do?

>>5371484
>Run parallel until you get to the end of this.
I dunno what else to do, really. Heading straight through the rubble sounds like a bad idea.

>>5371484
>move parallel to the rubble
Yeah, I have no clue what the concrete chunks are, so I'm drawing a blank about what the third option could be. May as well keep a healthy fear of the unknown going for now.

I'm probably failing at it, but I'm not trying to list off a set number of choices and expect the readers to pick one for these. If you have a novel approach, feel free to post it.
Not to discourage your choice, I just wanted to make that clear.

>>5371704
Yeah, but I've just got no idea how to progress from here. Sorry, but a bit more handholding might be necessary.

>>5371704
oh yeah, I just meant that I couldnt think of a good plan besides what the protag was thinking at the end there

>>5371484
Hmm could it be that the target is encased in a concrete sarcophagus? What exactly are we looking for? Is the concrete wall smooth/not weathered by age? If it is what I think it is could this be here to contain the harmful energies that could emanate from the object? Nevada said its psychic or something.

>>5371742
also should have said "a third option" instead of "the third option", bad phrasing on my part

>>5371743
Some sections of the rubble still look fairly smooth, or at least used to smooth before it naturally deteriorated. They all seem to be made of the same material, however.

>>5371484
>>5371647
>>5371681

[1/2]

"Even if I can get through this obstacle course, I'll be at a complete disadvantage against anything that could navigate it better. This can't go on forever, so I'll try circling around."
"As long as you keep your eyes peeled. That kamaitachi couldn't possibly have been the only thing down there."

You take a right and move along the rubble. After about 10 seconds, you second-guess yourself and scurry down the other way instead - you might have just missed a way through! However, this doesn't turn out to be the case as you continue at a slow pace for another 2 minutes.

Stealth Test passed!

This time, the ODAR actually comes in handy, as it detects another one of those sickle weasels before you can see them - fortunately, by hiding in the chunks of concrete, you manage to sneak past it. Moving on, you eventually spot some patterns on the ground that seem - unusual. After checking your flanks, you approach it and see that it appears to to be a round-ish indent in the asphalt of the road, almost as if someone repeatedly hit it with a big sledgehammer. It's a little over 2 feet in diameter and- wait, there's more of them! You illuminate the street away from the concrete rubble and see that this mark repeats over and over again, equally spaced, and fairly straight. Footprint? No, these aren't alternating - unless something was making a big effort keeping their feet in a straight line.

"Dr. Nevada, Dame Gwynn, can I get a second opinion? This mark here... it keeps going down the street... almost like a footprint."
"Might just be. How far apart?"
"I'm guessing around 6 feet... so 2 meters? Maybe less?"
"That sounds pretty big. Do you see any other signs? If this really is a monster this big, there could be other tracks like standing building with scratch marks or other unusual patterns."

Perception Test failed!

"...No... But here's the thing, the prints are perfectly straight; no left-and-right pattern. Is there a monster that makes these tracks?"
"Probably. There's tons of weird stuff, but we don't know 'bout most of 'em. Since clades usually associate with factions, n' those don't intermingle."
"I should have guessed..."

You look back, and you notice that the marks (or are they prints?) continue through the bed of rubble - whatever left those marks, it crushed the chunks of concrete into fine debris, leaving flat patches behind! You stand inside one to give the others a view.

>>5371822

[2/2]

"Woah, these marks continue through the rubble as well! Whatever left these just crushed everything into a paste!"
"I know it's not completely clear, but do you think you could use that trail to move ahead?"
"There's still a good bit in the way-", you leave the trail and take cover next to a nearby building, "but yes, it should at least go a lot smoother. But if I run into whatever left these, I'm dead!"
"Maybe these were left a long time ago and the creature responsible is gone now?"

Dr. Nevada interrupts.

"Okay, some scenarios.
Number one, the monster's gone. Could have left before or after this place got leveled, but we don't have to worry 'bout it anymore."
Number two, the monster moves back n' forth, but makes wide rounds - that's why we've only seen one of these trails. Chance you run into one's low.
Number three, again the back n' forth, but it takes the exact same path and traces the steps perfectly. Some animals can do that, but those're usually prey.
Number four, the thing moved once n' never again. We might have pass'd it or it could be just ahead, but in either case the path's clear.
And number five, a giant ship's wheel roll'd through here and left these marks. That one's bullshit."

"And which one do you think are we dealing with here?"
"Optimist here, so I say number one."
"...I'd hate to find out the hard way. Do you have any other ideas?"
"It's always possible to keep circling, but you should start considering the time. Does it look like you're getting any closer on the GPS?"

You turn on the display. It's 4:30 already? To make matters worse, you're actually even further away from the target destination. Your throat has been feeling dry for a while now, so you retrieve a canteen from your backpack and drink take a few swigs.

"Actually, I'm even further away by now."
"Get your shit together. We're not riskin' our necks for you t'take underground walks."
"I'm sorry, Dr. Nevada, but I'm not doing this on purpose. If I can't confirm safe passage, I'll put myself in serious risk!"
"Fine. You've seen a subway station anywhere? Manholes? You should be able to cross this garbage from below."
"I don't think I saw any... Can you check the map?"
"Still no idea where you're at. Got any street names?"
"None visible here... They could have been worn down. I could look for some. Or point out some landmarks?"
"That's gonna take forever..."
"We might not have any other options here."
"What're you talking 'bout? You can just go straight 'cross. You did fine against the kamaitachi, didn't you?"
"Dr. Nevada, I don't think it's fair to compare the two - I was in a much better position, and we're dealing with something that takes 2 meter steps here..."

> What will you do?

>>5371824
It's highly unlikely that this is an animal's tracks, considering the fact that we're apparently underground. Plus, depending on how closely orgone stuff translates to real-life biology, anything that big would need to consume incredible amounts in order to survive. This (plus the failed check and the comment on how oddly regular the steps are) makes me think it's something else.

How sci-fi is the setting, QM? Did mankind reach a level where they could produce mecha/robots before they lost?

>>5371883
From what Sergey knows, he hasn't come across any references of mechas or large robots, books or otherwise. Then again, his knowledge is very lopsided since most of his education was books he got from friends and travelling merchants.

>>5371824
>Follow the trail
I'm sure it'll be fine.

>>5371883
You make a good point but it could also be that either someone is feeding it or it's feeding off of the psychic anomaly we're after. Let's hope it was just an old human mech hopping along on one leg at some point in the very distant past.

>>5371824
>Follow the trail
even if whatever made it is still prowling around, the weird concrete provides plenty of cover for us to hide if we hear heavy movement around

>>5371824
>>5371938
>>5372101

[1/2]

"This is the best opportunity to advance I've seen so far, and it might be abandoned. I'll have to risk it."

You put away your canteen, check your surroundings one last time and approach the trail. There still is plenty of debris left between each mark, but it usually is at waist-height, so you have a much easier time traversing the hurdles. The path continues to the point where the remains of the buildings behind you vanish in the dark, and you remain vigilant - this terrain might be too difficult for the flying weasels to launch ambushes, but there could be other things lurking between the concrete chunks. Occasionally sweeping the horizon to see any change in scenery, you slowly start to make out something in the distance - something big, and something reflective. Quickening your steps, your light illuminates more and more of the object, until you are close enough to see it: an enormous mass of metal, molten and solidified like molasses until it settled in a shape that looks somewhat like a cascading pillar that got smushed to the ground. The base is encased with a massive block of concrete - possibly the same you've been climbing through - that has been torn apart several feet of the ground. The path continues just past the chunk of metal, where the concrete façade had been particularly wiped away.

"I think I know where all this rubble is coming from. I think it's- it's a massive wall."
"What? With that amount of material, the wall would have to be massive! Are you sure?"
"Not completely, but there's what looks like an enormous steel girder sticking out of it. It's been molten down to a heap! What could have done that?"
"Fire, induction,... Plenty of ways t'skin a cat. Could've been a dragon."
"Is it a defensive structure for fortification, or an outer wall of a larger building?"
"I can't really tell from here, it-"

Thud.

>>5372525

You perk up. Did you imagine that?

Thud.

There it was again! A soft thumping can be heard from all directions - making the source hard to pin down. You slowly move on, keeping your eyes fixed on the ODAR.

Thud.

THud.

Like clockwork, the noises ring out with the same interval between them; just a bit over a second. It's not getting louder, is it?

THuD.

It is getting louder. And as less and less of the echo makes up the brunt of the noise, you can tell it's behind you.

"Shit!"
"What's wrong?"
"Something's coming! Probably whatever made this trail!", you whisper.
"Ah, so it's still 'round."
"Do you see and end to the trail? Can you make it?"

You climb one of the hurdles and try your best spotting something past the inky black.

Perception Check passed!

The rubble ends a bit past the wall! And you think you can spot hints of another structure behind that! You think of the best course of action. The end is still something around 200 feet away from you - around the same distance you've traveled through the path already. If you run, you might be able to make it to the end and find a safe spot - if you can make it, and whatever is coming isn't going to speed up. You could also use the time to take cover and hide between the debris off to the side. You are not even sure if whatever is coming is even capable of spotting you, but if it can and will, you'd be an easy target.

THUD.

THUD.

>What will you do?

>>5372527
dang, the end is so close, but I don't want to run into the unknown especially when it might reveal us to whatever is behind us
>hide behind the debris to the side

>>5372780
+1
Hide hide hide. Starting to think there might be some merit to my "abandoned robot" theory.

>>5372527
>>5372780
>>5372782

[1/4]

Even if you got to the end, there's no knowing what's ahead. You're dead if this doesn't work, but you *have* to take all the time you can now get to hide. You sling your shotgun over your shoulder and scale a sizeable chunk of concrete.

THUD.

THUD.

You balance across a few boulders to look for an ideal hiding spot. There are some gaps in which you could squeeze into, but you skip them for now. As little chance as you have, you still want *some* means to escape, should your attempt to slip past not work - but with each passing second, being picky becomes more and more of an unhealthy habit.

THUD. THUD!

There! You hop down to a section that lets you completely obscure your body and give you a bit room to quickly get back up. You slide behind cover, immediately turn off your flashlight and still your breath. Now there's nothing left to do but wait for the stomps to pass...

...

You feel as though needles are shooting up your scalp as you realize that for the first time since the thundering metronome started, it has skipped a beat. Why did it stop? Did it even stop, or is it suddenly moving silently? Did it spot you? Were you too slow? Should you have taken the first good spot you came across?

THUD!

THUD!

There it is again! Why did it stop? It... it still is getting louder. You check your ODAR, covering the screen to shield the soft light it emits, but you see nothing. So is this not a monster after all? Or is the rubble blocking the sensor? You can't help but cast doubt on your hiding spot. Should you hedge your bets and start running? No, you decide, you didn't get caught yet. You couldn't possibly be.

THUD!

THUD!

The violent thump has become louder as ever - you feel the vibrations in the air, in the floor. Still, in this darkness, you are unable to make anything out, even if you weren't hiding behind a concrete boulder right now. You are certain that the next impact could very well land on you. But you might never know whether at this moment, you refused to run because you knew you were safe here, or because you were too scared to move.

THUD!

Stealth Check passed!

>>5372897

[2/4]

THUD!

THUD.

Are you hearing this right? It actually - it actually is getting quieter! You can tell that the noise is getting softer. Still too tense to relax, you stay put until you're sure you're in the clear.

THUD.

THuD.

While the sounds are as persistent as ever, you breathe a massive sigh of relief and you could swear your heart resumes beating only now. You continue to listen to the echoing stomps, which are far more relaxing now that they are getting quieter.

"I think... I think it's gone."
"Are you sure? Did you manage to get a visual? The scrying badge cut off while you were moving through the trail." You can hear some noise in the background, like the sizzling of butter in a hot pan - strange.
"It passed me, but I didn't see anything. I didn't want to risk getting caught by peeking or shining a light at it."
"Don't move just yet. Wait a while, then go ahead, preferably with as little light as possible."
"Alright. I'll- I'll catch my breath."

The loud stomping must have left your earshot a minute ago by now, and there seems to be no indication of it returning. You turn the flashlight on your chest to its lowest setting and return to the trail. As you grip the first chunk in your way, however, you feel something wet and slimy. You immediately pull back your hand and look at it. In the close light, a clear liquid with viscosity similar to smooth honey can be seen shimmering on your palm. More worried about ill effects than disgusted, you quickly wipe it off on your pants and check your palm again for any signs of swelling or other conditions. Luckily, nothing seems to come from it, and since you don't want to take any chances staying longer on this trail than necessary, you move on, avoiding the slimy stain to the best of your ability. Curiously, these stains can be found along the whole trail going forward - did whatever passed you leak something? No matter, that thing isn't here anymore. You marvel at the enormous molten clump of iron just a stone's throw away from you as you pass it, and you finally make it to the other side.
You turn the light on your shotgun back on and take in the surroundings. The architecture has completely changed! The decorative and colorful facades with large windows and tiled roofs have all been replaced by blocky structures made of grey concrete and tiny looking slits as the only way for light to pass through. The only hint of color seems to be splashes of paint on some of the walls. You think you read about this... Graffiti? The buildings are broken all the same, but the stark contrast makes you think that a completely different city was shoved right next to the previous one. There still is plenty of debris littering the streets, but you actually can walk on flat, solid ground now. You step close to a building close to you for Gwynn and Dr. Nevada to see.

>>5372898

[3/4]

"Look at that! The buildings are completely different!"
"We still can't see anything, Sergey. And we won't be able to until I can touch it to reconnect again."
"Ah, sorry, I forgot. Anyway, these buildings just look like big blocks of concrete with some holes in them. Are they on the map?"

"No idea, but that giant fuck-off wall wasn't there either. I'm guessing no."

The buildings are all neatly lined up. You glance over some of the fronts and see that the entrances are much bigger than a regular door - possibly twice the size.

"I- I don't think these were designed for people. All the doors are, like, 3 or 4 meters high."
"Or at least designed for not just people. Lady Doctor Nevada, do you know any faction with architecture like that?"
"Never seen these before, but I'm not a tourist type. ---sn't Gaia tho, for obvious reasons."
"Dr. Nevada? I'm having trouble understanding you. There was some noise at the end."
"Shit! The signal's gettin' worse! Check your GPS."

You pull out your GPS and turn it on. You're still over 200 meters away? No, wait, you've gone much further than this!

"I think it's broken? It stopped showing me where I am!"
"It stopp'd updatin', probably all that steel and concrete in the way. I can forget my stream of the scanner then, too."
"Now what? My scanner still isn't reacting!"
"---calm, Sergey. You'll have to continue without the GPS, then. Can you see any landmarks or signage that could help you? Maybe the signal is coming from something appropriate, like a laboratory, or a military facility."

Perception Test passed!

>>5372901

[4/4]

You look around, searching for either a notable structure, or some form of directions. You look over rocks, rebar, wrecked vehicles - until you spot a metal plate. A metal plate with engravings in it! Within seconds, you're dusting it off, examining the engravings. It definitely got banged up bad and detached from wherever, but given the weight and lack of rust, it seems like it is made of steel. You look over the characters from the top - and don't recognize any of them, outside of simple iconography like arrows. Some different language? But as you look a bit further down, you see that this sign has also been engraved with English text! It seems like these are directions... You are currently standing in 'residential area 27', and to your right should be the main plaza. The only other noteworthy place seems to be something called 'church' further up ahead, and the rest is pointing to other residential areas. W-

thud.

Shit, that thing! You completely forgot about it. You check the floor and begin to see the pattern of stomps again - this time leading to the direction the main plaza is supposed to be in. Whether it actually is there is hard to tell - the smooth walls reflect sounds in all directions, making locating sources from a distance near impossible. You quickly take cover behind a building. Is it coming back?

Thud.

thud.

You wait a few thuds, and conclude that the noises aren't getting any louder - not only that, but they seem to pause more frequently this time. Before you decide on where to go from here, you check back in as long as you still have the chance.

"Dame Gwynn, I have a question. Do you know what a 'church' is?"
"A church? I think I remember this from enemy intel. It's a... a building of high tactical significance to the Order of Elysium, I think. I've only been to one mission in Elysium territory, but supposedly there's one in every settlement. ---t, Lady Doctor Nevada?"
"Uh, yeah, I think that's what they call 'em."
"So this is angel architecture? Did they occupy this city?"
"I'm not sure... Like I said, I've only been to an Elysium city once - but none of the buildings looked like you've described."
"Could the thing I'm looking for be in a church?"
"I don't remember seeing any great technology in the one I've breached... Ho--- Order of Eylsium should be well below the scientific prowess of the Principality of Arcadia, really."
"Doesn't mean it couldn't have been mov'd tho. Just watch your ass, I don't want you t'eat shit until you at least describe that thing t'me."

> What will you do?

>>5372902
>"Your concern is appreciated, Doctor. If only you were as nice as Dame Gwynn."
>Keep note of that fact. Try not to describe everything to them right away if you do find the item; that way they have a reason to pull you through the metaphorical fire instead of just cutting you loose.
>Go for the church. If whatever you're looking isn't there, head to the main plaza.

>>5372992
This minus >"Your concern is appreciated, Doctor. If only you were as nice as Dame Gwynn."
Lets just keep our mouth shut and get on with the job

>>5372902
>>5372992
>>5373024

[1/3]

Dr. Nevada's disregard for your life is getting on your already worn down nerves, but this really isn't the place to snap back at her. You begin moving towards the church and aim your lights low, to avoid flashing signals far down the street. A few minutes later, you encounter a noticeably different building. You can just see the front, and it still is made of massive blocks of concrete, but it looks more elaborate and seemed to have tall windows that have collapsed by now. Left to the entrance you can make out a giant statue of... a man, most likely. Large parts are missing, but the hard edges of the concrete slabs the statue is made of remind you of the legs and torso of a human. On the right, you can see the base of the same statue, but it stops below the knees - the rest has been obliterated. You do notice, however, that more of that graffiti can be found only on the right statue.
You approach the entrance, shoot a glance into the church and see - nothing. Nothing but more piles of rubble, that is. You look to the sides and realize that it's only the front wall that survived the destruction, the rest must have collapsed long ago. Could you squeeze between the concrete boulders and try to find something? Maybe, but you check your scanner - again, no signal. You don't have the time to look for other trinkets, so you turn around - as much as you'd love to find out more about this church, you need a proper lead right now. You're about to leave, when you notice something shining between the debris. You can't reach it unless you get down on your knees, and it weighs a ton, but eventually you manage to fish it out: a slightly translucent crystal shard about the size of your lower arm, almost glowing in a deep turquoise, and with bright flakes twinkling within it. The form is unfamiliar to you, but they closely resemble...

"Dr. Nevada, how are biomarks made?"
"Huh? Why---skin' now?"
"Biomarks are minted by officially licensed monster by compressing orgone into a c---ine form and embedding the feyward emblem in it, to certify it as a coin of the principality. Why do you ask?"
"I found a huge chunk of what looks like the same material as biomarks, but it has no emblem is big enough for, about, 4-5 coins. Can it be mined?"
"---gain? I couldn't catch that."
"Can biomark crystal be- Nevermind! This will have to wait!!"

The noise from the earpiece has gotten really bad by now, you want to get out of here as fast as possible. The crystal would only slow you down, so you have to leave it for now - you at least place it next to the stone it sat under, so it's easier to get it next time. You go down the stairs to the church, reorient yourself and make your way to the plaza. You were a fairly far away from it, but you haven't heard the thumping in a while - did it leave? You hope so.

>>5374076

[2/3]

After a short trek, he narrow alleyway opens to a wide plaza in ruin. You can see simple carvings of sweeping lines in the ground, sticking out between the natural cracks of the disaster that hit this city many years ago. You check the GPS - still nothing. You check the scanner - a signal! A pointer is directing you below, slightly to your left - looks like it's underground, hopefully in the basement of one of these buildings. For now, you move towards the left, keeping your light low. With one eye on the scanner, you examine the engraved lines in the floor. They appear to signal pathways, and... this one has a symbol of a beaker on it! Understanding iconography is an oft overlooked but underappreciated skill in the toolset of a diver, since clear icons can help identify structures using little information. So it's a good thing that you recognize this graphic as a universal symbol for science - possibly a lab, research facility, but definitely something that would contain significant orgone technology! You move with more haste, until you see- blood.
For a city in ruin that possibly housed over a million people at the time of the disaster, a blood-stained floor shouldn't be an uncommon sight. However, this blood is fresh - the bright red stain on the ground glistens with saturated colors, and seemingly has followed the flow of one of the lines when it pooled over the concrete. As you scan the floor ahead and around you, you notice multiple fresh splatters of crimson have seeped into the stone. It's clear that there was some sort of struggle, but you can also see a large trail of blood - possibly wider than you - leading further ahead. Normally, if you were to run into some large threat occupying a ruin, you'd keep a safe distance, observe the movements and wait for it to leave, or even better, move on. Not that you ever got an opportunity to do that, but that's what a diver would do. However, in this case, your resources are severely limited, and you're hard pressed for time. You can't afford to wait for possibly a day, so you need to move now. You turn your lights to the lowest setting, and approach. You start hearing noises; they're hard to make out, but as you silently advance, you identify them. Crunching bone, tearing sinew and the occasional snarl.

>>5374077

[3/3]

As you ever so slowly peek over the remains of a toppled pillar, you see something moving! It's facing away from you, and the light is dim, but you can make out a large mass of thick, unkempt brown fur and something pinkish shifting as it seems to be in the process of devouring something. It's still a good distance from you, but even from here you can tell it is massive, the fur pile could very well be taller than you, and it might not even be upright right now. Unfortunately for you, the beaker line seems to lead directly to what must have once been the laboratory, but now looks like oversized gravel. Still, you can make out an entrance that seems intact. You check the scanner one more time to confirm that the signal is more or less 30 meters below you. A look at the ODAR reveals a faint glow in the direction of the fur pile, confirming that it is a monster, or at least something with an orgone field. You were told the reliable range of this thing is 10 meters, but right now you are about twice that distance away from it - and something is telling you that the sensors of this particular device are above average.
You take cover and assess the situation. For your own safety, you'll assume that this beast will act hostile towards you. That being said, you did throw some light at it and its surroundings, but it didn't react. Is it blind, or was it too distracted to notice? If it has a keen sense of smell, the intense aroma of whatever it is eating is most overpowering your own scent. Can it hear well? You didn't see any ears, but you didn't see anything you could identify as a head either. If it has some other sense it uses for navigation and tracking, you wouldn't be able to determine them. For now, you know that lab or whatever is your best bet to reach the signal, so you have to find a way to get past it, or get rid of it. You grip your shotgun tight to calm your nerves, though you have a feeling a paltry 12-gauge won't do much to harm this monster.

I'm busy for the next 4 days, so I'll only be able to update once a day, most likely.

Another thing I'm wondering about - how's the formatting? Should I add more paragraphs, or is it fine as is?

>>5374079
More paragraphs, please.
>Kill it with fire. Load up some Incendiary Ammo and prep a Flash Bomb before blasting it six ways to Sunday.

>>5374079
I'm fine with either. Assuming we're meant to do something?
>Load up the incendiary ammo just in case but try to sneak past it
We don't have alot of ammo and we still need to get out of the ruins once we've found the anomaly so lets try to avoid fighting if possible.

>>5374078
seconding >>5374277
I'd like for this thing to be dead, but we don't know how long we'll be searching this place, and firing off the gun could bring more beasts around
was also thinking about using our runestones as a distraction we could throw away from us while sneaking. It would be good for animals that would be distracted bright lights showing up, but I don't know if this thing would notice it

>>5374277
Anon, Ammo is the only thing we have a lot of.

> Leroy A7 shotgun (Loaded with x10 Shot Ammo)
> Chest-mounted flashlight
> Gun-mounted flashlight
> Earpiece
> GPS
> Short-range Scanner
> Drinking water
> Waterproof lighter
> x5 Incendiary Ammo
> x1 Flash Bomb
> Combat Knife
> 50m Rope
> x10 Runestones
> x1 Ration
> x1 Panacea
> x1 Oxygen Tank

9 Runestones and 9 Shot Ammo left since we hit that Kamaitachi. I want to kill it now since it's distracted and we'll probably have to come back this way once we find the signal. If we can do it quickly, it hopefully won't draw too much attention. I guess we could also try to sneak up on it with the knife for a melee kill, but that's way, way, way riskier.

>>5374520
We need to try to save our ammo as much as we can for emergencies and we're better off not fighting at all if we have the option. The whole point of going in with a light load was so we could be quick and quiet after all. Besides, killing it quickly won't make the shotgun any quieter so if we kill it now we might just end up having to deal with another monster on our way back anyways.

>>5374520
You have 8 rounds left in the gun, you shot twice.

Shooting a shotgun could end up being more trouble than it's worth, so you put it back for now. You pull out a runestone from your backpack, taking case not to rustle its contents too much, and carefully approach the beast behind cover. You then squeeze the stone in your hand, and throw it with all your might away from the building. On the first impact with the ground, the beast immediately springs to all fours, and runs towards the increasingly radiant distraction. It seems quite occupied with the stone, so as it is standing in the soft white light, you finally get a good look at the monster.

Stealth Test passed!

File: fur pile.png (360 KB, 1024x1024)

360 KB PNG

>>5375220

[2/3]

You see a massive beast partially covered in a thick pelt and partially exposed with a taut, dry looking skin tightly encasing bone and sinew. Though canine in its appearance, the skull is flat and almost human-like, with large brows, and seemingly no lips or nose exposing an unsettling facial structure. The eyes appear hollow, the face is covered with drooping flesh and tightly packed wrinkles and on top of the scalp, two massive horns protrude upwards. Adding to the eerie familiarity is the fact that its paws - both front and back - have been replaced with massive, hairy hands. They support the massive weight between the knuckles, but if this monster were to make a fist, it would probably be the size of your head. And while the visible tendons and bones jutting out beneath the skin might give a frail impression, from its impactful movements its clear that the is a lot of power hidden behind the brown tufts of fur.

Wasting no further time, you sneak past the mangled corpse the beast is consuming and enter the building. It seems like the predator has made its home here - a particularly smoothed out corner is littered with long brown furs, and another corner is stacked with a pile of crystals. You immediately recognize the color as the one you saw earlier.

Perception Test failed!

>>5375222

[3/3]

After some scanning, you spot another entrance behind some dented steel frame. You have to duck to move past the debris, but you make it into a hallway that is mostly collapsed. Facing you mounted on the wall, you see a large plate covered in grime. You can make out faint hints of text and diagrams... A floor plan!? You quickly pull out a rag, wet it and start cleaning the plate. After some scrubbing, you can read the writing, assuming it hasn't chipped off by now.

> 4F Appl--d Orgon-m---
> 3F: Experim---al W-aponry
> 2F: -rgone-drive----ans----
> 1F: --counting--Human & -------esource-
> 1B: Cen-----f Pact ----ation
> 2B: Stora--
> 3B: ----ine-e---Proje---------

Looking at the text, you realize that this time, there is only English. Maybe there's supposed to be another plate with the other language you saw earlier? You don't see any here, but it's possible that it got lost. You try contacting Dame Gwynn and Dr. Nevada for an update, but you get no response - in here, your earpiece seems to be completely cut off from the van and the others. In any case, you need to decide where to go from here. Obviously, every floor above the first one is gone, and there might only be a few here that haven't caved in completely. You look for a way down, and spot a stairwell around the corner - seems like that's your way to the basement. You check the Orgone scanner, and see that the signal is still well below you.

> Where will you go?

> To the signal, with no distractions
> (Write-in)

>>5375224
>3F Experimental Weaponry
>2B Storage
Our best bets of getting something we can immediately use. I'm leery of that Perception Check fail.

>>5375224
>Poke around the first floor a bit before heading deeper
Sounds like the building is pretty well covered by rubble, but we may as well see if there's any other exits we could use out of here that won't lead us back through the devil dog thing's den and the kill it was working on
>>5375287
>3F
I think all the stuff above the ground floor is wrecked

>>5375224
> Applied Orgonomy
fourth floor? wonder why it's so high
>experimental weaponry
obvious
>orgone drive?
unclear
>accounting and human resources
obvious, we don't want to go here
>Cen-----f Pact ----ation
pact preparation?
>storage
obvious
>----ine-e---Proje---------
something project.

>>5375292
floor 1 is human resources man, we don't want to loot paperwork

in a perfect world, I would want to go everywhere except the floor we're currently on. as for my vote how about we go to
>experimental weaponry
and from there hit the top floor and see where we're at from there before we go into the basement. I reeeeally want to check out the basement but that monster on the floor we're on is spoopy

>>5375224
> To the signal, with no distractions
It's shame we don't have enough time to explore the place fully. Now lets see what these XCOM motherfuckers were cooking up down there.

>>5375287
>>5375445
>Obviously, every floor above the first one is gone
No plasma rifles or power armor for Sergey.

>>5375520
fugg I missed that
storage first then the bottom floor I guess

>>5375224
>>5375287
>>5375292
>>5375591

[1/3]

You scan the hallway for possible exits, but there seems to be no other way other out - none you could fit through. There is one small gap between collapsed slabs of concrete, but you might be able to widen it like before - if you don't get crushed from the collapsing structure, or alert that beast, that is. For now, you decide to head down what remains of the stairs, occasionally shimmying over missing sections until you reach the second basement level. It seems like the levels below ground (well, more than usual) have sustained less damage, but the shearing of the foundation and tremors still left the only room here in complete disarray. The double door only open after heavy persuasion, and the shelves lay in waste, its contents spilled across the floor.
Most of it seems to be either simple materials such as screws, tools or copper wire, while the rest are boxes and gadgets with unknown purpose - prototypes perhaps, without knowing what they do, you're better off not messing with anything. You check the scanner, and see that the signal is emanating below you still. A shame really, any other day a room like this would blow all of your previous finds out of the water. But while you might very well find something valuable like an antique computer or rare metals, you probably will end up wasting hours sifting through bolts and glass shards. 10 minutes, that's how long you'll allow yourself to skim through the place to find anything valuable.

Perception Result: 5

>>5376172

[2/3]

After 8 minutes of shifting scratched aluminum pipes and cracked plastic shells around, you spot something glinting between the layer of dust. You quickly brush away the filth and pick up a stack of paper-thin wafers with a metallic sheen and yellow tint. The outside is fairly banged up, but the inner sheets are so smooth and polished, you easily blind yourself with your own flashlight. Is this gold?
You've never seen gold in person before, but you have read a book or two depicting the metal. You're not sure how to make sure it really is gold, but you know two things: it looks the part, and is definitely heavier than aluminum foil. At this quantity, it won't get a collector to pay you enough to fund the rest of your life, but if it is the real deal, it certainly is nothing to scoff at. You carefully place it in your backpack and head back out - time to check out the very bottom of this building.
As you make your way down the last set of stairs, you notice two things. One, this level seems to be much deeper than you'd expect, meaning it either has very high ceilings, or very thick walls. And two, as expected, your relative height to the signal is decreasing more and more until it levels off as you reach the bottom - you finally made it. You're standing in a small chamber with a tall doorframe, holding a solid metal door. The door looks like the kind of thing you wouldn't be able to open with either the right key or an obscene amount of firepower, but it seems like neither will be necessary. The shearing at this depth seems to have been much more severe, and the large door has been ripped from the frame from the immense seismic forces. It still is being held in place, but the slanted doorframe reveals a gap large enough for you to slip through - with the backpack off your shoulders, of course.

>>5376175

[3/3]

Once past the door, you see a hallway with 6 identical rooms. You say rooms, but they are more like displays - a nook behind a door and mesh wire. The floors are littered with glass and some shards still encase the wire fencing - some sort of security glass? All the rooms behind the glass are empty except for a pedestal, but the signal is coming from the one in the back right. You push and pull the large handle, but the door won't open. It's either locked or jammed, but that doesn't matter either way. Seeing the wire without the glass gives you an idea, however, so you hurry outside, climb the stairs and retrieve a wire clipper you saw earlier. Between running back and forth and clipping one part of the fencing after another, it takes you a whole 30 minutes or so, but you finally slip past the last barrier. Now what is the scanner picking up? From outside, the room appeared empty, but looking behind the pedestal, you see something.
Lying on the ground is a box, about 10 inches across all dimensions, with yellow panels and beveled corners. At first glance it looks very unassuming, but as you shift your light and perspective, you can see intricate but unintelligible script etched into all visible sides of the object. You didn't feel it before, but ever since you've stood inside this tiny room, you've felt some pressure on your chest, and you don't think it's the stale air.
Dr. Nevada never informed you about some protocol on how to interact with something like this. Dammit! With her attitude, you can't tell she neglected to mention this because she forgot, doesn't think it's necessary or because she doesn't care about your safety. Either way, you can't ask her buried beneath all this steel and concrete, and running all the way back until you get a signal would not only be incredibly cumbersome, but also highly dangerous.

> Obtained Stack of Gold Foil

> What will you do?

>>5376179
>open the box
this is the only natural action

>>5369924
>I literally carri'd this everywhere I go for the last 3 years for a chance like this.
Based Nevada, lol

>>5376179
Did any of the boxes in >>5376172 seem thick enough enough to insulate against whatever is coming from the artifact? If not, I guess we could try wrapping the artifact in some of our gold foil, lol.
I mean, gold is decently dense, right? Whatever, I bet Dr. Nevada will laugh at us for mashing precious metal against the scary box like a caveman, but it's better than doing nothing and just hoping that we won't croak from super magic radiation before we make it back.

>>5376328
>>5376817

One for opening the box, one for wrapping it in gold. Any tiebreaker?

>>5376974
Option 2, if it is making us feel bad already maybe we should keep it in the box

>>5376179
>>5376817
>>5377041

Perhaps the gold could have some isolating effect? You pull out some sheets and carefully drape them over the box, doing your best to not come into direct contact with the device. The wafers easily wrap around the cube, and after covering all sides, you pick it up. The moment you come into contact with it, the pressure on your chest increases, so you quickly stow it away in your backpack. Should you not have done that? Were the sheets sufficient? After letting go, the pressure returned to its previous strength, but after putting the backpack on your back, the pressure increases - it's tolerable, but pretty distracting, and with the added weight on your shoulders, you'll have an even harder time moving around.

> Agility Bonus lost

It takes you great care, plenty of sweat and a long time, but you eventually manage to return to the ground level. You take a peek out the door leading to that beast's nest - you don't see anything, nor hear anything. But is it safe?

> What will you do?

>>5377104
>load an incendiary shell into the chamber of the shotty
>carefully creep forward
is the nook that we had to duck through after the nest to enter the building small enough that the beast would struggle to fit through? it could be a good spot to fall back through if we're spotted before we get out into the open

>>5377122
It can't fit, the door is about 2 meters high. Whether it could break through is a different story, and unclear.

>>5377104
Qm, does agility bonus applies to stealth?
Also what kind of dice are you rolling?
I have a feeling we will have to kill this thing, so
>Load incendiary
>Prepare magic flashbang
>Peek out and try to figure out where is the Thing
>If no Thing spotted, throw glowing rock to make sure it's not waiting for us

>>5377351
D10, and agility and stealth are seperate skills.

>>5377104
>>5377122
>>5377351

[1/3]

You load an incendiary round and throw another rune stone as far away from you as possible. It lands near the main entrance and starts emitting a gentle yellow light. You wait a minute... Nothing. You then take a look at the ODAR and make sure it's not picking up anything either... Also clear. You slowly crawl through the doorframe, and move towards the exit, making sure to stick to the walls. The place really does seem to be empty, and you cant hear the tearing of flesh and bone you heard earlier. Did it head out? You approach the exit, and finally leave the building.

Stealth Test failed

As soon as you turn the corner, however, the hollow eyes of the beast stare right in your face. The monster is perfectly still, is it blind? Has it not noticed you? Can you keep sneaking past it? Your imagination is keeping you on the spot, too busy thinking up scenarios and plans to move, until a shift in weight of the devil dog is forcing you to act. Gun already in hand, you swing the barrel up, line up the sights with the head and pull the trigger. By the time you feel the resistance of the mechanism, you can already see it lunge forward.

>>5378080

[2/3]

It all happens so fast: a loud bang, a streak of yellow-orange and a sharp, deep howl all fill the otherwise lifeless plaza. You use the stagger from having part of its face and chest go up in flames to get some distance, but the monster is hot on your heels. You suddenly feel a sudden pressure on your hip, and a force lifting you in the air - it is only after the beast swings you violently to one side that you realize it has snatched you off the ground, and is currently driving its canines through your torso! Before the pain even has enough time to settle in, the monster has already swung you to the other side and releases you with a powerful throw. You manage to hang onto your gun, but just barely. Like a ragdoll, your body flies through the air until it is immediately and painfully stopped by a solid concrete wall. Impacting hip first, you can feel your left leg bend towards place previously physically impossible. The back soon follows, knocking the wind out of you.

As a small saving grace, your fall onto the concrete floor is cushioned by the mauled cadaver of the beast's previous victim, covering half of you in blood. Still high from the shock, your first reaction is to get your bearings and look for your attacker - you see it right where it threw you, the lubricant in its fur burning only slightly. Still high from the shock, your first reaction is to get your bearings and look for your attacker - you see it right where it threw you, the lubricant on its skin burning still slightly. And in spite of the flames exposing burnt flesh, it is slowly moving towards you. Its face, now slightly melting from the incendiary solution clinging on its flesh, is still frozen in a grimace of dread. It just seriously injured you with a single throw, and you don't think you can survive another attack like that.
You remember that potion you brought with you, but you don't know how long it takes to heal you, nor if it works with your whole body battered like that. You have enough time to get another shot in, but will it be enough? As the dull pain all over your body is slowly emerging in a sea of numbness, The pressure from the b- The box! You must have landed right on it when you hit the wall - explaining the sting in your back. Did it break!? Is it going to blow up? First things first, you look back at the beast - it's still approaching slowly. Does it think you're dead? Or is it toying with you? Next, make sure the box is still in one piece. You carefully lower the backpack while keeping an eye on the stalking predator and open it.
You steal a quick glance down - it seems like nothing happened to it. But maybe something inside broke? Maybe it's running hot until it explodes? You check the temperature by touching the gold foil enveloping the box.

>>5378082

[3/3]

You open your eyes. Or were they always open? You still can't see a thing. You look down and see yourself - at least, you think you see yourself. When did you get here? Were you always here? Weren't you just... in an underground ruin? Or was that a dream? You try to move, but you have no idea whether you actually are moving, lacking any reference point. It is only when you stop moving that you notice things around you. Details. The sun reflecting off a piece of metal. A pebble in the shape of a fist. The heat on your forehead. After you stop being distracted by the small things, you understand the scene in front of you. It's you, but not you as you are, or as you remember being. Is this a time yet to come? Or a life never lived? Nevertheless, you observe this different you.

> You see yourself...

> as a vicious beast bearing fang and claw, rending the flesh of your enemies. You are met with painful resistance, but each bite keeps you pushing on.

> on top of a gallant steed, radiating a warm light. The sick around you bask in your healing rays and cherish the protection they bring.

> riding a winged creature into fray. From your sheer presence, the people below run in terror, making them an easy target.

> as a conductor, guiding the forces of nature to manipulate the battlefield. Just like a rock, pushing the stream of the elements comes naturally to you.

> summoning a creature. The creature is small, but the agents of change and potential lie within it, evoking growth and strength.

> as an amalgam of blade, spike and all other things deadly in the shape of man. Whoever you search, you track down... and consume.

> blazing down a road, leaving fire and pestilence in your trails. Your target may be fast, but it can't outrun death.

> moving towards a horde of monsters, all different except for one thing: sin. You stand alone, but you always have one ally with you.

> encasing yourself in a shell of either steel - or is it sinew? - that fits you like a suit. Driven by a strong emotion, you clash with waves after waves of enemies.

> carried by hundreds of eyes, shielding you from attempted blows and biting and scratching and stinging everyone close to you. You are the only survivor of the hellscape you create.

> one with your surroundings, with nature. You hold your ground, and anyone foolish enough to approach is lost in the wilderness you harbor.

> formless, but of many forms all the same. Ever changing, you express the power of the shape you assume.

This and the next choice are pretty major so I'll give you more time to catch up and decide.

>>5378083
hmm, tough choice

Rolled 3 (1d3)

>>5378083
A lot of interesting picks, it's hard to choose. I think my favourites might be Paladin Sergey, Battlemage Sergey and "Sergey's gone Berserk™!". So I think I'm just gonna let Fortuna decide for me.

File: it begins.jpg (63 KB, 654x421)

63 KB JPG

>>5378083
>>5378134
> encasing yourself in a shell of either steel - or is it sinew? - that fits you like a suit. Driven by a strong emotion, you clash with waves after waves of enemies.
Fortuna had spoken! Looks that fickle bitch wants Sergey to Struggle™.

>>5378083
Damn, that came out of nowhere. Did Sergei die or something?
>riding a winged creature into fray. From your sheer presence, the people below run in terror, making them an easy target.
For the dragon anarcho-primitivist origin that lost the first vote and never happened.
What could have been

>>5378241
It's because we touched the spooky box.

>>5378277
yeah, seems like the box made us touch it? Othervise touching it in the middle of a fight seems kind of retarded.

>>5378291
Sergey touched it to make sure it didnt break.

>>5378328
Instead of going for a second shot on a slow moving target or a healing potion? In the middle of the fight for his life? Ok

>>5378083
> formless, but of many forms all the same. Ever changing, you express the power of the shape you assume.
Changeling would be pretty baller if we're going to go the stealth route. Dress up as an elf, or anything.

>>5378587
wait
>ever changing you express the power of the shape you assume
WE BECOME THE MIMIC

File: asifapfakfsnd.png (490 KB, 605x592)

490 KB PNG

>>5378083
>> riding a winged creature into fray. From your sheer presence, the people below run in terror, making them an easy target.

>>5378083
> formless, but of many forms all the same. Ever changing, you express the power of the shape you assume.

>>5378606
aw, well, there goes my attempt at multiposting. discard my votes ig

>>5378083
> riding a winged creature into fray. From your sheer presence, the people below run in terror, making them an easy target.
We Bellerophon now

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>>5378137
+Support

>>5378083
Doom marine'd be fun
> encasing yourself in a shell of either steel - or is it sinew? - that fits you like a suit. Driven by a strong emotion, you clash with waves after waves of enemies.

Current tally:

> encasing yourself in a shell of either steel - or is it sinew? - that fits you like a suit. Driven by a strong emotion, you clash with waves after waves of enemies.
3 votes

>riding a winged creature into fray. From your sheer presence, the people below run in terror, making them an easy target.
2 votes

> formless, but of many forms all the same. Ever changing, you express the power of the shape you assume.
1 vote

I'll leave the vote open till tomorrow.

I haven't read Berserk so I had something very different in mind when I planned this path.

>>5378083
> formless

File: berserker.jpg (3.17 MB, 1964x2930)

3.17 MB JPG

>>5378816
That's fine I just think the Berserker armor looks neat and the "driven by a strong emotion" bit reminded me of it.

>>5378816
Hey the winged one has 3 votes

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>5378816
>>5378587
>>5378724
we are specced into stealth, hmm. doom marine'd be fun but I don't know if we can utilize it the best. rollin for it, 1 is doom marine, 2 is shapeshift

>>5378965
changing my vote here >>5378724 to shapeshift

>>5378083
>> formless, but of many forms all the same. Ever changing, you express the power of the shape you assume.

File: 1604803384035.jpg (560 KB, 1920x1080)

560 KB JPG

Ok, tally so far
>>5378241
>>5378599
>>5378631
3 Dragon rider
>>5378137
>>5378647
2 Suit of living armor
>>5378855
>>5378968
>>5379021
3 Indecisive shapeshifting
>>5378587
1 discarded for samefagging

>>5378587
Shapeshifter is probably the most versatile option out of the lot, especially if Sergey can use the abilities of whatever he shifts into. I'm sure shapeshifting has some limitations but imagine transforming into a dragon or a werewolf during combat plus if we can turn into other people then that makes getting revenge on that bitch Selene a lot easier.

>>5379185
it's also kind of a copout option

>>5379185
Yeah but I would rather preffer for her to see it coming. From the sky.

>>5379174
If we are specced into stealth why choose dragon rider?

>specced into stealth
"specced" makes it sound like we've been focusing it over other things for a long time, we just have a bit of a boost to it from our background and we practically just started

>>5378083
Armour of steel and sinew could be more versatile since not only could it make us stronger in open combat but also allow us to preform hectic parkour shit in stealth? Im thinking like warframe that we wear perching on hard to see places and stuff also it makes us more agile I assume?

> encasing yourself in a shell of either steel - or is it sinew? - that fits you like a suit. Driven by a strong emotion, you clash with waves after waves of enemies.

well, now it's a 3 way tie
any more 1 post IP's to come out of the woodwork?

30 more minutes, then I'll roll for the tiebreaker.

Rolled 1 (1d3)

>>5378083
>>5379471

Time's up, so fate shall decide.

1:
> riding a winged creature into fray. From your sheer presence, the people below run in terror, making them an easy target.

2:
> encasing yourself in a shell of either steel - or is it sinew? - that fits you like a suit. Driven by a strong emotion, you clash with waves after waves of enemies.

3:
> formless, but of many forms all the same. Ever changing, you express the power of the shape you assume.

>>5379510
Looks like we're going to be the proud owner of a dragon or a griffon or something

>>5378083
>>5379510

[1/1]

Parts of it are still a blur, but you are definitely perceiving a scene of yourself riding a large creature. You set your sights on the vague form of an enemy, and take off to the air to cross the chaotic battlefield. Your target tries to evade and aim for whatever - or whoever - you must be guarding, but you soon strike them down with a blast of energy. Fire, perhaps? It's a little hard to tell. Your presence is impossible to ignore, be it from your aura or the sweeping attacks you launch onto the opposition. You work in tandem with the monster - it has to be one - you are riding, so you try to focus your attention on it. You see...

> a deep plumage accompanied by a massive wingspan and streaks of energy.
> the enormous body of a snake, with feathered wings that seem to small for its size.
> a proud beast of fur and feather, parts of which seem familiar, but are foreign when put together.
> a brilliant collection of gold, wings and eyes, moving through the fray with grace.
> not a creature, but a humanoid shell of manmade material protecting you.
> an unfamiliar shape, barely natural. Staring at it gives you the same feeling as gazing into the stars.

Again, leaving this one open for two days. Feel free to post images based on the options for inspiration.

>>5379575
> Not a creature, but a humanoid shell of manmade material protecting you.

Mecha time

>>5379575
> not a creature, but a humanoid shell of manmade material protecting you.
ALL SYSTEMS
NOMINAL

File: bt-7274.jpg (46 KB, 474x632)

46 KB JPG

>>5379575
> Feel free to post images based on the options for inspiration.

File: marauder.png (825 KB, 1000x1031)

825 KB PNG

>>5379575
> not a creature, but a humanoid shell of manmade material protecting you.
Mech Warrior Sergey is way cooler than Dragonrider Sergey. Even better if it's a human-made mech.

File: tank with arms.jpg (2.1 MB, 1920x1200)

2.1 MB JPG

>>5379961
I also like this one even if it is a bit generic. I think the little arms are both cute and useful.

File: MEC brawl.jpg (291 KB, 1440x900)

291 KB JPG

>>5379961
>>5379967
Oh yeah one more. I know they're technically cyborgs in XCOM but punching angels in MEC armor sounds like a good time.

File: sergey-samarskiy-dragonknight.jpg (190 KB, 750x1037)

190 KB JPG

>>5379575
>> a deep plumage accompanied by a massive wingspan and streaks of energy.
Dragon
I just wanted a dragon
That might be a phoenix though, but then I don't know which one is a normal dragon

>>5379575
>> a deep plumage accompanied by a massive wingspan and streaks of energy.
Either a dragon or bird
> the enormous body of a snake, with feathered wings that seem to small for its size.
chinese flying noodle
> a proud beast of fur and feather, parts of which seem familiar, but are foreign when put together.
Gryphon
> a brilliant collection of gold, wings and eyes, moving through the fray with grace.
Biblically accurate angel
> not a creature, but a humanoid shell of manmade material protecting you.
mech
> an unfamiliar shape, barely natural. Staring at it gives you the same feeling as gazing into the stars.
eldrich fuckery