Monday night, your last day to live. Last day to live free, that is, y’know, because you have work tomorrow? Haah, your jokes don’t even land in your own head. What a pain, four years of education just to repeat the same old song and dance week after week. But don’t worry, you’ll also get to head back to the Site the week after this, too! Fun. You let out a breath and flick your mouse wheel, a calming, familiar sensation. In front of your eyes, dozens of games you’ve never bothered to open scroll past. Hey! Least you didn’t pay for all of them. A household steam account is the largest sign of technological advancement in society. A modern-day miracle if you say so yourself. And you do. That is, if anything can catch your eye. But lately, you’ve been hard-pressed to find time, or drive, to try out anything new. So you scroll past hours of potential content and fun and close the tab.Or, you would have had your eyes not land on an unfamiliar title, Fantasy Quest 7: Rebirth. A small download, barely even a gigabyte, accompanied by an art style that leaves a lot to be desired and barely any reviews. In other words, a gem. An uncharacteristic smile splays across your lips. Maybe this’ll do. A closer inspection of the store page finds that it actually has no reviews, like there’s a chance you might be the first human in the world to play this. That thought is accompanied by a read through of a rather fitting description: [Do you desire more out of your lot? Wish to venture where man has never ventured before? To explore treasure-filled depths? And carouse with the loveliest of maidens? Then step no further than into the newest installation of Fantasy Quest! An experience magically-made just for you!] Cute. But where the fuck did your friends find this? Wait, how the fuck is it in none of their libraries– That’s it. You click install. You’re curious enough for now, and besides, you eye the group chat, the chances you’re gonna get to do anything else fun tonight are pretty slim…
>>6410974You’re flash-banged by your own ugly mug as the computer screen goes completely black. Thankfully, the damage is limited to only the screen you clicked install on. Your other monitor’s fine. And after a few seconds of panic, some white text lags into existence, proudly displaying its body for all (you) to see: [LOADING]. Yeah, that’s totally fucking weird. You didn’t accidentally download a virus like a retard, right? You’d have to delete it before your pants fall off if that were the case. You open the task manager but fail to find any relevant process that could be causing it, much less anything called [Fantasy Quest 7] After a little bit too much effort for the results, you lean back and force yourself to breathe. You’re sure one of your more tech-savvy housemates could help you, buuuuut~ you’d rather not go fetch them only to have them walk in on a desktop stripper when the program full-installs while you’re not looking. You’ll just wait for the hangman’s axe and see what happens. Maybe you’re sweating for nothing? You mean it could be one of those horror ARG games? That’d be pretty cool..? Nah, sounds lame, you want dragons and shit. Well, that leaves you with the conundrum of figuring out what to do while it loads, because it sure is taking its sweet time despite what the storage space it says requires would suggest. *Ping!* [srry man not gonna make it tnght sm shit came up] The message even comes complete with an emoji of a wilted rose next to it. Helpful. Dammit, you knew this was going to happen. You click the message at the corner of your (working) monitor. A surprise to be sure, but an unwelcome one. Grace here marks the third person to pull out of tonight's D&D session, meaning you’d just be DM for one guy if you went for it. And you won’t lie, you’re tempted. This is the third week in a row some bullshit like this has happened. Then you sigh and respond to the group chat. [it’s chill, we can try again next week]. You get it, you really do, you guys aren’t in college anymore, and everyone’s got their own life and jobs, except for Joey, of course, and meeting up is harder now. You just kinda wish they had the respect to let you know beforehand. It’s scheduled for half an hour from now, after all. Whatever. At least this gives you time to enjoy your new game. If it is a game, that is– you really hope the printer downstairs isn’t about to start spitting black ink– “PUSH THE FUCKING CART, DAMMIT!” A ghastly voice echoes through the halls as your housemate, the Dick, is no doubt losing it at his team in– you pull up steam on your working screen, and let’s see– Overwatch. What a fucking loser. Urgh, but maybe it would be fun to hop and play some tank– “OH. MY. GOOOOOOOD! HA, YOU’RE USELESS! JUST GET ON THE DAMN THING!” But maybe not. You don’t really have it in you tonight to get riled up over pointless shit, so you doubt you could get competitive…
>>6410975Oh, hey, another loading tick. That makes three now, so only, uh, quite a few more to go... Wow! Yippie! #awesomesauce. Amazing! You inaudibly mumble as you slowly wave a fist back and forth above your slouched form. Still, all that doesn’t exactly answer the question of what are you going to do in the interim?>Smoke weed>Look in the mirror and contemplate your life>Aimlessly pace around your room while you wait for something to happen>[Write-in]
>>6410977>Boot up and play some 'Dog Race Unlimited' on our phone while we wait
>>6411006Dude, hell yeah! You whip out your phone, throw it into the air, flip, flip, flip, and catch it. At the same time, you strike a striking pose and imagine some golden text around your face praising how cool that was- or something… And then you imagine the camera zooming out and showing you sitting alone in your room–Oh, look! The dog’s running! *Ding!* You got a coin, nice. *Ding!* *Ding!* *Ding!* Dude, you’re fucking sick at this. This shit is wicked! Y’know, If there was ever a medal given to the #bestmobilegamer, you’d totally get it. And not even for playing any of those shitty gacha games or whatever, but like whatever this shit is! You’re pretty sure it’s AI! I mean, you also got brick breaker, flying gorilla, risk, well before the shitty devs fucked it, tetris, and– okay, maybe a few gachas, but you play those for the story! Honest! Anyway, you know the best shitty mobile games to tweak tf out to while high as fuck on the bus. So, you spend what would be an embarrassing amount of time to a normal person on this shit that some kid probably programmed for a game jam. Man, that dog sure can run. Then you remember that you’re playing a mobile game while sitting right in front of your computer– oh, the install, right. Looks like a little bit of progress was made buuuut you’re gonna need to kill some more time.>Smoke weed>Stretch>Listen to music>[Write-in]
>>6411014>Musicdrown out our dumbass roommate
>>6411014>Listen to MusicTime to vibe.
>>6411018>>6411027https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bDZNzMqf2M&list=RD_bDZNzMqf2M&start_radio=1“YOU’RE,” Big breath, “actually the worst team I’ve ever seen on this game. I’m actually happy you’re going to lose, I don’t even care about my rank after that, go fuck yourselves–” reverberates through the walls and into your room. You don’t know what happened in that game, but your 90% sure it’s complete cope. But you might as well listen to something to drown it out. Sure, it’s a monthly tax, but premium has never left you feeling lacking. You plug in your earbuds and feel yourself relax as the soothing music that could make others' ears bleed fills your own. If you were less tired, you might headbang for the hell of it, but you resign yourself to merely bobbing your head back and forth. Then you slouch further down in your wagie office chair and lazily look over your room since it’s not like you have much of a view.The room itself is pretty normal, you'd say, well, normal is not exactly the right word– Your room is normal for you? Posters and paintings are taped up without much rhythm or reason other than what you thought would look best at the time. A good handful were printed at the convenience store before Max got the printer. That being the case, their contents probably make your room look like the home of a social recluse to the average normie. They wouldn't exactly be wrong, but they're not right either. Hey, you have friends at least, that has to count for something, right? Dammit, who are you trying to prove yourself to, again?Whatever, you’re getting too worked up. You should just relax and listen to the next song. You go through a couple of cool fight scenes in your head as the songs crescendo and diminuendo, the characters, whose lifespans are but a single thought, fight to conclusions based entirely on what song is next on shuffle. What a horrid existence that must be. At the very least, you can do stuff other than fighting with yours– like playing video games–It’s still not done. Jesus, maybe you should’ve just played a round of Fortnite–>Contemplate life>Clean your room>[Write-in]
>>6411033>[Write-in]>Grab a fresh drink so that you don't have to get up and get another one
>>6411033>>6411038Actually y'know what>Look over D&D Sesh notes
>>6411033It is a comfy pad, for sure.>>6411041I agree with anon, let's work on our prep for next week. Maybe get things a bit more open-ended, now that we've got this extra time to work on it.
>>6411041>>6411055Now, that’s just an effort to torture yourself in the present moment. But, fine, have it your way. You click open Roll20 on your spare monitor and launch the game you DM. Though damn, looking at your dashboard kinda makes you nostalgic, you used to play a lot with your friends. You remember one time you fit six, maybe seven sessions into a long weekend. Now, you’re lucky to schedule a game every couple of months… Those assholes better not be avoiding you specifically. If that’s the reason you haven’t been able to play, that’s gonna piss you off so bad. Now, if only you still lived close enough where you could catch them and make them pay! You’re sure you could think of something to really get under their skins. Anyway, you do a bit of a recap of where the party was in your mind, to at least keep yourself up to date. If you think of anything more to add in the next week, you will, but this session has been prepped for weeks now. Right, where were you? The party had just been captured by a small outpost of elite guards from the neighboring kingdom. The guard impressed them into a unit of monster hunters and stationed them at a massive citadel, where they were given a suicide mission to eliminate the lich, who had raised a horde of zombies beyond the border fortress. Naturally, they immediately got arrested again after getting caught cheating the ordinary soldiers of the fort out of all the coins in games of dice. Luck was just not on your side that day, and you mean literally with your dice tolls, but it was a fun session, and everyone laughed a lot, so you thought they had fun too. You hope they did at least.>>6411038You reach out and take a sip of water– vodka, of vodka. Specifically, a concoction mixing said liquor and a few energy/carbonated drinks you had lying around the house. It’s quite good, but not exactly what you’re probably going to need later, or right now, for that matter. It’s the tail end of your day off, you’re already more than drunk enough as is. Crossed, actually. Did you not remember all those penjamin rips you were hitting? Maybe all the za is cutting holes in your brain.Your joints *crack* as you stand and walk towards the door; the kitchen is downstairs, and the tap is clean enough. You’ve never been one to shy away from a few measly stairs before, though you stop for a second when you actually reach the door. Or more accurately, the large mirror that the last guy who lived here left behind. It’s you. You look all right, you suppose. Nothing really to write home about, just another tall and lanky stoner. Sometimes you feel like nothing more than a stereotype of your people. Which is chill, you guess. But sometimes you wish you were a little bit more than you are. Hell, doesn’t everyone when they daydream, so it’s normal, right? You’re not actually wasting away your life and degree here, right? This is just how life goes? Maybe this is all there is to it, you mean, the daily grind isn’t so bad…
>>6411062This is you, you Gen Z chunni loser, you. You’re no one special, but it could be worse. With that in mind, you reach for the doorknob– *Ding!*The screens changed, and a soft jingle plays from your headphones. You walk over, and the title screen for Fantasy Quest 7: Rebirth gives you two options>PROCEED>GIVE UP
>>6411065>PROCEEDIf we have to wait for that to load again I'm gonna actually do it
>>6411066[THEN REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR OWN FUTURE][REMEMBER TO GIVE IT ALL BACK THIEF]What the fuck–?!
>>6411068Trippy
>>6411068As you stand slouched down to look at your computer, suddenly an ear-piercing– *----------* Static ruptured from your headphones with enough force to bounce them around their stand. You’re thankful for your earpods giving you the slightest bit of noise canceling, but it’s not enough to stop your hands from racing to cover your ears and the prayers to flood your mind, please don’t be bleeding, please don’t be bleeding–*----------*The static does not stop; instead, it only intensifies, even after you chuck your headphones across the room, obliterating them against the brick wall. The noise grows louder as the red light on your monitor reaches for your face. A hundred eyes open up where the inconspicuous title screen was only a few short seconds ago. All watching, all knowing, all waiting. But with this blasted noise, you can't even bring yourself to pay attention--*-------------*A-and the noise isn’t even the worst part! Your entire body feels heavy and not in the usual way because of your condition. FUCK! GOD! MAKE IT STOP! You grasp at your stomach as something lurches to escape your throat. You force yourself to stomach it back down, much as you force yourself to stay standing. If the desk were not here, you doubt you would be able to. The only problem is that your desk is too close to that blazing monitor for comfort. Dammit! If only you could get away–*------O~ Great Hero~-------Answer our plight!-----*“FUUUCK! PLEASE!” If only you could find a way to make the noise stop! But your headphones are gone– a-and you don’t have any speakers on your computer, so where– “PLEASE, GOD, HELP ME!” Without options or escape, you fall to the ground as the newfound pressure of the room crushes you*-----Main Formula established-----Executing subformuli---*Tears and spittle fall to the floor as you cough and dry heave. What the hell is happening to you? Did you get sick? There’s no way your shit could have been laced, right? What the hell?? Please, someone, help!*-------Sub-formuli established-----Beginning summoning now-------Saintess, please let this work---------*
>>6411086You are Richard Knollwood, but your friends just call you Dick. Mostly because they're jackass', but great minds think alike, as they say. Anyway, now that your Overwatch game has concluded, a sad and unfortunate defeat setting you back to silver, but you were on fire so you know it wasn’t your fault. Maybe if Otto were there, it wouldn’t have gone differently, but he was busy, you don’t know, probably jacking off or something. Speaking of, you should probably check out that uncharacteristic shouting. You'd have gone earlier, but it was a close match, and there's about a 97% change that Otto's fucking with you. So with a leisurely gait, you walk over, knock once, then twice, and with no answer, you gently open the door.There are a few things you expected to see when you did, maybe Otto pulling a funny face, a bucket of water falling on your head, or even Otto raging at a game himself, even though he's really mellowed out in the last few years you've known him. What you absolutely did not expect to see was an ominous red light emitting from his computer entrap his floor-bound body before exploding into a light so powerful even your glasses can’t block it out, kinda like when Otto flashbangs you in CS:GO. The bastard totally does it on purpose, btw. So naturally, you're about to let him have it for whatever prank this is, only for him to not be there when the light ends.You check over the entire room once, then twice, then thrice, then you get anxious. You look for his phone or some other recording instrument, hell, even a projector to make a light that bright, but you find nothing of the sort. Your mind then slowly makes the connection that he was screaming for help, wasn't he? And at the end, there were all those eyes that seemed to morph into what looked like a magic circle in all those shitty anime you guys watch... Wait a second– That bastard!"How dare he get isekai'd without me!" You scream.As fast as a Sonic speedrunner, you whip out your phone and send a message to the apartment group chat. And then you call 911.Fuck, if only you were smart enough to get a video, dammit!
>>6411089I fear that Richard might have a small melanoma on his neck.
>>6411090He never asked for this
>>6411090He always says it's just a mole, but you can never really know with that guy
>>6411089[Scenario start: The Assault on Estelle’s Locket]You're falling, so, of course, you take the only course of action available to you at the moment: "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH-" you say calmly. If you weren't so utterly calm, you might be able to witness the magnificent colors and textures that surround you on your descent. Silky strands of every color the eye can see, and many more it cannot, interweave around you like the threads of a great tapestry, only to rudely get torn as your limbs flail in their desperate search for purchase. You find none, your body moves too fast, your form is too heavy, and your soul too darkened to join in the dancing display of the ever-changing string. If this land, in which you can do nothing but fall and scream, were a video on YouTube, it would no doubt be titled, "Baby Sensory Video: Endless World of Color" or some other garbage that cannot do justice to the feeling it evokes in you. If that feeling were a YouTube video, it would probably be titled "FNaF Jumpscare Compilation To Help You Sleep: 7 Hour," because you're panicking and falling so fast you're surprised your clothes aren't burning up like a rocket entering the atmosphere. This is probably because of hallucinogens or some other rubbish you couldn't care less about because, again, you're panicking."AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH-" You scream. And then you stop.The air is cold and damp, your body, once in a state of freefall, is stiff, rigid even, as you stand at attention before three hooded figures. Despite the sudden lack of momentum, you feel no vertigo or discomfort. In fact, while the world still feels a bit heavy, you actually feel more energized than you did waiting for your last friend to back out of D&D. So, with a rational mind, you freak out all over again about the fact that you’re standing before three hooded figures who themselves stand in front of a dark red banner. You suddenly fear for your soul, much less your organs.“Where the HELL have you taken me?!” Shouts a tall blonde woman from your side. Actually, there are a few people next to you. Are you not the only one of those people– what? Summoned? Dammit, you’re genre savvy enough to know what’s happening, and that nothing good is. Fuck, roll with the punches, roll with the punches.
>>6411094Other than the three obvious cultists in front of you, standing next to you are a black man and two asian women. The rather portly man looks to be in his sixties and exudes a carefree aura despite the situation. Though his choice of a loose-fitting Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts certainly helps him maintain his light air. He kind of reminds you of your Africa Studies professor from back in uni. The girls cut a rather dynamic duo, as where one is tall, the other is short, and while one is thin, the other– well, it’d be impolite to comment on a girl's weight. The tall and thin one, the one who shouted for reasons the next sentence will make clear, would definitely look cute were it not for her long, bleached blonde hair causing her whole face to break out in acne. She stands threateningly, her baseball bat at the ready. However, her long-skirted sailor outfit and shark teeth suggest she isn’t exactly on any team. The other girl wears the kind of clothes you’d expect from an office worker. She has the demeanor you’d expect more of a frightened deer or baby rabbit than any human over the age of five. She’s openly crying as her eyes frantically scan the– dungeon? You’ve been summoned in. The dark stone brick architecture sure doesn’t inspire confidence, so you get the feeling, even if you have enough self-control not to start bawling immediately. “Hey! Are you fucks listening to me?!” The girl continues, though the hooded figures make no effort to stop her. Almost as if they’re completely unconcerned by whatever threat she might pose. >Stand back and watch this play out>Try to calm the girl down>Try to threaten the cultists as well>[Write-in]
>>6411095>[Write-in]>Try to look for a way out while delinquent bitch has the cultists' attention
Alright, I'm going to head to sleep now, but before I do so, I want to write some ground rules and things to expect from the story so that everyone is on the same page:1: This will be a completely narrative story, but while there may be no number crunching, your choices will massively affect how the story goes and thus how the world itself develops2: I heavily encourage write-in and creative thinking, and even if they're not listed, they will be allowed unless otherwise stated3: Kinda adding on to that, the "Rule of Cool" trumps all, and if a write-in or plan is sufficiently cool enough, it has a much higher chance of getting you out of a sticky situation.4: Characters may die quickly and without remorse; this may seem unfair, and that would be because it is. They'll usually be warning signs, but it would be beneficial to play as if a character may die with every new post. Themes and such, y'know?5: I came up with this quest mostly because I want to learn to draw and use some scrapped worldbuilding ideas from across the years in a story, so hopefully, as this progresses, the images will be less painful to look at.If you ever need clarification on something or have a critique/comment to share, please don't be quiet!
>>6411095It looks like we've been summoned as a party, presumably for some religious institution. But we are a stoner, a gamer, and likely a redditor. We won't want to stick around for this if we can escape.>>6411099Smart thinking. I'll support this.
>>6411099>>6411101Right, good thinking, brain. There’s no reason why you should waste the valuable time the delinquent is giving you. Thank you, random woman, you sure hope they don’t get fireball’d or something. Or stabbed for that matter, because a more-than-slight glance around the room reveals that in the shadows, of which there are many, black armored men stand at attention with pikes at the ready. None have been drawn down, yet, but the closest guard seems increasingly twitchy with each step the delinquent takes towards the cultists. It’s honestly rather freaky how, in her tunnel vision, she doesn’t even notice how close danger is, only a pole’s length away. Jesus, just how many of these guys are scattered around? You sigh as you realize there’s at least two by what looks to be the only exit, a large and heavily looking wooden door. Probably a lot of others on the other side too– Maybe that’s the reason behind choosing such a dark-looking stone as building material? “Hey, I’m asking questions here! Didn’t you ask~ for me to be here?! Stop thinking you can ignore me!”That’s not all, though. Something feels– weird, for lack of a better word about the stone itself. It just doesn’t feel natural. How the fuck is that possible? You’re not even touching it, but it's just– And then that’s when your eye catches it, a shaky, almost translucent image etched into the stone by the soldier's head. Only, your rational mind fully understands the etching is not there in reality– what? That kinda hurts your head to think about, how can something be physically real but also not real? Hurts to look at it for too long, too– but you do anyway. You cannot read the etching either; it looks to be written in Old Norse or something, but you feel an intuitive understanding of how it works. [Heat]That’s right, it is rather chilly in here. Far colder than what your light, hot-topic jacket is able to defend against, but your legs actually feel, well, warm. You look down, and the stone there has the same carvings; [Heat] written in that strange static over (inside?) the stone. Magic, it has to be honest-to-God magic. A thousand thoughts run through your head at that realization. Did you not have that one before? You pinch yourself to make sure. It hurts. Oh God, you’re so screwed.Your eyes glance around the room, more frantic this time as your breath quickens. Not hyperventilating, yet. But you’re getting pretty close. All you see is danger and a single exit guarded by armored maniacs. Dammit, dammit, what are you going to–“I swear to God if you don’t–” The woman continues only to be cut off by the middle cultist, the one with the fashionable golden chain, raising a wrinkled hand that barely eeks past their baggy robes.
>>6411203“No further.”“H-huh, what did you just say to me?!” Now that you think about it, the woman actually presents an intimidating figure as she towers over the rather short cultists. They don’t seem the least bit disturbed. “You have been summoned at great cost. It would be unfortunate if we’re forced to waste Pact resources because of your arrogance. Show patience, and all will be explained. We understand such a concept is a virtue in your world.” The calm dismissal seems only to make the girl's anger worse, as her face turns the same color as her pimples; you’re sure that, if it were a biological capability, steam would bellow from her ears. In a fluid motion, she makes to swing her bat and–>You wait and see>You try to pull her back>You try to do– something– with the runes [What?]>[Write-in]
>>6411204>[Write-in]>Grab the bat and whisper in her ear:>"Cool your jets. We'll get them once we know what we're dealing with.">Try not to cry at catching a bat with our bare hand ow
>>6411226Writing!
>>6411261Damn, something bad is going to happen if you don't stop this, isn't it? So naturally, like the hero so oh so totally are, you gather up all the courage you can possibly muster, and do the hardest task of all; approaching a woman. "Hey, cool your jets, yeah?" You call out as your reach out to grab her shoulder though unexpectedly as you do so she pivots, and your hand pulls back on her shoulder instead of just touching it, "We can get these guys later--" Is the last thing you manage to say before you realize your mistake. For your gentle hold becomes an unbalancing grasp that both moves her weight unexpectedly and startles her. You only have time to let a small, "oh," leave your lips before her swing goes wide, right over the cultists who continue to watch with disinterest, and straight towards you. You don't think you've seen a girl look that mad since Hannah--*BLAM!*The baseball bat, once positioned at the height of cultists' heads, instead hits you square in the gut. You crumple to the ground like a sack of skulls, complete with a rather worrying sound of creaks and pops. "OHMYGOD!" You hear the girl exclaim from above you as she drops the bat to the ground. Though all you can think of is the-- oh god-- is the pain. Owowowowowowowowowow! God, that fucking hurt! Is she built like a fucking brick shithouse or something?! Jesus, how much force did she put into that swing?! Ugh, Dammit, You think as after a few moments of rolling around on the ground. Maybe you should have stopped her earlier...It takes quite a lot of panting before your mind registers the fact that people are speaking above you, "Khuhuhu, you alright son?" The jolly voice of the man of your group says, "Boy, you must be pretty popular with the ladies back home~ Not even my own wife hits me that hard! Khuhuhu!" You raise a shaky thumbs up and try your best to smile so as not to face the group humiliation of all eyes in the room any longer than you have to, which-- "Urp--" Then you feel the Domino's 2 for $6.99 deal make its great escape from your belly to up through your throat. For the sake of saving face, you will not elaborate on the next few minutes; in fact, you're going to memory hole all of it. Forget first impressions, you've never seen anyone in this room before this moment! Maybe they'll show you the same courtesy!...At least the ground down here is warm.
>>6411288After minutes of the old man gently rubbing your back, a gauntlet, one holds a handkerchief in front of your face, as your heaving seems to stop. "T-thanks," You mumble as you clean yourself up. It's only then you think to look up and immediately wish you hadn't. A man standing in plate armor looms above you, and with speed to rival a cartoon gag, you're on your feet. "Keep it," Comes a surprisingly feminine voice from under the helmet before the helm turns to the assembled cultists. >Acquired 1 vomit-stained rag!"It would seem your work here is done, Archmages. You may depart the fortress at your leisure.""Hmph, and miss the chance to be a part of any more of this nonsense?" The Green-chained one asks, rhetorically, you think. "I hope this is the last we see of each other, Banneret," The red chain speaks only for the plate-armed woman(?) to hold up her hand. "My rank is that of Knight Commander.""Of what company?" Gold, replies. And with a shoulder check, the archmage seriously should have considered beforehand, he leaves the room, followed by his fellow mages. "Apologies, heroes," The knight addresses you and the others, "Wizards and the like can be a prickly group at the best of times, and I was predisposed with the defenses during the summoning. You have my utmost apologies for any fiasco you must have endured," She completes with a bow, "...If only those bastards could wait just a little--" She pauses and stops, though not for breath, "Regardless, please allow me to introduce myself, I am Knight Commander Seventeen. It is an honor to meet more from the world of the Great Hero." "Khuhuhu, the pleasures all mine," The old man says, drawing attention to himself and thankfully away from you, "My name is Dr. Albert Kwamboka, though you all can just call me your good Ol' Uncle Albert! Khuhuhu~" "U-um, Xiuying Li!" The pudgy girl shouts out to no one in particular before the shame of doing so causes her to tear up again and look as if she wants the world to swallow her whole."Saki Nishimura," the delinquent spits, trying to look anywhere in the room that isn't (you). Shame and regret connect the many dots scattered across her face. She doesn't even hold her bat anymore, only drags it on the ground as leans on it like a cane. Still, that doesn't stop the throbbing pain in your gut whenever you eye that bat."And what would be your name, Good Necromancer," The way she says that last word its almost like a curse-- Wait--"Necromancer?" You question.The commander stands still for an akward second, "Does your clothing not signify your status?""No, I, uh, I just bought these.""The equipment with the skulls and bones? They do not mean anything?""I thought it looked cool...""I see- Apologies then, Sir Hero but still may I have your name?"
>>6411291>Yeah, it's Otto Griggs. You say your real name, your honest soul slipping out before you can think about.>Ookay, this whole summoning thing has been weird from the get-go and there's a non-0% chance this is all some Fae shit, you're giving a fake name [Write-in]>"Wait, is your name actually 'seventeen' or is that like some military spec ops lingo type shit?"
>>6411294>Yeah, it's Otto Griggs. You say your real name, your honest soul slipping out before you can think about.In for a penny, in for a pound.
>>6411294>Otto... THE MAGNIFICENT
>>6411308>>6411350"Oh, yeah, it's Otto Griggs," You say only to instantly cringe at the framing of Seventeen's question, "Otto Griggs. Otto Griggs. Otto Griggs," You begin to repeat like a man possessed. Thankfully, no matter how much time passes (like half a minute) you don't forget it nor do you forget yourself, "Ah, maybe I should've said something like Otto the magnificent to throw them off my trail," You mutter."...What are you doing?" The commander questions. "Making sure you're not a fae trying to steal my identity.""..." "Otto Griggs. Otto Griggs. Otto Griggs--""..." "Otto Griggs. Otto Griggs. Otto Griggs--""..." It's at this point where the knight's continued silence and the general awkward scene you create transitions from normal social retardation into what you call The Funny Zone. So you continue to repeat yourself."Otto Griggs. Otto Gri-- Pfft-- Hahahaha--" Honest, try to stop yourself from laughing. You really do. Especially in front of the very scary black and red armored, totally-not-a-part-of-an-evil-empire, lady but you've never been good at suppressing your laughter. Just like how lying and deceit comes as second nature to you, but only when it doesn't count. If someone asks you something serious you'd have to try extremely hard to not tell the answer before your mind can keep up. Though if your friends are anything to consider your more normal, casual behavior, leaves them second guessing your words even when you're legit 100% totally #honest on god fr fr. "Anyway, as you were saying?" The pain your chest still really, like really, hurts, especially after laughing, but after that same laughter you find it hard to keep your mood down. Mostly, because the humor distracts you from everything [i]else[/i] that's happened in like the couple of minutes ever since you got eaten by your computer. Honestly, you thought your relationship was closer than that. Though you never really got those "cannibalism as a metaphor for love" folks so maybe you're just misinformed."..." Seventeen stands, still processing, "..." And continues, "...Right." Finally she(?) says. "I was informed about the eccentricities of the Great Hero before but I never imagined I would have to face it in person. Is everyone in your world like this?" She questions to the others. Saki shakes her head and spits on the ground, Xiuying characteristically mumbles something, and that leaves Uncle Albert, "Khuhu, it depends~" He says with that same jovial tone. "I shall keep it in mind, then."
>>6411425"Actually, I have a question of my own if you don't mind me asking that is," Albert asks before continuing when the commander goes to speak, "See, your Swahili is rather good, same for all of you, in fact. I was just wondering where you learned it is all." A rather strange remark considering you don't speak a lick of that language other than-- Ah, that would explain why everyone is speaking in a Boston accent. The commander nods, "As you may have already inferred from your summoning but we interweaved the summoning ritual with many expensive submagics, translation being one of them seeing as the Great Hero required some time to learn our languages but as of now time is not a luxury we can afford. These procedures should have been nothing invasive, in fact, it is my hope that you may find some minor ailments about your bodies to be nonissues for the foreseeable future.""Oh, I though every just understood Mandarin," Xiuying mumbles."And how long will that future be foreseeable?" Saki asks, "I'm jackshit at English much less some fantasy bullshit." "Should we live to see tomorrow I assure you that these worries will become nonissues.""Hells that supposed to mean?" You question, your light mood immediately evaporates. Dammit, you're too high for real stakes right now, much less decision making.The commander makes a gesture that's similar to a sigh but you hear no exhale through her helmet, "Heroes, I fear that I must plead for your assistance. For you have been summoned to Fort Estelle, the fortress under my command, to defend us from an encroaching Demon Horde. The 27th Army Group north of the mountains managed to cut off a portion of a larger Horde and force them though the path leading directly to this fortress. In only a few hours time we must once again fight for our very existence. And without the strength of otherworldly Heroes, like as shown by the Great Hero, our meager guard will surely all perish." As she says that you notice the mood in the room noticeably drop. In part because of you and the other "Heroes" You mentally snort at the word, yeah right. But you get the feeling more so from the guards stationed around the room. Despite the fact you can't see their faces their stress is practically palpable in the air. If you don't do something they really are going to die, aren't they? Or at least they think they will. Then you notice the twitchy guard from earlier as he softly shudders. He trying to mask his crying, and something in your lurches to comfort him but--That isn't how you'd normally act. In fact, you're never this good at reading a room. So why are you now-?
>>6411428"Heroes, please I beseech you. Help protect us from the Demonic Host. For I, nor my men, do not wish to die nor wish to have our families receive pieces of our banner," Something about how the commander says that irks you as well. She's lying. But about what? And why? Actually, better question how the hell do [i]you[/i] know that? It's not like you can read her facial expression. "B-but I've never fought anyone in my life!" Xiuying sobs, completely terrified, "P-please send me back and get someone else! I-i'm no good! Even daddy agrees! I'm no good at all!" Immediately, Albert is by her side as she falls down to the floor and cries, though his questioning gaze is locked on the commander. The mood in the room somehow darkens."Fuck it, whatever. I could you a good scrap right now," Saki says while showing off a few stretches that audibly click her joints. You notice that she's still trying her hardest not to look at you."And you necro-- Otto. I know your arrival was not perfect but we want-- We need you," Her helmet locks onto you and you start to sweat. She's lying surely, you mean she ticks off every major red flag a character does but also she's not-- You mean not fully lying. Why can you tell?! Fuck, you know something about the desperation is real, but what? No wait, that can come later. For now she just needs your answer.Still, you barely have any information to go off of! It's starting to drive you insane! "I've never been in a fight before either. Not a real one at least," You comment, causing Saki to huff, "Sure if you give me a gun I could do some damage, you have those right?" Seventeen nods, "But so couldn't any one. What exactly makes me so special?"The commander pauses for a sufficiently awkward length of time, did she not have a response ready before summoning you? "Were I not expecting the Demons any second now then I would love nothing more to give an answer that would satisfy you. But as of present moment all I can do is ask that you trust in the resources we expended to bring you here. The Blackiron Pact does not act without reason, if we did not believe in you specifically you would not be here," You purse your lips, she's lying again. The all-consuming pressure around you is your informant. But that doesn't mean anything when the fact of the matter is all she needs is your answer.Then you catch Albert's surprisingly sharp gaze, and for some reason you know he's waiting to give his answer based on yours. But what makes you so important, just that Xiuying already said no, in the best way she can, and Saki said yes?>Agree to help>Tell them to get bent>[Write-in]
>>6411429>Agree to helpWhether or not we stop the demon horde here, we'll have to deal with it down the road. Best to confront them while we're in a fortified position with the pact behind us.
>>6411425>"Making sure you're not a fae trying to steal my identity.">"...">"Otto Griggs."Okay, QM, you're officially funny in my book. If you flake on this quest I'll hunt you down. Keep up the good work.>Agree to helpBirds of a feather stick together
>>6411442Thanks, anon, knowing that my bits land means a lot to me. >>6411437>>6411442Writing the last update for the day.
>>6411566“Yeah, of course I’ll help,” You doubt you actually have much of an option. “I am glad we are all in agreement.” Seventeen’s words linger in the stale air as she watches the old man try to comfort the chubby girl, “but I fear we will require at least three of you to cover all the fortress’s flanks. This request is nonnegotiable.” Is she not even trying to hide the fact that you're prisoners here? The Hell is her problem?! Go to Hell! “See, darling? Everyone else is trying their best to help, so we gotta do our best too! " Khuhuhu~” The old man says to the girl, who is far too old to be talked to like that. She, of course, sobs more. You kinda feel bad, but at the same time, you have other priorities– A stabbing pain in your gut staggers you. The Hell? It feels as if a thousand nails are raking across your skin as you consider just telling the professor to help out and leaving the girl here during the fight. It feels almost like your body is mad with you-? That’s– You sigh as it passes. You can’t say it’s a familiar feeling. It must be something to do with this room; it feels wrong. You shiver and consider not saying anything. No, you must help the girl. Yeah, that would be the good thing to do, right? Nice and #morale? To help her join the good fight, so we can save, um, whoever these people are, and the day? You guess? Is what Dr. Kwamboka’s doing even the right thing to do here? Sure, he’s comforting her, but at the same time, he’s telling her to join a fight we know nothing about. You doubt she’s going to be able to do anything but bleed at the enemy anyway. Wait a minute, a body in the way between you and the enemy is still a body in the way, right? Holy shit, that old man’s some kind of sly devil, isn’t he? The nails, the nails are yelling at you. Screaming that you’re getting distracted, that you need to help her. Fuck, alright, damn–>–it just calm the fuck down! Chill! You’re sure someone else has got it. What point is there in involving yourself in every little thing? You've got different priorities right now. Like idk, surviving?>Fine, you’ll go help the damn girl. She’ll probably just feel pressured enough to comply if you argue that the demons are going to get in here anyway. Besides, it’s probably, like, statistically better for all of us if we all do our part.>[Write-in]
>>6411579>>Fine, you’ll go help the damn girl. She’ll probably just feel pressured enough to comply if you argue that the demons are going to get in here anyway. Besides, it’s probably, like, statistically better for all of us if we all do our part.Might as well try, right?
>>6411579>Fine, you’ll go help the damn girl. She’ll probably just feel pressured enough to comply if you argue that the demons are going to get in here anyway. Besides, it’s probably, like, statistically better for all of us if we all do our part.Look, I know this is a fucked up situation but however it is, the demons will be worse if they breach the walls. I believe in (You) Xiuying.
>>6411582>>6411630Writing, you moralists!
>>6411766Fine, (you) win. You’ll feel bad if you don’t at least try to do something, and the girl ends up hurt because of that. Well, wouldn’t you feel worse if you talk her into fighting and she ends up dying in the fight or something? Can the situation even afford you feeling bad for something like that? You guess that if you trust Seventeen’s words about “demons,” then you can’t, so not much you can do there. Becoming a biblical demon’s plaything probably isn’t very fun. For most people, that is. And hey, it’s not like you’re going to be much good in a fight either, but at least you have the pride to walk to the executioner's block with your head held in a comfortable slouch. Ain’t no guarantee that Seventeen is telling the truth either, actually, it’s a fact you know she isn’t. How do you know that? For all you know, you could have been summoned by some fantasy terrorist organization that sees all races that aren’t human as demons, while in lore, they’re not. But on the battlefield, philosophizing and hesitating will get you killed, so you stop. Wait, you can just choose to stop? Since when? You should be spending at least a few more minutes agonizing about this– something about your body feels wrong–“Hey, I know this shit is like turbo-fucked, right? But think about your other options here,” You say as you kneel down to where Xiuying is sobbing. Albert graciously makes room for you, but you get the feeling he’s a bit shocked you’re trying. It doesn’t change that much, though. She doesn’t stop crying, after all, “We just got dealt a pretty bad hand, but we gotta make the most of it, right? Y’know, fight the good fight and all?” “I want to go home…” “Yeah, me too,” not a lie, “but I don’t think we’re going to have a chance unless we chip in.” You look back to the commander, she doesn’t say anything to differ, “And if we lose? Personally, I’d rather not have my skin flayed, my flesh salted, and my nerves plucked, but the term Demon doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, does it?” You glance around the room to see your peers' reactions; they both look aghast. Shit. “U-uh, I mean it’s not like you’ll have to be up there swinging a sword at the bad guys, I’m sure there’s like backline stuff for you to do– uh– yeah.” This isn’t working. A girl who looks to be a couple years your senior continues to sob about her “mommy and daddy,” or whatever. Maybe this would have gone better if you just left the old guy to deal with this, not like you’re some amazing diplomat or charismatic genius? How the hell did you expect to convince a girl you don’t know to join a war you know less about? Fuck– fuck– FUCK– You can feel your blood boiling as you glare at the crying girl in front of you, you’re already here, so you have to think of something–And then, like a wave of cold water washing away your anger, it hits you. You know exactly what it is that will inspire her to push past the limits of mentality– So you:
>>6411776>Work your magic>Try and format your words better [Write-in]>Just give up
>>6411779>FORMAT WORDS:>"Your mom and dad are waiting for you, Xiuying, but the only way you're gonna see them or home again is if we work together. This is the real deal. If we want to see our families again, we have to fight for it."Something like that?
>>6411776Poor Otto, dude hasn't had enough life experience to handle this.>>6411789I'll agree with this, it's a bit overt but should do the deed.
>>6411838All of the summoned are unfortunate one way or another, only time will tell if Otto makes it long enough to get that needed experience. >>6411789>>6411838Writing, let's see if your words are enough to calm the girl down without resorting to-- Well, you'll see.
>>6411875Your name is Li Xiuying, and you are currently going through the second, maybe third, worst day of your life. No, really! Y-you were just waking up and getting ready for another day of the same tedium in your room when you opened that new gacha game you had on your phone– and– and now you're here! One second you were in the safety of your warm, soft, and comfortable room, when suddenly a great light enveloped you, and it was cold, and dark, and scary, then there were all these strange people who looked to mean and– W-w-w-waaaaaaah! Y-you just can't stop it! Even since your second brother moved out for college, um, maybe a few months ago, it's just been you and mama and papa, but they hardly notice you anymore, and– w-when was the last time you had to talk to someone new that wasn't over the internet? You just can't remember at all. It just makes you remember when at school they all– they all– The tears don't stop. Not when the old man tries to console you like papa used to, nor when the strange-looking man approaches and– and– just kept talking! And the words make you want to cry even more! You don't want to fight anyone! You're not good at it, you're fat and weak and ugly! The last time you tired was when Wang and his friend k-kept– WAAAAAAH! And then you had to drop out of school b-because they all kept drawing on your desk, and stealing your things, they even– they even– your cat– Mimi she– they– Oh, why did they have to-! She was so innocent and- and nice and soft and didn't hurt anyone! Not even Papa could help you then! WAAAAAAAAAH!You freeze as the strange man puts a rigid hand on your shoulder and tries his best to smile. You think it's supposed to be one, even if the only thing you can think looking at it is that he wants to kill you too– "H-hey, your mom and dad are still waiting for you, why don't you try and think of them? Wait, you do want to see them, right!?" He adds as a panicked afterthought. He sighs with relief when you meekly nod, the motion shaking more tears out of your eyes, "Well, I got people I want to return to, too, but in order to see them, we're going to have to work together, alright?" He looks back to the terrifying armored woman for guidance, but she doesn't move. He turns back, "You have to understand– I mean, we [b]all[/b] have to understand this isn't something we can back out of. It's the real deal, so if we want to go back to how things were, I don't know, fucking twenty seconds ago? Then we have to fight for that."
>>6411895As you listen to the man, you feel your tear ducts begin to run dry as you sniffle. You can't tell if it's because of his words or the fact that you have no more left to cry. Then the man, Otto, you remember, offers the somewhat soiled rag he used earlier and points to your nose. Your embarrassment makes you want to cry more, but the tears don't come, and you merely blush and hide your face, "O-okay," You mumble, "B-but I don't think I'll be of much help. I can't do anything right..."The man makes another face, a cocky smile, but without weight behind his baseless pride. It looks more natural on his face, "Then don't you worry, you're in good company cuz I can't either!" He says with a laugh he's clearly forcing. But for some reason, one you don't understand at all, a small smile comes to your lips. You feel comforted, even if for a frightening moment you swear you saw his eyes flash a brilliant golden glare before returning to their normal murky green.
>>6411897Fuck, yes! Awesome! Good job, Otto, you did it! #epicsauce!!!Despite everything awful that's happened to you since you decided to open that game, you still find yourself bouncing on the heels of your feet after passing all the QTEs needed to talk to Xiuying! She even follows you as the Commander leads the party out of the stuffy summoning room. Turns out it wasn't a dungeon either, can this day get any better?! It's just that the entire interior and exterior of the fort is constructed from the same dark stone that makes the air feel weird! Turns out the room used to bring you all here was actually selected by the Archmages themselves, because it's the least ruined room in the fortress! That sure doesn't inspire confidence at all! Yippie! Wait–"Heroes, I bid thee welcome to Estelle's Locket, our outpost in the mountains," Seventeen says as she leads the four of you past a set of heavy iron doors to the outside courtyard, the guards of the summoning room having dispersed to their stations around the fortress beforehand. The inaptly named Locket is about as much of a sight for sore eyes and a misty breeze of lemon juice. When the commander said this is a "mountain fortress," she certainly wasn't lying. It's just that the thought eats at your mind: isn't it rather impractical to build a fortress right next to the mountain peak? There's no way this location is important enough to need defending. Is there anything that even lives this high up? Not to mention effective transportation infrastructure? It must be hellish trying to get supplies up here. It makes sense that you can barely see any soldiers. Though something you will note is the varying body shapes the black armor of the soldiers conforms to. There are a few rather obvious examples, like the two centaurs running around the courtyard carrying various equipment to and fro, the dwarves, whose helmets have beard holes, check over a batch of muskets, and the harpies who perch on the four watch towers at the corner of the fortress and periodically soar upwards to check the surroundings with spyglasses. Through a cracked open doorway, you even spy a large snake-woman desperately clinging to a pile of rubble for the warmth of the [Heat] it produces. If only she could tell that most of the runes etched into those stones have long since expired...
>>6411903"If you require more warmth or armor, the quartermaster's chambers are that way," Seventeen says, pointing toward a door carved into the side of a mountain, "Though if you are unfamiliar with using Blackiron or Blacksteel, it may be more prudent to try it out after the dust has settled tomorrow." She then stops to address all of you, "Now, if there are no questions, I will instruct you on your tasks, then depart to where I am needed most." No one says anything. "Good, that lets my explanation be brief. My scouts have reported that the Demon Host is at most a few hours out. They are being supplemented by Warforms from the corrupted factory the Pact lost during the last Demonic Incursion, so while they are mostly an aimless, leaderless horde, for a lieutenant is far from enough for effective command, do not believe for a second they will not try to overwhelm us with their superior firepower. When the horde arrives, the Locket will be assaulted, not sieged, and you will know when that is either when you hear the fighting or one of the bells on our four watch towers call for battle. We have three flanks that must be covered: the North Wall, the South Wall, and the Sewer System. The walls will no doubt face the brunt of the assault, the north especially, while the sewers are trapped and difficult to navigate. It is still a structural weakness and the warforms will make sure whoever is organizing the horde will capitalize on that fact. Now, if there are no volunteers I will assign placements."Her logic makes sense, the Locket is built more like two solid walls rather than a full square fortress, with the west and east sides nothing more than mountains the fortress carves into. You're surprised to see that apparently there's a sewer system up here, but you suppose it makes sense, though wouldn't any waste up here simply freeze? After all, you're freezing just standing here– just listen to your teeth! *chatter* *chatter* *chatter*>You volunteer for the North Wall>You volunteer for the South Wall>You volunteer for the Sewers-- Wait, WHY?!?>You stand there, waiting to see if others volunteer first and you'll go wherever you're needed.>Ask the Commander a question [Write-in]
>>6411904>Ask the Commander a question [Write-in]Did the summoning process give us any advantage over an average dude? We've been sensing the runes for [Heat] but how will that help against hordes of demons? Can we conjure fire? What about our compatriots? Do they even know what abilities we have, if any?
>>6411917Writing!
>>6412424“I got a question, actually,” You say, and can practically feel Seventeen’s annoyance as she turns toward you. She wishes to be elsewhere now that she’s finished everything required about you all. Story of your life isn’t it? Aha, anyway–“I’m just what exactly those ‘subformuli’ you put on me were, I mean, sorry, but I’ve got no reference for what’s normal here. Am I, like, stronger than the average dude? Normally, after getting whammed in the stomach like by Saki over there,” said girl looks stunned when you mention her for some reason, then her face goes red as her acne as she stumbles back, you must have pissed her off somehow. “I keep seeing these– I don’t know how to describe it– like [Heat] runes on the stones everywhere, I mean, they kinda hurt to look at too long, but still– can I like conjure fire and shit with that? Are they like a defense or something? Can I conjure fire normally? Is that like a thing that happens here– like y’know how in Skyrim even farmers can shoot fire? So, like, everyone can just do that? I mean, what about you guys–?” You turn to the other summoned, “Have you guys been seeing all this shit? Did you notice any other shit they stuffed into us like the US government did 5G chips?” “Otto, I think you’re getting a bit worked up, kid, khuhu,” Albert says with a nervous chuckle, which is weird because you’re asking all this honestly, maybe with a bit of humor, but that’s to help everyone else, right? “Calm down for a second and say it all slowly now–”“What do you mean you can see ‘the runes?’” The commander cuts off, her tone drastically more intense.“I mean like, exactly that, like I can tell that the rune or whatever isn’t actually etched into the stone but I can still see it, y’know?:“Is that the same for the rest of you?” With how quickly her head turns and she barks the question, you get the feeling you just accidentally said something important. The other three shake their heads, and suddenly you feel like you’re a crazy person. Seventeen stills for a few seconds, it feels like you can almost hear a whirring coming from her, then she announces, “Damn, the mages have already gone.” She curses. “Fine, then follow me,” She orders, then adds, “all of you,” as an afterthought.“But what about–” Xiuying begins before being harshly cut off. “This is more significant,” She says before roughly grabbing your arm and marching off further into the fortress. “Perhaps, this might even work,” You can hear her just barely mutter as your arm is painfully crushed.
>>6412532“This is outrageous, Knight Commander! I have yet to even consecrate the souls of everyone in the Banner, and you call upon me for more work?!” Cries out the toad-like man, once called from his duties. Priestly, duties, if you had to hazard a guess.In a deep recess of the fortress, about as far into the mountain as it's carved, you were brought to a room comprised almost entirely of rubble. A hundred wax candles and even more sticks of incense make it hard for your compatriots to even breathe; you do just fine, of course, but those aren’t what stand out the most. Next to about half the candles, which are scattered throughout the darkstone rubble, is a memento. A doll here, a stuffed bear there, a drawing of a woman on a reptilian scale over there, though most commonly, knives and other sidearms lie scattered about. You can only guess they’re left here by every member of the unit stationed here, around fifty people or so, and that the priest, who was just praying for an old brass medallion before Seventeen barged in, was tending to them in some way. “You will have time to finish your task when the fighting begins.” The commander orders.“Hah, because praying is what I want to be doing while Demons knock down my door,” Toad snarks. “Will you be doing anything else?” The man clicks his tongue, “Fine, but you know as well as I that the mages took all useful magical instruments with them.”“All I ask is that you try. This may be our best chance towards living until tomorrow.”“A foolish thought,” The man mutters as he approaches you, as Seventeen instructed, “Boy, the only possible test of ‘your magical abilities,’ I can perform as the Knight Commander instructs, is a simple test of conductivity. I will perform it physically with chalk, so it will likely sting as I channel magic through you, extend your hand.”You kinda have no idea what he’s talking about, but at least his request is simple: so you do so, “Like this?”“It is sufficient.” He then proceeds to make some jagged-edged scribbles on both the back and palm of your hand. “Is this similar to what you saw in the stones?”“Yeah, they had a dot in them, though. [Heat] sigils, right?”
>>6412541“I suppose--" he mutters as he redoes some chalk, "and you do not know why it is strange you can ‘see’ this?” You shake your head, “Then some history for you, this fortress was constructed millennia ago, during a completely different age and by people who understood magic far differently than we do. Due to the fortress’s altitude, they imbued the Blackiron used to build it with magic to continuously generate small amounts of heat to make it habitable. Over time, it’s believed much of the stored mana has been spent, simply eroded with age. It is also why you might notice one stone is warmer than another.” He pauses to look you in the eye when he finishes his scribing, “There should be no ‘seeing’ of this form of magic; they did not write it into language like we do. The fact that you can see anything, Summoned Hero, is, well, rather unsettling, knowing what your kind is capable of.”“That’s a good thing, right? It can give me– us and an edge?” The priest barks a laugh without humor, “ We shall see. Now, I have written a [Receive] spell on the back side of your hand, and an [Expel] on your palm. These are extremely basic spells meant to merely help conduct mana from one side of your hand to another.” That he mentions it, there is a rather strange feeling coming from the back of your hand. Like a small but dense object has been placed on it, or is falling into it. It kinda stings, “I will simply move a small trace of my own mana through the back of your hand and to your palm, where I will then receive it with my other hand. I will do this by clasping your hand. I will begin on 3. 1… 2… 3– AH-- Fuck!” He cries out in pain as he falls to the floor in front of you. Which is weird considering all he did was touch your hand– oh wait–“Shit, dude, are you alright?” You reach out to help pick him up–“Away! Stay away!” He shouts as he frantically backs up, one hand outstretched to shield his face. You freeze, huh?“Huh?”“Wipe the chalk from your hand! Now! Do it now!”“Wait– wha– why do I need to, I mean what happened–?”“No time to explain! Just do it!” Why does he have to yell so loudly? Fucking asshole, fine, you wipe the chalk from your hand, and it feels like nothing really happened. It takes a good while to compose himself and stand up. “That was– Knight Commander, just what have you brought before me?”“That is for you to tell me.”“Dude, I’m literally standing right here,” And so are three other people who are looking at you with a mix of concern and wariness. It takes a great effort for the man to look up towards your eyes, and as he does so, it is with a shuddering breath, “You, child, are like a great all-consuming maw–” “That's fuck you just call me?! Wait-- I mean that's good, right? Like for fighting?” You cut off.
>>6412542“Haah… Perhaps. Certainly, if we tattooed [Receive] all along your body, you and threw you at the Demon, you may consume their entire lifeforce, along with the fortress and mountain itself too. For, or at least I believe, that for every second you stand, your body is constantly absorbing the mana around it. A great pit where all magic falls into. The [Expel] did not emit anything either, totally ignored by your hand. Which means, at least I assume, some part of your body is pulling it all towards itself and condensing it. I do not have anywhere close to the equipment to find where that is or why.” So, like, that is good, right?“Test the others.” Seventeen commands.“Knight Commander, that almost–”“At. Once.”Sluggishly, the man does so, and totally unlike before, nothing happens each time. “They’re average,” is all he concludes once he finishes pondering it, “Totally unremarkable in all aspects. The magic conductivity of water, like most humans. Have any of you experienced anything strange, like seeing ‘runes’ in the air?” No one answers affirmatively.“Then–” You begin to say, only to–“Otto Griggs, you are to be stationed at the North Wall. Effective immediately. I will escort you.” H-huh?! “Woahwoahwoahwoahwoah–” You say, raising your hands in the air as the intimidatingly built woman approaches you. “You have already agreed to assist. The time to break a Pact is hardly now,” She says as she rapidly approaches. You grip your sore wrist, remembering painful memories.“W-wait--! I-i’m not breaking anything– In fact– I’m– >G-going to follow you right now– in fact, r-right?”>I’m sure I’d be better used elsewhere, uh– like away from the front lines! Like maybe from the sewers I can eat the mana or whatever from the Demons above me– y-yeah put me in the sewers I’ll go there!”>Fucking out of here!” Grab the chalk and try to draw that [Receive] rune you saw and bounce!>[Write-in]
>>6412543>G-going to follow you right now– in fact, r-right?”Look, Otto, this is a bummer but this is badass. Let's absorb some demon mana and see if there's an upper limit to our magi-stomach. After this we need to grill Seventeen on lore. We don't know what kind of institution this Pact really is and they've kidnapped us, but I don't trust any demons either.
>>6412543>G-going to follow you right now– in fact, r-right?”We got dis
>>6412549Is also badass. I'm pretty sure we won't be casting spells any time soon, but if we're absorbing and condensing mana, maybe that's building towards something? I doubt Seventeen plans on keeping this a secret from the Pact's wizards.
>>6412552>>6412549Writing!
>>6412779“Good,” The armored woman helpfully clarifies before marching you further out of the room without even a goodbye to the priest. He watches you go with a skeptical eye and a soft mutter you’re too far to hear. Probably something along the lines of, “That poor fool,” if you had to hazard a guess. The others follow, but Seventeen’s attention only really seems to be on you, most likely because of the fact you’ve managed to show yourself as “special” somehow, at least in the context of this world. Being from another world? Nah, that shit just happens, but being able to absorb a lot of mana!? Now that’s something craaazy! God, it sucks becoming important at work, and you’re not even being pa~id for this! Dammit, isn’t the guy who has the best magic or whatever in episode 1 of a shitty isekai supposed to be treated like a king by everyone while the protagonist is kicked out of the party or something? Why are you stuck with the short end of the stick? You don’t want to go where the “brunt” of the enemy forces is going to be! Okay, okay, settle down. Let's look on the bright side here, maybe you can show off? Somehow? You’re going to use your super ability to be a badass by doing–- um, things? Oh, God, you’re fucked– Then before you know it, you're looking down from the north wall’s ramparts, along with almost a dozen men stationed on guard here. Jesus, how the fuck are you and these guys supposed to take on a “Demonic Horde?!?” They’re fighting with guns on sticks, as in actual muskets rest. You would be surprised if any of these guys could hit the broad side of the nearest mountain with these things. You’re going to die here. You’re actually going to die in this cold, dark, and dreary place. A-and they all know it, too, that one over there is doing a real bad job at hiding his sobs. Holy shit, you’re actually going to die– You practically jump out of your skin when you feel a hard object prod at your back, “Hey, stop making that face. You look like a wuss,” Saki Nishimura states with an awkward pout.“I-i’m sorry?” You say.“Arg, dammit– I mean,” She scratches her oily hair as she scrunches and contorts her face, thinking for the right words, “I’m gonna be right there.” She points to the other wall, “Hey, Big Seven! I volunteer for south wall duty!” She shouts before looking back towards you, though not at you, “So, like, don’t worry so much, or whatever. I’ve been a scrap or two, so try and I dunno, rely on me if you fuck up here. I-if you do, that is… Y’know, as an apology, I guess.”“Um,” You don’t know what to say. No, like really, your mind has trouble processing her words. Thankfully, before the silence can come anywhere near funny, Albert speaks up. “So you’re leaving your old uncle to go down in the sewers then?”
>>6412804But his humor is cut off by Seventeen’s cold logic. “It’s most logical,” she says, “The least amount of Demon should attempt to travel through there, and it is trapped and well armed with a dwarven sentry down there. Xiuying will accompany you.” The mentioned girl doesn’t speak, meekly nodding instead. Though what the hell is a dwarven sentry? “I will escort you there, now,” Seventeen continues, “Otto, when I return, I shall instruct you on how best to use your abilities as I will ponder such until then. Remain in eyesight on this spot.” The hell– Why do you keep being treated like some fuckass kid? You have a degree! “Shouldn’t the archmages help me with that? They, um, sound like they’d be the best at magic. No offense.”The Knight Commander looks at you. It doesn’t feel pleasant. “By now, they have already gathered the fortress’s most valuable materials and have teleported them and themselves out to safety. It is a costly ritual, and the Blackiron Pact must preserve its most precious resources at all costs, the lives of experienced mages among them.”“T-then, why didn’t all the people–” Xiuying says, but cannot finish. She doesn’t need to; everybody knows she’s asking why they didn’t teleport everyone out of the fortress.The commander makes the sigh–like motion again, “Teleportation is an extremely costly ritual requiring a ludicrous amount of magical resources to perform. The lives of this myself and Banner are weighed as less valuable than the resources that could be lost saving them.” She says evenly and without restraint, like she was talking about the price of gas going up before continuing, “It is also our duty to prevent any and all Demons from entering Pact territory. If there is a chance we could destroy this horde here, then we must take it.” You get the feeling that isn’t all, which is strange because you can’t read her body language or expressions barely at all. You’re pretty sure she could say anything at face value and most people would simply take her word, such is her power.“I see…” You say before Seventeen about faces and depart with Albert and Xiuying. Leaving you cold, alone, and with Saki, who doesn’t look to be starting a conversation anytime soon, with how she pointedly looks away from you and instead past the walls.>Try and talk to Saki [Write-in]>Try small talk with the local soldiers>Try to find a weapon>[Write-in]
>>6412806>Try to find a weaponC'mon plasma rifle
>>6412806>Try to find a weaponNot only is it the safest thing to do, it's likely to improve Seventeen's disposition of us. I suspect the other isekai victims have their own abilities they just haven't uncovered yet. Hell, maybe *we* do and this whole magic consumption thing is just preexisting talent we never got a chance to see in our old lives.
>>6412814>>6412824Writing!
>>6412941You’re quite skilled at standing around not doing anything, a skill developed through rigorous years of being the youngest at many family gatherings. It’s fine, though, you usually like being in the back and out of sight and out of mind of everyone around you. In your school days you were always a part of the great race for the back corner seat of the lesson, often competing with the slack-offs, and the other weirdos to claim its wonderfully out-of-the-way space. It was a vicious and uncivilized time. So when no one bats an eye toward your strange attire or awkward demeanor on the north wall you’re unconcerned. They got better concerns, after all. What you are, though, is chilly from the breeze that rises over the wall. You don’t actually need to be here like this instant, right? Maybe you should go look for a weapon or something for when the demons come, maybe Seventeen will be impressed when she’s back and you’re armed? “I’m– uh, going to go to the quartermaster,” You say to Saki.“H-hurgh? Yes! I-i mean, yeah, sure, whatever. I trust my bat more than anyone so I’ll head to my post, I guess. Don’t think anyone’s really gonna care where I go anyway…”So with the pleasantries out of the way you depart down the wall and back to the courtyard, you wave goodbye to the delinquent as she goes further to the other wall, and you head into the quartermaster’s room. It is– surprisingly warm here, you can see working [Heat] runes on almost every brick in the large quarters, along with mostly empty weapon racks and armor stands. There’s a sword or two left, maybe a mace or gauntlet if you look hard enough but it seems most of the equipment, or really anything of quality if you look more closely, has been taken out. Either in use or teleported away. “Who goes there?” A scraggly voice calls from behind some boxes. You’re rather surprised when an archetypal goblin walks from behind them. While he would win no fashion contests he appears to be well-groomed for being at a military outpost in bumfuck nowhere, his french moustache certainly adds to the point, “Erm, who are you?” He growls“I, uh, got summoned here. The Knight Commander said I could come here if I need gear and I’m gonna be at the north wall for the assault. Do you, uh, have any weapons a beginner could handle?”“Do you have the proper forms?” The goblin inquires. “I wasn’t told I’d need forms,” you say with a forced smile. As you do so the man lets out the most suffering sigh you think is rivaled only by those you’ve heard from retail workers. “Ugh, just because the world’s collapsing everybody starts thinking they can just bypass the bureaucratic process. That they’re the ones with the right! You do know the Blackiron Pact was formed for a reason, yes?” You don’t. “That this bureaucracy is what keeps us stable? Defended? Armed?”“Uh, no not really? Like I was literally just summoned here–”
>>6412945“Of course you don’t! All you soldering types are the same! And don’t even get me started on the Knight Commander! Ever since we were assigned here she just assumed the proper process’ were a pleasantry– a pleasantry! Not even a formality, oh– the horror! The horror–!”*DONG* *DONG*As the goblin continues to pull out his nonexistent hair you hear two ominous bells echo through the fortress. Your first thought is that the enemy must be coming by sea, heh, but then you realize that must mean the enemy is actually here. Shit. You hear the frantic clanking of metal as soldiers rush to their stations. Oh, oh no.>Grab the first weapon you see and book it back to the wall>Try and find somewhere to hide>You’ve got to get out of here!>[Write-in]
Sadly, I probably won't be able to draw much for the rest of the weekend since I'm away from my desktop. I have a few saved up, but expect the frequency to stall for a bit. Gomenasai, desu.
>>6412946>Grab the first weapon you see and book it back to the wallThey can kill us after we die on the wall
>>6412946>Grab the first weapon you see and book it back to the wallThe fort can grill us when we're done.
>>6412952>>6412996Writing!
>>6413097“Yeah, um, I’m taking this– sorry!” You say to the room that the goblin happens to be occupying before grabbing the first thing you can, the hilt of a short-sword, and dashing back up to your post. You’ve played Mordhau before, so you should know the basics of swordplay. Stab the sharp part into your opponent and avoid the sharp parts yourself. Yeah, you got this! Which is exactly why you happen to be running straight towards danger, because you got this! This is an isekai story, and you have a special ability. This is your time to be cool, to show off and– omg, you can’t believe you’re actually doing this!Something deep inside you stirs as your frantic eyes fully take in everything around you. Maybe the edibles have finally hit. You’re not in your room anymore. You’re here, climbing up the stairwell of a mountain fortress, even if you were delusional and thought this couldn’t be real, the mountains are a long fucking way from Boston. And that means your fight is real; this is all going to be real. The demons are coming, you’re going to fight them. Your next actions could determine whether you [blue]Live[/blue]/[red]Die[/red] You reach the top of the stairs, your heart rate racing, and look over the wall–~ZWOOM~And immediately duck down as a small flash of green shoots over your head. A bullet? You peek your eyes above the battlement, let out a small, “eek,” and look back down. Shambling towards your positions up the mountain pass is a quite literal horde of rotting soldiers, some gargantuan and malformed, others disturbingly human, though each with a sickly green-yellow set of [Infect] [Bind] [Control] chords draped across their body like barbed wire. Many smaller runes lie interwoven with those, like a spider's web between the wires, but those three repeat over and over. Dug into the bodies so far, they’d be lethal if taken out. It’s disgusting; it makes you want to puke.“VOLLEY–” A man cries, and a crack of thunder resounds through the air as the muskets discharge all at once. “LOAD–” He continues, and the musketeers' secondaries tend to the guns. “VOLL~ZWOOM~ The gunfire of the encroaching demon’s own arms crack into the wall, spraying you with gore as the soldier closest’s chest explodes, his musket left disarmed, but you can see the [Load] and [Fire] runes just fine. You look down at your sword and then up to see the harpies fight with small flying creatures that bear as much a resemblance to jaws as they do bats. These ones are completely [Artificial]. But there are only four harpies, and one is wounded and flying down to the south wall; they’re not going to hold forever. Dammit, you can feel these horrid, wretched, disgusting, [i]ugly[/i], creatures encroaching from all sides. You have to do something– your body compels you to do something!
>>6413145>Grab hold of the dismanned musket and fire into the encroaching horde>Prepare for a swat the flying creatures as they descend on the fortress>Get the hell out of here!>[Write-in]
>>6413146>Prepare to swat the flying creatures as they descend on the fortressI assume we have zero experience with blackpowder firearms and would make little difference next to the properly drilled soldiery. We do, however, have a pointy sword and can help keep the flying abominations off of them so they can keep laying down fire. Hopefully Seventeen will be here soon to help coordinate the fighting.
>>6413146>Prepare for a swat the flying creatures as they descend on the fortressI swear to god I'm not just always trying to choose the same vote as everyone else it's just that I agree with >>6413302 that grug smashing the flying things will probably be more within our ability than just plinking at a horde
>>6413302>>6413318Writing!>>6413318I get the feeling, though, if it's any consolation, quite a few of my prompts have been traps, and you guys have been quite deft at avoiding them. It's one of the reasons I almost always allow write-ins.
>>6413538You steel yourself, as best you know how, at least. Sure, you might understand what the runes [i]say[/i] being reading the label and being certified in operations are entirely different things. And as you look up and see one of the harpies being torn wing from wing by a horde of the little devil you’re certain that you can be of more use here. It won’t be long now until the swarm descends upon walls and– Dear God, those teeth look sharp. The last harpy descends to the ground with a shredded wing and seeks refuge in the tower. The flap of wings as the fist-sized horrors descend on your position, is terrifying. So scary that it takes the pathetic deaths of a sizable percentage of them from the oncoming demonic gunfire to bring you out of your shock. One [Artificial] [Construct] flies in front of you, “Ahahah– Pfft–” It laughs and blows its massive tongue in your face. Your sword rattles as you swing towards it. It deftly dodges with a few flaps of its wings. You swing, again, and again– and each time it mocks you. Until you're positioned in such a way you can see Saki on the south wall swat scores of the beasts with her bat. Dammit, why can she take out so many but you can only– PFFT– spit covers your face, and you yell.With your free hand you reach out and grab the imp’s face, which is really its entire body, and squeeze. For a few seconds it mocks you as its sharp teeth dig into your hand, confident you’ll drop it. But despite the pain, you don’t… And then it starts to panic. More so than you’d even expect and you’re trying to kill the damn thing but it does, it flaps its wings and tries to jerk away from you, screams and whines, sure you’re not actually able to crush such a thing with your hand. You’re far from strong enough to crush bone, but with each passing second it seems to wither away, until it’s too heavy and weak to pull itself upwards with its wings. You throw the exhausted thing to the floor, raise your foot, and crush it beneath your boot. The gore it leaves behind is as gross as it is satisfying. “VOLL–AAHHHH–” The lead man screams as a swarm of imps surround him, the crunch of metal and tear of flesh is a horrible sound to hear. But despite your dislike the same sounds come from multiple of the gunmen as imps surround them, tearing into their form and leaving them stunned just long enough for demonic snipers to pick them off. The forces on the wall are rapidly deteriorating. And then a dozen imps surround you. You swipe and slice, and a few go down, but there’s just so. Fucking. Many. Where the Hell is Seventeen?!>Try to mimic Saki’s form and cut through the imps in swathes––! Fuck! One of the imps bites your shoulder, hard. You feel– you feel– pissed off!>Unleash [i]something[/i] towards the imps>Try to remember [Receive] and cut it along your body>[Write-in]
>>6413538Intriguing, I did have the feeling we were balancing on a tightrope.>>6413555Hmm... we clearly can't mimic Saki's martial prowess and trying to remember a complex rune while cutting ourself is questionable. There's also the fact that if we did, if that priest was right it would risk the entire fortress and we'd have bigger fish to fry. I think we should->Unleash [i]something[/i] towards the impsThis one is instinctual and makes sense. We're either a bottomless void of mana, which is likely, or we're somehow condensing it for another purpose. This could very well be it. Maybe we're just an extremely dangerous laser with a long and expensive charging time. We seriously need to interview some mages after this, if we survive.
>>6413555>Unleash [i]something[/i] towards the impsI-I'M FREAKIN OUUUUUUUUTTTTT
>>6413587>>6413594Writing!
>>6413659Fuck– OW-! Dammit, stop! This is– This is horrifying-! Another taloned creature lands on your shoulder and bites into you, then another. And another. The sound of tearing flesh, the pain of each cut, the rendering, the slicing, the smell– the laughter, They’re all mocking you, every piece of it is mocking you! It’s horrid, absolutely horrid. And– a-and y-you’re freaking you, going insane, losing it! You’re going to die– You’re going to die– Then the pressure lifts.“[Expel] [Fire]” you intone, and for a brief second the world dazzled in brilliant light of flames so radiant that justice itself decides to follow in their wake. The imps, whose cruel ways are known far and wide, are judged without mercy, and their sizzling bodies fall by your feet.“[Receive]”
>>6413745The pressure returns and the world fades in. You’re yourself again. What the fuck was that?! It felt like you could barely control your own body, and yet you had absolute faith in your movements. What. The. Fuck?! *SCREECH* The sound of teeth grinding on metal calls you back to the present. You’re still here, surrounded by a dozen imps that you somehow killed, but the others still need you. You let out a guttural roar filled with anguish, desperation, and mania, and charge forward.A flash– an ashen fall. A swing– a screaming slice. One by one the imps at the North Wall fall to your feet. The swarm, once an intimidating certainty, is reduced to scattered flaps of whining dredges. Almost all of the guards are able to continue in their grim repetitions as– *BOOM* A massive impact on the gate knocks you off your feet, you peep over the wall only to quickly drop to the floor, again, as– *BOOM* The wall next to the gate explodes from the fire of the second bombard. Though you note that the stone is surprisingly unaffected. *DONG* *DONG* *DONG* Three bells echo from the watch towers and the North Wall’s wounded harpy flies out grim faced carrying what looks to be… black powder, that’s a lot of power she has strapped to herself and in the ignited bag she desperately clutches in her talons– Her wings limp as she dives towards the enemy cannons, though her torn wings and crushed limps do not carry her far and the gunfire of the armored demons tear into her more, she makes it to her mark– One of the two gilded artillery meets its end from her radiant fire. The demons screech in torment and hatred as the lead gunsman makes grand claims about sacrifice and loyalty to whatever it is the Blackiron Pact is. An armored hand clutches at your shoulder, “Good, you’re here,” Seventeen whispers. “I–I-um,” “Amongst the fires of aspiration the hero fought against despair itself. Locked in this duel he achieved power unrivaled by any mortal. Otto, I hereby order you to leap over this wall and take out the remaining bombard while I take control of my men. Prove to me that you can do what he did.” “W-whoa– Slow down–! What–”“You will survive the fall,” She tilts her head and laughs out a distorted chuckle, “have faith in the heroes. In the Saintess. Besides, the snow will cushion your fall.” “But I–”Her claw clenches deeper into your shoulder causing blood to gush out of your already torn flesh. You look over the edge, it’s about a ten foot drop into a snowbank. You took towards the encroaching horde. You look back towards Seventeen. Seventeen looks at you.>You leep over the wall>You try to escape Seventeen's grip>You try and kick Seventeen off>[Write-in]
>>6413747>Grip Seventeen's gauntlet"Knight Commander Seventeen, ma'am, listen to me! You're talking about faith and all that, but you've gotta understand, my world was faithless! The only fires I knew I lit in my pipe, the only duels I fought played out in a picture box! You ask for proof from me and I have no evidence- I've earned none! I am not a warrior of the Pact! I'm weak, soft, and untrained. I don't know what I just did, or where I am, or what to do next. It took me fifteen minutes to wipe out a dozen imps and I don't know how I did. That is a HORDE. If I jump down there, I will die and it will be a waste of what the Pact sacrificed to get me here. The Saintess' blessing would disappear into a pile of gore. I don't know you and I don't know this world, but I want to help, and I can't do that if I don't know how."
>>6413747>>6413758+1 to this I ain't jumping off a wall
>>6413758>>6413918Well, Otto isn't jumping, that's for sure. Writing last update for the night.
>>6413949Damn, my attempt to reason with the militant fanatic has either unlocked the tortured prisoner route or the accidental homicide route. Poor Otto, poor Otto indeed.
>>6413949“W-wait, K-knight-commander, ma’am, please listen to me! I got no idea what you’re talking about, hell I’m agnostic so all this faith shit mostly just flies over my head– and– and the only fire I know are like from a lighter– and wouldn’t this be a waste of resources?” “That’s very nice, Otto,” Seventeen comments as if she were speaking to a child, or dog. “Now, know that if you’ve gotten my hopes up for nothing, not even the Saintess herself can save you when we meet in the afterlife,” Then her grip on your changes and before you can even react you’re weightless. No– you’re not just weightless, you’re tumbling to the ground head first-! Oh, shit–“Oooow,” You moan as you wipe snow off your now-soaked clothes and stumble to your feet. Everything seems dizzy and disorientating as you lean on the wall to try and set yourself right. Shit, you think your sword sliced open your arm. Fuck. You brace yourself against the wall and– oh, you’re not on the wall.Only a few dozen feet away from you are the shambling forms of monsters, huge reptilian beasts open their jaws in hunger upon seeing you supple flesh. You stare for a moment at the huge globs of saliva that fall from their rotten mouths and gulp. Then you notice the horde of zombie-like beings that swell the monster's ranks to a ludicrous degree. Thankfully, plenty of them are a sluggish as in the movies, and the harpies suicide-arson has set a decent chunk of the force in a blaze that they cannot hope to put out on their own but– Then there’s the ones in armor, a chaotic weave of metal and flesh layed out in such a way to mimic a human. Though completely [Artificial] beings at their core. Then that’s not even to mention the cannon, something you’d expect to see in an Ottoman army, with how gargantuan it is, but it’s not. In fact, it’s pointed at you as the demonic slaves reload it. A drop of the boulder crushes two of the peasant-looking demons. “Species of the Pact! Remember what lies behind you–” Seventeen calls from the safety of the wall. With each word the time between volleys gets less and less and the demons begin to get picked off. Normally, that’d sound like something reassuring but it’s of no reassurance to you– not here, not now. A bullet strikes the wall next to you and you realize that it’d be suicide to stand here forever. You’re not sure what you’re going to do but it has to be something!>Raise your sword and charge into the horde>Desperately bang on the gates and beg to be let back inside>Fuck– Fuck! You have to get out of here! You have to run away!>[Write-in]
>>6413964Trust me, there was a real possibility that Otto might have left the summoning room in chains. He might be even worse off now, though; he's starting to show that he could be *important* in a way that pushes basically almost all of Seventeen's buttons.
>>6413966Lmao, should've seen it coming. Uhhh... let's analyze the situation here. Otto is a nervous wreck with no combat skills, he's injured, and has his back to a fortress while a demonic horde is shambling forth. That's a bad situation. If we charge into the horde, unless we pull some heavy-duty magic out of our ass, we are dead and we just burned our reserves on a mid-tier fire spell. If we bang on the gates, we'll be ignored and condemned as a coward, then eaten. If we run, we abandon the castle, destroy our reputation with the Blackiron Pact, and are likely eaten anyway. Being practical has gotten us nowhere. The time has come to be irrational.>Frantically cut the rune for [Receive] onto our body/paint it with our bloodBy the time they reach us we should have a few runes and, if that imp we absorbed is anything to go by, be able to put a decent dent in the immediate frontliners. If we can do that, then we can turn our focus towards a big, BIG release at the general direction of the cannon. It is a stupid, suicidal, and reckless plan, but so was Seventeen's throwing her only present magic support off of a fortress wall. Seriously! We need to have a talk with that woman about boundaries!
>>6413970I see. We are in DEEP! SHIT! If Seventeen thinks we could be some kind of messianic hail mary to singlehandedly win the war, we are fucked. Either we disappoint her by dying here, or we vindicate her by somehow surviving. In which case, she'll inform her fellow Knight Commanders and if they are anything like her, as I suspect they are, they'll also want to use us as much as possible. The silver lining is that we'll probably get some top-notch mage instruction and stay with our fellow heroes.
>>6413966>Fuck– Fuck! You have to get out of here! You have to run away!
>>6413966Wait actually fuck it>>6413976+1 this. I get the feeling we aren't getting out of this situation in a nice way...
I'm quite busy this morning so today's updates are going to be pushed back a few hours. You're in the homestretch of the scenario and I'm excited to get writting, but for now voting will remain open as a formality.
>>6414004>>6413976Writing!
>>6414370“Fuck, Hell–” You can feel yourself about to cry as your back presses further into the wall, and you do the only thing you can. Maybe it’ll– fuck– all work– ow– out? You try to replicate the rune [Receive] as best you can, but your cuts are not straight. The lines are messy and unstable, and it’s so painful to have to go back and write them again. Blood gushes from your left hand as you turn it into a charcuterie board of flesh and gore. Just looking at it makes you– urp– vomit again, then the pain makes you scream. Then the demons are upon you.One ambitious one, who looks to have once been an ordinary farmer if it wasn’t for the nautiloid protrusions all over his body, swings at you. In panic, bring your arm up, which, just you so thankfully, is carrying a sword. Putrid blood sprays onto your face from the room. Then you use your gored hand to grab the fucker and watch as it howls in pain. It takes but a few moments but your prey is drained of all its life force– a-and it worked! It fucking worked! Ahahahahahaha! It fucking WORKED!You raise your hand out in front of you as the cannon aims and fires at the wall– for a second, green flame roars into existence– and is immediately silenced by your spell. Your body fills with relief as something deep inside you churns. It’s been waiting for this moment, this perfectly staged moment where it could BREAK FRE– *Thump* A javelin cuts your arm off at the elbow and nails the spare bits to the wall, as you let out a triumphant-then-terrified, “aaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAA–”As you’re busy screaming bloody murder, the horde of demons separates to let a clear boss character through, “Is this the best you can offer, fortress?! You hear of Demon Lieutenant Ger’tharzals arrival, and this is what you prepare in defense? ” A horned and blue-skinned man declares as he steps out of the horde of malformed abominations. It’s kinda crazy how each one gives him at least a foot of distance, like this was a choreographed entrance. It should also be noted that his chainmail has a hole, exposing his six-pack. “And I was told that the Blackiron Pact was strong! How disappointing~."You try to stand– you try to scream! But you’re still so disoriented by your earlier fall, you can’t even find the right way to stand. You flail and flap in such a messy, pathetic, and painful way. You can’t even resist, and the man– no, demon- stomps on your back and kicks you. His laughter is so mocking and hate-filled, and everyone– man and demon– can watch your humiliation. It makes you feel worse than the dirt you’re being driven into.“VOLLEY–”The man swats the bullet away from his face and into your pine. You jerk up and cough up blood. You try to breathe– but find it impossible– you can’t breathe at all. It– Your chest– Dark–
>>6414427“Know this, guardians of this pass! Once I enter your gates, you will wish for a quick death such as this–” He stomps on your back, you can’t even feel it, “I will use your maggot-filled corpses as the stepping stones of my vengeance! And once I am through, I will raise the countryside and make the Blacksteel Legion feel the pain of the Demon Lord!” Your body vibrates up and down as the demon drills you further and further into the dirt. You can barely feel it; you must be tripping out crazy style. He looks so weird tho, now that you look at it. A mix of [Artificial], [Organic], [Arcana], but then more obscure ones that flow throughout too, like [Blood], [Flesh], [Bone], and [Sinew]. Now that you think about it, really, everything is a mix of these strange runes. Like they’re some kind of building block or Lego. If only you knew how to put them all together, then maybe you could–You retch, and blood gushes from your mouth. You can’t think– you can’t feel– This is really the end, isn’t it? Some other fag’s stealing the spotlight as you’re turned into fertilizer. You always did kinda know it would end like this. All that time daydreaming and waiting– just for something to happen. Well, it did, and it killed you. Maybe you should have spent that time doing something productive, like studying an otherworldly magic system. Damn, life really #gotyougood! Didn’t it?Time seems to slow down with each stomp. Maybe the adrenaline is hitting you? It’s not like you can fight back anymore, and not that you’d be any good if you were. You kinda hope the others will be okay, watching that harpy commit suicide was kinda crazy. Still, it might be best– you have no idea what awaits the others when a guy like this breaks in. Something squick that’s for sure. Then your body is beaten into the cold and icy ground once more– “I swear upon every Dead God's soul that the Demon Lord will be avenged tenfold!”Everything fades to darkness once your face slams into the ground for the final time. However, as the last vestiges of light darken under your eyelids, a small force within you compels your lips to utter a final word for Otto Griggs.“[Ascend]”
>>6414428You are Demon Lieutenant Ger’tharzals saloup’ rthiel of Many Battles. And you really needed this. Another army must have hit this area pretty bad; it seems all the local resistance has already been killed off if this is what they’re resorting to at the start of a battle, hah! It’s quite a good change of luck, too! Your title of Demon Lieutenant allows you the control of 10,000 Demonic Slaves. Still, all the blasted run-ins with “Gweat Hwoero Wren Minatonito” or whatever his name was have reduced your number to mere thousands. Then that staged battle where Demon General Fllubial forced you to cover her retreat, knocking you down to a mere hundred. A few heavy hitters, but most garbage trash.Maybe a few in the fortress will make suitable hosts for corruption, after a bit of customary torture, of course. Man, you just cannot wait to get the fun started– Urghuhbwa–?” A powerful grip smushes your face into a rather inelegant shape, and you stutter in shock.“You swear on God, bruh?” I-it’s the face of the fool pushed over the wall! B-but– why so many eyes? S-such judgment in their gaze, a-and the shield– How is he even grabbing you? You cut his arm clean off! Your beady eyes look over the wall and see it still here, but his body has both of his– he– he must have regenerated all of that! Then- t-then, O-ooh fuck. You feel weak and brittle. It– it hurts– “I call cap, fr fr–” And then his hand closes. And it hurts–The last thing you hear is a sickeningly wet pop as two majestic wings soar over your body.
>>6414429Like a black hole, you soaked in the world around you, and you– No, that thing down there kept it hidden and sealed. But now, it’s decided to let it out. Your wounds heal, and fatigue lifts as two giant wings rip their way out of your back– tearing to shreds your quite fashionable jacket. You feel the shock of the soldiers behind you as you shoot up into the air. A lethargic swipe of your sword over the North Wall and [Fire] ignites the rest of the imps. The men and women cheer. Through the corner of your eye, you see Seventeen take off her helmet, letting her white hair flow in the breeze as she watches you in synthetic shock. Then your gaze shifts to the sinners before you. The infected enemies of humanity itself, crafted by an insane God. To protect everyone inside the locket, you must dispatch them– “F-fuck!” A girl yelps, and you see Saki struggling as more and more imps crowd the south wall, allowing for demons more humanoid to climb up. You cannot lollygag any longer; you must act now.>Cast [Unbind] on the demons and let them tear into each other as you aid the other posts.>Dive in with your sword to obliterate the main horde and ensure the demons cannot break in.>Use your newfound powers to strike at the fortress that sought to make you a slave! >[Write-in]
>>6414434>Cast [Unbind] on the demons and let them tear into each other as you aid the other posts.An army is nothing without cohesion. If we can cause some infighting, their strength will be turned against themselves. It's also likely to save Saki's life and we'll surely need every hero we can get.
>>6414498Writing!
>>6414657They’re almost pitiable from up here. Their rotten eyes look upon your form like an ant would an artillery barrage. Without their leader, they turn into exactly what he was, a generic mob. It will only take a little bit of compelling to turn their anger and malice inward, “[Unbind]” you command, and reality shifts as one of the locks on their demonic chain shatters. As you fly to the South Wall, which takes but a second, you only regret that you will not be able to witness the carnage first-hand. Saki watches wide-eyed as with a single swipe of your [Divine] [Sword], almost the entirety of the imps burn and crumble. The soldiers immediately take to unlatching the ladders from the wall, without the pests getting in their way. Not a single demonic soldier makes it up with your intervention against them. Cheers echo through the entirety of the pass, only rivaled by the sounds of tearing flesh and agonizing dread of the now emancipated demonic “horde.” You do not rest; your many eyes analyze the land from your heavenly perch in the sky. There, you see it. A collection of– Haah, it’s hard to describe, but you can tell the location of the demons in the sewers. They must be locked in combat with how their numbers thin. It matters not, though, not a dent is made against the largest one. You fly towards it and cut through the very mountain itself to kill the [Beast]. Its mechanical-maggot body cannot even feel surprised when you sever its front beak, which opens as a segmented maw of a thousand bladed teeth, from the rest of its bloated cadaver. Its steel spider-like limp seizure, as the humanoid torso atop the beak curses in an ancient tongue, of which nothing of value is said, before it all falls limp.The sewers, now open to the atmosphere above from the [Explosion] in your wake, smell. Smells very bad actually, almost bad enough to completely distract you from the [Gatling Gun] Xiuying desperately fires into the tunnel's darkness. Almost. Your [Wings], No, your [Impenetrable Barrier], deflects the bullets as if they were fired from a Nerf gun. It takes a minute for the wounded Dr. Kwamboka to pry her off as she fires with eyes firmly shut. You can see why, two [Corpses] of soldiers lie next to them, imps having reduced them to nothing but piles of gore. A single survivor of the soldiers directs the two others to salute as you ascend out of the reeking cavern of filth.
>>6414691As you fly over the fortress, the air of despair lifts as ecstatic zeal overtakes the soldiers of the Blackiron Pact. You can hear the words, “Saintess, Saintess, Saintess!” Repeated over and over again as you begin to fall, your energy spent. In just a few minutes, a foregone conclusion has turned into a miracle, even if not all lived to see it. You let yourself smile as your wings turn into scattered feathers, your hair shortens and dirties back to its original shade. Where did that power come from? You ponder as your eyes close and you descend. Did you always have it? Or was it just borrowed? Regardless, it makes you feel so, so tired all the same. Strong arms catch you, but whose?
>>6414692Relief overtakes your metallic frame as Otto takes off into the sky. You didn’t just kill a civilian for no reason, splendid! It takes but a single word, which you understand not, to turn the assembled freaks and monsters on each other before he shoots off to help the others who need saving. It’s an action that reminds you of him the “great” hero, who did not hesitate to betray your kind. Always so selfless, so protective, that is until it’s until battles need not be fought anymore and decisions must be made. You spit on the Great Betrayer, Ren Minato’s name. No matter though, you smile, the summoning worked. The feats of the hero can be replicated and you were the one to do it. The Signatories of the Blackiron Pact will be most pleased. And when it comes time for Otto to make hard decisions you will ensure that his leash is tight. Saintess’ tits, he may even thank you for it given his anxious and cowardly demeanor.Then the ascended angel, Otto Griggs, cuts through the mountain itself and you feel your circuits whir in anticipation. You did it– you actually did it! A Hero all to yourself! Woohoo! When the dragon-scouts make it to the locket you will have a most excellent report to give them. And then– and then– You, you’re going to take it all back. Everything that was stolen from you– from your people. You will bring it all back. The angel looks over the fortress for a final time as your men cheer in victory. Then he falls– and you run too–
>>6414693Dammit, these fuckers are everywhere! Do they ever let up?! “Pfft!” One blows its tongue in your face, and your bat smashes it into the rampart. Then another bites your arm– you tear it off and smush it against the nearby wall. You’re caked in blood, worse than when those yankees, not the American kind, from the next station stop decided to make your neighborhood their turf. Yeah, that wasn’t gonna happen. And neither are these. Fucking. Things! Going to stop you. With each swing of your bat, you kill at least one, but there must be dozens fluttering about the wall! Fuck, you even told that nonbelligerent weirdo you could help if he had trouble– but if shit’s gettin’ this bad then–A wave of power almost knocks you and the rest of the guard to the ground. But– not in a bad wall? It feels as if a huge force of soothing energy just swept over the battlefield– an energy that makes the imps wheeze in pain. And then, before you can even orient yourself, a golden wing flies past you, and your enemies disintegrate to ash. Your jaw hits the floor, “O-otto?” You whisper. It looks like him, but different. Most glaring is his lack of shirt, exposing his thin, bony frame; then there are the two great wings bursting from his back and the halo that emits nearly transparent cliffs into the air. His sword blares with fire, and he looks totally unconcerned with the demons climbing the walls. A single swipe kills two of them. Then there’s his face, half of which looks to have turned into a plate of solid gold, the other is stuffed with eyes of varying shape and size. However, all analyze the world with a look of contempt and judgment. B-but not when he looks at you– or the rest of his allies here in the fortress. That gaze is a lot kinder.He looks– Holy shit, that's so. fucking. cool. H-how can you do that, too?
>>6414696https://youtu.be/21IH_tzd-G4?si=viXYx6B15vYhLJYG[Scenario End: The Assault on Estelle’s Locket]You did not cause a major scene in the summoning room.You pacified Saki Nishimura. You did not brainwash Xiuying Li.You discovered your hidden potential.You choose to defend The North WallYou annihilated the demonic horde.No summoned hero died.Your closest ally was Seventeen, she sees you as a valuable tool.[Ending Achieved: The Hero of the Locket] EXCELLENT WORKLoading [Scenario…]
>>6414700[Scenario Start: The Hard Decisions]When you wake, you are surrounded by warm blankets, and a joyous and melancholic thought hits you. It was all just a dream. Thank God. Then you open your eyes, and you practically shoot ten feet in the air as Seventeen gazes at you, unmasked. Her smile is not exactly a pleasant one. As you calm down, you look back and see that she is carefully analyzing a map and some documents, pretending as if she wasn't just watching you sleep like some kind of pervert.>”Where am I?”>”Who are you?”>”Did I win?”>”How are the others?”>All of the above, but at the same time>[Write-in]
>>6414705>[Write-in]"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"
>>6414700I think we may have embarked on the golden path. All that's left is to stay the course.>>6414709I'll support this, kek. To be fair to Otto, he has no context for cyborgs and panic would be understandable.
>>6414709>>6414730Writing!
>>6414820You look around as your brain unfogs, the sights become clearer, the memories return. So you open your mouth and do the only thing you possibly can do, “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!” You scream. You think of your arm– of the pain– holy shit, what the fuck--! WTF WAS ALL OF THAT? There was that guy– and the monsters! The light and the sword and– and– the WINGS! You flew! Actually flew! You were an angel! Wtf even was all that? “Saintess, Otto, calm down!” The massive woman says as her hands press you further into the bed to stop your thrashing. Then you look at her face and scream some more. By the time you finally calm down, the woman looks outright vexed, as if she were totally unprepared for your verbal onslaught. If so, why did she bring you to her room? Is it her room? Looks rather spartan. Her sigh catches your attention, and it is with heavy exasperation that she asks, “Are you done yet?”“Mhm,” You mumble in ascent after sufficient convincing of that fact. Her grip is rather tight...“I was going to congratulate you on your awakening, but it would seem the land of dreams treats you much nicer than that of the living. No matter. There is still much work to be done.” “Wha–” You seek to question, but Seventeen pays you no mind. Seems like your earlier panic has made her think you aren’t good enough for words at all. “Your body has completely healed, your arm, which you yourself destroyed, has been miraculously regrown. Your fellow heroes are fine as well. The fortress has made contact with dragon-scouts of the 12th Army Group to the south, and we will be receiving reinforcements in about a week's time. From that point onward, this Banner will be reorganized into said army group and continue to serve in defensive positions along the Khaz’erik Mountain Chain to secure the Pact's heartland. You are also to be formally awarded the rank of Hero in the Blackiron Legion and given a subordinate position directly under my own. We shall discuss the bureaucracy later, but know that this grants you citizenship under the Blackiron Pact and the right to hold land which can be settled in any major city.” Seventeen relentlessly bombards your still-waking mind with enough questions to fry the last two neurons up there. And not is a good way either. Fuck, you deserve to wake and bake after going through all that. “I understand you may have many questions, but–”“Do you have any weed?” And the question comes out of your mouth before you can even think about it.
>>6414855Her body freezes for a minute, and now, without most of her armor, you can see it is quite literally freezing. As if whenever she is asked something strange or needs to think, the gears inside her still while she processes. Certainly, a strange body she has, too, now that you’re not just viewing an armored hulk. She is massive, taller than even you by a good inch or so, and unlike you, she is wide. And not like Uncle Albert is either. You’re not sure a robot can train muscle, but the plates she's made with are large and sturdy. Most are a pale white, startlingly similar to your vitamin D-deficient skin, but along old wounds lie ramshackle machinery scattered like scars. Though you notice that many of the replaced parts are made of the same [Blackiron] that makes up the walls of the room around you. What's so special about this material? “Pardon?” She eventually questions, though you’re not sure if it’s because of your dumbass question or your starting.“No– sorry, but, uh, where am I?” You ask “You would be in my quarters, the Legion grants the right to the largest individual quarters of a camp to the highest-ranked member of the units stationed there. Since my body seldom needs rest, I thought it would be prudent to lend this space to you while you slept. Until recently, Sage Antonius, whom you met briefly as he prayed for the Banner’s souls, had been tending and examining you using tools provided by the scouts. It would seem that your body slowly drains the magic from the world around you and condenses it in your heart. Given the right circumstances, this mana-well can switch from receiving magic to expelling it, which in turn overflows your body with mana, allowing you to achieve frankly miraculous feats. It's believed to be an explosion of force so powerful it affects all nearby creatures.”“Okay, I have magical adrenaline then," You conclude, "that’s uh, a pretty wicked isekai cheat skill... Right? Doesn't that mean I have to get hurt before I use it?” Seventeen shrugs. Yeah, you’re gonna have to experiment with this more. Granted, there’s no way to just go back home. Every hour you spend here is another one you’re missing at work, and you’d rather not return to being fired. Do you have any idea how hard it was to get the job you have in the first place?! Five rounds of interviews, FOR RETAIL!!! “I’m not like a threat to the world around me, right? Like you’re not going to die by just sitting next to me?”
>>6414856Seventeen methodically shakes her head, “The rate at which you steal the life out of the world around you is minimal unless enhanced. If you’d like, I am certain your unique circumstances will allow you to commission a magical artifact to stop this process should you consult the correct Blackiron bureaucracy.” Jesus Christ, did you get isekai’d into Medieval China or something? What’s with all the paperwork? “Or should you be deployed to the College of Magic to study and further enhance your ability I am sure you will learn how to construct one”“Oh, is that where we’re going next? Tbh, I thought we were being summoned to stop the Demon Lord or something. Y'know cuz the first thing we did was fight an army and all?”“That will not be necessarily considering that the Demon Lord was slain approximately thirteen days ago by the Great Hero Ren Minato and his party." Seventeen sounds almost frustrated when she says that, "You were summoned to ensure the continued defense of the Blackiron Pact as Demonic Warlords squabble to fill the power vacuum. It is predicted that it will take decades before the final hordes are wiped out in the north and east. And with the Saintess' Summoning being a proven success, the Pact devoted resources to invest further in the process.”“Then what are we doing next? I’m guessing you’re not sending us home anytime soon.”“Unfortunetly, such a feat is not within our capabilities,” Her lack of expression makes it hard to figure out if she’s lying. And for some reason, despite your body physically feeling quite refreshed, you cannot summon up your abilities of [Insight] that you had when it felt like the entire world was flooding into you. “As you have been inducted into the Blackiron Legion under my command as Knight Commander, I will deliver your further orders such as deployment. As of present that will likely look to be the subjugation of a nearby demonic warform factory to stop any further incursions past Estelle’s Locket. These factories are autonomous and act as mini–citadels, especially the ones dug into the mountains. Expect heavy resistance, but worry not,” Seventeen puts her talon-like hand on the sleeves of your new coat and smiles, your hair stands on the back of your neck, “I will be there to assist you, along with the rest of the summoned Heroes.”>You gulp “Y-yeah, right.”>”Woa-woa-woa– wait. There’s no way I’m doing that!”>[Write-in]"Regardless, I am sure you may have many questions for me at present. Ask away," Seventeen continues.>[Write-in]
>>6414858>You gulp “Y-yeah, right.”If we're here, we have no reason not to save human lives. Regarding questions...>What did the other Heroes do during the battle?>What are the canon and precepts of the Saintess' faith?>Is there enough time to try absorbing and expelling mana to heal some of the wounded before we leave?These should give us some solid context and, possibly, smooth over Seventeen's flabbergasting.
>>6414867Writing!
>>6415075You voice no complaint about your blatant impressment by Seventeen, though you understand the colonists who rallied for the War of 1812 a lot more now. At least you aren’t being forced onto work on a frigate in a world that probably still hasn’t discovered the cure to scurvy. “Y-yeah, right,” You mumble before changing the topic, “Hey, um, what did the other heroes do during the battle? You said they’re okay, right?”She nods, “Indeed, they are. I am sure you already saw Saki Nishimura, who defended the South Wall with reasonable skills.” You nod, you can remember that in your hazy recollection of–“How long was I out?” That should have probably been an earlier question to ask.“About fourteen hours, a deserved rest after an intense battle.”“Ah, please continue.”“Xiuying Li and Albert Kwamboka defended the sewer system, the chemical and flame traps disposed of most of the demons that traversed the tunnel system, but a Corpse-Carrier transported a small pack to the defensive line, where they took down multiple soldiers, including those on the dwarven sentry. Though I was told Xiuying did an excellent job of stabilizing the post by using the sentry herself. Before you arrived, of course.”“That’s, uh, good, that’s good. Where are they now?”Seventeen shrugs, “They have free rein of the fortress. I believe last I saw Saki she was overindulging in the alcohol delivered by the scouts, Albert was on the walls sketching the local flora, and Xiuying dragged a cot to an unused room. May the Saintess guide them.”“Uh, sorry, but what’s with all this Saintess stuff? Is that the religion you guys have over here?” You’d like not to be burned at the stake for accidentally saying something wrong while in fantasy land.“You are correct. Officially, worship of the Saintess is the only religion in the Blackiron Pact. However, there is also a sizable church of the Saintess in the Kingdom of Rinholm where the Great Hero was summoned. It became the state religion during the signing of the Blackiron Pact itself, as the Saintess is one of few historical figures to preach mutual cooperation between all species of this world, a concept that, if fractured due to prejudice, would shatter the Pact itself and allow for the Empire to once again annex our land.” So a religion that’s main proponent, according to the Knight Commander at least, is to prevent racism. It makes sense given the variety of people you saw defending this fortress the other day, from goblins to centaurs, and harpies to dwarves. Likely, if you go to any of these “major cities” Seventeen talked about, you’d be in for quite the culture shock. You can imagine that with so many types of people there’d be conflict the state has to manage, your country tore itself apart once over these issues, and it only has one species in it. “Is there anything I should know, like the canon or precepts, so I don’t like accidentally commit heresy?”
>>6415092“If you wish to debate theology, speak to the sage. Your rank as a Hero signifies to all that you are a foreigner with exceptional circumstances, and most transgressions you will make will be forgiven due to that fact. Granted that you understand not to commit the same transgressions again. Just keep in mind that the Saintess in ages past defeated the first Demon Lord in a war that almost tore the world asunder and that she sacrificed her life for the sake of all mortals in the world in the battle to curse her name or her ideals would be a sin most foul.”“Right, understood.” Is this their version of Christianity? Monotheistic devotion to a martyr figure? Maybe it would be worth checking further into? “Hey, one more question, do you need me to help out with anything? Like with the wounded? I can try to gain and expel–” A massive hand holds your shoulder as Seventeen smiles again, you feel small despite being well over 6 feet.“I like where your head is at, Otto, but I have already taken care of all issues that would warrant your attention. The dragon-scouts supplied plentiful healing remedies, and if your powers were to go wrong in an attempt–” She cuts off, but you get the message. Should you wish to practice your abilities, which I highly suggest you do, the courtyard is mostly free. Now, I will burden you no longer, as I have duties to fulfill. By daylight’s end, I shall have your next orders; until then, Estelle’s Locket is free for you to roam.” And with that, you watch as Seventeen stands and the chair she was sitting on sighs with relief. Then she departs, and you’re alone.>You immediately fall back down on the bed and go to sleep>You rise and try to find one of the other Heroes [Who?]>You seek out another member of the fortress [Who?]>You try and look for otherworldly drugs, that must be some fire shit if they got any>You head down to the courtyard to train your abilities >[Write-in]
>>6415103>You head down to the courtyard to train your abilities We don't want to get our arm cut off again if we can help it. Also as much as I'd like to get blazed, I'm not sure a fort under siege will have much. Especially due to Seventeen's reaction when we mentioned weed.
>>6415103>You head down to the courtyard to train your abilitiesKnowing these guys their drugs will probably light our teeth on fire or something
>>6415210>>6415228Writing!
>>6415283With an unsatisfied groan, you rise from the warm and comfy bed and head into the cold mountain air, which is made just slightly better with your new coat. Though it's totally not as fashionable as anything you could get at Hot Topic or a vintage store. Then there's the gnawing fact you're going to actually train instead of fun stuff, like hunting for that Evil VVizard VVeed you're sure certainly, probably, most likely, exists somewhere in this world. It would be so lame if it didn't! But then there's the fact you're going to try and practice real, actual, magic, so that mollifies you somewhat. Then a breeze stun locks you in place as you clutch your thin body for warmth. You wouldn't even be shivering if you could get your hands on the booze those scout guys brought over. From what it sounded like, the scouts were already in position, waiting for the siege to be over, to check the status, carrying supplies if you won, and probably wouldn't be much help if you lost. Least southern army group, whatever fucking number it was, would have intel on the demon's behavior at the fort. You shudder to imagine what would have happened to the others if they had actually managed to break in. Though in that scenario you'd be dead, so it doesn't matter too much, you suppose.As you enter the courtyard proper and make your way to the roped-off corner that you assume is the "training ground" due to scattered and well-abused dummies in it, you see even fewer soldiers out and about than yesterday. It makes sense given most are probably still nursing their wounds in whatever passes for a medical tent, nursing their hangovers, or simply dead. Though the few guards that do mill about, either on their watch or carrying the remains of demons to the sewers where the water will push them far away, greet you with ecstatic cheer. You are subjected to multiple high-fives, a few different forms of salute, and one of the centaurs even does a strange gesture when she thumps her sizable chest and loudly stomps a back hoof repeatedly as you walk past. You mimic the gesture and receive a hearty laugh and a strong pat on the back in response as she walks off. That's probably good? Ugh, you never exactly asked to start a popular arc. Sure, you've never wanted for friends or connections, but those were all people you knew. It's so hard to talk to strangers when you don't know a thing about them. Next thing you know, you're going to be trying to make friends with an ogre who's going to freak out and eat you after you accidentally call his mother a donkey.Happy thoughts-- think happy thoughts. You're a hero; there's no reason you should be thinking about your hypothetically humorous death. Besides-- you're here. "Yo, hero!" Calls out a surprisingly normal voice. Kind of sounds like a theater kid if you know what I'm talking about.
>>6415292"Is this the training ground?" You ask."Mhm! We pitched this up when we got stationed here last week. Not sure it's seen much use, but I'm sure an otherworldly Demi-God can figure out something to make out of all of this--" The armored man makes a grand gesture to the worn and dulled weapons out of a Chivalry 2 lobby, the training dummies, and well himself. "The Knight Commander stationed me here in case any of you guys wanted to train. Apparently, I'm good with people, at least that's what my mum always told me. So if you need anything, just ask!" "Thanks, man. I appreciate it," The soldier gives you a nod, upwards, so you know it's a familiar one shared between comrades. He's right, though. Something about the air around him seems pleasant, strangely so. And there's no doubt he could help you pick up a thing or two if you asked him to coach you, if the way he confidently-but-lackadaisically swings his sword back and forth in the air is anything to go by. "Hey, what's your name by the way?" "Gerold, and you're Otto, right?" You nod, "Hah! Not like I could forget the face that saved my life on the North Wall. Really, when I mean I can get you anything you want-- I mean anything.""T-that's good to know." The way he says it sets off as many alarms as it does achievement bells-- maybe you could get some of that good stuff-- But then what do you Seventeen do if the first thing you did upon waking up was use her soldiers to get drugs? Surely, nothing pretty, right?>"Then do you mind teaching me some basic swordplay?" It seems this is a skill similar to riding a bike or swimming here, as it is in any good isekai world.>"Then can you get me anything-- idk magical? I want to practice that." Maybe trying to replicate some of the runes will be your best bet?>"Hey, you know how to get any of that... good stuff?" Fuck it.>[Write-in]
>>6415293>"Then do you mind teaching me some basic swordplay?" It seems this is a skill similar to riding a bike or swimming here, as it is in any good isekai world.I figure we should learn the basics. Good to know in a pinch, right?
>>6415293>"Then do you mind teaching me some basic swordplay?" It seems this is a skill similar to riding a bike or swimming here, as it is in any good isekai world.Our abilities basically mean we're vulnerable 90% of the time and explosively powerful the other 10%. We need to learn enough to survive so we can trigger our ascension trump card.
Going to let this vote sit for the night, and I'll roll a die if it's unresolved by then.
Rolled 1 (1d2)>>6415317>>64153321 for sword2 for magicWriting!
>>6415753“You, uh,” Gerold chuckles in a mix of emotions, “Have never trained with a sword, I take it?” He says after throwing you a dulled blade and watching you do a few swings. The weight feels all weird.“There was one time as a renaissance faire,” You begin, but quickly stop, “No, I haven’t. W-was always more of a scholar, y’know?”“Ahh, wise man then. No matter, just remember this grip,” He says as he walks over and moves your palm and fingers into position on your sword. It feels remarkably more comfortable this way. “Normally, a complete beginner would start on learning footwork, breathing, basic exercises, and the like in a stage of learning that could last months. I prefer to have a bit more fun, try and strike me,” he says while brandishing his own sword.You shrug, nothing ventured, nothing gained, and charge. “aaaaaAAAAA–” You begin only for your shout to turn into a gasp of surprise when you reach him.“Completely choreographed,” He comments as a quick movement of his sword brings the comfortable weight all out of whack. Then he slightly moves his foot forward, and you find yourself tumbling to the ground. Then his knee comes up, and so do your legs. It’s not long until you find yourself having fallen to quite the compromising position on top of a training dummy as the soldier laughs. Practically making out with it. “Sorry, sorry, but I could not help myself– haha–” You whack him hard on the breastplate as he’s doubled over in his howl, “Oof– that was-! A surprisingly firm hit…” He looks at you and nods downward, a sign of respect in typical male speech. “Nice work.”“Don’t count me out just yet,” Hey– you were on a few competitive sports teams back in the day. Sure, you’re out of shape now, but you aren’t someone exactly averse to getting physical every now and again. “We're just going to keep doing this or-?” You say as you prepare to charge again.Gerold nods, “It’d help you more than anything else our time permits. Now, this time try and keep distance with your body. Imagine your sword as an extension of yourself; there’s no need to get in my face unless your intention is to grapple. Again!” For the next few hours, the same process repeats: you charge, you fall. But each time, as you grit through the pain, you learn a little bit more. Gerold’s even surprised at your progress, on multiple occasions expressing how your movements sometimes turn strange and erratic– movements that allow you to actually win a few of your bouts. You arrogantly gloat, as is your right as victor, but each time he looks at you weird. The mumbles about you being some kind of marionette are not exactly reassuring. “I believe we should break off for now–” Gerold begins before–
>>6415770“Oi, let me in for a bout. Heroes vs. soldier,” Saki yells as she jumps over the rope into the ground. Which would have been cooler if the open gate was not quite literally next to her, or maybe that’s what makes it cool? Gerold shrugs, gives a polite greeting to “Lady Nishimura,” and charges. You’re immediately forced back by an onslaught of swings and stabs that you, somehow, manage to block. The movements are quick, so you’re not even sure how– but then a *thwack* to the stomach leaves you on the ground. Saki leaps over your dry-heaving form in vengeance. Though, as Gerold attacks, she is much more methodical in her defense than you. Though despite the sword's dull blade, there’s still enough force to leave scars on her bat. She grits her teeth with each one. The spar eventually ends up as a battle of brute strength as the two combatants– one Saki is actually gaining ground in! That is, until Gerold stops pressing down, deftly sidesteps Saki's momentum-filled blow, yanks her hair back, eliciting a small yelp, raises his fist and–“Gotcha!” You say as you throw your whole body at Gerold, bringing all three of you tumbling to the ground. Spiny bits of armor poke into you, and flailing limbs batter you down, but you cannot help but laugh– No one was expecting that from someone #downforthecount. But you didn’t hear no bell! “Ahahaha!” You boast as the two others curse and try to pull themselves apart from the mini-mosh pit you made on the ground. *DONG* *DONG* And then bells right out across the fortress.“I believe we shall call that a draw,” Gerold says as he dusts himself off, “For it would seem like it is time for me to take my watch at the Southwest Watchtower. Feel free to continue to use the facilities, what little there are. We put them up for a reason, but I must depart. Good day, Heroes.” Gerold says before formally bowing and marching off to the South Wall, leaving you and Saki alone. “Hey, Otto. Care for another bout?” Saki says after some time, throwing your sword to your still-sitting, absolutely winded form. >”Sure, why not?”>”Sorry, I got something else to do,” refer to >>6415103>[Write-in]
Last night I spent some time trying out clip studio paint, to some, very, limited success. Here's a redraw of Seventeen. Ms Paint is easier...
>>6415771>”Sorry, I got something else to do,” refer to >>6415103>See if we can squeeze in some MAGIC practice
>>6415834Writing!
>>6415863"Actually, I wanted to try and train my magic. If that's alright with you?"Saki's mouth morphs into a perfect 'O' as she makes a simular sound, it takes a second for her to clear her acne-covered head, and continue "Y-yeah, that works too. It was actually what I wanted to talk to you about.""Surprised you can talk at all after what the Knight Commander said about you last night," You rib. Is that bad manners? You don't really know her that much, yet-- Besides, how old even is she, that's like a high schooler's uniform, right? You're not above underage drinking, especially not in another world where who knows where the water's been, but there are boundaries and--"Oh, come off it. I had a few too many, yeah? But I almost died, so it's not like I didn't deserve it. Besides, I don't really get hangovers, not bad ones at least," She says as she leans on the [Blackiron] wall."You're similar to me then," You say as you rise to your feet, "I got a pretty good tolerance for most stuff, and luck usually has me avoiding the consequences. It's a pretty great way to live.""I can imagine. Sounds like my old friend in middle school, actually," She spits on the ground. "I'll get to the point now. How the fuck did you do that during the battle?""You mean turn into an angel?""The fuck do you think I mean?"You scratch your head and let out an uncomfortable laugh as you remember the craziness of last night. "Would you accept, 'I don't know,' as an answer?""Not a very good one. C'mon, describe it at least."You nod. This might help you work it out for yourself, too. As you think, you see Xiuying dart through the courtyard from the south wall to the north. "When we were summoned up until the battle, it was like the air was heavy. You know, right before there's a storm and the animals start acting weird because their joints hurt and such?" Saki nods, "Like cows?" She asks. "Yeah, like them. I got a condition that makes it the same for me, Fibromyalgia, it's called, comes with a whole host of other problems too, but the feeling was very similar. It was sometimes painful, sometimes it felt as if I was underwater, but I keep recalling this pressure I felt coming in from the world around me. A-and then, right when I was about to die..." Your mind fades out as you remember the Demon Lieutenant as he kept calling himself. How he kept trying to break you-- how he did break out-- You remember the pain-- the anger-- the numbness-- the void-- and finally the acceptance. Do you know what it's like to have your arm torn off of you? Before yesterday, you'd have said no, because of course you haven't. It's not like you work at the liveleak factory or something. But now you do. It hurt. It fucking hurt, and then-- "And then I didn't.""You, uh, alright there?"
>>6415888You feel a familiar weight behind your eyes, a heavy fog that infects your head whenever your thoughts turn dark. Usually happens after 9 PM, but today's a special day, you guess. You pause for a second, thinking of a way to respond, then a minute. And then you feel the nails clawing at your skin again as your life before this insanity started. Your mom, your dad, your older sibling, your friends, even your ex-girlfriend, "A-are you? I mean, what, you're still in high school, right? Got your whole life ahead of you and shit-- I mean, so do I, but I kinda messed up-- I mean, you don't-- none of us deserve this. We almost died yesterday, and here we are, what? Practicing magic or whatever, I didn't ask to be turned into that thing. I didn't ask for anything of this--""Yo! Yo, dude, snap out of it!" The next thing you know, Saki is off the wall and shaking your shoulder. Unlike with Seventeen, her grip is hard enough to hurt, but somehow it feels more real. "Sorry, I'm sorry, okay? I, uh, didn't mean to-- fucking just snap out of it!" Then she slaps you, and it hurts a lot."What the fuck is your problem?!" You shout, more shocked than anything.Saki, also stunned, looks at her hand, then to the mark she left on your face, then huffs. "You were pissin' me off so you got what was comin' to ya... But if you don't want to talk about the angel shit, then whatever.""Uh, right... So you didn't feel anything similar?" You ask as if you didn't just freak out for absolutely zero reason whatsoever."No, not even fucking close. I was fretting all day thinking you managed to unlock some secret Cheat or like a System or something during the battle, but that's the best you can give me? You just felt it? Now I feel kinda dumb working myself up over it, I even tried doing some Dragon Ball shit in the barracks trying to replicate it." "Yeah," You nod along, "That is kinda dumb.""Huh-?! Go to Hell!" Her honest reaction to your tease makes you laugh harder than you should, and eventually, she awkwardly joins in too. But after a few moments of mutual humor, you're forced to face the fact that now comes the hard part, magic. "Hey, Saki, have you seen any of the runes about?""Like that shit the commander dragged us all in front of the priest to talk about? No, I haven't. It's still frustrating how you know immediately the cool shit you can do here. I have no clue what I'm supposed to be; it's not like I've noticed any changes. Maybe it's something I don't normally do? Like my drawings come to life?" She draws a smilely face in the ground, nothing happens."I'm sure you'll figure it out," You say kindly."Die," She replies.
>>6415890>"I wanted to see if I can vocalize these runes like I did when I ascended, real skyrimaxx, y'know? You've played Skyrim, right?">[Write-in] How you would like to try and replicate magicFeel free to try and replicate any runes you've seen in the quest so far, or try to seek out new ones! Once Otto is sufficiently capable, I want his magic system to work similarly to building blocks, where if you can reasonably argue why a rune can do something, it can, so while [Fire] may be used to fire a loaded gun, it can also be used to conjure fire. They can also build off each other if you use multiple runes. The rules of reality do not apply to the world of fantasy!
>>6415890I think choosing not to spar with Saki and then fumbling our explanation of magic set her off. I'd rather not make an enemy of her if we can. Maybe showing her how our magic works could help? Who knows, she might be able to pick up some tricks herself! I do get the impression that she has an abrasive personality, so we may not be off to a bad start.>>6415893Hmm... let's the see the runes we've gotten so far. This is a crude list- I'm likely missing some of them.[Heat], [Fire], [Load], [Blackiron], [Artificial], [Construct], [Infect], [Bind], [Unbind], [Organic], [Arcana], [Blood], [Flesh], [Bone], [Sinew], [Divine], [Sword], [Explosion], [Gatling Gun], [Impenetrable Barrier], [Corpse], and of course, [Expel] and [Receive].It might be best to start simple. >Let's take our training sword and try to put a [Receive] rune on it. After that, we slap down a [Blackiron] and [Sword] rune and see if we can transmute it into a proper blade. If it successfully shifts, remove the [Receive] rune and observe what happens.>The entire time, explain to Saki what we're doing, how the runes are shaped, and where the runes are placed. Ask her if she has any ideas for further experiments. Float the idea of working with [Load] and see if we can figure out how to reload muskets quickly together.>Besides that, at some point bring up how impressed we were at her fighting on the wall. We struggled to crush one imp even with our magic and she cut down what, twenty? That's amazing!My line of thinking is that runes require magic to function. Figuring out a complex multi-step operation should make simpler ones easier in the future.
>>6415910That's completely my fault if Saki's tone didn't come across as intended. In order to clear up any confusion allow me to rewrite the final line: "Die," she replies though it lacks no real heat. She is a very volatile character and some of Otto's words have actually pissed her off (such as her shock at Otto calling her by her first name due to the translation magic if you caught that part), but then she's both accidentally and not-so accidentally physically hurt Otto which is a bit more serious. Overall, Otto thinks that Saki is at least OKAY with him and they both have some edge to their personality so an exchange of insults shouldn't be taken too literally when they communicate. Again, apologies for any confusion. Also, thank you so much for all of your detail responses, it really helps my motivation to write, and that goes for you as well Edc. You've both been wonderful players so far and I hope you're enjoying the quest!
>>6415921No worries, that's how she'd come across to me on first read. Although she's clearly recently been through a lot, as has Otto- a bit of friction would be inevitable even between the Saintess's closest disciples in a situation like this.Thank you for running! The art is awesome, and the setting and scenario structure are both very fascinating. Otto is a neat character as well, especially as he's so strongly his own character straight from the gate rather than more of a blank slate for anons to fill in over time, like some quests lean towards. It's been a lot of fun to see unfold.
>>6415926Thanks, Anon, it really means a lot. My sketchbook is currently filling with boxes and circles as I try to brute force learn the fundamentals of art (Loomis workbooks, and the right side of the brain are really helping). So hopefully, in a couple threads' time I'll understand it all better.Anyways, >>6415910Writing!Also, I want to clarify that, as I've not done so, if multiple votes pick to [Write-in] and they don't contradict each other, I'll try my best to fit them all into the update. Though, as you have probably already seen, all playable characters throughout this quest will be their own character, so the [Write-in] will be interpreted based on how they'd say/do it. Though I really do want people to be creative, unless there's special factors, like character motivation (Ex. Seventeen forcing the ascention due to her beliefs), or it would just plain not work due to the established rules of the setting, I try to be more lenient to [Write-in]s. And of course, the rule of cool trumps all here.
>>6415910+1 to this, let's make it happem
>>6415979"Alright, alright, that's enough dilly-dallying. Let's get into the fun stuff, if you want to stick around, that is." You say as you pick your sword off the ground."Fine with me," she replies, "Maybe I can pick up something useful.""Sounds good, then I'll explain everything I feel like trying out. Uh, is there anything to draw with?" You ask."I think I saw some chalk over with the other supplies, that work?""I have no idea," You shrug. Digging through the scattered, mostly empty boxes of supplies really shows that Gerold meant it when he said this place was hardly used; it doesn't look like they brought enough supplies to do anything beyond the basics. Why weren't they supplied with more if they needed to stop a demonic horde? Is the situation around here really that precarious? You shake your head; bigger concerns right now. You have to see if you can do magic. "Alright, you can see what I'm drawing, right? It's not like turning invisible or anything?""I see a bunch of jagged lines on a sword, that supposed to mean anything?""It's a [Receive] rune. The sage-- priest guy used them on me last night, remember?""The, why does yours look different?" Saki questions with a confused face."It does?" "Yeah it does. Gimme that," You hand over the chalk. "The one he drew looked like [Receive], and the one you did looks like [Receive].""Saki... You just drew the same thing twice. Are you feeling alright?""Are your eyes working properly? They're clearly different, the different curves? One even has more dots! I'm pretty sure you should get your eyesight checked." You're just going to have to believe her on that, though you have no clue as to why that might be the case. I just is. Save yourself the headache for now."For the sake of both of our sanity, let's just say that we're both correct. For some reason I see the [Receive] rune differently. Maybe it has something to do with my abilities?""Right, whatever. What's this 'rune' supposed to do anyway?""This rune, the [Receive] rune, both the one I can draw and the one made by the sage, were able to absorb the magical energy. I think it's called mana here, and I guess that it's in everything. Just another particle in the molecule cocktail of everything.""So like Leech Seed in Pokémon.""Yes, exactly." You press a hand to the rune and feel... not much. But you do notice a slight amount of pressure, similar to a light breeze, flowing into the sword. Though a very, very, light breeze, almost like, "nothing's happening.""You sure you know what you're doing then?""I'm exactly sure that I don't. That's what the experimenting is for.""Ah, well, sorry, but I failed science pretty bad. And I doubt I'm gonna unlock some super science skill if I can't even read these 'runes' correctly." Saki laments. You were actually an honors student, believe it or not, but you're not going to say that now.
>>6416064"Well, maybe your special skill has to relate to hitting things? You're pretty good at that, I mean, before I ascended, you took down like what, twenty imps?" "Thirty-seven," she corrects. "Yeah, like a ton, and I only managed to crush one. That's pretty amazing, right? That you're the best at hitting things around?""If you keep that talk up, I'm gonna hit you." She raises her bat menacingly, and you chuckle. "Alright, alright, calm down. I'm going to try some magic now. Specifically, to transmute this training sword into a real one now by drawing a [Blackiron] and [Sword] rune on it. And who knows, maybe the latent mana it's absorbing will help the process?" You sit there for a solid minute looking at the sword, and Saki sums up the results better than you ever could: "Nothing is happening. Stupid.""Uuuuuh– any ideas?" You ask.Saki thinks, biting her lip as she does so, “You said the walls all have [Heat] runes on them, right? Maybe try using the wall instead of the sword?”“That’s,” You blink, “A really good idea. I’m going to do that immediately.” And you do, scrawling down [Receive] which’s pressure is surprisingly, then [sword]– *Fwoosh* A great gust of wind blows into the stone, though it doesn’t actually physically. Again, difficult to describe, but what matters is that there’s a fucking sword in the wall! Made of the same Blackiron as the stone brick around it. You and Saki stare in shock, and you put it out and test its sharpness– you cut yourself. Holy shit. “Holy shit!”“Y-you just–” Saki stutters, mouth agape.You swing the sword and cut a dummy clean in half, then Saki, very carefully, rips the blade out of your hand and obliterates the rest of the dummy. Then the two of you laugh as an emotional cocktail swirls within your bodies. It can best be described in the following words: You just fucking made a sword with magic. Holy Hell! You’re The MAN! What else can you do? Turn water to wine? Eliminate microtransactions? Create Half-Life 3?! Well, maybe that spell would be a bit too advanced for you, but you could hardly care. You just made a fucking sword! A good one too, even if it does look kinda weird being all one material. “The material, it has to be the material!” Saki exclaims in excitement to your rapid agreement! It must be like the difference between you and Sage Antonius; this Blackiron stuff is just more conducive to magic than normal iron. Maybe that's why it's come up so much. Or some other property about it just makes it better? Perhaps the capacity of magic it can hold? The gusts sure did feel different, like water flowing into a bigger vase. Maybe you can do something else? You remember seeing the [Load] rune on the musket at the rampart, and there is a pretty decrepit one sticking out of that crate…“What the hell did you just do?” Saki asks, eyes wide open.“What? I just scribbled [Load] on and,” You check the gun, “Now it’s loaded.”“No, the fuck you didn’t,” she asserts.
>>6416065“Pretty sure I did~” You wave the chalk-stained barrel– and there’s no chalk. In fact, the chalk’s at your feet. WTH. “How the fuck did I load this gun?” You tweak. “You moved, like super fast, dude. Like, scary fast. I-i saw a video on this once in school, a samurai reloading his rifle, and it took like a minute. You did it in a few seconds. I-it was weird to look at, you even moved so fast that you looked kinda r-rubbery.”“That’s uh,” You look at the gun and then back to Saki, “Certainly something." You hope your fear doesn't show on your face, "because I swear I just drew a rune on it.” You really wish your “powers” came with an instruction manual. Because you're painfully aware that somehow, somewhere down the road, you're going to fuck up doing this and it's going to be very, very, painful. Just your lot in life, really.“Hey, Otto, can you try drawing that [Receive] rune on me?” Saki asks out of the blue.“What, why?” “I just wanna test something, like the sage did with you, I want to see if I can do it.”“Uh, sure I guess. You can try, but I’m not sure if you’re going to get anything.” The sage trained for years, probably, and even he got shocked. “Just try it. C’mon.”“Alright, fine. But I warned you.” You draw the [Receive] rune on Saki’s palm, and she immediately gasps and pulls her hand back in pain. “Ow, fuck! Shit! Goddamn!” Saki curses like an 18th-century sailor in Boston Harbor after you finish the rune. “Yo, you good?!” You excalimBefore Saki says anything, she scrunches her face up and forces a grin. “Yeah, I’m good.” And then she places her palm on yours… ……“Something's happening, right?” Saki asks in shallow hope.“Sorry.” Only for you to squander it. “I’m going to try and make a sword too, I saw that rune you drew!” She says a bit too quickly.And then her chalk art sits there. And sits there. And sits there… “Fuck! Godammit!” She kicks the wall. Hard. And to her credit, she doesn’t even flinch in pain. Or maybe her red face was already twitching too much for you to notice. “So I just can’t do it, is that it?!” She screeches at a surprisingly high pitch. “I’m just not able? My body isn’t good enough?! What the Hell?!” She screams, on the verge of tears, “A-and I did it all on my own, too– I escape! I got out of there even after I got abandoned! I even managed to find the same manga! I did it all on my own! But now I’m still stuck being just stupid and normal while he gets to galvanize around being the hero. I just get to be left behind. Again... Fuck!” She kicks the wall again. But by her tears and pitiable one-footed stomps, it’s obvious she can feel it now.
>>6416067...You kind of have no idea what to do in this situation. The whole magic thing was at the forefront of your brain before you were just ambushed by a social event, a volatile one at that, that you're probably, definitely, most likely, the cause for. You nervously gulp. And then you see Xiuyang returning from the North Wall with a tray that is bulging with food. She hastily retreats to the South Wall, but gives you a small, strained smile when your eyes meet. And then you hear Saki’s stomach growl. >Offer to take Saki to the mess hall, or equivalent, to try and cheer her up>Nope, you’re probably 100% the last person she wants to talk to right now. Give her some space and do something else. Refer to >>6415103>[Write-in]–Then it hits you. The sinking feeling that this is going to be the final time you'll get to fuck around at Estelle's Locket. You should make sure to use this time wisely.
>>6416070>Offer to take Saki to the mess hall, or equivalent, to try and cheer her upCalm down, Kuwabara couldn't do what Urameshi could do in the beginning of YuYu Hakusho but then he got the spirit sword and became OP as shit so
>>6416225I'll agree with this. Nothing like a warm meal to take the mind off of dark places. Besides, this'll likely be our last chance to get a good dinner for some time.
>>6416225>>6416259Writing!
>>6416264"Hey, are you hungry? I'm hungry. Want to get something to eat? I'm actually not sure I ate anything all day." You venture out in hopes of getting Saki to at least calm down a bit. What was it your mom always said, a way to a woman's heart was through food? You know, maybe that's why she was always complaining about her weight. "With the way the commander was fretting over you? I bet she fed you breakfast herself. But, whatever. I guess I could eat." You're not exactly certain you like the mental picture of Seventeen spoon-feeding you as you sleep, so you change the topic. "Have you eaten anything today?""Nah, stuffed myself silly during the party, so I wasn't hungry in the morning." The minute you get Saki's mind thinking about something else, she seems to lose a lot of her steam, or maybe she just got pissed off with being pissed off and stopped. Her movements and remarks as you walk are still sharp and aggressive. Case in point, her pointed words when you got lost on the way to, wherever it was Xiuying came from, were a bit over the line in your opinion, but you're used to so much worse in comp games, and it slides off you. Eventually, though, the smell of food brings you to your destination. Half a dozen or so people, in varying levels of armor and with varying levels of visible humanity, mill about and enjoy what seems to be quite the selection of salted meat and bread. Scrumptious. "Can you get me something? I want to sit down." Saki heads to the corner before you can even agree.You look around and spot an icebox, where you see a stereotypical elven man grabbing some fish. The box itself is wrapped extensively in cloth with a complex pattern of small [Chill] runes woven into its threads. Its guardian stands proud nearby, a huge and green man whose tusked face overlooks the room's occupants while his hand rests on a stack of forms, one of which he gives to the elf before giving him a tray. You're not sure if he's an orc or an ogre, but he has a striking resemblance to Shrek, only if Shrek's mouth were bigger and his ears less exaggerated. You approach with an anxious gulp, "You'z new here?" The man asks; his stretched shirt bulges with every movement, but as it draws your attention, you end up noticing many [Lavender] runes inscribed within. It must be why a man of his form doesn't reek like you think he would. "Y-yeah, I was summoned last night."
>>6416296The man pauses for a moment, in a strikingly similar way to how Seventeen does, then laughs uproariously," You'z da Hero! Come ovah, come ovah! Take anyding, ya want!" He says as he opens the box for you. You see an assortment of many different meats between the ice, well, three, but let's be generous here. Oh, and don't forget the bread and beer! One of the meats is obviously some kind of white fish, then there are two red ones, one darker and one lighter. They have small signs marking what they are, but in a language you can't read. Noticing your confusion, the ogre asks, "Can't read?" to which you nod, not this language at least, "Iz fine, small man only taught me a few moons ago. Iz Undercavern Cod, Winged Hog, and Cow," he says as he point to each one with a large finger. "What do you recommend?" You're certain the bland and cold selection must have at least some good qualities, but it never hurts to have the chef's recommendation. Granted, he is the chef, a fact you haven't confirmed even if the stains on his shirt seem to say so.The ogre leans in close with his tusked face, all sly like, "Don'tcha tell nosebody but I sneaked some of dat [Mermaid Tear] from da spellfolk befour dey left. Added to da Cod, iz good eatin's." You nod, you're not exactly how ethical something called a [Mermaid Tear] is but when in Rome–"Ohz! Before me forget! Gotta sign the form! We'z not rationin' now, not after da deathz and newz supplies, but da Boss getz mad if Hulgar don't doez it. Since ya can't read just 'ell me's ya name an I write down!""Uh, I'm Otto Griggs, and I'm picking up some Undercavern Cod and bread for Saki Nishimura and me over there.""Da other Hero?" You nod, "Iz gotcha! Enjoy!" He says, handing you two wooden trays with cups of already poured alcohol on them.You make sure to smile, "Thanks, boss," and give the customary goodbye any serviceman deserves. You feel strangely happy seeing Hulgar unable to hide his tusk-filled grin."Comez back anytime, Hero! Youz earned it!" You ride that high note all the way to where Saki sits at the back of the room. Your mood visibly falls as you see her glaring eye."Having a good time, 'hero?'" Saki bites.You refuse to let the words of an angsty high schooler get to you, "The chef's compliment was for you too, y'know? I was being serious when I said you did good work on the South Wall. You saved lives there; if it weren't for you, those thirty-seven imps would have torn the soldiers apart.""Whatever..." She rolls her eye. "What did you get?" She says as you put her tray in front of her."Something called Undercavern Cod, seasoned with mermaid tears. Apparently, the big guy stole it from those assholes who summoned us."Saki can't help but chuckle, "Awesome."
>>6416297You hazard a bite at the otherworldly fish, and pray you don't get infected by any otherworldly diseases as you do so, having to put faith in those "assholes'" sub-formuli. And as the salted flesh hits your tongue– Holy shit that's good– You're blasted with an incredibly sweet taste that makes the otherwise boring display of cold meat taste like candy. You look over and see Saki's shark teeth sink into the fish as she vigorously shakes her head to tear off tear-filled chunks. You're not certain about her, but something this good certainly changes your mood for the better! And it's all gone far, far too soon. The bread and beer are just fine."Fuck, that's good," Saki says to no one in particular, "You think I can get more? I'm gonna get more–" Before you can even comment, the delinquent takes both your trays and marches over to Hulgar and back, you certainly aren't complaining about another helping as you see the green man look at your feast in pride. Fuck, you really hope mermaid tears aren't made in the liveleak factory or something, that'd just be heartbreaking. Though that doesn't stop you from eating until you're more than full. "So, uh, Saki," You start but then realize you don't actually know how to start this conversation.Lucky, she decides to do it for you, "My childhood friend is the Great Hero," she says off the cuff, "Uh, I think he is at least. 99% sure.""That's–""Yeah, sorry. I know I was acting strange back there, but it wasn't because of you– well, it kinda was, but I'm not mad, at you at least.""Your childhood friend is Ren Minato?" You question, to try and keep her talking. It's way easier if she can just say everything instead of you having to play armchair therapist. She's a big girl, she's got this! You believe in her!"Yeah, we, uh, we were really close since I stayed at his place all the time. Long story. But one day after school, we went to a convenience store, and he picked up this manga and–" she pauses to collect herself, "he vanished. Poof, gone. No one ever believed me when I said what happened. No one. Life, uh, got worse after that. A lot worse. But I don't wanna get into it right now," "Don't feel like you have to," "Thanks, but anyway, I ended up running away from home after graduation, and when I finally lost hope, I found it, again." She bares her teeth without noticing, "The exact same comic, Fantasy Quest, his was 3 though, and mine was 5, but it ended up bringing us to the same place, right?""Did you, uh, get someone to explain his journey at the party last night? I've only heard his name in passing."
>>6416299She nods. "It's straight out of a fuckin' power fantasy, too. Y'know his 'party'? All girls, motherfucker ditched me and assembled a harem. Asshole," She spits. Figuratively, this time. "Then you showed up and totally upstaged me– It's nothin' personal, I mean you look kinda funny, Least you did with the jacket," Hey! "But I can tell you're an alright guy, better than most people I know. But still! It's just– Dammit, I fuckin' can't put it into words–”"It hurts?""Yeah, it fucking hurts. And I know I should be giving him the benefit of the doubt– Like he saved people and shit, right? That's what a hero does? But... Motherfucking shit, dammit!" She lets off a barrage of curses, summoning eyes from around the room. She doesn't seem to mind, so you try not to wilt under their gazes, "A-and don't feel the need to try and console me or anything. I'm pretty good at figuring this shit out on my own. Wouldn't have made it this far if I didn't– but, uh, thanks, though. For trying. I guess."You were going to bring up an example from an old anime about delinquents like her trying to console her, but now you get the feeling this isn't really the time. "Don't mention it. We're in this together, yeah? I doubt this is the last time we're going to have to fight monsters together, so, uh, feel free to rely on me if you have to. I, uh, definitely not the best at this, but I'm still an adult and a kid like you–""Otto, I'm eighteen. Graduated, remember? Not exactly sure how I did it, but I did. Sure, I can't drink yet, but I'm an adult too." You actually weren't expecting her to be only six years younger than you.So, you stand up and stretch, both because you're tall and have fibromyalgia, so you need to do so to avoid the endless pain coming back, but also to hide your knuckle-first headpat-attack! Truthfully, A noogie more than anything. "You'd be surprised," You say before Saki grabs your arm, stands, and snarls–*DONG* *DONG*And then bells echo throughout the fortress, and one of the soldiers, the elf, walks up to the two of you. "May the winds forgive my transgression for ruining the moment but we were instructed to direct the Heroes to the war chamber by the third bell's chime if we happen see them. And I do. Mind following me?" Both you and Saki look at each other>And shrug. Time to face the music so off to war you go.>"Actually, can you hold for one sec? I still gotta-- [Write-in]
>>6416296[Chill], [Lavender], and [Mermaid Tear]. Good to know, good to know...>>6416299Saki's childhood best friend was Minato? An interesting development. That puts a lot of her actions into context. From everything we've seen so far I'm not sure if Ren Minato is too heroic, but I'm not sure he's malicious either. He stumbled into power he wasn't prepared for, slayed a Demon Lord, and then did nothing with the political leverage he gained. Might even be retired rather than assisting in the clean-up, but regardless of his blessings I doubt the Demon Lord was easy.Another thing I've noticed. Otto was sucked in by Fantasy Quest 7, Saki claims she was sucked in by Fantasy Quest 5 and Minato was by Fantasy Quest 3. That implies there were two Heroes before Ren Minato. Maybe we should ask Seventeen about pre-Minato heroes if we get the chance, and see what number our fellow isekai victims were dealt.>>6416300>And shrug. Time to face the music so off to war you go.The longer we dilly-dally the more demons that factory churns out.
>>6416300>>And shrug. Time to face the music so off to war you go.seems like we need to move quickly
>>6416377>>6416310Writing, the final update of the night!
>>6416392You're led to a large room carved into the mountain near the Knight Commander's quarters. There's hardly a word said between you during the march, nor is there much time to process your thoughts. You wish you were home, but the rational part of your mind tells you to consider the fact that the first thing that'll await you is a text from your boss saying you're fired. Fuck, you really wish you were playing Helldivers rn and larping as patriotic cannon fodder instead of that actually being your life now. Minus the patriotism, the only group you're super-patriotic for is the New England Patriots themselves. Fucking, Seahawks."You've arrived," The helmeted Knight Commander says as Saki, and you walk into the war room. Albert and Xiuying sit on chairs carved into the ground around a similarly constructed oval-shaped table. Seventeen leans over a massive map that dominates the table; it seems to show the entirety of the Blackiron Pact's territory. Two knives stick out of the map; though you cannot read the labels, you assume one is for Estelle's Locket, while the other, to the northwest of it, is the factory. You also note that the Pact seems to be dominated by a large mountain chain that stretches from a sea to the east, which kinda reminds you of the Caspian, to an ocean in the west. For land borders, however, it would seem that a large forest separates the Pact from a collection of small yet united territories to the southwest; otherwise, there exists no real geographical landform that separates it from the states to the south and southwest. That's rather strange for a medieval-like state, right? Must be a bunch of politicking involved. Or maybe fantasy stuff. "Take your seats. Tel'vir, you are dismissed." Seventeen orders. The armored elf salutes, then leaves the five of you alone. Seventeen waits a bit, in that processing state of hers, as she looks over the map one more time before beginning. "This is Estelle's Locket," She points to the first knife. You smirk at being correct, "And this is Factory XI-187, more commonly known as the Widow's Lair due to the warform assigned as its caretaker millennia ago. I have arranged for Banneret Gerold to take command of the Locket as we--""I haft arrived!" Shouts an unfamiliar voice as the door to the chamber blasts open. In walks an old, yet still very flamboyant, man wearing what you can only describe as "wizard attire," which includes dark blue robes that are littered with various yellow astrological signs. Big beard, too. Honestly? You approve even if this style seems more like Richards' thing. Don't get you wrong, magic is very cool, but you were always more of a warlock/paladin guy than a full caster type. "Kenluthian," Seventeen spits his name like a curse."Seventeen," He returns, utterly ignoring all of you, "Enjoying the demotion?"
>>6416436"What are you doing here?" With each second, you feel the room get heavier with pressure. You're not quite sure if it's from the wizard, not even trying to conceal the [Mana] that seeps from his body, or from the Knight Commander's killing intent. "I am merely enacting the next step of the college's plan by taking what is owed. That would be one 'Otto Brig', I believe? Please raise your hand." You certainly don't. "No matter, I can tell just by looking at you. Tis' still hard to believe that our Goddess' Summoning Ritual actually worked! Brings a tear to my eye." He mimes wiping one away, "Alright, chop chop, now! Let's be off!" You kind of just stand there like a deer in headlights. "Come on, now. You're being given the opportunity of a lifetime! Come with me and learn to unleash hitherto unheard of magical power and prestige at the Kharag'hern College of Magic! We shall depart, posthaste, for I have left the teleportation ritual intact! And as such, Time. Is. Ticking!""Enough!" Seventeen barks, "What is this foolishness? What exactly are you doing here?!" Kenluthain bats his eyelashes like he was a little girl instead of a 67-year-old man, "Bwha~t ever do you mean~? My dear scrap metal? Oh! Hold on, did you really think you'd be given authority over such a valuable resource? Bwahaha!" He laughs uproariously for long enough for you to wonder if he's okay. You mean, it's a fine bit, but usually you're supposed to make other people laugh, not just yourself. He continues, "Hey, did everyone here know she was a part of the Great Heroe's Party? Got kicked out, by the way," Saki and your eyes widen at his unfiltered words, "Aha! Got a reaction out of some of you! Yep~ She's the military's biggest embarrassment! That's why she was sent to die out in the middle of bumfuck, nowhere with the rest of this Penal Banner!""You have no idea what you're talking about," you hear the clanking of steel as the massive woman steps forward to the, admittedly, small man. The sound almost masks her draw of steel as she unholsters a sword. If you've ever seen that image of Shaq drinking a normal-sized water bottle, Seventeen holding a normal sword looks something like that. It's almost comical in how tiny it seems."Ooo~ I'm sooo~ scared," The foppish wizard says before his body gets rigid and his tone deathly serious, "Do you truly think this is a fight you can win, Seventeen?" He says, as [Lightning] suddenly cackles across his fingertips. "The college has already completed the appropriate paperwork, and let me guess, you've done none at all? As usual?"
>>6416439"It's normally nothing more than a waste of time," Seventeen mutters, but you get the feeling she's backing down, somewhat. Is bureaucracy really that big of a deal here? "It doesn't matter, I have already inducted Otto Griggs into the Blacksteel Legion; he is an official member of the military in a position directly beneath mine, and do not forget I am still a Knight Commander, messenger." You're getting the feeling that your input on all this isn't really needed here. Maybe you can step out so you're not caught in the crossfire if a fight actually does break out?"But do you have that in writing?" Seventeen does not respond, and Kenluthian's smile widens; the energy in his hands grows stronger. "Then simmer down, little girlie, you're already on thin ice for what you pulled in the Demonlands, be~tray~er~."That reignites the fire in her engine as she takes another step, "Ren Minato was going to set off a chain reaction that would wipe out HALF of the remaining Warform factories! We would be down to single digits, and I was supposed to just accept that?! Do you have any idea what the world would lose?! The Blackiron Pact preaches loyalty above all else! Was I supposed to abandon my people?!" Saki adopts an expression you can't quite decipher as these words are spoken. After what you just learned, you can imagine why."While your loyalty to your ever-dying race may be seen as commendable, your actions almost brought every kingdom against the Pact itself!" Kenluthian fires back, "Is that what passes for loyalty in your malfunctioning brain– Oh, sorry, I forgot you don't even have one of those, do you?"Seventeen growls.Kenluthian gathers the mana he was [Expel]ing around him.The two are just about to tear into each other when Uncle Albert, of all people, leaps in between them, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, friends! Friends! Let us all just settle down now, yes? Before we all do something we can't take back! Ah, I know what it must be, we're all too tired after a long battle and longer travel, I'm sure. Perhaps some tea is in order? Xiuying, would you be a dear and get some? Oh, and make sure to bring the milk!" He says with his characteristic smile, never leaving his face. It feels disarming in a way, like he really is your uncle trying to rectify someone bringing up politics at the Thanksgiving dinner."R-right," Xiuying says, on the verge of tears. As she escapes, she whispers a small, "t-thank you" to Albert. You doubt you'll get such an easy exit.
>>6416440"Now, friends! We are not barbarians, are we? Is free will such a limited commodity here? Should Otto not be the one deciding his future? Come, now. I'm sure he'll come to a decision that will satisfy all of us," Albert winks to you as he steps out of the limelight, while pulling you to center stage. T-that bastard! You were doing just fine, not getting in the middle of all this crap! H-he's laughing at your expression, well, chuckling, but still! He's even got Saki in on it! The betrayal! The absolute betrayal!"Not much of a decision, I would think," Kenluthian says while [Dispel]ling his magic, "Say, boy, does the word, 'Hell,' transfer to your language?" You nod, "Then I ask you imagine that, but say six to nine times worse. And then that would be what lies inside a demonically corrupted warform factory. It's all an unholy abomination of flesh and metal, concocted by the most twisted mind in all of the universe!""You would know a thing about that," Seventeen mutters, but the wizard ignores her."Your death is almost assured should you step into one of those 'Hellholes.' The Great Hero barely escaped alive when he ventured down–""Do not forget that I was there, messenger." Seventeen cuts off, "And the Widow's Lair will be nothing like that one. The Demon Lord was using it as the main source of his army. He also connected it to many other factories in the region. Of course, it would be well defended.""Bah, plain nonsense. Otto, instead of dealing with all that, learn to harness your latent potential and become unrivaled amongst your peers. I'm sure in time, even the Great Hero will be no match for you. Think about it! A full-fledged scholarship, tutelage for the greatest minds of our generation! And, a brothel nearby! Think of all the good you could achieve with that! The tutelage, I mean. Or would you rather die, cold, alone, and far from home?" I mean... You don't want to die. That's true, and who wouldn't want to go back to college? To study magic no less! But when you think about abandoning Seventeen, a sinking feeling gnaws at you, and not the one that convinced you to help Xiuyang. Your eyes dart to Saki, but she doesn't meet your own."No, I'm sorry. But he doesn't have a choice. I won't give him one," Almost as if to correct your sentiment, Seventeen continues, "I know how the college acts, how you do as, messenger Kenluthian Fizzlebottom," No fucking way that's his name– "you only filed paperwork for Otto, didn't you?" She asks, causing the wizard to click his tongue, practically confirming it. "You did. Hahaha, then you know that means the other heroes are still under my authority as a part of my Banner. That is what you get for rushing your formalities." Seventeen swells up as if she's already won, "Should Otto choose to accompany you, myself and the Heroes will head to the Widow's Lair, alone, and subjugate the factory." Everyone's eyes widen.
>>6416441"But that's suicide! A bluff– nothing more! Do you think you can play games with me, Seventeen?! C'mon, Otto, we're leaving–" Kenluthian is immediately caught off guard, but not because of the bluff, but because he's quick on the uptake and realizes the same thing you do. Seventeen takes another step and towers over the manlet, "Do you think I have anything left to lose?" It's then that Saki and Albert make the connection too. That Knight Commander Seventeen is genuinely insane.Kenluthian's eyes shoot over to you for help. She has you cornered, and he knows it. Sure, never in a million years would those four be able to take out such a huge threat... But that's not her goal here; either she has you, or she commits suicide and takes the other heroes with her. It's a dick move, but you also kinda have to respect it. You can't say you wouldn't do the same in her position... Are you a bad person?You shake your head; it doesn't matter. The ball is still in your court. No matter how much the scale is tilted, you can still upset everything if you choose to. But do you? >...Fuck it, you're supposed to be a Hero, why not start acting like one? Nothing ventured. Nothing gained. You're heading to the liveleak factory, and you will save everyone.>Um, yeah sorry~! But despite your many problems, being suicidal isn't one of them. A-and surely, Seventeen wouldn't actually go through with it if you choose to leave. Maybe you can sneak everyone out or just run to the teleporter? You hope...>[Write-in]
>>6416436I forgot to add the hair texture. I'm such an irredeemable chud.
>>6416442>[Mana] rune = notedAside from that, while learning magic at a top wizardly academy would be invaluable, it would also end our budding alliance with the other heroes and render Seventeen an enemy in the future. There is also, in theory, nothing preventing us from learning magic in the future, while this kind of networking is very time-sensitive. In-fact, if we do prevail against the factory, the wizards are likely to covet us even more. And if not them, most certainly what warmages are more closely integrated into the Blackiron Legion.>...Fuck it, you're supposed to be a Hero, why not start acting like one? Nothing ventured. Nothing gained. You're heading to the liveleak factory, and you will save everyone.That said, we ought to let him know we're interested in pursuing an education, but that our mission is as of now more urgent. Another problem with Fizzlebotton is that he's brought up a brothel as a selling point. A brothel! We are a proud /v/ lurker that's been ignoring gooner spam for years. What does he take us for? Nay, I think it is best to refuse this charlatan, and forge our own legend through learning by doing! That, and I want to see more kickass warform art and what the other heroes can do.
>>6416442Also, I didn't think of this is initially, but can we immediately ask Seventeen if she can source us a musket and a large sack of bullets and gunpowder? I think we might've stumbled on a means of pulling our weight while our final form is charging, with the [Load] trick. Maybe we could go the gunmage route? At the very least, it will be less risk to the Blackiron Pact than swordfighting demons with a grand total of three hours of training.
>>6416455...Who do you think was creating all those goonbait threads? Mwahahahahahaha!!! >>6416455>>6416460Anyway, writing!
>>6416639Fuck it, it's not like, "I have much of a choice here." The wizard grits his teeth as you say those words. "D-don't get me wrong," You put your hands up like you're trying to calm down a raging crackhead, "I want to go study magic, that sounds cool as shit, Sir Fizzlebottom." And surprisingly, it works! With the respect you put on his name, the wizard backs down, slightly mollified, "But maybe we can put it on hold? Till, I've made a name for myself conquering this factory or whatever?" You look to Seventeen and back. She doesn't say a word, but that isn't a no. And that means showtime! "That's what wizards do, right?" You say, your voice and expression moving quicker with each word, "They do fuckin' impossible!" You shout with a cocky grin you don't deserve to keep, not yet, at least, "So take this mission as my application! And prepare to welcome a Wizard Without Equal once I conquer this 'warform factory' and show the world my strength!" You strike a different pose with each exclamation point, [Dispel]ling the tense atmosphere in the room.Kenluthian pulls the brim of his floppy hat further over his eyes, "Heh, spoken like a true practitioner. I'm glad we weren't wrong about you, son. But--""That's quite enough, isn't it? Otto gave his answer, so leave." Seventeen barks. Kenluthain pays her no mind and instead puts a wrinkled hand on your shoulder, "After that boast, you'd better survive, kid, because I figure you have no idea what you're getting into here. So take this as a parting gift," Through his hand, you feel an intense pressure flood into you, though unlike right after the summoning, it isn't a chaotic or random flood into you; there is a clear, deliberate purpose. It feels... kinda good as your body consumes the Mana. Almost like you took a big hit of keef. "To a normal peon, this is the collected mana worth years. I [Absorb]ed it all last Tuesday.""If that will be all?" Seventeen presses."Yes, yes, I shall take my leave. My ritual will not hold forever, and with all the Blackiron around, I fear it may destabilize--""Wait! May I interject here?" Albert shouts, pulling everyone's attention to him, "Khuhu, sorry, but I don't believe I'll be able to accompany you to the next battle, Knight Commander. I'm not sure these old bones would survive the journey. And I've felt or done nothing crazy like Otto has since coming here. I'm already barely holding it together after yesterday~" He-- makes a good point."What are you suggesting?" Seventeen presses."Well, it would be rather rude to leave the magician--" "Wizard," Ken corrects, "Wizard here empty-handed after coming so far. I believe it would be best if Xiuying and I accompany him.""You wish to deprive the mission of two heroes?" Seventeen questions.
>>6416676"Khuhu, wouldn't it be worse to deprive the Blackiron Pact of two heroes when we inevitably die on the way? I'm pretty confident in my scholarly record, but fighting? I think that is best left to the young men and women.""And Xiuying?" At that, Albert gives the large woman a look. Not a glare or anything similar, but the look one parent gives to another when discussing their retarded child's dreams of making it big. N-not that you're calling Xiuying retarded or anything-- B-but- it's just a figure of speak-- Fuck, you're so screwed if there's a mind-reading spell, "I understand," Seventeen says before turning to the wizard, "You may take those two with you, then be gone from my fortress. Your stench makes me sick.""That wouldn't be my wizardly aura, commander. Now the other one-?""I-i'm going to the factory too!" Saki blurts out, unable to control her volume after not speaking throughout the entire confrontation.Kenluthian clicks his tongue, "And that's that. I shall take my leave, then." The wizard does a full 180 on the balls of his feet, his robes billow as he conjures [Wind] for just that purpose. Must have taken a lot of practice. Then just like that, he's gone as fast as he came, Albert with Albert following. Hopefully, this isn't the last you see of him, though you can't say this is a bad outcome, you'd rather not see either of your earlier 'party's' weakest links, in combat that is, die for nothing. Perhaps the college will suit them better. Albert has a doctorate, after all, and you're pretty sure an academy is a much better place for Xiuying to be than the military."Fucking, wizards." Seventeen curse as the door closes before turning to the two of you, "We will begin preparing immediately. The journey will take three days if we are quick about it, though I estimate it will be closer to seven. Now, do you have any equipment requests?"Actually, now that you think about it...
>>6416678Your are Richard Knollwood, better known as Dick to your friends, and you've just hit the biggest rip of your life *cough* *cough* "The fuck you get this shit?" You ask another of your housemates, Maxwell Chen, as you pass the bong. It’s well after work for both of you and you’re currently riding out your night with the usual activities, drinking, smoking, and watching anime."I'm telling you, man, what they have up in Vermont is next level," Max says before hitting it himself. As his face turns red and he coughs up a lung you turn your attention to the TV, which loudly blares crappy "rock" music as the protagonist does some pretty boring moves to the ugly bad guy of the episode. You have to put emphasis on ugly yourself because normally Otto would be sitting next to you and saying how much you look like him. Sure, it's only been a day, but isekai slop doesn't feel the same without his heckling. Not like the shows themselves can make up for it. They're all seasonal dogshit, with one or two exceptions. "You manage to get in that missing person report?" Max asks after a huge gulp of water."Yeah, cops laughed at me the first time, but it's been over 24 hours now, so they have to at least put him on file." You say."...You sure you saw what you saw?" Max says after a moment of hesitation, but you've never been so sure in your life."Yeah, his computer nabbed him, actual true-to-life isekai shit. Still hardly believe it myself." "Fuck." Max lets his curse linger, "You think we're gonna be able to afford rent without him?"You nod, "For a month or two, but it'll be hard." Boston is an expensive city, and cramming four guys into an apartment was the only way your friend group could afford to move to any halfway decent location. Max fiddles with the brim of his replica Union Army hat, like Otto, he's always been a history geek, probably the most out of all of you, seeing as he got a degree in it. Though his main focus has always been the American Civil War, you're not exactly sure why, but it probably just tickles his autism. You know far more about it than you would if you hadn't met him in elementary school. You all met in elementary, actually, you, Otto, Max, and Alex. "Damn, we already tore apart his room, too. How the fuck are we supposed to find him?" "Up to us to find out." You say, "As I'm looking at it right now, we can either find a way to become like Otto is on the other side," You point to the tv where the Kirito-like protagonist uses his bullshit powers to obliterate an opposing army, like an entire army, all on his own. Total bull. "Or we get kicked out of here, and we're back to living with our parents in smoke detector-filled houses."Max takes another rip, "Fuck that." "I know, it's the worst scenario possible." But that just means you need to figure out a way to get to the other world yourselves. The question is... How?
>>6416679>Try to look through Otto's room again? You know for a fact his computer password is his birthday so maybe there's something there?>Maybe you'll find an answer by researching more isekai anime? Maybe read a few manga? Hell, your bookcase even has classic lit about it, like Alice and Narnia.>Follow up with Otto's family? Or the authorities? You could give his brother a call, or maybe the police have an update?>[Write-in]
>>6416680>Try to look through Otto's room again? You know for a fact his computer password is his birthday so maybe there's something there?What could go wrong
>>6416682Writing! Though the update will probably take a bit longer than usual due to life stuff today and I don't have the drawing prepped.
>>6416721"I'm going to check his room again, I probably just didn't check his computer enough," You finally say as the episode wraps up. "You coming?""Yeah, but you sure this isn't like creepypasta stuff? I'm all down for an isekai adventure and being overpowered and everything, but I'd rather not find myself in a horror movie." Max says as the two of you march to Otto's room."Come on, all good isekai anime have at least some stakes to them," You declare, "Overpowered-slop just gets boring after the first, maybe second, episode.""Hey, man, Mob Psycho and One Punch are pretty good, and their protags are overpowered as hell.""One, those aren't isekai. Two, that's different: the show has themes and such. And three, we're here." Out of the four of you, Otto's room is the most put-together, probably because he actually decided to paint his walls. A boring gray, sure, but he did paint them. And it's a color that perfectly describes the bastard, but still. And unlike Alex, he actually bothers to clean his mess, obviously not as much as you, given the odor of his bedsheets, but you'll give him the benefit of the doubt, given his current MIA status. But if you find out he's carousing around with an all-female party, you're going to kill him. Bros before hoes, dude, bros before hoes. "I'm going to snoop around, let me know if you find anything on his computer that isn't porn," Maxwell says as he immediately crawls under Otto's bed to look through the storage boxes he keeps down there. Probably, from what you found yesterday, it was just old Halloween costumes and cosplays. Stuff he rarely uses but can't exactly throw away. And boots, he has a lot of boots."Let's see here," you mumble as you turn the PC on, only to be greeted by the inquisitive face of a blonde anime girl asking for the pin. "04/01, April Fool's Day," You mumble as you type. A birthday that suits him quite well. He may not look it at first glance, but you know he can be a real trickster if left unchecked. "Alright, I'm in." You say, like any good movie hacker. "Now, only to access the mainframe and download the data, shit, they're onto me!""In English, four eyes!" Maxwell yells as he moves to check the closet, disregarding the fact that both of you wear glasses. Yours are cooler though. "Nothing here," of course, there isn't. Otto keeps closety things in there. That and his Warhammer army. Dark Angels because he's a stupid Imperium fanboy. Everybody knows Chaos is more metal."You don't think this is like a fanfic where he was unlucky enough to find himself in 40k?" Max questions, and you don't even entertain the idea. That'd be just such a total bummer if it were true."No, but I did find his porn folder. Monster Girls, mostly." You smirk as you look at Max's reaction. It's expected– Wait a minute, you’re pretty sure you saw a thread on /v/ with that exact Ranni pic yesterday–
>>6416843"Told you I didn't want to know! And no, I'm not surprised. He literally snuck the encyclopedia in our bookshelf one night.""Yeah, yeah, gonna go through his Discord logs now.""What are you, his ex-girlfriend?" "Shut up." Everything here seems normal, though you feel a sense of pride that your server is the one he's most active in. Sure, it's mostly for when you guys, as in the entire friend group, hop on a game, but it's a nice feeling nonetheless... It's going to be a lot less activity without him constantly running bits. "Steam popped up, I'm gonna check that now.""We're literally all in a Steam family, what do you think you can find there?""Well, have you ever heard of Fantasy Quest? Seems like it was the last game he played, only for a minute too.""Probably, just another weird 10 review tech demo-ass game.""No, reviews actually." That's kind of strange. How did he find this? "Seems it was taken off of Steam, too." Even stranger."For real?""Yeah, check this out." The game's weird: only a single image that's pretty poorly drawn, not even a trailer, on its profile. The publisher and dev are unlisted as well. Doesn't even have a spec requirement. No wonder it was taken down, though you note the last time Otto played it was– yesterday... Immediately, you click play... and nothing happens. That is, until it removes itself from Otto's library right in front of both of your eyes. You can't search it in the store, nor do you or Max see it shared on your own accounts. But still, you let yourself smile, because you're certain that you've just found your culprit.
>>6416845It sucks trying to go to sleep in a strange place without weed. You always have this sinking feeling at your back that something is going to sneak up behind you and– Aha, gotchu! …Didn’t land? Whatever, it still sucks, okay? You have enough trouble falling asleep in your own bed, and your tossing and turning has only doubled here. And it would probably be worse if Seventeen didn’t offer you her quarters because her ‘rest protocols do not require a room to function.’ Though you certainly hope she isn’t just going to sneak in and watch you sleep like you’re 99.9% sure she did last night. Dammit, happy thoughts, happy thoughts.Actually, would boring thoughts be more in order? You recall the meeting: it was fun for the first half hour as you got the equipment sorted. You’re the proud owner of your very own musket now! But it quickly became droll as the night went on, and Seventeen had you two sign form after form, which she had to read in her robotic voice because the translation spell only works for language. She paused for like a solid minute after each paper, too. Sucks, because you have no idea what you just signed, but it is what it is. And what it is is enough to put you to sleep. ……–You awake in an endless void, the pressure makes it feel like you're twenty thousand leagues under the sea… Something’s down here, you can feel it. Immediately, you try to swim to the surface, but you have no idea which direction it is. And you keep falling– and falling– and falling– *Woosh* A creature swims behind your back. You swirl around but catch nothing except for a soft giggle. You’re in danger, you try to speak, try to [Ascend], but your mouth can make no sound– But neither does water come flooding in. Ha, you’re not underwater, you're in a pure black void instead, wonderful! You can’t even see your hand in front of your face. You try to scream, but have no mouth to do so. “Hello there, little angel,” A feminine voice seemingly comes from every direction, “Did you have fun up there? I have to say, I’m very impressed.” Two slender arms wrap themselves around your chest. Her nails dig into your chest. “But not enough for me to forgive you.”“...” You cry out.“What? Cat got your tongue? Aw, how sad. Poor, poor little Otto ;(” You can’t even question how she possibly made that sound with her mouth. “Ohoho, do you even know what it is you took from me?”You frantically shake your head ‘NO!’ and after a tense moment, the pressure diminishes. “Haaah, I thought not. What a shame that is; it would have made this so much easier.” You feel the form disconnect from your back and your breath return–
>>6416848“aaaaaaaAAAAAAA–” You scream before it’s taken away again as a golden silhouette swims in front of you. She looks like a siren more than anything else, her messy hair sways in the void as her unseen lips peel back to show her fangs. “That’s enough of that, I believe,” she says tightly. “You’re not going to do it again,” Your breath returns. Well, now you have to– “AAAAAAAAA–” The air leaves you and the pressure returns. “I expected so many terrible things from you,” she says, trying to compose herself, her frustration evident, “But not for you to be so, Goddamn, annoying! I will tear apart your soul if you do it a third time!” “Who are you?” You question instead while breathing in enough void while you still can. It doesn’t really do much, but the action calms you.“I don’t know, and I’m talking here. Respond when spoken to, pig,” Well, that’s just rude, “Since I no longer wish to speak to you longer than I need, I will be brief. Somehow, and for some reason I know not, I have found myself affixed to your soul. And by this action, all of MY power has been transferred to YOU. It takes a lot of willpower not to ask how that happened. “Do you know why?”“Why TH are you expecting me to know? For the record, I didn’t ask for a soul tumor!” You shout in exasperation.“Watch your words when addressing me! Do you even know who I AM?!”“No,” You stress, “No I fucking don’t! We just went over this! Who TF are you?!””Someone important. Someone EXTREMELY important..." She hesitates for a moment, "I just can't recall right now. And I am certain it is your fault!” She gets closer and cups your cheeks. You can feel her nails pointed at your arteries. ”You take my power, but why? For what purpose? All you’ve done so far is bumble around like an IDIOT, so why? Why YOU?” “I literally just got here, lady! Weren’t you watching?!” Fucking… What is it with people and watching you? “I didn’t ask for ‘your powers’ I didn’t ask to even be here!”“And yet I still find myself a prisoner in your body. Hearing your every thought. Seeing glimpses of the havoc and mayhem, you're just a split-second decision away from causing. Christ, you didn’t even think of helping that poor girl until I told you. So typical for a moid.”“Do you have a fucking problem or something!?” “Yes, I do!" She shouts, "You! You must give me my powers back so you don’t end up destroying the world with your ignorance to them at the very least!”“Okay? What ones specifically?” You’re not even 100% what exactly her powers are. Okay, you got a pretty good idea, but you’d rather be sure.
>>6416856”Your powers to tamper with reality, of course. You have noticed how strange magic is for you, I saw you did. But do you even know why? I can interact with this world differently. You stole that from me. That power, Was. Mine. And you will put it back in its proper hands.”“Okay... say I agree, how? And what exactly is your problem? That I might hypothetically do something bad? That I have intrusive thoughts? 1984-ass–” She struggles not to strangle you, “You are not a good person, Otto Griggs, I know that. And when you slip up, and you will, I will take over this form of yours and set this mess of a world back straight again. As is my right as its savior.” For a moment, the only thing between you is heavy breathing as she gets that off her chest. Sure, your breath is shaky and frustrated while hers is furious and terrifying, but it is shared, “Or I offer you the chance to prevent that inevitability by giving it back now. Before I take it and kill you in the process.“But won’t I die anyway?” “You agree willingly, I will spare you. You will simply take my place in this limitless void and take on my role as observer. I will take care of your new allies and ensure the factory is defeated, then I will reclaim my old body and find a way to banish you back to Earth. And allow me to stress that you cannot even comprehend horrors await you at the factory. How can you expect to survive when you haven’t even tapped into a fraction of my potential?”“W-well, then teach me how to! Can't we compromise or something?”“No, of course not. You are a lecher and a psychopath. A typical male. Who knows what you could do with such power?”“Fuck, you!”“I will not repeat myself. I am only offering you this deal because your conduct so far has been decent, and this was the only time I could reach your conscious mind. But I refuse to keep serving you; release me this instant!”>Go. To. Hell! Pinch yourself and wake up.>GIVE UP and relieve yourself of consequence. >Attempt to communicate with her (Why?!?) [Write-in]
>>6416857>WRITE-IN: COMMUNICATE:>Don't you want to know who set us up with this weird situation in the first place? Help me out. We'll be much more inconspicuous in my form, right? And we can figure out what's going on and how to deal with it!
>>6416857>Attempt to communicate with her"I'd be likelier to trust if you if you didn't start our conversation by choking me. You've also shown a strong bias against me and men in general. Both of these don't endear me to give up my body and the chance to help my fellow Earth people stay alive to a stranger I don't even know. As is, how can I know that you aren't lying to me? Demons are evil incarnate, and evil can be sneaky. I don't think you're one of them but they've surely got spells for sneaking into dreams and seeming like something they're not."
>>6416863>>6416870Writing!
>>6417016Update won't have formatting because I'm posting this away from my computer. "Please forgive me!" - Mikan Tsumiki You grit your teeth and force yourself to stay just a little bit longer to tell this asshole off, because she's really pissing you off! "Is this the best way you can think to persuade someone into committing suicide? How the Hell am I supposed to trust that you'll actually keep me alive instead of 'tearing my soul apart' after you introduced yourself by strangling me? Y'know, I'd be totally willing to try and help you out if you weren't making it so hard to trust you! Do you even want to know who did this to us?!"She grits her teeth, "No, because it was YOU, obviously! Else, why would my soul be grafted to yours? Why would I be forced to condense your filthy male mana?""You got a thing against men or something? Like, I'm sorry if you've had some bad experiences in the past, but I haven't done anything to you!""You will, you'll slip up. I'm sure of it." She looks like she's about to vomit as she says the following words, "You might have done an admittedly excellent job defeating a tiny division, but that was With. My. Help. But you think it's going to be all sunshine and rainbows when you walk straight into a hell-factory? I promise you that you have no idea what's coming.""Then work with me here!" You shout in a mix of frustration and anger, "I'm not a bad guy, I promise!""Men aren't exactly known for holding true on their words, unless it's in a movie or 2D that is..." She mutters, though she does bring her hands back from your throat. Fucking Femcel. If you were going to have some magical patron stuck in your body, why couldn't it be someone more cooperative or nice? Like Sothis or something."I can hear your thought, you know?" Then stop listening."Look, I'm pretty sure you're probably not like an evil demon or something trying to coerce me out of my body, or if you are, you're exactly good at it." She snarls at the backhanded compliment, "But there's no way in hell that I'm giving you my body after all that! Have you ever heard that first impressions are the most important? Being some raging dream social-terrorist isn't exactly a good one. But you said you helped me before, who, why not-?""You think I want to get taken down with you!? If you expire, so do I, and I have a life that's actually important and need to get back to–""Alright, then explain what that is.""...""Can't?""...You wouldn't be able to understand anyway. Now, are you going to relinquish control or not?""No, not to you anyway."She bares her teeth, well, more than she already has, "Do you not realize that I'm the one in control here? That I could tear you asunder–”"Yeah, yeah, then why haven't you?" You ask, "If you hate me so much, why am I still alive? Or let me guess. It's a bluff.""...""Yeah, that's what I thought. Either you can't, or the process would rip you to shreds, too, won't it?"
>>6417038"Unlike you degenerate males, I actually have morals. I refuse to take the life of someone who has yet to sin." She ends up saying. Probably just to sound cool and comfort herself on the fact she's incapable, "I am TOTALLY capable. Do you even know who I am?""How the fuck am I supposed to when not even you do?""Go to Hell!"You take a calming breath, "You know what? Sure. That's exactly where I'm going to go." You declare." And whether you help me or not, I'm going to win. I refuse to listen to you or anyone else who doubts me about this! You know why? Because I'm a God. Damn. Hero!" You matter what, you refuse to back down! "You don't have to do anything but watch as I save the day again, and again, and again! Because I don't know why I was given 'your' power, but I'm going to make the most out of it! I'm going to save everyone I can! Because I chose this path, and I'm going to it through to the end!" Your cocky smile returns, but for the first time since you can remember, you feel it's right sitting on your face. " So have fun raging in this pit of yours; maybe it'll even help you calm down for a change. And when you're back begging me, Otto Griggs, to help you, you better be nice to me!"You can feel the entity glare throughout your monologue, but you don't let it deter you. She doesn't say a word as you wake to the cold eyes of Seventeen–"Jesus, fuck!" You yell before accidentally bumping your face on hers. "OW!" Why the Hell was she watching you so close?!? "Good, you're awake. I noticed movements similar to the patterns humans experience when having nightmares, so please note that they were not real and you are safe at present." The tightening in your chest begs to differ; you can feel the nails. "I've already awoken Saki, please head to the quartermaster to acquire your gear, then we will set off.""W-what time is it?" You manage to say"About an hour before the sun rises, this is when we will wake for the remainder of the journey.""...Goddammit," You usually sleep until noon...
>>6417040https://youtu.be/6yKffo7R23s?si=ui7b7a5t91fTvov5[Scenario End: The Hard Decisions] You chose to train your abilities in swordsmanship and magic.You agreed to spend time with Saki Nishimura.You helped Saki get the weight off her chest.You chose not to back down from attacking the demonic factory.Albert and Xiuying left the party! It might have been a good thing.Richard & Max discovered Fantasy Quest.You did not hand your body over to the Void Entity.Your closest ally was Saki Nishimura; she sees you as maybe kinda cool.You never backed down despite being given multiple opportunities to do so. Otto may be cowardly, but he can no longer be considered a coward.[Ending Achieved: The Determined Hero][green]...Those decisions weren't really hard at all.[/green][Loading Scenario... Please wait]
>>6417041[Scenario Start: Highway to Hell]The morning air is cool, crisp, and thin up on the mountain tops. An hour of silent marching gives you plenty of time to think, though you don't have many good thoughts to think about, so you focus on the matters at hand. Most pressing of which would be the equipment you now wear, it's not exactly like the baggy clothing you're used to, but its cool factor more than makes up for it. That's right, when Seventeen forced the Quartermaster to give you and Saki the last of his good stock, you chose to wear:>Bulky, yet sturdy, armor. It would be considered High DEF Low SPE if this were a LitRPG... It feels good to play Tank again even if this is real life.>Standard Blacksteel Plate. Jack of all trades, master of none-- But better than a master of one.>Lightweight armor, more padding than steel. Your joints thank you for the relief of not having to wear firefighter-esque equipment.But also while you were down there...>Did you try to apply any runes to your armor, if so what? [Write-in]And as for your weapon of choice, you have a musket and plenty of ammunition due to the ability you discovered with Saki. Seventeen also gave you a smaller sidearm and dagger as well, just in case.>Did you apply any runes to your weapons, if so what? [Write-in]
>>6417042This is a list of the runes we've seen so far.[Heat], [Fire], [Load], [Blackiron], [Artificial], [Construct], [Infect], [Bind], [Unbind], [Organic], [Arcana], [Blood], [Flesh], [Bone], [Sinew], [Divine], [Sword], [Explosion], [Gatling Gun], [Impenetrable Barrier], [Corpse], [Expel], [Receive], [Chill], [Lavender], [Mermaid Tear], [Mana]If our armour is blackiron, I think we might get some good results by slapping down a [Receive] rune and trying to make a simpler [Barrier] downgrade of the [Impenetrable Barrier] rune. I'm unsure of what quality of armour is best to wear. If we go heavy, we've got a bit of insurance but also a greater likelihood of being struck, and vice versa. Perhaps the middle-ground? I'll defer to your anons' judgement.Apart from that, I'm a bit curious of what would happen if we took a bullet and engraved an [Explosion] rune on it. Would it destroy the musket in our hand, or cause an explosion on hitting the target? We have no idea of how to delay rune effects. Better not to risk it, maybe. Another possibility. Do you think putting a [Blood] rune on our dagger might help it find purchase in our enemies? We could try a short sentence. [Heat]+[Blood], to either boil an enemy's blood or get hot when touching it. I doubt [Chill] would be as useful. What do you guys think?
I'm going to let this vote linger for the rest of today and tomorrow because I need to plot out where the next steps of the story goes from here (and I need a little bit of a break from writing). The quest will resume on Monday the 25th, but I'll keep lingering in the threat in case any discussion pops up that needs me. Till then! Love you all, mysterious internet people!
>>6417056Writing!
>>6418046Snow crunches under your sabaton as you carry on. After an hour's walk, you ended up carving a [Heat] sigil into the blacksteel of your armor. Sure, you don’t want to get cooked alive, but with how frigid it is up here? When you don’t even have the Locket’s walls to block the wind. If it gets too hot, you’ll erase the [Receive] rune you inscribed, but for now, you’re enjoying the warmth. It makes this trek actually manageable with only the slim wool cloak you were given to wear over it. And if the [Heat] rune is working, that should mean the [Barrier] rune you applied also is. You mean, why shouldn't it work? It’s only a modification to a rune you already know... You hope you’re right, but by that feeling near your heart, which is both relieved and enraged, you’re pretty sure you are.“Otto, to my sight, you resemble a veritable cataclysm on the world around you. It is rather frightening to observe you drain the little life out of the world around you. Clarification, I believe that is a good sign, though please remove your armor should you attempt physical contact.” Seventeen had told you when you first donned your armor. And you’re partial to agreeing on its worth; you feel more energized than ever after inscribing [Receive] on it. Though you can’t say the same for Saki, who trudges behind you in heavy armor. Not that you're diminishing her abilities or anything! Seventeen would have stopped you if you were. Seeing as she has only shown signs of athletic ability slightly past that of an average human, it was seen fit by all for her to wear the most protective gear possible. It’s going to be a long journey for her if her wheezes and whines are anything to go by. Though for you, your medium armor and newfound endurance is making this quite the breeze so far. Sure, you might be singing a different tune on day 3 but on hour 3 this is no problem. Other than directions by Seventeen and the occasional comment from any of you, not much has been said so far. Tsk, tsk, tsk, what to say, what to say– Ah, your weapons! You, far from everyone else, tried engraving [Explosion] on a pebble of blackstone you found near the rubble with the intention of finding out if you could make explosive bullets. Surprisingly, it didn’t go off in your hand like a sparkler, but it did when you threw it. But then you tried making another pebble blow like a sparkler, it did. It was a small little experiment you did when you were still waking up but it worked! You figured out that it seems your intentions behind transcribing a rune can influence what it does. Your chest tightens thinking back over the memory. But after figuring that out, you ended up with a pouch of [Explosive Bullets], and you tried inscribing [Heat] + [Blood] on your dagger to make it [Boil]. You wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of either of those, you know for sure.
>>6418090But back to finding something to say about weapons:>Seventeen asked to see how you reloaded your musket earlier. Maybe she has some insight into the mindfuck of your perception while reloading.>You wanted to ask Saki how she’s adjusting to that giant mace instead of her bat; she keeps stumbling around, unused to the weight.>Or… You don’t have to say anything. It’s not like you don’t enjoy the quiet. >[Write-in]
>>6418091>>Seventeen asked to see how you reloaded your musket earlier. Maybe she has some insight into the mindfuck of your perception while reloading.GUNNSSSSSS
>>6418091>You wanted to ask Saki how she’s adjusting to that giant mace instead of her bat; she keeps stumbling around, unused to the weight.We want to keep our whole party alive, if we can. I get the feeling Saki will be important for dealing with the Great Hero, and keeping her alive if she can't wield her weapon well will be harder.
Rolled 1 (1d2)>>6418093>>64180991 for gunz 2 for required social commitments Writing!
>>6418221“Hey, Seventeen, you got a second?” You ask when you stop for rest. The commander has been surprisingly good at making sure the two of you, basically normal civilians, have enough breaks during the hike. Personally, you’re holding up pretty fine, but Saki desperately needs it; the thin air all but requires it. Not to mention the armor and mace. She’s without complaint, though, says the weight is making for “good training.” At least you know there’s a fire under her. “Of course, anything for you.” She says, too personally.“Right... I just wanted to show you the reloading thing I was talking about earlier. Y’know the one?”“Indeed, a difference in perception while you perform the action of reloading a musket. What seems to you to be drawing is, in reality, a movement of superhuman capability. A peculiar but not unheard of issue.” “Um, yeah, that's... surprising, but I really guess it shouldn't be. Then you might be able to figure out what it is? Like, your eyes can just see this magic, right? Can you try to see what happens when I do it?” You ask. Dammit, you always feel so awkward when trying to talk to her.“I always have time for you.” You cringe a little at the phrasing, which you’re not sure is intentional or not. Her strange obsession with you is weird, it’s just really weird, man. She basically threw you to your death– “We warforms are equipped with multiple ocular systems, sensing magic is indeed one of them. Feel free to make use of my assistance whenever it is required."Right... Anyway, you pick up your musket from the icy rock it lay on and fetch some chalk from your pouch. You [Load] one of your [Explosive] bullets in plain view for Seventeen to watch. “So, was that anything? To me, it was still like I drew it on again.” Though by the chalk sunken into the snow by your feet and mysteriously out of your hand, it's pretty obvious that wasn't reality.“Looks better when you do it in armor. Makes you look more like a cartoon character.” Saki pipes up between labored breaths. With her helmet off, you can see just how exhausted she is. So much so, she’s recently taken up the hobby of rubbing snow over her cherry-colored face just to cool down.
>>6418259“I see, I know what this is,” Seventeen says, drawing your full attention. “It’s a mental block utilizing subconscious illusion spells. I saw this happen when the ‘great’ ‘hero’ awakened a few of his powers. The ones he did not understand at first. Your mind is using your high magical potency to protect you from seeing sights unfamiliar to your previous normal. You can understand drawing a rune to make something true because of previously held beliefs about writing and magic, but you cannot understand performing a complex operation you have never done before perfectly at superhuman capacity. So you simply do not process yourself doing so. The magic helps make the illusion seem more real.” Seventeen then tears off a small flaking part of her armor, blackiron, and tosses it over to you. “Have you tried transcribing a 'rune' on without the use of chalk before? Just using your own body?”“I can’t say I have. Do you really think I can just will a rune into existence?”“I believe you should try.” The most familiar rune you’ve seen on this material is, of course, [Heat], so you take off a gauntlet, raise your already freezing hand, and try to conjure the spell into being. “I can see it,” you say in shock as you will a rune into existence. Seeing the rune sitting there, on a scrap of metal slowly melting the snow around it-- it's a wonderful feeling. A childlike glee flows through your body that you want to spout off a line that would make a Marvel movie look cheesy. But for the sake of everyone, you restrain yourself. Somewhere, deep down, an otherworldly force thanks you.“My thermal vision shows the scrap now producing heat. I hypothesize that if you simply believe further in your abilities, your mind will cease trying to protect itself from them.”“So I just gotta believe in myself, and I can do anything? How utterly inspirational,” You quip. The thankfulness inside is gone.“Gimme that!” Saki says as she takes the scrap from behind you and rubs it on her face. “Fuuuck-- That feels good.”“You cold now after rubbing snow all over yourself?”She sticks her tongue out at you, “Fuck," breathe, "You," breathe, "How the hell aren’t you tired already? All we’ve been doing is steep uphill.”“I–” You begin, but Saki cuts you off.“Bullshit, fucking hax bullshit, that’s how." She says with a loosely held pointed finger, "Fuck you.” She pants. You do the only thing you can in this scenario and stick out your own tongue and flip her off. You are very mature.Eventually, she throws the rock on the ground and stretches out her back, “Alllright~ Finally, I'm good. Let's get out–”
>>6418262“DOWN!” Seventeen shouts as she throws Saki to the ground and gets them both behind rocky cover. A second later, a bullet whizzes straight through where her head used to be. Saki scrambles for her helmet as your eyes catch a flash of light from another mountain. “Sniper!” Seventeen screams as time grows slower... and slower...You stand there in a stunned haze. You’re being shot at, and so soon after leaving the Locket. What the Hell? How's that fair? Shouldn't this already be the part of the anime where you're overpowered as shit and can delete all your problems? Why did your isekai world luck have to roll so badly?! Dammit, dammit! Pull yourself together, Otto, or are you forgetting that our next moves may determine whether you LIVE or DIE>You raise your musket and fire the [Explosive] bullet towards the sniper.>You duck behind cover and wait for Seventeen’s orders>You try to use one of your abilities [How?]>[Write-in]
>>6418263>You try to use one of your abilities [How?][HEAT] the snow between us and the sniper--the resulting steam'll provide a smokescreen for us to return fire or dip out
>>6418264Writing a smaller update!
>>6418419If we die I blame Saki with our last breath
>>6418422Sorry, your plan was pretty good so no dying for you just yet>>6418263You throw your gauntlet off your hand as you remember something. First, maybe you should get rid of the [Receive] rune on it after this is all over. And second, Sage Antonius said that humans have about the same magical conductivity as water, which makes sense, seeing as we’re 70% made of the stuff, and you know for a fact humans are magically conductive. You raise your hand, and a line of [Heat] appears in front of you and sublimates the snow and ice at the edge of the mountain. The next shot goes wide, far from any of you, as the sniper loses all visibility with the newfound mist hiding you. You raise your rifle, with your [Explosive] ammunition, it really shouldn’t matter where you hit on the other mountain, you’re bound to cause an avalanche and obliterate the sniper if you shoot. But as you look toward Seventeen–“Damn it, can’t see the sniper.” She comments as she points her flintlock at the far mountain, could she even hit anything anyway? Then she shakes her helmet, “Good distraction, Otto. I was not expecting the defensive perimeter of the factory to have reached so far. I fear that if we cannot neutralize the sniper, we may need to find a way to break into the dwarven tunnel system. They’ve been abandoned in this stretch of the mountain chain for years because of the incursion, but if we’re going to be continuously harassed at range, there may be no other way. Saintess, preserve us.”>”Right, yeah, after you.”>Show off your elite gamer skillz by firing your [Explosive] bullet towards the mountain.>[Write-in]
>>6418427>Show off your elite gamer skillz by firing your [Explosive] bullet towards the mountain.lmao bg ez no re
>>6418427>”Right, yeah, after you.”I'm pretty sure shooting an explosive will bring in enemy reinforcements.
>>6418453I mean... if they're shooting at us then they already know we're here, right?
>>6418454One sniper knows we're here, but an explosion might be ringing the dinner bell. We'd take them out but then be jumping from the frying pan to the fire.
>>6418458Alrighty then, deferring to you>>6418427Change>>6418433to>After you
>>6418453>>6418459Ah, no avalanche shenanigans for me. Writing!
>>6418522"Right, yeah, sure, after you." You say as you regretfully shoulder your musket. Damn, it would have been so cool to totally wreck that n00b with a 360 noscope gg no re. But whatever, causing an avalanche might be a bad idea, and you would rather not ring the dinner bell on where you are in case that warform has friends. The sniper has to be a warform, right? Who else would have guns that could shoot off other mountains in a medieval fantasy setting... This is a medieval fantasy setting, right? With everything you've experienced so far, you might have to reevaluate the tropes you're using as a basis of what's normal in this world. Maybe you shouldn't be using fictional tropes at all? You ask yourself, and immediately dismiss that idea as stupid. How else are you supposed to view the world if not through the helpful lens of too much time wasted on TV Tropes? Are you supposed to be normal or something?"Otto, stay with me!" Seventeen says as a strong hand grabs your shoulder. "Can you keep up the mist?""Yeah, won't be a problem, but they'll be able to see the direction we're moving too pretty easily."The veteran nods, "Then we'll stay behind cover at all times. I believe an old wyvern layer around here should have a crevice leading to the underpass. We will head there.""We gonna have to fight a wyvern?" Saki moans."No, I dispatched it years ago. But the journey will take over an hour." Seventeen says to Saki's groan."Got it, just tell me what you need me to do." You say, as you cast more [Heat] on the snow around you. It feels surprisingly like a sauna now, which would be cool if you weren't locked in stuffy armor."Affirmative. I will make use of you to the best of my abilities."You keep up the habit of [Heat]ing the surroundings you walk, until the mountain is positively [Burn]ing; maybe one day you can make a volcano? Regardless, the mist makes for great cover, helped by the fact that Seventeen leads you from outcrop to outcrop with experienced efficiency. The sniper doesn't even get close to hitting a single one of you. Though after about ten minutes of the same song and dance, Saki stops, "I can't... go on... anymore... Fuck squatting..." She says between pants. The strange ways you're forced to move to get from cover to cover must be destroying her legs after an already long journey. Dammit, like Hell you're going to leave her behind, so you need to find out some way to keep her going–>Tell Seventeen to carry her>Try to energize her by [Expel]ling mana into her>Look for something you can use to transport her, like a makeshift sled, maybe?>[Write-in]
>>6418545>Tell Seventeen to carry herThere's no time to waste and now isn't a good place to experiment.
>>6418557Writing!
>>6418567"Seventeen, can you just carry her?" You shout to an affirming–"Affirmative-!""Wha– wai– wait!" Saki yelps as the colossal warform takes her into her arms and performs the standard princess carry maneuver. The commander shows no signs of slowing down because of the extra weight-- and no, you're not calling Saki fat! Don't even think that for a second, it's because of the armor! The pain in your chest torments, but eventually stops arguing the point. Jesus, what a fucking prick. The pain returns, you don't care.For the next hour, you don't say a word, only listen to Seventeen's navigation and throw down [Heat] runes when ordered. You feel as if you're a part of a well-oiled machine, heh, when actually working with her. You don't have to make any decisions or rely on your higher processing; you do as ordered, and you'll turn out all right. God, it's such a relief. Saki whined for about ten more minutes after being picked up, then she settled into a comfortable nook in Seventeen's arms, and by the snoring, must have fallen asleep. After that, you noticed Seventeen deliberately moving more slowly and making fewer movements so as not to disturb Saki. A nice thought, though each time a shot whizzes past you, you wish she would hurry up a little!"Hold, I can see the entrance to the den. Saki awaken," The Knight Commander orders before letting the tired girl down. The delinquent murmurs something to sound vaguely threatening after her "humiliation," but there's no heat, and she's far too sleepy to speak anywhere close to coherently."See anything?" You whisper."Yes, the entrance to the den." Seventeen says normally because the sniper is a fuckton of miles away from your position. How the Hell are his shots so close?"Come, on-- Seventeen, please?" You ask."Apologies, I was analyzing," She damn well was not. "It would seem a tribe of goblins has taken residence in the space. Not demonic, it would seem, but feral, meaning their tribe has not signed the Blackiron Pact and is therefore trespassing on this land. By all international laws that keep this continent bound together, we are fully within our rights to remove or exterminate this 'monstrous' race from our territory on our quest to reclaim the dwarven underpass. What say you?" Seventeen asks."Bleeeeh–" Saki helpfully adds. You have the feeling Seventeen is testing you. Do you have your "benefactor" to thank for that feeling, or is it just your own intuition? The void entity is unhelpfully silent>W-well, let's do exactly that then, right?" Rushing goblins down is surely the fastest way to get out of the sniper's fire. >"I mean, there's no reason for us not to be civilized, r-right? Can we, um, offer them to, uh, join-? The Blackiron Pact that is?">"Look, Seventeen, please just lead the way. I'll do whatever it is you say, just get us out of here!">[Write-in]
>>6418571>"I mean, there's no reason for us not to be civilized, r-right? Can we, um, offer them to, uh, join-? The Blackiron Pact that is?"The goblins must not like demons any better than the rest of us, and as a Hero, we've surely got to have the political clout to make them an offer?
>>6418605Writing!
>>6418819“I suppose that would be the most natural way to proceed.” Seventeen answers with bored monotony. It seems she was pretty neutral on your response, but you can hardly care about all that– You’re still being shot at!As you follow up on Seventeen’s position and the mist starts to dissipate, you can see the crevice she was talking about. A few thousand feet below the mountain's summit is a vertical crack that leads into a large cylindrical cavern. Solid stone brick walls scatter through the cave, though most have long been lost to time. The scorch marks almost make them look like blackiron. Though if you take your attention away from the ancient defenses, you can see the shanty town built on top of them: wood, debris, corpses, and a collection of other cobble-together materials form the basis of the dwelling of the tiny green inhabitants of the cave. Great cloaks cover most of their bodies as they shiver in great huddles. By the sounds of construction and repair, as well as a simple glance, it seems the tribe has only recently taken refuge in this hovel. And you just brought a sniper to their doorstep. Maybe you should offer to try to make a barricade with your runes as an apology? Can you even do that?“One more time, Otto, burn the snow and follow me inside. They will draw whatever weapons they can, but trust in your armor.”“Gotcha.” You say. You then take a deep breath and work your magic. The dash inside is anything but calming, especially as all eyes in the caverns' main central courtyard turn towards you. By the cavern walls, where the shanty town grows vertical, you see even more green faces, some looking out towards the intruders, or closing their shutters in fear. “Erghaz! Who goes there!” Shouts a particularly bulky goblin, still only about four feet tall, as he stands from one of the largest huddle groups and unveils a rusted dagger from under his cloak, “Trespassers! Sound the drums! Sounds the drums!” God, you’re never going to get over everyone having a Boston accent here. Is there a way to edit your translation spell?A continuous rhythm resounds through the cave as goblins climb down from the town and swarm your position. The smaller goblins retreat into the depths of their lair while the larger ones advance on you. It’s during this time that the three of you analyze the cave more intensely, specifically the body parts arrayed around like decorations. Totems made of skulls, drumsticks of bone, and the vines of demonic infestation hung around as trophies, along with other, probably, demon parts. “Otto,” Seventeen says, “I do not understand this tribe's language. Translate.”Oh, right. “I think they’re trying to kill us,” You say.“Ah–” Seventeen is about to comment before a sniper round shoots one of the goblins in the arm, causing him to fall to the ground screaming. All take a step back from you. “Well, introduce us, then.”
>>6418842R-right– You look to Saki for help, but she’s too busy catching her breath, hands on her knees. Though she raises one to give you a shaky thumbs up in a ‘you got this!’ manner. Bastard, leaving all the work for you. “U-um!” You shout, your voice echoing through the walls. “I’d get away from the cave mouth, there’s Demons outside.”There’s a collective gasp from the small creatures around you, and a frantic whisper of “The knight speaks our tongue?” “We’re, um, from the Blackiron Pact! We’re– uh,” You look to Seventeen for help.“Tell them that they’re trespassing on our territory.” Do you really want to do that?!“You’re, uh–” Dammit, you failed public speaking! You didn’t know this was going to be on the assignment! >”T-tresspassing on the territory of the Blackiron Pact, l-let us through, and we will do no harm!” Yeah, maybe some authority will help move this conversation along.>”--Well, you have our help! We’ll uh, help with the sniper then– uh, tell us your woes, goblins!” Maybe you should try to be supportive? You read about supportive leadership in a textbook once.>Oh, fuck this. Draw your weapon. “We are the Blacksteel Legion, and you have all been officially annexed. Do as I say and nobody, uh, nobody more will get hurt!”>[Write-in]
>>6418844>[Write-in]"We're passing through and mean you no harm! So uh, just... let's all calm down!"
>>6418846"Also watch your heads because some assclown is sniping people for some weird reason"
>>6418844>”--Well, you have our help! We’ll uh, help with the sniper then– uh, tell us your woes, goblins!” Maybe you should try to be supportive? You read about supportive leadership in a textbook once.Best to take a diplomatic approach. The goblins may not be happy to hear we're here on the behalf of a foreign, to them, nation. They were already surprised at our fluency in their tongue. This could go well to swaying the creatures to our side.
>>6418846>>6418859Writing!
>>6418894"Uuuuuh, we're, uh, not with the assclown out there," You say as you thumb over your shoulder to the entrance. "We're searching for the Underpass to deal with the demonic threat in the region, so you'll-- You'll have our help! T-tell us your woes, goblins, for we are Heroes from the Pact here to save the day!" You begin to boast as another shot almost clips the nose of an extra-wrinkly goblin. "That is not what I told you to say," Seventeen reprimands."I-it, haaah-- It was cool though-- haah, haah--" Saki says as she begins to catch her breath, "I have to sit down." And does exactly that.The goblins watch her movements with bated breath as they shuffle away from the cave-mouth. They lose said breath when Saki immediately begins snoring under her armor. "You're Heroes?" The bulky goblin asks as he breaks rank and steps up to you. You tower over him; it's honestly kind of crazy how not intimidating he is despite his, admittedly, horrid appearance and muscular stature. You kind of feel bad, it looks like these guys got the intelligence of D&D but the looks of Goblin Slayer. After that, though, you immediately feel relieved when you see a female goblin carrying her baby inside, proving you're not in such a horrid reality as that. Though the skeleton, missing everything below the ribs, hanging above her crawl-space doorway, doesn't exactly inspire confidence."Otto Griggs, Hero of the Blackiron Pact, at your service." You announce, though, at the name of the Pact, many wince."The Pact hasn't been here for years. Are they finally returning?" You nod, "We're on a mission to stop the spread of corrupted warforms in the area by disabling the factory. You'd benefit from that, surely.""We would," The goblin admits, "Till, the dwarves come back to enslave us." "That's--" You translate for Seventeen."Preposterous." Seventeen, "We are not the Isles; slavery was strictly outlawed under the provisions of the Pact. Should they still be here when the Legion reestablishes itself in the area, they will simply either be evicted or forced to sign the Pact and become citizens, then they will be relocated to a suitable population center."You translate again, which causes the goblin to huff in indignation, "That is not what happened to Clan Gutshank."
>>6418918The role of a translator kinda sucks; it's a lot of back-and-forth. "Never heard of it," Seventeen says."We've never heard of Clan Gutshank. What happened?" You brace yourself to hear just what horror stories your new country, not that you really consider yourself a member, did to, well, the Gut Shankers, but another bullet flies in and strikes a hanging cage, containing a rotting demon corpse. The rusted chain breaks and causes the cage to fall, blue-skinned bastard and all, onto a small shanty house. Multiple Goblins race to dig out the trapped ones inside.The goblin blows heavily out of his long nose, frozen snot flying to the floor, "Matters not, I suppose. Fine, I am Clan Leader Killmor of the Burrowclaw Clan, and should you deal with the sniper and another of our demonic problems, I will ensure you're able to get to the factory." "You will? But isn't that days away?""I have already done more than most Clan Leaders double my age. You people like pacts, right? Agree to this, and I swear on the Great Gobbo's Soul that I will uphold my end of the bargain should you uphold yours." That... sounds like the best deal you're going to get. And you mean you kinda bring the sniper here, so..."Yeah, um, just leave it to us." You say, completing your first diplomatic exchange as a member of the Blacksteel Legion to an foreign power. One so good it causes Killmor to roll his one working eye and begin to shuffle his people to safety further in the cave.But... Just how are you going to deal with the sniper?>Simple, sniper meet explosion.>Try to construct a [Barrier] in front of the entrance like you did on your armor. >Maybe instead of relying on runes, you can just move debris to make a barricade? Might be a lot of work though...>This is a wyvern's lair, right? And before that, it looks to have been a fortress(?) building(?) outpost(?). Maybe it had magic shit you could copy into runes? (What specifically are you looking for?)>[Write-in]
>>6418919These goblins are primitive and can't perceive our magic. For all they know, we're a charlatan that's got a wand up our sleeve. However, they can see hard work. If we put our back into barricading their home, they'll likely be better inclined towards us. Seventeen might also be mollified, but that's secondary to keeping future Blackiron Pact citizens alive.>Maybe instead of relying on runes, you can just move debris to make a barricade? Might be a lot of work though...I also think we might get stabbed in the kidney if we go digging around the goblin lair without a solid, tangible reason for it. This hard work will be a bitch and likely fatigue us, but we're a wizard and already not going to be in melee unless something's gone wrong.
>>6418953Writing!
>>6419113You look around, not intensely or anything, because you doubt the goblins would like that, but you do glance. Best not to cast mysterious magic, either. You don't know if that will make the goblins think you’re some kind of evil witch or, idk, necromancer, or something– You glare at Seventeen, and she does. not. care. Ugh, whatever. It's probably best not to rely on these powers that you “stole,” either, so you'll search for other solutions. You wouldn’t want to be nothing without them. Alright, alright, what do you see– what do you see? Rocks, rubble, scrap wood, goblins– Oh, and new holes about every minute. What is this guy's Problem? Did he like spy Seventeen leaving the fortress, and decide all bets were off from there? Can he just run out of ammunition by now? How much did he bring with him? *CRACK* Fuck! Jesus! You got too close to the entrance, fuck! Okay, okay, okay, look around, look around. The iron cage and the freshly made pile of scraps would do great in making a barrier high enough for the goblins. You’ll just have to be on your hands and knees, and Seventeen will roll or something. But it’s also in the line of sight of the cave entrance, so you’ll need to find a way to get the scrap from there to here without getting shot.But then there’s also the wheelbarrow… It's a generic wooden cart, that is, if it were for decorative display on top of it. Human body parts, mixed with bits of monsters, and pieces of demons, and just a lot of scrap metal. This tribe of goblins has probably had it real hard if they've been surviving in what’s apparently demon-infested lands. And they might have killed a bunch of people, too, who knows? There was a tribe called Gutshank! Smile! Okay, okay, for real though, it looks like a shrine of some kind, so you’ll probably need to get permission to use it, and that means talking to the chief. By tampering with a holy site, you'll probably lose a lot of social clout, but is that something that’s really worth taking the risk over?Nothing else stands out to you, that is, unless you wanted to dismantle a house or use a rune or something. Dammit, what are you going to do?>Use the debris to barricade the entrance>Ask permission to roll the wagon over the entrance>Don’t ask permission to roll the wagon over the entrance>Fuck this. You’re casting [Barrier], and that’s the end of it>[Write-in]
>>6419124Hmm... I may be delusional, but I this could be an opportunity to improve our runecraft. Let's examine the cart and the mortar keeping the ruins' stones together. More specifically, see if there's a connecting rune between them- much like the [Bind] on the demons, but different. I don't see any reason why we couldn't stack some debris together, whack a [Bind] and [Receive] rune on the clump's center, and get a sturdier barricade than just stacking them alone could accomplish. That, and of course the [Receive]+[Barrier] combo. >Experiment with [Bind]ing debris into cohesive shapes, then assemble an improvised [Barrier] out of them.If that doesn't work we can always just lay down a [Barrier]. The goblins are poor and the wagon's contents must've been hard to come by. Asking them for permission to use it would be a sign of weakness, while not asking at all would be offensive.
>>6419124>>6419136+1 to this. Worth a shot!
>>6419140>>6419136Writing!
>>6419394.....A lightbulb appears over your head, you wish you could pull it down and use it as it is, rather dark in this gloomy cave, but since it's a fictional expression, you have to tide yourself over by using the practical implications it represents. That is, why not mix your runes with hard work? Work smarter, not harder, that's what you always say. And to hell with trying to drag that debris over, you'll make the trip way easier-- Though you should probably wait until the goblins pull all their kin out of it. So, in the meantime, you examine the calcified mortar used to stick the bricks together... You don't really see much of anything there, any rune that maybe could have existed has long since faded with time... But no matter! The goblins have pulled out their last clanmate, a child by the looks of it, while using whatever they could gather as shields against the sniper. It's a good thing, though, that the sniper isn't aiming for them. He's currently trying to find an angle that will ricochet into you and your friends! What a goddamn asshole, man. Fuck this guy. Tsk, anyway. It's probably best not to mess with the cart at all, so you won't. Leave the Goblin superstitions alone, at best you'll destroy your social capital, at worst their goblin religion is just #true and you're going to have to face the Great Gobbo yourself, or something. You'd rather not, if you're completely honest. But, as the coast clears and your plan is set, you act. "Seventeen, can you make a distraction for me, please?" You ask to the affirmation of the warform. She does so by grabbing the nearest clutter she can, meaning she tears down a rickety bridge above her, and running past the cave entrance at speeds you would never suggest a being of her size could get to. You don't have time to watch, though; you have to move.
>>6419463First, you wipe the chalk from your gauntlet, [Dispel]ing your [Receive] rune, and then you start by running up to the biggest piece of the rubble, the cage. Just in case this might help you wack a [Receive] rune on it's bottom, which has the largest and most solid surface area of the debris, then go about sticking a large [Bind] rune next to it. Then you slap smaller [Bind] runes to all other parts of the debris, including the demon corpse. The demon has been so brutalized that the only thing still discernible about it is the torso's blue pecs and abs. This guy was probably also super hot when he was alive, like the Demon Lieutenant who almost killed you. So naturally, you [Burn] the corpse to be petty. Out of the peripherals of your visor, you see some goblins watching you in awe, and especially an old one decorated more so than any other with various beads, bones, and feathers, who seems to be transfixed on your magic, a huge grin adopts his face as he clasps his hands and rubs a string of charms in your direction. Least, you probably look cool, too. Though you have to wonder what is up with the blue-skinned demons, are they like another race removed from the zombie? A shot whizzes past; you don't have time for distractions. The premise of your plan is this: the largest [Bind] will attract all the smaller [Bind]s, like how the demon-zombies and corrupted warforms were bound together to an outside force, which you believe was the Demon Lieutenant, but it could have also been a demon above his rank that bound them. You were not really looking that hard. But why should the same rune not apply to objects instead of people? It wasn't called enslave or anything. It was bind, like how a zip tie can make almost anything go together. And even though magic apparently requires the right materials, wood is organic, and iron can conduct electricity well, even if it doesn't have "black" in front of it. So why shouldn't this work? You think it should, so it does. The loose and scattered parts of the debris [Bind] together as if you were welding them in Gmod, then all it takes to turn that link into something unbreakable is a liberal application of [Barrier] to the mass. You watch in wonder as the bars of the cage bend and break, before reforming as the [Bind]ing keeping all the clustered parts of the shack together. The base of the cage acts as a keystone. While the gored corpse is the centerpiece of the exterior, on the inside of the wall, steps are fashioned out of loose wood to help the goblins look over. It's almost unsettling how *you* are the one who constructed this, and it all happens subconsciously to you, but that emotion is overruled by the cool factor of the fact (you) just did some wizard shit! Fuck yes!
>>6419465"Saki, Seventeen! Help me push this to the cave entrance!" You cry out as you run behind the [Barrier] and start to shove it into place. It's remarkably easier than you thought it would be. While it's no doubt heavy and awkward to hold, it slides well against the cavern floor. A closer inspection shows scraps of carpet and clothing help to move the bottom without friction. And your task is made all the easier when Killmor leaps into action himself along with some of the larger goblins. Within a few minutes, the [Barrier] is placed in front of the cave entrance, and in a show of cocky faith, you sit right behind it. The sniper shoots it once, then twice, but after a few more attempts, gives up on trying to shoot through. Ha, take that, you bastard!"I-- had no idea of your abilities, shaman," Killmor says after the event, while most of his tribe looks at you in wonder. That's better than the hatred you first expected. "Think nothing of it. Now, that problem you were talking about?" "Errum, yes, of course." He says with uncharacteristic shakiness, "Recently, the Burrowclaws were chased from the home we made in the Underpass by a demonic warband, led by a fiend known as Lady Luvettel. She offered to subjugate our tribe, but I-- we refused to become like the puppets demons make their minions into. Though we were not all so lucky to have escaped. Should you fetch me your head, I shall guide you to the location of a Leytrain." Ah, so it's a bounty quest.You translate to Seventeen, who immediately tells you to-- "accept your offer." Because apparently a "Leytrain" is something that is VERY. IMPORTANT. "Do you know where the demon is?""The tunnels below, I am certain, if you follow the scream, you shall find her." "Yeah, but like, how do we get to the tunnels?" "Oh, they're just over that way," Killmor points to a back corner of the cavern, "Make yourselves at home until you depart. Though I doubt we have any beds that could accommodate you." The leader says, before walking back to his people, to the house where the goblin who got shot was taken, specifically.""Can we stay here?" Saki asks after you translate for Seventeen.
>>6419466"For a while," The warform responds before reaching into a pouch and pulling out two unfamiliar objects, though you know them inherently. The first is a twisted root, [Dryad Root] to be specific, while the other, [Strangeleaf], looks to be a flower that emits massive quantities of mana, though instead of a stem it has, well, a joint. "I can permit two hours of leave before we head into the depths in search of this Luvettel, do as you will with it. Saki, should you consume this root, your exhaustion will leave you. And Otto, I heard about your proclivities while you mumbled in your sleep. Something about how you wished 'for nothing else but to go home and smoke.' This is a herb favored by wizards; the dragon-scouts did not bring any magical pipes with them, so I had to make do. Should you smoke this, you will find your body flowing with mana. Now, I shall enter a state of low power during the rest. If I am required, you may speak to me, but I will find myself unable to perform most actions."Right, yeah, you totally heard that last sentence while you were busy [Burn]ing the [Strangeleaf]. Fuuuuuck-- That's good. The taste is minty, but the feeling it fills your body with is only rivaled by that shit you can find out in Colorado. A day and a half without smoking is faaaaaar too long a wait. Shit, man, Hell yeah! You put your helmet by your side and rest your head on the barrier *Thump* then immediately scramble to the safety of the cave wall as a shot is stopped from going through your head. Saki laughs at the display, and Seventeen even permits herself a chuckle. Ugh, whatever. At least you got fantasy weed. Life is good.>Spend the break smoking and relaxing.>Talk to Seventeen about something.>Chat with Saki.>Go up to Killmor and the goblins>[Write-in]
>>6419467As good as some more exposition would be, we've spent the last day and a half hiking snowy mountains in full armour, dodging death by demons, and hauling debris while casting spells. In two more hours, we're going to hunt a demonic warlord. Warlady?>Spend the break smoking and relaxing.Our wagie body can only handle so much. We should take the rest while we can. Focus on circulating [Mana] throughout ourselves, maybe.
>>6419467>>Go up to Killmor and the goblins
Rolled 2 (1d2)>>6419477>>64194971 for break2 for goblinsWriting!
>>6419746It’s probably a good idea to get more information from the goblins, but…. Ahhh, the calm and energizing feeling that flows through your body with each drag of the smoke does wonders to calm your heart. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to push your worries to later.. To just close your eyes and– you remember what happened the last time you fell asleep, and suddenly you find your eyes wide open. Maybe talking to smelly goblins will be a better use of time than having to confront Her again. You’re not even being sarcastic about the smell either. Without your surprisingly comfortable helmet on your head, the scent of the cavern easily reaches your nose. And you really wish it didn’t.“Shit, is a fuckin' recovery item,” You hear Saki mumble as she stands up and stretches, moving her body like she wasn’t just breaching the event horizon of exhaustion. You leave her to it as you walk toward the shack Killmor entered just a moment ago... Yep, there’s absolutely no way you’re actually going to fit inside, so you rap your knuckles on the door and wait until the Clan Leader steps out.“Shaman Knight, is there something you require?” Killmor says after you peep through a hole in one of the walls. The feathery-dressed elder seems to be spreading some ointment or other on the wound of the sniper's victim– You’re not exactly pleased with how crimson the cream is, or how goopy it seems to be.“Yeah, I’m not like pulling you away from something you need to be there for, right?” You ask.The goblin looks at you quizzically for a second, not really understanding your words, “But you called for me?” “Uh, yeah, I guess I did.” You take another drag of the [Strangeleaf], “I just–>”Wanted to know everything you do about Lady Luvettel.”>”I wanted to know more about the tribe, yeah, that’s it. Specifically, what's your relationship to the Blackiron Pact?”>”–Actually, nvm. It’s nothing.”>[Write-in]
>>6419755>”Wanted to know everything you do about Lady Luvettel.”
>>6419789Writing!
>>6419858"I wanted to know everything you can tell me about this 'Lady Luvettel' character. It's, uh, not wise to go hunting without knowing everything about your prey," you say, trying to sound as cool as possible. Surprisingly, it seems to work(?) Killmor looks down contemplatively, "Of course, a second, Shaman Knight." He says, before walking back inside the shanty shack, to talk to the shaman. You don't really pay it any mind as you finish the last of the [Strangeleaf], and focus on how the [Mana] circulates through your body. The neat part is that it doesn't. The second [Mana] enters you, it begins a race toward your heart so that it can be stored and compressed. Actually, now that you think about it, whenever you create a rune, you feel a tiny bit of energy zap through your body. The core, as you can think of no other name for it, seems to truly be the source of your epic powers. And if the void entity is right and she is that core... Well, Killmor just came back, so you don't have to worry about that for now. Damn, parasite. "Are you alright?" Killmor asks as you double over and clutch your chest, a sharp pain, like getting stabbed by a knife, appears, then vanishes. "Y-yeah, this happens s-sometimes," You say as you pull yourself back up. And it's not like you're exactly wrong either, your body is more than used to pain, though usually not that intense. You tactfully don't cure the spirit that can cause it as you continue on."Good, follow me so we do not disturb the others. Lady Luvettel is a name not spoken lightly here." You can imagine. A singular Demon Lieutenant almost took over the entirety of Estelle's Locket. The fact that this tribe is alive at all and in such large numbers should be considered a miracle. To them at least."Jesus, the fuck is that smell?" You say as you're forced to reattach your helmet."That would be our livestock, the Hoppits. We keep nestled in the back of the cave so they don't escape." Yeah, real fucking strange creature there. Locked in a pen of scrap and rubble are small creatures, about the size of a poodle, you'd say, a bit smaller than the goblins. Though they look like nothing you've ever seen on Earth. Nothing real, to be clear. To best describe them, you would have to imagine a meatball with leathery skin and two velociraptor-like legs, which they use to hop around. They smell terrible as they scuttle about in their own filth, their long tongues fall out of mouths that make up about 80% of their body as they pant rancid breath into the cave. You can imagine if they did manage to get out, they could cause a goblin massacre quite easily, which is probably why the 'shepherds' around the pen wield spears instead of canes... Fuck, okay, you have to admit they might be kind of cute if they weren't so filthy, but in an ugly sort of way. You feel?"This where you want to talk?" You ask, with delicate hope, that it's not.
>>6419898"Yes," Fuck! "It's suitable enough to discuss a wretch such as her." You can see one of the creatures behind Killmor sniff another's bum. "After the dwarves left their tunnels, many goblin tribes sought refuge there, despite the traps left behind, to escape the demons. Naturally, the demons continued to push onward in chase, killing or conquering many weaker tribes.""I'm, uh, my condolences.""It is no matter. Those too weak to live do not have the right to. The simple fact of life.""R-right.." Usually, the people you hang around are more considerate than that. But they also aren't cave-dwelling goblin refugees, so their personal bias is probably a bit different."After the Great Culling a few weeks ago, when the demons began to claw at one another, the tunnels became barren once again. Most life-seeking refugees in the caves had already been killed or assimilated, and the demons became ambitious, seeking to use their warbands to find glory instead of systematic extermination. Little glory or gain was to be had in finishing off the poor tribes of the tunnels, so most moved elsewhere.""Except for Lady Luvettel." You finish.The goblin nods, "She is the newest arrival, seeking her fortune in a place where others cared not. Like most of her rotten ilk, she is large and terrifying, with a magical might that may even rival your own." Ah, that's not good. "Do not take her lightly, though I was able to trick her with wile and deceit, to which she is most unprepared. She offered the Burrowclaws a place as her worshippers, though we all saw the skeletons standing next to her. When I die my soul will return to The Great Gobbo so that he may use me as he sees fit in the eternal conquest of the world. I refuse to let that holy process be disrupted by a wretched necromancer who will parade my soul and body around like a puppet. I refuse.""A necromancer, then? Is her entire force made of skeletons, or does she have like zombies and shit?""It is," He pauses and thinks really hard, "It is mostly the skeletons, though I fear the worst of what became of the goblins who I could take with me." "You mentioned that before. What happened?" "It was a cunning scheme devised by me, Killmor, and my brother, Gilti. We agreed to join her forces-- Though it was a lie! After Gilti and our warriors distracted her by messing up the prayers she demanded we speak, I snuck the rest of the tribe out into the labyrinth of caves and tunnels that the dwarves are so fond of constructing. She pursued, until a defense golem left behind by the Pact forced her to withdraw. The golems, like the other traps, tolerated us goblins, but their senses are highly tuned towards demon extermination.""Then are you sure that the golem didn't get rid of her?"Killmor lets out a deep breath, "Gilti and the warriors would have reunited with us if that were the case. They are smart and know the signs I left behind."
>>6419899"Are there any signs I can follow? To track where you lost them then?" You ask."They are not physical, but our [Mark]ing are made with--""Nah, wait, I got it.""What?" "Don't worry about it, Chief, I know how to follow them.""But I did not--" You cut him off."Did you not see my magic earlier? Trust me on this." "I-- Alright?"You nod in satisfaction. That was a lot of good info, you now know you're after a large demon with a hell of a lot of magical power and an army of skeletons. Hopefully, it will serve as a nice warm-up for when you have to fight the factory. And hopefully, you and your new allies don't die horribly. But regardless, you quickly vacate the premises and leave Killmor to his duties. Even through your helmet can't bear the stench. Fuck, you need a shower, but you have a feeling it's gonna be a long time coming until you get one. Maybe you can learn shower magic? Do they have a shampoo-and-conditioner spell? No, not a two-in-one, those suck, but like a few different ones? Dammit, you're getting sidetracked, but you really can't stand this place any longer. It's cold, smelly, and rather disgusting. What to do, what to do. You feel whatever you do next will be the last you can here.>Disassociate until you can leave >Bug Seventeen about something>Talk to SakiAnd before you ask, no, you're not talking to the goblins again. Because who knows? They just might decide to chat next to their outhouse next.>[Write-in]
>>6419901...Writing!
>>6420041Yeah... Maybe it's best if you don't do much of anything anyway, it’s not like you can think of anything right now. Besides, you're not really in the mood right now. So you find yourself walking to find the most comfortable part of the cave, the darkest, loneliest, and least smelly part, if that wasn't clear enough. The goblins give you a wide, but respectful, berth as you walk past, and none disturb you as you find the forgotten corner you desire. You bring your knees to your chest and let yourself do nothing much at all as you sit. It's a skill you've really improved at over the years, even if your hand instinctively tries to pull out your nonexistent phone from your nonexistent pocket. Music makes spacing out so much easier, then at least you could imagine little guys in your head duking it out to the beat. Dammit, it hasn't even been two days, and you already miss the internet. You probably would have sooner if this "fantasy quest" hadn't just been nonstop movement and rushing. Is this your punishment for overindulging in those silly escapist stories? The ones where the protagonist gets transported to the world of their dreams, a world basically made just for them, where they can be awesome and cool effortlessly, they beat up the bad guys, get the girl, and find everything they've always wanted in life. But no, that's not your lot, of course. Sure, you were "lucky" enough to get sent to another world, but... Look at you. This isn't how it's supposed to go, even Re:Zero starts off on a more hopeful note. Sure, you have powers, and through circumstance, allies... But it's not like you've made any actual friends. Nothing like the friendships you had less than 72 hours ago. And besides, you never asked for any of this. At least back home, you were content.Haah, you remember a part of one of your favorite book series, Gotrek and Felix, where the main character laments how his adventurers never felt like anything from the books he's read. That no one ever talks about the sucky parts, and as you look at your ramshackle surroundings and feel kindred to those stories more than you ever have. Though you're just you, you're not a hero, not really. You have borrowed power and enough sense to move forward, enough to try and help, but that's not going to last forever. You're not the type of guy who always stands up in spite of their circumstances, who doesn't let their suffering define them, those who, despite it all, saves the day. What a pain. You're just you, another face in the crowd in a world of billions, or at least you were. You huddle closer into yourself; you never asked to be a hero. You already hate the constant terror, the paranoia, the screaming, and the pain. You're honestly surprised you haven't pissed your pants during all of it. Not even when your fucking arm got cut off. Dammit all! You wish you were in your nice, warm bed, where you could talk to your friends, play video games, and slowly kill yourself with substances.
>>6420056Hell, now that you think of it, if you're able to get back, a pretty big IF, the first thing you're going to do is call your parents. They must be worried sick about you, their baby boy, the youngest of your siblings. You always wanted to make them proud, even if you ended up as a hopeless loser. But that's alright, you weren't necessarily unhappy with it all. With stumbling your way through life. It beats having to stumble away from bullets. Heh, it's almost like you just took a journey to Fall River instead of getting isekai'd. And you just can't wait until you're up against horrors that would give Lovecraft nightmares– Ah, maybe that's a bad metaphor; you're pretty sure air conditioning would give him nightmares. Whatever, your point still stands. Being back there, in your room, your little corner of the world, was so much better than being here. You never asked for this. Why did you have to click on that damn game?"Hey, what are you doing mopping around over here?" A mace nudges your leg; you look up to see Saki."Nothing, just resting.""Yeah, well, rest time's over now. C'mon, we're gettin' out of here.""Ah, good." You say as you rise. You can't see Saki's expression from under her bulky helmet, but you can see her tilt it. You're filled with the feeling she's confused for some reason... You don't really care as to why. "Let's get going," you say, and begin to walk, leaving the girl to stumble to catch up. "R-right!" She callsSeventeen is there waiting for you. You don't hesitate to tell her and Saki what you learned from the Goblins. That if you can find their [Mark], you can probably find your way to the demonic warband. All that matters now, as you eye the stone stairs hidden behind the rubble, is how you're going to proceed.>Like normal, you guess? You're just going to walk around until you find the [Mark]>With reckless abandon. Unconcerned with how much noise you make. What do you really think you can stealth? What with how much armor everyone is wearing?>Cautiously, at least, you have no idea what could be down there. So let Seventeen lead the way and thoroughly check every room and hallway as you pass.>By using your runes somehow? [How?]>[Write-in]
>>6420041My man. Buddy. QM. You don't need to force forward if nobody voted. It's okay to chill and wait. You aren't in a race. Some voters won't be able to get a vote in due to work, plans, etc. It's fine to leave the decisions open a little longer, no sweat!>Cautiously, at least, you have no idea what could be down there. So let Seventeen lead the way and thoroughly check every room and hallway as you pass.
>>6420108I have to keep writing. I have to keep writing or else something bad is going to happen to me... Writing!Theres scenes ahead I really want to write
>>6420246The stairwell goes down far, far enough that you wish it were turned into an escalator, but that's probably too much to ask. It isn't long until it's too dark to see, save for the next to the lanterns. They're filled with blue balls of [Fire] and appear every now and again to guide your way down. It would really suck if you tripped and fell now. It would be a long drop. Seventeen, who leads the way, tore one off the wall once it looked like we'd be descending into pitch-black darkness. It helps, though it is nowhere near as practical as a flashlight would be. Though by how narrow the stairs are getting, you have to hope you're nearing the end, else you're going to be stuck by proxy of the large armored Saki getting stuck behind you and the large Seventeen getting trapped in front of you. Then you'd all be forced to either eat each other or starve to death. Okay, fine, you're letting your daydreams get to you, but can you be blamed? You've been looking at nothing but stone and stairs for what feels like hours now. And no, unlike with Estelle's Locket, there's nothing really strange about them. Sure, they're different than the large-cut stone of the fort and the goblin den, more like bricks than blocks, but that's just a mundane observation. There's no magic shit with them other than you guess the lanterns, but that [Fire] is real, even if it is blue for some reason. "Seventeen, was the underpass once connected to the ruins back there?" Saki asks, probably to alleviate her boredom more than anything else."No, whatever was once a part of the old wyvern lair is from a civilization far more ancient than even the dwarves. They are the same ones that made the Locket, and it is believed that once constructed the factories.""Believed?" Saki continues, "You mean you don't know?"Seventeen shakes her head, "Even we who were in operation way back then cannot recall. We were mass produced for a war between heaven and earth, the minute we were created, we were on the battlefield.""Wait, you mean you were there?" You ask.She nods, "I can not recall much. I was created in factory XI-17 as a berserker unit, and all of my earliest memories are filled with." She pauses, you almost run into her back, "Nothing pleasant to recall. But then the war must have ended, and most warforms and factories entered dormancy for thousands of years. In the ensuing ages, only nine factories have ever been awoken by mortal hands, and many, many, more have been lost to time.""You must have been woken up, though," Saki adds."Indeed, dwarves from the Blackiron Pact were responsible for awakening two factories in their territory. More than most other civilizations in history. It is how the Pact has been able to sustain itself despite being at war with powers larger than itself for most of its history.""Oh, that makes sense," Saki muses, "So that's why you joined them? As thanks for getting awoken?"
>>6420283"Most factories end up destroying those that awaken them. I almost tore apart the dwarves myself if it wasn't for the Mother forcing a compliance order through me and the rest of my berserkers. The Mothers, Prime Units, Facility Operators, or any of their many other titles, are the controllers of the factories. Bestowed with near-consciousness during dormancy, they monitor the world around them. Mother observed how most awakened warform factories with the expectation of using us as slave armies. They are then annihilated, and the factory either returns to dormancy or is destroyed by a coalition of those who feel threatened. The dwarves, seeing this, instead came with contracts and laws that would guarantee our rights in their new society.""But you still decided to join the army?""I am a berserker unit. It is all I know." "You're pretty composed for a berserker," You say as a half-joke, half-truth."As a commander, I must try my best. When I was assigned to the 'Great' Heroes Party, I often witnessed firsthand how anger and emotion can lead to unacceptable outcomes through hasty decision-making. That made me learn better control over myself." Seventeen's face as she threw you from the wall flashes before your mind. Well, learning is a process. "But to answer your earlier question, no. This staircase was likely built as an emergency exit in case the tunnels became uninhabitable for one reason or another. It happens most often due to digging into gas deposits or the lairs of underground horrors. It was a common enough event that the extensive list of dwarven laws was changed to force the construction of exits such as these every so often during tunnel construction." "Actually, that's kind of reassuring. Thanks for the info," You say. "Regardless, we have reached the end." Seventeen says as she steps to the side, letting the two of you onto the ledge of an utterly massive chasm. The Hell? Did they hollow out the whole fucking mountain?! "This space is known as the Overlevel; it's constructed for two main reasons: to claim raw materials and relieve pressure on levels below it. Notice the arched ceiling and support pillars.""Uh, yeah, I do. Why?" Saki asks."They are to relieve pressure." Seventeen repeats."Oh, okay." Saki says, confused, "Is there a reason I should-? No, never mind. Do you see anything interesting?""I see the goblin's [Mark] next to the stairwell's entrance," you reply."That's very nice, Otto," you are passive-aggressively complimented by Saki, who cannot see it for herself."I can sense the presence of scattered demons, monsters, and other lower lifeforms. Though no information that would suggest they're Warlady Luvettel's warband." Seventeen says, "They've likely just been using this place as shelter.""We need to remain cautious," you say, "we should do our best to avoid them." You swear a sound almost like the clicking of a tongue comes from under Seventeen's helmet.
>>6420284"Then how do you propose we proceed?" Seventeen inquiries."Well, the goblins had to have reached the lair by foot, and they had a lot of wooden supplies with them... Do you know where dwarves would have stored materials like those?" You ask."Sometimes the Overlevel is used as temporary storage on its bottom-most point, though if we're able to find an elevator shaft, we might be able to discover a storage room. Though by now anything left behind has likely been ransacked." Seventeen supplies."Can goblins work a dwarven elevator?" You ask.Seventeen stalls for a second, "I believe the 'Great' Hero said their operation was similar to those in the Plane of Humanity, all it requires is the push of a button.""Ah, that– Yeah, they should be able to figure that out," You awkwardly comment. Do they have power down here?"Any more of those [Mark]s that you can see, Otto?" Saki obnoxiously asks. You say "obnoxiously" both because of the tone of her voice and because you can only see the one by the emergency exit. Hey, it's dark down here!"N-no." You stutter."Then we should either proceed to another stairwell or search for an elevator. I am impartial to both." Seventeen declares."Yeah, no opinion here," Saki says.>"How about we search around here first?" Sure, it's a massive cavern the dwarves have excavated, but it's no doubt closer to the lair. You can descend after you've mapped it out.>"Let's look for an elevator." If I were a demonic leader invading an abandoned tunnel system, the first place I'd look for is the loot.>"How about we use the ledge to look for more [Mark]s? I'll just follow their lead." Sure, you don't know if they'll appear left or right, but it's a much quicker look. And thankfully, this high-up ledge has guardrails too!>[Write-in]
>>6420286Searching the whole cavern will take precious time, the elevator could lead to an ambush by the warlady's rear-guard, and looking over the ledge runs the risk of being spotted.>"How about we search around here first?" Sure, it's a massive cavern the dwarves have excavated, but it's no doubt closer to the lair. You can descend after you've mapped it out.Fortunately, this mission isn't time-sensitive and they don't have human hostages. If we can ensure our safety by spending an extra few hours scouting, I see no reason not to.
>>6420286>>"How about we search around here first?" Sure, it's a massive cavern the dwarves have excavated, but it's no doubt closer to the lair. You can descend after you've mapped it out.
>>6420395>>6420401Apologies, dear voters, for the failure on my part to successfully depict the architecture of the Overlevel. You are already on the ledge as it is the highest point of the carved structure (and there are a few more below you) so exploring the ledge would be exploring the immediate surroundings. However, I can easily take this write-in to mean exploring why staying careful not to reveal oneself over the railing to whatever horrors might be lurking below. Please accept this diagram to help convey what the Overlevel looks like.
>>6420448>exploring the immediate surroundings. However, I can easily take this write-in to mean exploring why staying careful not to reveal oneself over the railing to whatever horrors might be lurking belowThat was what I intended, but in hindsight I should've been a lot clearer in the wording.
>>6420451Then my fault, gng. >>6420395>>6420401Writing!
>>6420493“You sure anything is going to see us all the way up here? I mean, I can’t even see the bottom,” Saki comments. Only to be rebutted in a second by Seventeen, “I can see the bottom quite excellently.” You kind of hate how much Seventeen heighmogs you. You're over six feet!Ugh whatever. “Fantasy, remember? Can’t exactly think logically.” Or expect people to be normal heights and not science experiments... Was that too mean? Saki doesn’t say anything, but you can feel her embarrassment as she follows behind you, practically hugging the wall. Honestly, you would probably be doing this anyway. To your pitiable human eyes, the Overlevel ledge looks like it leads to nothing but a void. Though sometimes in the distance, you see small specs of light, and not all of them are blue like the lanterns left behind. You’re lucky Seventeen had enough thought to turn hers off the moment you suggested the plan. And it doesn’t really matter if you can’t see ten feet in front of you; all you’re really looking for is the [Mark]. It only makes the search, really, really, really, fucking scary– Oh, dear God, you just heard a roar from somewhere down in the darkness. Fuck that sideways! Void Entity hold you– you think you’re going to be sick! Somewhere deep in your body, something squirms uncomfortably at your ribbing. “You see anything yet?” Saki nervously whispers a few minutes after the roar. The darkness must be getting to her, too. “No, I think we should try going back and checking the other way.”“You mean you want us to walk all the way back?! What if it's this way?” She whisper-yells.“And if it isn't? It's better than going out another fifteen minutes and having to walk thirty back.” You assure. She makes a whiny noise but doesn’t argue with your logic. Seventeen doesn’t say a word as she leads the way, back to the wall. You appreciate her commitment to stealth and your plan, but each time either her heavy-plate armor or body, *Clanks* or *Clinks*, you wince. You’re not going to be rude and ask her to stop because she probably can’t control it, but it is readily apparent she was not designed with stealth in mind. Though you're glad the dwarves found a way to [Deafen] the sound of the cave to prevent echo– Wait, what the fuck. You– the Rune– [Deafen]?! The Hell? You didn’t even see anything that time! But your mind conjures the image of the rune, as if it were simply rotating an apple. Is the spell a part of the air– Holy shit, “I found it. I found the [Mark], keep going!” You cringe after your little bout of excitement. Dammit, Otto, stealth by example!
>>6420510Only a few minutes later, you find a [Mark], then another, and another. It’s not long until you face crunches in despair, because the next [Mark] comes from a hole in the wall. And no, not like the show. It's a crack small enough you wouldn’t pay it any mind otherwise; it looks like one of those things from the cave-splunking videos. You know the ones where the guy says goodbye to his loving wife and five children to get stuck and die at “Satan's Asscrack”? Oh, fuck this. It’s pitch-black in there, too. And you might have to go it alone… Fuck. “I am not fitting in there.” Seventeen says bluntly. “You have my authority to proceed alone, but I demand you return in an hour.” You really wish she hadn't said that. Isn't she supposed to be obsessed with you? Where's the concern for your safety?!“Maybe I can if I take off my armor?” Yeah, you’re not letting the high schooler do this without at least a token defense. You're not that terrible a person. >”Fine, I’ll do it.” Crawl through the hole alone.>”Saki, wear my armor, and we’ll go together.” Your comfortable, warm armor is adjustable, so she should be fine in it. Crawl through the hole with Saki.>Fuck. That. ”We’ll look for another way.” Refer to >>6420286>[Write-in]
>>6420512It would be unwise to go crawling in a tunnel this close to a demonically corrupted factory. If even one imp got the jump on us, no matter our armour, we would be fucked. Besides, we can't get anywhere in only an hour.>"Let's look for an elevator." If I were a demonic leader invading an abandoned tunnel system, the first place I'd look for is the loot.As we go, ask Seventeen to examine the floor and make sure to warn us if she spots any demonic minions skittering below.
>>6420523Writing!
>>6420938“Yeah, no,” If even a single imp gets the drop on you, you're chopped liver, no two ways around it. Saki makes a gesture calling you a chicken, but you ignore her. She's just trying to mask her own fear with humor. “Let’s try to look for an elevator. Seventeen, can you see one around here?” The warform nods, “The ledge expands at the edge of the atrium. If there is one here, it will be there.” “Alright, let’s get moving.” Like before, the three of you scurry along the wall of the Overlevel. You can reiterate how creepy this all is. The horror of not knowing what could be lurking below, or above, but, well, by the time you reach the hanging platform, your mind has already cut those parts out. Like, when you’re driving a long distance, and your memory blanks out how you got there while you're at the wheel, then you freak out a little. Okay, right now you’re freaking out a lot, but that’s mostly because of your situation, not because you forgot how you got here. It should go without saying that there’s no [Mark] around the elevator, but what there is is a hell of a lot of blood. It looks like someone was torn apart and dragged inside by… Something nasty. The blood isn’t dry either. Seventeen holds her massive warhammer in one hand while Saki uses her shoulder to support her mace. Needless to say, you’ve taken your musket out by now, and the two of you who can breathe do so heavily. Then the Knight Commander takes initiative and calls the elevator, without consulting with either of you first. Goddammit. You stand there waiting for a long time, facing the small doorway in anticipation. Every few seconds, you find yourself looking behind you, towards the ever-present darkness, in fear. Isn’t the start of an adventure supposed to be a lot easier than this?! You should still be relaxing in the starter town, eating good food, and meeting interesting people! So why do you feel like you’re part of a horror movie’s cold open?! “Dude, you’re shivering,” Saki whispers, “I can hear your armor rattling.”“Can you fucking blame me?” You whisper back.“Aren’t you supposed to be the guy with special powers? You being scared is making me scared!”“Can’t help you, man. If something jumps out of that elevator, I’m blowing us all to kingdom come–”*DING* You whimper. The elevator opens.Immediately, you have to force yourself to stop puking. The smell before was nothing compared to now; it’s not even comparable to the goblins. “Urp–” A pile of what can only be described as [Meat] litters the small interior of the elevator. [Blood], [Flesh], [Bone], and [Sinew] scattered everywhere. It’s– Oh, God. You aim your shaking rifle at the elevator, waiting for something– anything to pop out...But nothing does. And eventually the doors start to close, or it would if Seventeen didn’t put the tip of her hammer in front of them. Is she insane?! Wait, don’t answer that.
>>6420985“It seems whatever was in here has left for now. Shall we descend?” She wants to kill you. Like, does she literally have a screw loose?>”Y-yeah– You f-first though!”>”L-let’s head back to the hole.”>”STAIRWELL! Let’s find a stairwell!”>Just start crying>[Write-in]
>>6420986>”Y-yeah– You f-first though!”This much [Meat] being scattered around does not bode well. It implies that whatever killed the creature or creatures did it for sport, and not to eat.
>>6421042Writing!
>>6421151Fuck– fuck– shit! You curse yourself as you make up your mind to get into that death trap. Shit, man, why do you have to do this? Is this really better than the asscrack? You can feel your whole body wretching and writhing under you as you ask Seventeen to step in. You hyperventilate as nothing jumps out and grabs her, you heave as your legs take you forward, and your boots slosh in the grim grime. Oh, God, you think you just crushed a pinkie. “Hey, quit being such a baby,” Saki slaps your back. You have to wonder who she's talking about as her armor rattles. Then you notice the ribcage spilling intestines on top of a gore-pile in your peripherals. Fuck– fuck– fuck– Why did you get in here? How the hell are the others following you? You want to go H-H-H-HOME!!!“I’m going to take us to the Storagehouses, past the Overlevel. We should not linger here.” The Knight Commander orders.“F-fuck, man.” You mutter as the elevator door closes. Luckily, they’re normal doors and not the mouth of a mimic. J-jesus, everything around you makes your mind conjure monsters in every mote of darkness. The dwarven mechanics begin to whirl, and the lift moves. The corner of your eyes feels wet, “I-i got a bad feeling about this.” You say as you pass the stop at the bottom of the Overlevel.“Why the fuck did you say that!” Saki yells, as– *THUD* a massive weight falls on the elevator... None of you speaks, and not a sound is heard save for the whirl of [Mana] moving the elevator down.A raptorish hoot echoes through the air as more thuds shake the horrible cage you willingly entered. You aim your [Explosive]-filled gun at the ceiling and tremble. It would seem the maestro behind this carnage was away as you had hoped. *SCREECH* A horrific noise makes you want to cover your ears, and you would if not for the vice-grip on your gun. Then you hear a latch unlock on the ceiling panel, the one connected to the elevator shaft above. You’re practically in tears as a blood-stained [Claw] worm its way under the panel and *Tap* *Tap* *Taps* the top of the elevator...aaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAA– Fuck! THIS!>Shoot your gun into the dark shaft above.>Cower behind Seventeen and let her handle this.>Try to turn the elevator roof into a [Barrier]>[Write-in]
>>6421168>Try to turn the elevator roof into a [Barrier]
>>6421168>Try to turn the elevator roof into a [Barrier]Firing an [Explosive] at the roof in a small, enclosed room seems like a bad idea. We're the mage. Let's do some magic.
>>6421213>>6421298Writing!
>>6421464You bring a frantic hand off the barrel of your gun and cast [Barrier] on the roof, funneling as much [Mana] into the spell as you can. You hear the beast hiss as its claw reels back in pain, though as it does so, it bumps into the ceiling panel, making it fly open. You can barely make it out in the dim light, but a large mass fills the elevator shaft. You see it reel its single-claw-tipped arm back, and you flinch when it tries to punch through the square opening– The claw bounces back, and your body fills with relief. “What the hell is that thing?!” Saki yells, frantically looking between the monster’s dark silhouette and Seventeen.“A razorbeak, a species of subterranean predator. They are strong, malicious, and fiercely intelligent. It is unsurprising at least one has made its way into the the Underpass–”*THUD*The entire elevator shakes, you trip, falling helmet first into one of the gore-piles. You do not really need to elaborate on what you do next; just know that it is loud and makes it rather hard to calm down and get back up. Doubly so, considering the– *THUD* *THUD* *THUD* –beast has taken to repeatedly pounding on your [Barrier]. The only one able to stay standing, with some difficulty, is the massive warform who uses her hammer for support. You and Saki flail about like ragdolls. You keep trying desperately to get up but– *THUD* It feels almost useless– *CRACK* Something crunches under your armored hand, and the thuds stop.You look down; in the middle of one of the piles, there are three dark blue eggs, one of which your hand has gone straight through. *SCREEEE–* A deafening shout forces you to try in vain to cover your helmeted ears. Then it suddenly stops. You hear the chitter of a beak as a flabby, long-necked, creature comes into view of the elevator light as it presses itself against the invisible [Barrier] of the ceiling pane. Large gobs of blood stretch and fall as it opens and closes its horrible beak. Its red eyes seem to peer into your soul, to gaze at the entity within, and its dark blue feathers blend into the darkness behind it. You wilt at its expression of rage as you hear the awful sound of one of its claws grabbing onto the elevator cable. The only thing stopping this cage from falling who knows how many miles below. The sparks it makes illuminate its massive avian-and-bear-like form. You– you have to do something or else it could send you plummeting to your doom. B-but surely, it would never actually harm its eggs, r-right?” Its chittering seems almost like laughter as it stares directly at your desperate flailing, and you have no idea how much longer it is until the next stop.
>>6421483Your eyes dart around the room for a plan–>S-surely, it cares for its young. Try to use an egg as a hostage.>And it finds one as you fall on top of what used to be a person. Throw a [Meat] [Fire] [Sword] straight towards its beady eye.>The sparks light up the monstrosity's massive claw, tearing apart the elevator cable. Try to turn that [Claw] into [Lavender].>Rely on Seventeen, surely she has a plan.>[Write-in]
>>6421488>S-surely, it cares for its young. Try to use an egg as a hostage.We're not yolking around here
>>6421488>And it finds one as you fall on top of what used to be a person. Throw a [Meat] [Fire] [Sword] straight towards its beady eye.Best not to wait around.
Rolled 2 (1d2)1 for >>64221402 for >>6422156Writing!
>>6422185Your desperate eyes frantically look around the enclosed space of jostling meat and metal– Anything! You'll take anything! You just need to find a way to get that thing away from you! It's right on top of you! Literally! You freeze as another bump from the beast kicking the elevator causes your arm to fall inside what used to be a green-skinned man's chest cavity. You throw up in your mouth as you try to pull it out, but a strap on your forearm armor gets caught on a rib, so when you try to worm your arm away, the corpse comes with you like a dame in a macabre waltz. You wiggle and jerk, but you can't find a way to get the damn dead guy off of you-- Wait, you freeze again. Why do you even need to get him off? You look up at the mocking beaked-thing above you, and for the first time in a while, a familiar type of smile etches its way across your lips. The same smile that appears when you manage to carry a bullshit item to first place in Mario Kart so that your friend in second can witness in horror as you zoom off in front of them. You grab the spine of the cadaver and funnel your [Mana] inside. It makes a sickly set of sounds as it crackles and pops into place; the [Meat] of the torso transforms into a grisly [Sword] that feels perfect in your hand. Then you throw it. And for good measure, you set it on [Fire] while it soars through the air. The creation of which causes such an intense illumination of the dark elevator that all eyes immediately turn to witness it, including that of the monster--"SCREEEEEEEEEEE--" It reels back in torment at the sword finds purchase in its face. It desperately flails in the confined elevator shaft, cutting itself on the rapidly descending cable and smashing into the walls on all sides. It unsuccessfully tries to use its clawed arms to pull the flaming meat sword free, but without thumbs, finds the task all but impossible, at least impossible enough to not be able to prevent its face from becoming a cauterized mess. The schadenfreude that fills your body as you witness the monster above mimic your actions from the previous minutes is so wonderful that you find yourself giggling despite yourself. "The elevator's slowing, evacuate immediately!" Seventeen shouts as the cables move slower and slower, until the doors eventually creak open —Seventeen punches a hole straight through the door and uses her massive hands to wrench it apart. "Go!"
>>6422223Saki immediately runs out of the elevator, but your eyes are transfixed on the magnificent blaze above you, on the death throes of the great beast of the-- 'Ugh, do I have to do everything myself? Move, idiot!' A strange feeling overwhelms you from deep inside. You're back in the present moment, you can feel your body move, but is it you who has complete control over it, or someone else? The only thing you can truly know at this present moment is that the monster cannot be allowed to live any longer. You use your strap to bring your musket into your hands, no matter how poor the blood covering you makes your grip. You point the barrel at where the ceiling panel used to be and-- "Otto, what are you–" Seventeens inquires as you [Dispel] the [Barrier] and fire your [Explosive] round. A deafening *BOOM* fills the tunnels as both the Razorbeak and the elevator cables explode, the inferno races towards you through the barrier you dissipated, but your strings force you to action, a simple roll under Seventeen's legs leads you out of the gore-cage until the wreckage, monster, and all, fall past. leaving nothing behind you but a smoldering ledge to an unfathomable depth as the flames get farther and farther from sight. "Oh my god," Saki mutters in shock while Seventeen simply stares at you.In front of you, you witness as the flames illuminate many, lanky humanoid creatures whose bodies seem to be composed entirely of a black void, save for their white insectoid eyes. They retreat rapidly from the flames and into the expanse of pitch-black darkness in front of you. Black claws vanishing behind all corners of the hall. "ShadowStalkers," Seventeen informs as she hoists her lantern up. "It seems they have infested the warehouses, do not leave the light lest their claws tear you apart.""Dude, how the fuck did you do that?" Saki doesn't seem to hear the Knight Commander's commands. Instead, her visor looks solely towards your own.>"I-i, um, skillz?">"I'm not entirely sure myself...">Don't even comment, like a real badass.>[Write-in]Regardless, Seventeen's lantern should keep you safe for now, but how do you wish to proceed?>With caution as before.>Like the fucking Doomguy. You mean, did you see the shit you just did?!>Do you wish to use any runes? [Which ones?}>[Write-in]
>>6422224>[Write-in]"I have MANY mysterious powers and skills at my disposal...">Stare. Stoically.>Do you wish to use any runes? [Which ones?}These dicks don't like light. Let's use [DIVINE]/[FIRE]/[SWORD] to shed some LIGHT on the situation! HAHA
>>6422226Writing!
>>6422355"I have MANY mysterious powers and skills at my disposal," You say with the utmost aura as somewhere, somehow, a light breeze blows, causing your wool cloak to flow elegantly behind you. Then it strays a bit too close to a lingering fire, and you frantically turn around to beat it into submission. A slight singe, nothing major. Phew."Pfft, no, I mean, ah, we already went over this yesterday, didn't we..." Saki says, her humor trailing off into awkward silence.Nonsense, you won't allow the falling action of your climactic battle to be awkward! You turn, and your cape again flutters like crazy. But you pay it no mind. Instead, you stare off into the darkness ahead of all of you, glaring at the white compound eyes watching you with menace. They must be quivering against you, the epitome of stoicism. Zeno would be proud. You smirk because you're sure that you look so goddamn cool–"Hey chuuni, your cloak's still on fire," Saki deadpans."Eeek-!" You squeak! You frantically turn around, only to be brought face to face with a horrific reality. Saki lied to you. You glare at her, stoically, of course, and totally not in seething rage at the fact she 'got you'."Got you," She laughs– Heh, you still got it. "Are you two done?" Seventeen asks, the both of you shrug, "Acknowledged... Let's be off then."As the three of you walk through dark corridors and rooms, almost reminiscent of playing Lethal Company without a flashlight, you press your hand against a wall next to you. When you bring it back, it's gripping a newly created [Sword]. In the darkness, you're not even sure if the wall is [Blackiron] or not, but with all the energy you've been collecting throughout the day with the [Receive] runes "drawn" on your armor, you're not sure if it even matters. And that's not even mentioning the pick-me-up from the [Strangeleaf] and Kenluthian's gift. Your abilities are kind of bullshit, right? Like, apparently, isekai cheat skills aren't alien to this world, but you definitely got something overpowered. You mean, you just turned the wall into a usable [Sword] suited perfectly to you. Hell, the hilt even has badass skeletons on it with angel wings. Like that's wicked gnarly. And to think it hasn't even been two days– Well, probably hasn't yet, you've kinda lost track of time already down here.
>>6422392Damn, now that you think about it, if you're able to find more, you can probably do some pretty batshit insane stuff if you put your mind to it. Case in point, you raise the sword in front of you and cast it alight with [Fire] as simply as imagining it. It's a lot brighter than the lantern because of how much [Mana] you easily funnel into the rune, and even more of the white-eyed humanoid retreats as the visible light almost doubles in diameter. You hope they get the impression they need to keep their distance, rather than trying to snuff out the light in your hand. Maybe if you try another rune? [Div– Your body locks in place, a familiar pain flares through your body. The sword drops."Hey– Watch it!" Saki cries as you almost drop a fire sword on her foot. "S-sorry," you apologize as you hurriedly pick it back up. Thankfully, the [Fire] stayed on the blade and didn't cause a disaster. But what the Hell just happened? Why can't you make the sword divine like the one you wielded against the horde? You feel a sense of relief flood your body, starting with your chest, as your core releases the lockdown on your [Mana]. You get the vague feeling that someone is calling you an idiot. Ugh, that bastard. You must have almost done something that would have backfired. Dammit, how are you supposed to figure stuff out without experimentation?! This is so bull! Y'know, maybe if she would just explain stuff to you, these mistakes wouldn't happen! Whatever, for some reason, which you hypothesize is the [Mana] it takes to catch, you're not able to cast [Divine] right now. Or maybe it's that you have [Ascend] first? Dammit, even you know that [Ascend] can't exactly be tested out right now. Maybe if you were at the wizard college you could, but definitely not surrounded by mobs. You hear a scream, and a Shadowstalker falls from the ceiling. Holy– But before you can even relax, a two-handed mace, wielded like a baseball ball, swats the bastard back into the dark whench it came. The crunch it made was actually quite satisfying. Seventeen doesn't even bother to comment, probably feeling the situation is handled, and Saki simply tells you, "Get your head out of the clouds, protag wannabe." "T-thanks," You mumble. But let's be fr, give it another second and you totally would have sliced that thing into pieces. You totally had that handled, but it's nice to let Saki feel good about herself. Definitely.
>>6422395With Seventeen leading the way, you provide extra light, and Saki being overall pretty thuggish, you press on further into the darkness. For a long while, you don't find much of anything interesting. But you're still kinda high off your fight in the elevator–the shadowstalker notwithstanding– and how you totally won that. You powerscale wayyy higher than a Razorbeak, and so, with how frail the Shadowstalkers look, and how easily Saki dispatched one, you're pretty sure you'd mog them too. It's just simple logic. So when you do catch a glimpse of a sharp claw or talon in the darkness, or hundreds of eyes in the distance, you don't really feel all that afraid. Not like you did back in that hellevator. Tbh, it feels like your mood has done a complete 180, you feel powerful, and you know you'd be a lot more powerful if you could find more runes. You almost salivate thinking of all the bullshit you could get away with, so if you're ever in a place with a bunch of magic, you should– Wait, a minute. Shouldn't this place be full of that? Sure, it might have been ransacked and infested with vermin, but even the most mundane of equipment can make you all the more powerful if you're creative with it. Just look at what you've done with what amounts to a simple [Heat] spell. And you're sure if you get a better understanding of the fundamentals, maybe one day you'll be able to make divine weapons all you want. Maybe you should try to look for more magic stuff? It might take some time, but instead of passing the odd box or room filled with, uh, stuff, maybe you could ask the other to let you take a closer look? Surely, these Shadowstalkers aren't going to be that much of a problem, right? "I can read thermals from up ahead." Seventeen suddenly announces."What? Where?" Saki asks.Seventeen points, "They appear to be arranged like roadlights, likely an encampment of some kind.""How far?" You ask, beyond your torchlight, there is only darkness, and eyes."About an hour." She comments– wait, what?"How big is this room?" You question."This is the main storage hub for the region, so it is a few miles long and a thousand feet tall at its highest point." You blink. Then thank your translation spell for converting whatever fantasy units they use here into the imperial system instead of yucky metric. God bless America. "Jesus," you mutter."And I can't see any of it, laaaaame!" Saki whines.Seventeen turns toward the two of you, "I have no preference for how we should proceed on this floor. I leave it up to the heroes–""Otto's doing it!" Saki cuts her off."Fuck, fine->-you mind if we look around the warehouse a bit for anything useful?" In truth, for more runes [Anything specific?]>-we're heading towards the light, like obviously. Seems like main quest shit.">-Yo, hold up, I think I see a goblin [Mark] off in the distance. We should follow that.">[Write-in]
>>6422396>-you mind if we look around the warehouse a bit for anything useful?" In truth, for more runes [Anything specific?]>STICK (Can STICK to stuff)
>>6422396>-you mind if we look around the warehouse a bit for anything useful?" In truth, for more runes [Anything specific?]>STICK (Can STICK to stuff)I agree with anon, some [Sticky] globs of [Explosion] mud could make for excellent grenades.
>>6422398>>6422638Writing!
>>6422657"Did you see anything specific?" Seventeen asks like you can actually see anything down here. Maybe she forgot how humans work."Nothing specific," You clarify, "It's just that I think we shouldn't let this opportunity go to waste, y'know? And, uh, I think I might be able to improve my abilities if I snoop around here more." "Indeed?" Seventeen pushes, now intrigued."It's just, uh, do you know where magic stuff would be stored? Hell, doesn't even need to be anything fancy, I'm sure even like a clock would do." Or maybe you can find one of those squishes that they sell at mall stands. Y'know the ones that you throw on a table, and they go *splat* and stick everywhere? You're pretty sure there's a lot you could do with the runes that could give you. Maybe the dwarves, or any species of the Pact, have toys like that? Actually, that makes you curious, "Hey, Seventeen was this place like dwarf only? I keep referring to them in my head as the dwarven tunnels, but like, how did it actually work?""First, follow." You and Saki do so, "Second, you are incorrect. While originally these tunnels would have been used primarily by the dwarves when they first carved them centuries ago, after the signing of the pact, all sorts of creatures would call this region home, even if this section of tunnel was specifically mostly used for transport between Holds or underground cities, should Earth not have those." "Ah, makes sense. So the Leytrain you talked about was the main thing here?" You ask.Seventeen's helmet bobs, "They were the priority of these tunnels, though I am certain when this stretch was abandoned, many subterranean villages in between the holds required evacuation. Now it seems the primary demographic here is monsters and other such nightmares. I am surprised we have yet to run into any demons; the civil strife the goblins spoke of must have been more severe than anticipated.""Least the demons are killing each other for us then," Saki says as she watches the eyes watching us. Are there more of them now? Yeah, there probably are-- or maybe it's just because the room you're in is apparently massive. It's, uh, getting kind of eerie now. There must be hundreds of them, just stalking you. They don't even make any noises save for the slight scuffling of their movements, so when you don't look directly at them, you're liable to forget they exist entirely. Just what the fuck are these things?
>>6422686"If we are to find anything magical in our proximity, it would be along the standing shelves here." Seventeen says after a few minutes of walking, "Though don't expect much. The dwarves are the most thorough race in the world, so anything of value has already been evacuated, then years of looting, scavenging, and infestation have likely taken the rest." By how barren the stone shelves, carved from the floor and ascending into the darkness, are, you have to believe her words. For likely miles upon miles, there is nothing but pure carved [Stone], expertly carved by the dwarves. You blink, raise an eyebrow, and chew your lip. That'll do, you suppose, that'll do. "Hey, what's the process the dwarves use to make all this? Is there like a special magical process for stone-carving?" You ask."I have no idea, I am a knight commander, not a mason.""Ah, right." You window shop the barren shelves for quite a while, but her hunch was right, there really is nothing here, and whatever has been left has been broken beyond recognition. Their stored [Mana] having leaked out over the years. It makes you wonder how an underground fantasy race could ever have the logistical capabilities to transport a literally miles-long warehouse full of equipment. Just what kind of world have you ended up in? You suppose it doesn't really matter, you still have–"Oh, shit!" Saki exclaims as you hear the screech of tearing metal as a long arm extends into the light as it tries to grab her. Said arm is smushed by a mace for its trouble. You bring your sword over to illuminate the struggling shadowstalker, but strangely, it does not make any noise as it does so. Verbally at least. Then, eventually, it tears its upper arm free from the mace, now separated from the lower, and flees into the darkness. Leaving a trail of pale-green blood(?) in its wake. The arm itself is weird to look at, about as thick-- and as durable– as a PVC pipe, though so dark it's hard to look at. "Blood," if the substance can even be described as such, pours from it like [Stick]y molasses. Thankfully, not enough to flood like in 1919. You also notice that the palm the forearm is attached to is actually quite small and circular, but the long [Knife]-like talons attached are anything but. Then you look up and gaze at the eyes surrounding you... There must be thousands."I do not wish to alarm anyone, but the shadowstalkers seem to be agitated now; we've likely strayed too close to their den. A fight is now unavoidable.""Any advice?" Saki asks as the three of you get into formation, your backs to each other. Every time you swing your sword, about a dozen stalkers who were inching closer, ever so slightly, jut back into the darkness.
>>6422689"These are cowardly pests, though they possess some semblance of courage when in large enough numbers. No matter what, do not back down or leave your blind spots open. Despite their frailty, their claws are sharp and can easily pierce your armor should you let them." No guts, no glory then. "Do we stand our ground?" Saki asks."It would be unwise, with an infestation this bad, their numbers are possibly in the thousands. Otto, you have performed well in my assessments so far. Where should we proceed?" Assessments? Wait, you're being tested– Wait, no, you shouldn't even be surprised. "What, is my vote not accepted or something? Why don't we just take out their den and kill em all?" Saki retorts."A fight with the monarchs of this colony would be most unwise if we wish to deal with the demonic horde down here in one piece. An army group will deal with the problem when these tunnels are marked for reclamation."You can feel Saki roll her eyes. "Whatever," she says as a shadow lunges at her, its head is obliterated by her mace a second later. "Fine then, Otto, what do you think?">"Let's fight our way to the torches. The more light, the better." Even if it's going to be a looong way there.>"Seventeen, can you take us back to where I saw the [Mark]? It's where we were when I started talking about magic items.">"Actually, I agree with Saki. Let's take these buggers out.">[Write-in]You have your [Explosive] musket and sidearm, a dagger, your [Fire] [Sword], and a whole heap of runes to use. Is there any specific way you would like to?>Keep using your sword, it gives off a lot of light, and it's sharp.>You get an [Explosive], you get an [Explosive], everyone gets an [Explosive]! >Try to [Construct] a [Gatling Gun] out of the nearest [Stone] shelf... But what to use as ammunition?>[Write-in]
