Captain Resida 2017/08/31(Thu)20:57 No. 826502 ID: 6cbace
File 150423827296.png - (9.55KB , 600x400 , B002.png )

"Right. Lets get started then."

Investigate: Groundskeeper Shack Graves

>Investigate: Groundskeeper
might as well start with him and then see if any of his ramblings can help us figure out were to start.

also welcome back

>>826502
Let's investigate that Groundskeeper fellow.

>>826502
shack

>Groundskeeper
Welcome back Radial.

I say check the graves first. Evidence there is time-sensitive.

Groundskeeper. We need to be dismissive of their story before see the evidences that support it.

I'm so happy!

>>826502
Graves first. You can't hallucinate physical evidence into existence, and we want to have an idea what happened before we start questioning.

(Also, welcome back!)

>>826508
Had the same idea myself.

Not sure if you can tell, but we missed you :^)

Captain Resida 2017/08/31(Thu)21:48 No. 826528 ID: 6cbace
File 150424132801.png - (8.72KB , 600x400 , B003.png )

Investigate: Groundskeeper - 4 Shack - 1 Graves - 3

"Take me to the witness."
"He's outside the shed. Been there since morning."

We head to the run down sorry excuse for a building.
An old Avaros is seated on the floor, back to the wall as he shivers.
He looks like a mess, His feathers brown and dull with age, eyes darting all over the place, and he smells like-

"He smells like piss."
"No surprise. He pissed himself."

"Groundskeeper..."
"Jason."
"Groundskeeper Jason, Are you able to answer a few questions?"
He stops moving, raising his head to look at us and answers us shakily.
"Y-yes sirs."

Investigate: Events Well Being Grave Robbing Alibi Alcohol Drugs Monster Others Return

Return

Events
get his story then we can question him to see if he's being serious or just pulling our leg

>>826528
Well Being. If you put him a bit more at ease he'll answer further questions better.

Then, Events. I guess that's generally "what did you see?" kind of things?

>>826528
Ok, there's a standard procedure here, don't fuck it up.
First, get him comfortable. You want him to trust you, which means you need to be compassionate.
That means it's paramount you ask about his WELL BEING first. Make sure he's ok, and that he understands you're here for him.

Alcohol. Are you a drunk?

Monster. Get the testimony in case you need a technicality to upgrade your search warrant from theft to something worse.

>>826531
Agreed.

Talk about his well being first.

Return

"Good. Just wondering."

>>826528
Well being.
Ask if he is ok. Comfort him by saying something like"it's ok your safe now" then ask about what he saw. Once you have the info you can get from him tell him "you'll be alright" Pat him on the back stand up and say "thank you that helped but I've got to figure this out" and go check something else out.

well being, then events

Captain Resida 2017/09/01(Fri)01:11 No. 826595 ID: 6cbace
File 150425348403.png - (10.71KB , 600x400 , B004.png )

Well being
"How are you feeling Jason?"
"Sh-shaken, I guess? It's just... I can still feel that thing breathing down my neck."
"I see."

Events
"Could you tell me what happened last night?"
He takes a deep breath.
"It happened some time in the middle of the night. There was a loud thump. Like something heavy had hit the ground. It woke me up. I took a peek outside and saw this... creature. It dug though the soil and pulled up the bodies and ate them."
He starts taking deeper breaths.
"I- I think it must have noticed me, and I locked myself in my home. I swear I did!"
He buries his head in his hands.
"It opened the front door. As if it was never locked. Turned the handle and everything. Buried myself into my bed, heard it come closer and closer... felt its breath wash over me... and then it left."
He looks up at us distraught.
"I'm no fighter sirs, there no way I can defend myself if it came down to it."

Monster
"What did this creature look like?" I asked skeptically.
He answers feverishly, "It was big. As tall as a house. If not longer with it's tail. It's eyes were a deep red, almost as if it could see deep inside of you. it had long claws and stood up on two feet."

Alcohol
I look at Sargent Stanford, but he shakes his head and whispers to me.
"It doesn't sound like any recognizable beasts around here, but I can put up an information bounty on the guild."
"Make it so." I bring my attention back to the groundskeeper.
"We understand you have been drinking?"
He looks at us, realization hitting him, "Th- I only drank after the thing left! I dared not leave the house until the daystar came up!"

Return
"I understand. Thank you for your time. For now, it would be best if you stayed within the city walls. Do you have a place to stay?"
"Y-yes," he tries to calm himself down. "My daughter lives in the city."
"Very well. Please inform us your address later."

Captain Resida 2017/09/01(Fri)01:12 No. 826596 ID: 6cbace
File 150425356427.png - (8.61KB , 600x400 , B005.png )

I step away from the groundkeeper as he remains where he sits.

"Where to next captain?"

Investigate: Groundskeeper Shack Graves

>>826596
Graves. Let's check to see if we can find any tracks, maybe there's evidence of that thump. Also investigate the strewn body parts to see if you can find bite marks or other evidence of a monster eating them.

Graves.
Be sure to check for footprints and get trackers on them.

Graves

let's see what kind of damage this thing has done.

I HAVE CREAMED MY PANTS! Welcome back RADial

Don't forget to talk to the guards posted near here to see if they saw or heard anything, we need to make sure that if there is a monster around that it doesn't get into the city if it hasn't already.

Investigate graves. Crazy old hermit, probably just got terrified by some teenage vandals.

>>826596
Shack.
You need to look for signs of forced entry. He said it opened the door as if it wasn't even locked, so we need to look into that. Did it pick the lock? Break the lock? Open it with magic? Or was it just not locked at all?

>>826596
Investigate the Graves.

We need to see if the monster made a grave mistake and left an important clue!

Captain Resida 2017/09/01(Fri)06:56 No. 826631 ID: 6cbace
File 150427420329.png - (19.13KB , 600x400 , B006.png )

I head off towards the plot of graves nearby, the Sargent following behind.
The plots are orderly, with grass growing between plots. Short grass has grown where the soil has been placed, indicating that these plots have been here for a while.
Until recently that is.
The slates have been gouged out, with similar marks as the soil.

"With how things look, it doesn't seem that the old man is lying."
"Or we could have some very elaborate grave robbing plot."
I give a glance at Stanford, but he shrugs back, "It's possible."

I pull out my gloves and fit them on.

Investigate: Input options

Dust for prints! Interrogate the stone-faced witnesses! Take off your sunglasses while remarking that this case, is no longer closed!

Measure the size of the footprints and the distance between them to deduce the possible size of the grave-robber.
Look for patters that indicate the chronology of events. Where did the invasor came from? What path did it took? In what direction did it left?
See if you can discern purpose. Why those graces? Where they chosen for a particular reason or were they just the closest?

>gloves
Make a joke about doing a body cavity search on Sargent Stanford

>Interesting investigation options:
Investigate Sargent Stanford's marital status.
Investigate Sargent Stanford's current interest in you.
Investigate Sargent Stanford's ability to eat lunch with you this afternoon.

>Boring investigation options:
Investigate the possibility of there being multiple perpetrators. Try to judge the amount of time and manpower it would take to cause such damage. What can you find out from the footprints?

Is there any magic that can be used to help the investigation?

Check and see if the monster left behind any fur, scales, or fluids.

Get a stone with a good clean claw mark on it to see what kind of claws he's got. Then investigate to see what's been done to the bodies.

look for tracks to see if you can't find footprints, claw marks or something and examine what is left of the bodies for claw marks and teeth marks. If a creature did dig these up to feed on the bodies then the remains should have some kind of markings as well as the caskets themselves for when it broke in

Do you have necromancy? Not raise the dead necromancy, but talking to the spirits of the departed necromancy.

>>826637
Classy

>>826631
Are there any valuables from the corpses left? Or did the criminal take them all?
Is there any pattern to which graves were disturbed?
Can you get an indication of how strong the criminal was by how they dug into the earth?

Okay first of we need to check to see if the graves where robed for valuables (don't know how you'd do that) and if so try figure out what was taken.
If not try deduce why the creature was doing this.
Also try get a scale and maybe shape of the creature from the marks it left in the ground/stone.

>>826631
I know what you're thinking, and no, the gravedigger isn't suspicious. He could quietly loot the bodies and nobody would be the wiser.

People are sometimes buried with jewelry or other valuables. If any of those are left behind then you can conclude this wasn't a graverobbing.

Next, look for tool marks versus claw marks. Shovels leave flat smooth markings on the sides, while claws leave rough and uneven markings. A casual look suggests a rough pattern, and I see some large furrows that are fairly evenly spaced.

This is looking like an animal, but just to confirm find out who these people were. If they weren't people of means that would clinch it as an animal of some kind.

If it's an animal, then it breaking into the shack and sniffing the gravekeeper before leaving tells us it's some kind of large carrion-eater. It's unlikely to be native, and could be anything from an exotic specimen escaped from a circus to a mad wizard's experiment. That should go in your description for the guild, as it may help them identify it.
Fortunately it seems disinterested in the living, so there isn't a threat to public safety.

Captain Resida 2017/09/02(Sat)02:38 No. 827033 ID: 6cbace
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"So how's the wife?"
"Eh. Ain't so happy since I've been assigned to the outer districts." Stanford shrugs. "Tells me I spend more time here than with my son. What about you?"
"Same old same old. Too much paperwork to bother with a night life."

He hums, jotting down details about the scene as I relay them to him.

"You sure you don't want me to hook you up with someone I know?"
"What, with your brother?" I wince.
"He's a nice guy behind all that gruff."
"Behind all that gruff is vulgar."

I run a hand across a nearby slate, feeling the crushed gouges across the stone marker.

"Whatever this was is at least a D rank."
"That's not going to go well with the boss. Having something that dangerous should have been spotted long ago."
I grunt in agreement, dusting my gloves clean of the dirt.

"Well, lets get this over with." I take a breath and raise my hand straight, "Gather before my eyes and reveal yourself, [Lesser Mana Sight]."

A flicker runs though my eyes as mana lights up around me.

"Shit."
"What's wrong?"
"It left behind a huge trail, whatever this is." I point out the path the creature took, "Trail leads from the over the fence towards the graves and towards the shack. It's then a straight path back towards the fence. Probably rank C with something this size. Get in touch with central intelligence, check if there has been other sightings of large creatures around. Someone has bound to have notice something this big."
"Hopefully whatever this is prefers the dead rather than the living." Stanford grimaces.

I take one more look before my sight painfully returns to normal.
"Nothing seems to be left behind, not even footprints."
"That can't be right, the groundskeeper said it walked on two feet."
"That's not what the trail says."

Sargent Stanford walks forwards to inspect the slates, marking down the names and details of the evicted dead. A minute spent and a frown enters his face.

"Discovered something?"
"Whatever this was, it knew what to look for." He points towards the disturbed ground, "These graves all held mages," and then pointed to the undisturbed ones, "and these didn't."
I check the slates for the mark that depict ones who had mana stones in them, and he's right.
"So this thing is after dead mages?" he asks.
I shake my head, "Mana stones. It's after mana stones. That doesn't make much sense though, the shrines handle the dead and remove them for preservation and to prevent necromancy."
"Doesn't that mean this thing might head towards the shrine next?"
I recall where the trail ends at the fence, and realize that it heads straight towards the city walls.
"Stanford, head back first and report that we might have a creature on the loose in the city."
"Yes Captain." He salutes before jogging out of the cemetery.

Investigate: Shack Attempt to retrace trail Attempt to follow trail Input options

>>827033
>Retract trail
Figure out where this thing came from and how it got into the city. If there's a big security hole it needs to be patched up before something else gets in.

>>827033
It went into the shack, and its actions demonstrate intelligence, so fully investigate. Find out what it did there.

Is there any chance it was working with an accomplice? As in, someone controlling the creature?

Shack.

Investigate dat Shack

Shack

see if you can't figure out why it went into the shack

Eat Stanford.

Captain Resida 2017/09/02(Sat)05:23 No. 827058 ID: 6cbace
File 150435499638.png - (9.37KB , 600x400 , B008.png )

Eat Stanford
Cannibalism is against the law.

Shack
I turn around and head back to the shack.
It's barren, only having a bed and cupboard on the far end of the room. An empty shelf rests by the window.
There is a separate room that leads to a kitchen and pantry.
How does anyone live like this?

Bottles are strewn across the floor haphazardly and the scent of piss still lingers in the air.

Investigate: Input options Return

>[Lesser Mana Sight]
let's see where that creature went in here and see if we can't see what it was hoping to accomplish by coming in here.

Against the law?! YOU ARE THE LAAAAAAAW!
check under bead for dead bodies. How else is a lonely gravekeeper supposed to keep himself busy?

Using [Lesser Mana Sight] seems to be quite painful, so don't use it unless it seems necessary.

Although the groundskeeper didn't mention anything being taken or broken, he also said that he wasn't looking when the monster was in the shack.
You should hastily check if anything looks disturbed. Can any marks be recognized on the floor?

Check the lock on the door and see if it's functioning properly.

Return afterwards.

Captain Resida 2017/09/02(Sat)06:02 No. 827068 ID: 6cbace
File 150435736739.png - (10.48KB , 600x400 , B009.png )

No one is above the law, Even the royal family subjects themselves under the law.

"Gather before my eyes and reveal yourself, [Lesser Mana Sight]."
I blink as mana rushes to my eyes. The biggest reaction is the trail on the floor, leading to the window and bed. There are minor traces on the shelf and leading under the bed.

There is nothing but bottles rolled under the bed. It's surprisingly clean. Probably something has been removed from here. The shelf is also unusually clean compared to the floor and walls, especially around the trail.

There are traces of claw marks left on the floor, but like with the soil outside, there are no traces of mana on it's footprints. It is as if they were planted there.

The door lock is worn down with scratches indicating where keys have struct the metal knob, but no real trace of being picked. Judging by the state of this place, there probably isn't much worth being stolen in here anyhow.

Investigate: Input options Return

The fool left a trail leading right back to his bed. What a sad little man. Let him off with a warning not to waste any more of the police's time.

Return. We'll need to ask the groundskeeper what he keeps under the bed and on the shelf.

Captain Resida 2017/09/02(Sat)07:02 No. 827076 ID: 6cbace
File 150436095872.png - (10.90KB , 600x400 , B010.png )

I leave the shack and face the groundskeeper, "Thank you for your time Mr Jason. It's probably best if you return to the city and stay with your daughter until the investigation comes to an end."
"Y-yes... Thank you madam..." He gets up, knees shaking as we walk towards the gate.

I take a look while my spell is still active. As suspected, the trail leads back into the city... except the tail comes from the city too? That's not good.

I leave the groundskeeper with the guards posted at the entrance of the cemetery.

Investigate: Attempt to retrace trail Attempt to follow trail Return to city

Return to city to report a false alarm.

>>827076
... Just what kind of monster are you dealing with, here, that apparently came out to the graveyard from the city, dug up only the graves with mana stones, seemingly went so far as to pass up an opportunity to get the groundskeeper, and went back in? Like, is there any kind of creature you know of where that sequence of events makes sense for it to do?

And the two trails in the city go off in different directions? That's even weirder. I guess maybe see where it went?

Attempt to follow the trail.

The monster could still be in the vicinity so it would be good to at least see how far the trail can take us. But don't overstress your eyes.

>>827076
At this point you need more information. Follow its trail.

Follow that shit.

It might be best not to follow something like this withought backup. If you think the trail might fade soon then gather a team and start tracking it otherwise try to find out where it came from first. If we know what it is and where it came from we will have a better chance of dealing with it.

>>827103
This. We need to know the source of monsters in the city.

Retrace the trail

Captain Resida 2017/09/03(Sun)05:14 No. 827326 ID: 6cbace
File 150444088140.png - (12.69KB , 600x400 , B011.png )

I follow the trail, jogging before my spell wears out and eventually find the spot where the trail ends...
I look up, and find no other trace of the creature until the top of the wall.
This thing jumped! There's not even a single mark on the surface of the wall indicating that it climbed! Whatever this thing is, it is powerful.

Judging from how far away the gates are, This should be somewhere in the slums.
That's not good, finding anything in the slums would be difficult and messy.

Investigate Input Options

Continue following the trail into the slums. If it can get messy, then it's that much more important to see what we can find.

investigate

The slums? How convenient. Just do a perimeter check of the slums for its tracks to make sure it isn't bothering anyone that matters.

Captain Resida 2017/09/03(Sun)07:35 No. 827341 ID: 6cbace
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I hurry my way towards where the creature would have landed.
As I exit the main street and enter into the side streets that leads to the slums of the city, the morning daylight darkens under the shadows of the buildings.
The older area of the city, built in mind to cram as many citizens as possible, back when outside the walls were filled with more dangerous beasts, and the population grew too big, too quick behind the safety of the enchanted walls.
Nowadays with the introduction of the guilds and subjugation efforts, wild beasts had been pushed back and many villages had been established outside the city, easing the population stress in the residential areas of the city.
Sadly places like these remain outside of the interest of redevelopment, with too many people living in these crammed spaces to force out just to fix up the area.

Dirty civilians rush out of sight as they see my uniform. My boots echo as I Walk steadily towards the wall. Running in here is a good way to attract the wrong kind of attention.

Investigate: Ask witnesses Make way to wall Seek "information brokers" Seek the underground guilds

Make your way to the wall, we need to pick up the trail.

Ask witnesses if they saw any dead bodies getting dragged along the ground.

try and find that trail from the wall its your only lead currently and you don't want to loose it.

Ask witnesses if they've seen anything out of the ordinary at the time of the event. Altho it's unlikely because, if anyone had seen such a strong monster, they would've reported it already.

Afterwards, make your way to the wall.

make way along the wall

Ask witnesses. It can be difficult to follow the trail of something that can jump buildings.

>>827341
Look for the trail.
Witnesses will either not want to talk to the guard or would have already reported it.

>>827341
Asking around about 'missing persons' or 'strange disappearances' or corpses appearing is going to be fruitless: at best you'd get "no more than usual around here".
Instead, look for cripples near the other side of the wall where the thing jumped over, people living on the street that don't move around much and could not run from a monster if they wanted. Ask them if they've seen anything.

Make way to wall

The wall is your current clue you shouldn't let it get cold or you may loose the trail

>>827341
Make way to the wall.

Get as far as you can with the trail, then go shopping in the nearby area and pick up whatever gossip you can find.

Captain Resida 2017/09/04(Mon)05:45 No. 827513 ID: 6cbace
File 150452914312.png - (18.60KB , 600x400 , B013.png )

Breaking out into a quick march, I find less and less people around.
I hear signs of whispers, and with doors and windows closing, it won't take long before some thug comes in and try to... dissuade me from investigating further.

I reach the wall and find a large crater where the creature must had landed.

Captain Resida 2017/09/04(Mon)05:52 No. 827514 ID: 6cbace
File 150452957699.png - (22.53KB , 600x400 , B014.png )

At least it won't be hard to follow now.

I could either wait for backup or follow the trail.
A creature this size running loose in the city won't end well, but I don't have much experience fighting beasts. Guards are trained in fights against people, not beasts.
Alternatively I could wait for backup. By now my request for assistance should have been processed and roadblocks would be set up to prevent this creature from escaping deeper into the city... If it's still here.

Investigate: Follow trail Await backup

Follow the trail! Justice waits for no backup!

>>827514
The hell is that red glow?

That red speck is probably Emils' core.

uh...

uhm...

Await for backup~~

Wait for backup, this thing will kill you if you solo it.

The grave robbing happened last night. This creature had plenty of time to move further away.
Keep following the trail. You got to find what you can before the criminals begin to interfere.

Follow Trail

Comfort yourself before following anyways

>>827514
This isn't a job for the guard, this is a job for the guild.
You can act as a guide for them, but fighting monsters is explicitly not your job.

Seems like the perfect time to go get help!

>>827514
Await backup.

If you happen to run into this thing by yourself it'll kill you.

>>827514
We know the beast is powerful.
Don't just wait for backup, go fetch some!

>>827514
You guessed this thing is at least rank C. You're not prepared to fight that kind of thing solo.

Follow protocol, wait for backup.

Await backup

if this thing is a class C or god forbid even stronger, probably a good idea to have someone watching your back

As dangerous as something this strong is, so far all evidence suggests it has actively chosen not to harm the living. We have neither the time nor the need to wait for backup. Keep following.

>>827570
It hasn't shown any reluctance to harm the living, only disinclination to do anything to a non-mage who wasn't a threat.

You're a mage and a threat. If it's hungry for mage corpses it can kill you and then have a meal, and if it has any self-preservation instinct then it will fight back when cornered.

Or it's a necromantic golem, in which case it was stealing for a master who is way out of your league.

You deal with human crime, not monsters.

This beast is smart, agile, and the size of a large horse. Stepping in now would get yourself mauled, wait for backup.

So far all you've done is wait. Maybe try following this time

>>827514
Always wait for backup when you need it. What's that red thing though?

Make sure you got your bigboy pants on and follow

>>827514
Await backup.

You have little to no idea what you might be up against. Await backup.

Wait for backup.

wait for backup

Ah Hell Nah! wait for backup.

You should definitely go in alone, yep, that is what you should do.

Captain Resida 2017/09/05(Tue)05:10 No. 827780 ID: 6cbace
File 150461341169.png - (5.53KB , 600x400 , B015.png )

I can't see any red.
Backup - 16 Follow - 8

I press my identity bracelet, sending out a soft signal to mark my location and await for someone to come to me.
I feel gazes upon me from various places. No doubt the civilians wondering why I am here.
I could warn them, but that might alert the beast too.

Eventually I see a shadow emerge from an alley.
"Captain?"

Investigate: Input Options

Don't believe it's them until they tell you the secret codeword!

move closer to get a better look and see who it is.

Ask for identification.
Explain what we're dealing with and ask for their recommendation on the who to send out.

Identify yourself!

Assuming they do: what the hell are you doing here?

>>827780
"Who's there?"

>>827791
We did send out a signal for back up, so it's to be expected.

Say yes, and ask who's there? Since you can't make out who they are from the silhouette. Something seems off about the silhouette though.

>>827780
identify

You have no reason to imagine shapeshifting at this point.

Confirm your identity and ask his.

>>827780
Yep that's me, who is it?

>"Captain?"
and you would be?

Captain Resida 2017/09/05(Tue)16:18 No. 827940 ID: 6cbace
File 150465348871.png - (12.52KB , 600x400 , B016.png )

"Who's there! Identify yourself!"
A wet cough splutters from the person as they stumble out of the alley and onto the ground.
"Co- *cough* pral Judas, Division 4, squad C!"
He's bleeding.
"What happened?!"
"The creature *cough* squad wiped out."
He is breathing heavily, he needs medical help.

The fact that this was a recent attack means that the creature is still near by.
I do not know the extent of his wounds, nor do I have anything on me to help, but if I do help him, I will lose trail of the creature.
I may also attempt to trail the creature. The signal I sent off would have attracted other guards to my location, and he will get

Investigate:
Help him
Follow trail to where the squad was attacked
Use [Lesser Mana Sight] to attempt to trail creature before the mana trail grows cold
Others - Input Option

Help him! Chasing fairytales is frivolous when there's a wounded comrade in front of you.

The tactical value of having a witness to the monster outweighs anything you could do on it's trail.

Try to save him, so he can make a full report.

>>827940
Give him aid while asking what kind of monster it is. You need information first and foremost, don't go chasing something solo that wiped out a full squad. This is going to be a job for the guild, I think.

>>827940
Use mana sight to make sure there's nothing wrong with this guy. Like him pinging as a super-big monster.

Then help him.

If the whole squad has been wiped out then it would be too dangerous to try to follow it closely.

Use [Lesser Mana Sight] to try to locate the creature while treating his wounds. I believe some healing items are a part of standard equipment.
Once treated, carefully observe your surroundings while moving towards the place of the attack.

>Help him
he knows what the creature is and if it can take out a whole squad their isn't much you could do. Try to stop his bleeding and keep him awake by asking questions, like what does the beast look like and how did it take out his squad.

If you can save him he can give the guard and the adventures valuable information that will help prevent lose of life in the future.

also use mana sight to make sure the creature still isn't around

help him first and foremost the info will be necessary in case of further confrontation. second a life is more important than catching up fast to this creature.

>>827940
The dude's bleeding out in front of you. Help him.

>>827940
Check him with Mana Sight before you approach. We know next to nothing about the creature, so a few seconds of caution is warranted.

If he appears normal, assist him and question him about the creature's appearance.
If he appears to be abnormal, question him at a distance.

In either case, following the trail is less important.

help him

Don't forget to ask where the rest of his team is more may still be alive and you want to save as many people as possible.

>>827940
Unless you've got a really good idea about how to handle something that maybe just wiped a squad, maybe just help this guy instead.

Bring Judas out into the open. With everyone watching. Where even a masterful, almost shapeshifting assassin couldn't do anything without getting themselves killed.

Scare the beast with an intentionally public false announcement:
"Don't worry, Jud. We've got magic snipers around the perimeter, and divination spotters tracking down the beast. Next thing that @#$%er's going to eat is a missile through the throat!"

Scan while you can.

>>828131
If Emils doesn't want to be moved, the Cap isn't going to be able to move it.

Help him. We still can't fight the monster on our own and if the monster lays a trap it will kill us.

Most important thing is number and rank of the squad that died. Ask him that. We will know if we have enough backup to move on.

>>827940
Hold on.
Have you ever heard of the surname "Judas" before for anyone, let alone one of your kind? Or in the force? It could be some thug trying to trick you. also, use Mana Sight in case the creature is lurking in the shadows, using him as bait.

Captain Resida 2017/09/07(Thu)05:16 No. 828468 ID: 6cbace
File 150478657557.png - (14.36KB , 600x400 , B018.png )

I rush down to his side as he falls over, finding him unconscious.
"hey! HEY!" I slap his face a bit but he doesn't wake up. He's still breathing.
I search though his belt for any kind of first aid he may hold while looking down the alley.
"Gather before my eyes and reveal yourself, [Lesser Mana Sight]."
My sight burn as I blink the tears our of my eyes.

Captain Resida 2017/09/07(Thu)05:19 No. 828471 ID: 6cbace
File 150478674055.png - (18.80KB , 600x400 , B019.png )

My gloves feel wet with blood, making it difficult to make out what he has in his belt.
I cough slightly as a foul smell of hits me. His intestines might have been ruptured.

My eyes regain their focus and... the trail... doesn't go anywhere...
Investigate: Input Options

It probably went straight up again. Now continue your Samaritan practice. Do you know any healing spells? Does tapping the bracelet twice make your call for backup twice as urgent?

>>828471
You're not holding the creature, are you?

Which skills do you have?

If you can't find anything in his belt, then too bad. Maybe you can freeze or burn out the wound to stop the bleeding?

You're not a doctor and after you deem that there's nothing more you can do here, you should try to find the rest of the squad. Use any other buff magic which might increase your defensive abilities.

>>828471
Whatever it is it is hiding and too much for you to take on alone stay here and wait for more back up and send in the request for a medic.

>>828471
>My eyes regain their focus and...the trail...doesn't go anywhere...
Yes it does! Look at the ground! There are tiny footprints and they're leading back...towards...you...

Uhhh.....look at the guard.

>>828471
Deal with the immediate problem, get the injured dude to medical attention if you can't do anything here.

wait wait wait... look... Down.

>>828523
We told her to check to see if this is the creature before approaching.
If she chose to disregard our advice to avoid danger in the first place then she is unlikely to take our advice when elbow deep in monster guts.

If she does look down, and realizes that she's elbow deep in a monster's gullet, then my advice to her would be to act as if nothing is wrong, remove her hand, stand up, and flee towards where the 'attack' happened.
Alternatively, say "Please don't kill me"

Well, okay. The creature is pretending to be an injured guard. It obviously doesn't want to risk a direct confrontation, preferring to either avoid a fight via subterfuge or get you unawares. You have a few options. You could ask it to not kill you. Hopefully it has some form of morality. You could play along, pretending to not realize it is the monster. You could retreat.

Actually attacking is probably not a good idea.

>>828471
Okay let's be serious here. Shapeshifters don't display any of the behavior you've seen so far-- they don't eat corpses. This guy cannot be the creature. It must simply have hidden its trail somehow. Maybe by jumping onto the rooftops?

If the guy doesn't have anything on his belt, then you need to go get help.

How thorough is your civilization's knowledge of all creatures in the world? Are there gaps? Could some foreign shapeshifter, an invasive species, from far away exhibit these behaviors?

I don't think this guy is the source. He gave his Resida his name and rank. It's unlikely that whatever fought them can shapeshift and read minds.

Captain Resida 2017/09/08(Fri)00:27 No. 828834 ID: 6cbace
File 150485564222.png - (12.80KB , 600x400 , B020.png )

I am a cryomancer, but the spells I have are for offence, not support.

I look up, but my vision is blocked by bridges and buildings that have been built together. Unsafe, but construction in these parts had been unregulated for a long time.
In any case, I won't be able to follow the trail if the creature did take to the roofs. I might be able to find a direction it went towards if I rush now, but...

I look down and... fuck, there's too much fresh Mana, it's difficult to see anything!
I manage to find some Areo salve in one of his pockets and smear it across his wounds. It won't be a good fix, but it'll stop the pain and the blood. Hopefully.
"Hey Judas! Wake up! Don't fall asleep!"
He coughs, his breathing growing lower.
It sounds like he is murmuring something, but his breath is too shallow to hear.

Investigate: Follow Stay Other

rolled 1 = 1

---

>>828834
Wouldn't you be kind of charging off in a random direction at this point?

At the same time I'm not sure what else you can do for Judas here.

Uh, 1 stay 2 go I guess.

>>828834
Stay with him! Don't abandon him! He's trying to tell you something! Lean in closer so you can hear him!

Odds are, he's either trying to tell you something about the monster or he's wanting you to pass on some final words to a loved one!

Stay! Don't you die on me, dammit!

Better to offer some companionship in what is probable the last moments of this man than to chase a target you don't have hopes of defeating.

Other: head in the direction the other guards will be coming from. You can get medical aid faster that way.

Also keep in mind the squad got attacked recently. The scene of the battle will have a much more recent trail, among other evidence, so you don't have to worry about losing the creature.

Put your ears to his mouth, see if you can make out what he's trying to say.

If you can't make out anything, then move to the rest of the guards. Others are probably wounded as well.

keep him awake and alert because if he falls asleep he could entre a comatose state where he may not wake up due to the low blood pressure.

>>828834
Listen to his words, and stay with him until help arrives.

Stay, if the creature could wipe out a whole squad then you don't stand much of a chance, in that case a surviving witness is more useful.

Captain Resida 2017/09/08(Fri)07:27 No. 828889 ID: 6cbace
File 150488087510.png - (21.65KB , 600x400 , B021.png )

I lean down towards his head to listen to what his final words may be, but I can't make out anything.
I pull back, feeling slightly exhausted. My legs feel tired from crouching down and I pull my hands back.
There's nothing I can do for...
This is not blood.
Investigate: Panic

Put your face closer to his. Maybe you can make out what he's trying to say. And you won't have time to scream.

Picnic!

I mean, panic.

>>828889
run? run!

>>828889
SCREAM AND RUN.

"Please don't eat me." Alternative: PANIC.

Probably panic time.

Panic and use Ice Magic?

If running isn't an option, freeze stuff.

Panic!

It shapeshifts.
It's Intelligent.
And you're a witness.

Note how you've seen nothing unusual here at all, and walk away.

>>828896
"Please don't kill me"

You were advised.
Was this person even based on a real person in your department?

Y'all motherfucker didn't check for bioweapons. Done goofed my dude.

>>828889
mash that button on your identity bracelet for the rest of your unfortunately brief life. other people have to know something went wrong, its their only chance.

I like the idea of the emergency burst of ice magic (unless it's going to drain more of your energy, preventing you from crawling away).

>>828889
Don't Panic.

It's just slime, slimes only eat dead things. The smell must have attracted a slime to the poor guy. Get away from the body and the slime should lose interest.

Flash freeze yourself.

Ice magics now!

>>828925
This, basically.

Captain Resida 2017/09/09(Sat)04:28 No. 829145 ID: 6cbace
File 150495653051.png - (19.83KB , 600x400 , B022.png )

I build mana up into my left hands and snap my fingers, "Frost, heed my call and fire upon my foe, [Ice Spear]!"
Vapors twist upon my glove, solidify and shoots into the mass of mana, but it sinks deep into it and stabs into Corporal Judas.
I try to fall back, but my legs refuse to move under my control. I drag myself back while building up mana into my right hand.
"Frost, heed my call and form into a blade, [Ice Blade]!"
I try to slice away the mass of mana, but it clings tight to my robes, making it's way up my legs. It's... getting harder to feel my toes.

Investigate: Panic

Try rolling away from the corpse.

>>829145
You definitely need to try and get your legs out of there somehow. Rolling, maybe, or if you can pull on them?

I don't think it's possible to get away anymore and struggling would only be perceived as a hostile reaction.

Undo all your spells and lay perfectly still and motionless.

>>829145
>Panic sever legs, lurch away,
chill stumps with iceblade and hope you get to a healer
Uh, shit, freeze slime? if it works it'll trap your legs in it, but frostbite is probably more survivable than whatever's going on right now.

You're done. You're done for. It got you, like it got inside the guard. You are dead, dying, or worse. Acknowledge this. It got you.

Now get it, in turn. Bring down the wrath of your colleagues - and may they have a hope in hell of beating something this insidious.

Scream with all of your might, before it can stop you. Though they might not care for you, there are witnesses still. Trigger the backup charm over and over and over again, if you can. Make a mess and a spectacle to draw the witnesses' attention, and yell:

"REMEMBER THESE WORDS! THE CREATURE IS SHAPESHIFTING - THE CREATURE IS MANA - TELL SARGENT STANFORD - HE WILL REWARD YOU - TEST TRUST - THE GRAVEKEEPER SAID ITS EYES WERE RED - NOW STAY AWAY - RUN! THIS CREATURE WILL KILL TO HIDE ITSELF!"

This is all you can do - to spread your findings. It did not want anyone to know. Otherwise you would not be dying now.

>>829153
I wouldn't give up too soon~
>>/questdis/115479

Keep dragging yourself away as fast as you can and yell for assistance.

Crud, you need to get aware from this thing. Push away from it with your legs, and/or if there's something to grab on to within reach, pull yourself away from it. Try to limit how much of this thing is on you so you can better deal with it.

>>829155

Then causing as much ruckus as possible is also a way to survive - make the creature retreat.

You're going to die.
You can either accept it, or you can kick and scream and spell and curse to your last.
if this thing swallows your Mana Core it's going to be a battle of Wills,
anyway

You have to chop your legs off and then quickly shove yourself away. It sucks but your legs are probably already done for. Amputating them with a frost blade should keep you from bleeding to death and will leave some food to distract this thing while you roll away screaming for help.

Why fight it? It'll only sour your last memories. Try to enjoy the feeling of the goo as it seeps over and into every part of your body.

so ice doesn't work, know any fire spells?

>>829145
Use your arms to crawl away while you still can.

>>829145
Drag yourself out of the puddle with your arms. If you move faster than the ooze, you can make it.

Use ice blades as climbing stakes to stab into the ground and drag yourself with, if necessary.

>>829175
>>829178
Cut off your legs, then freeze the stumps and do this.

Captain Resida 2017/09/09(Sat)09:23 No. 829195 ID: 6cbace
File 150497419688.png - (23.66KB , 600x400 , B023.png )

I struggle to pull myself away from the mass, but it still clings to my legs, preventing me from twisting or rolling away.
I fire more spells at the mass, but it doesn't seem to do much.
I try grabbing the mass, pulling it away from me, slicing at it, but it's like a lump of dough. It's heavy, springy under my grip, and I can't feel enough to know if I really got it off my legs.

I'm yelling for help, I hear distant voices but it doesn't seem anyone will step out to help me any time soon, and it's quickly growing closer and the numbness is rising to my calfs.

Investigate: Panic Struggle Give up Remove legs

Give up and get jelly.

>>829195
Remove Leg

>>829195
I fail to see how removing your legs is going to help you here. You might free yourself in the extreme short term that way, but then you're left trying to crawl away from whatever this is. I mean, yes, you're kind of doing that now, but I imagine you're not going to be faster after self-amputating.

Keep trying to get away, I guess?

>>829195
Cut off your legs and freeze the stumps.

It's eating mages, so while you're crawling away expend all the mana you can as visibly as possible, as long as you can do so without slowing down. It may lose interest if you have no mana left.

You need to escape.

Keep struggling. If you cant get it off your legs before it gets much farther then you will have to cut yourself free.

Keep struggling. Also, odd idea but it's on your clothes, removing them or the parts that the mass is stuck to could help to free you.

>>829195
Cutting your legs off will just give it an opening to crawl into your body!

You need to keep struggling! If you press your identity bracelet again, would that get someone to show up faster?

Remove your clothes before your limbs, silly

Btw, it takes an incredible amount of force to cut through bone. I don't think there's any time to do that. Assuming Resida would even be able concentrate and tolerate the pain, we'd probably just end up with mangled legs. Which would likely kill us :B

Give up. Cease all movement.
The best you can do is concentrate and try to redirect mana inside you away from your legs. This may cause the creature to recognize you as dead or incapacitated, in which case it may back off.

Not moving is how we got slime all over our legs in the first place!

Problem with amputation is you're probably going to go into shock, or be slowed down by the pain, which the goo will take advantage of to keep spreading.

What if you instead put ice between you and the goo? Gave yourself ice boots, basically?

Whatever happens, keep pulling yourself further away. That backup you called for has to show up eventually, right?

>>829195
>Remove pants.

>>829225
yes, cunning plan

For as often as tgchan uses nudity to solve all problems, they might actually have a case here.

>>829225
if it works it works

>>829225
I suppose if this fails theres no stopping leg removal as option 2. Seconded.

>>829219
>>829225
Changing my vote from leg removal to this.

Try the pants removal first. If that fails, mold an Ice Blade around your feet and legs the same way you made one on your hand. That should push the slime off of the surface of your limbs as the ice takes form, allowing you some time to put distance in by crawling. Keeping it up might risk frostbite, but it seems like your legs have worse problems than that right now.

Remove Pantsu

Remove pants, if that fails, remove legs.

Captain Resida 2017/09/09(Sat)21:01 No. 829411 ID: 6cbace
File 150501609577.png - (16.79KB , 600x400 , B024.png )

I use my blade to cut the lower half of my surcoat as the mass pulls it towards itself. Dispelling the blade to free my hand, I bring myself up by my elbows and grip around my waist to unbuckle my belt and pants.
It takes a considerable effort to rock my hips to pull it under my butt while struggling to pull myself back, letting friction and the pull of the mass pull my clothing away from me.

The loose clothing gathers at my ankles and boots. I am unable to pull away from that, but I am able to gather a bit more distance from the mass.
With the sight spell wearing off, I am starting to see where the light refracts around the mass, bringing it into view. It has definitely seeped into my boots and wrapped tight around my feet at this point.

It is a predator slime, but I can't tell what kind it is nor where it's core is. Probably still hidden inside the body.

Investigate: Panic Struggle Give up Remove legs

>>829411
Keep struggling!

It can't move away from it's core, right? Get far enough away and it'll have to pull back!

If you press your identity bracelet again, would that get someone to show up faster? Or can you send a distress signal with your bracelet to let others know that you're in danger?

>>829411
Create ice blades from your legs to cut up your pants and make it easier to get free of them. Possibly also use the ice to push the slime off of your skin, as suggested earlier. Even if you have to freeze your own feet.

>>829411
Cut your legs off below the knee! Clearly this is not a winning fight and you might be able to get new ones maybe.

ask it politely to stop

If you keep blasting the tendrils connecting the body to the part enveloping your feet, it might lose connection. Then you could get away.

Save enough mana to cut off your legs, just in case there's no other option. Also, aren't predator slimes-- apparently you know they exist?-- intelligent to a degree? Maybe you can get it to stop by talking to it.

((also what the heck even is this thing? It shouldn't be Emils, Emils is better at killing than this. Unless she's just toying with the captain.))

>>829411
Keep struggling.
Also, shout at it to leave you alone.
Also see if you can use your blades to sever its connection to its core.

Ok now that you know what this is start thinking on the best ways to fight it. You should know how these things hunt.

Is struggling a good idea? Or will it stop attacking you if you lie still?

Will cutting your feet off do anything? Or do slimes have a weakness that you can take advantage of.

Calm down and think on what you know about these things for a moment before you start chopping feet off.

>>829427
Probably the other slime seed Emils was keeping, finally 'hatched'. Because yeah... if it was Emils, Resida would be dead by now.

>>829465
That would make sense. Emils is probably watching to see who wins, then. She could even be planning to save the Captain's life in order to gain her gratitude... optimally she'd capture the baby slime in some makeshift container in order to bring it back home and gradually feed it dragonblood.

Stop resisting, maybe it responds to movement?

>>829465
Emils and her "sibling" are red slimes but seeing as everything is in black and white maybe? This may also be a sewer slime or some other slime muscling in on our turf

>>829411
quick what do you know about predator slimes? How smart are they? Can they understand speech?
Try struggling a little less while talking to it.

>>829474
Emils is only red because she ate a whole bunch of dragonblood. Her sibling was not given the same treatment.

>>829466
Those are some really far-fetched theories. The way I see it, this is entirely in line with how Emils could act and fight.

I'll keep voting for Give up. And I suppose doing >>829423 wouldn't hurt to try.

Don't cut off your legs, geez.

Keep struggling, do not remove legs.

Give up, you'll just die tired.

As embarrassing as it was, that gave you a bit of time, if it's gotten through your boots there's no point in continuing to try and remove clothes.

Keep struggling, keep activating your beacon, hope help comes. Since it's gotten a solid hold on your feet, I think it's either hope for help, or unfortunately, remove your feet.

Captain Resida 2017/09/10(Sun)07:41 No. 829501 ID: 6cbace
File 150505447779.png - (13.39KB , 600x400 , B025.png )

Fuck it, I'm not letting this thing take me.
I twist around, clawing at the ground trying to pull me away from the slime.
Predatory slimes are rare and hard to kill since they are immune to stabbing and magic, which is what I'm good at. Unfortunately. Best way to deal with a slime is to slice off chunks of them or to break their core, which I can't do either of.

I start yelling for help, building up mana into my legs, ready to freeze off the slime around my feet. Unfortunately without the same enchantments as my gloves, it would end up freezing my feet as well. That would be unpleasant.
I can hear sounds of yelling and running, people are coming. I don't know how long I can stay free as the slime's pull is getting stronger. If it gets a good grip on me, it can pull me off to who knows where until it completely digests me.

Investigate: Panic Struggle Give up Remove legs

Let this slime take you back to its lair so you can find out where it's hiding.

Can't you cast the ice blades on your hands and use them like ice picks to pull yourself harder and faster out of the slimes grasp. Just jab them as deep in the ground as you can and drag yourself forward

>>829501
If you can re-manifest an ice blade and use it to hook into the ground, you might have enough leverage to drag yourself away, at the very least it'll make a good anchor.

>>829501
If you hear someone coming then that should mean you don't need to hold out all that much longer. Keep trying to pull yourself away!

Make sure you wiggle your butt as you struggle.

>>829501
Keep struggling!

>>829508
This. Keep struggling, use ice blades to anchor yourself or drag yourself forwards. Help is on the way Resida, don't give up!

>>829501
Make sure to use the freezing magic in your legs at the right moment to loosen its grip, you need to be ready to put the distance in when you do.

>>829501
Freeze it.
You'll need a pyromancer to treat your legs for frostbite, or failing that a warm water bath (95f), but the ice should provide enough of a barrier between you and the slime and provide it less purchase.

No matter what, keep struggling.

>>829501
Freeze your legs solid. That should lyze the creature's cells. Don't let that patrol die in vain and allow their sacrifices to be for nothing!

Keep dragging yourself along while yelling obscenities.
And get ready to frostbite those legs but only as a last resort.

>>829508
I like the ice picks option. It can't drag you off like that.

>>829501
Do the planned freeze. You can get your legs healed afterwards, so long as they're still attached.
Also watch the fuck out it's about to grab you.

Captain Resida 2017/09/11(Mon)01:36 No. 829767 ID: 6cbace
File 150511898258.png - (16.06KB , 600x400 , B026.png )

I fire off ice spears ahead of me, using them to climb forwards, pulling myself away from the slime, feeling a burning sensation in my legs.
I build up the rest of my usable mana around my legs, I gritting my teeth as an additional burning sensation floods my lower body.
I can hear the voices get closer as I yell out for help, but the slime's pull gets stronger. I don't know if I can hold on before I start feeling weak from using too much mana.
I only have enough energy for one last action.

Struggle
Explode mana
Give up

Explode Mana

Final Explosion, go out like Vegeta!

Do not go quietly, and all that.

>>829767
Blow that fucker up.

I've no idea what exploding mana is. You're not a pyromancer so it definitely wouldn't be a fiery explosion. So I guess it would just.. freeze you and stuff around you? A suicide that wouldn't accomplish anything heh.

Give up
It's the only option we haven't tried yet.

>>829771
She's planning on creating a bunch of ice around her legs to force the slime to let go. This would also freeze her legs.

>>829774
That's not what your "Blow that fucker up" suggestion implies tho. Anyway, I'll stick with my vote because, if I'm right, the slime already absorbed most of that mana out of the legs and the freezing will just fail.

>>829767
>ask it nicely to please stop trying to eat you

Just give up, you know you aren't going to make it so you may as well go peacefully into whatever afterlife you believe in.
let your last thoughts be not of struggle and pain but rather the life you've led with it's ups and downs.

What does the mana explosion do?

>>829771 >>829780
If a predator won't let you flee, giving up on fleeing is giving up on life.

Give up. Your deliciousness will be added to our own.

Freeze the fucker. Sorry about whatever happens to your legs, but if you're starting to feel weak I don't want to risk you getting dragged off before help gets here.

give up, you won't feel a thing as the slime numbs its way up your extremities. Maybe enjoy your last moments instead of screeching and shooting ice everywhere while your pants fall off?

>>829796
To clarify, I'm voting for the explode mana option here. Don't give up! If this doesn't work then it'll be the same as giving up, but if it does they we're free (potentially sans legs but still).

>>829767
Explode mana!

>>829767
Explode Mana

Keep Struggling! Almost there!

Are we talking ice explosion or regular explosion cause I thought the plan was to flash freeze your legs.

>>829883
Seeing as most of her spells are ice based, I think it's going to be an ice explosion focused on her legs that ends up flash freezing them and the slime.

Keep struggling

A slime seems like it would be explosion resistant. What does mana explosion do? Is it a literal explosion? You expending your entire mana reserve in one go? Is it a suicidal tactic?

Barring better information, I'm inclined to keep up the struggle.

Captain Resida 2017/09/12(Tue)06:28 No. 830090 ID: 23a020
File 150522292956.png - (15.44KB , 600x400 , B027.png )

Shit! The slime has gotten enough leverage to pull me off the ground, quickly pulling me towards it!
I hope I've got enough mana not to kill myself,
"Ignite, That with flows though my veins, [Mana Forge]!"

Captain Resida 2017/09/12(Tue)06:32 No. 830091 ID: 23a020
File 150522314063.png - (19.81KB , 600x400 , B028.png )

My body flips, unable to properly re-orientate while in the grasp of the slime.
I feel my blood boiling as my mana burns in my veins.
I concentrate onto my legs and "Frost, heed my call and fire upon my foe, [Ice Spear]!"

I Am Sidestories End Captain Resida 2017/09/12(Tue)06:37 No. 830093 ID: 23a020
File 150522346459.png - (8.03KB , 600x400 , B029.png )

The air around me freezes cracks as my mana runs wild.
My legs are frozen as ice bursts from my flesh and spears the slime, freezing parts of it with me.
The added weight causes the frozen slime to shatter and I fall, only able to block my head as I hit the ground hard.
"Captain!" I hear, but my vision is blurry. I can't see who it is, but I can hear people running towards me.
"Get a medic!" she yells, but I can feel my blood chill inside me, sapping my strength.
My breath mists as my vision darkens.
I am exhausted.

What a waste of good slime food.

Hope she recovers by the time we see her next time!

>>830093
When you wake up, you need to tell the other soldiers that you all need to work on your response times to distress signals! They were almost too late to save you!

>>830093
Pyrrhic victory.

I kindof wish the captain went to talk to the information brokers or criminal groups. Would've made for some cool worldbuilding. As it stands all we really did was get her completely wrecked by a predator slime.