Dummy. You could've offered a back massage :p

>>169509
Go meet with the scout. See what he wants.

>>169509
May as well see want Dijp wants.

How do you pronounce that, anyway? "Deep"?

Maybe there's a new development about the Kithiks. Go see the guy.

>>169509
Consider seeing Deve later about the crossbow of suck the critter had. She may notice details that the commandant did not, given her specialized training.

Meanwhile, if you aren't feeling too sleepy, see Dijp. I'm sure it gets lonely up on the walls.

Also, ask someone if Kithiks lack windpipes, or have some other feature that'd make Entomb not work.

Brom 2010/04/24(Sat)12:13 No. 169556 ID: f98e0b
File 127213642762.png - (248.48KB , 800x600 , 179.png )

Dio heads up to the battlements. Djip is there, gazing into the darkening sky with a monocular.
"'Sgood, mateling?" says Djip.
"Hi," says Dio. "You wanted to see me?"
"Struth," says Djip. "Hicked yourselves in the Shais early up, aye?"
"What?"
"Camped you up in the mountains, yeah?"
"Yes?" says Dio.
"Mmm," says Djip, looking back up at the mountains. "Went you to Rthura peak 'fore you hicked and went this'n? Hell'd the forward outpost in the foots?"
"Uh, I can't actually-"
"Didja stop off in Rthura peak? Base camp, Delv Qal there?" asks Djip.

...Thero, any way you can help with the understanding of this guy?

>>169556
"I didn't go to the peak, no. Why do you ask?"

>>169556
That is quite an interesting dialect. Tell him that you didn't stop by the Qal camp.

No, we haven't been up there but we were planning to. We decided to get supplies down here first.

No. You thought about climbing the mountain, but decided to head straight here instead. Why?

>>169561
Wait, even better idea.
Thero, can you visit whoever is asleep at that outpost and see how they're doing?

Brom 2010/04/24(Sat)12:48 No. 169603 ID: f98e0b
File 127213853092.png - (270.60KB , 800x600 , 180.png )

>>169561
The guy's speaking in a Dulan Qal dialect, says Thero. It's a northern tribe. I've spent a while in their dreams. Reckon I can clear it up a bit for you, yeah..
"No, I didn't go up to the base camp, why?"
"'s no kosh," mutters Djip."Espy a' these," he says, tossing Dio the monoculars.
That's not good. Look through these.
Dio puts it up to his oculus.
"Gandrat a'th peak," says Djip. "Rthura foots." Take a look at the foothills on Rthura peak.
Dio does so. The bottom drops out of his stomach. A black plume is rising from the mountain. Dio can see a dull red glow coloring it.
"Combs(comrades) at the 'post ain't chatting," says Djip. "No clacks(letters, no phone, no flag([signals[/b]). Godda shit feeling about this. 'Ma thinking kithik."
"Spirits," breathes Dio. "How big was that outpost?"
"Ten, twenny Qal," says Djip. "Not 'Leets (elites) like we is, but shee-yit. This'n not kosh. 'Ma telling the commandant. Gessum sleep, mateling. We're all gonna need it."

>>169603
Thero, see if you can visit their dreams to check for survivors.
If anybody is left alive then we call in for air transport and air support.

There's a thought. What kind of airlift is available?

>practices his Blindness
Oh ho ho ho I have learned a new euphemism

Jai could probably have a look around up there pretty easily by flying. But, say, Dio - you can manipulate people's senses. Can you manipulate your own, theoretically? Say, put your sight and hearing into an illusory copy of yourself and send it scouting?

>>169603
You're in for some interesting times Dio. Tomorrow you should ask the commandant how to best integrate you and Jai into their forces.

Brom 2010/04/24(Sat)14:13 No. 169619 ID: f98e0b
File 127214359431.png - (241.57KB , 800x600 , 181.png )

Thero can't move any faster than Dio can, so it'd take a couple weeks for him to get to the fort. There's no way Dio can imbue his consciousness in an illusion and have it scout out the mountain, either. No way he can think of, at least.
"Is there any kind of way we could airlift them out?" asks Dio.
"Flyin'? Feh," says Dijp. "Sprout flappers and head up yourn own, ain't no other way to fly. No fearing. They's strong soldiers vers a buncha kithik with pokers. They're okay."
"Okay. I guess I'm going to bed," says Dio. "Night."
"Night, Dio," says Djip.
As Dio leaves the parapet, he hears him mutter to himself, "They're okay. They're okay."

Now's your chance to end this Alienation quick-like.

Go over there and wreck their shit.

>>169620
WITH Jai.

not yet. dio has been up all day and is tired now. after a rest he will be good to go.

No flying machines? Is this a property of the Arcane environment, or do the Qal just not build them for whatever reason?

Also, realistically, spending a week to get back to the base of the mountain, then more time to climb it, seems a bad idea. At least wait until morning for the commander to offer his professional opinion on the matter.

Try to get some sleep. If your subconscious keeps trying to sex you up, counter with more conventional nightmare fare. ( http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/src/125007054762.png )

>>169619
Sounds like he already knows the truth. You're not going to be able to get there in time to do anything useful. Go down and sleep and tomorrow figure out how you and Jai can best augment the streangths of the Qal.

well we need to make a scout operation anyway. if you could set up with everyone in the post what you can actualy do/build, it would be better to decice on what to do.

Brom 2010/04/24(Sat)19:31 No. 169721 ID: f98e0b
File 127216267913.png - (125.95KB , 800x600 , 182.png )

Dio goes to bed in 304, forgetting that it's directly below Deve's. If he listens he can hear talking, laughing, and the rhythmic groaning of bedsprings from upstairs.
He distracts himself by texting with Dahlia.

dahl are you awake
>ofcourse its like 3 in the afternoon.
not in arcane

"mmn. slow down a little."

>o...so watcha doin?
lying in bed annoying u in the middle of ur alienation
>its cool. me and pyramus are just on a skiff right now anyway.
ur in elde?
>yea i wanted to get back in touch w/ my culture n stuff.

"i'm still interested in your experiences with your drill sergeant. i think how hard he pushed you directly relates to aah how often you apologize. care to vent about him some more?"

hows that working out
>not a lot of culture. whole lot of sand. pyramus loves it tho he keeps making plains of glass with fire then smashing them. hows the alienation going on ur end? have you found something extraordinary to do yet?

>>169721
"I think so. It seems like a neighboring Qal tribe is training some kind of semi-intelligent local species, then sending them to do battle for them so they don't break armistice."

>>169721
Err, it's gonna be hard to be honest and not have her worry. Don't tell untruths, just a lie of omission: mention the crossbow wielding kithik and that you're looking into it, but say nothing of the attack on the other outpost.

I wouldn't mention your upstairs neighbor either for that matter.

>>169723
I disagree. We SHOULD mention the upstairs neighbor.

>>169722
Definitely this.

...maybe complain about how the morale officer offers sex but you can't have any. She seems like the kind of person who'd laugh at your plight instead of feeling offended or whatever.

>>169731
but phrase it like 'and i told the moral officer here about a dream i had involving... things. and i confirmed how straight forward the qual are, just came out and said 'wanna fuck' and i was like 'hubluh wha?!?!'

>>169722
"They ambushed us. No big deal, but Jai says them using crossbows and stuff is like coming home to find your dog sitting on your couch and reading a newspaper."

Brom 2010/04/24(Sat)20:33 No. 169743 ID: f98e0b
File 127216638484.png - (108.01KB , 800x600 , 183.png )

yeah i think so. someone is training kithik to use weapons and i think theyre making an army
>whats a kithik?
think a shadow monkey with big claws. one shot a crossbow at me.

"uh, are you sure we should be discussing my drill sergeant right nnnnow? it's kind of killing the mood."
"childhood first, doggystyle second, pfc."
"ok. sorry."
"there's that sorry you are unforgiven. that's it, i'm getting on top."

>oh shit are you ok?
yeah the coat pyramus gave me deflected it just fine. jai says its a problem tho. like ur dog reading a newspaper
>ack. dont get hurt. how are the qal?

"so you're saying it wasn't the namecalling that hurt so much as the fact that any pride he may have had in you was ooh withheld?"
"i feel like if he'd displayed a little more positive emotion he'd have been more approachable, y'know? i could have felt i was doing some things right."
"do you feel like that with the commandant? should i talk to him?"
"no, i mean the commandant's great, he's really a paternal figure to me spirits deve your ass is so perfect gah faster"

they seem good at their jobs. scary forward, tho.
>hmm?
hold on let me try to approach this sensitively
>take your time.
the morale officer boinks people. its kind of keeping me up

There's a pause before Dahlia responds.

>shes a whore? youre in a fort with its own whore?

>>169743
"Well I didn't know that when I got here, but... kinda yeah."

What else are you gonna say to that, y'know?

>>169743
"Apparently it's normal in their culture."

'apparently it a government job here. as in they pay her to boink everyone and they take care of any kids that may happen'

"weirdest part: only seven qal here. everyone's got like 8 jobs. scout/watchman/etc; quartermaster/blacksmith/cook/arms-master; psychologist/administrator/morale-officer/morale-officer-wink-wink. so that jobs really important to them

look the important part is that im feeling really really lonely and a chick is offering me unlimited free sex and i turned her down because shes not you"

>>169743
"They are very open. Sexually.
I didn't do anything, but it's kind of hard to sleep when they're doing it right above my room while talking about their childhood."

"On the upside, it sounds like he had a nice drill sergeant, I guess"

>>169743
Apparently all of their military psych officers are are women trained and known for their 'bedside manner.'

Brom 2010/04/24(Sat)21:09 No. 169757 ID: f98e0b
File 127216855314.png - (111.80KB , 800x600 , 184.png )

its a normal thing in their society. weirdest part: only seven qal here w/ like 8 jobs each. scout/watchman/etc; quartermaster/blacksmith/cook/arms-master; psychologist/administrator/morale-officer/morale-officer-wink-wink. so that jobs really important to them to unwind

No reply.

look the important part is that im feeling really really lonely and a chick is offering me unlimited free sex and i turned her down because shes not you

"how was it for you?"
"hey who's getting paid to ask the questions here?"
"sorr- you are."
"there we go. i think we had a breakthrough tonight about sergeant jerkwad. and it was great, euraeus. don't second guess yourself. you're cute. wanna cuddle for a while and then we'll talk about your brother? okay. wow. that came out all kinds of wrong. rewinding."

>really? so she boinks people but you have not been doing the boinking?
correct.
>and youve just sat and listened while she offered to screw you and banged everyone else?
her office happens to be right above my room. on the bright side i am learning a lot about the childhoods of the soldiers here.
>sprts, dio. i dont know why i didnt trust you there for a second. might be veltkrick family greed. sorry.
its cool
>im sorry i didnt sleep with you.
dahlia its fine really. you dont have to compete with anyone, texts Dio, hoping it's true.
>if pyramus wasnt across from me right now trying to get the food car staff to arm wrestle him id take some pics to make you miss me a little less.
haha sounds like pyramus.

They text until Dio can't keep his eye open any longer, then he goes to bed, listening to the lovemaking upstairs and the winds coming off the Shai Mountains the creatures outside waiting for him in the night.

Brom 2010/04/24(Sat)21:09 No. 169758 ID: f98e0b
File 127216858470.png - (2.31KB , 800x600 , 185.png )

And for the first time in his life Dio feels true loneliness and true fear.

If you need someone to hug, just remember, you'll always have yourself.

>>169758
Oh, get over it.
All you need to do is kill a few stupid animals and then you can go see Dahlia yourself. You need to have superior mental control to be a dream mage, so use that control to keep yourself under control.

>>169757
blogs dammit, you forgot to tell her of your hawt xxx dream with her.

also you should consider a spell to bonk each other in your dreams.

Continue feeling sad, but in such a way that sleep catches you by surprise, instead of forcing you to stay awake and feel crappy tomorrow.

Aaaw. Dio, it's not that bad.

I know things were going great, and now everything has been turned upside down, but you are more than capable of handling all this. Dahl might be a reality away, but you've got Jai backing you up and this whole situation should be a breeze for a mage of your capabilities. You have nothing to fear.

If you really can't sleep, why not let half your mind rest and do a summoning with the other? I'm sure there's something you could summon that would be useful for this sort of situation. Maybe something small that could do some quick scouting for you.

>>169771
or make sure you get the star right this time and get a dream-thing.

That's a good point. A summon of some kind could be really helpful. Maybe you could give a recap on what options are available in that regard?

>>169761
The alienation is supposed to be a life-changing experience. We can't rush it.

I disagree on summoning. Given what happened last time, trying it while half-asleep sounds like a very bad idea.

>>169779
well not the summoning but maybe get started on drawing the rune thing until he thinks he is tired enough to actually sleep. then in the morning we get it all the way done and then triple check it, then activate it.