>>246616
"No! It was one guy! This dude just dropped out of the sky, screaming that 'MAGNUM BANG, The Human Dynamo, Annihilator Of Armies, Smasher Of Sieges, Cracker Of Castles has Obliterated El Blank Minimo, Hunted and Poached El Hipopótamo Blanco, Run the Curtain up for Desperaspardos The Cup, and Broke Bank for Desmonte the Bumbler and will spend a good fifteen minutes thinking up a good 'Slaver' pun once he breaks Mortoro how he did that in the time it took it him to crash into him!" Point at the smear. "What should I do?"

We gotta stop Phohn from calling people "Mortal ____"

Too bad we didn't ask Wifey which sigils represents which God Masks...The scary thing is that El Mortoro seems to have the entire town in his grasp. He might be milking them for belief power.

El Mortoro might also be the kind of guy who hides in a crowd and runs things from the shadows. How about you cause a few more accidents? Things that won't expose you, but definitely warrant being reported to the boss? Like knock out some more minions and leave them where they'll be found, collapse some structures by throwing rocks from far away with your super strength etc.

If you poke this beehive you might be able to read a pattern in how the minions react and trace it back to the queen bee so to speak.

Also this low level combat magic all minions have, could it be part of the enslavement effect? It seems strangely uniform.

>>246642
Making some intuitive leaps concerning my place among the minions, being subservient to one of the two God Mask lieutenants, I speak with the crack of authority as I look to prod Mortoro's operation.

"A Masked Warrior fell from the sky, This is believed part of an attack, and no others have been seen dropping from above or otherwise."
Only a few glance my way, immediately noting my poncho's sigil as they continue to collaborate, adapting what I said to their joint rumination.
>"Masked Warrior attack? Alone?"
>"Explains why a Masked Warrior would attack, this is not a sanctioned move."
>"Payments and favors mean nothing to the vigilante."
>"Was a name heard at any point?"
>"Which way did the intruder go?"
"The name was self-mentioned as Bang, with the intruder travelling towards the center of the city."
>"A sweep, a quarantine..."
>"The Master will wish to know of this-"
>"And will expect results, not just worries. We must appease him."
>"Capture the intruder, then return?"
>"The plan seems reliable, our numbers make up for individual frailty against a single foe."
>"Bring word to your respective commanders, this must be done with speed."

The group disperses without any curiosity thrown my way for staying in the dark, as if seeing me in a poncho automatically negated the need for inspection. A good thing, as I doubt anyone else has such lustrous eyes. ....There goes an alarm bell... another... time to move. Instead of travelling towards the center, I begin making my way out farther onto the outskirts, as a plan forms in my mind.

>>246666
[DEVIL PLAN BONUS]
Misdirection, confusion, havoc: If this Mortoro is their Master, magical or otherwise, sufficient Chaos will force them to seek him out, to find a clear way to serve his wishes, or to gain his aid. Trying to not kill any more minions than is absolutely necessary is a strange twist, but subterfuge is not all THAT alien to me.... my experiences with it just happen to be specialized in a very small field of it.

I leap into a masonry workshop's yard, and without pause begin grabbing and hurling rocks of hundreds, sometimes thousands of pounds, each sent to clip the side of a tall, narrow building, four individual targets of this nature identified in my furtive pounce. Soon, there are heavy, cracking impacts, and roars of noise as entire structures begin to collapse, blocking streets, making noise and dust, snuffing out lanterns, and in general making the pre-dawn flurry of activity much more chaotic. I hear shouts beginning to move my general direction, but with a flick of my hand I quench the lantern near me, then leap into the dark night sky, low, swooping jumps that start bringing me about Domingo's perimeter. Twice more I stop to make noise doing what I do best, breaking everything I can get my hands on. I chuck wagons into stables for camels and livestock, their squealing ruckus spilling into the street, and I throw an old, headless statue into the front of a barracks, presumed such by the number of electrical signals and body heat I sense within. In eight minutes, what was once an orderly military city is in chaos, people running all about the place on conflicting orders, no one sure what's going on. Brief meetings between minions flicker into being all over the place, but nothing concrete is being hashed out, with not even a single sighting of their attacker yet reported.... I may have to re-evaluate my opinion of stealth, this is quite fun. It helps that the poncho keeps my scarf pressed down beneath its folds, and the sash likewise hidden. Only my runed leather wrappings on feet and hands, along with my eyes, could betray my true identity. ...But with seventy minutes left until dawn, Mortoro is still nowhere to be seen, and the chaos I just brewed is stalling. Perhaps something more is needed to pull Mortoro from his hole without revealing my hand.

I see quite a few confused looking minions milling about in the square before me as I stand in yet another alleyway, having halfway circled the entire city by now, and STILL having seen not a single sign of a Soulglow I would credit with belonging to a Masked Warrior. What's a guy gotta do?





So what's my next step here?
Do I try to fake being a minion to get some others to lead me to Mortoro, and if so how would I swing that?
Or do I feel more dissaray in his camp will draw him out, and if so, what should I try to do (this city is surprisingly self-sufficient, I could likely find almost any type of target structure one could hope for)?
And lastly, should I keep Nagging Wife off and hidden, or should I return to being a Masked Warrior yet?

GRRRRRRRR

WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS BULLSHIT

Duck into an alley or someplace you can't be seen, and pull on Nagging Wife, and quickly ask if she knows the Enslaver's emblem. If she doesn't, bugger. If she does, go up to the nearest man wearing a poncho with that emblem, and tell him you've been ordered to bring a message to The Enslaver, tell me where he is right now.

Of course you haven't seen Mortoro yet; you're in the outskirts of the town and since Mortoro's ability allows him to create minions, surely his base of operations is near the center of the town, so as to allow him to receive and give messages to all parts of the town as quickly as possible. Therefore, the most likely place you would find Mortoro would be somewhere near the center of town, with a heavy flow of people going in and out, presuming he stays put.

>>246675
And, don't do this. We're pretending to be a minion of the God Masks; we should already know where Mortoro is located.

And hey, when did Burduko become able to switch people's places?

Destroy the high class places, things that an important person in the town would enjoy frequenting, still as a minion.

Then pull on Nagging wife and make yourself known in all your splendor.

Oh yes Bang, use your new tazer to knock people out without touching them.

I don't know if this guy can control people via other people.

If you are having problems, just put you arms beside someones head and run a current.

I keep thinking of this guy as Agent Smith.

>>246697
Minus the revealing yourself thing, this seems like a good idea. Maybe also target warehouses and banks, knock over stuff that -needs- to be protected for the city to operate/survive to force him out of hiding.

>>246701
Well, on second thought, 'Blow up what they need to survive' is a bad idea, but you get the general clue.

Pretty sure the town is mind-controlled.

>>246671
Already missing another set of thoughts to bounce against, I think to myself. Yes, it is incredibly frustrating that I am being all cautious and calculating, rather than just tearing through the city full tilt. I certainly have the magical reserves for it. But I peg Mortoro as the cunning type: If I make too big of a scene, I suspect he may flee. As my estimations go, he has enslaved all these here, and getting bogged down fighting those under the control of another... does not sound enjoyable. I mean, killing someone that's gunning for me? Sure, no problem, that works. But just someone who isn't fully in control of their faculties... eh.

So, we do artful.

>>246675
I duck further out of sight and swiftly pull the Nagging Wife on for a flurried inquiry.
What does Mortoro's sigil look like?
>A fist closed about a skull, you have seen it.
Right, thanks.

I slip the Mask back off after my brief exchange, noting those with Mortoro's sigil are by far the most prevalent... and possess at least a few with some form of Combat Magic different from the norm. ...Actually, that default Combat Magic could be part of how they are held enslaved, now that I think about it. Certainly helpful, to turn anyone into an instant soldier like that.

>>246693
>>246697
>>246698
>>246701
I revise my stratagems, hunting down the bars, incapacitating those I find within with carefully applied electrical current, my electroreception allowing enough moderation I don't kill any. I spend ten minutes successively knocking out everyone inside (those few not ousted in the search for the intruder) before I employ Magnum Thunderclaps to shatter the glassware, all their spirits wasted, spilt on the ground before I move on at high speed. Seven minutes into this new approach, the shouts of those hunting me get more enraged as I steal away their booze, seven saloons falling to me-

And letting me draw the searching minions even farther away from the center, opening a path into the better lit, less dense area where I have yet to travel. By sheer process of elimination, I surely must find Mortoro somewhere within. I have to stun a few dozen more minions before they can raise an alarm, as I move swiftly, with purpose, trying to keep light from falling on my eyes. I begin to see a glow of magic markedly different from the others in the area, something I promptly set out to follow-

>"Oy, you!"

Before I even come to a halt my electroreception reveals no less than twenty five minions clustered about behind me, one notably larger than the others in the front. ...I also note that turning around would put light squarely on my eyes.

>"What's with those wrappings on your hands and feet?"
>"They have runes on them..."
>"He is not recognized, not a High Supplicant to one of the Gods."
>"He could be new."
>"New members do come in every day."
>"The timing seems off."

Again, I am confronted with the oddly flowing group dialogue, once more reminding me of a collective mind... maybe the Combat Magic and enslavement also bind them together on some level? But more importantly... I can't drop them non-lethally fast enough to avoid raising a ruckus and revealing myself. Conversely, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth to kill those whose minds have been subverted just to stay quiet... but if they do raise an alarm, THOUSANDS will be swarming me. Geez, I haven't even met him and I'm already hating this Mortoro guy, such a roundabout way to get to him! ...But this Soulglow I see of a different hue could lead to him... hm.





What should I say or do?
Am I going to bullshit my way through this, and if so what sort of linguistic tactics should I employ?
Or am I going to bite the bullet and off these minions to keep the lid on things?
Or do I have a different plan?
Lastly, when SHOULD I put my Mask on?
>[Sixty minutes left and counting until dawn]

Godfucking rassum frassum fuck can't we make some sort of paralytic poison to hit people with isntead of cancer? One that knocks them the fuck out? We need to hurry the fuck up!

[Effing Agents]

Bolt. They can't keep up with you.

Bolt towards the new source, with so much force behind your initial lunge that it blows people behind you away (yes, epic and nigh impossible... but you are Bang after all).

Fly past the area with the new soulglow, gaze directly into his eyes. Get a gooood look at him.

If it is the target, he will not pass up the chance to add such a find (you and your awesome eyes) to his collection.

If not, they will definitely tell on you.ut ur mask on.

Shit be goin down now.
In any case, after blasting through, pi

If not, they will definitely tell on you.ut ur mask on.

Shit be goin down now.
In any case, after blasting through, pi

| |
| |
V

If not, they will definitely tell on you.

In any case, after blasting through, put ur mask on.

Shit be goin down now.

>>246738
"He is new, still adjusting."

Speak with an unidentifiable (made up? Low Dragonish?) accent and make strange pronoun choices when you explain your obviously foreign garb. This also helps disguise phrasing which would be out of the norm with the collective speech patterns. And half close your eyes. Any other minor facial modifications to look foreign you can pull off on short notice?

"This one is new, still adjusting. Solid bindings of toes discomfort, discarded when alarm calls of urgency."

(and hey, if they turn out to be xenophobic, you can demonstrate how your natural skill made an exception worthwhile)

WAIT WAIT I GOT IT GUYS

BEES.

Seriously speaking, though: we can modify our cancer shooters to shoot bee venom (apitoxin) instead of, well, cancer. With shots this big, the amount of venom will either send them to the floor in pain, or knock them out.

We will fight our way there using this, and then stop him.

Alternatively, have Nidhogg buzz the town, maybe spew a little fire, roar some... that sort of thing. hard to ignore.

>>246762
>The main component of bee venom responsible for pain in vertebrates is the toxin melittin; histamine and other biogenic amines may also contribute to pain and itching.

Just a thought.

No subterfuge is going to last long, especially not one that involves posing as part of the hivemind. We need to create a false sense of urgency instead, by instructing our allies (via Phohn) to continue the rampage.

"High Supplicant? ... Not exactly. This one is the new vessel of the Old Mask, ohshitwhatwas Desperaspardos'masknamed? The one called Bang caused me a great inconvenience by slaying my former vessel, and I have pursued him all the way from Piccolo tonight. He means to tear this whole city down on his way to Mortoro - we must reach him first!"

Use the collapsing buildings as a distraction to put NW back on without anyone noticing, and chase towards the nearest one if you get asked any inconvenient questions like how you ended up on someone else's face or why Bang is such a threat.

>>246762
Possibility cell use will cause us to sprout into tumors, which will probably trigger an alarm shout from these guys.

That, and upping the dose of ANY kind of venom at random can affect people to different degrees of severity.

That, and you can't really make the chemicals present in Bee-venom out of nothing.

I'm liking >>246751

Hey, even if you couldn't see magic auras back when you slaughtered all those mooks in the last few towns, Nagging Wife could, and she didn't say anything about it. So they were all probably acting of their own free will. Chances are, the ones that are enslaved are still magically linked to him somehow, and there's a maximum range or duration to it. Otherwise, he wouldn't stop at just one city - everybody in those towns, even the civilians, would have been enslaved.

>>246748
"He is new, adjusting, preparing for service to the God Desmonte."
>"He wears his sigil."
>"The sense of the Butcher God is there."
>"The story is plausible."
>"Why do you not turn around?"
>"Yes why does the warrior not face us?"

Crap.

>>246751
I turn about, squinting my eyes as if preserving night vision, ready to weave a tail-
To find them immediately tensing, the glitter of my eyes unmistakably otherworldly. ...They suspect me irrevocably, now. Well.

>>246762
>>246763
I use a burst of magic from Desmonte's Sash to harness Possibility Cells and replicate the stingers of bees, chemical compounds wrought from freshly constructed new cellular constructs, all focused into the toxin sac launchers I have imprinted, shirt lifting up as my body arches, belly a bed of spines that fire swiftly towards targets carefully predicted. I hear gasps and wheezing moans almost immediately. Some still move as if to scream, but my request through Phohn for Nidhogg to strafe the city and draw some attention is taken effect, a tremendous knelling roar resounding and fiery acid globs soar through the sky, arrows, spears even a few cannons are raised against the enormous dragon, but naught pierces he hide, all eyes up-and all ears distracted from the few trying to give me away.

>>246743
>>246745
I turn back about, firmly setting myself and orienting on the differently hued Soulglow, kicking off with such force earth rises up to bombard those writhing on the ground, their rasping protest showing they will go nowhere soon. I rocket ever closer to the light I feel indigently welling in intensity, racing by a heavily refitted open air smithery-

My eyes meet the owner of the Soulglow, I link electrical current to coloration for future reference, and I see the Mask on his face, he who calmly issues orders to minions in genuine genuflection. Is see he of the white Masked styled like a skull, a macabre caricature, cartoonish yet still skillfully made, its bony grin disconcerting. I see shadows about the base of that skull-like Mask, as if a hand of nothingness were grasping it firmly from behind. The warrior himself, just barely topping six feet, is wearing fine clothing over a leather carapace that peeks through his collar and cuffs alike, it's hardened surface replete with runes. I can feel the Soulglow of that armoring already active, Mortoro still sustaining his own Combat Magic beyond, eyes blazing as he stares back at me.

I cannot help but notice he is flanked by TWO other Fell Masks, one a heavyset brute with a green Mask styled with a clenched fist, another shorter than me with a navy and ochre mask with lightning bolts crisscrossing its surface. ...A bruiser and a speedster, unless their Mask disposition misleads. ...But why are they even here? My momentum carrying me past in a flash, I whip Nagging Wife out, donning The Red Eye of the Dynamo, as Magnum Bang, Masked Warrior, re-enters the stage.
>..I believe those two Masks with Mortoro to be Masked Warriors... I recall running into each briefly several years ago, one with the prior owner, one with the owner before that. In both cases, they fought as part of Masked Warrior coalitions...
Then I have to conclude Mortoro subverted them. Damn, that enslaving thing in his name is on the ball! So, any ideas if he can enslave me?
>...He found a way about a Mask's innate sheltering, a rather worrisome show of skill.... but his magic could only be that strong if he was popping in and out of Cerebral Zenith to accomplish it, or if he had bound his methods up in many empowering restrictions to specialize.
Triggers could be anything, in that case. Saying his name while maintaining contact with me, or needing a certain minimum time to act over... Not much to work with. What about his combat abilities?
>That armor he wears beneath the lordly vestments looks potent, anchored in Kinetimancy... I think it decelerates incoming objects. It also has some form of power storage mechanism, and a release action... I suspect dampened momentum can be.. returned, in some way. I cannot offer more without seeing it in action, but I suspect it a potent magic item that is largely reactive-defensive.
Well, at least the Soulglow I saw about his own body wasn't that great... he seems to specialize in his enslavement, and leave his personal safety to that suit....
...And his enslaved Masked Warriors.

As I begin reversing, flying back towards Mortoro, his twin guards explode through the wall, the pair charged with considerable Souglow, suns blazing at my side in approach as I watch Mortoro already moving purposefully to walk away. The asymmetrical pair lunges forth, the smaller with hands stiffened like knives, the larger with grasping hands.






What should I do?
How am I gonna handle two Masked Warriors ten feet and closing fast that quite likely are enslaved to Mortoro against their will, and thus innocent?
And do I have anything to say about Mortoro just up and leaving like this?
Any plans on how to prevent his escape, without killing the Masked Warriors?

The masked warriors? Two?

Don't fight them. You'll have to dodge like crazy, but hey. All the more impressive. Attack Mortoro directly, and avoid eye contact.

>>246777
Er, rather, chase him.

Disable the Masked Warriors. Break their limbs or something like that. We've got a good amount of magic to burn at the moment, so we should be able to avoid killing them. Against Mortoro, we should bypass the momentum dampening problem by using cancer injection and other indirect attacks like poison or whatever.

Hmm. Surely there is some way of fixing the enslavement. Hey... Nagging Wife allowed you to use your healing magic on others before, maybe you can do that with these two dudes to free them!

Bang doesn't do well healing others. He was only able to manage in the Tent because of how it worked. Out here, it's unlikely he can't use it on others outside of lolcancer.

>unlikely he can, rather

>>246787
Except his vestments perform the exact same function as that healing tent did in amplifying his healing magic. Nothing should stop him from serving in that same capacity.

Momentum dampening, eh? Injection vector attacks will be hampered by that as well.

However, a sonic attack could work. Magnum Thunderclap to throw off the masked warriors, and give Mortaro something to think about.

Also, pulling off his limbs oughto work, but that DOES entail getting rather close to him.

I think our best bet is to free one of the enslaved masked warriors somehow, and find out how the fuck he does what he does.

Against Mortoro, we should use electricity charges.
That should have an effect on him, regardless of his anti-momenutm clothes.

>>246804
>Electricity
>Leather.


Anyway, fast battle, quick battle.
Mini-gin hands, dodge them both while constantly spraying them with the bee style poison.

No matter how strong you are, get stung enough and you are going down.

So yea, running battle, keep within 3 blocks of the target at all times.


You might also want to try tazing the masked ones, it might help.

Don't underestimate them, don't get hit.
Simple avoidance battle while spraying.
Dedicate a few pulses from the sash to maintenance.

>>246846
The proper use of the sash is to refill the scarf. We can use however much power we want from the scarf, so it's most efficient to use the scarf to draw power from, and just recharge it via the sash.

Honestly just try to take these masked warriors apart as much as you can without killing them.

Yeah cut their tendons, break bones, spill blood and all that. If it looks like Magnum Bang is holding back then MORE hostages will quickly be brought to bear.

I suggest trying to attack Mortoro's head/mask first. It might not be as well protected by his armor and if you electrocute his brain and follow through with a Bang Blade then there shouldn't be any Mortoro left to enslave you. We have to finish this quickly before the enslaving trick comes into play.

>>246775
Trigger his vestments on purpose, have it store MASSIVE ammounts of momentum from punches, kicks, projectiles, whatever. Get up in his face and make him release the built up energy, take the hit full force with the toga, laugh as Motoro is smashed into oblivion.

MAGNUM REVERSAL

>>246888
That might not go as well as you expect, especially if the energy does not transfer to direct force but to enslavement stuff.

>>246777
I make a mental note that making eye contact? Not the best idea in the world when it comes to Mortoro. Way too many methods of messing with the mind rely upon eye contact…
>BANG!
What, you can’t think I’ve forgotten about the two Masked Warriors closing on me! Don’t worry, I got this!

>>246798
“MAGNUM THUNDERCLAP!!”

My hands slap together in a resounding boom of sound, the paired Masked Warriors hesitating as I note blood flowing from the smaller one’s ears. Even El Mortoro turns back for a brief moment, eyes narrowing as he regards me again. Before he can turn back away and resume his stately withdrawal, I combine my new full-body neural net, and my enhanced muscle-nerve connections with a spike in adrenaline-to find those warriors approaching me far slower than mere instants ago. Possibility Cells flying into use, my hands twist and warp, prongs and tendrils erupting everywhere while leather wrappings loosely drape about the altered manipulators, and I make some real hand cannons. I dash forward, bombarding my paired foes with a deluge of heavily modified bee stings, looking to incapacitate and circumnavigate the paired challenges. Hundreds of modified darts fly, embedding themselves in the larger warrior’s chest and arms, the smaller warrior dodging or otherwise warding the attacks away with blurring hands of surprising durability. I note the larger one, despite being hit continues on just fine-

But that’s not the point. The point is they had to focus on my actions, and by the time they’ve weathered it, I’m already past them dashing onwards towards Mortoro. As I draw ever closer I spread my arms wide again, preparing to again use Magnum Thunderclap before I try something I hope can get around that pesky armor of his.

Before my arms can close, burly limbs wrap around my right, thin ones about my left-the Masked Warriors enslaved by him recovered more quickly than I had hoped.

>>246785
>Before you turn these two into makeshift ballistics-
See, you’re learning my preferences!
>…I would suggest attempting to heal them. Your clothing boosts your Curatiomancy, and with my aid you would have a reasonable chance of success.
Wouldn’t their-or Mortoro’s sense of Ownership mess with that?
>Unsure, but their own ownership should be inclined towards being freed.
Good enough for me. NOW WHY NOT DO BOTH!?

My arms begin swinging forward, bones flexing past any reasonable limits, muscles and tendons prevented from tearing as I begin to throw my two aggressors by means of their grip on me, all while sending my Curatiomancy workings into their bodies, looking to reset any partitions of their bodies suffused with Soulglow. After all, if there is no magic in them, I don’t see how Mortoro’s works could persist. The two could not be more different, really. The large one, with the mask of green, is reasonably fat, if not nearly so much so as San Bruno, with a solid, heavy frame, considerable magic bound in his bones and his spinal column. The smaller warrior, with his Mask of Blue and yellow, has magic glowing from his every nerve, his spine a pillar of blazing light…. Both have spinal Soulglow of considerable levels… let’s try moderating that first, as the only common denominator. It takes a fifth of a second and more than half a million calculations each, but I overwhelm the resistances of both, happy to find neither so paranoid as to innately block Curatiomancy access to their body. The moment both spines have been reset from a magical standpoint by having the power suffusing them turned towards some comprehensive maintenance, I feel their respective grips slipping.
>They express confusion.
Who?
>The Masks, Forest Fist and Mind Lightning, worn respectively by [i]Adolfo Gomez and Conrado Concha.
You know them?
>I do now, at least to a point. Masks can communicate when their wearers are in direct physical contact… Confusion is giving way to rage concerning their enslavement.
So they’re free then? Do they recall HOW they were enslaved?
>They are free yes, but their memories are patchy around their enslavement, neither can offer thoughts on this… and neither Masked Warrior can think as swiftly as you, so you may need to verbally ask the warriors.
I’ll keep that in mind.

My two living projectiles leave my arms, hurtling towards Mortoro’s retreating form, wordless rage their only vocalization as both turn their wrath on their oppresser-

And seem to forget he has that momentum-dampening ability. I watch fists ready to break stone, fingers ready to crave through steel simply… do nothing. Mortoro almost absentmindedly sweeps an arm about as if to brush aside his aggressors. The moment he touches them, each goes hurtling off with bone-breaking force, their own ablated force returned with interest. Mortoro continues to move away from me, even though he faces my way and appears to be walking towards me-
>…I did not know he could Moonwalk

>>246888
>>246890
El Mortoro the Enslaver’s eyes stay firmly out of my focus as I dash forward, earth rending beneath my mighty footfalls as I build as much speed as I can. I brace myself with a wide stance just before a pair of fists hurtle into Mortoro with every bit of force I can muster-and end up striking with as much force as a lovetap.
>Why are you-
I see Mortoro’s hands moving towards my body, neck and solar plexus both targeted. I shift my positioning so that the Blood toga intercepts the attack. I feel no weight of impact, but I watch fully half the blood in my toga burn away in an instant, as Mortoro’s body is hurled away with such force a conic boom heralds his departure. His body goes flying over scores of buildings…. And lands somewhere in the outskirts of the city of Domingo with an enormous thud. …Great.

Dozens, scores of minions are beginning to home on my current location, not a whit of fear to be seen on any of the slightly slack faces. I also note that within thirty feet of me (and of course in opposite directions) both the Masked Warrior Adolfo and Masked Warrior Conrado are groaning, the piles of debris covering their bodies shifting as they stir… I suspect they have injuries and questions alike, and jut leaving them here with the minions does not seem an ideal solution… but if I don’t follow after Mortoro FAST, I could lose him, he already showed he has no issue with tactical retreat.

Hmm….






What should I do, stay here and make sure the two saved Masked Warriors are okay?
Or should I focus exclusively on hunting down Mortoro?
Do I have any more plans involving Burduko and/or Nidhogg?
Now that the cat’s out of the bag, just how flashy should I be?
>Fifty five minutes left until dawn.

Heal your buddies, quickly confirm how they got Enslaved, and have Burduko teleport you over to relatively near where that fucker landed. Nidhogg should stay the fuck away from him, we do NOT want her to get Enslaved.

>>246890
Maybe, but punching some asshole indirectly with the force of thousands of direct punches rebounded is totally MAGNUM FUCKING BANG tactics right there. Hell, if our brainmeats are strong enough, we might be able to REFLECT THE ENSLAVEMENT BEAM/WAVE/whatever. Trapping the enslaver in his own mind while thousands of freed innocents LYNCH THE EVERLIVING FUCK OUT OF HIM? Hell yeah.

Follow the Enslaver, if he gets away who knows how long it could take to find him again.

Throw your buddies at The Enslaver, give 'em some healing while you're throwing them if you can, then jump after them.

Be very flashy.


Also, don't lose that magic leather gear. In addition to their normal purpose, their magic dampening effect might help fight off any attempt of enslavement on yourself.

Tell Burduko, via Phohn, to keep an eye on The Enslaver from the air, and tell you where he is if you lose him.

Hmmmmm,

Ok, time to be flashy, effective and badass.

Charge energy and wit until the minions get close, then BONE THREADS EVERYWHERE! (basically really thin flexible bone tissue)

Try to hit as many people as possible with it, including the masked warriors.

Then heal along the lines, a mini cerebral zenith would be good for this.


Call Nidy, ask her to keep everyone busy.

With your skill, I think this entire process will take 5 seconds tops, most of the time spent waiting on those slower than you to get close.

Then grab the masked warriors and boost after the target. you can release them after the second bound, carrying them is simply because they don't react as fast as you do, nor know your plan.

>>246897
>I see Mortoro’s hands moving towards my body, neck and solar plexus both targeted. I shift my positioning so that the Blood toga intercepts the attack. I feel no weight of impact, but I watch fully half the blood in my toga burn away in an instant, as Mortoro’s body is hurled away with such force a conic boom heralds his departure. His body goes flying over scores of buildings…. And lands somewhere in the outskirts of the city of Domingo with an enormous thud. …Great.

NICE, haha. Ok, grab the two masked warriors and tell them to hang on tight. Have Nagging Wife extend your healing abilities to them, and MOVE.

Given your rather...prodigious strength, carrying two relatively normal sized individuals shouldn't hamper you much. Use the travel time to talk to them, assess their condition, and find out what you can about Mortoro.

Geez, he's probably hurting after that one. Goddamn. I love those blood togas so damn much, kudo's to Daobo the Bloody (posthumously) for such a useful development.

>>246907
Lets not abuse Cerebral Zenith's here. Even an incredibly short couple of seconds was enough to seriously worry NW, and Eternal Sunset wasn't in that form for more than a few seconds himself (accounting for Bang's accelerated perception) before he started going all "ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY" on us. I'd rather not use it except when necessary, given it's intrinsically harmful to us.

Also, Nighogg should be pretty enduring vs. any kind of magical avenue of attack. Dragons are innate Magic-Eaters, and Nidhogg, being Deepspawn as well, has DOUBLE the magic-eating ability of normal dragons.

THEY ARE MASKED WARRIORS
They should be able to handle themself. Go after the target do not let him get away!

>>246932
Masked warriors that have been out of it for quite a long time.

To expedite fetching them, extend an arm to each of them (BENDY ARMS AGOGO).

Mortoro will get no opportunity to escape as long as we have a say in it. Ideally, he's still reeling from being launched across a city.

Well, I suspect, if Mortoro's enslavement process requires a touch and something that is not immediately obvious to observers, the two Masked Warriors have been enslaved; though, considering that Bang can see magic, he can likely easily tell if they have been (though he has not demonstrated an ability to see magic within another's body while not in contact with them). Therefore, make sure that they have not been enslaved.

As for Mortoro himself, perhaps Burduko can switch his place with a minion closer to Bang? Alternatively, if that plan is too dangerous for Burduko, have Nidhogg use Gravimancy and Aeromancy to fling Mortoro closer to Bang, or hinder his way while (hopefully Nidhogg and Burduko, but if Nidhogg cannot be spared, only Burduko will do) helping Bang closer to Mortoro.

On the flashy, probably as your usual flashiness. The only people who can appreciate it are either enslaved, doesn't care, or are concentrated on killing Mortoro.

So, what's Nagging Wife's analysis on Mortoro's armor? What are its weakness/requirements/methods of deceleration, etc.?

>>246898
[Burduko was able to perform that earlier body switch for three reasons: It was acceptable to kill one of the two switched bodies (the minion, as they were going to die from impact anyway), Because Bang's mind was partly sheltered by his Mask, and because there was a wealth of bone mass to render non-living in Bang's place. Remember that for normal organics, transfer OUTSIDE of a place of Sameness is excessively lethal. And yes, that should seem very similar to how Lenryt's teleportation functions in several ways.]

>>246905
Hey, Phohn?
What is it Mortal Bang?
Ask Burduko and Nidhogg to keep an eye on Mortoro, the guy that just went flying? Would really suck if he got away.
Your request has been relayed, Burduko consents, and Nidhogg is changing her flight path
Alright, that buys me at least a little time.

>>246908
>>246935
I lurch into motion like a drunken squirrel, arms extending in what yesterday I considered a reasonably strenuous use of Possibility Cells, latching around each Masked Warrior's waist. I see the gears turning in their heads as they see me crouching low as I pull them close-

Before I leap with such force the building Adolfo crashed into finishes crumbling in my wake, taking to the skies in a titanic leap even as I begin assessing the condition of each fighter, dumping the last of the stored energy in my sash into comprehensive healing and topping off their magical stamina. I see the confusion on their faces as bone knits, muscles restring, and a wealth of moderate injuries just fade away while they get a tremendous second wind.

"So, you two up to a bit of a scrap? Mortoro's got a whole mess of enslaved Desparden citizens acting as minions, and it's gonna be futzy to off him when he has such great living shields also how does his enslavement work?"
>[Adolfo]"He needs to touch someone, seems enough for most, but took me by tricking me into saying his name while he was grabbing me. Last thing I remember till now."
>[Conrado]"Yes, I would say we are up to a fight... but how did you heal us?"
>[Adolfo]"And who are you? I know most of the Masked warriors of this sector, and you're not one of them."
"I healed you with Possibility, what with being a weaponized healer, and I rather obviously am one of the Masked Warriors of this sector now, unless you think this some crazy plot by Fell Masks to trick you. Hold on."

My leap brings us earthward, and we put a crater five feet deep in the ground before I take off again, still trying to reach Mortoro's impact point. The deceleration and return to tumultuous velocities is jarring for my passengers, but Conrado squeezes out some more nonplussed confusion before his larger compatriot.

>[Conrado]"...WHO ARE YOU!?"
"Magnum Bang, new Masked Warrior, at your service! -Hold on, getting a message from Phohn here."
>[Adolfo]"....Where have I heard that name before-"
"Okay, looks like Burduko and Nidhogg spotted our quarry, they're gonna circle over him for us."
>[Conrado]"DRAGON!"
"What where? Oh, that's Nidhogg, the dude made of cloth and wind on her back is Burduko, they're my bros."
>[Conrado]"...A dragon?"
"Well yeah it's a bitchin' way to travel, on dragon-back!"

Once more I land, once more immediately leaping skyward again, as I look about-there he is, I see that skull-shaped Mask of his... okay.

>[Conrado]"You ride a dragon?"
"What Nindy? Oh yeah she's a big softy, hates to show it though, why?"
>[Conrado]"...You said you are a new Masked Warrior?"
"Well yeah, got my Mask last night when I took it from El Blank Minimo... wait that wasn't his name... anyway some Fell Mask, part of the God Masks? Yeah anyway been doing a bit of justice dispensing, and here I am!"

I land in a flurry of dust and wind, shouts of alarm all about us as I relinquish my grip on the two Masked Warriors with me, both immediately setting themselves on the balls of their feet. The three of us are some twenty feet from Mortoro, who seems suspiciously no worse off after his trip.... and we are surrounded by two hundred twenty five minions-ah, that reminds me.

I rip the stolen poncho off of my body, it's fabric tearing like papyrus as I return to my 'normal' garb. Conrad and Adolfo both move to face each of my flanks without the need for me to say anything.

>>246937
I put in a request through Phohn for Nidhogg to cut loose with Gravimancy and whatever other stuff Dragons can do, and dump it all on my foe. I see the thorny dragon wheeling about for another pass as I consider what to do. I have a full scarf, no cancer issues at the moment, two allied Masked Warriors at my side and a foe before me-who glows with somewhere around ten times as much Soulglow as he did when I observed him a few moments ago. ....Interesting.





What should I say or do?
Do I have anything I want to say to my comrades, to Mortoro, or anything?
Or should I just skip straight to the nitty-gritty, and lay the hurt on Mortoro? If so... what am I gonna do about that armor of his, now that he knows about my toga?
>[Fifty minutes until dawn]

>I have a full scarf

>He's not in the town proper

>You're above him

>You have no cancer

GENESIS UP IN THIS MOTHERFUCKER

BIG BANG MAZGNUM DRILL BREAKER

TURN YOUR LEGS INTO A SPEAR, THEN A DRILL. LINE IT WITH CANCER CANNONS AND DIVE TOWARDS HIM, LETTING LOOSE THE ENERGY OF THE GENESIS.

HE DIES TODAY.

>>246949
>HE ABSORBS MOMENTUM AND VELOCITY AND THEN REDIRECTS IT
>BAD IDEA

>>246946
>If so... what am I gonna do about that armor of his, now that he knows about my toga?
Contact poison. Don't need to actually hit him hard in order to do damage, that way; something like a spitting cobra's got. Lace it with aggressive cancer mutagens for extra laughs. It probably won't finish the fight, but it's definitely worth a try.

When you actually hit him, go for exposed flesh and rely primarily upon your indirect abilities- poison, cancer, that sort of thing- to deal the damage, rather than kinetics which he might be able to use against you.

Since saying his name obviously gives him more of an in, stop using it. Rename him something demeaning, and use that to refer to him instead; "Skullsy" might work. Communicate this to the others, so that they do not get caught in such silly traps. Continue avoiding eye contact with him.

Request that your companions keep the slaves off your back while you deal with Skullsy. Having them deal with it will free you of some worries and give the random enslaved guys better odds of living through the fight, one would hope.

>>246953
I'm almost certain an attack that can oneshot Mordre will be able to overcome the limits of this man.

Ok, I just have to say, spear legs are a bad idea.
The only way you could justify it is if you have to hit a slow/immobilized opponent with incredible defense.

Spear legging takes away one of Bang's strongest weapons, his mobility. The enemies we are fighting now have shown that they can keep up with us at MAX, so hampering our ability to move at a moments notice is a bad idea.




Shoot him with cancer, aim for the head.
Your THUNDERCLAP would be useful as crowd control, it affects a wide area and has shown evidence of disrupting the targets control (likely because it jars the brain).
If you can somehow combine the elec move with thunderclap, to make a mass paralysis wave, then that would be good (also it would make it more thunder and lightning like).

>>246946
>Remember that for normal organics, transfer OUTSIDE of a place of Sameness is excessively lethal.
Oh. Well. I didn't know this. I thought he just couldn't do it.

Telekills everywhere! Probably not on this guy though. Probably something about ownership and power preventing it, or the other guy had weakened ownership because of the enslavement. Or not! What's the harm in asking if it can be done, when one of the enslaved minions gets close?

Ask Nagging wife what she told the other masks her name was. Has she accepted The Red Eye of the Dynamo, or did she tell them she was Nagging Wife? That would be funny, but rather unlikely.

Try to get a grapple in on him. Once you grasp him, there shouldn't be much momentum to dampen to give him power, and if you've got a good solid grip, hopefully he wouldn't be able to return the energy. The bugger here is the enslavement ability. Hopefully your leather handwrapping will count as not touching enough for the magic to take hold, or their magic dampening effect on anything that's not curatiomancy will prevent that combat magic you noted earlier from taking hold, or let slow it down enough that you can out-heal it. Or hell, maybe HE has to initiate it, or it's channeled through his hands or something. Decent restrictions for power boosts, there, though the versatility lost might offset the power enough that he decided to not do that.

After you grasp him, on your arm, grow a Death Stalker Scorpion stinger, and inject him with poison, or cancer, whichever. Or, hell, if you've seen a male platypus, grow a venom-injecting barb similar to what it has and try to get him with it during the grapple. But have it inject cancer as opposed to the platypus venom because platypus venom isn't that bad.


Also, I would suggest a dance-off based on his prior moonwalking but no that's just too silly

Also, thunderclap might not be a good idea when we've got two bromasks with us.

>>246962
>Too Silly
>Golem Quest
Mortoro! I CHALLAGE YOU TO BREAKDANCE FIGHTING!

>>246994
>Mortoro
Don't say his actual name, no matter what. I agree with the other guy, call him Skullsy or Skull-face or something.

Alternatively try a slightly less-than-genesis attack where you envelop this guy inside a spherical cage made of 3-4 loops of Bang Blades. As momentum is redirected he will be surrounded on all sides, trapped within a shrinking enclosure of saw blades with infinite feedback until he can't cope anymore. This vector redirection isn't free. Something has to fuel it just like the blood toga.

>>246994
[Dance contest? Sure, why no-]
>Mortoro! I CHALLAGE YOU TO BREAKDANCE FIGHTING!
>CHALLAGE
[Oh, so sorry, the spelling nazi clause is invoked, silly shenanigans cancelled.]

>>246954
>>246961
I dash forward without hesitation, noting Adolfo and Conrado both dashing off in my peripherals to face the masses about us. My hands rise, fingers ready to clutch at anything they may touch as I begin to secrete Possibility Cells onto my palms. The high energy cost and considerable feedback makes this hardly an ideal method.... but if I have to attack someone without moving fast....

"Goodbye, Skullsy!"

My hands close about his throat, smearing Possibility Cells into the gap betwixt Mask and leather under-armor-and let go, having never given him more than the most minor of momentum to work with. I see the Possibility Cells getting to work, charged and devoid of leadership, tumors of Chaos already beginning-

As a hand closes about my toga, and I feel that enchanted cloth beginning to constrict with bone-breaking force about my body. I begin running the calculations necessary to keep my body from crumpling-and otherwise do nothing. I do not try to strike my foe again, nor do I try to flee. I simply stand in place, resisting his counter, as I watch El Mortoro begin to claw at the expanding ring of cancerous growths about his neck, already gasping and wheezing. He drops to a knee as only raspy whistles and clicks escape his throat, still vainly clutching at my toga, the power constricting it about me diminishing-and vanishing, as his hand slips away, his neck so deformed it is clear his spinal column has been severed, his spine disjointed by the wild growth of Chaos, body still idly twitching on the ground. ....Man, that was EASY. That loophole in most Combat Magic, letting curatiomancy in because they assume it to be beneficial is a bit of a killjoy, I won't lie.
>You complain about victory not being challenging enough?
Of course! I'm looking to have fun here-and I do think it's awesome I managed to kill a total of five God Masks in a single night, with... forty nine minutes to spare... but where's the struggle, the clash, the desperation, that hazy, delirious moment between life and death, your every fiber devoted to finding a way to survive, to grasp victory?
>Did you not experience that with Desmonte?
..I did, and I suppose that will have to do.
I pull Mort's Mask off as I turn about, the sounds of combat persisting-
WOAH

The moment I pluck the Mask from his face, a... darkness, a dearth of Soulglow ripples outward, stripping away magic from hundreds, thousands of individuals. Adolfo the Forest Fist, Conrado of Mind Lightning, both in frenzies as they fight off waves of minions, come to a hesitant halt as they note the confusion on the faces of those facing them, the lowering fists. ...Mortoro's grasp was broken, then, or this is one hell of a ruse.
>I would point out that the two Masks we met here are highly suspicious of you, and will likely remind their bearer's to question you further.
What, suspicious? Don't they know not to look a gift fist in the knuckles? That's how you get a shiner on your soul!
>....Beyond the inanity of your retort-
Not inane, STYLISH-
>They likely question why a total of seven-now eight-Masks are detectable on your personage, one of them an Old Mask. This is not aided by the fact Masked Warriors are supposed to be officially appointed, something you most certainly were not, and the irregularity of your Combat Magic.

As if on cue, even as the crowds of minions-turned-civilians mill about in confusion, Adolfo and Conrado both turn towards me, keeping a respectful distance, yet offering probing questions all the same.

>[Conrado]"....While I... while we are most grateful for your help... I'm having trouble with a few things you said. You ride a dragon? You became Masked last night? Are you saying you were not appointed as a Masked Warrior, but just... picked up a Mask? ....And why, exactly, do you have so many extra Masks with you?"
>[Adolfo]"....Are you related to Magnum Boom the Unmasker?"

Wait hold on now THEY KNOW MY DAD WAIT WHAT? ....And since when did he have a title? ....Ah, as I recall, the Masked Warriors are not exactly happy when their rules and whatnot are broken, and I may have a good bit of explaining to do here..... on the other hand, I see Nidhogg circling overhead... I could just say 'fuck it' and leave.... though I REALLY want to claim Mortoro's runed leather bodysuit, and that would take a bit of time to get off his body....





Okay, so I kept my bet with myself, I killed my way through every single God Mask I or Nagging Wife know of.... now what?
Should I try to dance my way through some lame politic stuff with these two Masked Warriors I just rescued?
Or should I say nuts to that and just... leave? I am only one third of the way across Despardos, and times a'wastin....

First thing's first, start workin' that armor off of The Enslaver. Spoils of war and all, yours by right.

Then, Tell the truth, pretty much. Dragon isn't exactly yours, but your employer's. Yes, you weren't appointed, but traveling through the area, and spotted a bandit group attacking a town. You then killed the leader, El Blank Magnifico and his bandits, and took his mask. Then, you decided, for the hell of it, to knock out all the fell masks on the way, because you could and it'd be fun. Took their masks too. Bet some of them against The Butcher's collection, killed him, and now here you are. You're going to keep them and do something with them. Don't give specifics about the whole face necklace thing because that is pretty creepy.

Ask about Pops. Tell US about pops. Ask about the title.

Then say, sorry, I've got to go, got places to be, nice talking with you, spread the word that I'm awesome and took out four fell masks in one night.

Though, if you really don't feel like talking, or they start getting really pissed about rule-breakin, you could just grab The Enslaver's corpse and bugger off, jumping onto Nindy and taking the armor off while riding.

We killed our way through so many, and before dawn. DRINKING TIME! I would say FLEEING TIME, but hey one of them knows dad, I -want- that body, and it'd be pretty sweet to be a real Warrior Mask, right? Anyway, Nagging Wife, Ojo Rojo del Dynamo is gonna stay with us and as cool as it would be to get a kill team sent out after us all the time, that'll make you kinda hated rather then THE BEST DAMN WARRIOR MASK EVER.

So walk over, fireman lift up the dead body and slap our two new friends on the back. "I'll tell you on the way. We're gonna cantina crawl our way back to my home base, and you're gonna hear every detail on the way! And possibly a lot of other badass stuff!"

And ask around for a bag or something. We can't just keep stuffing this stuff down our pants. Especially the armor.

>>247005
Guybrush Threepwood is unamused.

>>247003
This seems pretty good, although I would add that we should say it in a loud and impressive voice so that everyone can hear us. Because, y'know, while the Masked Warriors before us might be prickly about their rules, I'd bet that the hundreds of people we just freed from mental control will be a damn sight less so. And spread our legend of AWESOME in a far more positive light, after hearing us tell our tale.

Ask about our dad first, though. If the questions about our status re: Mask turns ugly, we might have to leave in a hurry. I'd like to have news about our dad when we do, although I suppose that we can drop in on any town at random and ask for rumors if we care to spare half an hour on it. Would definitely be more convenient here, though.

As for not being appointed... of course we were appointed! By ourselves, in the absence of anyone else capable of doing so. They can declare it official now in light of our latest set of actions, if they feel like it. That'd straighten things out nicely.

Also: Is Mordre Bang's employer, or just some guy that he hangs out with for fun? Because I thought it was more the latter. Regardless, Nidhogg is a person, not a possession; it would be appropriate to phrase things in terms of "works for", not "belongs to".

Masks seem to have souls... Maybe you could just give the outright dangerous masks like the insane old mask and Mortoro's (enslaving?) mask to Mordre for his golem to eat as thanks for lending you Nidhogg and Burduko. Otherwise they'll just end up on some other nutcase in the future.

These two guys seem a bit slow on the uptake. Keep talking to them while you casually loot Mortoro's stuff. Chat about things like this Magnum Boom the Unmasker, how you've killed a few God Masks today for kicks and how you've helped countless innocent Despardan citizens escape cruel tyranny.

Finally when you're done jump onto Nidhogg with the parting comment "And yes Conrado I DO ride a dragon, I'm just that awesome." Then fly off while standing in a cool pose on top of Nidhogg's back.

On Mortoro's body suit, surely you could just pick the corpse up, and carry it with you when you jump up to Nidhogg? Or just have Burduko run to the corpse and teleport to Nidhogg's back, where you can take off the suit at your leisure (on the corpse itself, probably get Burduko to teleport it to Mordreden, they would like the gift; maybe they could somehow utilize his bones make the Walls able to repel the magic of humans or something).

>>247007
ok well wrong word employer there. Right on that. Quite tired here.

And for Nidhogg, well, maybe. But having a tame normal dragon is a simpler (haha) explanation than beast parasite deep spawn, and thus the quickest explanation is indeed "owned", like one owns a horse or dog. Not exactly truth, but it gets the point across. Doesn't really matter, though, "works for" is good as well. Should just mention it in passing, though, so they don't ask "How did the crazy son of a bitch tame/employ a dragon?" which would slow us down.

>>247010
We probably need more bones for that.

Hmm. Related to using Burduko, Can Mordre detect that... pliability Kyorto described, in world magic users? We keep killing magic users, and while I doubt anyone we've already killed has used world magic (Except maybe The Butcher), it would be good, if Bang were to continue tearing his way through the desert, to know if we can determine if a corpse is usable post mortem.

Oh man what am I even talking about. We could just have Burduko drop off any corpse we suspect to use world magic and shout at Kyorto that we're not sure, maybe this one, confirm it before you use it.

>>246999
Well aside from dealing with this situation involving the other two Masked Warriors, which everyone else seems to have covered, you need to keep going across Despardos. You might just want to make a stop where your dad lives though. Get the full story on his tittle and ask why you were never told about this. Unless he's a drifting sort, then just stop by your home town and see how things have changed. Other than that just recharge your Sash and Scarf, practice with the possibility cells, save anyone you see in trouble below you.

>>247004
I really like the idea of having them join us for a drink, but not explaining the situation to them while we ride off. If we explain it here it allows us to have the people we just saved and who will be incredibly grateful for our service as a backdrop to the conversation. That sort of thing really adds a lot of oomph to your argument.

So after we talk them down and maybe get them on our side we can offer them a drink and a ride on the dragon. We can even make a smooth transition like "You know what Conrado? You seem keen on the fact I'm riding my Boss' dragon, how about you and your friend join me and we'll take it for a spin. I'll drop you off at your home base and maybe we can make a pit stop for drinks."

>>246999
"Well, duh! Ain't it obvious?

...what, it's not? Ah geez, fine. Let's see, now:

>[Conrado]"....While I... while we are most grateful for your help... I'm having trouble with a few things you said. You ride a dragon?

First, yeah, I ride a Dragon...well, work with her is more like it. Call her Nidhogg, or Nindy if you really want, but be warned, I doubt you have the healing factor to stand up to the reprisals, haha! She gives me a lift to where we need to go, and of course helps my in my DYNAMIC ENTRY's.

>You became Masked last night?

Eh, last night, this night, same diff really. Saw a bunch of rudos roughing up a town and we stepped in. How was I to know El Blanco Minimo was gonna be there? Not that I'm complaining, of course, even if he did go down like a chump, but eh.

>Are you saying you were not appointed as a Masked Warrior, but just... picked up a Mask?

As for picking up a Mask...Well...yeah? That tingling brain thing it did when it happened was pretty neat.

>....And why, exactly, do you have so many extra Masks with you?"

As for the masks...well, lets see, I got that Hippo dudes here, San Bruno something or other, that Creeper guy's mask is right here (Damn creepy thing, mind you), Then there's Desmonte's right here...what'd he call it, Eternal Sunset?...

Oh, and now Mortoro's. Yeah, its been a busy, what, 9 hours?

>[Adolfo]"....Are you related to Magnum Boom the Unmasker?"

YOU KNOW MY POP? AWESOME. HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME I GOTTA KNOW!

>>247008
>have Mordre eat the masks
actually that's a really interesting idea. if we don't turn over the masks to appease the two warriors talking to us now, that seems like a viable plan. Unless we still want to keep them for that necklace of masked-faces idea we had.

>>247003
this sounds like a PLAN

>>247014
I suppose if Bang asks Burduko to get rid of the corpse we can do that without too much suspicion from him, as he doesn't know about the Kyorto thing. It wouldn't hurt to try!

oh crap we still have like 50 minutes in-universe-time until the bonus time for Ugrokk's new arm runs out. brb drawing

Do the lame politic stuff. It brings you fame!

Word of this will make people recognize you as a great power unto yourself. Since you're effectively immortal, barring catastrophic destruction of your brain and entire neural net, you're going to get to start tapping into Belief magic. If you want that sweet sweet Belief, you've got to stick around and talk. Maybe you could extract promises from everyone here to tell the tale of Magnum Bang's Five Fell Fights, too.

Also, I've got a prediction: As word of Bang's success, and of his style, spreads, more white blood users will start to pop up who specialize in covert operations. Bang, and any other sufficiently skilled possibility cell user, can make himself look like anyone else. Those same abilities allow for Bang, or a student of Bang's weaponized curiomancy style, to sneak chaotic cancer cells into a target. The cancer can be tuned to attack at different rates, and I suspect can even be tuned to remain undetectable and trigger when a specific condition is met. The same abilities can be used to make other biological poisons too, of course.

A curiomancer of Bang's ability could even alter other people to look like a specific person. No doubt that will be much rarer though, owing to the added difficultly of permanently altering someone else's flesh. I still expect it to happen.

In short, there will be a series of assassinations made using cancer cells and biological poisons, and there will be many curiomages who alter themselves and others to look like other people so that they can be excellent spies.

Randomly, what say we stop calling nagging wife, well, nagging wife? She's helped us out over the past fights, saved our ass after that genesis move... I think it's the least we could do to stop calling her such a derogatory name, really.

>>247052
with you there.

Whatever you do, do not give up the masks.

If need be, bail out to Nindy. Grab the body and take the armor while riding Nidhogg.

Agreed

With the "not calling Nagging Wife" part. Returning the Fell Mask Masks is fine, just not Ojas Roja since us two are partners now.

>>247070
In the least I think we should give back those three masks that we claimed after we killed Desmonte.

Of course. I don't actually see the use in having multiple masks anyway.

>>247076
The creepy face-necklace, remember, with multiple masks?

Don't turn the masks in. If they're insistent, yes, turning the three you won from The Butcher is ok, since those were masked warriors he killed, but the four Fell Masks are definitely OURS.

>>247066
this has my full support. answer a few questions and ask a few of our own then grab the loot clad body and get out of there.

be fore we run off explain that we were going to meet a bro of ours before we took a small detour to get a mask and do the masked warrior thing but we have to get goining as we dont want to be to late.

could someone put this into Bang speech please? i would but i seem to suck at it

>>247077
I don't really see the appeal with that face necklace with masks thing.
What the heck is it actually supposed to do anyway?

>>247078

Oh yeah, we should definitely make it clear that this whole venture was but a small distraction for us. That should make them clear who they are dealing with.

>>247080
Give us the power-boost from multiple masks while also having a small amount of surface area for runes (I'm sure cheeks and foreheads could sport a few small runes).

>>247080
[Let's see.... chained Cerebral Zeniths, or using the other Masks as buffers to prevent insanity for Nagging Wife/Red Eye of the Dynamo, networked magic sensing for increased capacity.... all sorts of stuff.]

>>247003
I begin ripping the opulent garments off of Mortoro's corpse, and after briefly appriasing how his runed leather armor is fastened, begin carefully unlatching and unhooking it so that it can be removed. As I work on it, I note with certainty that I could fit within this leather shell... but with inbuilt gloves, boots, even a high collar, I would have almost no exposed skin... which would mean no Bang Blade.... well screw that then. While I labor I start to respond to the two Masked Warriors before me, being careful to insure my words are loud and carrying, cutting through the confusion of thoseone-time minions now milling about as they seek their bearings..

>>247035
"Really, I just gave you some perfectly fine explanations.... but I guess I can be a bit more involved. SO:
First, yeah I ride a dragon-well I guess it's more accurate to say I work with her, by the name of Nidhogg-nickname of Nindy, but she doesn't respond all that happily to the moniker. I doubt you have the regenerative capabilities necessary to deal with her... reprisals, as it were. Anyway yeah she gives me a lift and a high place to do a dynamic entry from: Say what you will, but turning yourself into an artillery shell dropping from the sky as an entrance is radical!"
>[Adolfo]"..You work WITH this dragon Nidhogg?"
"Well yeah, she works for Mage Mordre, one of my buddies, really cool guy, got a Soul Grave and everything."
>[Conrado]"If you could elaborate on becoming a Masked Warrior last night?"
"I swear I explained this while we were jumping, but whatever. ...Eh, last night, this night, same thing really. Saw a bunch of rudos roughing up a town as Nindy was flying overhead, and I decided to step in, take a little stroll on the ground miles below, okay? How was I to know El Blanco Minimo-that's gonna bug me, I've gotten so used to calling him that I forgot his name-"
>El Blank Magnifico, real name Vernio Deltulo
" El Blank Magnifico, real name Vernio Deltulo , that was it, thanks for the reminder, Wi-.... nah, you've done a great job being my Mask, I'll stop teasing: Thanks, Red Eye of the Dynamo. ANYWAY, how was I to know a Fell Mask of the God Mask gang was gonna be there? Not that I'm complaining, of course, even if he did go down like a chump, but eh."
>I... thank you.
>[Conrado]"So then, that is-WAS Magnifico's Mask?"
>[Adolfo]"Making it a Fell Mask?"
"Well yeah, she was, but you know how it goes, if a dick picks up a Mask, not that much they can do about it! I figured I could put her to use on the side of JUSTICE, punching faces for righteousness, all that."

I finish pulling and unfastening the straps, cinches and buckles of the Kinesis-Feasting armor, and realize that my pants are WAY too tight to stuff this down (too much Bang down there, HAHA)
>Was that entirely necessary?
OF COURSE IT WAS I'M BANG. Now then... Phohn?
Yes, Mortal Bang?
-Okay that's been bugging me, why are you calling me Mortal every time? I can recover from fatal stuff just like you guys, so what's the deal?
So if your head was destroyed, you would still persist?
Currently? Ah... actually, I might. Got auxiliary thinking meats in my bones, could keep me going while I regenerate the head. So... yeah, I probably would still persist, unless I lost my head and every single bone in my body at the same time.
...Acknowledged. What is it, Bang?
Could you ask Burduko to take these runed leathers and bring them to... let's see, how about Arkus? I never did pay him back for those medical textbooks he found for me in the Arcanoworks, gotta pay him back for the extra technical knowledge of how my body works!
The request has been made, and accepted.
Burduko appears in a whisper of displaced air at my side, many of the freed civilians reflexively cringing as the Masked Warriors tense, but at seeing my open stance (and Burduko's immediate vanishing act), they relax-with a new question thrown in the mix. I do note that the few hundred minions listening to my loudly vocalized words are frantically calling out for others of those just freed and milling about, all while they listen keenly to this conversation.

>[Conrado]"...Is your ally there... Burduko, was it?"
"Yeah."
>[Conrado]"...Is that a Tractomancer? And more broadly.... what IS this Burduko?"

"Burduko... yeah, he's gotta be a Tractomancer, or at least I assume so. Never asked, he's not the biggest in the world with small talk. As to what he is... well, I don't know that much about artificial or heavily augmented entities, but near as I can tell, he would count as a Life Golem. ...Man, my throat's dry, what say we continue this in a saloon? I could use a drink, and I bet you could to."
>[Conrado]"Hold on, I have more question-"
>[Adolfo]"He'll answer them while drinking, then. ..We do not know this city well at all, perhaps you know where one could be found?"
"Sure, I spotted at least one saloon I missed in the initial subterfuge to draw out Mortoro, was a three story affair, should be properly stocked... oh yeah!"

I turn to address the audience of freed civilians at large.

"Hey, I'll treat you all to some free drinks, courtesy of this Fell Mask here, how does that sound?"
I barely get a chance to speculatively flap about Mortoro's Mask before the confused but exceptionally attentive bystanders consent to the offer with a great deal of cheer: They may not yet know what's going on, but they certainly know they could use a drink. All right! Adolfo and Conrado take up positions on either side of me, and are bombarded with questions by the freed minions as I trailblaze to the bar, all of us united in our glorious quest for booze. Somewhere along the path, it comes out that Conrado was enslaved half a year ago, having come to investigate where Adolfo vanished to a year prior to that. ...So, big one was captured for a year and a half, little one for just a half year. I start getting timeframes for the enslaved minions as well, as talk of dates and timeframes continues during out trek. It seems that most were enslaved within the last two years, with just a few from three or more years back. Ultimately, the conversation dies as I come to a halt before a robust building, and say the magic words.

"FREE BOOZE INSIDE!!"

Needing no further encouragement, the audience propels we three Masked Warriors inward from sheer body pressure, as those claiming to have been bartenders immediately set to appraising the stock of the structure. With hundreds and hundreds of bottles stacked behind the bar, and as many mugs as one could want, it takes little time at all before everyone is happily nursing some whiskey, rum, or a large flagon of beer (or, in my case, twelve).
>Is that much alcohol strictly necessary?
What, worst case scenario I just blast out the alcohol-imbued blood, and grow some more! Besides, I'm THIRSTY!

The two Masked Warriors, each with a heavy flagon before them, Adolfo working on something that smells pungently of nuts while Conrado goes for the tried and true whiskey, resume their questioning, and the cacophony in the supremely packed bar immediately dies down as hundreds of ears strain to listen.

>[Conrado]"So. Mind explaining why I detect a total of eight Masks on your personage?"
"No problem. One sec-"

I fish around in my crotch and about my ass, pulling forth six masks to complement Mortoro's, still in my left hand. I get more than a few dumbfounded looks at my choice of storage space, even a generous smattering of drinkers snickering into their cups, but I ignore them as I begin ticking off the Masks.

"Okay, let's see here... I'm wearing one, this is Mortoro's Mask here, this one here was San Bruno Toro's Mask, another God Mask... this one was the Old Mask of Desperspardos the Creeper... these three were won in a bet against Desmonte the Butcher, with this Mask here being his."
>[Adolfo]"Mind saying just where you encountered this so-called Butcher?"
"Yeah sure, he was running a casino in Domingo, bleeding the town dry of finances for his opulence, all that fun stuff. I gotta say, THAT guy put up one hell of a fight, not the least of which for having this sash I wear now, and some potent white boots, Geomancy inclined."

The two Masked Warriors share a wordless nod at this, while they try to wrap their heads around what I just said.
>Considering that Desmonte The Butcher was one of the oldest members of the God Mask gang, and responsible for slaying several Masked Warriors, even in groups-
Oh boo hoo, I'm answering their questions-WHICHREMINDSME

"So hey, Forest Fist Adolfo."
>[Adolfo]"Hm?"
"You know my pops? That's awesome. How do you know his name though?"
>[Conrado]"Boom's SON!? Wh-"
>[Adolfo]"I know him because he is as well known as the current bearer of the Belt of Champions."
"What really? He wasn't that big of a deal when I left Despardos a decade ago."
>[Adolfo]"Much can change in a decade."
"True enough! So, do you know where he's at? I haven't seen him in forever, would like to say hi, all that."
>[Conrado]"So, you are with that outlaw?!"
>[Adolfo]"Settle down, he's been away since before it started."
"Mind filling in the blanks here? WHAT started?"
>[Adolfo]"This requires a bit of backstory... one moment."

After the massive warrior refills his tankard, this time with what smells like grain alcohol, he begins speaking, the other patrons of this bar not even trying to hide their singular focus.

>[Adolfo]"As you are no doubt aware, your father was a Masked Warrior-"
"Was?"
>[Adolfo]"Yes. He continued to be one of considerable prestige and capability, until Leatherface entered the political scene."
>[Conrado]"Honestly, the guy gives me the heeby-jeebies."
>[Adolfo]"A common occurrence. Leatherface the Evermasked, who claimed the title of 'Most Powerful Masked Warrior' two-... Four years ago, I suppose."

The Forest Fist turns from our conversation for a moment, speaking to the audience at large.
>[Adolfo]"Hey, any of you who've lost less time than me, do you know if Leatherface is still the belt holder?"
>[Freed civilian #1,382]"Uh, it sounds like I've only lost a month, and he was still champion last I heard."
>[Adolfo]"Right, so, Leatherface has held the belt against all challengers, be it official bouts during the day, or assassination attempts by Fell Masks while he slumbers, for four years."
"Unless something has changed, the next best I ever heard of, in terms of how long someone held the title, was measured in months, not years."
>[Adolfo]"That is correct. Leatherface is currently re-setting the record every day, for how long a single person has held the Belt."
"Okay... and what does this have to do with poppa Boom?"
>[Conrado]"He took off his Mask, Tomb Sight, and has, for the last three years, been... hunting Masked Warriors and Fell Masks alike. Last I heard he was up to thirty eight Masks claimed."
>[Adolfo]"Hrm. Last I had heard he had only twenty two.... must be picking up his pace. Anyway, there are reports he is using those claimed Masks in an attempt to craft SOMETHING, and he has hardly been secretive about the fact it is intended to let him fight and best Leatherface."
"Okay... I know my pop's a real focused guy, but he's impatient as all hell. Why would he start a multi-year plan to claim the Belt of Champions, instead of just challenging the guy outright?"
>[Adolfo]"Let me give you a brief glimpse into what is so different about our current champion than past ones: Leatherface possesses an Old Mask, one of the oldest known to still be around."
"Ah, so he's a puppet for the Old Mask, then?"
>[Adolfo]"No. He stitched the Old Mask to his face, grafting it to his skin... and devoured the Mask's psyche in the process."
"WHAT THE HELL THAT SOUNDS AWESOME!"
>[Conrado]"...Definitely Boom's son."
"So... do you know where pops is now? ...Or the current champion?"
>[Conrado]"Why do you ask, you working for him?"
"Whatno, I'd like to ask pops what the hell he's doing-I mean, I'm assuming he's killing Mask owners, he was never one for non-lethal fights-"
>[Adolfo]"Correct."
"Not to mention I thought he was in semi-retirement, what with the ban on Soul Magic."
>[Adolfo]"Also correct."
"So yeah, I got questions for him."
>[Conrado]"Then why do you want to know the champion's location as well?"
>>247081
"Well, this was a nice distraction and all, doing a bit of night-time cleaning in Despardos, taking down some Fell Masks, but hey, a spar with a champion like THAT? Sounds fun as hell."

At this, the smaller Masked Warrior has nothing to say, jaw dropping to the ground. Adolfo is less shocked, and after a pregnant pause speaks.

>"Your father's location is unknown, however Leatherface has been calling the same river-side city his home for several years. He is likely still in Lugo Oviedo."

Once again, an audience member speaks up.

>[Freed civilian #1,117]"Uh, I heard about the Unmasker being in Naviarro... I guess two months ago?"
"Thanks for the tip!"

The two Masked Warriors drinking with me seem to have run out of questions, though I note they are sitting a bit closer together now.
>Likely so their Masks can communicate between them, confer without verbalizing.
Right, the contact thing.
>I would like to point out that Lugo Oviedo is farther north and very much so on our path. Naviarro, however, is a good eight hours out of our way, far to the East.
...Eh, decisions, decisions. Let's review:

-Mordre asked me to make my way to the Arcanoworks as swiftly as possible, and I already took a detour to have this fun, but I got some magical artifacts to show for it, I could hardly picture him mad about that.
-Mordre's waiting on me to return to the Arcanoworks, but he's busying himself with stuff in the Land of Dragons, doing the followup on that mission from Lenryt, that crazy-creepy little girl who is somehow a Grand Elder Mage of the Mortal Coil?
-I've got my name starting to spread, now that I've finished disseminating the tale of my awesome night-time brawling escapades, but if I could get a fight in with Leatherface-or hell, get some answers from pops, it'd make what I just did look smalltime.
-I got two mutually exclusive directions to go: North bringing me to the champion, East to my dad (maybe).





Hm. What should I do?
Should I pump these two Masked Warriors for more information, or get while the getting's good?
And should I stop in to meet the current champion, or maybe trek out to meet my dad again?
Or have I had enough excitement (HAH) for the moment, and plan to just head straight to the Arcanoworks?
>[Dawn in five minutes.]

Nah, head back to the Arcanoworks. Doubt the situation'll change too much in any amount of time, and you can always come back later.

North to the champion! Your dad was seen two months ago, that's HARDLY a fresh lead. We'll just wind up being directed somewhere else, and waste tons of time messing about when we're needed elsewhere.

lets have a quick look for pops before leaving, he might be trying the multi mask thing we were thinking of. we can always comeback later for the other stuff.

>>247099
this is bangs dad were talking about, hes probably going to make a costume or armour entirely out of masks

I am inclined to say continue to the Arcanoworks. This was an amusing diversion, but you did make a promise to proceed there with speed. You have a great deal of Mordre's trust, don't want to seem unreliable now.

>>247094
Just go the Arcanoworks. You could use some extra time to regenerate all your magic, and it's not like you won't be able to come back in a couple days. Neither of them is likely to vanish in the meantime. Mordre asked you to be as swift as possible, and you've already taken a detour or three- AWESOME detours, yes, but still detours. Mordre's your buddy; you should do what he requested and THEN come track down your dad. Doing right by your friends is an important thing, y'know.

>>247094
Go ahead and check in with your dad and see what's up. He might even let you in on what crazy thing he's building with all those Masks. Also how is your relationship with him? And what fighting style did your dad use when he practiced Soul Magic? Ask the other Masked Warriors what he's using now. It must be something insane to manage doing what he's doing now.

We shouldn't confront Leatherface before speaking with Boom.

But, I vote to go to Arcaneworks and get this thing over with so that we can deal with Eisenhardt finally

arcanoworks.

To the Arcanoworks! I wanna see what Mordre's up to again.

Glue 2010/10/23(Sat)13:08 No. 247132 ID: ddd48d
File 128786452362.png - (56.39KB , 800x600 , ITSGOTIME.png )

head to the Arcanoworks, see whats up.

hooray Arkus got a present!

ALSO UGROKK IS GOING TO HAVE THE MOST BAD-ASS ARM OF ALL TIME.

>>247132
[ +1 Fanart Ugrokk Arm Unspent Fanarts: 10/10 For Gialgorra Limb Magnum Opus] [MAXIMUM ACHIEVED]

>>247095
>>247103
>>247104
>>247124
>>247128
...Eh, the news on where pops is, that's a bit old, he could be anywhere now. And the champion... well, if he's held the belt for four years, I imagine he can keep for a few more days... but OH MAN, I definitely want to fight him.
>So...
So, little miss Red Eye of the Dynamo, I think I'm going back to the Arcanoworks. What better way to prep for challenging the champion than fighting a war hero? ..And, if I use that as an excuse, I should be able to excuse myself before the questions here get too overbearing.

"..Shit, it's just about dawn, isn't it?"
>[Conrado]"Hm? Yeah, yeah just about."
"Well, I gotta go. I'm already a bit late for a meeting with Mordre, but I'll be back. Can't leave that champion with his Belt, nor can I just ignore pops being a dick, going around killing anyone with a Mask he sees."
>[Conrado]"Now, hold on-"

I ignore Conrad's protests, easily accomplished as his words are drowned out by a deluge of cheering, heartfelt thanks from those I freed. Adolfo's words cut through the cheer like Conrado's could not, a final question as I approach the door, already asking Phohn to have Nidhogg descend.

>[Adolfo]"So what is this meeting about?"

As Nidhogg swoops down amidst a flurry of whipping, biting gusts, Burduko on her back, I turn to look back over my shoulder as I offer parting words.

"Got a war hero to fight."

Without a single word more of explanation, I leap onto Nidhogg's back, and fly off into the rising sun, stuffing Mortoro's Mask into my leather vest, eight separate Masks now secreted about my body. ...Plus this sash I got, and those boots, and that leather armor... not a bad haul for a night's work.
>You have a gift for understatement.
Damn right I do!

The city of Domingo has already faded away in our wake as we travel ever north, the sun slowly climbing to its noon zenith as I think about... dad.

Magnum Boom. A Masked Warrior since before I was born, one of the big names, too. Most of my memories of him are from when I was a wee little tyke, since he... kinda abandoned me when I was twelve, on account of... having beaten my mother, Magnum Kapow, to death with his own hands.
>WHAT!?
Bit more to the story. See, mom was a fighter too. She had a good bit of prestige going for her, what with having the oldest known Old Mask, and not going crazy from using it. That's how she and dad met, both were big name Masked Warriors back in the day. ...But somehow or other, she ended up in a tight spot. Couldn't handle it herself... and so she performed a Cerebral Zenith with the Old Mask.
>...With one so ancient as that?
Yeah. Well, when she finally made her way home from that... she wasn't all there. Seemed... off, that whole day. ...And that night, she tried to murder me in my sleep. Dad stopped her, but in the thrall of the Old Mask, she was strong... and her mind was gone. ...Pops, to keep me safe, and to let whatever was left of her mind rest.... put her down.
>Bang, that...
Not quite done yet. Well, as one might expect, he was not the most happy of folks after doing that. He tried to stay, to look after me... but every time he looked at me, I guess all he saw was what he did to keep me safe. One day when I woke up... he wasn't there. He had left, couldn't handle being reminded of what he did every single day. ...I was twelve at the time.
>....I am so sorry for you, Bang.
...Yeah, not a set of memories I like dredging up. But hey, silver lining... if that hadn't happened, I wouldn't of been rejected a few years later when I tried to join the Masked Warriors, I wouldn't have made that promise to become a famous warrior with healing alone... and I wouldn't of met you.
>Bang, I.... thank you.
Alright, so... gonna get busy trying to gather energy, fill up my sash so...
>I will give you your space, such as I can.
Thanks.

I purposefully eschew rumination for the entire rest of the day. I surround myself with ever more layers of bone shells, doing nothing but trying to optimize my magical regeneration. ....I am able to restore the almost completely depleted sash about my waist to a fifth charge before the day is out. Night comes.... and we keep flying north.

[DAY 148: DAY 8 OF WEEK 3 OF MONTH 4:]
[Enduday of the Third Cycle of Praeclarum (Summer)]

The scenery changes ever so slowly beneath me. Sand starts to give way to dirt by noon, a tree or two being seen instead of the constant shrubbery and succulents. At our cruising altitude miles above the ground, even my eyes cannot tell me if we are spotted... but I would hardly be surprised if we were, considering that dragons do on occasion wander north from the Land of Dragons. Still, nothing and no one bothers us in our high-flying travel.... and come nightfall, we finally exit the territory of my homeland. We spend a few hours crossing the outskirts of the swamplands those Froggrock... things claim their home within, even spotting a few of the human settlements that have sprouted on their borders-before we finally reach the southern end of the Warring Nations.


[DAY 149: DAY 9 OF WEEK 3 OF MONTH 4:]
[Rathday of the Third Cycle of Praeclarum (Summer)]

Dawn is still at least an hour away, my sash just slightly past half charged, when I finally enter the land of the Azelhaedran State. ...Phohn?
Yes, Bang?
Let Mordre know I'll be at Kyogrock Arcanoworks in... oh, another hour at most.
...Administrator Mordre has been informed, and says he shall join you upon your arrival. He also wishes to extend thanks for the gifts you sent to both Lorgk and Arkus.
Eh, no prob. ....Okay, it's almost time.......



[GOLEM QUEST ARC NINE COMPLETE]
ARC 10: ENCORE WITH IRON-HEARTED EISENHARDT IMMINENT ]


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