yeah, that Mammon thing bugs the shit out of me, too. I mean, that's the guy who we, well you remember. and what's with not telling us about his business with the Shield, anyway? and all the other crapton of secrecy with the Spectres and giant rifle dudes and stuff? we deserve to know, dammit!

He told us at least part of the deal in >>/questarch/381119. He wants a good home for Fidget, which I think is the girl with head and ankle wings we saved from Greyface's camp.

>Regarding Shan's vault, what should we take with us when exploring a vault?
Rose seems knowledgeable.

"A lot of things can go wrong in a vault." she starts, "And a lot of those things can affect how safe or dangerous the vault it. You've met a Fae - not all of them are so desperate or... nice. A lot of them hate us. And a lot of them can act through machines to enact their wishes. It's not pretty. Anti-armor rounds, spells that are effective against metal, decent armor, good allies. Oh, and... Leave robots at the door."

"Is this one suggesting I am not a great soldier of the noble army of Camelus?"

"No, you're just incredibly vulnerable." she says. "To attacks of the sort I'm talking about." she adds. "Not to mention, any computers or the like you're carrying around is just as dangerous."

I nod.

>Would Rose mind if we got her son a gift?
"Not at all!" she says with a smile. "He'd probably want to take Scars apart. But a small computer or a watch... Those would be excellent."

"Scars of Yesterday." I say, and it turns its head towards me.

"Yes, provincial mistress?" it replies.

"What can you tell me about Camelus?"

"Camelus is the honored Holy land of the Gods themselves. It is a land of Chivalry, compassion, honor, and other 'knightly' virtues. Camelus at large had no specific goal with which it programmed me. I am programmed to follow the orders of my owner to the best of my ability, and have sentience enough to interpret orders in a manner that benefits that person with minimal harm to my own self or their allies. Camelus entered - DATABASE CORRUPTED - conflict seeking - DATABASE CORRUPTED - of value and defense."

"Was that a full test of function on the ship?"

"That was indeed a full testing of my abilities, thought not a full testing of their extents of use."

"What?"

"Clarifying: That was all of my abilities. That was not a good sample of maximal operation length."

"How long can you run like that before needing to recharge?"

"This unit was developed to operate for long periods of time without contact or new orders. Therefore, this unit can go excessive periods of time without recharge. Diagnostics indicate this length may be truncated due to excessive wear not consistent with current date and time."

>Ask Harumda about infernal materials

"I ain' an expert, jus' warnin' you."

"Just tell me what you know."

"Fine. There's a few I know about. Hornyx is a natural mineral demons secrete from der heads. Bone naturally forms roun' it. 'S black and hard as iron. Hard ter melt. Kinna brittle, though. It makes fer shitty armor, and there's the prickly bit of havin' to tear it offa folk's heads, or elbows, or tails, or backs, or god knows where. Then yer got SoulSteel." he chuckles. "Stronger'n mortal steel. Tough as hell. It's steel treated with the souls o' th' damned, and things that go through dat much pain, they wanna share it. Makes nasty shit happen when you touch it, let alone get cut. Lotsa baaaad wounds can be attributed to soulsteel. And there's also hot Bronze. Very tough but hard to handle, since it's always hot. Can't be melted down."

"Then how..."

"Best not to ask. Fuckin' fire demons."

>It That Lurks and fair materials - get names with descriptions and effects. And if he knows anything about material summoning.

All that gets me is a mental shrug. Not his scope, it seems, or he forgot in the transfer to a weapon.

Dreanin's not with me anymore, guys! I can't ask him anything.

It's getting dark, but I think I can see Midtown in the distance. Should we camp for now?

>>389001
Can you reach the town before it gets dark? If not, make camp. You'd probably not want to go to a town that gonna be attacked with a big demon at night like a bunch of bandits. At least, in the morning, the townsfolk will see that you're here to help.

>>389008

plausible. but let's move a bit more towards the town before camping, in case it gets attacked.

Good point. I mean, with the Fiends in town, the locals probably EXPECT to be attacked by roving bands of travellers with large bound demons attached.

We... Will not look good to them.

>>389095
>>389008
>>389066
We move forward for another few hours, then begin putting up our tents. One for me and Rose, and... One for Scars, in case there's nasty weather. I lay down next to her - we don't undress, figuring it will be better to get into town faster - And suddenly there's an almost explosive, resounding slam, and a groan of pain.

I peek out of the tent, to see a man laying on the hard earth. His hair is unkempt and greasdy black, his face covered with scars and untamed facial hair. His body is crisscrossed with black harnesses covered in short spikes, leathery pants stitched together, and massive fur-trimmed boots. And at his side is a massive bearded axe with the insignia of a raven.

He groans in pain.

well that's a bit unusual. no idea if he's friendly or not, but getting his axe away from him would be a good idea either way. to do this without alarming him have one person go over and offer medical assistance while someone else grabs his axe. if he stars to go for his weapon restrain him with Tentacle pit. I would very much like to find out what the hell just happened, so even if he's hostile try and take him alive. if he's friendly offer to heal him in exchange for him telling you how he just fell out of the sky.

>>389636
He's badly wounded. Let's not waste Taint on restraining someone. Scars or Harumda can do that.

holy crap, that guy sounds metal as fuck. surround him and point your guns at him until you figure out what he wants, and possibly more importantly, where he came from.

Don't focus on him. Make sure you've got eyes out to make sure nobody ambushes you during the hubbub.

Maybe we could use Heal on him, if we decide he's not dangerous.

"Harumda, restrain him gently."

Harumda nods, kneeling by his head, hands fastening on his shoulders. "Scars, his Axe."

Scars nods, reaching down - but as soon as a finger touches the Axe, there's a grunt.

"NO."

One arm raises, and Scars raises his arms to protect his chest as something slams into him, sending him barreling back. "That... Is my Axe." he growls, his voice like gravel, almost like Harumda's. "And no one may touch it but myself, or another Son of Metal." he says, rising - Against Harumda's arms. Harumda's eyes flash red, and in a silent contest, he pushes back.

For a solid three or four seconds, there's a stalemate, before Harumda finally pushes hard enough to push him down.
"That's what I thought!" he grunts, and the scarred man laughs.

"...Who are you?" I finally ask, as Scars returns. His face plates are opening, so I hold up a hand, stopping him.

"My name is Stal." he says, pronouncing it oddly. "I am a Son of Metal, gifted with the Dragon Force." he goes on, "Descendant of the King of Kings and prince of the tribe. Release me, puppetmaster."

I frown.
"And why should I do that?"

"Because I would be very cross if you did not." he replies.

"...Are you wounded?"

"Another scar." he says dismissively. "Well? You may assist me if you like, but you shall have nothing unless you release me."

"...Alright, just... tell me how you fell out of the sky."

He laughs as he is released, and I begin to Heal the HOLY SHIT THAT IS AN ENORMOUS WOUND. A long gash splits his back, from shoulder to hip. It looks like the damage an angelic spell or weapon might do, and I quickly get to work.
"I was fighting a great winged beast. Strong, and tall, we wrestled in the sky, each aiming to land a blow on the other. Both of us managed - I during an opening, he while I fell from him after landing mine, across his chest. Is it bad?"

"...You can't tell?"

"I am gifted with an absencse of pain. So, no."

"...It could be a lot worse!" I answer nervously as the wound stiches shut. Five Taint to heal something like that, that's not so bad.

Probably should ask him why he was fighting a "great winged beast". Might as well ask if it was an angel while you are at it.

talk about where he comes from and where he's going. because this one might be another ally.

it sounds like this guys tribe has adopted the imagery of pre cataclysm music into its mythology. if they are getting actual effects out of what is a false belief system that implies interesting things about how magic works. or that they are using something that works and describing it in terms of old power metal cd cover art. by the way, do not point out that his tribes stuff is based on old album covers, he might not take it well.

>>389705
"...Why were you fighting it?"

"It threatened the people of my tribe." he says simply, rising and gripping the axe tightly. It glimmers dangerously in his hands. "To whom I must return. But first, what may I call ye, who does not slay me on the spot to take an artifact such as mine?"

"I'm Sera."

"LAdy Sera, have you need, you may come to my tribe and ask upon them a single favour. Written in the book of deeds, you shall be. Look for the flag of Ravenkind." he says. "A good night, to you and yours." he finishes, smiling crookedly as he walks away.

Rose raises an eyebrow.

"Such is life in the Sands." she mutters, as you follow her back to the tent.

Watch Dream, Interfere, or Leave alone?

I dunno. maybe let her learn? except if she already did last night- I don't remember.

Watch.

It's been a few days since the last lesson from It That Lurks. I think it is the time for another one. That is still a dream we should watch.
If it isn't a lesson, perhaps it is time we try for a lucid dream with Sera. I would like to revisit the origin vault. Lets start with recreating the vault in the dream without people first and explore the structure as Sera remembers. Then slowly bring in people, beginning with those Sera remembers best. Who are they, what did they do, observe them as they go about as Sera remembers them. We may find if sections of the vault are particularly interesting because they are officially restricted or just visited only by certain persons or at certain times. Sera may also rememeber actions of people she couldn't interpret then, but with her new experiences they may make more sense to her and us.

At first, you attempt to commune with her - but for the first time, you are blocked away by a foreign influence. Like a sphere of glass, all you - and Darkness, beside you - can do is watch the dream she is in unfold. This bothers you deeply, not the dream itself, but the fact that you cannot interfere.

What you see is a chess board, arrayed with pieces. On one side, far from you, they are knights, armored in blue. On the close side, demons in black.

Shadowed hands, one black, gnarled, and clawed, the other an armored blue gauntlet, trade rapid moves. The view of the dream expands, revealing two more boards, on either side of the first. A hand of sand moves strange, mutated beasts. A skeletal, robotic hand moves peices of misshapen machinery.

More and more chess boards surround the shadowed player, who plays well, but is slowed by the hundreds of boards. Raiders, angels, demons, swordsmen, mercenaries... And then it zooms on one board, where Sera sits curled in the place of one of the pawns, and behind her stands stalwart a canine Queen, the armored hand shadowing the board.

And then it ends. The barrier shatters. You feel a prescence leave as you step into the Dream, where Sera begins to form a new narrative for herself. She looks up at you, dressed and formed as she is in wakeness.

"Hello, Legion." she says quietly, looking at a sunset across a desert. "Come to speak with me again?"

Well shit. Yay for vague narrative references!

In the grim darkness of the post-apocalyptic future THERE IS ONLY WAR.

remember.

There was a dream before this, Sera. Many, many chessboards, but only two players. The shadow of death, and the blue knight. Hmm. Refresh my memory- do we know any female canines? The board you were on has a Queen that looks like that.

You were merely a pawn, unfortunately. But hey, a pawn that reaches the end of the board can become a Queen.

>>390356
Isn't Alisa (the one with with the power armor and regeneration) a canine?

>>390373
Yes, actually. Alisa's a dog-woman, last I checked. Husky, even.

>>390356

Sera nods. "Not just one opponent. Dozens." she clarifies, laying back on the sand, hands behind her head. Her wings twitch slightly.

>>390252
She shakes her head, then.
"I know you're trying to help, but... I'd rather go there in person. It won't feel right to just build it with broken memories. I've been thinking about you." she says, changing topics. "I think... That maybe you shouldn't be bound to just me."

>>390589
If you're suggesting that we have more than one master, no. Just no. Being bound at all is bad enough, as you should've seen from Harumda. Two masters? Out of the question. If you mean an object, go on. It might not be a bad idea.

So, you want to give the rest of your friends headvoices? Yeah, if you do that I will suggest orgies.

'... What do you mean Sera? We are already bound to you and the White Book'

...we're bound to both you and the White Book... that must be what that guy said about you tearing us in half. Do you think it's possible for us to speak to our other half, in the book?

As for binding us to someone else... we were told that being bound to someone's mind is an affront to demonkind. You said you had to do it to save our life, before. Why do it now?

>>390590

it's not like people could force us to do anything more than giving them headvoices, right? I mean we're not like Harumda, who has to obey his master by going around killing things.

>>390663
That'd probably depend on what spells and contracts are used to bind us to someone. We don't have a formal contract with Sera as far as I'm aware, so we have a degree of autonomy.

Of course, I could just be being paranoid. But do we really want to take the risk?

I don't think it a good idea, but we need answers to a few questions first to argue this properly.
Why do you think we should be bound to someone else, too?
Who do you think is suitable for that?
How do you propose to do that?

She may have meant an object. Like, if someone wears this ring,. we can talk to them. Not as bad, but even so, still need details.

"Oh, I'm sorry. That must have confused you..." Sera sighs. "I mean, when we investigate the Vault, it's likely that I'll find a way to put you all the way together again. Give you back your legs, so to speak. Let you out of the book... So you can go where you want. I mean, if I die, what would happen to you? And... I want privacy, without beating you over the head with binding equations. I..."

She bites her lip.

"I want us to be friends. And while you're bound to me, all you can see me as is a master. There's no way you think any better of me than that."

She stands, stretching.

"Besides. I can't know if you'll be peeking at my dreams with Darkness. So I have to not-think about Rose, just in case. It's hard." she adds, sticking out her tongue playfully.

Friends.

We really are unique in the demonic world, aren't we? Something's VERY strange about all of this.

But it's a good kind of strange.

So, what? You want to provide us and Darkness bodies? That is not something I am against, but where get them? I don't think Rose and Scars will be supportive of stealing an inhabited body and there is a general lack of uninhabited working bodies. Given the sword It That Lurks inhabited, items don't seem such a good choice. For that matter we are already bound with an item, the White Book. The most freely available bodies appear to be corpse, but I don't think that will work at all.

Another issue is, we both choose that binding for a reason. So far we don't know why. I am leery of severing the binding between us without knowing what the consequences are for either of us. Severing the binding or hitting us over the head are the only ways to be absolutely sure we don't watch your dreams. We can promise to pull our awareness back if we notice the dream going into private matters.
For that matter, remember the Mammon episode? Us watching your dreams is a safety measure for your protection, too.

uh. sure. but let's go to the vault first, and see what happens.

Hmmm. I rather enjoy being in someone's head. We don't have to worry about combat then. But a body would be nice, then we can do things, and possibly help in combat, though I do not envy Harumda's bloodlust, very possible if we regain a demon's body. A new body might require a new contract as well. Regardless of how we feel about a body, going to the Vault seems like a good idea. As long as she is ready, the truth is not always kind.

>>391133
Probably should tell her that if we were to have our own body, chances are high we would also be more inclined to do our own thing.

This does not mean we would cease being her friend or helping her every now and then. Just that we would attempt to carve a niece for ourselves through our own actions.

>>391309
What would our niche be, again? We don't give a fuck about Mammon, and it's not like we can start a business as a demon. And we're not THAT puissant. We're not conquering jack shit. All we would do is "try to get our memory back".

>>391311
Eh, who cares about that. What I meant was that we are unlikely to follow her for her entire life. Probably find something to do that WE want instead of what others want and so on.

You know, if we get the means to live our own life then chances are that at one point we will.

>>391472
Yeah, but what do we want other than our memory?

Sera palms her face.
"I want to give you back your ability to hop between people, like you used to. When did I ever mention bodies? And why did you say anything about Darkness?" she shakes her head. "Sometimes, Legion... Anyway, I promise you - As soon as we get back to my vault, I'll see what we can do." she smiles at you, And then the dream shatters as she awakens.

-----

I stretch awake in the early morning, Rose curled up partially on top of me. I smile at her and stroke her hair, giggling at her purring.

Well, is there anything I should do before heading into Midtown with everyone?

Let's hop into Rose. She's less bashful than Sera. Let's get the dirty details >:)

>>391568
We don't have that ability yet.

>>391569
Bah! Our future self does in some universe. In some universe, we can also travel through time. Therefore, we already have that ability.

But we don't already, and your observation that we would now if we would eventually has just established that we won't. Good job!

>>391572
Aha, but we haven't tried. Alternatively, we might be unwilling to travel back due to people arguing over whether or not we should, which we probably would argue incessantly about.

We would then be eaten by a grue.

Also, many universes in which we acquire hopping powers do not coincide with universes in which we get time travel.

You do not have time travel or the ability to hop between people. This has been stated nearly outright several times, and no time travel should be a given.

>>391591

spoilsport.

let's hurry.

Breakfast sounds like a good idea before getting to midtown. You might even be able to give Rose breakfast in bed!

@@ Shot!H508X.HbJ6 2012/03/11(Sun)22:36 No. 392039 ID: 07eaf7
File 133153060490.jpg - (315.76KB , 1100x1215 , Midtown.jpg )

>>391643

I smile, sneaking out of bed and quickly working happily. Everyone else is resting except Harumda who is merely sharpening his sword, a long, slow, rythmic sound as he runs the heel of his palm along the blade slowly.

"What's the plan, boss?"

"Me and Rose eat, then we head out. I imagine you'll be fine - this town's experienced more angel activity than demon activity. I want you on your best behavior, though." He nods.

It's just simple eggs and 'bacon' (the trip out to the flats was uneventful but rife with beasts) but she devours it hungrily and kisses me with gratitude.

"We'd better get moving." she says, stretching once, one of those feline motions that do it all in one go. It's... hypnotic. Finally, we move out, Scars rising from a compact curl to walk alongside us in an easy lope. We move closer to the town...

It's impressive. One of the larger ships I've seen, most of the hull stripped away along with the interior, to form a town in its shadow. A gunshot rings out as we approach, the earth pocking at my feet.

"Don't move. Clarify your intent, names, and the like." calls a sniper from an unseen perch.

Harumda shoots me a questioning look.

As usual, Harumda is not to kill the sniper. Then we introduce ourselves! This seems fairly straightforward.

go on, be honest.

>>392039
I think Rose should introduce us. Who has the better first impression here, someone whose family goes around protecting stuff of a demon summoner with a very large demon?

>>392057
This.

This is a good idea.

@@ Shot!H508X.HbJ6 2012/03/15(Thu)00:48 No. 392964 ID: 07eaf7
File 133179768017.jpg - (157.54KB , 827x1169 , Margaret.jpg )

>>392057
>>392240
I shake my head vehemently at Harumda, then look to Rose.

She sighs, fixing me with a bit of a look - one she hasn't used on me before, and she raises her voice slightly.

"I am Rose Avalon. We're just... Wanderers. We heard there was some problems here. We wanted to help some, and maybe pick up some supplies." she says. "This is Sera, and the demon is bound to her. The robot, likewise."

There's a pause.

"...Wait there. I'll call out Margaret."

He lowers the gun after doing an initial scan of the horizon, then pulls up his radio.

The gates - large things made of what appears to be layers of metal - open, and a young woman walks out. A long rifle is strapped to her back, and a shotgun rests in her hands as she steps out.

"I'll be damned. Rose Avalon in the flesh and fur."

Rose lets out a quit laugh, scratching the back of her head and looking at the ground. The woman's green eyes turn to me. "And another I don't know. Sera, right?"

I nod. "Well, if you can get and handle things like them, then... Well, I'd hate to have you knocking as hard as the angels and raiders. Come inside for a spell. If you want to help, we've no shortage of problems." she says. "About the damn only thing we're not short on." she adds, as you step inside, the doors closing behind us. "Come into my office." she says, leading us into a small building build from sheet metal. There's a bunk inside, a desk, a terminal, and a radio. "Now that we're in here..." she says, taking off the rifle and setting aside the shotgun, slipping out of the armor, "Let me tell you about Midtown."

She then launches into an explanation of the issues.

It's... a hell of a list.

She starts off by saying that Raiders have been assaulting almost nightly. Last night was a precious gap. She doesn't have any idea where they come from, though the sniper might have a better guess. They are attacking well-equipped, however, so they have plenty of guns and ammo. But food is somewhat scarce. The last of the horrible beast that Elan last hauled in is starting to turn, and is only really edible when cooked into oblivion. Another beast like that would be most helpful. Not to mention the gate defenses are lacking - melee or close fighting has proven suicidal, and the gates take a beating every night. Finally, the angels seem to have some sort of vendetta against the town itself - Margaret expects another attack from fliers later today or even this evening. If the bandits attack at the same time, there's no telling what kind of clusterfuck could emerge, as she puts it.

"So, you can see why we're reduced to paying your father with local girls." she finally admits to Rose. Rose palms her face quietly.

The room falls quiet, and all heads turn to me.

Why me?! I'm not a leadery person!

>>392964
Yeah, we all know you're not a leader type, but when everyone's looking at you, you've got no choice other than standing up and leading.

As I see it, the constant attacks by raiders and angels have made this place almost defenceless. Maybe they're after the same thing. We gotta find out. Ask the sniper or anyone who knows more on this.
Also, I think Harumda is gonna love this place. He loves the fight and this place has a challenging fight almost every night. Sometimes two even. If we leave him to guard the gates, he have the time of his life.

Didn't Elan kill one of those things like, yesterday? Has he not delivered it yet?

I was thinking Harumda would be a great gate defender... but I think we need to go take out the raiders. Well-equipped though they might be, they'll be a hell of a lot less durable. If we can visit under cover of darkness, we'll be stealthed too, thanks to Darkness. Perhaps we can sneak in and plant bombs? Sortof like a revisit of that other time, but more stealthy.

Oh, and while we're in civilization, did you want to take on that Crucible?

>Oh, and while we're in civilization, did you want to take on that Crucible?
Probably a good time. Sera is currently at 592 if I didn't miscount. We could ask if they have some people who won't mind a magic healing to get the last 8 points together.

I agree with going after the raiders. So talk with the sniper about them. We've got basically two choices for the timing. One, since they attack nightly, a midday raid catches them in their rest phase before the next attack. The other, attacking at evening or early night, when the raiders are away, to capture or destroy their camp and afterwards follow their trail for an attack in their back.

For additional gate guards, Harumda and Scars are available. Both are melee fighters, but we should take one of them with us for the raiders.
Harumda at the gate has the advantage of self repair but he wants challenging fights. Are the gate fights intense enough?
Can they supply power for Scars to recharge? We are still fuzzy on how long he can fight till he needs a recharge. Even Scars has no definite knowledge in >>389001. Rereading, ask Scars what date he thinks it is currently and how capable to deal with damage he is.

On the angel vendetta, any suspicions on why? How is the salt situation in the town? Walk through the town, looking for sigils and circles. And check the road network. Maybe the town contains, or is, a spell. Remember to be on the look out for unusual objects and items, too.

if we want to get the last 8 pts of taint we could just use repair on the gate. ask Margaret how many raiders are in the usual attacks, and how many raiders do they usually manage to kill? if the size of the attack group remains constant that implies the existence of enemy reserves, but if the attacks have been shrinking as they take losses they raiders probably don't have a reserve. if they don't have a reserve simply ambushing them with scars and harmuda when they attack would be the best way to deal with them, catch them between our heavy hitters and the town walls. if they have a reserve hitting there camp while the main group is hitting the town would be a good idea, burn there ammo dump and the raiders stop being a problem even if they have more men.

also didn't roses dad say they would be able to spare a few more men now that they got that cannon working?

>if we want to get the last 8 pts of taint we could just use repair on the gate.
That works too. I just don't want to meditate them up, when using them can help the town and get us some good PR.

>also didn't roses dad say they would be able to spare a few more men now that they got that cannon working?
But they are mercenaries. The town doesn't have money to pay them. Margaret already said
>we're reduced to paying your father with local girls.
The town's pay to the mercenaries doesn't help to recover the costs, which the mercenaries accrue by supporting the town. It's essentially bad business. The mercenaries can accept only so much bad business before they become defunct.

I nod.

"Harumda. Can you and Scars guard the gates?" I ask. They both nod. "Rose, you and I will handle the rest of it... What sort of supplies do you have now?"

She goes through her supplies - lots of bullets, grenades, guns, and explosives. But it's the last one I want.
"Can I please have some of the plastic explosives?" I ask. I'm not sure how to use them... But having them will help. She nods.

"I'll have some delivered to your room in the ship." the mayor says. "Anything else you need?"

"Anything unusual in town? Anything at all?"

"Actually..." Harumda pipes up, and I blink at him. "This place feels really..." he grunts. "Pure. Good. It's hard to pin down, but I'd bet my horns there's an angelic artefact here - prob'ly a big one."

The mayor facepalms.

"I'll look into that, and tell you when you get back. What's your plan?"

"Me and Rose will see if we can't figure out where the Raiders are coming from. I'll do some work on your gates, then, I'll leave tonight. Rose, can you track them back, during the siege?"

"These are Fiends, Sera. I doubt you would have trouble, let alone me."

"R-right. S-so. Me and Rose will sneak into the raider base and set the C4. Harumda and Scars will repel this assault - At least, they'll handle the raiders. Your guys can hold off the angels, right?"

The mayor thinks to herself.
"It... it could be done. And that'd be one problem solved. If I can find the artefact..." she looks at her desk. "What do you want in return?" she asks quietly.

"J-just a favour, to be called on later. That's all." I manage. Rose nods.

"That's right."

She smiles at us, then nods back. "Alright, get going."

We walk out, towards the gates. They are beaten pretty bad. Cracks run through the structure, there's bullet holes. Harumda and Scars simply leap over it, taking their places immediatly.
"I'll clear out the shack nearby." Rose says. "...Just in case. If you..."

"I know." I reply, unzipping my armor to my navel, reaching back and pulling down the other zippers that are under my wings. Just in case. I take a deep breath, one hand holding together my outfit. THe warm air on my belly is... well, it's nice, but a blush rises to my cheeks as I rest my hand on the warm metal of the gates.

And I touch the Taint. The gate pulls together. Missing bits are replaced seamlessly with a strange, white metal, the changes spreading rapidly along the gate. Slowly, it all comes together, and I feel it rising in my belly. A horrible, inky darkness that swims up - To be briefly held back.

Go to your lover. whispers a gentle, yet familiar voice. It wouldn't do for my lady to be embarrassed.

I stumble into the shack, the door slamming shut behind me, a gentle softness and warmth enveloping me as I fall unconscious.

The darkness wraps around her naked body in her dreams. It pulls at her, rips at her. It is not violent, it is not malicious - it is a cost. An agreement made and sealed with the casting of her first spell. Her magic would, someday, take her humanity, piece by piece, and make her into a monster. But not today. YOu reach out, taking one of her hands. So fragile, so soft, it squeezes yours tightly, needily as she looks at you, helpless eyes looking out at you with thanks. And from the other side, a furred hand wraps around her other hand possessively, tightly, a fierce lion with a fiery mane staring into the darkness beside your gaze of a thousand piercing eyes.

NOT TODAY, we roar, in unison. You shall not take her today.

I blink as I return. Whuh...

Scales. They stretch over my body - from my knees to my ankles, from my collar to my navel, from my elbows to my wrists. My back, too. They're hard, thick - but not big, except on my back. I... I'm naked, and... Rose lays with me, gently stroking my hair.
"Hey. Welcome back." she says softly.

Nnngh. What am I gonna do for clothing now?!

Clothe yourself in the clotted blood of slain foes.

>>393171
Sweet, natural armor. I guess the coverage could be better, oh well. Just refit your existing armor/clothing and you should be good, right? So anyway, how did you take your first Crucible? Feeling alright?

>>393179
Nah.

>>393179
Thanks Rose, for giving us that idea.

>>393171
I guess the stuff your wearing should still fit if they were not ripped up by the change. If you need anything, you could always ask Rose to get the Mayor to give you some clothes if you don't feel like showing off your heroic stature to the town.

I understand if you don't want to think about it Sera, but we saw something of the taint during that. not much, just some sort of darkness devoid of malice. more like it was collecting a debt than anything else. this is not much information, but its more than most seem to know about the taint.

>>393171
From the numeration of covered areas the scales don't cover her thighs, upper arms and lower belly. Is that correct or did Sera just leave those parts out of her description?
For clothes, I think the Dualcroc armor would still be suitable. If it won't work over your arms and legs, you could shorten the armor to elbow and knee length. For the torso a sort of dungaree like cut still connected to the upper arm sleeves might work. That should keep the apparently unscaled parts and your modesty protected.

This second crucible went a lot, hmm, smoother than her first.
>>393210
I think knowing that about the taint is quite a lot. It means the taint is not managed by demons, despite the appearances. What with angels attacking the taint and demons being fine with it. It might still be demons that caused it to appear in the first place, but they aren't running it.
As I see it magic was mostly freely available for humans before the cataclysm. They probably paid with exhaustion or something the like for casting. Something happened and now a caster has to pay with their humanity, too. Perhaps in the cataclysm someone drew on magic strong enough to harm whatever creates or supplies magic and it is trying to get back what was taken.
We should look into learning the specifics of how they paid for casting before the cataclysm. It might help us understanding taint and the cataclysm better.

wear something makeshift for now. take your armor to a tailor or something so he can fix it up for you.

We work quickly on the armor. THe scales on my chest are smoother, so I can fit my armor over it - but my arm and leg scales, as well as my whole back, have to be removed. So... What's left is essentially a bare-backed armor kept on by my sleeves. It feels a little... Skimpy? Odd? But my chest is really well armored now. Not as well as my back, which has the largest, thickest scales, but pretty good. My pack is redone to hitch at my hip. Okay! And this isn't my first - or even second - mutation. You just don't remember the first few because I was still kind of stitching you back together again.

... The distraction might account for the shoddy work. Sorry...

Anyway! After getting used to moving in the scales, we head up to the sniper nest. He's still looking out, over the flats.

Some quick questioning determines that the Raiders generally run directly at the gate - This only gives them a small area to come from, since there's just the one gate. They're somewhere to the East. Rose nods.

"Just a bit of warning..." he says, quietly. "I'm to defend this town. Not you or yours. It's cold, I know, but my loyalties lie with Margaret and my family. If I see you getting dragged away by Fiends and have to choose between shooting them or helping your friends defend the gate..."

"You don't want to finish that sentence, sniper." Rose says softly. "I know that rifle. It operates with a magazine. You should have at least five, maybe seven shots each reload. You won't have to choose. Don't make excuses for things that haven't happened." she says softly.

We turn and begin to walk -
"As if I'd take a shot to save a demonfucker." he mutters quietly.

We stop walking.
"Rose, you -" I start, but she holds up a hand and leans over to me.
"Honey, head back to our room and get ready to go. This won't take but a minute." she says softly. "I'll explain how to use the plastic explosives on the way, okay?"

she's about to get her shapely ass into trouble, isn't she. stop her. the sniper's aid is unnecessary, his sympathy redundant, and his opinions worthless.

Ugh, do you really look like a demon? Is it the horns? Maybe you should get rid of the horns.

>>393790
Stop her. She can do it after we save the town.

>>393803
The opinions of bigots do not warrant more taint. Keep the horns, do not take on more taint.

Call Harumda over and explain the difference between you and a demon in explicit detail.

I don't think he means Sera or Rose as the demon part of demonfucker. I think he either means the fucker literally and thinks a woman can only bind a demon to herself by fucking it. Or he means the fucker figuratively because the only people with demons he has experience with are the fiends.

Either way the best way to prove him wrong is to crush the raiders. Rose beating him up will only reinforce his bad attitude.
Tell Rose, 'No, he'll just take it as confirmation and justification of his views and prejudices. If he is too small and closed in mind to use his eyes and brain, beating him up won't change anything.'

I hold up a hand to Sera and walk up to him, wings going wide.

"I'm not a demon, and the only person I fuck around here is Rose." I say imperiously, stepping closer.

[Frightening Prescence]

"I don't need your help to find the raiders, and my boys don't need it much to save this town. Focus on your job, it's the only thing keeping me in check right now."

He nods quietly, and returns to his work. That... That felt good. A little shudder runs through me when I remember the look in his eyes, the language of his body. It felt... right. "Let's get ready."

Rose nods, taking my hand and guiding me to our room.
It's sparse, simple, and clean. But on the bed...

"Stars and stones, Life and Death." Rose says softly. On the bed are at least a dozen... no, two dozen bricks of off-white... clay?

"Where's the explosive?" I ask.

"Honey, this is the explosive." Rose says. "Enough to blow apart Tinsel and Transit. Not that I'd want to."

"...Is it safe? T-to have it all in one place?"

"Yes, quite safe. This is special stuff." she says, tail lashing around excitedly. "C4."

"See Four? Four of-" Rose sighs, holding up a hand.

"It's the name. Basically... Shooting it doesn't make it go boom, fire doesn't make it go boom. Only the det... detonator. Oh, god damnit, it's Camelus." she mutters.

"What's wrong with that?"

" 'If it ain't broke, USE MAGIC!'" she says, wiggling her fingers. "Basically, each brick has a small explosive bead. That bead is tied to a single steel catalyst, break the catalyst, and no matter where the explosives are, they ALL go boom. It was all made in one batch. Probably custom, too - on shipment on this ship." she says. "This looks like about seven people could carry it easily. If we take any, we have to take it all! Or else we, well..."

The mental image of the ship going up in a massive fireball while the Raiders do as well fills my mind.
"I... get the picture."

Rose thinks for a minute. "This much power would come in handy. Even one brick would be fantastic. But... This much..."

It's such a wonderful bounty... But what do we do with it?

we sneak it into the raiders' base. somehow. even though it's way too huge to be hidden, or hell even carried around by you.

maybe Scars and/or Harumda can haul it around, but you'd have to cover for them, which I doubt would be easy.

perhaps the city can arrange for a vessel?

this could simplfy things. instead of fighting the raiders we could just have harmuda and scars carry this stuff into the raiders camp, then just run like hell and detonate it.

You could take the beads out to neutralize part of the shipment.

>>394341
Well, if you can find the raider's camp, you can sneak in, plant the explosives while they raid Midtown (and get smacked down by Harumda and Scars) and blow those scumbags to bits in the morning.

>>394349
This.

Also, C4 is moldable. You don't have to carry it as bricks. You could make one big ball, wrap it in cloth and roll it along with you to the raider camp.
Or if you make a trap some distance in front of the gate on the usual path of the raiders, you could blow them up before battle begins. There is enough to get a nice wide zone of destruction. If the C4 is from the ship, it is old enough for any scent marker to have evaporated, which should make it pretty much undetectable even just slightly buried. Since it is close enough to the town, you could even add scrap for shrapnel.

>>394375
>giant ball of C4
hahahaha oh yes we must do that. Just get that thing rolling down a hill into the raider camp, and blow it from a distance.

>>394383
Not sure how smart this idea is, but it's bloody hilarious.

>>394751
especially if you combine it with a catapult... actually that might not be a bad idea. if only because no sane person would bother preparing countermeasures for it.

A 24 stick ball... dear god. We just have to roll it in and blow it up unless they have a damn city.

it would be more than a 24 pound ball of c4. if this was 24 one pound blocks two people could carry it easily. your average person could with a backpack cab carry somewhere between 75-100 pounds we are looking at something between 525-700 pounds of c4, the ides of just rolling this stuff into a ball and throwing it into the raiders camp is starting to look fairly appealing. maybe sculpt it into a few smaller balls and have harmuda and scars throw them into the raiders camp, that is assuming we hit the camp before the raiders hit the town. otherwise we are going to have to seriously see if we can get a catapult. exactly how much c4 is on the pallet? if we are going to build a catapult we will have to know the weight ahead of time.

@@ Shot!H508X.HbJ6 2012/03/22(Thu)00:33 No. 394891 ID: a76cbb
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>>394383
>>394375
>>394814
>>394856

"... I can't believe I'm saying this. But... What if we make it into a ball?"

"...You can't be serious."
"Well, if we had some way to throw it into the camp..."

In a few hours, we've unwrapped and balled together an enormous sphere of what looks like putty.
"This is at the same time the worst and best idea we've ever had." Rose says.

"Even the sex on the Shelf?"

"Even that."

"Okay, that just leaves how to get it there."

"We don't have a catapult, and we can't rig one with what we have." Rose comments. "But if Harumda and Scars last the night, we could use them. You think Harumda could carry it?"

"I... think so?" I shake my head. "This is just nuts."

"We could roll it. Take turns."

I nod. And the alarm sounds.
"Shit, they're here!" Rose says. "Let's get this ball rolling - we won't get another opening."

"But there's only one Gate!"

"I've been here before. That isn't exactly the case."


So it is about ten minutes later we emerge from a bolthole out of a trap door. It takes quite a lot of work to get the C4 ball out, but we do fine, taking a moment to rest.

And so me and Rose roll the ball away, moving across the sands. As we approach a ridge, Rose gestures to stop, and we do - and I hear a cry of terror.

"I TOLD YOU! WE CAN'T BE FUCKING LATE!" roars an angry voice as I peek over the edge. "THIS IS THE SECOND TIME WE STOPPED TO GET RID OF AN ASSHOLE! SHOOT STRAIGHT NEXT TIME!"

He's holding half a human head, which he tosses aside as he walks towards the... Chariot? Bound to...

It looks like a demon, a smaller version of Harumda with a horse's head.

"Right, Boss."

"DAMN STRAIGHT."

if you can't avoid him, snipe him in the face.

>>394891
Charge a Smite. You remember how strong that was, don't you? We could take them out in one shot. If it doesn't, we can put down a Tentacle Pit since these guys are on foot, and that plus Rose should do the trick.

I don't know if that one is an enemy. Remember Margaret said they don't have people outside the gate for close or melee combat because that's suicide. I also see no reason they should have scouts outside the gates. That big ship rises high enough to be their watchtower.
Second, that is supposedly the second guy they killed. Which implies that one was even farther away from Midtown. I think it more likely those were raider scouts or maybe shirkers.

I am also wondering why that guy would be worried about being late. I mean the raiders are in control of the attack. If one of their heavy hitters is late they can wait to begin the attack.

In this world appearances can be very deceiving. Sera looks pretty much like a demon and she runs around with Harumda. I don't think we should strike first. Can we, as Legion, ask Harumda about the horse head? After that a demonic greeting between Legion and the horse head might be helpful. That way we can open talks without exposing Sera or Rose. Ask where they are going and try to sound like we are interested in joining in.

>>394918
Hmm. Perhaps. It depends on who it was that guy just killed. If it was a regular ol' traveler we should blast this guy.

hold on, that was the guy calling the demon boss right? if the demons calling the shots that means that this guy is one of the bad guys. however he may not be with the raiders, so lets not start a fight unless it seems like he might see us. start charging a smite and if he sees you hit the demon with it, and have rose shot the human.

>>394929
Huh, you are right. I mixed up who is speaking when. But that only makes them stranger.
The demon boss is playing horse to the subordinate human. We know from Harumda once they are this side, they are perfectly fine without a human. Why the hell does that demon carry a human around with him? In a chariot no less. And the human only gets some verbal admonishment for sub-par shooting when that irritates or annoys the demon. Why does the demon tolerate that guy?

Legion needs to check if horse head really feels like a demon. And if the guy doesn't feel like a demon. Perhaps they are both demons? It might also be the horse head is named Boss.

If it comes to fighting, the in >>394929 sounds good. Perhaps try a focused Smite by imagining different flight paths for the three projectiles, one going straight center, one curving high left and the last curving low right.

>>/questdis/360333

Shot says the shouting guy, ie 'ALL UPPER CASE GUY' is the human. So I retract >>394938 except the last paragraph.
>If it comes to fighting, the plan in >>394929 sounds good. Perhaps try a focused Smite by imagining different flight paths for the three projectiles, one going straight center, one curving high left and the last curving low right.

>>394896
I begin to prepare a Smite spell, keeping an eye on him.
"Rose. Can you hit the guy on the chariot?"

Rose nods, taking careful aim.

She fires, and the man sneezes, the bullet pinging the chariot. The masked man's head snaps to look at us.

"ALL-FUCKING RIGHT, WHO WANTS TO FUCKING TANGLE!"

Rose swears, and then the man makes a strange motion with his hands.

Magic!

"ROSE GET DOWN!" I cry as I tackle her down the dune, which then shakes with a roar of sound. That's new. I unleash the Smite as he steps over the dune, and he takes it in his leg, dodging the other two. He... He's not slowing down from that?!

"BITCH, I ROLL WITH THE FIENDS!" he screams as he bears down on me, cleaver arcing down, only for Rose to block it with her gun, her kick blowing him back, as we stand. The sniper from before mounts the dune behind him, and instinctively, blasts of spherical dark energy rush from my hand, and his head is consumed by them almost instantly.

Meanwhile, Rose rushes in close, having discarded her gun to rush him. "GET THE FUCK-"
A fit slammed into her gut, and another roar of sound, and she flies back, tumbling over the sand. "-OUT OF MY FACE!"

She doesn't get up.

"RO-ROSE!" I scream, turning my back on the man. A stupid mistake, another roar of sound barreling over me, knocking me to the ground. I feel blood dribble from my ears, my scales and horns quivering painfully in an echo of my bones. I gasp for air as I try to stand.

No.
No, it can't...

A sharp impact to the back of my head. It all goes black.

fff