what in sam hill is going on here?!

Dude, this looks really bad. In various ways.

she REALLY doesn't want us to touch her, so say "i'll take my hand away, scream and i'll poke you with the orb, understand?"

Hey, kid. Headbutt and kick in the groin. Run and look for help.

>>383364
[Block that]
((Oi, dude, guy in green is our buddy, and, proper context, things looked really really suspicious/incriminating for the gal.))

>>383366
Block your own ass. I'm not buying your shit. Anyway, until proven otherwise, I'm not going to help Green to choke Blue.

>>383368
>>383366
to both of you, we are on green, so yeah.

>>383369
I don't recall signing any term sheet. Out of my turf, I help whoever I want.

Kill blue kid and use her flesh and bones to forge a fear engine with which you shall conquer the afterlife.

Seriously though, what the hell is going on?

Player is wanted by the guards.
He just mercy killed an ant demon before climbing into the church through a secret passage.
I'm betting he grabbed the girl to keep her from screaming and alerting the guards to where he is.

>>383372
And to clarify, he is wanted by the guards because he run by their blockade of the demon infested mine (which he proved demon infested) because the only thing they were doing was block it for the safety of would be adventurers who would die down there. Oh, and they didn't believe him there was an invasion which he stopped.

>What do
"Listen, sorry, I shouldn't have grabbed you but I panicked. I am gonna let you go, please let me explain myself before you scream for the guards; but I am letting you go regardless"
then let her go.

>>383373
Yeah, sounds good. Got a weapon, kid? Keep one ready to cut her throat if she does scream. If you don't have one, get one ASAP.

>>383375
Hero does NOT automatically obey us, he is a VERY nice guy and he thinks kinda lowly of us due to us being perverts, xenophiles, psychos, etc... please do not exacerbate his bad view of us making him less receptive of us
He is not gonna cut her, that would be wrong. And while we have personal disagreement with lia she is not a bad a person, we can just run away from the guards, we are only running in order to save the town from incompetent guards and demonic invasions... the town which has firends of ours which love lia btw so that is another reason not to murder her or even threaten her with bodily harm.
Oh, and he has a sword (ancestral) and a halbard (stolenborrowed from the guard).

You can find the 8 previous threads here
http://tgchan.org/wiki/Dungeon_Game:_The_Quest

Okay, thanks. I'd just like to note that Hero is going to be screwed if she does scream, so at least be ready to gag her again.

- Player 2012/01/30(Mon)07:56 No. 383381 ID: 37a94c
File 132793901034.png - (39.57KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-002.png )

>what in sam hill
What do you think its going on, I'm wanted by the guard in this place!

>release her
That's a horrible idea on so many counts! I did panic though-- its a miracle nobody heard us yet!

>threaten with the orb
Lia: "Mrrrmnphmmmnph!"
"Oh come on! You better stop that or I'll poke you with the orb!"
Lia:"Mrrrmnnnnph!!"

That only made her angrier

- Player 2012/01/30(Mon)07:57 No. 383382 ID: 37a94c
File 132793907835.png - (39.07KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-003.png )

>kick in the groin

>THUMP!<
That was clo-- hey, stop giving her ideas! Whose side are you on?!

>>383381
Tell her we found out about the Ant Queeen...

Remember the razor? 'Someone' gave it to her.

i think just explain you are tired of all the bullshit.

yo girl, calm down.
You don't need to worry about nothin', this is like in them legends where the hero is hunted for whatever reason, probably framed of something and everybody hates him, and then he goes off and does his notable heroic thing. Come on, this guy wasn't a dick earlier, obviously. Just a kind-hearted dude over his head and paranoid about getting caught.

Girl, you gotta let us do the heroic thing, whatever it ends up being. I promise it'll stick out like that. We can hear your thoughts(I hope), let's all have a discussion in this ball here and talk things out. Because we're totally gonna get this guy to be a hero and shit. And don't call bullshit on all of that because all legends start from sort of truth and I bet your ass there's been plenty of heroes in this situation before, including the part about trying to keep an innocent third-party woman quiet when guards are looking for them.

You know what... just start explaining and then release while explaining.

There is a direct connection between the church and the demon warrens, I need to show it to you and the guards need to seal and secure it to prevent further invasion.

>>383382
So why exactly was a priestess consorting with demons?

>>383414
She wasn't, the connection has been unused for a long time judging by the dust. Although the queen ant location kinda blocked it and now that she is dead it is more likely to be used.

Well at least she can hear us. Hey babe calm down, you know he isn't going to do you any harm. Just relax and be quiet, and he can let go of you and explain everything that went on in that place. As opposed to hearing us talk about it for him. Please..?

>>383382

Why are you both so close together without a chaperone? You really shouldn't be, people might talk.

Wait.

Young man just where exactly are you putting your other hand on that young lady!?

Lia... Lia, calm down... just stop and calm down. You know you aren't being attacked, so just stop yelling into his hand, and he'll let you go, and you can talk... talk like people.

Lots has happened and I'm sure you wanna hear about it, and we'll tell you, but right now you have to not scream or shout or make any loud noises that will attract attention.

- Player 2012/01/31(Tue)03:55 No. 383599 ID: 37a94c
File 132801091164.png - (38.96KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-004.png )

>chaperone
Oh shut up! This is awkward enough as it is!

>Ant Queen
"Stop struggling already! I know about the Queen in your basement!!"

- Player 2012/01/31(Tue)03:57 No. 383600 ID: 37a94c
File 132801103111.png - (38.26KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-005.png )

There we go, shocking her a bit worked.

"Look. We need. To talk. I'll release your mouth, but no screaming ok?"
Lia: "Mmmnhmn-mmnh."

- Player 2012/01/31(Tue)03:57 No. 383601 ID: 37a94c
File 132801106437.png - (44.31KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-006.png )

Lia: "RAAAAAAAAPIIIIIIIIISTTTTTT!!!!!"

- Player 2012/01/31(Tue)04:01 No. 383602 ID: 37a94c
File 132801126920.png - (40.35KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-007.png )

My mistake. I guess she can't be reasoned with just yet.
Lia: "MMmnh! Mmnhhmnpmmmnhph!!"

>connection
It didnt go straight to her door. There are loads and loads of boxes and shelves down that damp basement -- I think its a library or something. There was a cabinet in front of the passage and all, maybe it was forgotten.

Or she just wanted to forget it.

>>383602
Well lets start by telling her what we have found out. About giant ants in the basement and all of that weird shit.

Actually you know what, you don't both need to talk. You talk, she listens. Then you release her, she yells her lungs out while you run away.

>>383602

give her a smooch to see if that doesn't shut her up.

failing that, break out some chloroform.

>>383635
he isn't ACTUALLY a rapist you know...

Just slam her a few times against a wall. Cats!

No, we are not killing her, for one thing that wouldn't be gentlemanly. We do have rope, right? I don't need to draw a diagram do I?

>>383640
Rouging up a priestess doesn't seem conducive to our continued operations in this locale.

I guess we might have to pull out the threat of touching her mind after all? At least to stun her enough to bind her if she won't stop wriggling.

Nothing for it but to wait for her to get tired of trying to scream. Inbetween her attempts to scream, explain what you know.

As I recall she had a superiority complex, as well as a rock-solid belief that the church made the right choices in sealing the dungeon instead of actually dealing with the problem.

I don't like the idea of being forced on her. She's got her own reasons for not wanting to handle us, and they are probably good ones.

Drag her back to the dungeon if you can, where you can then presumably talk without her screaming rape

Ugh this is ridiculous, we either need to communicate with her directly by putting us on her or you get her down into the basement so no one can hear her.

The question for Lia is if she's going to sooner trust you or us.

>>383602
"I'd say I'm offended, but I'll just write that off as you trying to be a jerk to me.
Lets try it this way: I talk, you listen, you give what answers you can manage with your mouth covered.
What poor woman was turned into that demon ant queen?
Why does the exit from their nest lead right here?
Why does everything I find keep pointing to you having close ties to demons?"

- Player 2012/02/01(Wed)04:13 No. 383765 ID: 37a94c
File 132809841725.png - (40.78KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-008.png )

>slam her
>doesnt seem conductive
I don't know, it sounds pretty tempting.

>smooch, chloroform
Colorwhat?

>telling her what we found out
>You talk, she listens

"We're playing your game then. I know about the Ant Queen now."
Lia: "Mmnrrrrmnph!"

"I know about the little passage in the basement down to her nest."

- Player 2012/02/01(Wed)04:15 No. 383766 ID: 37a94c
File 132809853591.png - (39.63KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-009.png )

"I just had to kill a poor woman who lived in the dark breeding demonic ants. The two commies I offed yesterday were up and about in the caves."
Lia: "Mnnph..."
"You keep saying you don't know much, yet you keep hiding stuff from me; I don't have a very high opinion of you right now, ok?"
Lia: ...

- Player 2012/02/01(Wed)04:15 No. 383767 ID: 37a94c
File 132809855770.png - (37.66KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-010.png )

"Now you either calm DOWN, or we'll have this conversation down in the dungeon where nobody can hear you scream."
Lia: ...
"So?"

- Player 2012/02/01(Wed)04:17 No. 383768 ID: 37a94c
File 132809863595.png - (39.87KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-011.png )

Lia: "... this isn't what it looks like."
"You're not giving me too many options, you know."

Now that's something I never thought I'd hear from a priestess. I think she's ready for questioning now.

alright then, explain

Then explain this shit, because as it stands, none of this makes the slightest sense except that you are hiding some very, very dangerous things in your basement that wouldn't mind climbing up here and eating/enslaving us all.

>>383768

Well, get the facts straight first. If this isn't what it looks like, then what IS it?

Because it -looks- like some of the clergy had been talking to the new ant queen at least once or on a semi-regular basis. An ant queen who, sometime in the last seven years had been brought to the ants' lair to replace the former ant queen that died (or perhaps the old ant queen never died, and that was a lie told to us by Lia), and there she languished in utter loneliness up to the point where she was willing to talk a confused adventurer into killing her.

So, yeah, let Lia enlighten us. What is the truth of this particular secret, unguarded dungeon entrance, the ant queen and her other (presumably clergy) visitors? We're all ears, here.

Now, let it be said, I don't think Lia is or has been of malicious intent or connected to the commies. Remember, the ant queen implied she herself had never been part of demonic society either, meaning so far it looks like they've only been in touch with the ant queen.

One more thing. Something IS going on here, and if Lia doesn't know what, at least she might still be convinced to support you, particularly if you show some understanding towards her here. The dinner went very poorly, yes, but we can still mend things. If you're gonna get to the bottom of what's going on, I do think you will have to work together. As an acolyte she has know-how of demons that you do not, plus she IS skilled at identifying items. If you can win her trust and respect, if not her friendship, then that's a very good thing for you, see?

It's not like you need -more- people antagonistic towards you in this town.

Y'know, I feel like I walked in on something important.

Is this a bad time?

"Well, explain, then."

- Player 2012/02/02(Thu)05:41 No. 383920 ID: c14bac
File 132819006351.png - (37.97KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-012.png )

"Well, explain then! Let's start with the unguarded backdoor entrance."
Lia: "Hrmnph. It wasn't 'unguarded'."
"Right. Nice rock trap, by the way."
Lia: "Does it look like you can move an army trough that? And it leads straight into a church; any demon would drop dead the moment they stepped into hallowed ground."
"I wouldn't put my silver on that. Who else knows about that path?"
Lia: "Just Sun and the Father. Maybe Kay and Sho- Manuel. They're smart enough to think about it. Its part of the church's original project."

- Player 2012/02/02(Thu)05:41 No. 383921 ID: c14bac
File 132819009769.png - (38.17KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-013.png )

"The what? Why the cats would a church need a backdoor into the caves?"
Lia: "We're a secretive record-keeping religion, we hoard up dungeon stuff up, and you have a problem with a secret passage?"

Somehow, thats a very good point.

>>383921
Secrets liiiike demons with shotshell guns?

Given that the rest of us 'common folk' are stuck with hand forged blades (excepting the admittedly unusual Miss K) I fail to see how the church hiding the knowledge of them is for the greater good.

Not that being secret hoarding really explains why 'someone' from up top was having conversations with that ant queen, the ant queen who begged me for death?

>>383921
"I do when it leads to tortured women forced to birth armies of demons.
What project could justify that?"

I think we do have a problem with a secret passage that leads directly to the ant queen. And it wasn't as if she had just moved there; being trapped in that room was exactly the reason she was miserable.

You know, at some point we should ask her something along the lines of this:
"I know you don't trust me, but do you have any other plan for stopping this House Darkhope?
If you have a way to protect the town that does not involve me fighting an army of gun-toting mages that would be great but the status quo of a dungeon and a few uninformed guards has already come incredibly close to failing."

Alright, let's hold back on the moral outrage here a bit. The gun thing has been done to death already (or at least to a one-hit KO), and we have no knowledge of whether the church's original mission had anything to do with the ant queen.

That said, point or not, she didn't answer your question, Player. What project? And what of the ant queen and the people she claimed to have spoken to?

Still seems like a liability..Like when something not a demon makes it though. Imagine if Greenie wasn't such a nice guy? Get her to spill the beans on this church project thing.

Agreed, outrage is kinda ridiculous given that we've been demons, souls of the damned, et cetera. Let's just find out what's going on.

- Player 2012/02/03(Fri)16:08 No. 384153 ID: c14bac
File 132831410504.png - (39.05KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-014.png )

"I have a problem with 'projects' that leads to tortured women birthing demon armies."
Lia: "Whu- wha-- Where did you get that from?!"
"Then why you'd need that secret passage into the dungeon?"
Lia: "Because Lord Byron is crazy! He was building this dungeon just to hold detractors! The congregation wanted to be ready if he ever used it!"

Man, I hope this doesn't make any sense.

- Player 2012/02/03(Fri)16:08 No. 384154 ID: c14bac
File 132831412418.png - (38.08KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-015.png )

"This doesn't explain how the Queen was meeting someone from topside."
Lia: "Not trough the passage I assure. Although..."
"... although?"
Lia: "Mmmmnh.... remember when I told you about the group that cleaned the ants, years ago?"

- Player 2012/02/03(Fri)16:08 No. 384155 ID: c14bac
File 132831413680.png - (37.30KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-016.png )

They spent weeks going back to those caves. The infestation seemed to be over after the first few incursions, yet they insisted it wasn't over. Around the second month they admitted it was over, and were sent on their way.

I remember I found all that pretty strange at the time...

- Player 2012/02/03(Fri)16:10 No. 384156 ID: c14bac
File 132831423055.png - (40.29KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-017.png )

.. so I snatched one of the medical daggers and went down the passage. I remember I thought they were stashing 'misplaced' goods in the dungeon. I studied the maps, and was sure I could find anything they might have left.

I didn't expect her to be right under the trapdoor...

- Player 2012/02/03(Fri)16:11 No. 384158 ID: c14bac
File 132831427989.png - (94.36KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-018.png )

.. and to have the sweetest voice I had ever heard.

- Player 2012/02/03(Fri)16:18 No. 384159 ID: c14bac
File 132831471478.png - (35.94KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-019.png )

Lia: "It took me a couple weeks, but I managed to loosen one of the basement's blocks and seal the trapdoor. Nobody ever questioned anything. I.. might have visited her there in the meantime, how could I not? She was right under there... mmmmnh...."

I'm not even questioning that. She probably never hunted anything in her life, she ain't made for killing.

Lia: "... and really, I don't... I should have seen it happen, but I couldn't believe something so innocent could... I really messed this up."

wryly "We all make mistakes, sometimes."

Although there might be another queen... can you bring yourself to murder a child in cold blood?

"i didn't want to ether, but she was in pain. it wasn't murder, it was freedom, a gift"

>>384159

"Well, do you have any ideas on how to fix this?"

You were not wrong, she wasn't doing it willingly. She brought me there to explain and begged me to end her misery.

>>384159
"Yes. She was innocent. She had no control over anything; she was their slave, her body being abused against her wishes.
Even after being tormented and alone in the dark for so long she wasn't angry, just... sad.

I can't fault you for not being able to kill her, but... It doesn't matter anymore.
What remained of her body reverted to human when she died. You can at least give her a proper funeral."

Hand over the antenna.

"I took this. I don't know what you can do, but we figured you might be able to learn something from it.

So, your church was planning on freeing political prisoners from the dungeon? I respect that, so I'll keep it to myself.

I had another run in with those two demons I killed. They're preparing an army to genocide us, and they seem to be days away from launching a full-scale assault on the town. Even if we could ask for help instantly they wouldn't have enough time to get here.
The demons said something about revenge for summoning angels against them; I dunno what that's about.

This is too big for me to handle, Lia. I can't fight an army by myself, and maybe three people here would evacuate if said they should. I don't know what I did to make you hate me so much, but neither of us wants to see these people die.
Do I need to become a priest to get the tools and information I need? I'll do anything I can to save this town, Lia. Please, help me."

>>384178
Goddamnit seven but you are good at being manipulative.

>>384178
upvoted

>>384178

Wow, this.

>>384178
This seems a bit too elaborate.

Player, grab some truth out of that where you can find it, and just rephrase it in your own words.

>>384159
She didn't mean to- she was literally a prisoner of her own body. Also, a demonic invasion is coming, and it's coming NOW.

Do we really need to -always- try and put complete sentences in Player's mouth, guys? It's tempting to try and give him a 'perfect' response, I know, I've attempted it myself more than once, but giving him multiple options (particularly one which is an entire speech and spiel) when he has to remember and pass on all of this in real-time sounds more like a recipe for confusion than... whatever it is we're trying to persuade him to say here.

>>384242

It really does, doesn't it? Especially the claim about a demonic invasion. We have no real proof of there being an actual -invasion- on the way, other than the incursion Player foiled (and that was 'just' one big demon supported by her fury-get, plus the two commies) and the alarming notion that the demons are -still- being intent on pulling off whatever they came here to do, even with the garrison alerted. They're up to something big, no doubt about it, but an invasion? No proof of that particular scenario. Not yet.

Anyway, let me sum up my (numerous) thoughts.

-Lord Byron is a crazy tyrant. Great. Explains why he invested so much in this dungeon, as well as why the church has a secret entrance. Nothing dire, just bad (and good) intentions.

-Lia is innocent of being a commie collaborator. She's not innocent of having more than an ounce of compassion, which I find it hard to blame her for. Cats, I can find nobody truly at fault here, except demon biology. It's a tale of compassion and tragedy told in painful prose.

Mysteries explained, tragedies revealed, give Lia some space, and move on to less depressing matters. Like stuff we -ought- to be doing:

-Player, you should inform Lia of the two commies (Stahlvern and Johnathan) you wrangled with, as well as what we got out of the encounter; chiefly that they're in a rush to scout or clear the caves and make sure it's safe for House Darkhope, so that this House can enact some kind of 'revenge' for bringing down the angels on the demons.

-Show Lia the shotgun shells as clear proof of the demons' firearms. You should still have 18 of them, right? Maybe you can cash them in for silver. Useless to you without a gun, after all.

-You could ask if Lia knows anything about 'the angels of the mountain'? Stahlvern mentioned it. Is it just a reference to the Host, or to something a bit more specific?

-You're definitely gonna need more holy water for your fourth dungeon delve. A cooperative Lia might get you some. Give her some slack, give her some space, and for the love of cats and angels, let her go. I doubt she'll run away screaming and yelling rapist now.

-Lia told you about linked lifelines... yesterday, wasn't it? Tell her that the orb has confirmed that the two commies are Linked and that they're not dying when you kill them. Ask how you might, theoretically, sever the link and kill them, or if your only option is to lock them up KO'd somewhere.

-The other party of adventurers, years ago, was pretty blatantly UP TO SOMETHING. Considering what's going on... who knows if it has any relevance? Might want to ask for their names and professions, just in case.

Cats, that turned out long-winded. Do whatever you think best first, Player. I'm just listing options.

Oh. And congratulations on becoming a fiver. Shame it had to be in such a sad manner.

>It really does, doesn't it? Especially the claim about a demonic invasion. We have no real proof of there being an actual -invasion- on the way, other than the incursion Player foiled (and that was 'just' one big demon supported by her fury-get, plus the two commies) and the alarming notion that the demons are -still- being intent on pulling off whatever they came here to do, even with the garrison alerted. They're up to something big, no doubt about it, but an invasion? No proof of that particular scenario. Not yet.
There were not that many demons in the actual squad sent, but there were significantly more involved in the magical support for the attack. If those guys in the attack force were powerful enough to do all that teleportation, telepresence, and mass hexing on their own they would have beaten us easily.

And any plan on the demon's part that includes decimating the town guard as step one is probably at least as serious as an invasion.

- Player 2012/02/04(Sat)12:22 No. 384269 ID: c14bac
File 132838692186.png - (37.35KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-020.png )

"You were not all that wrong, y'know."
Lia: "Mmnh?..."
"She wasn't even angry about the whole thing, just ... sad? Tired, I guess. From being a sort-of slave of herself there. I seriously wonder if she ... somehow led me to her."
Lia: "... mn?"
"It was weird."

- Player 2012/02/04(Sat)12:22 No. 384270 ID: c14bac
File 132838694432.png - (40.33KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-021.png )

"And it doesn 't matter anymore. We all have our share of mistakes."
Lia: ?

- Player 2012/02/04(Sat)12:24 No. 384271 ID: c14bac
File 132838704994.png - (38.19KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-022.png )

Now, I have ... this. I guessed someone could learn something from this thing.
Lia: "... celestial Host, is that hers?"
"Yeah. There was a problem with the rest of her--
Lia: "Leave on my desk. I'll write you a bounty."

... ehr, don't really know how to follow from here. She's somewhat distressed.

Uuuh, I didn't expect more posts while I was trying to write. So, don't mind if I'm not addressing much here

>>384271
"Didn't take it for the bounty. Figured you might be able to find a cure or a way to much with demon ants heads or somethin'. Her body turned humanish after she died, it's right in there.

Lia, I ran into those demons I killed again. They're some kinda scouts; the town's gonna be attacked soon. Something about revenge for angel summoning.

This is bad. I need your help.

>Lia, I ran into those demons I killed again. They're some kinda scouts; the town's gonna be attacked soon. Something about revenge for angel summoning.

Yes this is the important thing.

they also have a positive link. she should understand it like this "their HP says zero out of zero"

Eeeh. Bounty schmounty. It doesn't feel right to accept payment for having given a 'gift' like that. Or what, Player? I know it leaves a sour taste in my metaphorical mouth, anyway, but I guess money is money.

That said, you can't go and buy anything with paper scrip from Manuel anyway (since he'll probably be happy to turn you over to the guards), at least not without going through someone like Lia or Miss K and even they will be asked pointed questions if they turn in a temple bounty scrip since they're not adventurers. Maybe you could ask Lia if she could give you a few of the holy water bottles instead. You'll need more of those.

>>384268

Well, first of all, an invasion is like, scaled on the level of countries, alright? An attack on just a single village isn't an invasion. It's more like... a raid? An attack of opportunity? Something. I'm probably just mincing words, but it just feels wrong to call it an invasion so far.

Secondly, I got the impression that 'gating' and whatnot was somewhat resource-demanding. Not something they could pull off with a snap of the fingers. It required time and blood and probably not a little magical 'oomph', so to speak, and the guards themselves not being alerted and wary of sleep hexes (which I bet they are now). Heck, even the twin deaths said what the demons did was supposed to be impossible. Hmm. I wonder if they've told the other one by now. The one whose job was monitoring all of that. Ah well.

Thirdly, if we really were talking about a full-scale invasion, wouldn't there be more than a single demon House involved, d'you think? I do believe there's an attack of some kind on the way and a plot of some kind going on, but not on the level of an invasion. Maybe House Darkhope has found some super-effective way to get back at the humans (and/or the Host) and are trying to enact that plan? That's what I'm thinking right now. Charlotte did brag they were capable sorcerers, and from what we've seen they're messing with the fabric of reality in a manner that would be bad.

Luckily, from the impression I get, they haven't got all their pieces in the right places yet. They were close, but then Player disrupted that. No, there's still stuff they need, people to put bring to the fore and put in play. They want the garrison out of the picture to prepare for something else, I think. Something more.

Granted, that's all speculation. It could've just been a bog-standard slave raid, that they're now preparing to have a second go at.

- Player 2012/02/05(Sun)07:10 No. 384419 ID: 4efb0f
File 132845465957.png - (36.48KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-023.png )

"Eh, I didn't carry this for the bounty, y'know? I just thought it could be of some use."
Lia: "I can't just leave you empty-handed, specially if it turns out to be useful."
"How would I spend the cash anyway? I can't go to Manuel."
Lia: "If you need something, I can go get it for you."
"Eh, no thanks."

I'm not sure about letting her out of my sight.
Although I'm sure it should be the other way...

- Player 2012/02/05(Sun)07:11 No. 384420 ID: 4efb0f
File 132845470846.png - (39.06KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-024.png )

"Changing subjects, I ran into those two demons again."
Lia: "Those two demons?"
"Yeah, there's a pair of commies I've caught scouting the dungeons three times so far. A robed mage and one with shotgun and plate--"
Lia: "Mmmmnhmmmmmn?"
"-- and I killed each at least once, but they aren't big on staying dead."
Lia: "I see. Are you sure you actually killed them?"
"I stuffed the Robes into an iron maiden, I'm pretty sure thats lethal."
Lia: "... humn."

- Player 2012/02/05(Sun)07:12 No. 384421 ID: 4efb0f
File 132845473437.png - (39.80KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-025.png )

"That got me thinking, you think they have that positive link you told me before?"
Lia: "That.... is a pretty big assumption, I really don't know. Soulbound slaves are a known fact, but the 'positive link' is just a story. They're from Darkhope?"
"Pretty sure they are. They also said something about revenge for summoning the angels."
Lia: "That doesn't make much sense, the angels are gone for almost fourteen hundred years."

- Player 2012/02/05(Sun)07:13 No. 384422 ID: 4efb0f
File 132845479304.png - (38.52KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-026.png )

Lia: "Mmmnh, what do you think?"
"Whatever is going on, I think its too big for me alone. I'm going to need help."
Lia: "Mmmn, not counting the guards, I think we're a few cycles away from any possible help."

then the only other way is the seal. destroy the tunnel the demons will use to get out.

- Player 2012/02/05(Sun)12:59 No. 384475 ID: 4efb0f
File 132847556231.png - (39.69KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-027.png )

".. what if we sealed the dungeon?"
Lia: "Hrmn, thats.. not trivial. The front hall is huge, and pretty solid. We'd need to detonate the individual entrances to it instead."
"... and any other possible passages, like airways... I thought a prison would have more chokepoints."
Lia: "They never finished building it, remember? ... maybe sealing the dungeon isn't such a good idea."
"Yeah... at least with how things are now, we know where they'll be coming from."

>>384421
"The HP of those two reads as 0/0. I don't know what that means.
The way they talked about those angels is like they were there for it. They didn't believe I had no clue what they were talking about. It's like they thought we're the same people from way back then. Just how long can demons live?

I think the only way we can stop them from moving in en-masse before help arrives is to collapse the main entrance, then have Father go into these sopping-wet ant tunnels and bless the water. They can't enter the church, but I'm pretty sure they could destroy it.

If you want to give me something for her antenna, then give me sanctuary and help me work things out with the guards.

And... I'm sorry for being so hostile before, Lia. Things are a mess, everybody's in danger, and there's nobody else here who'll go in there and help, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

Then I suppose SOMEBODY needs to find and mark all the entrances. Ahem, ahem.

not the dungeon, the place connecting the demon town and the dungeon together. would force them to find a long way around.
also we need to add more money to it. if the dungeon gets more coins the summon population will go up, making it much harder for the demons to move around. holy water also worked wonders, didn't kill him but it completely immobilized one of them.

and yes just say "had 0/0 HP" lia should understand.

as
>>384565
said, the deamons don't seem to live in the dungeon itself, it we could cut off that entrance?

Failing that... there might not be enough resources to hold the town against all possible secret entrances. The church is holy ground, yes, but I doubt that will stop guns and cannon.

We might have to evacuate if the threat cannot be stopped, but I doubt I have enough evidence to convince the town to do such a thing.

I'm really not sure if the zero-slash-zero HP will mean anything to Lia. Remember, people here don't see the basic rules of their reality as we do. Lia -might- be different in that regard thanks to her special power, but even so, how would she understand the deeper meanings of what it meant? She's not a mage, just a clergy scholar.

Plus, if she thinks we're constantly feeding Player lines just to annoy her with inane gibberish, she might be more reluctant to talk to him. She really doesn't trust us, after all.

Anyway, if she wants to aid you, Player... holy water. Getsum. At least three flasks would be good. One each for the two commies, and one spare, just in case.

You could also hand her the shotgun shells for extra credit. I doubt you could sell them to Manuel, what with the temple secrecy surrounding their nature and all. Maybe it would make her trust your intentions more too, if you show her that you're willing to aid her in keeping effective firearms a sort-of-secret.

We can just describe them as something like "possessing no vital force, and capable of none."

>>384623

Oh. Hey, speaking of the shotgun, I was reviewing your first foray into the dungeon, and do you remember the dead girl in the room with the arcing electricity? How there were holes in the wall and support behind her and big blood spatters? There was speculation that it might've been done by a shotgun back then, but... now that we know what we know, this is pretty obvious.

Her corpse was pretty decayed, so that tells us, supported by the janitor summon's testimony, that the demons have been around for a while, doing this. Probably using the gun to kill summons for cash. I wonder if they were proactively killing crawlers, or if they just happened upon her.

- Player 2012/02/06(Mon)04:57 No. 384752 ID: 4efb0f
File 132853303602.png - (32.25KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-028.png )

>find and mark all the entrances
"I'll need to scout the dungeon for possible entrances then. Got a map?"
Lia: "Mnh, I can copy you a blueprint. It won't be accurate, but should serve your purposes."
"Can I have two or three bottles of holy water too? Take it as part of the bounty."
Lia: "Mn, can't see why not. Anything else?"

- Player 2012/02/06(Mon)04:58 No. 384753 ID: 4efb0f
File 132853310602.png - (23.55KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-029.png )

"Could I.. get sanctuary in the church, as part of the bounty? ..."
Lia: "Out of question. That depends on the Father, and he'd turn you in without a thought."
"Where is the merciful, understanding man I've met?"
Lia: "You 're not the first to commit a mistake and try to hide behind our doors. And we can't go undermining those who protect us."

- Player 2012/02/06(Mon)04:59 No. 384754 ID: 4efb0f
File 132853317185.png - (22.36KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-030.png )

"Speaking of violence, you seem pretty fine for someone who--"
Lia: "Healing potion."
"Isn't that a bit overkill?"
Lia: "Kay fractured my jaw. "
"Oh."

Note to self. Never have a fight with Kay.

- Player 2012/02/06(Mon)05:01 No. 384755 ID: 4efb0f
File 132853331872.png - (35.24KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-031.png )

>HP 0/0
Again this nonsense, but if you insist.

"Does 'HP zero slash zero' mean anything to you?"
Lia: "... that's more of their nonsense, isnt it?"
"Yes. Does it?"
Lia: "... no. Should it?"
"Probably not."
Lia: "Anything else?"

See? Nothing. Can we stop that now?

Player acquired Map (Byron 's Dungeon)
Player acquires 3 Holy Water

- Player 2012/02/06(Mon)05:02 No. 384756 ID: 4efb0f
File 132853337577.png - (36.58KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-032.png )

"Do these have any value to you?"
Lia: "Are they from the armored demon?"
"Yeah, I think they go into--"
Lia: "I know what's a shotgun shell. You should give them to Kay, I'm sure she could use some actual gunpowder for a change."

- Player 2012/02/06(Mon)05:03 No. 384757 ID: 4efb0f
File 132853340286.png - (35.91KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-033.png )

"One last thing, I think I'll want the rest of that bounty in money."
Lia: "I thought you had no use for scrip?"
"In silver."
Lia: "... whyfor?"

- Player 2012/02/06(Mon)05:04 No. 384758 ID: 4efb0f
File 132853344654.png - (37.55KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-034.png )

"The demons have been hunting the coin constructs for the money, they need all the help they can get."
Lia: "Where did you hear that from?"
"I interrogated one of the summoned janitors."
Lia: "Didnt you tell me they were broken?"

... that didn't come out right.

drat, oh well. maybe i can explain it. HP is how many hits you can take, it is shorthand for 'HitPoints', normally when it hits 0, you die. by having 0 as the max it bypasses that by them appearing to always have maximum and thus, perfectly healthy. would need a way to first give them more HP so you can actually make them reach 0 like normal.

"they are mostly broken, because they are using the scrip. torn scrip at that. so they are unstable, silvers are much tougher and a more stable base, every summon i killed that dropped silvers seemed normal, all the broken ones were made of scrip"

>>384758
Well they're broken because of the paper money. Some still sort of work as intended. They need more proper coins though to get them all working as intended.

>>384760

Ahem. Broken summons have dropped coins. I think we've seen paper scrip as the component only one or two times.

>>384758

Actually, it came out just right if you'll just weave her the tale. The summons -are- broken. So broken that one of them came out like, well... like a normal person. Normal-speaking, intelligent, capable of emotion and reason, etc... all qualities you wouldn't normally find in a summon.

In exchange for sparing the life of some other summons you had managed to trap in a web, it told you stuff... such as the fact that the dungeon's summon reserve once held six digits of silver coins (meaning at least 100000 bits had been invested in it), but are now down to three, after having been preyed upon by demons and crawlers both.

It also told you that the summons have been, damaged or not, fighting an ever-constant on-and-off battle against the demons from below, and that the demons have been modifying the dungeon by installing grates and padlocks on, among other things, old traps and doors, perhaps to hinder the movement of the summons, perhaps for more sinister reasons.

As well, Lord Byron was the only one with full control over the summons. Everyone else are either considered prisoners or intruders.

But, since the summon is part of the janitorial staff, it is not required to fight you, AND since it is intelligent, you can make deals with it. Silver, in exchange for paper scrip or other useful items the janitorial staff have 'cleaned up'. This is useful for two reasons: first of all, adding to the silver pool, rather than taking from it, means that there'll be summons around for a bit longer to harry demonic intruders. We've already experienced that the summons see the demons as the greater threat while in a battle. Secondly, by trading to the janitor summon you might get access to some lost crawler gear that could aid you, or even captured demon-stuff that could be exchanged back at the church.

Thirdly, summons that use silver are far more durable than ones that use, say, heaps of paper scrip. Apparently the summons have some way of feeding stuff into making new summons, but the value of paper scrip is way lower than a single bit. We have no idea if this is normal, but it's what prompted us to come up with the idea of a trade.

Finally, the existence of that lone intelligent summon, with only other broken summons for companions, just totally broke our hearts.

>>384758
"Coin summon, not script summon. There are a few non-combat janitors left that aren't broken, and I caught one of them by surprise. I'd introduce you, but the dungeon's off-limits.

If the plan was to sneak prisoners out of the dungeon, then I don't suppose you have anything to make the dungeon think you're there on Byron's orders. Do you?"

>>384776
oh yeah, something with byron's seal on it could make the summons think you are official.

Try not to think about how warm and soft she felt against you.

- Player 2012/02/07(Tue)03:50 No. 384988 ID: 4efb0f
File 132861543279.png - (37.18KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-035.png )

>warm and soft
Like a hot poker trough my gut.

"Oh, they are broken. Completely broken. One of them was so broken, it could speak intelligently and be reasoned with. And told me things."
Lia: "... go on."

Tell her about the one with visible dangly bits!

- Player 2012/02/07(Tue)04:00 No. 384990 ID: 4efb0f
File 132861605223.png - (38.49KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-036.png )

"Y'see, the coin constructs work by using money to--"
Lia: "I know how a spawn factory works, Player. Cut to the chase."
"The money is dropped when the construct dies. So, over the years, both demons and crawlers have been hunting summons for their coins. They're running out of money. So they started using the scrip dead crawlers leave behind."
Lia: "Seriously? That--"

- Player 2012/02/07(Tue)04:02 No. 384991 ID: 4efb0f
File 132861612134.png - (39.64KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-037.png )

>broken, because they are using the scrip
Since you like this angle so much,

Lia: "... that makes its own kind of sense. Its the coin's worth whats holding the summon, not the coin itself."
"And since the janitors aren't required to fight me, we made a deal. I give them silver, they give me the paper things."
Lia: "Hmnnnnn..."
"And I don't know-- maybe if they get rid of the paper, they'll start working right? Just a hunch."
Lia: "... its worth a shot."

- Player 2012/02/07(Tue)04:11 No. 384993 ID: 4efb0f
File 132861668787.png - (33.57KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-038.png )

Lia: "How much silver a summon drops on death?"
"... five, six silvers? The janitors drop less."
Lia: "Right. I don't have much in hand, though."
"No problem."

- Player 2012/02/07(Tue)04:11 No. 384994 ID: 4efb0f
File 132861670090.png - (26.12KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-039.png )

>byron's seal
"Say, you don't have a seal or... I don't know. Something to make the summons to not attack me?"
Lia: "Nope."
"They think everyone's either prisioners or intruders, and will only take orders from Lord Byron."
Lia: "So?"
"How were you planning to break anyone out of the dungeon?"
Lia: "None your business."

>>384989

More secrets? Hmm. Well, we can't expect her to spill her guts to us without reservation or cause. Maybe leave it at that for now? It's not like the summons have been that big a problem for you, and antagonizing her like you did at the dinner doesn't seem like a smart thing to repeat. Speaking of which... maybe you should, y'know, apologize for your part in that? It did end with Lia getting clocked by Miss K, after all, and though the fault wasn't all yours, you did have a hand in forcing it out there. ...you don't have to, it's just a little something you could do to mend fences.

Anyway, I -have- been dying to know a couple of things which, on reflection, Lia might know. What's a "Guardian", and how is it tied into the whole summoning system? Is this something Lia could freely tell you?

Additionally, would Lia know anything about any 'angels of the mountain'? The plate demon ranted about wreaking vengeance on both you and "your crap angels of the mountain" when we were interrogating him, which seemed odd. It was my understanding that the angels came from the Host, not a mountain, like the one this dungeon is beneath, yes?

>>384994

'course, if you do apologize, you should do it right. You'd have to care, as Manuel told you yesterday (which was sound advice, by the way). Do you? I know Lia said some not-nice things at the dinner, but do consider that was stuff said in heat and anger and general hostility, in response to some rather heated claims of your own.

Remember, Lia didn't force you to continue this dangerous quest or become a crawler. If you're risking your life, it shouldn't have to be on her conscience. That'd be pretty dang unfair, if you ask me. Could you imagine having to feel guilt over every dead crawler that vanished into those depths?

- Player 2012/02/09(Thu)15:23 No. 385459 ID: 4efb0f
File 132882978544.png - (22.40KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-040.png )

>dinner, apologize
Well, so far she didn't mention what happen... which means she's avoiding to mention it, so we should follow suit and not mention either.
It must be her way of 'mending fences'. Thats my interpretation and I'll stick to it.

"What's the 'Guardian'?"
Lia: "Its basically the interface. Spawn factories don't really have external controls, so you work it by talking to the Guardian. I take the janitor told you about it."
"Yeah."
Lia: "Well, the Guardian is supposedly the only of them able to use speech."

- Player 2012/02/09(Thu)15:35 No. 385460 ID: 4efb0f
File 132883050338.png - (37.88KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-041.png )

Lia: "Here's the coin. Told you I didn't have much on me."

Hmn.. every little bit counts, I guess.

Player acquires 15 silver

"Do you know anything about angels in the mountain?"
Lia: "Angels in the mountain. You're serious?"
"The demons believe so."
Lia: "The demons must be breaking under stress. Yeah, I've heard that years ago- turned out to be thermites. They're supposedly gone now."
"Like the ants?"
Lia: "Yeah. Be careful down there."

>>385460
>turned out to be thermites
OH JESUS

>>385461
I think that just means fire-based termites, not that kind of thermite.

>>385506
That is such a GREAT name for them.
"Thanks, I will."

>>385460
How much deadly crap is there in that damn dungeon? Oh well, guess maybe we should see if we can get over to K and see if she has any stuff for us, or a place to sleep and eat. Some rest and recovery would probably be good for you.

Methinks we are lucky that Lia and Miss K are not on good terms at the moment. It is much harder for them to hide things when they are not coordinating their cover stories.

Hey green, explain just what a thermite is because our definition isn't quite the same.

- Player 2012/02/10(Fri)08:39 No. 385618 ID: 4efb0f
File 132889196298.png - (36.10KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-042.png )

"Any other potentially lethal fauna down there I should know about?"
Lia: "In the dungeon itself, no. There are rusters deeper down the caves."
"Rusters. Joy."
Lia: "They shouldn't be a problem unless you go down; they avoid the upper levels because of the whitepillars. Besides them... I'd say the ants, but give a few days and they'll all be gone."

I wonder why there was a ruster's carcass in the dungeon then. That'll need some investigating.

>thermite
Thermites are big, burrowing, fire-breathing bugs made of stone and metal. They usually live near volcanoes, they feed off heat or something. Sometimes they're seen on the surface hunting for meat.

Well, are we done here?

>>385618
Probably. Don't really think we need to hang around with her for anything else.

Maybe ask if there is a way you could head over to see Miss K?

>>385618
Say goodbye and honk her boob.

- Player 2012/02/11(Sat)07:59 No. 385818 ID: 4efb0f
File 132897598256.png - (39.45KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-043.png )

"I should be moving then. Much to do."
Lia: "Well, back down the caves you go. I bid you a good night, and I'll close the door for you."
"Not a chance. Sleeping in a dungeon is suicide. I'll head over to K first."
Lia: "My, don't let me stop you then! I'm sure everyone's just enjoying dinner at this time."
"Thanks -- you know, I underestimated you. After all that happened, I thought--"
Lia: "That I'd hold a grudge? Why would I? Its not like everybody knows you've assaulted a guard and a priest in the last few hours. Be careful to not get spotted~"
"Heh, right."

- Player 2012/02/11(Sat)08:02 No. 385819 ID: 4efb0f
File 132897612891.png - (60.49KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-044.png )

"Wait. You were kidding, right? Lia?"
>K-LCK<

[[http://quest.lv/kusaba/questarch/res/251506.html - Previous Thread]]
[[http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/317271.html - Discussion Thread]]
[[http://tgchan.org/wiki/Dungeon_Game:_The_Quest - Thread List / Wiki]]

stay fast and low. minimize your chance of being seen.

You know, it strikes me that sudden damage, such as a mighty blow to the face, teeth knocked loose, etc. has to be blamed on something. Or rather, perhaps, a convenient someone. Someone who has already shown his willingness to assault others. Someone like you.

>>K-LCK

Clever girl. Ah well. Let's not fly off the handle here, Player. No, really. You can't say the reputation you've gotten now wasn't deserved, to a degree. Heck, we always knew bridges were gonna burn at some point if this 'taking a halberd, breaking into the dungeon, evading the guards' thing kept up. Is a little more fuel to the fire really gonna make that much of a difference?

You can think of it this way; if you get the blame for Lia's KO, then Miss K will not have to bear that blame. I don't know, maybe that helps? Miss K has been good to us, and I figure if she's gonna be covering for us, then maybe it's just fair that we're covering for her.

Anyway, skulk out of the church and go scope out the ville. If the path seems clear, we can move on to Miss K's and check on her.

- Player 2012/02/12(Sun)07:18 No. 386031 ID: 4efb0f
File 132905991976.png - (85.52KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-045.png )

>stay fast and low
Sneaking one-oh-one. Only way out is the front door, though.

>blamed on something
Eh, I guess they had their reasons. I'm still not happy the first thought that crossed their minds was to make me a scapegoat.

Specially -- there are ten ways you can explain getting rough with a guard, but hitting an unarmed priest isn't something people take kindly. I really hope Kay can hide me for the night, because...

- Player 2012/02/12(Sun)07:20 No. 386032 ID: 4efb0f
File 132906004503.png - (29.53KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-046.png )

Well, I'll think of what ifs when it happens.

I guess thats what Lia meant by dinner-- couple people around Manuel's place, seems. It must be their idea of nightlife.

>>386032
Stick to the shadows, get to Miss K's place. You have no reason to go anywhere near Manuel's place.

>>386033
North to the trees. West through the trees. South to her back door. People tend to stick to paths, so just staying away from those will solve most of your problems.

>>386035
sounds about right.

- Player 2012/02/13(Mon)07:36 No. 386290 ID: 4efb0f
File 132914736694.png - (30.64KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-047.png )

>North to the trees
Ok, behind church, cross the path, get to K's from the back. Got it.

I think there's a few houses behind K's, but with everyone having dinner nobody'll see me approach--

- Player 2012/02/13(Mon)07:37 No. 386291 ID: 4efb0f
File 132914742613.png - (51.06KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-048.png )

-- curses! There's actually someone keeping watch around here!

>>386290
She's not looking your way. Go around the corner and keep moving until you're behind everything.

Oooh, new face. Looks stern. Shame you can't say hello. Not looking your way, though, so you may be able to sneak around behind the well and the tree to go 'round the back. 's long as you take it slow and silent.

It does make me worry that the grown-ups might be keeping watch around more of the houses. Maybe it would be better all the way around and approach Miss K's house from the far west side.

Man, this is reminding me of my hide-and-go-seek days.

Oh, say, what's that white thing going out from the top of the house at the back there? A chimney?

let's solid snake this.

use the well, tree, and tents for cover. sneak around the person in question.

>>386297
that would be a low star.
and yeah, get to that.. well? and go around that, then to the tree.

- Player 2012/02/14(Tue)04:57 No. 386645 ID: 528e32
File 132922425995.png - (54.38KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-049.png )

>keeping watch
I guess there are just no easy ways out. I don't know, to get to K's from the other side, I'd have to practically exit town; I don't know if there are more guards dungeonwards.

>around the person
I don't need to go past her, just around the church--

[1]Woman:[/i] "Marco!"

Crap.

- Player 2012/02/14(Tue)04:59 No. 386647 ID: 528e32
File 132922439061.png - (50.87KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-050.png )

Woman: "I might not be in my twenties, but I know you 're no rabbit. Show yourself!"

Crap.

be cool, we can still pull this off.

Keep silent. Keep moving.
Don't put your foot down fully. Start with your toes, rolling the rest of your foot onto the ground while pushing it forward and under leaves.
That'll make nearly no sound.

So... we're almost caught. Try to stay quiet and slip away. But is she catches you don't panic, just try to talk to her. She seems like a sharp and reasonable woman. Not the sort to freak out easily. Something about "I'm trying to save all your lives" might be a good opening topic of discussion.

The old 'throwing a rock into some distant bushes' trick might work in this case, her candle should make it harder to see rapid movement (with a tradeoff for color vision.)

throw it over her head so that she doesn't see where it came from

- Player 2012/02/15(Wed)04:01 No. 386889 ID: 00303c
File 132930728629.png - (55.55KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-051.png )

>be cool
Right

>Don't put your foot down fully...
Sneaking 101. Its not that I can't sneak, but its easier when you're not leaving the watcher alive.

>throwing a rock
>over her head

>tschff!<
Woman: ?!

- Player 2012/02/15(Wed)04:02 No. 386890 ID: 00303c
File 132930737769.png - (52.46KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-052.png )

Woman: "Don't you think this trick is too old for you, smartypants? I'm not leaving until you show yourself!"

Fine by me, as long as you keep talking lady.

- Player 2012/02/15(Wed)04:05 No. 386891 ID: 00303c
File 132930754774.png - (63.73KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-053.png )

Now... taking the long way out to K's place is a waste. Yeah, there are a few homes at the back of her place, but nobody's keeping watch here.

???: "Ye'with them aincha?! Aint letting yestop me!!"
Niece: "Please, don't do this honey!"

... this sounds suspicious.

>>386891
Ok, we seriously need to investigate that.
Listen in to see what they're talking about. If the Niece starts sounding panicked then get in there.

Don't be too worried. It's the baker. Y'know, the one Manuel told us had been screwed up in the head by a few other crawlers some months ago? He's probably having another one of his fits, poor man. Poor Niece, too.

I really wonder what the deal behind that was. Would've been nice if we knew how to help him... that might've earned us some goodwill back in town, maybe even with Manuel.

You could... stay a while and listen?

- Player 2012/02/16(Thu)03:28 No. 387109 ID: 00303c
File 132939170504.png - (64.14KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-054.png )

>its the baker
Yeah, he said something about Niece taking care of him too? I thought he was talking about his niece, or... anyway. Does sound like one of his 'moments'.

Baker: "I'nt letting you stop me! Get outta my way!"
Niece: "Please put down that knife."

Niece sure sounds like she's trying to sound calm, really. I can't tell what's going trough her head thsi exact moment.

bust in and say "they are coming, over the hills! the dungeon siege was a distraction! hurry to the front lines!"

What are you waiting for? Time to be a Big Damn Hero, Player.

Whoah whoah! Hang on now! I -really- think bursting in there or yelling ANYTHING is a bad idea at the moment. That might just set off the crazy guy wielding a knife.

What you CAN do is stick around for a little, see if the fit ends on its own or if Niece can calm him down. IF he starts going nuts on Niece and that GIANT of a woman can't handle him, THEN you'd have due reason to rush to her aid.

Even so, I don't think she'd appreciate it much if you harmed her man (note that she called him 'honey'), so in that case a plain ol' KO or grapple might be for the best.

As a final piece of advice, you might not want to stand in front of the exit for your eavesdropping, in case someone comes bursting through the door. It did sound like the baker wanted to leave. Try hiding around the corner.

- Player 2012/02/17(Fri)17:01 No. 387382 ID: 00303c
File 132952687027.png - (31.42KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-055.png )

>Big Damn Hero
>bad idea
I agree; you should never startle crazy. Which is why I'm going for the lamest heroic entrance ever.

"Did someone here yell 'knife'?"

- Player 2012/02/17(Fri)17:05 No. 387383 ID: 00303c
File 132952715401.png - (51.20KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-056.png )

Boning knife, mostly piercing, actually kind of terrible in his hand.

'Giant' woman is actually working against her here; she may have him cornered, but has no idea of how to take him down without breaking something.

If we had an alley, this would be textbook mugging.

>>387383

"Excuse me, sir, please put down that knife."

okay, put your skills to work and disarm him.

>>387383
'We' do know how to do that, right?

"Going somewhere, sir?"

Nah, go with something similar.

You need to open negotiations.

"What's all this then? I didn't realize the bakery was still open."

>>387383
Close the door, but stay where you are.
"Sir, please put the knife down."

He will probably attack you, since he hates adventurers. So be ready to disarm him.

>>387383
Try not to hurt him. You don't want to come off as the bad guy and abusive situations can be not-so-logical.

- Player 2012/02/18(Sat)08:17 No. 387454 ID: 00303c
File 132958187247.png - (41.19KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-057.png )

>disarm
>know how to do that
I could pin him to the bed, or break his arm in five places if that's what you're asking. But I really want to avoid a situation, there's barely room in this place.

"Sir, please put the knife down."
Baker: "... outsider. Crawler. I know your kind. But you don't smell like them, you don't have the dough, you don't have the key... got to have the key..."

I don't think he's listening. At least, Niece is making no moves. I'd say she's surprised I'm doing this.

Turn to the niece and say "Ma'am, is this man bothering you?"

Ask him what key he's talking about.

"do you want me to get the key?"
and pinning is fine, pin him and have her take the knife out his hand. but yeah let's try to avoid that as long as we can.

Yeouch. This is pretty serious. Good job on keeping calm so far. Baker's name is Benjamin, by the way. I just remembered Manuel mentioned the name the first time you two spoke.

Now, you have a thing that might actually be the key he's looking for. The metal bit you found in the ashes of Byron's torture pit during your first trip. Remember it? The blue-haired punk spoke of it being a key of some kind. Lia attempted to identify it, too, saying that it was related to a 'safe' or 'something safe', that it would 'open a family's ruin' or 'path'... and with that in mind, I'm really not sure we should attempt to just hand it off to calm him down. Maybe pulling it out can be a back-up plan.

Regardless, if the baker isn't listening, give him a reason to hear you out. If you distract him enough and lead him towards you and the door, you could signal Niece to come up behind and help restrain him, or get him in a position where you have the advantage.

You could even try and genuinely convince him to back down while you're at it. It certainly sounds like he's wanting to leave home and go looking for the 'key' he wants, and he's distrustful, probably paranoid. The argument has to be good.

You could pitch something like this: "Sir, I don't know how you know what you know, but I've been down in the dungeon three times now, and there are commies there. They're mercenaries, and have been searching for some key, hired on by a blue-haired horned punk. Now, in my line of work, there's no coincidences, and any fool working with commies is up to no good. I put an end to their search, but they keep coming back, better prepared each time. If you want your key, likely the same key they're looking for, you need to trust me. I'm the only one who can go down there and stop them. With respect, you wouldn't last a second against toughened commies, sir. Can't bring dough to a fight needing gristle. Look, we all have our strengths, so I'll make you a deal. I'll stop those commies and find you your key, if you treat me to your casserole tomorrow. I'm a man who know how to value good food, sir, and you make some of the best I've ever had the pleasure of tasting."

Paraphrase as needed. Really, I'm making a lot of assumptions here, but as long as it distracts him or makes him drop his knife, that should be good enough for our purposes.

>>387504
Not a bad angle, seconded. Let's try to stick some questions about the key in there too though, so we make less assumptions.

- Player 2012/02/18(Sat)15:28 No. 387543 ID: 00303c
File 132960773324.png - (48.78KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-058.png )

If I can get him out of the house, great. I really just need room; my main worry here is that I'll end up breaking something with him.

"Do I have the key?"
Baker: "No no no, I can't smell perfection on you! Dirt, mucus and rot! That's your smell!"
"Then what's your perfect key?"
Baker: "No! No! You ain't listen! Its the key! The yeast, the flour, the dough, and its in there! I can smell it from here, its in the caves, its in the mountain, the mountain's the only thing between me... me and perfection! Sweet perfection!"

Oh I remember this, this is about the bread thing, isnt it? All of this because of bread?

"Do you want me to get this 'key'?"
Baker: "HAH! You wouldn't know the key if you've eaten it! Just another lie, to keep me here! Can't trust you, can't trust her can't trust anyone! I've been lied to enough!"

I really doubt all the chatter about the metal piece will help here; it might have been a key, but its not 'his' 'key'. I'm just glad he seems to be forgetting Niece here... but I wouldn't dare to ask her assistance, For once, he'd see me doing it, second, she's not in the right mind.

Offer to help him get to it, rather than you get it yourself.

Then when he's out in the open we can disarm him.

"No one is keeping you here." Assuming he doesn't just run off at this, continue with:

"It's not lying, we just don't know. Like you said, I wouldn't know it if I'd eaten it, so whats it worth to me or anyone else? I've been to the mountain, I'll go again. Tell me what you know about it and I'll bring back anything there about bread I find."

>Not asking Niece for help.

Fair enough.

Mmm. The key is the ingredient he wants or needs to complete his magnum opus. So we know there's something in the mountain he needs, something he can 'smell'. Unfortunately, he's growing more and more erratic. We need to say or do something to calm him down, not egg him on further by asking questions that make him more and more crazy.

Ok, so how about something like this, guys?

"Sir, I do not doubt your abilities as a baker. Why do you doubt my abilities as a crawler? This is a classic situation. Someone needs something from a dungeon, crawler gets said something, hands it over for some manner of reward, and voila, everyone's happy. You're a superb cook. On the flip side, you go down there alone, you'll be demon-bait in seconds flat. There's commies down there, and worse. Have you planned your trip? Do you have torches? Fighter training? Some way of getting past the guards witout getting locked up? No? Then your best bet is me. All -I- want in reward is some more of your mean casserole, really. You're a damn good cook and it'd be a shame to see you kill yourself, or anyone else, getting what you need."

Again, paraphrase as needed. I'm laying it on pretty thick.

Hey Player, ever hear of something called a Fey Mood? Maybe he really does need something from the dungeon.

yes, if there IS something in there that he can detect then getting it will fix him entirely... ask how good he is in a fight. say you will escort him in, to meet near the entrance tomorrow morning.

>>387563

This might be an option, but it should be our final fallback. Escorting a raving civilian through a dungeon would not be fun.

Also, remember, there's an issue with bringing civilians below-ground. Religion, as far as I recall. The Host can't see you down there, soul doomed forever, etc. I doubt Niece would appreciate it if we brought Benjamin into danger, both (real) physical and (perceived) spiritual.

>>387543
"So you want to go into the dungeon to find something? Ack, this is a terrible time for it. There's a tribe of demons down there and they're pissed as all heck.
I can take you down there, but I don't think we'd find what you're looking for on the first dive.
If I take you, then you'll have to agree to stay with me the entire time and leave when I leave."

Turn to the niece "I can see it in his eyes. He's going to go no matter what you do, but I can at least try to keep him safe. That's as much good as I can do here."

If he agrees then tell him to get a good nights sleep and some durable clothes, and that you'll leave in the morning.

>>387543
Ask him why he doesn't just go the dungeon? Bring out anything potentially edible in your inventory too.

- Player 2012/02/19(Sun)07:27 No. 387727 ID: 00303c
File 132966525953.png - (45.25KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-059.png )

"Sir, all due respect you're a baker. A cook. A terrific cook at that; yesterday's casserole at Manuel's was yours, right?"
Niece: "Yes, it was. We always cook for Manuel."
"Well, it shows; your life is cooking. Not crawling into a cave. Fighting monsters. Sliding on mud. Crossing bottomless pits. Choking on stale air. Getting arrowed on the knee. Digging holes into wet clay to sleep. Waking up with a bug up your nose. Pushing giant rocks. Drinking poison to not die of thirst. You walk in there, you'll be demon bait in ten seconds flat. That place is dark, dank, and full of commies."
Baker: "N-no... I can do it, I know i can do it... I have to do it... "
"Benjamin, sir, I'm a crawler. I do this for a living, and I mean when I say it; the world will lose a damn good chef the day you walk into that cave. Let me do it. At the least, let me come with you."
Baker: "Can't be... I can't can't... I have to do it... can't ... off my way... I have to do it..."

>see in his eyes
>Fey Mood
You're right about that... I can feel his resolve waver, but he just can't let go. Is that the 'fey mood' taking? We'll need a way to keep him here after I subdue him.

I mean, we're not actually letting him into the dungeon, right?

he'll be fine as long as he thinks what he wants will come.

>>387727
Subdue him? And then what, tie him up in here? Send him along to the guard, and have him talk about you running around out here? Not that'll it'll make much difference but... better to resolve this peacefully. If we can. He seems calm enough now, I think we could keep him from freaking out for a day. Let's use that.

"Yeah you have to get it done. You'll get it done best by sending me along. I'll come back to see you every night, until I have it or until I'm dead. If that happens... then you'll do what you have to do, right?"

ask for a sketch of what he wants.

Having a sketch would be useful.

Hrm, if his condition is anything like a fey mood, restraining him is risky in itself, as people affected by fey moods tend to go insane if they are unable to fulfill it for too long. ...Well, go more insane, that is.

With what Player said about his resolve, it seems he doesn't have much choice in the matter. He simply HAS to get that item, and it looks like he'll progressively get more crazy as time goes by if he doesn't get it (if stabbing his dear Niece is any indication, this has already gone on for too long). IF we can figure out what he needs and bring it to him, that would be the best option. No need to bring him. Problem is, we don't know what he needs, and he must be convinced to trust us to fetch it. If he can't be, we may indeed have to bring him along in order to save him from himself.

To do, or not to do, literally. Two options.

-Talk down and restrain him, and find his precious yeast or whatever it is he needs, on your own, or maybe with his directions.

-Alternatively, let him come along tomorrow morning, in your company, with some chance of success to find what he needs. It's going to be rough, Niece may not approve (but, just keeping him here certainly isn't working) and it could all go horribly horribly wrong, but if you can find his ingredient and get him back out alive, he'll be cured. We hope.

Good news is, if this is anything like the Fey Mood we know about, then his bread will be the genuine article. Transcendental baked goods.

If it's not... who knows what the result will be?

At any rate, I'm personally in favor of trying to ask him, nicely, for some sketch, description, location advice beyond 'in the caves in the mountain' or whatnot of what it is he needs. If he cannot give you that, looking for his ingredient would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Your best option would be to bring him along. But not tonight! Tomorrow morning, when you leave again. And you'd have to speak with Niece about it, of course. She'd have to be convinced not to turn you in to the guards.

>>387727
We have no way of knowing what he wants unless he can show us while he is focused on it. If we can get a good description, then we can get it for him. If not, we will have to just subdue him and figure out what it is by finding out more about the other adventurers that "had the key". Wherever they went, we have to go too.

- Player 2012/02/22(Wed)07:37 No. 388247 ID: 939692
File 132992502109.png - (18.75KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-060.png )

>sketch
... you want an insane man to sketch out something that he only knows by smell?

I see whats going on -- you're losing focus again. Let me reiterate. He wants to use it for bread, so it must be something nontrivial and edible. That's a demon-infested dungeon, not the Elemental Plane of Pantry. I admit he seems unwilling or unable to describe whatever he wants.

And you forget we're on a time limit here. Even if he mellowed out, he's liable to cause trouble, if not just walk into the dungeon on his own. There's two questions to be answered here;
What the heck are we doing with him now?
Are we taking him tomorrow?

>>388247
OK, why don't you explain to the guy how quests work. He can then hire you to get the item he wants. That's one problem down.
The other problem, he wants you to find something he can only describe through smell. That's going to be difficult. Why don't you ask him to make something that smells similar to the thing he wants found. Then, at least, you have a reference point.

>>388247

Alright, alright. Let's have a quick vote-thing so you can focus on the matter at hand.

>What to do with him now.

First of all, continue reasoning with him the way you've done already... that seemed to do the trick, somewhat. Tell him if he tries to take the main entrance, the guards there will stop and imprison him ("Isn't that right, Niece? They closed the dungeon, cuz' it was too dangerous."), and that you're the only one who can get by the guards now, so if he wants to do this, he'll have to listen to you.

Option 1: Tell him you need to rest and resupply, but that you can take and guide him early tomorrow morning, if he still wants to go then. Ask Niece for permission. Try to impress on her that just keeping him locked in and penned in isn't going to fix his issue. If this keeps up, he might go truly mad, and the only solution you can see is finding and giving him the thing he wants.

Hopefully this will calm him down for the night, at least. If it doesn't:

Option 2: Once his guard is sufficiently down and if he keeps insisting on going to the dungeon, say you've got a map of where you can enter the dungeon without having to face guards. Reach into your pocket for some paper, and once he leans in to look at it, you can grab his knife-arm, pin and put him in a hold. Then ask Niece to look in your bag for the rope. You can then tie him up. It's not gonna please him, and it'll probably make him even more crazy mad, but at least he'll be securely bound, then.

I favor option 1, going over to option 2 if he can't be reasoned into waiting 'till the morning. If anyone wants to add options or modify 'em, feel free. I just want to resolve this situation, one way or another.

>Taking him tomorrow.

If you've done Option 1, then... yeah. Let's do it. It will at least be easier to have him follow his nose than to wander blindly around searching for some unknown ingredient.

Option 2 means trusting him will be a definite no-go, so then it's a matter of helping Niece to keeping him trussed up and contained, and hoping you find what he's after somewhere, somehow. You're right in that it might stand out, so perhaps it's not too bad. Plus, he will be safer, if crazier, here. Probably.

>>388259
uhhh, wow, that's pretty good.

I would suggest that you just try to convince him that you can get whatever he wants for him if he just has a little patience.

Way easier then trying to protect him while messing around in the death-dungeon.

Why don't we try doing the obvious?

Ask the niece if he's talked about this before and if she knows anything, or if she can put into words or translate what he's failing to say. She can also arrange the whole 'quest' operation.

- Player 2012/02/26(Sun)08:39 No. 389052 ID: 939692
File 133027436257.png - (56.07KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-061.png )

"Do what, get killed? Be my guest, at least the guards are going to catch you as soon as you get to the front gates."
Baker: "Guards? ..."
Niece: "Yeah, place's so dangerous they're arresting anyone trying to get in or out."
Baker: "... no, they never cared... you crawlers always..."
"Just tell him, Niece. Please?"
Niece: "I told you, honey. The dungeon is closed. They're not letting anyone in and won't tell us why."
Baker: "... but..."
"C'mon, Benjamin. Its over. We had enough grief already."
Baker: "... grief... Niece?"
Niece: "I'm here, honey. I'm fine."

- Player 2012/02/26(Sun)08:44 No. 389054 ID: 939692
File 133027469090.png - (30.88KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-062.png )

"Niece I'm so sorry..."
Niece: "There, there... I'm fine honey, you have nothing to worry..."
Baker: "N-no... I did... and my bread..."
"It'll have to wait, sir. You need to rest now."
Baker: "But.. how do you... the smell..."
Niece: "He's just a nice crawler, honey. They'll always smell like rotten dirt from the ruins, you know that, don't you?"
Baker: "... hnnnnyugh..."

... I'm too glad this is over to resent that.

- Player 2012/02/26(Sun)08:50 No. 389058 ID: 939692
File 133027505407.png - (34.41KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-063.png )

Niece: "... Player, right? Thank you... for..."
"It's okay. This happens often?"
Niece: "... sometimes. A few times per week. He's always good by morning. There were only rants before, maybe once he tried walking into the dungeon, but this is the first time he--"
"It might get worse. Keep the knives away from him."
Niece: "-- but... we're cooks, see? He asked me for the knife, we were dicing vegetables for tomorrow... I should have suspected... what should we do? What am I to do about him?...."

Apologies for the crap quality, I took way too long on this for no good reason.

>>389058
Tell her to try to arrange for higher-level crawlers to help him find what he's looking for, and you'll try to bring back anything edible you find next time you're in the dungeon.

Also? Tell her to ask Bella to chain the cooking implements to the table. That way his fits can't hurt anybody outside the kitchen.

yeah that sounds good. can have the knives chained to the counter. right length lets it used for the job and can't do anything else with them.

>>389058
Show him the mushrooms.

I kinda want you to hand us to him, see if he can think of a good description when he doesn't need to talk to describe things

I thought he said we didn't smell like it though? If it IS the mushrooms that would be convenient.

>>389058

Well, I've already said my piece on whether or not we should bring him with us tomorrow. It is an option I think viable to solve this as quickly and efficiently as possible, but we either do it, or we don't, and I think the current vote count is pretty even.

And if we don't, Niece doesn't really have a whole load of sensible options. Sure, she can chain up the knives, but that's not going to prevent him from running off (unless she chains him up too), nor is it going to prevent him from finding other inventive means of hurting people who wants to stop him from hurting himself.

She -could- get the dungeon guards to lock Benjamin up, but nobody wants that, I think. The best option to keep him under wraps, I believe, would be for her to talk to Father McLaughing, Lia and Sun about seeing to that her husband is kept somewhere sturdy, yet safe. They're caring and inventive, so I think they should be able to help if she just told them the truth of things and asked for help. Also, they're the healers in town, so she'll want to go to them anyway.

(That said, if we want to bring Benjamin along, she may want to come up with a decent cover story. Serious kitchen accident, or whatever.)

If Benjamin is kept safe here, her main solution would be to get some crawler to get her the goods Benjamin needs... hopefully that will cure his affliction. Player should certainly offer to -look- for it, especially since he's the only guy available right now who's got the guts and will to look into the dungeon problem, but there's no guarantee that he will find it. Reinforcements from Central are also still a week or something off, so if Player can't do it, she'll have to wait it out.

Depending on how the clergy wants to keep Benjamin safe, he may have to quit making meals for Manuel, though. Same if he goes with us. That's gonna attract attention either way, unless someone comes up with a really good cover story. I don't know if Niece wants to keep this between as few people as possible or not.

- Player 2012/03/03(Sat)11:25 No. 390003 ID: ab3feb
File 133080270587.png - (53.87KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-064.png )

>hand us to him
I'm seriously opposed to finding out what you'd do to him.

>mushrooms
>we didn't smell like it.
True. It can't be anything I have on me.

>chain
"I don't know what you'll do, but I know what I'll do. I'll hide somewhere else for the night. You should look into getting those knives chained to the table or something."
Niece: "... I guess..."
"... and I don't know... if he keeps getting worse, we might need to... eh, the guards or the church might think of a way to keep him from hurting himself."
Niece: "I see..."
"And you really need to find a higher level adventurer before its too late."

- Player 2012/03/03(Sat)11:32 No. 390004 ID: ab3feb
File 133080316093.png - (30.53KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-065.png )

Niece: "S-someone else? But aren't you--"
"Look, whatever he needs from there, he needs badly. And I don't know, I'm just level three? We gotta expect the worst."
Niece: ".. I see..."
"I'll be on my way."

- Player 2012/03/03(Sat)11:33 No. 390005 ID: ab3feb
File 133080320813.png - (63.63KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-066.png )

That was something seriously fucked up.

yeah, let's go.
and the ones wanting to touch him were probably thinking they could figure out what he wanted by looking in his head.

Get to Miss K. Avoid getting seen, avoid drama. And hurry it up.

wait...aren't you level 5?

>>390013
he may be a good person, but he isn't above lying.

The more this situation progresses the more I think we need to guide him through the dungeon. But let's just go sleep for now.

>>390005
Player, when you can, tell someone that the cook is getting worse and needs help.
If therapy can't work, then at least some sort of anti-psychotic medication.
Say, I don't suppose you guys have some smoke-able pipe-weed that is known to calm the user into unfocused lethargy?

>>390004

Fucked up or not, they do need helpzzzzz. We should consider taking the time to aid them.

>Just level three.

Correction. Right now, you should be at level five. You jumped to four after facing Charlotte and mom, and five after meeting with the poor ant queen.

- Player 2012/03/10(Sat)10:39 No. 391644 ID: 751fb3
File 133140477426.png - (37.17KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-067.png )

Nice, ehr backdoor was locked. Time to hope here...

>level 5
>above lying
I deal with facts, and as far as I know I'm level three. Thats the level I had when I got evaluated, I don't feel like a fiver, I don't... know if fivers are supposed to be different actually. So I'll pretend I'm a three.

>medication
Antipsicowhat? There's stuff that makes crazy people into normal people? Outside knocking them unconscious, that is.
... the only think I can think of is very fresh hash, buuut... I wouldn't give that to someone who deals with knives. And I don't think they make their own ropes here, that limits things.
Maybe if we had coca around like back home, a few of leaves once in a while could mellow him right out. He'd need to be careful to not turn it into an habit though.

- Player 2012/03/10(Sat)10:41 No. 391645 ID: 751fb3
File 133140487273.png - (59.76KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-068.png )

Phew. Door open. Nobody saw me. I hope.

>tell someone
I'll tell Kay, does that count?

>guide, dungeon
I'm sure you'll have reached a consensus by morning. Until then, what now? I don't think Kay actually knows I'd be here.

any bells to ring? if not then just wait on the counter and ponder what could need a wrench f that size.

>>391645

Well, it's ill-adviced to poke about in someone's private areas without permission, but if Miss K brings someone home with her, perhaps you should stay away from the room with the front door. Call out carefully to check if he's here, or somewhere else in the building. If nobody's here, go into the next room. Might be she's in her workshop. Wasn't that in the cellar, or something?

At any rate, there's a number of things we should be showing and telling miss K. Those glass things, remember? Not to mention the shotgun shells. Lia mentioned Kay might be wanting some proper gunpowder. Hmm... anything else, guys?

Knock on the counter a few times.

Well, if you have poppies those might mellow him out a bit... still, as you mentioned, most mind-effectants are addictive and that could end poorly (some will eventually lead the user to 'require' some at all times simply to function normally.)

I wouldn't try Coca though... that stuff's a pretty good painkiller but it might just put him on edge a little, we could tell you how to make coca MUCH more effective though a few simple chemical processes... you could probably become rich as all hell but... the side effects, social and physical are simply unacceptable without an incredibly good reason.

Anyhow, you might want to get behind the counter, hide somewhere were you can't be seen through the large glass window, or by any customers who walk in unexpectedly. We only want to reveal ourselves to Miss K, not any other possible guests.

Call for her, but by the inside door there so you don't have to be too loud.

"I don't feel like a fiver, I don't... know if fivers are supposed to be different actually."

Well, see, that depends. Does being a higher level actually convey some kind of advantage such as increased physical strength and agility, or is it just a measure of how totally awesome you are? If it does give you some advantage you can test your level just by trying out something that you couldn't have before, and if it doesn't then why does anyone even care about it anyways?

>>391892
pretty sure it gives you more HP at least.

>>391893

Far as I can remember, leveling has only, to our notice, given him a bigger pool of ADP (seemingly the stuff used to power bad-assery, like... extra adrenaline, or something).

What this means on an effective basis is that he can pull off awesome stuff for longer. We don't know if his HP has increased from leveling. Our logic says it would, but then again, perhaps it doesn't. Mind you, to Player, all of this is just abstract gibberish anyway. We're looking at the mechanics of his existence in a completely different way than he does.

If he doesn't feel different it's probably because leveling isn't something that -would- make you feel much different. From the impression I've been given, your level can be tested or evaluated, giving you something like a set of credentials (as evidenced by the dungeon now being a level six zone).

Others might get a whiff of his current level just by being with him, too. I believe Player told us an anecdote about being with one of his old trainers and how he just got this gut feeling that the trainer was a badass of a higher level than him, despite not even being a level five 'officially'. Or something like that.

- Player 2012/03/12(Mon)12:03 No. 392210 ID: 751fb3
File 133157903267.png - (56.25KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-069.png )

>wrench
I didnt want to know when I first saw it, I dont want to know now. I think its actually a weapon.

>glass things
.. actually, I can't remember any glass things.

>poppies
>coca, rich as hell
... poppies? That one I don't know
Hrmn, you're right. Coca sharpens the senses, sort of. It'd be a terrible idea.
... and that thing about refining sounds a little too shady and a tad too alchemical for my tastes.

>on Levels
Put simply, levels are a measure of experience and survivability. Some people just can do more and take more based on what they've been trough, and measuring that-- having someone's ability as a number, and someplace's danger as another -- helps to avoid needless deaths.

...maybe there's more to that, more to levels. I admit; me becoming a crawler was a huge investiment in time and money, but nobody would make an entire bureaucracy just to help me not getting killed. But I'm not a scholar.

"Kaaay? Are you here?"

No response. Its a small corridor here, two doors and a flight upstairs.
I guess the workshop must be up, we had lunch in the kitchen-storage, the other door is the bathroom.

well options are ether go upstairs or putz about down here some more. wanna stare at that picture on the side of that cabinet? is on the one with 3 cylinders on it. maybe spools of something?

She might be asleep, there is some reason for her not to respond yet. The laws of comedy say she's probably in the bathroom and there is no way it's not going to be awkward. So if that's the case you may as well start there. Knock on that and each door after and ask if she's in there.

Wait around here more. The laws of drama say she's going to walk in just as you happen to be going through her personal things, so let's try to avoid that.

I thought she had a basement? Go upstairs, I guess.

- Player 2012/03/17(Sat)06:51 No. 393547 ID: 751fb3
File 133199231539.png - (44.88KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-070.png )

>upstairs!
>laws of drama
Well, good thing this isn't some badly-written seldomly-sung bard serial, or else I'd be walking into her cheating her husband with their half-brother or something equally stupid.

Huh, this is her room. Its....

- Player 2012/03/17(Sat)06:58 No. 393550 ID: 751fb3
File 133199269446.png - (49.86KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-071.png )

... disappointingly normal, really. Imean, it could be worse, this could be an elaborate disguise to hide a secret passage that'd reveal a world destruction plot commandeered by a mad scientist awakened penguin.

... I have no idea why I just thought of that.

>basement
Nope, none that I could see downstairs. I remember the kids saying something about horrible sounds, where would they come from?

>>393550
Turn around and leave the room NOW.

>>393550
Miss K is right behind you. I think there's a SECRET PASSAGE somewhere.

Look at the cupboard. There is a drawer missing. And that picture above the bed is suggestive. look around if you can't find something to put where the drawer is missing.

>>393550
K's right behind you. Duck.

Spin around with your arms straight out in front of you.

Sidestep and say hi.

warned you dude.

>>393550
>K right behind Player
JUMP ONTO THE BED, DUDE! ROLL OVER IT AND TAKE COVER!

rifle through her underwear drawer.

- Player 2012/03/20(Tue)06:16 No. 394367 ID: 745888
File 133224939389.png - (55.15KB , 800x600 , r001-0010-072.png )

>right behind you
>SECRET PASSAGE
Don't be silly, I'd hear her climbing that flight of s "stwwaaaAAH!"
Miss K: "Gyehehehehe~ look what the cats brought me~"
"How did you do that?"
Miss K: "Adding breaking and entering to your growing list, me Greenie? Never thought you had it in yew~"
"-hey, the door was open! I just"
Miss K: "Trespassing it is! What were you looking for here, mmmn~"

... uh... ok, I came to talk to her right? What did we have to talk about anyway?

>>394367
Give her the shotgun shells, then start talking about what you've discovered.
Also, the offer to teach her how to make gunpowder is still on the table. We're willing to teach her how to make high-powered explosives as well, if she'll make some so we can seal areas of the dungeon if needed. (Also, should do something like 20hp in damage to anything in point-blank range.)

You came here to get a nights sleep and something to eat, and maybe unload on a sympathetic ear. It's never nice to have to kill something friendly, and obviously innocent of wrongdoing, even if it's necessary.

And didn't you pick up another DU shell? You should leave those here instead of hauling them around, it's bad for you to be in contact with a lot of that.

>>394376
She already knows all about modern firearms.

>>394377
>DU cores
...Yeah, it probably wasn't such a good idea to have him hauling around huge hunks of a highly toxic heavy metal with his bare hands for several days straight.

>>394485
they were in his pockets. the fact they could fit in there tells me subspace compartments. also the D in D means depleted. they are very not radioactive.
also the shells are for her to have a nice chunk of high quality gunpowder. not for the shells themselves.

>>394367
>... uh... ok, I came to talk to her right? What did we have to talk about anyway?
First, mention that the chef's fits are getting worse, and you hadn't taken a detour and calmed him down he might have gone homicidal on his own niece if she had gotten in his way.
He wants to go to the dungeon and find some specific ingredient for "the perfect bread" he's been having dreams about. If there is any way K can help him out, she needs to share it so we can prevent a terrible mistake from occuring.

In other news you discovered and managed to accidentally assist in the suicide of a Demon Ant Queen, so the Demon Ants should be clearing out soon over the next few days.

There was also a Ruster carcass on the upper levels that shouldn't have been there.

Also, dimensional portals and demons with shotguns, and Player got to use one too, or did we already cover that?

>>394534
we told her we saw the demon with it last time. he used it this time.