Apollo 2015/05/08(Fri)15:13 No. 639089 ID: defceb
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“...and you’re dead!”

>”Best 10 out of 18?”

“That was your 12th try. I don’t think a xiphos is working for you.”

>”Well, I do have these weird insect claws for fingers…”

”You did ask for it. If the two of you are done playing with swords, I believe you had some questions for me?”

Did we make the comms, yet?

>I don’t think a xiphos is working for you.
Face it Alex, you're no Grecian sword-fighter. You're more the mad scientist type.

At least she has a sword. Though we still need to upgrade it to a fancy science-sword if we get into a fight with hunters. (Did we get plans for that yet?).

she also had much more training and practice. those are important when using swords. we can stick to death rays. hmmm... can we make high a high capacity battery? and then a laser gun to use it.

also since she is good at using the sword we could upgrade it to a power sword. aka coat it in a high energy matter disruption field.

I thought we used scythes made of dust that kinda makes us look like a praying mantis for our go to melee weapon?

whelp this is something I'm going to need to improve on if I want to live past a week. Not always going to be able to run and hide from every fight and I also won't always have the luxury of distance either.

Thank your mentor for helping us and as for sidney, did she get those blue prints for those things we asked for? and also since we're going to a festival how will money work? I mean I know we can pay using dust but do we just dump a pile of the stuff on the merchant's desk, have to package it in a special container, or what? figure it would be better to ask now instead of when we're trying to buy something and hold up the line.

>>639089
There is something I've wondering Sidney is dust just nanomachines that we interface with through our circuits? Could we create a device that fine tunes over dust?

>>639132
what do you mean "fine tunes over dust"?

>>639166
I think he means "fine tune our dust." We should either find a weapon type that fits us, or switch to range. How durable chains made from dust would be?

>>639089
Oh yeah we did have a few.
What sort of tech did we miss between 2000 AD and whenever it is now?
How much of it can you access?
How much of that can we make?
What has humanity been doing in the intervening years?
How come humanity hasn't evolved?
If we made it into extrasolar space, how come we left our origin system behind?

>I don’t think a xiphos is working for you.
We're more of a speedy build than a power one. A rapier for rapid back-and-forth movement, or a scimitar for just quick movement in general, would better suit us.
>thought we used scythes made of dust
That could work, but it's probably a better idea to use our dust to enhance one that already exists. Like, coating the blade of it to cut better.
Hmm. That might actually allow us to use a dull blade, which we bind to the forearm and slide it out with our dust when it's ready for use.
>and then a laser gun to use it.
I know you can get lasers that slowly cut through things, but I think it's going to be slow regardless of material, not just against stone. They're also rather thin, that's like giving a person paper cuts over the course of hours.
Don't they take a lot of energy, anyways? Good part is we should be able to easily carve out the amplifiers for it using our dust.
>aka coat it in a high energy matter disruption field.
For her sword? Won't work, it would have to be actively powered, and she's not trained in that.

>>640481
not NOW, i mean after we do some book learning and get like, very small super high power batteries or reactors. just replace the little pommel sphere with a power generation device.

Apollo 2015/05/27(Wed)01:53 No. 643446 ID: defceb
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>”I don’t think a brute force weapon suits me. Maybe something built for agility, like a scimitar or those scythe claws, will work. What do you think?”

“Raw-dusting a simple weapon like a sword is effective as long as you can focus to maintain it in combat.”

“Looks kind of heavy.”

>”Light as a feather. Last resort, I think I’m really more the mad science type to be honest.”

“...mad science?”

>”Like Franken- no, you wouldn’t know that. Like, uh…. Icarus? Doesn’t ring a bell? Sydney?”

“He is likening himself to the overly passionate and intelligent.”

“Ohh, like the story of Lysander!”

>”Yeah, like uh…. like that guy. Who is that guy?”

“He thought he could eat the sun and absorb its powers. Spent their whole life building wild contraptions to fly up there. I never did find out what happened to him in the end, though.”

“It’s about what you’d expect in a story about someone flying to the sun.”

>”Maybe not exactly like that guy. Sydney, science questions.”

“Shoot.”

Apollo 2015/05/27(Wed)01:58 No. 643449 ID: defceb
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>”How about that communication device?”

“Ready to go. It has a low level of power consumption, so you can probably run it just using yourself as the battery until you find something better.”

>”Perfect. Also, I’ve just been wondering. It’s been about… 5 billion years? Why haven’t humans evolved?”

””Oh but they have! Sort of. As far as my records show, there isn’t one singular ‘human race’ line as you knew it. Instead, given the large amount of time necessary for space flight that have been several divergent species that have evolved in their own direction. Each generational ship launched in the early years became the foundation for a different branch of humankind. Then once a galactic-scale society started building up, all the different branches got reintroduced and became more… muddled and different. Add factors like genetic augmentation, cybernetic uplifts, inter-species breeding (not recommended reading), rampant viral nano-machines, symbiotic species augmentation and it gets even weirder.”

“THEN add in the fact that every now and then a seed ship will pop back up, reintroducing humans from earlier generations and the whole thing just ends up being a huge clusterfuck. Currently I lack the necessary database and you lack the proper genetic testing tools to figure out where the humans on this world lie in that family tree.”

“On the bright side, I can say with certainty that the people of this world have no appendix. Progress!””

>”What about tech? Latest and greatest?”

“I’m not sure where I could even begin. You’re roughly 5 billion years behind, after all”

>”Why not start with dust. This is all nanomachines right?”

“Technically no, nano-scale construction suffers in matters of providing power to independent machinery that small. The definition is also muddled by whether or not you consider simultaneously networked dust particles to be one large machine or several independent ones.”

>”Why would that get in the way?”

[color=#0066cc]“How would you feel if you were referred to by your organs independently?”

>”But I’m a permanent interdependent construction. The dust particles still function separate from each other outside greater whole.”

“Hm… it’s a difficult concept to get across without fully explaining pseudo-quantum computing.”

>”Which is…”

“Difficult to explain without a thorough understanding of compressed transistors and heat slips.”

>”That sounds made up.”

“It’s very impressive, I assure you.”

>”So if all this impressive tech is around, where did everyone go? Why did they leave this system?”

[color=#0066cc]“Officially speaking, this solar system is considered a national park and nature reserve. It is illegal for people to venture within 2 light-years of this location. Preserving the natural beauty of it, and whatnot.”

>”So where did people go?”

“...are you sure you want to know?”

>”I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.”

Apollo 2015/05/27(Wed)01:59 No. 643450 ID: defceb
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_{“...I don’t know.”}

>”...you don’t know?”

“Alex, hold still. I think I saw something on your back.”

”I don’t know. Access to the greater netsphere was cut off when this system was made into a nature preserve. Since then we’ve received distant signals but even that’s stopped. There’s nobody calling out there anymore, and as far as I can tell they all just… left.”

>”What do you mean, they left?”

”I mean just that. Moved out, relocated, packed up their universal bags and skipped town. There’s nothing popping out on any sensors. As far as I can tell, we’re all alone.”

>”...I don’t like the sound of that, Sydney.”

“Stop pacing for a second I think it’s a bug.”

>”Ooo~, what kind?”

“I don’t know, it’s kind of bright. Looks like a little red dot.”

>>643450
Laser sight!? ...wait, why would there be a laser sight on you and they haven't fired yet? I can't imagine anything here needing to line up a shot for that long. Maybe it's someone just looking at you with a sniper rifle? Maybe it's that User we're looking for, checking you out.

For safety's sake, erect a shield in the direction of where the laser sight is being aimed from, and make a few flying remote cameras to go looking around in that direction. Come to think of it we should always have some remote cameras flying around in the periphery, so we can't be ambushed like this.

>>643450
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOODGE

little red doooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH FUCK!

Might not be a sniper but honestly everything is bronze age tech here, the only things we have seen that go beyond that are ruins and those robots trying to kill us. So it's probably a sniper and we should probably grab our friends and take cover... actually do what you did to escape last time, make a dust cloud (normal dust again) and use that to escape. Probably help if you throw another one of those cloaking shields around your group as well.

>Since then we’ve received distant signals but even that’s stopped. There’s nobody calling out there anymore, and as far as I can tell they all just… left.
That or there's been a major shift in communications technology and we've been left behind. (Like, who needs radio transmissions if you figured out ftl entanglement comms)?

>laser sight
Get down!

Can we coat ourselves in a thin layer of dust dedicated to detecting when we're being painted by targeting systems like that?

Phonita, the red dot is a target! Like an archer, except worse.

Sydney, is there a user close enough to be the sniper?

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODGE

make small a fog cloud that will make the laser visible letting you trace it's path.

>inter-species breeding (not recommended reading)
...That's kind of what my first thought was when you mentioned it getting muddled upon re-introduction to one another. Or did you mean with non-human descendants?
>it’s a difficult concept to get across without fully explaining pseudo-quantum computing.
So basically, we're tapping into another dimension's energy, somehow. Or the inbetween. Except Pseudo means not quite, so, what, we're skimming the edge of this dimension? Are we scraping bits of the skin off of it, is that what the dust is?
>compressed transistors and heat slips.
I have no idea what that first one means, but I'm guessing heat slips has to do with the dimensional weak points.
>There’s nothing popping out on any sensors. As far as I can tell, we’re all alone.
Hopefully, it's not some stellar virus that killed everybody off, and more that in solidfying this system's state as a reserve, they just... sealed it up. Some sort of signal catcher that would prevent them from entering the system. Would make sense, if the system is dying, to seal it up.
>>643459
No need to be dramatic about dodging, but a dust cloud should help you trace it if it is a laser. Just "Kick up" a light layer of dust, enough to see a laser, but not to give away that you suspect anything.

>>it’s a difficult concept to get across without fully explaining pseudo-quantum computing.
>So basically, we're tapping into another dimension's energy, somehow. Or the inbetween. Except Pseudo means not quite, so, what, we're skimming the edge of this dimension?
Um, that's a really bad conclusion to jump to, really. Quantum doesn't mean 'alternate dimensions'. >>/questdis/91411

Given Sydney's comments on organs and networked structures of dust, it sounds more like pseudo-quantum computing is pseudo in that it's not operating solely on the quantum scale. There are smaller parts, and bigger structures of smaller parts.

Apollo 2015/05/28(Thu)00:57 No. 643668 ID: defceb
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>"Get down, it's a sniper!"

Apollo 2015/05/28(Thu)00:58 No. 643669 ID: defceb
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>"...or it's actually just a cute little b-"

Apollo 2015/05/28(Thu)00:58 No. 643670 ID: defceb
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-BOOM-

Watch out for that falling tree! Oh, and the gunman who's shooting at you, I guess! Stay below the treetops!

>>643670
Maybe it's BOTH. A bug that serves as a targeting aid.

Better double the thickness of that shield. Let's construct a railgun and return fire.

move, get Sydney to crunch power of the shot and tell us if we can make a shield capable of full deflection.

>>643670
Try not to get your friend shot.

Whelp! I take that as a good sign to leave. Grab your friend, create a dust cloud for cover and cloak up again. Try not to fly above the trees as that just makes you a bigger target.

Resist urge to look up up skirt.

Grab friend, hustle her behind cover, and see if Sydney can get eyes on whoever's shooting you. What are we dealing with?

>>643670
Oh bugger, that shot looks like it went through all the trees behind it.
Auuugh we cant fly away because we'll be an open target, we can't go through the trees because it'll just punch through them.
Quickly, burrow and fortify, construct a railgun STAT.

Foxhole. Use dust to remove soil from underneath yourself and pile it up in the direction the shot came from. Doesn't take much digging to get most of your vitals behind multiple meters of dirt, if you're laying prone already and being attacked by someone close to the horizon. Add a thin layer of metal about 20 cm beyond the enemy-facing side of the dirt pile to act as a spall shield, so hypervelocity shots waste most of their energy on shattering themselves and concussing the air rather than doing to your dirt pile what the first shot did to that tree.

Then, or ideally while that proceeds autonomously, analyze the spectra and flicker-pattern (if any) of that bug's light and set up a laser disco-ball sort of thing laying false targets all over. If you get a fix on the attacker, refocus the disco ball into a single intense beam to burn out their sensors.

Maybe also swat the original bug so it stops homing in on your center of mass.

Apollo 2015/05/30(Sat)02:27 No. 644079 ID: defceb
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“ALEX WHAT WAS THAT?”

>”Remember when I said I was being hunted by killer robots?”

“I THOUGHT YOU WERE JOKING.”

>”I wish. Sydney, can I make a shield against that?”

“With a raw dust shield? Nope”

>”Foxhole it is! Can I get a shot off with a railgun?”

“If you drain the dust cells directly you could get one good shot off. Maybe a second if you tap into yourself for the rest of the charge, though you’d be feeling it all day.”

>”Sydney I need ideas fast.”

“Average user response is to [panic], [flail], and [get shot].”

>”I need GOOD ideas fast!”

“Shoot a drone and take it’s battery? If you dust the body you could recoup the cost of the shot as well.“

>”Can you analyze the spectra and flicker-pattern of the bug?”

”...which one?”

Photina, get down! Sidney, the comms you gave me are working right? can you scout for the shooter and tell me where he's at so I can blow him to pieces?

give Photina a fox hole for her to freak out in without us having to worry about her getting shot, get some kind of scope or something on the rail gun so we can send an accrute shot at the shooter once Sidney finds him. As for the bugs... can we send out our own flashing bugs to try and confuse the shooter or are these things sending out a signal? Oh and I think one is under Photina's butt so might want to get rid of that.

hmm... check for discrepancies between bugs. if 4 bugs are one way and the 5th one is slightly different then that bug is the one we want.

can he also run interference? they haven't broken psychopomp constructs yet, so ether they wont or can't shoot sydney down so making the firing solutions require damaging sydney could make them hold fire.

Wait... Is she in the foxhole with you?

Kill the bugs! swat them with your hands and dust flyswats!

Uh, is that shrapnel in your friend?

Why didn't you make the foxhole big enough for her? Make it bigger!

Also, aw man, she just shrapnel in the butt. Sorry.

>railgun
I'm not such a fan of this idea to gamble all our dust charge on a single shot or two. There's gotta be more cost effective weapons.

Also, shooting one and harvesting the body for dust has to be a tactic that's been used before. That's going to make to harder to pull off without being shot, if they can predict what you're going off.

>”...which one?”
Any one!

I don't suppose your familiar with the design of the thing hunting us?

>>644079
Are you saying the bugs are different frequencies?
Are they transmitting anything, or is it only the colours? Can we drown them out?
Can we fire an EMP? Can we make some fake bugs to distract the shooter? (I mean like a swarm here)
Can we make the dust emit a wavelength of light in antiphase with the bugs', making them seem invisible?
If a shot hit you what would happen? Can we use you to scout their location?
Analyse the shot direction, speed and composition from the shatter pattern of the shield and the hole in the tree, what are they shooting at us, what are they shooting at us with, where are they and how long before they reload?
The multiple bugs either mean its many guns, one gun with many backups, one real bug and many decoys or something else.
Get phonita in a foxhole of her own or pull her in with you, careful, shes wounded, probably wood shrapnel or shrapnel from the shield when it shattered.

Whats the limiting factor for the railgun shots? Is it energy or the amount of dust? Could we build something to harness kinetic energy from a railgun shot and transfer it into something useful?

>>644079
Noooo I said not to get your friend shot! She's bleeding!

Photina, if they manage to see your face, they may associate you with me, and if they do, you may never be able to go back to your normal life.

>>644079
Alright test killing one of the bugs. Low-power autotracking laser should work. Kill one that's not near you or your friend and the drone shouldn't be able to shoot you due to it. A fully enclosed foxhole can keep the bugs from getting a fix on you, too. They're obviously programmed not to settle on the environment. How expensive would it be to burrow underground and resurface somewhere else?

Also of note is that the drone shot from a high angle. It's above the forest. If we can keep from getting landed on by the bugs, we can keep moving through the forest I expect. If we are to fire back we need a targeting solution of our own. Best thing I can think of is multiple camouflaged camera drones on the treetops.

>>644285
not necessarily above it. being in a tree could also give you that angle.

What we need is a bug zapper. Hopefully they're attracted to it just like old-time bugs were, so we can keep them off of us to kill them off for a low cost.

Wooden butt-shrapnel is an infection risk. Send some dust in there to... hmm. Convert some of the cellulose to ethanol for disinfection, being careful not to let any methanol loose in her bloodstream, and restructure the rest into bandages to stop the bleeding and keep other foreign matter out of the wound. Such as the dirt she just sat in.

Analyze ALL those red-dot bugs, with particular attention to anything that differentiates them. Also, if Sidney has a high-speed camera or something available for instant replay of where the shot came from, that'd be great. Even if the sniper isn't still there it's a start.

Keep expanding the foxhole until you need to reassign digger-dust to something else specific. Consider burrowing your way out of the current killing ground as an option. Remember that taking down hunters raises your threat level, which brings more hunters, and the trap-and-subvert plan somewhat depends on them underestimating you.

The lower right bug looks like a red exclamation point. Is that significant? Does that mean it has a lock, or that the next shot is incoming, there?

It's right at the corner of the wall, not sure if it has line of sight on someone who will get him.

Apollo 2015/06/05(Fri)00:36 No. 645712 ID: defceb
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>”Any one!”

“I suppose if you captured one, I could start a thorough analysis and-”

>”On it, go find the sniper! Photina!”

“You want me to try sneaking around to- HEY!”

>”No time to explain, get in here!”

Apollo 2015/06/05(Fri)00:37 No. 645715 ID: defceb
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>”Gotcha!”

-BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM-

Apollo 2015/06/05(Fri)00:38 No. 645716 ID: defceb
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“Alex, I have good news and bad news.”

“The goods news is that the sniper is not hiding.”

“The bad news is that they’re support units, meaning you’re probably about to have a party.”

>>645716
Christ. Well. Let's turn their forces against them. Analyze the blinking pattern of the captured bug. If it's predictable, make some of your own and prepare to send them against any other drones that show up.

We should also try hitting it with a railgun shot to see how much damage we can do. If we can do significant damage we could take it out, steal its battery, and run for it. Use the optical camouflage again while running.

aim for the shoulder connecting the gun to the main body. with it's gun and an arm missing it should be relatively easy to finish it and get it's goodies. that power cell should give us a much larger range of options for dealing with the rest.

If we take the dust-power from our body, can we kind of... get it back with the battery?

If we're about to be engaged, we won't be able to kill a sniper and dust the body. We won't be able to get out that far.

Bless Photina's weapon with dust, so it'll be effective against metal, if she's crazy enough to engage.

We need to split up. Move away from here before whatever's coming hits the foxhole.

Be real convenient if we could hack the snipers' targetting. (There is more than one, right)?

well shit, if we're about to engage more then one enemy we should probably get rid of the rail gun what with only having two shoots before we pass out.

Hey Sidney, bad time I know but did my threat level increase while I wasn't looking? I thought I only was deemed to be killed by melee weapons only what changed?

JEEZ, that thing's SUPPORT?! It's a bloody tank! We need to GTFO. Is it possible to use our dust to create "Flares" that will act as lures for the bugs, or blind the sniper to them?

>the sniper
>they’re
Singular or plural? Important distinction, Sidney. If there's only one, we have a window to take it out before the party reaches us, so were aren't dodging sniper fire at the same time as everything else.

If there's multiple snipers, coming out of cover to take one while an unknown threat closes isn't viable. Nor is burning up a big chunk of our dust to do so. With one, it is.

If it's one sniper, we should take it out, fast, so we can deal with whoever is coming, sans enemy support.

Alright, plain sight and stationary. Excellent.
Support units are specialized in hitting hard from far away, and tend to count on that distance for their defense. That's where the term "glass cannon" comes from. We need to save energy for dealing with the better protected combatants and/or running away.

Can we hit that scope on the main gun with a railgun shot at, say, 10% power? Use a piece of that salvaged hullmetal as the slug, since it's probably hard to digest, and if possible shape it so it splinters on impact.

Goal is to disable the targeting optics as thoroughly as possible without completely obliterating, so the sniper drone wastes time and clock cycles on in-situ repairs instead of replacing the entire scope, and is thus effectively neutralized long enough for us to escape. Follow-up shots to the other sensors might make sense in other circumstances, but it's got a whole swarm of forward observer drones so we can't actually blind it that way.

What's the dish for, Sidney? Satelite uplink, or tactical radar?

Apollo 2015/06/08(Mon)01:10 No. 647063 ID: defceb
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>”Sydney, how many snipers am I dealing with?”

“I saw shots from two different directions after you went bug swatting, so I can estimate at least two.”

>”Run some numbers for me. I want to land a shot through their scope, disable them long enough to slip away. Can I drop the charge for the rail gun a decent amount?”

“You wouldn’t be able to penetrate their armor but the glass of the scope would be-”

-BLAM!-

Apollo 2015/06/08(Mon)01:10 No. 647064 ID: defceb
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>”Well that wasn’t so hard. Where's the other sniper?”

“Behind you!”

>”Ah!”

>>647064
Snap shot. Try a 100% power shot, then relocate in a burst of Dust. See if you can keep Photina safe in a reinforced shell using available materials.

You could also try to fool its optics by bending light so that you're displaced from its perspective.

>>647064
That robot is trying to steal your style. Chop him up and steal his battery.

quick, wrap it up in that webbing/net we made for that flyer back in the city. It will disable him and could actually take pursuers off our back if they stop and help him.

Compound eyes, we saw that coming.

Dodge by taking to the air, be very aware of the positions of the targetting bugs and possible sniper shots.

A net to tangle the spear is a pretty practical low cost counter, and sets it up for easier shooting when we have a better shot.

If we haven't thrown dust at it already, science Photina's sword up to cutting through metal levels. There's a non-zero chance she might attack that thing or need to block an attack.

Apollo 2015/06/08(Mon)23:42 No. 647278 ID: defceb
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“Alex, is there any way I can help?”

>”I got this, run!”

Apollo 2015/06/08(Mon)23:43 No. 647279 ID: defceb
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>”Fu-”

“HEY!”

Apollo 2015/06/08(Mon)23:45 No. 647281 ID: defceb
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“BACK OFF!”

>>647280
Well well well, it seems she has some hidden power after all. A "holy shit Photina" is in order. Be glad she never did that when you were sparring. Set some Dust to disassembling the robot for useful parts. Wires and such. It would be pretty sweet to cobble together some giant robot for us to pilot...

That wasn't the sniper though. If Sydney can spot the other one for us we need to take it out before we can continue moving. Unless we killed all the aimbugs? If the bugs are gone we can just keep going, using the forest as cover. Maybe even some camo to boot.

Also it appears pure Dust is an easily-broken material. Can we mix other materials with it? Like, can we have Dust eat up some iron dust or something to reinforce a structure?

Ah! well... Thanks you for the help I truly am greatful but you just kind of made yourself a target as well... and now we can't let any of them escape. If they do they'll come back in greater numbers and with meaner weapons so uh... stick close to me, if the get near feel free to use sword, I'll try and take them from a distance and keep us covered.

Sidney, what can you tell me about these guys? is there armor more resistant to kinetic damage, ballistics, heat, what? kinda want to know so I know what weapon to make next.

can we get sonar or something up right now to see if we can spot any more hostiles around us (and have it take the shape of fluffy antennas on our head like that of a moth)

crack dat robot open and steal it's heart...i mean power cell.

Alex, should have made a real net, not left it a dust construct if you expected it to hold.

>>647281
Huh. Impressive. We didn't even mod the sword, did we. And it's not showing dust color- she didn't either. She cut through solid metal with pure strength, and she ain't even a user. Plague build is impressive. Wonder if that's normal or she's exceptional. Ask Sydney later.

In the meantime, intervene before she gets sniper. No standing out in the open like that longer than necessary.

Careful with the spearbot. Beheaded and down an arm doesn't necessarily mean it's dead, or no longer a threat.

Exclamations of wow and thanks are also probably appropriate.

Only bad news is she just added herself to the enemy's friend / foe identification database. She's gonna be stuck traveling with us, she'll just be a target living in a civilian area.

Drag it into the tree cover to disassemble it. Disassemble vital components first so it can't get back up again should we have to leave it for a while - joints, CPU, power conduits, etc.

First, grab the spear, both for personal use and in case that thing isn't all the way dead. Time permitting, drain the power cell, but do NOT thoroughly mutilate or salvage the remains. Subverting a hunter later on is most likely to work if it comes as a complete surprise, and showing signs of interest in the anatomy now might tip them off.

Tell Photina you now feel better about your relative lack of skill at swordplay. There's no shame in losing to the best.

Keep looking for the other sniper, and prepare to depart.

>>647406
not drain, just jam our hand through it's chest and rip it out, then flee.

>>647281
Wow. Hopefully that isn't a big drain on her dust reserves, though.

>>647408
The problem with ripping it out is that we make an enemy of them. However... We've already done that, so I suppose there's no reason not to. And Sydney said that leaving them able to return to service is just asking them to kill us, anyways.
Let's avoid total demolition of the unit, as that could bring up our threat level quickly, but removing the power core should mean that we've got one less hunter after us even if the others ignore it to follow us (Which I think is quite likely), while leaving it able to be returned to service once we're far, far away.

Apollo 2015/06/21(Sun)20:02 No. 649960 ID: defceb
File 143494213367.png - (236.60KB , 900x700 , 118.png )

>“Where’s the battery!?”

“I imagine it would be stored in the chest, where it’s best protected-”

>”Pardon me Mr. Robot I need this. Thanks, bye!”

Apollo 2015/06/21(Sun)20:03 No. 649962 ID: defceb
File 143494221764.png - (364.61KB , 900x700 , 119.png )

>“Photina, we need to fly out now!”

“Oh no, I did it again, didn’t I?”

>”You practically cleaved the thing in half!”

“I’m sorry Alex, I thought it was going to hurt you and I lost focus and-”

>”It was awesome!”

“What?”

>”I got the battery!”

”That should last you a while. I’ve located the other sniper and cracked the bug’s code. I think you can trick the sniper into shooting it’s allies now if you so choose. Can’t guarantee it won’t catch on though.”

Might as well. Anything for a couple of seconds.

See if the sniper bot can trickshot all three of those bots at once!

might as well, it could let us slip ahead and get away before they figure out what we're doing. Just aim for the bots closer to use with the sniper fire.

>I’m sorry Alex, I thought it was going to hurt you and I lost focus and-
For future reference, saving out life and/or killing evil robots is not something to apologize for! That's a good thing.

Maybe ask Sydney about how plague dust users work. Is that a normal thing? Why's she ashamed of it? You're kind of surprised non-users are capable of taking these things on.

Also, careful. You can't put on a lot of speed or suddenly change directions without risking dislocating her arm, or breaking a bone, the way you're holding her. It might be worth taking a moment to switch to a better carry when you can.

>think you can trick the sniper into shooting it’s allies now if you so choose. Can’t guarantee it won’t catch on though.
If we fire rounds between us and them, like there's a timing error, we can get them to back off without giving away to the sniper we hacked it. Save tricking it into firing directly at an ally when we really need it.

>>649962
YESSS friendly fire please.

Let's save the trick for when we really need it, like if there's one in the optimal path out.

Apollo 2015/06/21(Sun)23:54 No. 650042 ID: defceb
File 143495604203.png - (286.92KB , 900x700 , 120.png )

>“Photina, up!”

“Ooh, soft fur.”

>“How many bugs do you think I can get away with, Sydney?”

“I suppose if you released several at once, the sniper would automatically attempt to shoot each one that lands before being able to confirm friendly fire.”

>“So a lot. Got it!”

Apollo 2015/06/21(Sun)23:55 No. 650043 ID: defceb
File 143495610083.png - (303.35KB , 900x700 , 121.png )

“Oh by the way, considering the munitions, if they get hit in the wrong spot they might-”

Apollo 2015/06/21(Sun)23:55 No. 650044 ID: defceb
File 143495612681.png - (214.34KB , 900x700 , 122.png )

“...explode.”

Apollo 2015/06/21(Sun)23:55 No. 650047 ID: defceb
File 143495614566.png - (156.96KB , 900x700 , 123.png )

“...huh, didn’t expect that.”

>>650047
What were you expecting?

He's probably dead. Time to go home.

ouch. an who's this bitch?

Apollo 2015/06/22(Mon)00:56 No. 650058 ID: defceb
File 143495981795.png - (184.63KB , 900x700 , 124.png )

“Begin audio log.”

“Primary target entered conflict with four Valkyrie and two Canine units. Appeared to hack our targeting bugs and used them to to force friendly fire upon the Valkyrie units, destroying them. Resulting explosion presumably killed the target. I’m more than a little disappointed, I was hoping for a fun hunt for once. Requesting to return home.”

“...”

“...fine. I’ll begin searching for any signs of the corpse with remaining units. End audio log.”

Apollo 2015/06/22(Mon)00:57 No. 650059 ID: defceb
File 143495984341.png - (264.51KB , 900x700 , 125.png )

“...so, think they’re dead?”

>>650059
Look over the barrier with a mirror.

With any luck they think we're dead. Time to skedaddle.

re-engage optic camo, fly upwards with the smoke a way. be a smoke cloud.

Do stuff with the battery.

Can we manufacture partially destroyed corpses of ourselves with dust? If any enemy unit follow up on that, we want them to believe the explosion killed us.

Also, reinforce to Photina that killing robots trying to kill you is a good thing, why's she sorry. And maybe ask Sydney about plague dust people- how's that work, and is it unusual?

let's not stick around to find out.

Sidney, you still ok?

Try to hide evidence of your dust fortifications. You might be able to convince the hunters that you were caught in the blast.
Speaking of dust, I bet you could top off your reserves from the debris of the explosion. Just a quick siphon, and then you're gone with the blastwave!

Pop quiz, Sidney! In previous cases where a flying-bug-type user was killed by an explosion of this approximate type and magnitude, what sort of readily-identifiable remains were left behind? Relatively intact corpse punctured by fragments, shredded corpse, or charred skeleton, or what? Regardless, how quickly could we fab up such a thing, is there any chance it would hold up under scrutiny, and how much closer to the blast center would it need to be for immediate and permanent incapacitation to be plausible?

>>650249
That's kind of brilliant. If there's one thing Sydney should know, it's exactly what a dead user should look like after a wide variety of incidents.

Once you've got the fake corpse in place and are at least five miles away from the battlefield, treat Photina's injuries and ask about what usually happens when she loses control.

Possibly also take the opportunity to look up her tunic or otherwise attempt something lewd and inappropriate, but desist immediately unless she enjoys it.

Apollo 2015/06/27(Sat)00:59 No. 651047 ID: defceb
File 143539198494.png - (269.24KB , 900x700 , 126.png )

>”I think I see one of them still moving around.”

“Should we fight it?”

>”No, let’s tend your wounds and then get out of here.”

“Oh! Thank you.”

>”About back there-”

“I’m sorry, again. I don’t usually freak out like that.”

>”No, no, no it’s okay! Killing those robots is always a good thing, it might’ve offed me first if you hadn’t intervened. What was that though?”

“It doesn’t happen often, I swear. Sometimes I just… panic. A little. And lash out.”

>”And cleave through reinforced armor?”

“Like I said, I lash out. Most people don’t trust me after it happens, if they even trust me beyond my condition at first.”

>”Well I think it’s awesome.”

“Oh! Uh… thanks?”

>”Sydney, are you okay?”

“Worried, but unharmed. I’m heading to your location now.”

>”Make sure you’re not being tailed, take your time if you have to. Also, I need a corpse.”

“I have an extensive collection of users who have died from similar blasts. I suppose if you were to fabricate one, it would suffice long enough to escape.”

>”And about Photina...”

“Plague is best related to a lottery system for super powers. On one hand, the victim could be gifted with rage-induced strength, like Photina. Or have half their body ‘repurposed’ into a marble statue. Which kills them, by the way. There isn’t a ‘normal’ result from the plague, it is random by nature.”

Apollo 2015/06/27(Sat)01:00 No. 651048 ID: defceb
File 143539205675.png - (144.22KB , 900x700 , 127.png )

>Leave a fake corpse
>Take down the fortification
>Top off dust reserves with the debris.
>Stealth out

“There is a small settlement ahead. They will have food and information on the local area. Additionally, there appears to be a small military regimen camping there. I believe their presence is related to the user we are looking for. Do you wish to make a stop there?”

>>651048
Only if we can do so stealthily. We don't want to give away that we are alive right after bothering to fake our deaths.

yeah, if we can get there without being tailed then it's a good.

only if we're not being followed. Would really hate myself if I lead a bunch of killer robots into a town and have them all slaughtered by said robots.

Also this user, know anything about him... or her? doesn't have to be much just even a name or a tittle would be fine.

Photina has super-strength! And is good with a blade. Impressive! Might want to look into ways to help her more directly choose how to direct or suppress her emotions/powers. Any kind of self-conditioning training that would be able to aid her more than she's already aided herself? Mind over matter meditation stuff? If panic and emotion is what triggers the rage, there could be more things she could do to get control over how and when to feel like feeling panic-ragy.

And yeah, silent entry is probably wise. Getting out of the area right now is probably wise, too, before anyone comes to check up on their bot. How's the scene look? Plausible? Does the last remaining killbot have any recording thingamajig we'd want to take out of the picture before leaving?

>Plague is best related to a lottery system for super powers. On one hand, the victim could be gifted with rage-induced strength, like Photina. Or have half their body ‘repurposed’ into a marble statue.
Well, I guess it's lucky for all of us she's not a statue!

>Do you wish to make a stop there?
We can't be seen. It won't do any good to fake our death if the investigator can find reports of us alive after the blast just a short bit away. Be nice to leave a trail colder than that.

Avoid settlement. Acquire food elsewhere. Raid a farm perhaps, abduct a cow like the bug-eyed alien you are?

Would it be useful to pretend Alexandrius Falt is dead and gone by keeping the active camo on full time and so forth, and that Photina has been reanimated as Sidney's new active user?

Apollo 2015/06/30(Tue)02:41 No. 651889 ID: defceb
File 143565726636.png - (167.08KB , 900x700 , 128.png )

>”Let’s make sure we’re not being followed and maybe we can sneak in there real fast.”

---

“...and there it is! A small town.”

“More a village”

“Kind of a settlement. Out here their main concerns are food, sex, and the occasional hungry wolf passing by.”

>”You still have wolves in this day and age?”

“In a manner of speaking. You probably wouldn’t recognize them as a wolf compared to the kind you’re familiar with. If you look a little to the right you should be able to spot a temporary camp that has been set up. Either military or mercenary forces are passing through, possibly related to the user we’re looking for.”

>”Speaking of, where are they?”

“There’s a bridge not too far past the town, they’ve been resting there for a while now.”

>”Any info we could get on them beforehand?”

“I’ve been asking, but their psychopomp has declined to share information so far.”

stop in town for some grub. to pay for it we can like, fix something that seems important to the food person. then head to the camp. try to eavesdrop, do they hate/fear dust or are they actually investigating?

>I’ve been asking, but their psychopomp has declined to share information so far.
Is that usual? How much info did you give out about me? At the very least, they can infer someone is nearby, if you're asking.

Could we dust up a spyglass? Get a look at these mercenaries? (Careful of lens glare, we don't want to give ourselves away).

Apollo 2015/06/30(Tue)13:20 No. 651975 ID: defceb
File 143569564528.png - (211.96KB , 900x700 , 129.png )

>”Is that normal? Do they ask about me?”

“Depends on the user. I would ask your permission before sharing information about you as well, the user we’re looking for probably just declined to share.”

>”So they haven’t asked about me at all?”

“They don’t seem interested in you in the slightest.”

>”I’m wounded, Sydney. Truly wounded.”

>Dust up a spyglass, take a peek at the mercenaries

>”Sydney, if you can’t get anything on the user can you tell me about their psychopomp instead?”

“Absolutely.”

>”I’m seeing something that looks like a four-winged version of you on their scroll.”

“That is correct.”

>”Looks like the mercs are looking for the same person we are then.”

“Oh, oh, let me see! …oh, uhm… Alex, I’m pretty sure they’re here to kill your friend.”

>”You can tell that just by looking?”

“They’re armed, armored, and waving around a bounty notice. You don’t carry those around to give out hugs.”

How good are you at hiding, Sydney? Maybe you can hang out up in the air like a spyplane?

ask Photina if she's familiar with the mercenary group at all or no? would be nice to know a little more about them. As for what to do, I say fly around while sticking low to the ground and see what we can pick up with the spyglass. Oh and can anyone read what the bounty the one guy is holding up says? Might give us an idea on why they're chasing this guy.

Sydney, just in case we run into any mercenaries who don't stop to count the wings, how good are you at hiding or looking like something else?

Can Photina or Sydney read the bounty notice from here? (Do we need to do a zoom and enhance?). It would be nice to know what the actual charges are.

Hmm. So we're either right on top of a user who needs to get away from the torches and pitchforks, on a menace user who's made himself a problem for these people. Be nice to know what kind of trouble this is before we stick our noses in it.

Wait, do I still have a nose? My face is kind of pointy... *start patting and feeling around*

>>651975
Well he's not a friend. Users can hinder or help each other, and it looks like this guy might not be the friendly type.

Maybe we can go down and ask what the bounty on his head is for. In disguise. Giant bug suddenly flying into town is going to freak people out.

>>651977
or he can attach to our back and make it look like we have more wings.

>Alex, I’m pretty sure they’re here to kill your friend.
Sydney, I hope you're sending them a warning about this.

Looks like the Psychopomp has very thin wings forming an X-Wing pattern, while the User... Looks to be a bit of a Plague victim, themselves. Is there any data online about the mercenaries who use that Wolf insignia?

Apollo 2015/06/30(Tue)19:04 No. 652110 ID: defceb
File 143571629490.png - (187.28KB , 900x700 , 130.png )

>”Sydney, are you sending this info to them?”

“I could if you want me to.”

>”Know anything about these Mercs?”

“I know this one! Meliton used to do business with them. Called themselves the Silver Pack. He told me that they used to belong to a city-state. When the city burned down they were stuck out of a job, and chose mercenary work to put food on the table. Meliton says they’re useful for their… disk-reteon? They’re not opposed to shady work. They have at least two mages that I know of, the kind with tattoos like yours.”

>”Can you read the notice?”

“It’s too small.”

>”Try zooming.”

“Zoom? Ooooh. Looks like someone is offering top coin for the persons’ head on the grounds of murder. Something about a merchant and fighting on a bridge.”

>”I’d like to know more before we stick our nose into this trouble… Wait, do I still have a nose?”

“I haven’t seen one. Or your mouth, now that we’re talking about it. Can’t you smell things?”

>”I can but… Sydney, where’s my nose!?”

“I couldn’t just slap a human nose on your bug face, that would be creepy. By which I mean creepier than you already are.”

“I think he’s cute.”

“We’re getting off topic. What’s the plan, Alex?”

>>652110
>I think he’s cute.
AH HA told you!

>We’re getting off topic. What’s the plan, Alex?
uh, I mean, best we go down and try to figure things out. I mean we could dust up some clothes to help us blend in and ask around town. See if we can't get a better idea while also looking for supplies.

Clearly we should take a leaf from our enemies playbook and build autonomous drones to do our bidding.

>I think he’s cute.
Give Sydney your best "I told you so" look.

>They have at least two mages that I know of, the kind with tattoos like yours.
Ooh. Other dust users. Maybe not amped up to user levels like we are, but as Photina proved, that could still be a non-trivial threat.

>no nose
My antennae maybe? Some bugs smell with those right?

>no mouth
Well hopefully I won't just starve like those copper moths.

>what do
Well... we could warn the other guy these people are looking for him. Problem is we don't know if he's a jerk or not, and if he'll just leave the area, or attack them.

We could try going into town to try getting more intelligence, and finding supplies and seeing if I have a mouth to put said supplies into but that might get complicated if we get mixed up in this. Or bad for the town if more killer robots find me.

Dust yourself a nose.
Just kidding. As a bug, maybe you smell or even taste with your appendages!
I say we find their leader and assassinate him, and maybe his direct subordinate.

>Well hopefully I won't just starve like those copper moths.
Typically, moths have a proboscis "Straw" known as a Galea. I've actually seen Moths from that pre-Dust era and while they did have the Galea, it often was not visible.
The majority of adult-staged moths actually have this Galea, with a minority losing some or all of their mouthparts, like the Coppermoths did. It's very, VERY rare for them to have more carnivorous or omnivorous mouths like their larvae did, rare enough that there weren't even any non-sciency names that I could find...

I'm guessing that I've got some awesome beak hidden in here that opens up to reveal mandibles and an otherwise normal set of teeth? For the record, moth mandibles were tiny little things which basically only grasped things by working together, they otherwise had to use their limbs to help position and move the food around.

>>652240
Our copper moth buddies aren't alone- there's a whole family of moths whose adult forms lack digestive tracks, that have to reproduce before they run out of reserves.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturniidae#Adults

It really wouldn't be a surprising design here, considering a user's life expectancy- Sydney wouldn't have needed to give Alex something that would last. And/or we could theoretically built to subsist solely on dust.

So, all the psychopomps are working toward the same objective, and we've got a comm channel to this X-wing psychopomp, but they're not interested in sharing? Well, how secure is this channel?

Assuming the tower defenders haven't got a plausible way to be listening in, tell the other psychopomp we've got flight capability, a whole heap of information about military strategy and tactics that's been redacted from the official libraries, and a plan to breach the tower which actually becomes more likely to succeed the harder defenders try to kill us, provided it's got adequate resources up front. We could outrun the Silver Pack, while carrying a passenger, hundreds of miles in a day no sweat, or dramatically improve the chances of profitable victory in a fight... as part of some mutually-beneficial deal. No lone outlaw can afford to ignore willing allies.

>>652110

Told you, Sydney! Always go for the adorabug option!

Anyway, plan, plan. HUM. 'Discrete' mercs looking for someone with a psychopomp, with orders to kill. Guessss we wanna be discrete ourselves.

You should lay low for a while, Sydney. Or, er, lay high. We can keep in touch with you through our new comms, right?

We should also consider what we might possibly use for bribing townsfolks or mercs, if need be, and dust it up ahead of time. I'm guessing we don't want to make a big showing of our mighty mighty dust abilities, what with us wanting to stay on the down-low to avoid killer bots for a while.

Heck, that's a thought. What's currency around here like? Kind of hoping there's more to it than 'food, sex or the occasional wolf pelt'.

Once we've gotten ourselves sorted for what we might need for the dust stuff, Photine and Alex can head into town and attempt to get in touch with the locals to inquire, curiously, about the presence of the silver pack and who the poor sod they are looking for is. Might be we can pry more information out of them.

As for infodumping on other guy's psychopomp... let's not immediately do that? We don't know the guy, and for all we know, he'd be happy to use us as a distraction against the Silver Pack. We can always do it later if we don't make any headway in town.

>>652285
Not saying we should tell him everything we know, just mention the fact that we know useful things as an attempt to open negotiations. If this guy got in a lethal fight while crossing a bridge, instead of just hopping over the river at any convenient point, then he most likely doesn't have flight capability, or even realize the extent to which it's possible.

Sidney, check GPS logs. How long has the user in question been active, and how far has he traveled in that time, to the nearest order of magnitude?

>>652284
>Well, how secure is this channel?
It's not secure, considering at high enough threat levels that admins can order psychopomps to divulge their location.

The pyschopomps are the enemy are working against each other, but they're still part of the same system. The only reason the enemy hasn't won by killing off the pyschopomps is there's an injunction against it.

Apollo 2015/07/02(Thu)14:13 No. 652648 ID: defceb
File 143587160619.png - (108.02KB , 900x700 , 131.png )

>”Hey Sydney.”

“...what.”

>”Told you so.”

“I’ll never hear the end of it.”

>”We need information. Let’s sneak down there and find out what they know. Sydney, you stay high and out of sight. Let the other guy know we can fly, we have a plan, and that we’re friendly. The rest we can tell them in person. Also, we’re going to need something to bribe the townsfolk if need be. I’m hoping it’s a little more complex than food, sex, and wolf pelts?”

“Of course, that was just a simplified overview.”

“I have some gold. That dust you’ve been sweeping up along the way could work too. Anything shiny and pretty, really. You, however, are going to need to blend in.”

>”I could use the stealth camo again to-”

“I meant clothing. If you at least dress like you’re properly civilized then they won’t immediately assume the worst from your appearance.”

>”But I am civilized! If anything I’m too civilized for this world.”

“Then you need to dial it back to our style. Fortunately for you, I’m here to help.”

Apollo 2015/07/02(Thu)14:15 No. 652650 ID: defceb
File 143587174528.png - (262.66KB , 900x700 , 132.png )

>”They’re staring at me.”

“They’re just jealous of your fashion.”

>”You really think so?”

“I don’t know, I tell myself that whenever they stare at me though. But nobody is assuming you’re a monster looking to eat their children, so that’s a plus.”

Quickly start whistling a tune that shall remove all doubt of your shady character look. (What shall we do we a drunken sailor?)

>>652653
Make sure it's the medley with "Donald Where's Your Trousers".

Also nice "Little Red Riding Hood" style you've got going on there. snrkkkk

>>652653
Why whistle?
Turn it into a straight up musical. Let those pipes of yours loose Alex! Show the world the beautiful singing voice you have!

>>652650
Maybe they just think you're short!

I wonder if the dust-wings are catching more eyes that the face. Shiny does draw attention.

>welcome to town
Hmm. So you're the local exert, where do you think we should go?

rub your leg on your wings and play a song.

>>652653
Hum a showtune.

you know being around this many people I'm start to realize just how short I am... OH god do they think I'm a kid or something?

Apollo 2015/07/02(Thu)17:13 No. 652678 ID: defceb
File 143588241685.png - (204.67KB , 900x700 , 133.png )

>”I could whistle a tune.”

“I don’t think that would help.”

>”SIng an opera?”

“That doesn’t sound helpful either…”

>”Maybe if I rub my leg on one of these wings I’ll chirp like a bug.”

“Let’s ask this person!”

“Oh, hello, hello! Welcome, welcome, you’ve chosen a good time to arrive. The market is alive today, for once. How can I- you’re not infectious are you? Of course not, pardon me for even asking. And is this fellow your uh… pet?”

>”I have a name. It’s Alex.”

“Aah! I mean, uhm, pardon me. How I can help you two?”

“I heard there was an outlaw on the loose nearby. Have you heard anything?”

>”Also what’s this? Grain?”

“Oh it’s terrible. Truly terrible! That monster pretended to be the bodyguard for a fair merchant, and struck them down at the bridge outside town! Perhaps their kind are just too brutal for any of us to be safe. Uh, by, uh, their kind I mean fairy-folk, not uh… people with conditions like yours. Of course…!”

“Oh, of course, truly terrible. Is that why the mercenaries are here then? To protect us?”

>”Is it edible? Is this what passes for food in this age?”

“Oh no, the merchant they struck down had ties to some wealthy men. They put out a bounty on the outlaw’s head, and now those mercenaries are here to collect. They brought a small army's worth of men though, which between you and me seems a little excessive. Not that my wallet is complaining, lots of men means loads of trade to go through.”

“Do you know anything else?”

“Just rumors. Some say they’re a barbarian, standing twelve feet tall and breathing fire. Or that they’re actually a vengeful spirit who came back and eats people! But if they were hired to be a bodyguard that must mean they are strong, and at least seemed personable enough to win the merchant’s trust. Hey! You have to pay before you can eat those.”

>”Oh, this is food.”

what about the merchant, what did you know about him before he died?

Also how much is dust even worth?

show him a both a small nugget of gold and a dust clump of equal size and ask how much each is worth.

>Some say they’re a barbarian, standing twelve feet tall and breathing fire. Or that they’re actually a vengeful spirit who came back and eats people! But if they were hired to be a bodyguard that must mean they are strong, and at least seemed personable enough to win the merchant’s trust.
Not really enough info to go off of, but that suggests they went the humanoid tank route. Probably not plague, and I want to guess birthright rather than exposure.

>That monster pretended to be the bodyguard for a fair merchant, and struck them down at the bridge outside town!
Hmm. The most likely scenarios are either the user specifically targeted the merchant (had a grudge? Wanted something the merchant had?), or they got attacked by killer robots and the user was blamed.

>You have to pay before you can eat those
Too bad! I already ate one. I can pay now, though, if you'll still take it.

>>652698
could also have been an attempted double cross. the merchant decided to sneak attack their own guard, perhaps the price for guarding was so high they felt it was worth it? it failed and they were killed in retaliation.

Let Photina, who knows how the economy works, pay for us, rather than accidentally flashing signs of having deep pockets. We want to save that for when we actually want to bribe someone!

Anyway, that's all very interesting, shopmistress. Why'd you call this dangerous fellow a fairy, though? I mean, obviously he wasn't a -real- fairy. Real fairies should be small, cute and cheerful; like me! Not dangerous, fire-breathing and hurting honest merchantfolk... he was an honest merchant, right? Wait, no, that might be one of those difficult words. Oxymon? Oxymonon? Something.

... what I mean to get at, was the dead guy a good guy?

Also, I'm not saying I am a fairy with magical powers. That would be ridiculous. And untrue. Because I'm not.

>actually want to bribe someone!

Uh... anyway, want a little shiny dust to tell us more of what happened at the bridge and with the fairy guy? Or at least tell us of someone in town who might do so? And will it pay for more of these foodstuffs? They're quite tasty!

... sorry, I've got wandering mandibles.

(If we're going to stand out like a sore fairy anyway... maybe play the part?)

>>652824
Could we not say all that fairy stuff and get the town even more suspicious of us than our appearance makes them.

>>652825

It's a fair point. We'll attract attention faster this way.

We might also make progress faster by directing the locals' suspicions in ways that make sense to them! If they're suspicious that we're here to, say, rid them of a local problem, then they won't mind our presence so much, would they?

Also, if they're suspicious we have strange magical powers, they might not want to sell us out or mess with us. Their suspicion and xenophobia could also be turned into interest and fascination: just WHO is this mysteriously handsome, and charming, bug-man that's come into town?

Or they could try selling us out to the Silver Pack for a high price... but hey, at least someone's getting something out of the deal.

We're a traveling dust wizard. Looking for other dust wizards. Because we're probably hiring. Also pay for what you're eating but don't get ripped off.

We need to see if we can put together a generator of some kind, something we can use to convert some of the more plentiful resources, like wood or coal, into the resource we need more of, charge for our battery/batteries? We could probably manage a steam engine of some kind, but we would need some metal and water to manage that. Also magnets, I guess.

Apollo 2015/07/04(Sat)00:37 No. 652959 ID: defceb
File 143599542816.png - (138.15KB , 900x700 , 134.png )

>”Too bad! I already ate one. I can pay now though so-”

“No, I’ll pay, a coin for the grain and another if you know anything about the merchant.”

“For such a generous soul as yourself? I suppose I know a thing or two. The merchant in question was Lycus of Kardia. They were the shady type, but they made enough friends in the city governments to keep their feet out of the fire. I figured it was only a matter of time before they tried to burn someone who wouldn’t let him walk away. If they tried to turn on someone as savage as those fairy-folk then it’s only natural that they would end up in the ground.”

“You sound awfully cheerful about their situation.”

“They were competition. The kind I don’t appreciate having around. My life is a little easier now knowing they’re gone.”

>”What do you mean about fairy-folk?”

“Ah! A foreigner, I presume? Not familiar with the local lore? I have just the thing for you! Gaze upon this fine amphora, decorated with the visage of one of the very fairy-folk of which we speak. Fairies roam our lands, capturing the spirits of the dead to do their bidding. Everywhere they go they bring trouble in the form of war, disease, famine, all sorts of problems. If you’re the religious type, I hear they’re the servants of Ashsarame.”

“Old goddess figure, has snakes for hair, wears a robe of snakes, waves snakes around in her hands. Not exactly the most creative.”

“Ahh, the lady is educated as well! The amphora is for sale by the way, I’m sure a refined gentleman like yourself would appreciate it’s excellent craftsmanship.”

>They were the shady type, but they made enough friends in the city governments to keep their feet out of the fire. I figured it was only a matter of time before they tried to burn someone who wouldn’t let him walk away
Well, that's circumstantial evidence the the user we're here to meet probably isn't a crazy murderer who killed out of hand.

>The amphora is for sale by the way, I’m sure a refined gentleman like yourself would appreciate it’s excellent craftsmanship.
Decline politely. You're the kind of tinkerer who likes to make your own stuff when you can, and fine pottery doesn't hold up well to life on the road, unfortunately.

>fairy folk
Hmm. If that's the lore, it's kind of surprising Photina didn't recognize Sydney as a
harbinger of doom. I mean, this isn't her town, but we didn't travel that far, either. Maybe a question to ask after we've left the stall.

>what do
Well, I think we got as good intelligence as we can really get- no one's going to know for sure about the user. I guess we use the time we're in town to get a decent meal and maybe whatever supplies are convenient and can't easily be dusted up?

>The amphora is for sale by the way
"how much dust would that cost me?"
Be nice to know what the locals think of us without having to play 20 questions. We could also double check with Sidney when we regroup and see if this is more propaganda bullshit that seems to be making her job harder.

>>652963
It's not propaganda bullshit, it's the completely natural fallout from giving random people super powers while killer robots chase after them.

Not everyone is gonna use that power responsibly, or make sure they don't cause collateral damage. It's to be expected that what passes for civilization around here should be wary of them.

make a basic low energy simulacrum with dust. "i'm the making stuff kind of wizard, stuff doesn't really interest me, can't make proper food though. that's where you come in" and let the fake dissolve.

hmm... ask about the tower. what's local lore about what the tower is and why it is.

>>652959
Wow, that's a very Grecian urn. Actually, there's a lot of Grecian elements to this culture, aren't there? That seems notable. Not sure why someone would be deliberately fostering those though. Seems rather unlikely for them to just spring up though.

>Fairies roam our lands, capturing the spirits of the dead to do their bidding. Everywhere they go they bring trouble in the form of war, disease, famine, all sorts of problems.
I'd be offended if that wasn't so accurate. Although I expect the problems usually come in the form of giant killer robots.

>>652965
>It's not propaganda bullshit, it's the completely natural fallout from giving random people super powers while killer robots chase after them
meant more along the lines of if they think the killer robots following the fairies work for the fairies, how much of the stories are true and what is simply being exaggerated, are their lessions or morals at the end of every story saying to hate the fairies and their ilk, that sort of thing. I knew not everyone brought back is going to be a saint seeing how one of the books we got to read by Sidney was called "An idiot’s guide to not getting human friends killed".

>>652959

It's a lovely amphora; unfortunately we're kind of on the move right now and wouldn't want to risk such a fine work of art on the road.

If we can manage to phrase it well, perhaps ask if she knows if anybody actually saw Lycos and his bodyguard. Then we can seek them out for more questioning.

Might also want to stock up on food while we have the chance... unless we/Photina don't need that much?

Also: Fine, y'all were correct about not pretending to be fey.

>>652959
Do not demonstrate Dust control here.

Before you decline, how useful would the thing be for raw materials? Remember that reinforcing Dust with other materials results in a much stronger construction.

Ask about that archmage from Edessa, the one with the fusion reactor.

>>652990
It's clay. If we're just going to use it as raw materials we could get cheap amphorae without decorations.

Huh, neat looking design upon the pot, and an amphora would have it's uses. Not really sure if I've got enough for it, though.

(Just play it like we don't have a whole lot and see what his offer is, if he gives one.)

Apollo 2015/07/04(Sat)13:53 No. 653043 ID: defceb
File 143604321790.png - (116.51KB , 900x700 , 135.png )

>”It really is a fine amphora, but unfortunately we’re the travelling kind and it wouldn’t fare well with us. Just some food for the road, please.”

“Of course, of course, I understand. Fine art like this is so precious after all. Grain, wine, some bread, all for the fair price of two drachma?”

“Fair for the city maybe, but out here I’ll give you five obol.”

“One drachma, three obol?”

“One drachma or we go somewhere else.”

“Very well, very well, all the goods for the price of one drachma. Enjoy your travels, I do hope we can meet again.”

>”Oh, before we go I had one last question.”

“Anything for a fine customer.”

>”Do you know anything about an Archmage from Edessa?”

Apollo 2015/07/04(Sat)13:53 No. 653044 ID: defceb
File 143604323875.png - (117.31KB , 900x700 , 136.png )

“...No. Farewell. Goodbye. Have fun on your journey.”

>>653044
...is that a marking on his face? Exposure pattern, that he wears that hat to hide?

I wonder if you can ask to speak to him in private.

Be oblivious to the merchant's chilly reaction to that. Good thing bugs have a pretty good poker face.

'Kay, thanks. Byyyyeeee!

Beat it, review info with Photina as you eat. So it sounds like our friend probably had to deal with a merchant who tried to cross them. Maybe wonder why she hadn't heard stories about faeries being bad news.

hit a sour note I see

>Be oblivious to the merchant's chilly reaction to that. Good thing bugs have a pretty good poker face.
>'Kay, thanks. Byyyyeeee!
Yeah, this sounds good.

Apollo 2015/07/05(Sun)01:39 No. 653156 ID: defceb
File 143608555785.png - (67.44KB , 900x700 , 137.png )

>”Kay, thanks, byyyyeeeee!”

“Yeesh, they turned ice cold at the end.”

>”Yeah, I noticed. So about that whole fairy-folk talk, did you know about that?”

“What, fairy-people being doom and gloom? Sure, my parents used to tell me stories.”

>”But when you ran into Sydney and me-”

“Well, they also told me stories about a Sasquatch that would sneak into the house and eat me if I were a bad child.”

>”You believe in the Sasquatch!?”

“About as much as I believe in a woman who wears snakes for clothes, or dragons that burn down whole cities in a single night, or ancient undead kings who store their souls in jars. Come on, don’t be silly!”

>”That merchant seemed to believe it.”

“And some people believe that praying to a gold statue will make their yearly harvest improve.”

>”Fair enough.”

“So, the way I see it, the whole conflict between our new user and the late merchant could have been caused by either of them. Do you want to keep gathering information in town, or head out to meet them?”

think we should only keep looking only if we can find someone who was actually there. Otherwise I think we'd just attract to much attention to ourselves.

Another avenue of investigation might be finding someone who knows if Lycus of Kardia was doing anything in particular at the time he got killed. Was he trading something special, did he have a deal going down, or similar things of interest.

>a woman who wears snakes for clothes, or dragons that burn down whole cities in a single night, or ancient undead kings who store their souls in jars.
You know, most of those things are actually pretty plausible in slightly modified form. The snake lady could be some tower admin or spokesperson who is really into the "dangling wires" look, any big flying machine with bombs could fit the profile of a dragon, and Sydney is basically operating from a soul jar so someone embodied might as well.

Hey, good for us, we found a skeptic in the land of myth.

>About as much as I believe in a woman who wears snakes for clothes, or dragons that burn down whole cities in a single night, or ancient undead kings who store their souls in jars
Hmm. Snakes could possibly be woven together, but without some means to control them, or keep them passive, they wouldn't stay in formation. There are probably robot dragons. And uploading a person into a long term storage medium is theoretically possible...

>So, the way I see it, the whole conflict between our new user and the late merchant could have been caused by either of them. Do you want to keep gathering information in town, or head out to meet them?
User. She already adopted our jargon.

Well, unless we can find a witness, or someone who knew what the merchant or user were planning in advance (a friend or co-conspirator?), I don't think we can narrow it down any further than that.

not much to ask... maybe see the military 'wizards' and see if they know a trick or two. give them a trick back, like the railgun.

>>653188
But that would violate the Prime Directive!

>>653188
Let's not go arming one side in this conflict before we decide who's side we'd want to be on.

Especially as the other user would probably take us arming the people out to kill them as a hostile act. It's not unreasonable to assume they're monitoring the mercs.

Apollo 2015/07/05(Sun)17:56 No. 653288 ID: defceb
File 143614420496.png - (141.09KB , 900x700 , 138.png )

>”Maybe if we ask about that Lycus guy directly we can find something interesting. I’ll try asking the villagers.”

“I’ll ask the mercenaries. Perhaps they can be swayed by my feminine charms ...if they’re not hostile to my condition, that is.”

---

>“Finally I can take this hood off. It’s been cramping my antenna this whole time.”

“I thought those were just for show.”

>”I use them! I think, maybe, I still haven’t figured out what they do yet. Any luck with the mercs?”

“Most of them wouldn’t even talk to me. Those that would, refused to share information. ‘Business secrets’ and all that. Though with a little eavesdropping I heard that the mercenaries are looking for a box the merchant was carrying. That might have been important. How about you?”

>“Lycus of Kardia was a grade A asshole, but he was an asshole with friends in high places. Last they saw him, he was acting super paranoid as well. This all sounds shady to me.”

”Long time no see. I looked ahead for the user, they’re just down this trail.”

Apollo 2015/07/05(Sun)17:57 No. 653289 ID: defceb
File 143614422366.png - (102.78KB , 900x700 , 139.png )

“Also, I’m 90% certain they’re taking a nap.”

>Also, I’m 90% certain they’re taking a nap.
Well, that's probably safe, if they can count on their psychopomp to wake them if something dangerous approaches. Still kind of silly to sleep that out in the open. They're confident.

What's with the different number of wings, Sydney? Stylistic choice, or indicator of rank or class?

Is the the box they're sleeping on?

Hmm. Do we just say hi and see what happens?

See if you can look at (not touch) the box and maybe tell what's in it.

I bet he names his sword compensation... no we are not going to say that to his face

Well seeing how his dust isn't blue that means he's either an an exposed dust user or plague user. Seeing how he has a dust made sword thought I'm guessing he's an exposure user since it would be rare for a plague user to have much control over dust. Well might as well go say hi.

Right, he's just sleeping. Why don't you initiate a handshake protocol with his psychopomp?
Users are hunted, this one might be laid out as bait for others.

Apollo 2015/07/06(Mon)01:20 No. 653365 ID: defceb
File 143617084545.png - (305.97KB , 900x700 , 140.png )

>”Does it mean anything for their psychopomp to have more wings?”

“A purely stylistic choice, for visual differentiation.”

>”Hey sleepyhead!”

“Hmnng, huh?”

”You have pending messages, and [three] visitors.”

“Of course. I can’t even rest through sunset undisturbed these days.”

”One [human], [dust attuned], [plague]. Appears to have bronze plating across the right side of their face. One [anomalous life form], [dust attuned], [exposure]. Insectile appearance. Classified [cute]. One [psychopomp], designation [Sydney].

“Are you another person looking to kill me, then? Did you think a surprise attack in my sleep was beneath you?”

>>653365
"that's what the pending messages are about. we both have these cute fairies, wondering if you wanna team up to break something"

>>653365
> Classified [cute].
Apparently were so cute that's now our most noteworthy feature! I'm not objecting.

>Are you another person looking to kill me, then?
No, no, you've got me wrong! I'm here to... Uh...
... why were we here again?
Oh right team ups yes?

>>653365

Not really! You happened to be one of the closest users to us, and we were curious and wondering whether we could be of help to each other.

Speaking of which, hello! I am Alexandrius Falt, recently-made user, and these are my friends Photina and Sydney. (Sydney, you -have- updated your status to 'friends' with me, right? If not, do eeet.)

You and your psychopomp would be...?

>Are you another person looking to kill me, then? Did you think a surprise attack in my sleep was beneath you?
No, not really looking for a fight truth be told, and if I was going to attack you while you slept I would have actually attacked you while you slept not yell out hello.

As for why I'm here, truthfully I was hoping that we might be able to team up, or at the very least agree not to try and kill each other whenever we come across each other. Oh and I understand if this is sudden so feel free to take your time coming up with an answer, wasn't 100% sure whether you were actually sleeping or not and regardless I'm not really expecting an immediate answer since this is pretty much just coming up out of no where.

I would hug you, but I don't know what you would do..... would you like a hug?

No, not here to try and kill you. Probably. Definitely would have gone for the suprise attack.

Just dropping by, you know. I'm kinda new at this. We're peers, see? We both got psychopomps, or faries, if you prefer.

Introduce self, see if he's got a name.

>>653365
I have literally just met you and I already have no idea what you're talking about.

No if we were here to kill you we DEFINITELY would have taken advantage of the napping. Too many robots trying to kill us to ignore advantages like that.

"I've got a plan for getting to the top of that tower, but it depends in part on coordinated close-range combat, which Photina here can confirm is not my strong suit. I hear your last bodyguard job went sour. Are you ready to get back on the figurative horse, and maybe depart in a literal high-speed invisible aircraft before the wolves catch up?"

I thought you were the ambush, lying around in the open like that! Seems you're pretty confident you can take on giant killer robots.

>>653365
Dang, we might be classified as cute, but this guy's classified as Badass.
>“Are you another person looking to kill me, then? Did you think a surprise attack in my sleep was beneath you?”
I don't kill people I just met! Uh, sorry to wake you up, but I figured you'd want to know that there are some guys who do want to kill you heading this way.

>I don't kill people I just met!
Well, unless they try to kill me first, maybe. That's sort of what happened with the robots.

>>653365
What's in the box? WHAT'S IN THE BOX?!

Oh. Is the other user a female? Seems like a female. Be careful, she might be as strong as Photina and/or stronger. spooky

*spoopy

>>653497
>Well, unless they try to kill me first, maybe. That's sort of what happened with the robots.

Nope! Out of six known attackers, one escaped entirely unscathed, three fell to friendly fire, Photina chopped one up without explicit orders, and one was blinded but otherwise intact due to a deliberate choice on our part to refrain from full lethal force.

Overall, that's a fairly extraordinary degree of restraint, considering the circumstances. Granted, we arranged the friendly fire, but they're the ones who decided to continue shooting into a melee without proper IFF tags, when the sniper could as easily have accepted being temporarily neutralized and waited for a better opening.

Alexandrius Falt has never, in his current life, attacked with the pure intent to kill.

Apollo 2015/07/08(Wed)02:03 No. 653911 ID: defceb
File 143634621003.png - (198.20KB , 900x700 , 141.png )

>“No, No! I’m not here to fight you! Actually come to think of it I haven’t directly killed anything myself yet.”

“You’ve shown remarkable restraint in that regard.”

>”Anyway, I’m Alex. I’ve got a plan for reaching the top of that tower, but I can’t do it on my own. If you’re willing, I’d think we could team up and help each other actually succeed at this insane goal we’ve been given. Also, there’s a pack of mercenaries on their way who do want to kill you and uh… wow, you’re tall.”

”What did you say your name is again?

>”Uh… Alex. Alexandrius Falt?”

“May I call you Iskandar? Iska, for short?”

Okay!

But, um, what should I call you?

>>653911
If we're giving nicknames, it's only fair we get to return the gesture in kind.
What's your name?

You can, but I need to know one thing. How do you see through that mask?

>>653911
Uh. Sure I guess? Why, does that mean something?
Or is it just easier for you to pronounce or something?

>“May I call you Iskandar? Iska, for short?”
I'm sensing theirs a story behind that name. But if you don't mind me asking what's your name.

>“May I call you Iskandar? Iska, for short?”

I don't see why not! It's close enough, given that Iskandar's the persian name for 'Alexander'. Though I'm not (yet) as great as that namesake! Certainly not in size, at least.

Ancient Earth references, intentional or not, keeps cropping up with remarkable frequency, Sydney. Unless that was a translation error?

>>653920

In fact, thinking about it, wasn't Edessa reputedly the first capital of Macedonia? Pella was the capital by the time of Alexander the Great, but Edessa was still in Macedonian territory.

Maybe, if these references aren't totally random, but instead interrelated, this user - having the cultural base to know the Persian name of Alexander - knows something of Juno from Edessa?

Or maybe I'm grasping at straws. Couldn't hurt to ask, either way! Unless she has a more violent reaction than the shopkeep. Then it could hurt a lot.

>May I call you Iskandar? Iska, for short?
Does that name mean something? So long as it doesn't mean something terrible like "person I'm going to kill", sure, why not.

So what's your name? Or do I get to name you too?

(If they introduce themselves but not their psychopomp, follow up, ask after them).

I like that name. Not as much as Imperious Doombug, Lord of a Thousand Comets, but it's a start.

We're still headed for the festival of lights, right? Initial demonstration of rapid, stealthy transport as a show of good faith (and field test for carrying two people at once), then we can get to know each other during the party before discussing the plan in detail. Can't be too careful who you trust with even the broad outlines of such grand subterfuge.

Apollo 2015/07/12(Sun)19:02 No. 655507 ID: defceb
File 143675294069.png - (229.37KB , 900x700 , 142.png )

>”Uh, okay!”

“Little Iska.”

“I’m Photina!”

“And I’m Sydney.”

“Iskandar, defending man. Photina, light. Sydney, from Sidon.”

“You may call me Suha, and my compatriot goes by Kaveh.”

“Suha, forgotten or overlooked. Kaveh, blacksmith figure of mythology.”

“That accent, are you from one of the barbarian tribes?”

“In my time your people were the vagrant tribes, clinging to the light of our civilization. It seems time has turned the tables, but I will not tolerate such an accusation again.”

>”You… wouldn’t happen to know anything about a Juno of Edessa would you?”

“Edessa, former capital city. Juno, divine figure of mythology.”

“I first lived a long time ago, little Iska. If you believe that anyone I knew then is still alive now, it would be quite a feat on their part.”

“Interjection; you are alive, and you knew yourself back then.”

“Don’t mind Kaveh.”

>“So would you like to work together?”

“Doubtful. I have a history of being... what was the terms you used, Kaveh?”

“Backstabbed, thrown under a bus, betrayed, hung out to dry-”

“Those. I’ve grown tired of it.”

“Trust issues.”

“-ahem-, Kaveh, we agreed to discuss this later.”

“Interjection; right now is a later relative to our first discussion.”

“Later-er, Kaveh.”

“You seem to be doing well enough now though.”

“Suffice to say, they believed me to be weaker than I truly am. I repaid their kindness seven-fold each time, as the ruins of our conflicts will testify.”

>>655507
So he's been active for a while, huh? Ask for any advice on dust constructs. We're a bit new, only just recently discovered you have to reinforce it with other matter to get a truly hard material.

Can Kaveh actually forge things? Sydney, can you do that?

well if you don't want to work together can we at least agree not to screw each other over both directly and indirectly? I mean enough things are trying to make our lives miserable already don't see why we should add to each other's burdens.

>I first lived a long time ago, little Iska.
Me too, I think! I mean, there are some big holes in my memory, but the stuff I do remember is pretty old.

>working together, doubtful
Well, if you change your mind, I was planning on trying to subvert our enemy's means of production. After I help Sydney get off-grid.

Um, actually, before you say that, use the private comms to double check with Sydney that casually mentioning disconnecting isn't the kind of thing another psychopomp might get really upset over. Kaveh isn't going to object to this strategy?

But no, if you aren't comfortable working with anyone, we can leave you in peace after we talk.

Yup, most of those names and references seem to place Suha from the Old Earth Persian/Iranian region, it's all very Middle-East/Ancient World-y. It's certainly starting to beggar belief that the names and roles are at all coincidence, and it's beginning to worry me that Sydney with all his access to modern records would have no access to records that relate to these references. Someone or something clearly does, after all, given how they keep cropping up.

>>655507

>If you believe that anyone I knew then is still alive now, it would be quite a feat on their part.

Well, if you want try feats of impressive longevity on for size, there's always 'several billion years old and on the wrong planet to boot'. Little Iska = Big mystery! So, yes. There's certainly potential. Juno being a goddess-figure would not be out of character to the power Sydney's sources told us they've wielded. They're no user, apparently, but that doesn't preclude being powerful or long-lived.

At any rate, we'll respect whatever your wishes are concerning cooperating. If you don't want to join forces, we'll leave be.

Even so, if anything ever happens and we're nearby, would you be opposed to us helping out if we can? There would be no obligation to do the same in reverse. Consider it a favor to Kaveh as much as anything; both of us alive means a bigger chance that one of us succeeds in our mission, and he's clearly not opposed to you having a little extra help.

Heck, if there is anything in particular you need right now we've also got a pretty good handle on our dust crafting.

>“Don’t mind Kaveh.”
Can't say I'd mind one who brings out the technicalities! It's a pretty fun game to point them out.
>“Doubtful. I have a history of being... what was the terms you used, Kaveh?”
Ah, well, if you ever want to message me for something, I'll keep my line open. Unless, like, I'm sleeping or something, but as long as you aren't going to be one of the guys hunting me I have no reason to distrust you! ...And yes I know that sounds incredibly naive given your lot in life sounds to have been full of things to cause doubt, but what can I say, optimistic to a Falt.

Before we part ways, those mercs I mentioned are that way. Whether you're the sort to go for pre-emptive strikes or wait in ambush, I assume that would be useful information.

>>655560
>optimistic to a Falt
*painful groaning sounds*

Apollo 2015/07/13(Mon)00:27 No. 655590 ID: defceb
File 143677244267.png - (174.53KB , 900x700 , 143.png )

>”Alright, I can respect that. But, hey, if you ever need anything, I’ll be keeping my communications open. As long as you’re not one of the people hunting me, that is.”

”I’d love to say that won’t come to pass, but stranger things have happened.”

>”Oh, also, the mercenaries are probably going to be coming your way soon. Uh, you know, in case you want to set up an ambush or something.”

“They probably won’t leave me alone if I run, so I’ll save them the trip. Have fun out there.”

not entirely a bust. have a potential alliance later. for now let's continue on our course. the brain station!

well if nothing else it was nice meeting you Suha. You too Kaveh. I do hope that we'll work together in the future or at least not have to try and kill each other every time we cross paths.

Well that was interesting if nothing else. Guess it's time for us to head to the festive then unless either of you two think we should do something else first? I mean with the machines thinking I'm dead, at least for the time being, and Photina still having some time before she needs to head back home it's starting to look like this is the best time to head out.

>>655590

Well, good luck. Though, almost forgot to say, the mercs seem to be looking for a box not as much as you. Presumably something Lycus of Kardia had. Must be terribly important to whoever sent them so if you have it now, it might be worth a closer look to determine why. If you haven't figured that one out already.

Anyway, we should go do that thing, Photina. The festivus!

Bye then. Good luck!

Hmm. Pity we really don't have a way to prevent Suha from massacring the mercenaries. They're just doing what they're paid to, and she's just defending herself.

Hmm. I suppose if we made something sufficiently valuable out of dust, we could pay them to drop it? Although they still might not be willing to breach an existing contract. Or I guess if we brought the box back, the merchants might lose interest? No telling if Suha would give it up though, and then the mercenaries would be pissed we stole their job.

Ask your travelling companions for their impressions of those two.

>>655644
>I suppose if we made something sufficiently valuable out of dust, we could pay them to drop it?

We've got no mechanism by which to enforce a ceasefire. For a buyout to be effective, we'd have to track down whoever was offering the bounty, and persuade them to rescind it. Then the mercs would either switch to a better-paying job, or pick a fight over the breach of contract. It'd probably be more appropriate to call our payment "reparations" rather than a "bribe" at that point.

Apollo 2015/07/28(Tue)01:41 No. 658791 ID: defceb
File 143807290052.png - (78.32KB , 900x700 , 144.png )

>”By the way! Those mercenaries seemed to have been looking for some box more so than yourself.”

“This little thing? I found it on some merchant a ways back. Well, their treasure is my trash. You can have it!”

Apollo 2015/07/28(Tue)01:42 No. 658792 ID: defceb
File 143807294895.png - (130.23KB , 900x700 , 145.png )

Sidney’s Notes;

Suha and Kaveh have been classified as [Acquaintances].

[Battery] added to your inventory! This high-capacity device can provide a lot of power for your machinations, though we currently lack any effective means to recharge it.

[Peasant Disguise] added to your list of outfits! Rural people seem to believe you’re at least civilized while wearing a disguise like this, which helps in the not-getting-stabbed department.

I’m worried about Suha encountering the mercenaries. The two are likely to clash in the village, and the odds of collateral damage around such a user are quite high. Are you sure letting them walk away was the right choice?

Our encounter with the hunters was an unusual jump in difficulty. They don’t act without reason, but nothing we saw could explain it. I feel like we must have missed something back there.

Apollo 2015/07/28(Tue)01:42 No. 658793 ID: defceb
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“...the body was a fake! Furthermore, the target in question has allied themselves with another capable individual.”

“218… 173…”

“The girl is no threat by herself. Assigning a threat-”

“Threat assignments are none of your concern, Oh-Four.”

“The primary target has shown understanding and capabilities beyond any like we’ve seen in the past thousands of years, to waste our time and resources on lesser-”

“150… 80…”

“WASTE? You dare speak of waste, after your failure of an idea?!”

They better not be talking about me.

“Your pet project-”

damnit

“-has been a drain for far too long!”

“43… 20....”

“You speak too soon, Oh-Six. Their potential is still yet unreached.”

“SILENCE! Silence, all of you! That’s enough bickering, we will hear the story straight from the source. Child!”

Fuck, they remembered I’m still here this time.

“2… 0. Archiving information. Combat log- ERROR. Integer overflow.”

“Care to explain what happened out there?”

Oh, I don’t know, he did a sick ninja flip and disappeared in a puff of fuck-all. What the hell am I supposed to say to this?

just describe it as honestly as you can, if they don't believe you then that is their problem not yours.

>I’m worried about Suha encountering the mercenaries. The two are likely to clash in the village, and the odds of collateral damage around such a user are quite high.
...Fuck! din't think of that. Can you shoot them a quick message asking for them to fight away from the town if possible. Reason being that people not involved shouldn't suffer and if that doesn't work try going with it might be easier to lure the mercenaries out then to attack them in a entrenched fort.

>Oh, I don’t know, he did a sick ninja flip and disappeared in a puff of fuck-all. What the hell am I supposed to say to this?
that you engaged the target only for him to activate a large explosion escaping in the confusion and leaving behind a fake body to cover his tracks.

>I’m worried about Suha encountering the mercenaries. The two are likely to clash in the village, and the odds of collateral damage around such a user are quite high. Are you sure letting them walk away was the right choice?
Honestly? No. But we didn't have a good lever to move Suha away from the village, and she looked more than capable of kicking our assess if we tried to do the hero thing. That and I'm not sure how comfortable I am attacking someone, let alone a fellow user, just cause they're strong enough to cause damage.

We might have better luck paying off the mercenaries. Why risk a fight if you can get paid for delivering the box anyways? Mercs tend to be very pragmatic if they survive long.

>voices
Oh, huh. The Enemy is a collective.

>what the fuck do I say
The target understands the fundamental principles of asymmetrical warfare. He's been using misinformation and confusion to turn our attacks, and convert our superior firepower and numbers into an asset rather than the hazard they should be.

Evading the initial search drones with flight wasted our time. The false body wasted time and resources to investigate. The friendly fire incident cost us units in an engagement we should have had the advantage in, and once again, put us in a situation where we would have to waste time and resources to verify if we got a kill. Worse, this pattern means we will be forced to spend similar resources in the future- we cannot trust anything short of a confirmed kill.

Each encounter cost our opponent minimal energy compared to what our forces spent- either for naught or to our detriment.

Conclusion: we should stop playing his game. Stop giving him pieces to deceive and play against each each other. Send one high value executioner. One capable enough to see past the tricks. Let's see how well our budding trickster fares when faced with a straight up fight.

Tl;dr- stop putting idiot drones in the way and let me take him.

The target used brute force and a sheer disregard for tactical thinking to bludgeon every robot to death with their own arms. The sniper bot was trying its best to hit him, but was distracted by a shiny object, i.e. the other robots' faceplates. My tactical recommendation is robots with fewer arms and no heads.

(We're not your buddy, girl! Wage a war of disinformation! Viva la resistance!)

>Drone-dog discus.

D'awww!

>>658792

Not gonna lie; doing nothing about a big fight in the middle of that town is gonna nibble on the conscience a bit. Got kind of distracted, thinking the Silver Pack were camped outside town, not inside, but guess they'd not say no to free cover if push came to shove (or shove came to giant-sword-to-the-face). Things could indeed get quite ugly.

... though getting the mercs to maybe back off of Suha is going to take, what, a two-minute detour by flight to deposit the box we just got?

We can just drop it at the commander's tent and leave a strongly worded message that they gtfo asap.

(Though it would be nice to at least check what's in the box, even if we're going to be passing it on.)

Or, if she's not out of earshot, we can just warn Suha that the Pack has at least two mages, and she might want to be careful with the collateral, cuz' the people in town weren't all that bad.

Errant Signal Apollo 2015/07/28(Tue)23:17 No. 659052 ID: defceb
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“The target is clearly familiar with the concept of asymmetrical warfare. They’ve been using misinformation and confusion to turn our advantage into theirs. Evading our drones, friendly-fire, and leaving behind a fake body just wasted our time and resources. Worse, in the future we’re going to have to rely on nothing short of an absolute confirmed kill.”

I hope this means I’ll get the use the knife…

“We should stop giving him the pieces to play against each other, and instead send one high value execution. Someone who can get the job done up close and... personal…”

“Just what do you mean to imply there?”

“I’m saying just send me this time. I’ll hunt him down without your baggage and end it properly.”

“Baggage? Our drones are-”

“Terribly unprepared for this type of encounter. Your options are either to send out overwhelming forces or just me.”

Maybe they’ll crunch when I kill them. Like an insect.

“Unprepared. Sounds like oh-Four’s problem in that regard.”

“I build models fit to the challenge. They are the only real challenge left on this rock.”

“...very well. Depart immediately. We’re done here.”

Apollo 2015/07/28(Tue)23:18 No. 659054 ID: defceb
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“...so that worked.”

“And the IFF signals?”

“Disposed of. The friendly fire was kind enough to destroy any sign of tampering as well.”

“Perfect. Disregard the girl, I’m only interested in the bug.”

“No kind words of motivation?”

“Your combat abilities are above-average compared to drones in your size and build.”

Oh, thanks, that’s so reassuring.

Apollo 2015/07/28(Tue)23:19 No. 659055 ID: defceb
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"Does this outfit make my butt look fat?"

>Examine "butt"

>"Does this outfit make my butt look fat?"
Only of reasonable, healthy proportions, not quite "Fat" but if you were to start swaying it in front of somebody they're likely to notice.

>"Does this outfit make my butt look fat?"
Examine outfit.

>>659055
Why are there like 50 of Alex?

Also, to answer Sydney's question: avoiding collateral damage is part of the mercs' job. They can just fight outside the town.

Apollo 2015/07/29(Wed)15:20 No. 659185 ID: defceb
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>”Only of reasonable and healthy proportions. I wouldn’t say fat, but if you were to sway it in front of someone they would surely notice.”

“You’re hardly even looking.”

>”Speaking as somebody who has touched your butt, in combat I might add, you have nothing to worry about there.”

“I just want to look good for the festival. It’s a place for celebrating and fancy clothes, not humdrum boring attire. You’ll have to find something fancy to wear too.”

>”Like that disguise earlier?”

“If you want to look like a farmer.”

>”Pardon me, I’m a few billion years behind your fashion curve.”

“...are you going to sit there and play with that box all night or are you going to see what's in it?”

>>659185
No. There's probably an assassin-bot hidden in it. I'm trying to find a good angle to attack it from.

>You’re hardly even looking.
Compound eyes! I can look with hardly looking!

>are you going to sit there and play with that box all night or are you going to see what's in it?
I shouldn't open it inside a retail business, just on the off chance it's something dangerous, or messy.

>You’ll have to find something fancy to wear too.
Hmm. Will a fancy party care less about the looking like a bug thing? Concealing clothes and fancy doesn't always mix. (Are we doing fancy Axel paperdoll now).

>>659185
>You’ll have to find something fancy to wear too
Fancy dress fancy dress fancy dress FANCY DRESS FANCY DRESS FANCY DRESS WE ARE GOING IN A FANCY DRESS

>>659185
Get outside and use your dust to open from a distance. duh.

>>659189

WE ARE SO WEARING THE FANCIEST DRESS

>>659189
>>659191
fancy ROBE.

The fancy outfit will have to include little bangle-7 things. Those go good with bug limbs.

>dress
Obviously it has to be cut like one of those ones with the fuzzy poof at the top. Except that will be our fluff.

Well, on to her outfit, DAT LEG. Could kill a man with thighs like that.

As for the box, it's a really nice box.

For our outfit, I want pants. Do people normally wear pants cause I've been seeing togas and the like everywhere.

>>659191
>>659197
Fancy TOGA. Get with the preshistoric times.

>>659191
>>659197
>dress
>robe
Pretty sure we're a guy... Wait Sidney, I'm still a guy right? It never crossed my mind to see just how many changes were made when I got my wings.

>>659208
Also "Alex" is a gender neutral name.

>>659210
Not Alexandrius. That's a manly name if I've heard it.

>>659212
I was going off the nickname, but you're right.

Photina, you look very pretty in that.

Might as well pop it. Sydney would have told us if he was sensing something volatile or dangerous from inside it and it's too late to return it now.

As for dresses, yours does look good on you (Right the appropriate amount of risque!), and I've got ideas for myself, but I need some help narrowing it down, plus with seeing what's available.

For one; are there other fine local outfits we can get from around here that would fit me or be modifiable to?

For two; whatever local suppliers lack, I can probably dust up something neat on my own! Even so, I could still use a few pointers on what's trendy around these parts, just to keep myself from looking too outlandish.

As for what I'd want, well, boots are kind of a lost cause with my legs, which leaves...

A hat! It'll make me more distinct; human brains are all about facial recognition and reading, and since I've substituted key features with smooth chitin and these multi-faceted beaus, it might be nice to have something else to catch the eye too. Other than the swirling tattoos.

Body-wear! While I certainly could go for some exotic combo of my own make, I'm intrigued by what local options there are with the tunics and togas.

Accessories! Anything goes as long as it doesn't go to ridiculous excess and it matches the rest of the getup, be it feathers, jewelry, broaches, baubles, rings or whatnot. I wonder if I can hang anything from my antennae without ill effect...

Wait, the most important question: how are we making Sydney fancy. She can't wear anything! (Maybe she could pretend to be a firework).

>>659210
>>659212
"Sydney" sure is, though.

>>659185
How do wizards dress? Dress up like a fancy wizard. Still wondering what the deal is with that Archmage from Edessa. Where's Edessa?

>>659208
Are you implying guys can't wear dresses? Rude.