(Previous thread: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/18246765/ )

You recall the past actions of your saurian companion. To be honest, you're a bit unsure whether it really was him shooting at you or not moments ago; You could see things playing out in either case.

This new act could be the doppelganger trying to draw you out to take another shot at you. While you could prevent that action with a wind wall, such an action would appear hostile to Van Skewer, who might assume you were a doppelganger.

You sneer as you mutter a few expletives to yourself. Everything is more complicated with shapeshifting.

I bid you; rise from your grave!

>>18333649
>>18333928
Raise a few fingers of our prosthetic arm over our cover.

"Doctor, humor me for a second; can you tell me something? Why were you out in the wilderness? It was something about a botanical expedition, yeah?"

That last part is to purposely mislead the doppel, assuming it is the doppel. Either way, the real Van Skewer should correct us.

>>18337141
>League of Legends
fuck off

>>18337148
B-...but VKO is responsible for Gargoyle Quest; those are the only Gargoyle-related images I have.

>>18337141

"Doctor, humor me for a second; Can you tell me something? Why were you out in the wilderness? It was something about a botanical expedition, yeah?"

The Van Skewer atop the ship leers down at you with a stern silence for a long moment. "What are you talking about? I came through a dimensional rift in space-time! I'm incredibly lucky most of my counter-dimensional weaponry didn't go off and tear me into tiny shreds of hide and high fashion!"

<<No, I think it's him.>> Tayn sends you, his forehead resting in the palm of one hand.

>>18338239
Well, we know that one is real.

"You seem real enough. Now, I'm going to try and help you capture your doppel; I don't like shooting friends and I don't like getting shot by friends, ok?"

Peek out and try to get a glimpse of the other Skewer.

>>18338294

"You seem real enough. Now, I'm going to try and help you capture your doppel; I don't like shooting friends and I don't like getting shot by friends, ok?" You peek out, seeing that the Van Skewer atop the aft deck is sporting a long red slash down the left side of his face. It looks shallow enough that you doubt he's in danger.

"Oh yes, getting shot by anything that I've designed is not a fate I'd like for myself one bit." Van Skewer tosses his rifle, the chamber open, down onto the deck below. "Don't know if he'll wake up. Don't want him getting that again."

Tayn edges over and grabs the rifle. He hefts it. "Hmm. Could make a good staff." He whirls it once, the three-foot rifle spiraling around his arm as he spins it up his arm, the weapon being flipped by a quick motion of his arm over his elbow and back into his hand.

"Don't hit anyone with my firearms! You could damage them!" Van Skewer shouts down, seeming to stagger for a moment as his clawed fingers clutch at the low railing. Van Skewer snaps back to his senses with a shake of his head. "Oh," He says, putting one hand to his temple. "I think I shall have to go find the medich, the wedic, the-" He slurs, spinning as he turns to go back down below deck.

>>18338552
Feather Fall.

Then, proceed towards the fake Skewer and mark him with an Arcane Mark.

From there, try to awaken the real Skewer.

"Dr.? Dr.? Yoohoo~"

>>18338878

"Dr.? Dr.? Yoohoo~" You call, heading over to the base of the stairs, where you find Van Skewer with his arms wrapped around the base of the stairwell, snoring. You snicker to yourself, and message the medical staff on board, telling them of his location and condition, and to tell you if he does anything strange. Stranger than usual, you add. You place an arcane mark on his left hand.

You head upstairs to find the doppelganger with a large lump on his head, growling where he lays unconscious on the ground.

>>18340200
Does this one have the arcane mark from the one we apprehended before? Or does it appear to be the one who impersonated Tayn?

For now, strike him to alert him.

"Hsst! Awaken! I have many questions for you..."

>>18340290

This creature bears no arcane mark. You kick him once smartly in the ribs to awaken him after you glance him over for any more weapons.

"Hsst! Awaken! I have many questions for you..."

"Ouch!" The reptilian creature on the ground winces as he clutches his kidney. "I say, you have one hell of a way of waking a bloke up."

"Don't play dumb." You say, pointing at him with a finger crackling with rings of electricity. "I know you're not the real Van Skewer."

The raptor-like face of the creature on the ground twists in an expression of concern. "Oh... Hell. You are Mynthar, aren't you?" Van Skewer's copy coughs. "He must have snuck up on me while I was talking with you. I'm sorry. It was the fury, and..." He looks around. "Where's my gun?"

You sigh. "Listen, don't give me that acting bull. I know you're not him."

The Van Skewer on the floor looks up in surprise. "What? But... But I am me. If this is about earlier, Mynthar, I-"

You hear a gun fire once from somewhere below in the ship, a hollow, empty crack. Van Skewer's eyes widen.

"My gun! Who the tyranno-devil is messing with my gun?" He is instantly on his feet, and pulls up his monocle to his eye, the green lines on its interior moving across the frame rapidly. "Let's see, where did you fire her?"

>>18341576
>>18342315
"Oh dear...might I see your monocle for a second?"

>>18342737

You consider the dino-man's actions for a moment. "Oh dear... Might I see your monocle for a second?"

Van Skewer hands it over to you. You put it in front of your eye, the green lights within the frame crossing around a particular area of the ship, showing what appears to be a still image of a muzzle bloom, like from a tengu gunpowder weapon. You can see data outlined in a language you don't understand.

>>18344048
"Tayn! We still have work to do!"

Proceed to below deck, looking for the source of the gun.

>>18344104

"Tayn! We still have work to do!" You call out to the deck below, hearing no answer.

"No good, looks like it's the two of us." Van Skewer mutters, adjusting a fresh top hat he seems to have procured when you weren't looking. "And our doppels, if they're still around." He flicks his wrist, and you see a flintlock pistol with a barrel framed by rows of white and green diamonds painted on the end of the barrel. You see him pull a clip out of one pocket, and pop open the chamber of the gun, pouring all of his bullets inside before snapping the weapon shut with a flick of his wrist.

>>18344170
"Firearms might get an allied killed. I suggest you don't get too trigger happy unless you see a different Mynthar or Van Skewer waltzing around. If you see Tayn, Turen, or anyone else, we try to discern who they are. And remember, I did manage to mark two of them. Hopefully there aren't more..."

Turn on our arcane sonar and get to searching.

>>18344260

"Firearms might get an ally killed. I suggest you don't get too trigger happy unless you see a different Mynthar or Van Skewer waltzing around. If you see Tayn, Turen, or anyone else, we try to discern who they are. And remember, I did manage to mark two of them. Hopefully there aren't more."

"Ah, you did? Good show, old bean!" Van Skewer says, spinning his gun around his finger absently.

"You're not listening, are you." You say, somewhat disappointed that this is the real Van Skewer.

You attempt to look into the area where the rifle went off with a clairvoyance spell, and can only see gunsmoke and a few splinters in the area, a dark spot below one of the beams in the cargo section.

"Let's go." You say, grabbing hold of Van Skewer.

"Where are we-" The dynavik begins, his breath halting as you snap into the spot you were observing just a bit ago. The cramped hallway seems almost too short for Van Skewer, who remains hunched forwards with his gun next to your shoulder.

The hallway still smells of the saltpeter and charcoal from the weapon's discharge, and you can see a few chunks taken out of the wood around you. You can see a spatter of blood on the floor towards the stairs that lead downwards into the low decks, and a tatter of greenish cloth on the ground down the path in the opposite direction leading to the foredeck.

>>18344795
Proceed with caution. Try staying within cover's reach, not making any major noises. Try following the blood to see if it happens to trail to anywhere or anyone.

Bump for the eventual morning rush; heading to bed. See you tomorrow OP.

>>18344846

You follow the trail of blood down below the deck, finding a kobold in his work clothes lying still on the floor in a storeroom near the bottom of the stairs. A splotch of blood mars the small of his back, just above his left hip. You look for traps, and finding none, you check the kobold for signs of life, your hand only feeling cold. You shake your head.

The rest of the room is full of barrels and flat stone chests with food and supplies inside. The hallway leads further into the bunks, where you can see a number of doors have been barricaded with some of the stone chests from the storeroom.

>>18348508
Try detecting for our arcane mark around the barrels. If nothing turns up, continue stalking down the hallway.

Bump.

>>18348796

You do not find the arcane mark in this room, and you give it a thorough sweep.

Heading down the hallway, you can hear someone or something shuffling behind the barriers in the barricaded rooms. A small cell room joins the several networks of passages below here, one way leading back to the mess hall, another leading down the spine of the ship and a third leading to the mirrored corridor of the one you are standing in on the opposite side. The bunks that way have a few barricaded doors as well.

>>18349969
Nudge for Skewer to give a read with his monocle. If he doesn't find anything, start heading left (whichever location that happens to be).

>>18350230

You point out the places in the hallway that you'd like checked, and Van Skewer's monocle resonates a bright green.

"Blood along the floor here, leading past that room we passed earlier, and towards the mess." Van Skewer whispers. "And movement behind those doors. Creatures about your size I'd estimate." He sniffs the air. "And no scent of gunpowder. On occasion, the barrel will still leak gunsmoke shortly after firing. In here, I thought I might be able to use that to find the direction they went, but..."

"We did take our time getting here." You say back to Van Skewer. "Anything could have happened in the meantime."

"But," Van Skewer starts. "It was perhaps half a minute at most."

"Exactly." You respond, putting a hand to your chin.

>>18350438
"Shock and awe might be necessary." Flick a ball of light in our hand. "Be gentle, however; friendly fire might be inevitable." Proceed to the first door and give the Kobold mining equivalent to Morse code. Repeat it three times. If the response is not recognizable or there's no response, toss a ball of light in there and let it explode. Afterward, crash the door open, putting down non-lethally any creatures within, Kobold or otherwise.

>>18351029

"Shock and awe might be necessary." With a flick of your wrist, a ball of light appears hovering over your hand. "Be gentle. However, friendly fire might be inevitable."

You knock in a particular pattern on the stone cases, and after a bit of a pause, you hear the response from within one of the rooms, along with a quiet "Help."

"It could be one of them, regardless." Van Skewer points at the door with his gun. "I'll cover you."

You look over at the man who was pointing a gun at you for similar reasons not five minutes ago. "Thanks." You say, with sarcasm that doesn't quite seem to reach the squinting dyanvik as he levels his weapon at the center of the door.

You open the door to find a kobold in the cramped bunk room, quivering. You realize upon seeing his face that you have seen him before; the same kobold lies in the room not far away, dead.

"You're not them, are you?" His voice squeaks as he speaks to you, quietly. You can see his arms are entwined together beneath his legs.

>>18351632
"We're here to get you out of here; now, follow me."

Lead him by the body, making sure he's in our sights the entire time.

yay, kobold quest!

>>18351673

"We're here to get you out of here; now, follow me." You say, gesturing for him to follow you. The kobold nods, standing up slowly as he shakily grasps one rung of the bed. He keeps his arms at his sides, following you slowly through the hall. As you turn the corner towards the stairs, he turns and sees the body, yelping in surprise as he covers his mouth with one hand. "What- what the hell is that?" He falls back on the stairs, his elbow hitting the deck, and a knife falls spinning from where he had it concealed next to his arm.

"Ah! A hidden weapon!" Van Skewer says triumphantly, pointing his pistol square into the second kobold's face.

>>18352142
Squint our eyes at the surprised Kobold. "Strange...veeeeery strange. Tell me, what's your name and occupation? As a matter of fact, what clan do you hail from?"

If he comes up with a good answer, agree. "Appears sincere enough..."

If not, get really close to his face. "Don't think you can fool me for long; drop the disguise for the both of us. I don't feel like breaking more faces today."

Then, give the dead body a good thrashing with a force spell; make it hit the ceiling and then fall.

>>18352221

"Strange... Veeeeery strange. Tell me, what's your name and occupation? As a matter of fact, what clan do you hail from?" You say to the kobold.

The kobold looks panicked, from you, back to the body, then back to Van Skewer. "I... But... But I'm..." He stammers, looking back at his body before his eyes roll back in his head, which clunks against the stairs as he falls back in a dead faint.

Van Skewer sighs, raising the barrel of his gun back up. "Come on, now. I bet that bloke in there is a lot better at playing dead than you are."

>>18353653
Move the corpse and test its durability. Smash it against the ceiling with a forceful tug.

>>18353759

You slam the corpse into the ceiling with the last fetters of your telekinesis, and the body begins to writhe, crawling across the ceiling with its arms and legs bent backwards towards you.

>>18354237
Give it a good lightning bolt.

>>18354647

You have had it up to here with these things.

You place your right hand forwards, the incantation resonating throughout your being as you blast a perfect bolt of lightning into the creature, causing it to shatter into a mass of shadows.

"Well, that was unusual." Van Skewer comments, before adjusting his monocle. "Hm? Something's happened up on the deck. A powerful transmutation. Teleportation?"

You look down at the unconscious kobold. No time to explain, you guess. "We'd best do the same, then." You begin the incantation as you poke Van Skewer on the finger, disappearing in a sudden flash of light.

(That's all, folks!)