The time has come.Less a sentence and more a feeling. Like a great, powerful emotion that rumbles through you. Your body twitches upon the twisted throne. Unseen, untouched, you rule Hell. None of the Humans who have tried to stop your legions have reached you, but your monsters, as great as they were, were each time defeated, the generals you placed, destroyed, by a lone man. You called him Doom, for it was all he wrought. His green armor, his steel helm, his thundering, explosive, weapons. But he was mortal. Twice, he came and rampaged through Hell, and twice, you have survived. Unable to deter him, unable to destroy him, you instead opted to wait. Eighty years have passed. Doom has not returned. And neither has most of your power. You stare at bony hands, groan at the pain of movment. you raise a hand to your forehead as you survey what remains of your domain. Your fortress is still, mostly, yours - but it is abandoned. Your throne is shattered, now more of a chair, the pieces of the back filched with your might. You stand. The pain passes as you wake in full, and the massive hall of your fortress yawns before you. But before you venture forth, you need a minion of some sort to protect and aid you. You reach to the mists, to the sinful souls, to warp them into living, obedient form. You feel you can manage a single human-sized creature, or two hound-sized familiars. Their shape will be of your choosing - the only limit is your imagination and their size.
>>19628361Arch-Vile.
>>19628361Two hound sized familiars, massive snarling mastiffs of twisting metal who have a large variety of armaments concealed below their surface in addition to their sharp claws and crushing jaws.
>>19628361obviously choose the human soul, then morph him into a loyal DOOM.
I opt for two smaller familiars. General hell-hound form. Big dogs, jagged teeth, spiked collars, and flaming breath, if that's allowed.
>>19628524ArchVile doubles as the little girl.Thought you should know.
Two ponies.
Two hounds for now, we can go for quality minions later on.
Hounds. Yes, hounds it shall be! You pull forth four rather foul souls, crushing them into a pair of vessels. Long, wicked teeth, steel flesh, and fire in their bellies. You are proud of your creations, and they flank you as you move to the front entrance. You move with care and discipline befitting your station, but wherever you go, you find naught but ruin. Tapestries destroyed, pillars crumbled, bodies and remains scattered. You bid your hounds to feast. >>19628524Arch-Viles... Ah, among the greatest of your servants. It is a sad thing - they share a fragment of your might, and if you are so reduced, they must all be gone. You will need to find more. Imps snort in the main hall, looking over what remains of your valuables. They sniff and scratch and dig, seeking... something. You cannot be sure what. Your dogs itch to move forth and slay - and if they do, you know that the souls which comprise the Imps, no small sum in your situation, will be bequeathed to you. At present, the souls in the area are very sparse - this may be a chance to bolster your numbers. But then again, they might know more about what has happened to your throne and power - not much more, but it is something. Or perhaps they would join you? You feel indecision weigh upon you...
>>19629157Have them start by killing one or two, and then blocking off the exits, shock and awe. Then we talk to the Imps, interrogate them, and consider whether to keep them or kill them after that as that decision is based on their behavior.
Slay some and capture the rest, demand information as befitting your station as a (the?) lord of hell.All you see before you is yours by right, was once yours by possession, and shall so be yours again.
>>19629157Our armies were too weak to stop a simple mortal.We must rebuild our army, but, we must build a better, NEW army.Kill them. Keep one to interrogate.The only part of our old army that didn't fail us horribly were the ArchViles, they did what they were made to do.
You act quickly. Raising your hand, you feel your old robes flutter as you bellow a cry of combat. The imps, shocked, look up - just as one of them is knocked on its back by your hound. Fangs rip open his throat, and snap his spine. Well-constructed - from ten souls, you expect no less. The surprise gone, his brother turns on you, readying a sphere of flame in one hand - only to have it torn off by your other hound. The first you sent out blocks the exit, as you make your way down the stairs. You command the second hound to cease eating the hand and instead knock the imp to its chest, speaking as you descend. "My throne is in ruins. My power is crippled. My view of the kingdom of hell is fogged. Whose doing is this, imp? Who rose to such might in my abscence?!"The imp shakes it head. "I cannot say. I cannot say. We were to find, to find, old man, dead man. Take head, take bones." You frown. "You were sent for my body?" "By the new Lord. The new lord.""Are there any others in this building, doing the same?" "Many imps, many brothers, many traps, many soldiers." he chuckles. Imps have an affectation for rhyming. You never understood why. They're not very good at it, either... But that worries you. Your home is large, of many areas. If it is infested true, then this might prove difficult. The ten souls from the first imp will provide you with some help, but not much, seeing as while you empower souls in crafting demons, your enemy might be just as good.
But it does mean that there are many demons in your citadel. Someone wanted your body, rather than let you rot. And someone holds enough willpower to mold souls within your domain! Most troubling. Right now, you need to decide upon your priorities. You will need to clear your home of invaders.You need to restore your home.You will need new, more potent servants.You need to - somehow - regain your former power.And you need to find who betrayed you and took over. Certainly there may be many ways to do this... You slowly stroke your jaw in thought. How best to approach this...?
"Who is this new lord who would dare to impinge upon my throne!"Also, time to get crafting, the hounds are apparently a match for imps in melee, (though possibly only through ambush) despite the 1-5 soul ratio of them. Time to put those ten souls to good use and make better minions, two humanoid ones at five apiece perhaps? A ranged fire/spine thrower and a bodyguard would be good.Our great enemy brought us low with speed, firepower, and armor, we shall learn from his strengths.
>>19629887Souls! Scour the disloyal from the face of your domain, grind their souls into something more fitting, and search for the one that remade the citadel into a festering ruin. That one shall be drained to bolster your essence.
OP where are you?
>>19630327((Waiting.))You split the ten souls into two creatures. One, a Knight of sorts, a large creature with twin towering sheilds. You construct for him bones of densest minerals, and muscle of great strength. The steel of his body does well to protect him, and unlidded eyes stare out from under his visor'd helm. The other, a flying thing. From its chest it is capable of launching small stingers, which are filled with a chemical that ignites in the air. Either it shatters when they pluck it, or when it breaks against their armor - both of which are good. You bid the hounds to follow.>Our great enemy brought us low with speed, firepower, and armor, we shall learn from his strengths.First, towards your armory. You had stocked the weapons of the Doom, extras he failed to collect from zombies. Those were especially efficient - a single soul misplaced within a mortal shell will always be angry and violent, so it was easy work to set them, so armed, against the Doom. Unfortunately, the armaments found no purchase in his armor or his flesh. He was uniquely strong. Deep within the furnaces and the forges, all cold, you hear a gentle grunting. This is most familiar to you - several bull demons, skin pink, eyes glowing yellow. Impressive in melee. It is strange that the New Lord would copy so many of your designs... Still, there is a chance for a surprise here. However, you do not know whether it would be wise to fight around so many explosives and munitions...
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. This new lord is apparently lacking in originality and inventiveness. We must learn from our old foe again, did he shy away from fights near explosives, or use them to his benefit? Besides, what matter if our hounds or more happen to die in the inferno, we can simply pull their souls back and craft them anew can we not? We are the only one here who is not expendable. Our minions should know this, and be proud to die in our service, for if their sacrifice is worthy we shall craft their composite soul anew into a greater form.How many souls in a pinky demon by the way?
HUGENESS BRINGS HUGE GUTSRIP SND TEAR RIP SND TEAR YOUR GUTS
>>19630485It might be best to test out our newest creation. The flying thing. One well timed shot at the spare explosives and munitions and then we collect the souls from the chunky demon bits on the ground.
>>19630573You pick up one of the spears of fire the man used, in thought. Then, smiling, you order the 'Bodygaurd to pick up two boxes of them, and hurtle them forth. The moment they shatter, the batlike shooter takes aim, and fires - just as the Pinkies leap over it. What follows is a glorious mess of blood and bits, a mishmash of blood and gore and... ah, souls. Three of the foul things nets you forty five souls to work with.But it seems not all are copies. Another steps forth, with gray skin barely cracked from the opening assault. With lumbering steps, he stands equal with the knight, and rushes him, sending both of them sliding across the floor in a contest of power. This one's eyes are red, its teeth steely-shine. This one is unique - you can only sense fifteen souls within him. But one of them shines as a beacon, a greatness. This... is new.But we must act soon - the new Pinky is besting my Knight!
>>19630718Hounds, sic em!While our bodyguards are keeping Pinky busy, it might be a good idea to soulcraft some backup muscle.
hounds flank in a pincer formation have flyer attack from behind from range
>>19630718Have our knight hold him in place for as long as possible while our Hounds hamstring him and our flyer aims for vital points like eyes, already injured points, that sort of thing.
>>19630761with the knight in front thwn enemy is boxed in hounds attacking his flanks a knight in front to absorb most of its assault with artillary from behind him in his blind spot unless he has some real naagy tricks numbers and good stragety will take him out
Dog pile the beast!If possible, order spikes to the eyes, the underside, fleshy bits. Anywhere that seems a weak point while we start to craft the new souls into something formidable to aid in the battle. And to aid us, if the ceiling height would allow, perhaps it is time for us to take to the air ourselves, the better to guide from above with more tactical knowledge. And yaknow, get outta dodge.We must know more of this new form of soul, yes...
>>19630830>FlightAn idea springs to mind. Using ten of the forty five, you creat a beast with wings of great width, and strong, compact arms. These secure around your body, and you command the beast to take to the air as you order your hounds to pin the beast with the Knight's assistance. The tactic meets some success - the creature is immobilized, but not kept still. It roils against the Knight, tearing a gash in his armor at the arm. You order the flyer to assault the eyes of the beast - and one of the many shots strikes home, shattering against its brow. fluids burst all over, and the flyer is swatted almost instantly from the air, bringing you back to forty souls. You have time to craft now, but what? You begin to think you should begin to name these things - if not individually, then by 'species'.
Names can happen yes, but unless inspiration strikes perhaps we should limit that bit of creativity to calmer moments. The creature is armored, strong, and slowly besting our minions. Heat did nothing to dissuade it, nor the liquid fire spikes of the flamer. Perhaps acid or cold would be more effective?
>>19630901A small creature, roughly the size of a small cat. It is extremely fast and can climb well. The main power behind this beast is that its bodily fluids are acid. Create it and have it jump onto Pinky's face, pissing acid in his mouth.
>>19630901Hellhounds are easy, maybe Bone Bulwarks for the knight guy and I got nothing for flying things that spit lugies of fire.Maybe crack its armor with some sort of drilling or sharp minion?
since everything seems to be steel around here, we need to create small, supermagnet creatures that explode when they come into contact with something. Make them either postive or negative, and give all our minions the same charge.
>>19630999You smirk - and Create. Small, furred, and angry, with its fluids all corrosive - easily done with even one soul. You commit ten of your forty to the task, raining down fluffy hate upon the creature. It attempts, in vain, to dislodge the small things, and then accidentally, eats one. You cannot help by laugh as it screams in agony, thrashing around the room. You order your beasts away from it, though the cats hang on with spiteful angry, even as they are smashed against the walls, spraying the creature in more acid. Before all is said and done, only three of your cats remain, seven souls returning to you - leaving you at 37. >>19631021You, however, are still unfinished - expending five souls to the venture, you create a human-sized beast with huge picks for hands, of steel. Its head, you decide, is absent, and it senses through you - gleefully, it leaps at the great beast, and its pick slams home at the small crach made during the initial explosion, at the hip. The wound propogates further, shattering along his belly and leg, and then it swings with the other arm, the stone skin falling away to reveal red, sensitive subdermis. It roars, slamming down with its fist after pushing away the knight again, breaking the spine of the smasher. The creature's back, and most of its lower body is destroyed, and it is living on borrowed time with its innards destroyed. How, then, to finish?
Do we have any abilities of our aside from our soulcraft and command? Perhaps it might be time to test out any of our own offensive powers.
>>19631159Create a hulking, carapaced brute, able to crush boulders between any two of its four arms.Have it crush the pinky to pulp.
>>19631159Create a spectre of shadow and poisonous smoke, then order it to fly down Pinky's respiratory system.
>>19631241The Fire. The Fire of Souls is your most guarded, most powerful ability - a single soul burned forever will feast on anything, turning all to ash. Steel, stone, fluids... Nothing can escape it. A single soul nets you a small fire - burning more makes the flames greater. However, you do not yet use it - instead opting to craft five souls into a fibrous, cloth-like core the size of a fist - which creates a billowing cloud of choking fumes. This you send into the creature's maw - stupidly, it opens wide. In moments, it is choking, lashing out - then falling. After a few moments, you watch the souls rise from the body. 14 souls of normal make...And then another. Denser, brighter than others, you sense this one has gone through great turmoil. It fought against hardship and disaster, only to find more. You feel, no, you know, that any creation with this soul added, will be of great fortitude and constitution. [GAINED HERO SOUL: MARLEB THE UNDYING] You float down and land near the body, the wing-creature folding up upon your back.
Well... what shall we make with this new soul? choices choices.. armor? a general? a beast of great destruction?
>>19631561its apparently undying, so it should be some form of tank
I say we should do something bidpedal with a thick, spiky exoskeleton. Huge and able to pick up and fling boulders. Four arms with clawed hands on the end would also be a neat feature. And since it'll be made of tons of souls, let's give it the ability to shoot a freezing liquid from its hands, to better shatter its opponents.I realize this is basically my previous suggestion, but I really like that one.
>>19631742You think for a moment, and put the Hero soul in reserve. Instead, you push twenty of your fifty-odd souls together, condensing them to a single form - a skeletal beast with four arms. The frontal arms and legs are primarily for locomotion, the middling set for picking up large objects and tossing them, and most of it is sheathed in a layer of protective, spiked carapace.Thinking further, you add to its larger palms a powerful chilling secretion, capable of freezing many things. The creature stands even with the knight when not in motion, and happily, you find it to make an excellent mount. Returning to the main hall, you recall the basic layout of the place - the throne room is central, and shooting off from it is a barracks, a forge and armory, a large kitchen, a dining hall, and your personal quarters. You ponder where to head first, with thirty-ish souls in reserve plus a heroic. Your current creatures are the hounds and the knight, as well as three of the spiteful cats and the lumbering skeletal beast.
>>19631405I think we should take this soul and 20 more to create a large, heavily armored general for our forces. With a thick hide like a rhino or shark, immense strength, and with the ability to freeze opponents with a touch.
Name proposals for species, in rough order of appearance:KnightFlarewaspCarrywingPounce(plural and singular)MinerNebulateI tried to use a number of different styles of name, to keep things interesting.
We need more information, and more souls.Gather information.
>>19631742 here.I meant for the thing to have the hero soul in it, but this is actually probably for the best. This way we get to see how this creature design actually works before committing the soul.As for votes this time, the place with the most immediate tactical advantage seems to me to be the armory.
((Is there any way to lose souls? Having an infinitely growing army seems... Easy. I'm sure you have this thought out already, but I'm curious regardless.)
Looks like I forgot one, and a new one came up while I was naming.HellhoundShatterbeast
>>19631950((Being present prevents soul loss - However, it places you in danger. Being far away allows the souls to re-enter the 'atmosphere', then, eventually, dissipate. In short: You can harvest from the recently dead, and you can only go so fast. Same thing applies to Heroic souls as well.)) You move into the armory again, and this time take your time to clear out the bodies from before. Much of the metal has been taken, but Doom's spare firearms remain. You recall the ease with which he blasted through even your greatest soldiers with the long one with two barrels. The short one with one barrel was significantly weak, but you recall it being a steady fallback. And then you find the sword.Well, you called it a sword. It is heavy, and the handle is strange. Upon working the mechanism, the edge spins, and the weapon roars. You ponder - what can you do with these munitions?
for the hero soul usage I suggest a core being covered on thick place fused in place and surrounded by carapace draped in wirling thick spiked chains that can pick up weapons and wield them or pick up enemies tear them apart or throw them it moves by using the chains too latch onto or drag along the armored core which can spew forth a elemental blast of its choosing including sound or force it can also pull in creatures into ita folds of whirling chains to devour them should it choose to do so
>>19632029plate my bad
>>19632029Jesus, are you fourteen?Give the sword and small firearm to your knight. Have the carrywing use the two-barrelled one unless the kick is too severe for it to fly well, in which case switch the firearms.
>>19632027We should create very small demons, basically an eyeball with wings and tiny legs. If we consume one we will learn what it has seen. We send them out to scout out the remains of our palace and return to us.
>>19632118You hand out the weapons, and ammo, to your creatures. You have seen them in operation, so you can teach them some semblence of the tactics used. The Carrywing is too light for the long weapon, so I assign it to the Knight along with the sword - and the pistol goes to the carrywing instead. It feels odd to arm my creations with this, yet... oddly empowering. Expending half my non-heroic souls, I create ten small eyes, and send them to scout the palace as I return to my throne. I remember, the back of it, which is broken, was important. However, I can't recall how. I am waiting for the return of my eyebeasts, seating myself comfortably, when someone uses the knocker on the front door.
>>19632163Oh, good idea. Basically biological arcane eyes. I'm behind this.
>>19632218OP needs to think guys
>>19632218You, uh, kinda switched perspective in the middle there.Anyway, send the Carrywing and a passenger Pounce to hover above the door. Have the remaining Pounce climb up above the door. Have the Shatterbeast remain near you and the Knight answer the door.
>>19632027>>19631405How many souls is a cyberdemon? Perhaps we have enough for a cybruiser. If there's a rocket launcher in the armory. Heck make a few revenants.
>>19632317If you're actually the OP, then sure. Think all you need. Anyone have a name for those eye-beings? I'm fond of Aispei, personally.
>>19632324You mentally correct yourself - long periods of time asleep have unforeseen side effects. You direct your creatures to the door, as the monstrous beast opens the door. Before him... A small demon. You recognize this one - It is a Broker. Brokers make deals of all sorts, between humans, demons, and other beings. They use different currencies, but most demons only trade in the souls of the ones they have killed - which they can't use anyway themselves. >>19632392As he approaches, you recall that The Cyberdemon was a bitch and a half to create - the merging of demonic soulcrafting and Mortal tech was time-consuming, and painful. You're sure you've the exact plans somewhere in a library or dusty tome somewhere... As he appreoaches the throne, a small creature with a spaded tail and tiny wings, red skin, and a pinstripe suit, my Aispeis do as well - and I learn that the rest of the place is positively crawling with beasts. Not just of my former designs - small skeletal dogs and muscular humanoids with huge cleavers in the kitchen, zombies of pig-like men in the mess hall with golden blades, and... A succubus is sleeping in my quarters. Wonderful. I palm my face again. "Always a bitch wakin' up, ain' it, Lord? Howdy doody root'n toody, lordanmastuh, how can Nibblewick be ahf servace?" he asks. "Remembah, everythin's got a price, even infor. Tell me whatcha wanna know, an' I'll tell yer the price." the little creature in front of me says.
>>19632482Zombie Pigmen? Next you'll be telling me there are huge white floating jellyfish that can shoot fireballs.
>>19632576Oh god endermen sentries once we have a base of operations going, yes, YESSS!
>>19632482So tech is hard to meld? Or at least here, where there probably isn't any. There goes the horde of revenants idea - nice for curved passageways.Info - well finding out whoever is making these demons to search the citadel seems like a good idea. Also what's been happening in hell under it's rule. I guess check the back of the throne when the demon leaves? Have an aiespie keep a watch on the back in case of something happening.
>>19632482whats up with that succubus in my bedchambers
"First of all, can you tell me what the hell happened?" "Nothin-doing, bossman! At least, not with yer souls. Tell you what, you give me what you got, I'll tell you what I can." "...And the Succubus in my bedroom?" "Ha! There's a freebie. She moved in when you fell asleep on yer throne. Took a likin' to the place. Been operatin' outta here for months. Kinda puts a damper on some relations in the area, too. Real pain." "... What of the monsters in my castle? How did that come to pass?" "Oh, that I can tell yer. For fifteen souls." "I'm assuming these prices are non-negotiable." "Yep. An' if yer kills me, or tortures me..." I groan. Typical deal with this sort - fully capable of mental erasure, but only to themselves. He looks up at me, and I manifest an Aispei to look on the back of the throne - some sort of thaumaturgical crest used to reach up the back of it. Or something like that... Anyway, what information should I buy, if any?
>>19632765That's quite a steep price he's got going on there ... I say fifteen for info on the monsters in the citadel, and use the rest to make a cage for the guy. Throw him in, promise to pay him for more info once we have harvested the trespassers. Intimidate him for better prices later, maybe have the acid cats carry his cage or something. Then head out and take on a group with the best souls/difficulty ratio.Also how much tech is actually in the citadel? Just weapons? I still feel like revs would be great minions to have.
>>19632765Give him the 15 souls for info on what's up with your padUse the rest of your souls and the hero soul to make a mind-reading, psychic snake demon to figure out the rest of what the little shit knowsMaybe afterwards convince or mind control him into helping you, as he should know well that soon enough you will return to your full strength and it would be unwise to not fall in line.
I'm largely unopinionated about this. I guess buy the info, but kill him and take his souls if it turns out to be something unhelpful like "Somebody ordered them to come here."Where we should go next coming up after I check something.
Don't try to cheat or intimidate the broker. Though imprisoning it might be wise if they've been known to be less than neutral.And for the love of god, don't use the hero soul for a mind-reading snake demon. Save it for something actually useful.No Aispeis reported back from the forge or barracks. That means they know something's up. Clear out the barracks.
"Fine. The monsters." he holds up a gem, and you fill it. He flicks it between his fingers, up, and catches it."Here's the down-low on your infestation. There was a pretty fuckin' big distrubance not long back. Fucked about with all sortsa shit. Long story shot, if it's 'Hell', it's here." "...What?" "There's a lotta Hells, bucko. Lotta little pockets of pain. And guess what, you're right in the middle. Prime real estate! So, naturally, people from all over want this strategemical location. All sorts! It's almost like an embassy! Except, you know, everyone hates the shit outta everyone else, and everyone most wants to kill you." It takes a few minutes to let that sink in. "So that's why they're here." he says simply, kissing the gem and turning to leave. You prepare my souls to create a Snake - but he wags his finger and taps his noggin - even if you tried, you'd get nothing. Brokers wouldn't stay around if they couldn't keep themselves, and their goods, safe. >No Aispeis reported back from the forge or barracks. That means they know something's up. Clear out the barracks.While you failed to send any to cleared areas, that is important info. What approach would be suitable, you think?
Well he didn't really explain anything about the strengths and weaknesses of the monsters so it's a bit of a craphshoot where to go. I'm thinking we break the party in the kitchen, beat down the pigs, then go to the quarters and sort out the succubus. But first there's that crest on the back of the throne to investigate.
((Aight guys here's the dealio. I got inspired for this and started posting without thinking. So, long story short, we're ~60 posts in and it's one fucking AM. I need sleep. O'll be back in the morning - assuming this is still alive. If not, I'll link the Foolz and we can continue. See y'all on the other side. ))
Shatterbeast breaks down the door and starts wrecking shit as the dust settles, with everyone else rushing in as well. You stay just close enough to collect souls, with a second Knight protecting you once you have enough souls.Carrywing has two arms, he can carry and throw at least one pounce and the face of the most threatening enemy in the room. More if they can hold on to it.
>>19633045Night, I'll definitely check back tomorrow.
>>19633045's cool, I should be asleep too. I'll archive it myself on suptg, then go to bed.I hesitate to archive it while it's still only at ~60 posts, but either it'll be dead tommorrow in which case it'll need to have been archived, or it'll be alive, in which case it'll eventually hit autosage and need to be archived.Either way, it'll need to have been archive sooner or later.
probably not the graetest idea but how about we use some souls to become a bit more... fleshy I mean DOOM was flesh (and armour) and he managed to beat us to a plup, so logialy it helps! and if we want to meet the succubus not looking like a licth migth be a plus..
>>19636231DAT GRAMMAR!!! MY EYES! IT BURN!!!
You inspect the Thaumaturgical crest - or what remains of it. It's impossible to decipher what it was used for, with so little information, and the memory of it eludes you. >>19633059You direct the Carrywing to keep the Pounce in its arms, as you direct the four armed beast to break through the door. It shatters pleasingly with the initial blow, sending bits everywhere. And what assaults your eyes is strange indeed. It is as if the place has rusted. The Barracks is red and hot, filled with holes. And strange beasts roam it - sacks with legs, lumbering things with cylinder heads and large, club-like arms... You direct the Shatterer at the largest while the Knight works the mechanism on Doom's sword. It roars across the hall, and everything looks up, while he hefts the large gun in one hand. The small, sacklike beasts only carry a soul apiece, the larger ones five. They seem incredibly weak - and without purpose. Your knight blows one sack in half with ease, then sunders through another with his sword. The Shatterer performs wonderfully, breaking apart a lumberer with skill and fluid action. Something about this seems wrong.
>>19636329Order the Shatterer to stay close to you. This is obviously gonna end in a boss fight!
>>19636347 Succubus will be mini boss, the main boss will arrive after we clear everything. If anything this is a RUSE to keep us distracted.Take to the air, we need to make sure we don't get attacked from somewhere we can't see.
You take to the air, the Shatterer keeping close as you take in the 14 souls you have gained from combat - no, 21. The beasts fall with ease, and you end on 28 souls as the Sword finally ceases its roar. Whatever fueled it is gone, and it is tossed aside.And you hear the scratching of metal on metal, supernatural dread filling your senses. A beast aproned with pale leather, a helmet pointed and long, and a blade of great size approaches, slowly but steadily. You sense no heroic soul, but thirty souls in total in its body.
>>19636972Make it rain all over this beast with 20 pounce while our Knight and Shatterbeast flank it and attack its sides.
So we got Silent Hill in the barracks, and the Nether in the dining room? Broker was right, all the hells have collided.Also I just got here and am happy to see this continuing.Swarm of Pounce seems like a good idea, as does flanking. The greatest threat of this ... Pyramid Head seems to be its sword, so the Shatterbeast's priority should be that rather than bodily harm.
>>19639779You direct your Knight and your Shatterbeast to flank as you rain fluffy death upon the creature, who swings the heavy blade at your knight - who catches it on his massive sheild and, to your shock, falls back. The strength of this thing is incredible! the catlike things hiss at him and his body is sprayed in foul fluids. But he does not panic. Instead, he plucks them from his body and begins to hurl them at you. You move as fast as you can, but you are not quite as fast as you once were. One strikes and bursts against your arm, disintigrating the bony limb from the shoulder down. Still, his skin is red and the subdermis looks painfully beared, even as it trundles forth - the Shatterbeast standing in its way. It swings again, but the Shatterbeast moves inside it, and places a palm on its chest. In moments, a painful cracking sound reaches your ears, as the shatterbeast winds up - and slams its fist into the area it had frozen, smashing /through/. The beast stumbles, moves to strike again... and falls heavily. The blade falls and peirces its lower abdomen as you claim the souls.
>>19642221The Shatterbeast is a complete bro. We just got 30 souls from that. Life is good. Continue to investigate the Barracks and make sure that it's clear of any other enemies.
>>19642221Make sure this place is clear, move onto the next area, let's do the kitchen, then the dining hall, then we'll have a chat with the Succubus in our quarters.
>>19642221How many souls will it take to heal our wounds?
>>19642221Excellent, but now we must make a new arm for ourselves.This is how we should expend the hero-soul---forging a great be-taloned limb of iron and raw, skinless muscle.
>>19642975With iron and bone spikes and protrusions, and a fanged lamprey mouth in the center of the palm.
>>19642316A quick look over the room, and you find nothing out of the ordinary. ...You'll have to replace the walls and floor and beds, but that's doable. Moving on, you expend nine souls to create a creature to replace your arm. You cannot heal yourself using souls - only craft them into new entities. It is why the Knight is still injured. The arm is stronger, more powerful than your normal arm. You hesitate to expend the Heroic quite yet. The potential is untapped, and you'd hate to spend it on something you'd rather need, seeing as you're a master of armies. You move on into the kitchen, where some of the dead bodies are strung up and being butchered."Ah, fresh meat." growls the red-skinned beast inside, hefting an enourmous cleaver as it thunders forth. The knight steps forth and stops the blow, but not with ease. How should you proceed?
>>19643100"You seem to be able to talk and think. I'll give you one chance to surrender and serve."If he refuses or attacks, sic the remaining pounces on him, have the knight grapple him and pin his arms, and have the shatterbeast ice punch him to death.
>>19643153What kind of combat skills do we have?
>>19643100A shit, it's the Butcher. Have the Knight and Shatter double team it, the Knight tarpits it and distracts it so the Shatterbeast can freeze and smash vulnerable points.Do we have any minions currently outside of those ones?
>>19628361Inb4 "no John, YOU are the demons"
>>19643216The hounds are still kicking, which distantly amuses you as the Knight pushes it back - but the small, rabid beasts in the kitchen leap forth. You engage them with the Hounds, who handle it well. If messily. The Shatterbeast moves in from behind, and raises its hand to attack, and then...It doesn't have a hand anymore. The Butcher smiles as it leans forward, and hews off the arm at the elbow, using the flat of the blade to knock it into an open oven which it kicks closed, laughing. You raise your hand, sending the remaining five Pounce at it - and it manages to hack them from the air, calmly walking backwards. "Adorable." it says, "A pity they destroy themselves." And that's when you realize that this creature has digested the souls of each f the hanging bodies in this room. It must have at least fifty. The neatness of this sliding scale of enemy effectiveness annoys you, but briefly. "Let's not play games, here." the creature says, amicably. "It's pretty clear who'll win here. Let us drop this charade, and I can take you to my lord and master - I am certain he would have a use for someone capable of creating new creatures from nothing." he chuckles. "Or I could eat you, after finishing off your minions. That'd be fun too."
>>19643650How many souls do we have in storage currently, aside from the hero soul?Don't go with him just yet, ask who his master is.
>>19643650We give this pathetic mistake of a monstrosity a look of distaste, even given the fact that he has been besting us so far.We might consider using that hero soul, which might be our only salvation against the butcher, other than pouring more souls at it in hope of victory.The creature we would create, however, must either be strong enough to withstand his cleave, or quick enough to avoid it, all while doing damage itself, or possibly causing a distraction. Mayhap we could also change the clothlike core from earlier not to spew gas, but smoke, to hide this new creature from its site, giving it the advantage of surprise.As a side not to the very last tactic, the creature might do well to have some way to track other than sight.
>>19643736Also, my name from here on out, just to be familiar.
>>19643736Oh, and since I didn't clarify very well, I'd lean towards the quick-but-deadly route, maybe leaning towards a stealthy creature, who might become our personal assassin in the future....maybe.All is in flux until we are in power.
>>19643810Hmm, that could work, but the Hero Soul's name is "Marleb the Undying", that doesn't fit as well with that motif.I'm thinking something tough and that regenerates from damage as the main sticking points.
>>19643650How many souls do we have after our minions have been killed off?
>>19643852Hm...yes, I suppose I didn't take the name into affect, though I still say a smokescreen would be nice for surprising this bastard.Mayhap he would be a hulking mass, almost looking like a very fat creature, but only because a large amount of fat inhabits the area between his skin and his superbly strong muscles and vitals. And like I said before, a way to perceive that wouldn't be easily denies, like some sort of thermal vision.
>>19643855(( 30 + 4 (Hounds) + 5 (Knight) + 3 (Pounce) + 17 (the seventeen pounce from before) + 20 (The Shatterer) + Heroic (Marleb) = 80. I might have missed some. Anyone with a better count can correct me. )) You sigh. It's time to use the Hero. As you speak, you pull the thirty souls together, finishing the processes that cannot be witnessed by the naked eye first. You place in the Heroic soul, and construct a creature of great bulk and power slowly."What is the name of your lord?" "Diablo, Lord of Terror!" he says with a raucous laughter. "I am but one of his scouts! And those meager things, they are just animals. His true soldiers are a terror to behold - I doubt your greatest creations at your current level of might could match even one." he says. "Is that so." you reply with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, I believe so. So what is your reply?" "Marleb." "Marleb?" "Yes." You raise your hand and the creature simply /appears/, slamming its fist into the Butcher's rather large belly. The cleaver comes down, and clangs loudly against the bone. ...Interesting. That was not a trait you had planned, iron bones. Shock is written on the Butcher's face as he pulls the chipped weapon free and the wound seals up instantly. "This is my reply, Butcher. Marleb the Undying will show you I can match your Lord's soldiers." a grin splits your face as his attempts to cut apart your creature are met with little success, and he backpedals. "I can work for you!" He says. Hah.
>>19643980Really, drop your weapon and kneel down.We're not actually planning on letting him live, but it'll make it easier to kill him. We can't have him as a servant, his loyalty is towards another and even if he claims otherwise we can not trust it.
>>19643980>>19644024Whoa now, no need to jump to decisions. We should consider his proposition...although he does have a large number of souls. Also, his willingness to just shift to our side, even if he truly means it, doesn't do much for representing his potential loyalty...We should grill him as a potential applicant, just to get more info before we make our decision. Because informed choices are always better than the alternatives!
>>19644087>>19644024Best of both worlds: can we remake him? Ideally in a sense that is very unpleasant for him, and gives us some guarantee for his loyalty. (Perhaps implanting a symbiote of some kind?)
>>19644103Me gusta, but let's wait to see from Mr. DOOMquest himself.
>>19643980"Yes. You can. Kneel!" He does, and you grin as he drops his weapon. You command Marleb to pick it up. "Wait, I-""Never said you'd live." you say, as the cleaver separates his head from his body. Right away, you take the souls and reshape them into his old form - this time with loyalty absolute to you. "There." Of course, the experience is somewhat like having your very essense being put through a mead grinder then roughly kneaded back into shape. He nods numbly, but does not recieve his cleaver - Marleb has a liking to it. Unfortunately, his memory was lost in the process, so you cannot question him about Diablo. This leaves one more room - any preparations?
>>19644316Damn it, I knew we should have questioned beforehand!Well, the next room...hm. We've probably made quite a ruckus already, so the element of surprise is probably gone. Would there be another way to look into this room other than merely entering it, say a window or portcullis looking in that we may have our flying eyes check out?
>>19644316Send in a scout eye first, to pop in and out as quickly as possible. See what it can get.Give Marleb a brofist, he did good. I'm guessing the Shatterer is pretty dead after getting his arm cut off and put in the oven. Oh well.
>>19644369Or just missing a limb. I suppose we could give him....a hand.BWO HO HO HO!
>>19644403I'm going to go out on a limb here and say he won't be quite as handy in his current state. I'd glove to get him back considering how useful he was, but it might not be viable. We should see how he's doing before we move on to the next room.
>>19644420OH YOU.jpg
Can we can't just kill our won minions get there souls back and remake them?
>>19644420>>19644564>>19644403You turn to look at the Shatterer, then sigh, directing Marleb to behead him - and then return him to wholeness. The whole thing costs a single extra soul. You look through the window into the next room - and the creatures inside are huddled in a corner.They're... scared?
>>19644778Hm. How pitiful. We could assume they're scared of us, more likely than not, but let's see what happens when we bust down that door.
>>19644778Well isn't that interesting. I don't think we have much call to be scared, we have the Butcher, Marleb and the Shatterer with us. Have Marleb lead the way, kicking down the door.
>>19644778Bust down door, see if these creatures have souls or anything useful.
Be a nice guy.By releasing them from their suffering.
You kick the door down, the Knight and the Shatterer flanking you as you stare down at the zombified creatures. It's strange, they won't even move from cowering in the corner. They're armed. This is perplexing you. Everything else you've encountered today has been incredibly violent. So why are these, piglike zombies, any different?
>>19645168Oh....oh wait.The Zombie Pigmen.Ohhhh sweet Jesus, what could they be scared of?
>>19645168Interesting.Is there anything in the room that we can see that may be the source of their fear?Assess how many souls the zombie pig creatures are worth.Move our men in, don't get started on slaughtering the zombies yet, I'd like to have a full understanding of the situation before then.
>>19645232Agreed.God help me if there's an endermen or a creeper in here...
Slaughter those pitiful creatures for their souls. While we're at it, we should remake a few minions - a couple Knights, a couple of those flying things (Flarewasps?) and a pack of Hounds, should we have the required resources. If not, just be rid of the Butcher. We have Marleb, so I see no point in investing in beast so large and clumsy when we can do so much better for less.Also, I support the notion of developing a stealthy, quick sort of minion. Most of our troops are meatshields at this point and it would be nice to have some sort of stealth specialist.
>>19645260In regards to stealth: That's what I was mentioning earlier, as well, eheh.In regards to the butcher: We only beat him because of the hero soul, and he is a powerful minion to command, though it all depends on what you'd want to redistribute his souls for, though I wouldn't want to be rid of him for a little while, at least.
Perhaps it would be wise to create a decoy of ourselves, to draw fire. Every "repair" we make to our body will cost souls, and we are much less durable than Marleb's current body.
>Assess how many souls the zombie pig creatures are worth.Such pitiful creatures cannot be worth all that - Huh. Ten apiece. There's at least ten of them. Neat.You melt down the Butcher with another beheading. You're finding these rather entertaining. With the sixty (!) souls you have now, you build four knights, for twenty souls. For two apiece, you build five Hounds, leaving you with thirty souls. You've quite a contingent, now. With fifteen, you set yourself to making a skinny, black-skinned demon with eyes like silver, arms ending in long spikes of bone. They are excellent at stealth and very fast. You finish with another. The pigmen don't seem inclined to talk, they just seem frightened of you. Rightfully so, with your large gaggle of demons.
>>19645334Well, I suppose we could just wipe them out, using the proper tactics to do so. Hopefully, there's no hidden trick to this scenario, else we might be in a bit of a predicament.
>>19645334We should speak to them first. See if they are willing to submit. Why waste time fighting when they might already be willing to be loyal.
>>19645334First put our men into a strong defensive formation, Marleb in the center with the knights flanking him. The hounds behind them ready to head out to the sides and close in on the sides and back of the enemy and the two stealth ones we'll keep back unless we're using them to stealth, in combat their job is to sneak around in the chaos and eliminate high priority targets. Then attempt to talk to the pigmen, see if they know of anyone else in here, if they would be willing to serve, why they are so scared of us, that sort of thing.
>>19645419You array your men, and the call out to the creatures. They look up at you. Seems they cannot talk, but can understand words. "If you do not wish to die, then submit to me. Kneel, and drop your weapons - Pledge your loyalty to me hereafter." You wait, and after a moment, they do so - you can sense their souls shifting to regard you as lord. Most excellent! You post two at the front door, one in each room, and the rest patrol. They move to action rapidly, and you nod approvingly. That leaves the Succubus. How shall you approach this situation?
>>19645717Craft a condom out of a soul...
>>19645717Well, to barge into our now-claimed chambers would be fool-hardy and irresponsible. We should approach the situation with care and delicacy...not to say we wouldn't have our guards with us, but we should at least try to talk with said succubi first.>>19645733Would we not want children to be the generals of our army?
>>19645717With tact and diplomacy. She could be useful, having someone adept at social situations and the like could be a boon. We politely enter our chambers, have our men waiting behind us and engage her in conversation. Perhaps we make tea and negotiate over that.
>>19645733Don't be silly.I say we approach her the same way we've approached the others. Don't arrive swords swinging, as it were, but make it very clear where her loyalties should lie if she wishes to continue her lifestyle. Be diplomatic, but don't be afraid to show her you have no problem killing her should she prove uncooperative.
>>19645757Talk to the Succubus, but keep the knights and the stealth demons outside the chamber in case she tries something stupid.
>>19645777 I agree let's be a gentleman but having a minion with us is a given I think, we don't want to get killed do we?(on a side note >>19636268 English is not my first language soooo enjoy the horrible grammar!)
>>19645843Hey, you type pretty damn well in my opinion, so no worries.
Finally, it's time to move up to the Chambers. These sit at the top of a tower. Thus, you have your creatures walk in double file behind you, and you cross the bridge to it in the open air - pausing to admire the view. Hell has changed. A mad patchwork is visible from where you stand, a veritable wild mess of chaos and distortion. Some areas recur, others, look unique. As you stand there, a voice calls out."So you woke. A shame you didn't fill out like I'd hoped." You turn to regard her. A slim figure, with hourglass features you are certain would entice mortal men. Curling horns and a barbed tail, as well as wings which spring from her hips (and seem to serve as her lower garment exclusively) mark her as a demon, though not one of yours."It seems there's a bit conflict here. I want to stay here, because it's very safe. You want your chambers back to sulk about in." she smiles. We could do this a few ways. A contest of arms, in which case I'll destroy this bridge we're on and leave - no skin off my back. A contest of wills, which would certainly be pointless, as we are equals. Or..."She smiles. "I challenge you to the Oldest Game. Stakes are our very souls. What say you?"
>>19645857...what does she mean the the 'Oldest Game'?
>>19645866by the*, fuck
>>19645857VERY WELL! LET US FUCK-FIGHT!
>>19645866http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_oldest_game
>>19645866Clearly a round of Deathmatch. This is Doom, after all.
>>19645874((The Oldest Game is from Sandman, a comic by Neil Gaiman. In short, the format goes like this:"I am the hero, destined to win.""I am the seductress, molding his mind."And so on, until either someone repeats a phrase, or has a lapse in thought. ))
>>19645880...Ancient Backgammon. Really now?
>>19645857First off, what exactly is the Oldest Game? Second, it'd probably be somewhat dumb for me to accept your game given that the fact that you suggested it means that you're likely very good at it.Thirdly, it's not like my castle is running low on space and you haven't done anything to really make me object to your presence. What say you to working together, we have different but potentially synergistic skill sets and could both benefit from it.
>>19645883I am the Man and A Half, 'correcting' the living state of my foes with my hands alone.
>>19645889Basically. She wants to live here? Great, she can go right ahead and do that. But it's our place, and she's the guest. Understand that.
I see no reason to pit our souls in a contest, and we have no reason to be rid of her at the moment. If she insists that to play her game is the only peaceful course of action, so be it.
"I am afraid that I am unfamiliar.""The game is simple. Each of us take turns proclaiming to be a thing that can defeat what the other player claims to be. The game continues until someone pauses, or repeats themselves from a previous turn." "... Surely you chose this because you excel." "Nay, but because we are equals at this alone and it would be interesting. A game of it would be price enough to give up my power to you. And if I win, well, I've never been the type to delegate. I'd probably just keep you from harming me." "What say you to working under me, or even working together?" "I'd say such a compromise is boring." she replies idly. "And really - It's not as if you don't have room." "Yes, but these are my quarters. The guest apartments are downstairs." She thinks for a moment. "I'll go. But only if you're sure you don't want to play me - Otherwise, if the place is attacked, I'll see no reason to help you. I'll simply escape."
rolled 1 = 1>>19645942"No, no. This will be interesting.Let us play."Make a coin out of a soul, one side with my face (odd) the other with the succubus' face (even) and flip to see who goes first
>>19645958Go with this.
>>19645958"I am the hound, ever loyal, ever fighting."
>>19645942Well it does seem like an interesting game.The stakes of souls is rather annoying, you win you can go where you want or stay here, and I'll owe you a favor. I win you stay here, I an ally who I consider an equal and someone to have decent conversation with, my minions are great but not one for good dinner talk.
>>19645942I say we vote on this, just to make it plain and simple. And I vote we go for it. Even if she lies to us of her delegation of our power, the chance to gain her allegiance is a great chance indeed.
>>19645942While I'd much prefer she work for us - a succubus might bring a steady income of the souls of mortal men, in time - it seems the game is the only way to win her loyalty. So be it. We are the lord of hell, and we will not be so easily trumped at such a simple game.
>>19645968We play.
((A note: I'll be speeding up reaction time for the Game's duration. Don't be shocked if your suggestion is missed. ))"Very well. I have the first move, then?"She nods."I am the hound, ever loyal, ever fighting." "I am the sniper, arrow from beyond your sight."
Also I vote that we make a goal of finding out more about the mortal world. I would be most interested in following the soul of the Doom.
>>19645981I am the viper in the grass, hidden and poisonous.
>>19645981I am the shield-mate, arrow-destroying, sniper-cleaving,
>>19645992"I am the viper in the grass, hidden and poisonous." The tension is good. It reminds you of the days of Phobos and Mars."I am the winter, cold, and sleep-bringing."
>>19646004I am the hearth, warmth and life-giving
>>19646004I am the fire of the hearth, heat bringing, life preserving.
>>19646010"I am the hearth, warmth bringing, life preserving." She raises an eyebrow before replying smoothly."I am the horde, pillaging, raping."
>>19645981I am the knight, clad in armor greater than any arrow.
>>19646026I am the Knight, ever-vigilant and defending.
>>19646026I am disease, spreading and rotting.
>>19646027>>19646053"I am the knight, armor clad, ever vigilant." She almost laughs. "I am the maiden, distracting, alluring."
>>19646079I am age, shatterrer of beauty and lust.
I say laugh like a maniac and say:I am DOOM destructor of hell, conqueror of demons, master of DOOM-STICKS!
>>19646079I am the monk, faith unwavering.
>>19646089"I am age, destroyer of beauty, ender of lust."She frowns. "I am medicine, prolonger of life, bringer of youth."
>>19646142"I am disease, spreading and rotting, life and death as one."
>>19646142I am Death, unavoidable and unreversing.
>>19646142I am ignorance, destroyer of knowledge.
I am disease eater of life, void of hopes
>>19646142I am famine, inescapable and irrevocable.
>>19646163"I am disease, spreading and rotting.""I am sanitation, bringer of hope and ender of plagues." Surface world has changed a lot, you note.
>>19646191I am ignorance, I forget important lessons and the reasons behind things.
>>19646191Can we end this already?"I am war. City destroying, Life ending."
>>19646191I am the earthquake, rending earth and artifice asunder.
I am the rat, eater of crops and bringer of disease
>>19646211"I am war. City destroying, life ending.""I am peace. Life affirming, hapiness bringing." You sigh. "I am time. All peace ends, eventually.""I... Fuck." she sighs as her loyalty swings to you rather suddenly. "Well-played." You shrug. "It is simple enough to learn. Though it does tend to go on." "Yes. It's a good game for stalling." She pauses, then laughs. "No, I wasn't planning anything. Hold on while I get my things." she says, sauntering back to your chambers and emerging with a few objects. None of them are yours, you note, and you finally step into your chambers, just as you recall them. Except there is a large piece of your throne resting on the bed - a note attached says to return it to the 'sleeping guy' at first convenience.
>>19646257Well, we can assume we are the 'sleeping guy' so mentioned. Have one of our minions take it down to our throne, and on the way down, question our new succubi of her abilities.
>>19646257Tell one of our minions to haul the piece of throne back to our throne room.Get the succubus's name and ask if she would care to join us for dinner. We haven't had a proper conversation with someone for 80 or so years.
>>19646257Check if anything about the throne is suspicious. If there's none, wait for the succubus to return.
well at least we have the full crest now maybe it'll jog our memory to see it complete.I vote for sending it back to the throne room, and keep exploring a bit; if there is anything left to explore of course.
As a side note, I must be going, so if there's any info on when the next thread might be would be appreciated.
You send the Crest downstairs, and instantly the demon comes back - you go down and see what the trouble is. It seems that it was only a fragment, but part of the Crest is glowing, now, front and back. Parts of it are still missing, but it seems it was meant to store power away from something for a period of time. You take a seat and HOLY FUCK.Your muscles bulge, your skin grows more supple. You feel blood in your veins, and let out a quiet groan of pleasure as your body fills out to normal, human proportions. Looking upon the crest, you feel there may be as many as seven or eight more parts. You summon the demons and the Succubus for a grand feast, creating a chef and expending a few souls for a living sphere of delicious meats. The meal goes well, and you learn the Succubus can set herself open for Summoning, which will yeild you a few souls each day, along with a possibility for 'special ones'. She excels at illusions and defensive wards that use illusions. Dinner passes, and you return to your throne to contemplate your next steps.((End of thread. Next thread: In a week. Thank you for playing! ))
>>19646354Nice op.
>>19646354I'll set my watch by that date, then. It was been a great time playing, OP, and my only complaint would be how long some stuff took, but that is easily overlooked. You truly are an elegan/tg/gentleman.
>>19646354A whole week?! Argh, this is like, the best thread I've seen on /tg/ in a WHILE (and I know there are tons of quest threads, but this one seems extra cool for whatever reason). Is there a better way to keep track of threads? Or should I just google "site:>> DEMON !zQ1/aQnrsU" every couple of days? :/
That was pretty fun. Can't wait for the next installment.OP, I like the cut of your jib.
>>19646387I dislike flooding /tg/. I mean, I normally autohide quests myself, so I try to make it easy on folks who just wanna talk dice and shit. I mean, I already run another quest under another trip. Some advice was given to me to 'give them fun, don't try for a story', so I did this. And fun happened. Mission accomplished.((Also thanks Golemquest for giving me a system to half-pilfer. Fuck yeah, souls as a resource! ))
>>19646387>not using browserDo you even chan?
>>19646407wat.I meant like a third-party utility to either track threads or easily search for specific threads that you're expecting to show up or have been archived without having to manually search for it through google. What do you mean by 'not using browser'? Of course I'm using a browser, how the hell else would I get here?
this was a very enjoyable quest, I mean for once we're the BBEGand every BBEG tremble before a /tg/ hero, time to show heroes how truly terrifying a /tg/ BBEG is.*laugh like a maniac*
>>19646647http://catalog.neet.tv/tg/You can thank me later.
Should I bump with doom pics?
