>>24210931
It's hard to tell exactly how the others are faring, but you can get a vague idea.
The twins' chatter has all but stopped, and what few terse words you do hear from their direction are colored with a definite tinge of fear.
Miki seems to be getting frustrated, yelling angrily at the kobolds attacking her to back off. You hear whooshing sounds as she swings her poleaxe in wide arcs in hopes of catching a kobold.
From behind, you hear panicked shrieks and the rumble of shifting stone as Yukiho tries to fend off the kobolds that just arrived through the wall behind your position.

You've gotten a feel for the rhythm of your opponents' attacks now. You're pretty sure you know when and where the next attack will be. That's your chance to move.

But it's gotta be quick. No time for detailed instructions; you'll have to make do with something short and sweet, and hope your allies can follow your lead.

>What instructions do you shout to your party as you start your plan? You have FIVE WORDS, including names. Make them count.
>Also, roll 2d20 -- one for your own part, one for the girls. Tonight's magic number is 5.

Rolled 17

>>24210935

Everyone group up with Producer!

Rolled 2, 1 = 3

>>24210935
Yukiho, stop them with magic!

Rolled 12, 7 = 19

>>24210968

Woops it's 2d20.

Rolled 20, 1 = 21

>>24210935

"Everyone head towards the light!"

Rolled 14, 4 = 18

Fall back to me, now!

>>24210935

Regroup. One alchemical fire to the thickest kobold horde.

Rolled 16, 8 = 24

>>24210935
Toss alchemy into buggers, group up.

>>24211048
so Producer is screwed while the girls are not? Let's hope the alchemy fire isn't friendly fire.

>>24211048
Well, better us than them.

That's six words, by the way.

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>>24211048

You should probably reword that to 'Toss alchemy and group up'.

Rolled 7, 4 = 11

>>24211074
"Toss alchemy into buggers, regroup!"

>>24211089
Ok. That works.

Rolled 3

>>24210935
Help Haruka, then form a ring. Put our backs together.

>>24211048
>>24211103

So uh, which one counts?

>>24211112
The better one.

>>24211112
the one that counts, being the 5th 2d20, is >>24211048

>>24211112
The fifth correct roll.

Rolled 5, 14 = 19

>>24211135
Does "correct" include getting the word count right?

Why the fuck doesn't the email field clear

>>24211151
Yes, the roll still counts even if the directions don't. In any case, it was reworded so it's no big deal.

>>24211163
4chanx settings?

>>24211163
None of the fields do by default. I think 4chan X has an option to clear them, though.

>>24211151
Votes and open-ended courses of action are considered separately from dice rolls. I use the dice result from the magic number post, but take the highest-voted option (for votes) or a synthesis of the most popular suggestions (for open-ended prompts) for actual courses of action.

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>>24211183
Good. Thanks for clarifying that.

I do agree on the alchemic fire.

We need that grenade. As long as it doesn't set our girls alight.

>>24210935
>>24211048
Passing your sword to your shield hand, you pull a flask of alchemical fire from a pouch on your belt. As a kobold's pick thuds against your shield, you fling the flask and call out, "Throw fire and group up!"

Your own flask apparently goes wide of its target, shattering on the floor a yard or two behind your attacker, but at least the sudden rush of flames seems to startle the kobolds for a moment. And more importantly, it gives you some light. Giving a kobold a good sock with your shield to get some breathing room, you turn to head toward Haruka.

Out of the corner of your eye you see another gout of green-yellow flame go up on your flank as one of the twins pitches a flask of their own. The inhuman screams and agonized gibberish tells you that Ami and Mami had better results with their fire attack than you did with yours, and you spy them dash past the disrupted kobolds toward you and Haruka.

As you dash past her on your way to Haruka's side, Miki steps back into a bracing stance and levels her polearm at the kobolds. "Leave us alone!", she yells, and a crackle of thunder splits the cavern as lightning arcs from the tip of her weapon into the gang of kobolds. The three spear-wielders that were attacking Miki catch the brunt of it, but a few sparks do jump to the pick-wielders as well. The flash leaves afterimages even out of the corner of your eyes; you can only imagine how bad it must be for the darkness-adapted kobolds looking right at it.

>>24211380
That should be a lot of toasted kobolds.

>>24211380

We have one last flask?

>>24211380
From behind, you hear a wet squelching noise and a bestial shriek, nearly drowning out Yukiho's cry of "Go away!" You stumble slightly as the ground beneath your feet rumbles violently, and over the sound of clattering rocks impacting against stone and kobold flesh you hear Yukiho's bootsteps heading your way.

You arrive at Haruka's side, bearing down on a kobold with shield and blade. It staggers back slightly, but holds its ground, catching your sword under the head of its pickaxe and pinning it against your shield. For what feels like minutes (though it must be only a second or two at most), you struggle against it, straining your superior size against its preternatural strength to no avail.

Then help arrives, in the form of a heavy axehead swinging down from the right and biting deep into the kobold's back. The hairy goblinoid slumps back, and the resistance against your shield slackens as its legs buckle. Shoving it off, you turn to the other kobold that was attacking Haruka to find it being sliced to ribbons by your tag-team of ponytailed twins.

You stoop down and help Haruka to her feet, asking if she's alright.

"Y-yeah, I'm ok, Producer. Thanks!"

It's hard to tell for sure by the dim, flickering, odd-colored light of the alchemical fires, but she doesn't look to have any serious injuries.Haruka raises her mace in the air and shouts, "Close your eyes, everyone!"

>>24211623
You do as she says, and not a moment later bright light pours through your clenched-shut eyelids, and you hear kobolds hissing and shrieking in pain.

You open your eyes again to see the cavern properly lit once more, and the kobolds around you staggering back, blinking furiously as their large, bulbous eyes try to adjust to the light. Your whole party is gathered around you. Miki and the twins stand over the corpses of the two kobolds that had been attacking Haruka, and next to you Yukiho holds her shovel -- the blade of which is stained with glistening kobold ichor -- in resolutely clenched (though trembling) fists.

Taking stock of the remaining kobolds, you see that there are still two kobolds with pickaxes (the ones that had been attacking you) and nine spear-wielders, though two or three of the latter bear sizable burns from the twins' alchemical fire, and one seems to have a large gash across its chest.

You've rallied your party and restored proper lighting, but this battle isn't over yet.

>What's the plan?
>Roll 'em.

>>24211730
>kobold ichor

eww

Rolled 9

>>24211730
Stay together, go on the offensive. Need to get rid of them one way or another so we can clear the path out to get Haruka some medical aid.

>>24211730
Still 2d20 or 1d20 now?

Rolled 20

>>24211730
MURDER
DEATH
KILL

>>24211758
1d20 is fine.

Rolled 16

>>24211730
CUT! CUT! CUT!

Rolled 15

>>24211730
Let's not take any chances. Finish them off before they can call for backup.

Rolled 1

>>24211730

Our usual formation.

Miki with Producer and Haruka dead center, Ami and Mami on the flanks.

Have Yukiho be behind and refill the lamp while we fight just incase we get a repeat.

>>24211449
Yep, one flask remaining in your personal inventory. The twins should still have two flasks between them, though you can't be quite sure at this point whether that was Ami using one of her two on the kobolds, or Mami using her last one.

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>>24211777

GO ME.

Rolled 17

>>24211777
>triple sevens
>rolled 1
FUCK YEAH

>>24211777
Nice roll

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>>24211777
THAT'S MY BOY.

>>24211777
HELL YES. FINALLY.

>>24211777
time for murder!

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Rolled 15

>>24211777
Hell yeah

I'm glad I took the break from work to roll. Seems like it's breaking the losing streak.

>>24211730
>>24211777
"Alright, Miki and Haruka with me. Ami, Mami, take the flanks. Yukiho, get the lantern and light it in case we lose Haruka's light again. It should be full and ready to go, just not lit yet.
Let's go!"

You rank up and charge into the disoriented kobolds, cutting down a group of three spear-wielders as they reel blindly from the light. As Yukiho crouches by the lantern and begins working to light it, you move on to the next group of kobolds -- the two with pickaxes that had initially attacked you. They flail at you with their picks, but you deflect their wild swings easily with their shield and make short work of them, cutting one open as Haruka sends the other crashing to the floor with a sharp crack to the head with her mace. Miki buries her axe in its back for good measure, and you move on to the next group of spear-wielders.

By now, the kobolds have started to recover from the light and regroup, but the defensive stance of the front rank is abruptly disrupted by a hail of daggers from the twins. They too fall quickly, the five of you working in smooth coordination.

Finally, only three remain -- two more or less uninjured-looking kobolds, and the one with the gash across its front (which, you now realize, seems to be slightly larger than the rest). Upon seeing the fate of their comrades, the remaining kobolds turn and run for the wall.

"Don't let them get away! We can't let them report to the colony!"

>Roll to catch the routing kobolds

Rolled 16

>>24211980

Rolled 12

>>24211980
Yukiho holds them in place by altering their terrain, then we put them out for good when they can't get away.

Rolled 6

>>24211980
lets see

Rolled 4

>>24211980
NAT 20 GO

Rolled 3

>>24211980
Let's rock and roll.

Rolled 18

>>24211980

>>24212040
>>24212041
Phew, close one.

>>24212040
Another good roll.

>>24212040
wow, we're kicking ass today.

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>>24211980
ON POINT, NIGGA.

>>24212057
Meant to quote. >>24212040

Rolled 20

>>24211980

Fuuuu

>>24211846
We need to go to Vegas again soon. KEEP ROLLING.

>>24211980
>>24212040
You break into a sprint, gaining ground on the kobolds, but not quite fast enough. The hairy buggers are remarkably quick for their squat stature.

But that's what mages are for. The kobolds suddenly lurch forward as the ground beneath their feet roils violently with a grinding, crunching sound, and then you're on them, leaping at their backs with a mighty battle cry. A quick stab to the back of the neck makes short work of one, and a shield bash followed by a downward hacking cut to the head drops another.

Finally, all that remains is the big one with the wound from Yukiho's shovel. It turns and jabs its spear at you, spitting gibberish that you're sure (judging by the intonation) must be very foul language indeed in its tongue. Blocking its attacks with your shield, you close in and swing with your sword. It attempts to parry, but the force of your blow splits the haft of the spear in two.

Picking up the spear of one of its fallen comrades, the kobold jabs at you with a one-handed overhand grip, but you deftly parry its first thrust and wrench the spear from its hand with a quick twist of your sword. Desperate, the goblinoid lashes out with its clawed hands, slapping vicious blows against your shield and trying to grab hold of a leg to pull you off your feet. Finally, it leaps into the air, swinging wildly at your head.

Catching it on your shield, you turn and slam it into the ground, pinning it beneath you, and finish it with a stab in the head.

>>24212256
Kobold horde is clear. Cheers to all, and let's get our composure back.

Let's see what we can loot from these things, but not for too long and not taking too much.

After that, we can finally explore up to the end of the tunnel.

>>24212256

I want to pet yukiho on the head for that fine bit of work but i dont think she'll take well to it.

Maybe a high 5? It'll be on her if she wants to if we just stick out a hand.

Baby steps to helping her cure her fear.

>>24212360
How about a thumbs up and a smile?

>>24212373
How about butt pats to all?

>>24212389
Jokes aside, we still need to build up trust with the young adventurers.

So buttpats will have to wait until later.

>>24212401
Yeah I know... So words of encouragement to everyone and high fives to the team save Yukiho sounds good.
Butt pats are for puchis anyways.

Rolled 7

>>24212373

Want her to not fear producer's touch though.

>>24212256
The kobolds dispatched, you gather your party to assess your condition.

Miki, Yukiho, and the twins all have a number of stab wounds and lacerations; nothing particularly debilitating or life-threatening, but certainly not minor enough to simply wave aside as mere scratches.

As for yourself, you have a few nasty bruises, and your shield arm is quite stiff and sore, but overall it seems like your shield and armor did their job pretty well.

Haruka, on the other hand, is in pretty bad shape. After the rush of combat wore off, she collapsed to her knees clutching her side, and the orb of light above you began to dim and waver. You find that she's sustained some very serious bruising, as well as what looks to be a cracked rib or two on her right side. She tries to heal herself, but can't maintain her focus long enough to fix more than minor surface wounds. Even that threatens to make the light go out entirely; you urge her to forget about the light, since the lantern's full and lit again now.

"I could probably take care the rest of you," she says with a weary smile, "but I think I'd need at least a good night's sleep before I can heal my own injuries."

>[] Find a good place to hole up in or near this chamber for the night so Haruka can rest
>[] Have Haruka use her healing potion now
>[] Give Haruka your healing potion

>>24212432
[] Have Haruka use her healing potion now
Then if she still looks bad, give her ours

>>24212432
How long have we been going now? Might be a good idea to rest.

>>24212432
hole up i say

>>24212432
>>[] Find a good place to hole up in or near this chamber for the night so Haruka can rest
All the Kobolds are dead, right?
Let's find a chamber, have Yukiho seal the door, have everyone rest up, and then, all nicely refreshed and full of mana again, we can have Yukiho do another area scan and find out where we're headed. And maybe try and detect the kobolds in advance this time.

>>24212432
The saying goes "A stitch in time saves nine" or something. So probably hide out and rest so she's back in fighting form.

>>24212432

Get her to stop the light, then a potion, then self-heal. We make a concealed position and hide out for the night.

>>24212432
Hole up for now, potions can be more of an emergency measure. Plus we might as well rest if we can take the time to, probably better for everyone.

>>24212507
This sounds good.

>>24212432
[x] Find a good place to hole up in or near this chamber for the night so Haruka can rest

>>24212459
It's been roughly three or four hours since you entered the tunnel, which would make it sometime in the evening. Probably a bit earlier than one would normally go to sleep, but on the other hand you've been wandering around in dangerous tunnels by lantern light and been in several fights, which will certainly take it out of you.

>>24212581
>three or four hours
That's...not as long as I thought it would be.

>>24212619
An eventful hour is a long time.

>>24212581

Then have her quaff half a potion. That should heal her up abit enough for her to heal herself and maybe the others.

In any case, we should stop for the night, preferably not next to burning corpses. Have yukiho do a quick check for a suitable place we can hole up and to see if we're on track. Then we head and hole up there.

Also do the hi5 thing with yukiho. The first step of many.

>>24212619
>>24212581
that fucking difference between quest time and real time...

>>24212581
Alright. Yukiho and Miki stay with Haruka and pitch camp. We'll take the twins and scout nearby.

>>24212633

Sounds like a decent plan.

Also uses less potion.

>>24212633
Why waste a potion when Haruka can full-heal the party after resting?

>>24212619
It's hard to keep track with the breaks and such between already weekly quests.

>>24212674
Because she's more injured than resting will heal. Didn't you read the description?

>>24212674
It puts us and her at risk if she is out for several hours resting to restore mana and we are in unfamiliar enemy tunnels.

>>24212674
An incapacitated or dead medic doesn't contribute anything to the team. A little Triage, if you will.

>>24212693
>rests enough to heal herself
>does so
>heals everyone else as well
She's the only one with wounds that would need a potion.
However, we should make sure nobody gets anything infected.

>>24212716
Good point. It's been a surprisingly eventful few hours alone. At least we managed to defeat the kobolds before they could get help, so that buys us some time.

Rolled 12

>>24212674

It's half a potion.

Also, I expect company in the night. Need to prepare for trouble.

>>24212731
That's assuming she has enough magic to heal everyone including her serious injuries. And if she does, she'll almost certainly be worn out and using up alot of magic, leaving her not in good condition if we run into more problems.

Seriously, we got a lot of potions. I don't see why people are being so tight-fisted with them.

I feel like I should also remind you guys of the side effects of healing magic (and especially healing potions) in this quest: namely, fatigue.

A healing potion will certainly leave Haruka better off than she is now, but by no means up to full strength and vigor. Haruka won't be as bad off as Takane was after getting half-gutted (her injuries aren't as severe, after all), but she definitely won't be operating at 100% either.

>>24212771
yep hole up

>>24212771
Then definitely a potion now so she can rest, versus healing herself tomorrow and being exhausted. It'll be enough that she has to heal other people.

>>24212771
Fine. Full potion, then group heal, then rest.

>>24212771
Are the side effects instantaneous?

>>24212771
Got it. If the healer's fucked, so's the rest of the group.

>>24212771
>Haruka won't be as bad off as Takane was after getting half-gutted
Why remind me of that terrible insult to the moon goddess.
See where a half pot gets her, and maybe the rest if necessary, then have everyone rest up.

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>>24212771

Let's rest up for some HP and save our game.

>>24212432
"Alright then. Haruka, drink half of your healing potion for now. If that's not quite enough, finish it off, but save it if you can. Then heal us all as best you can, and we'll find a safe place to rest for the night. If we wait until tomorrow to do the healing, we'll all be a little worn out -- you especially, Haruka -- from the magic, so it's best to take care of it now and sleep it off."

As Haruka takes out her potion and carefully sips from it, you notice that everyone's excitement from having beaten the kobolds has been replaced by a disheartened uneasiness now that they've taken stock of the aftermath. You probably ought to do something to keep their spirits up.

"By the way, you girls did GREAT back there," you say. "Yeah, we took some lumps, but we gave a whole lot worse than we got, and with the odds really stacked against us to boot! Keep that up, and we'll make it through these tunnels no problem! Come on!" You hold out your hand for a round of celebratory high-fives. For an awkward moment, everybody just kind of looks at you like you're crazy. You start to wonder if you might have made a really dumb move.

Then Haruka, having just finished her slow sips from the potion bottle, re-stoppers it and, with a muffled grunt of tired exertion, hauls herself to her feet, a small smile appearing on her face. She steps over to you, and finishes the high-five with a solid smack.

"Thanks, Producer!" The small, tired smile blossoms into a broad, beaming grin.

>>24213108
Haruka's such a good girl.

>>24213108
Good, good.

>>24213108

We can maybe tell the twins they can earn back their prank penalty if they keep up the good work and no more shenanigans.

>>24213108
its always the harurun

>>24213149
What this nigga said.

>>24213149

I think we shouldnt say that.

Just give them their full share when we get back.

Not everything is about money

>>24213182

It is to the twins, and it'd maybe pick up morale.

>>24213182
I agree with this, give it all to them at the end and and praise them then, don't want to give them too much slake while we are still in the tunnels.

>>24213119

She is but KotorixProducerOTP

>>24213182
I agree, I think it sends the wrong message to even be talking about money when we're in this situation. They should want to work hard to support each other as a team.

>>24213282
yep

>>24213282
Or in short, we're trying to build a team of close-knit adventurers, not mercenaries who just take a job for the money.

>>24213108
Haruka turns to the others with an expectant look. "Come on," she seems to say. "What are you waiting for?"

Miki steps forward. "Well, I guess we did ok, nano!" She giggles as she takes your high-five.

The twins seem as though someone flipped a switch, suddenly back to their usual happy-go-lucky selves. They practically bounce over and smack your open palm in rapid succession. You imagine that might have actually smarted a little had you not been wearing your gauntlets.
"Yeah, we kciked their ugly butts, huh?"
"Nfufu!, those goblins better watch out for us!"

Finally, there's Yukiho, hanging back reluctantly. "D-did I really do that good?"

"You did FANTASTIC," you tell her with a smile, still offering the high five.

Yukiho hesitantly reaches out a hand, freezing at the last second and almost pulling back, then finally giving your hand a tentative tap before quickly withdrawing her own, clutching it in front of her as she shrinks back with a sheepish smile.

>>24213449
aw yeh

>>24213449
That's too cute Yukiho stop it.

>>24213449
>tentative tap
>sheepish smile
Feels good man

That's our girls, yeah.

>>24213449
After Haruka heals everyone up as best she can, you leave her to rest against the cavern wall with Miki and Yukiho to watch her while you take the twins to scout out a good place to rest. Just a short ways deeper into the cavern, you find a small grotto off the main tunnel, just large enough to fit the six of you comfortably and down a narrow, winding tunnel accessible from a sloping portion that leads above eye level (especially goblin eye level) from the perspective of the main tunnel. You go back for the others and bring them there, then begin discussing plans for the night.

Yukiho says she should be able to close off the grotto opening.
"M-maybe not all the way," she says, "but at least enough to keep the goblins from finding us. Unless, w-what if they notice the opening's gone? Uu...am I being any help at all?"

"It's fine, it's fine. This place looks pretty out of the way, so I doubt they'd notice it. And if they would notice the opening being gone, then if it was still there they'd notice us, and it'd be better to have that wall."

The question then is, what should the shifts be for keeping watch? And what to do about light? If you keep the lantern lit through the night, even at a lower level than normal, you'll run out of oil by tomorrow evening. However, you do also have some torches and candles, and you might be able to wrap this expedition up by then anyway.

>What watch rotation do you propose (if any)?
>What do you do about lighting?

>>24213694
Doesn't really matter, but I'd keep the twins separate and Haruka wouldn't go on watch. So maybe Mami, Yukiho, Producer, Miki and Ami. Only the person on watch really needs light, so they could each use torches/candles enough to last each shift.

>>24213694
No lantern, see if Yukiho can dig out some overhanging alcoves to stick a candle in so that light won't shine down the tunnel.
As for watch, Ami, Yukiho, Mami, Miki, Producer.

>>24213694

I feel light would be counter productive.

The koblods have shown themselves to be able to see in the dark. Even a minute light source would be a full beacon to them.

Sound is a better indicator. Some light as the watch changes and then to be turned off.

>>24213694

How much sleep do we need? I'd go maybe:

>Yukiho first hour
She can get continuous uninterrupted sleep after her shift to rest better

>Mami second hour
Yeah keep the twins seperated.

>Producer third hour
We can manly man the middle of the night

>Ami fourth hour
I think a twin would stand the best chance of waking Miki up.

>Miki fifth hour
If she oversleeps her shift it won't be too much of a problem since one of us will wake up eventually.

Haruka should get the full rest of course.

I'll leave lighting to someone else.

>>24213853
Yeah, but we can't see in the dark. What is the point of keeping watch then if we can't see them coming?

>>24213694
Save the lantern oil as much as possible, shouldn't need too much if any light anyways considering there is a wall where anything can really come from. Agree with keeping the twins separate for the watch, or maybe letting one relieve the other, otherwise whatever order.
What is our current candle and torch supply anyways?

>>24213875
You forget we can wake up Miki too.

>>24213900
>letting one relieve the other
No no no this is a bad idea.

>>24213923
I wouldn't bet my life on on waking up Miki.

>>24213960
We're not a very good Producer if we can't wake up Miki and a twin can.

>>24213960
Then Miki for first watch.

>>24213971

The twins can get touchy with their methods. We can't unless we want a bad communication.

>>24213971
Just don't keep her awake for too long and she won't sleep for too long. Hopefully

>>24213978

If she falls asleep early for her first shift then we're all boned.

>>24213978
Meh, probably right. Then we should stay up because she'll probably oversleep and take second watch. Mami then Yukiho and Ami last, to keep the twins separated. Yukiho won't get quite as much sleep that way, but still a pretty good rest.

>>24213942
I think that the fight might have made them more aware of the dangers in the tunnels, and I doubt they would put Haruka in danger as she recovers. Showing a bit of trust in them might be a good thing.

>>24214009
fall asleep*

>>24213989
Miki doesn't care about that like Yukiho does. Anyway, I hope we wouldn't be stupid enough to try to grab another feel after how badly it worked out last time.

>>24214010
Are you the one who keeps wanting to reward the twins? Because you know, it's not like they've done anything particularly special.

>>24214004
Then we accompany her for her shift, as much as two shifts is gonna be tiring.

>>24214036
But it was so worth it.

>>24214066
No, it wasn't. You must truly be desperate if you think a quick cop is worth multiple smacks on the head and a lost of trust from a girl.

>>24213900
3 torches, 5 candles. Inventory is always in the MF folder linked in the OP.

>>24214077
This. Trust issues will get in the way with coordination in combat, and the fact that both nerve and brain cells don't regenerate, unless you like brain problems.

Rolled 4

>>24213890

We can hear them.

Sounds travels much further underground.

>>24214083
That should be plenty. A candle should last at least four hours.

>>24214103
You know we're underground in the complete dark, right? Imagine you're in your room with the curtains completely shut. And you hear a sound and have to wake up, jump up and react in the complete dark. You'd be completely disoriented and not see a thing. Now compare it to having a candle or nightlight on. You can immediately see and react. This is why you need a light.

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>>24214100
It regenerates

Guys, the kobolds can see in the dark, meaning they amplify ambient light very well.

What do you think they will do when they see a (comparatively bright) light source peaking from a hole in a wall?

Let's finalize that watch schedule:

I vote we take >>24213875 and just swap Miki and Yukiho.

Is that good with everyone or are there any more thoughts?

>>24214059
They've done what needed to be done, like everyone did.

Maybe we should get the twins to set up some traps? Some carefully balanced rocks would make for a nice noise trap, and we could crush an empty potion bottle if we have one, and scatter it around further up.

>>24214036
Wait, in what way does Miki not care like Yukiho does?

>>24214103
Forgot to mention, we can hear sounds underground, but in complete dark, it's hard to tell where they're coming from exactly.

>>24214157

Candles shouldn't be too bright. And I'd much prefer being discovered and fighting rather than ambushed in complete dark like >>24214146 noted.

>>24214171
Miki is unphased if she gets touched. Remember we did that trying to wake her up in the fire.

>>24214171
Miki wouldn't get a panick attack from being shoved enough to wake up.

>>24214172
Maybe we can get Yukiho for step-based motion sensing?

>>24214168
I agree with this but I think we should go with them and see how they do it, after how bad the traps went last time we told them to do it.

>>24214146

Sound amplifies and travels well underground.

I'd refer to my own experience but no one will care. Instead I'd refer to Cain. In all his underground travels, he relies more on hearing that sight if possible. And light attracts much attention as well, that ambush on the checkpoint by the kroot comes to mind.

You hear a sound underground, in ENEMY territory; anything you hear is likely to be hostile. You listen abit more, if it sounds like a good number and is getting louder, you wake the others and get ready.

>>24214191
Huh? She's going to be sleeping? What do you mean exactly?

>>24214191
All night?

>>24214191
We want her to rest and recover her magics as much as possible, probably isn't necessary unless we suspect something.

>>24214200
You're sitting in complete dark, there's going to be sounds from people sleeping near you. There's sounds of various things in tunnels nearby you...not everything is going to be a kobold either. When do you know if something is worth waking up everyone?

>>24214201
oh, didn't take that to account. sorry
>>24214214
okay, suggestion withdrawn, but it could be useful, but not spammed.

>>24214238
yeah, like that.

>>24214200

At this point I think we're thinking a bit too realistically about things.

This is a fantasy story telling, not Bear Grylls survivor simulation.

We just need to not fuck up our rolls.

>>24214268
>trusting /tg/ dice
Here lies Anon. He trusted his dice.

>>24214200
I think you're assuming too much by expecting teenage girls who've never been underground before to be experienced enough to sense those things. I don't know how they're suppose to tell time either, sitting in the dark.

Can we vote on a final rotation and move on?

>>24214298
Haste makes waste anon, proper prep can offset possible poor rolls.

>>24214294
Miki would fall asleep for sure. Well, it was a certain thing anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter.

>>24214294

They cant anyways.

What, you think they have watches?

>>24214342
You know, before they had thing by watches, people could tell time by how long a candle burned.

>>24214335
the 6 Ps of good adventuring: Proper preparation prevents piss-poor performance.

>>24214240

Sounds of movement, metal on metal, kolboldy grunting, considering that everyone heard the kolbolds before they arrived to attack us, i think they'll be able to tell.

And sounds next to you and sounds reflected from far off are very different in timbre.

>>24214398
It still doesn't address the issue of how they're suppose to tell time. Nor does it help the girls are tired out and may very well sleep in the complete dark. Besides Miki.

>>24214335
>>24214382


Well yeah but at this point there's zero consensus and we're all debating the science of candles and sound speed.

Honestly I think if QM wants to fuck with us, he'll fuck with us. As long as we're smart about things, and not herpderp about it we should be good.

So I think we should agree on a workable schedule, and compromise on a light source and let QM write his shit.

>>24214452
I'm not sure there's much of a compromise between candle-light and no light at all, is the thing.

>>24214470

No light for the first and last shift. And candle light for the middle three shifts when everyone's asleep and groggy?

>>24214497
That's one of those compromises that doesn't address the problem brought up on both sides

>>24214452
Well, you're right. If we get a bad roll and the candle's on, the kobolds will see it. If we get a bad roll and the candle's off, the person on guard falls asleep. So I think it's moot too.

I think I've gathered enough from the discussion here to determine what to do with the lighting. Do we have a consensus on watch rotation beyond just the general principles of letting Haruka off the hook and splitting up the twins?

>>24214634

Miki first or last I think. More people seem to want her first I think.

>>24214592

Id rather the latter as the first means discovery. The second may not.

Another method against the falling asleep is staggered schedules. 2 sentries, 2 hr shifts and one changes every hour.

>>24214634
Miki first watch, assume she falls asleep. So we stay up and go second. One of the twins next, then Yukiho, and the other twin.

>>24214660
No, I meant as a bad roll means discovery either way. If it's a good roll, then we don't get discovered.

>>24214660
>People still not addressing how to tell time in the complete dark

>>24214688

Candle length nigga.

>>24214703
Yeah, you can only do that by lighting a candle. Then it's not completely dark.

>>24214713

QM already decided on a lighting method. At this point people are coming up with problems I doubt QM even considered.

>>24214677

Ah. Very true.

>>24213694
After much pondering, you come up with a plan for keeping watch through the night.

When Yukiho closes off the entry, you'll also have her make a hooded recession for holding a candle. The shape ought to contain the light to a large extent, and you'll cover or fill any gaps in the closed-off opening with various extra fabric items (such as your empty sacks) to make sure no light gets out to give away your presence to goblins in the tunnel.

As for the watch duties, Miki will have the first shift, with you sharing the shift in case she falls asleep. Then you'll take the second shift yourself, followed by Ami for the third shift, Yukiho for the fourth, and Mami for the last shift. Haruka will be exempt from watch duty so she can recover her strength. Since Yukiho's candles burn for about 4 hours, you'll rotate in 2-hour shifts to keep things easy to track.

With the plans established, you start getting set up. Yukiho sets to work reshaping the stone around the entry, and you start laying out your bedroll.

Five pairs of eyes bore into you.

"...What?" You cock your head in bemusement.

It's then that you remember that your adventuring comrades are all young girls whose guild membership was, before you joined, entirely female...

>[] Explain the importance of trust between party members, and that in situations like this, there are more important things to worry about than the usual standards of decency
>[] Rig up some sort of curtain to give them a little privacy

>>24215137
>>[] Rig up some sort of curtain to give them a little privacy
That kind of thing is important to girls. And I don't want the repeat with Yukiho, thanks.

>>24215137
It's not like everyone's gonna get nekkid. It's just sleep, right?

...Right?

>>24215137

...Lol. Totally forgot about this.

>[] Rig up some sort of curtain to give them a little privacy

And turn the other way anyways.

>>24215137
My suggestion: If we had spare cloths to do so, then choice two. Otherwise sleep farthest from the bunch. When they're still uncomfortable, then first choice.

>>24215137
>[x] Rig up some sort of curtain to give them a little privacy

But make it easy to take down in case of emergency.

>>24215137
rig up stuff

>>24215137
>>[] Explain the importance of trust between party members, and that in situations like this, there are more important things to worry about than the usual standards of decency
We camping now.

>>24215137
[x] Explain the importance of trust between party members, and that in situations like this, there are more important things to worry about than the usual standards of decency
We're not even going to be getting undressed. A few of the most uncomfortable plates, maybe, but we have to be ready for an ambush at any time.

>>24215179
Presumably not; these girls are green, but they aren't THAT green.

>>24215183
I honestly wanted to just skip it, since it's getting to be about time to wrap up tonight's session, but I just couldn't justify to myself why it *wouldn't* be a relevant factor, and since it's pretty much now or never...

>>24215194
You have ample materials for making a curtain. Just off the top of my head from your own inventory, there's a tarp and an 11-foot pole.

>>24215293
We're just going to sleep in a hole in a wall to recover from our injuries. We're not visiting an onsen. No one's gonna be undressing, so I don't understand why there would be any sort of privacy concern.

>>24215293
It's not a matter of clothes on or off, really. It's a psychological factor. The girls will sleep better, particularly Yukiho, if they feel they have some semblance of privacy. And a piece of cloth is easily pushed aside in an emergency.

>>24215293
>11-foot pole
I KNEW that would come in handy.
ALWAYS TAKE A POLE.

>>24215293

Use that tarp and pole to make a very rough and loose curtain. Not enough to get in the way of emergencies or very effectively, but just enough to make them comfortable.

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>>24215349

The candle is on their side, right?

>>24215391
The candle is with the sentry, who is near the entrance.

>>24215398

>No shadow show.

>>24215459
Nope, sorry. You'll just have to imagine it in your dreams instead.

>>24215459
We could give them one if it means that much to you. Does P know the deformed rabbit?

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>>24215459
What an entertaining show. We could watch them... sleep. As that's all that's happening. We're recovering from injuries, not playing Kaede's Hotspring Adventure Funtime.

>>24215503
HAHA YES
OP MAKE IT SO

>>24215137
With a sigh, you take the segments of your collapsible 11-foot pole and being assembling them together. "Ok, I get it. You're young girls, I'm a guy, and you're not used to this. Eventually you really ought to get more comfortable with sharing sleeping space with opposite-sex party members, but for now I'll accomodate."

You find a good place to wedge up the pole against the walls and hang your canvas tarp loosely from it to form a crude curtain separating off a small section of the grotto by the entrance.
"I figure you girls'd rather not have me on your side during my turn on watch, but seeing as we can only make two sections that means you'll have to come over to my side when it's your shift. Is that ok?"

Miki of course has no problem with this, seeing as she was going to be sharing a watch with you in the first place. Ami and Mami also are fine with it. Yukiho is a little hesitant at first, but she acquiesces in reasonably short order.

Finally, with all important arrangements for the night taken care of, you begin to settle in, Miki joining you on your side of the curtain to sit watch while the others retire to the other side to get some much-needed sleep.
-------------------------------------------

...Which I will also be getting here shortly, though as always I'll stick around for a bit for feedback and questions if you have any.
Next session should be same time next Friday, assuming nothing unexpected comes up.

>>24215626
QM, next time we get into a rut over some minor thing like the candle issue, do you mind stepping in and saying you have a solution so we don't spin our wheels longer than we need to?

>>24215626
so Miki's at our side of the curtain, but we're asleep and she's on watch. Got it.

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>>24215626

Will Ryo show up, eventually?

>>24215666
We're sharing her watch.

>>24215626

Thanks as always QM.

Hopefully we can break the curse of having exactly two sessions per month.

Also I wouldn't mind more direct interventions in the case of long tie-ups.

>>24215661
Yeah, I probably ought to have done that. To be honest, I kind of just spaced out there for awhile while you were debating that. My sleep schedule's been kind of wacky these past couple weeks, so I've been kind of out of it lately, especially later into the evening.

>>24215674
He already has. >>21736166

Anyone have any good ideas for a thread description for the archive?

Without spoiling anything, are we kinda close to wrapping up the cave?

Like not to rush anything, and I've certainly enjoyed it all so far, it's just that I kinda feel bad that we've spent like 8 sessions and 4 real months with the twins when we haven't gotten to Iori, Chihaya, and Yayoi yet.

>>24215790

To Light or Not to light.

>>24215790

The Allegory of the Cave.

>>24215790
We escaped the kobolds and spend the night recovering.

>>24215805
I'm going to try to speed up a good chunk of it, just kind of handwaving past the bulk of the hiking/exploring/generic skirmishes with goblins, but even so I would estimate it'll be two more sessions at absolute minimum, most likely 3 or 4. But hopefully no more than 5.

Kind of just the nature of quest threads, really -- it takes awhile to cover anything remotely extensive or detailed. The previous stuff was more just quick and simple things to kind of get your feet wet as players (and, if I'm being honest, mine as the quest runner), but now we're on something a bit more serious.

Thread archive is up.
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=iM%40S+Fantasy+Quest

>>24215943

Thanks for running Questm@ster.

This is one of my weekly highlights.

>>24215943

Okay that's fine with me, I was just really curious how much progress we've made.

As long as the threads are quality and we get equal idol time I don't really mind the speed.

>>24215999
I'm certainly trying for equal time, even though the necessities of the story kind of restrict that. For instance, right now I'm trying (not sure how well I'm doing, but I'm trying) to focus more on Yukiho, Haruka, and Miki. I know you guys already kind of got your fill of the twins even before going to the cave, and even aside from that one of the most fun things for me in writing this quest is figuring out ways to work the girls' personalities into the fantasy adventure framework, so spreading the spotlight time around appeals to my own interests too. Of course, the twins are still gonna play a role because, well, they're there. And where there are twins, there are shenanigans, so it's kind of hard to outright ignore them. But I am trying to keep the spotlight focused more on the others, since the twins have already gotten plenty of spotlight time.

>>24216181

Sounds good. I understand it's probably hard to juggle that especially with open suggestions. Keep at it, and I'm sure it'll all work out eventually.

>>24216181
Yeah, the twins have had more time than anyone else, easily. I sort of feel the structure requires us or at least makes us consider bringing healers all the time, which means Haruka or Azusa are going to end up getting more time than others. I don't know if there's a way to work around that to try and balance time.

>>24216311

I assume not all quests will be heavily combat oriented. Like we didn't bring a healer at all to the crazy wizard mansion. We ended up compensating with potion.

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>>24216311
>Azusa and Haruka all the time
I don't mind but i can see how that can affect others

>>24216363
Let's just say there's an average of about three girls per quest. So four quests more or less to cover them all. For Azusa or Haruka not to be included more than once, half the quests have to be clearly described as light enough that we wouldn't have as to bring a healer. And for any big quest, we'd really have to bring them. Having 50% of the quests be mostly non-combat is a bit gimping I think just to maintain balance.

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And now, for something completely different.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m07aolny3s

>>24216494

I guess it depends on how necessary a healer is for combat quests QM makes it. Since the quest is freeform I assume most of the healing can be compensated by potions if need be.

Also he can probably adjust focus like he said he's trying to do with this quest.

The only other way around it is to change it so someone else gets healing powers, but idk how much QM is willing to retcon his 'verse.

>>24216611
Yeah, but as it stands, the potions are really expensive if you remember when we were purchasing things.

>>24216311
Yeah, that is an issue I plan to address with time. Eventually you'll have enough money to where healing potions won't be such a valuable and limited commodity, and sooner or later you might have the possibility to acquire some sort of healing artifact.
And it's worth noting that even mundane first aid is a viable option. That's kind of part of what I'm going for with the whole "healing magic is fatiguing" bit -- having a healer is certainly nice, particularly for the long-term consequences, but in the immediate short term it's supposed to be only somewhat better than mundane first aid. Either way, lesser injuries drag you down and really severe injuries take you out of the action completely. If you're anticipating combat, but not necessarily seriously life-threatening combat, going without a healer should in fact be viable -- just make sure you can quickly get someone back to a healer if shit hits the fan.

Also, without giving too much metagame knowledge, it is at least theoretically possible for Hibiki and Chihaya to do healing magic, though this hasn't been confirmed in-character. Of course, given that Kotori and Ritsuko didn't bother mentioning them in the overviews they gave you, any healing ability they have is probably pretty limited compared to Haruka and Azusa, but this does give an option you could explore for a little bit of flex in party composition for those relatively lower-risk quests.

And again, there's spotlight distribution. In all honesty, Haruka in particular is probably one that would be quite unlikely to really eat a lot of focus. I've really found her to be one of the hardest ones to write so far, since what I see as the key elements of her personality really only come out in little things here and there (like the high-five bit today, for instance) rather than being something you can really drive a scene (let alone an arc) with like a lot of the other girls.

>>24216660

For an arc focusing on Haruka I would look to the last few anime episodes.

I think a thing you can focus on is how her optimism is actually very hard to keep up and a fairly fragile thing.

>>24216752
There's that, and also you can write her interaction with other girls. She's basically something like Producer herself in the way she sort of looks after others. In fact, now that I think about it, I've seen something of an absence of that. It's very Haruka-like to try and cheer up others, look after them if they're down or hurt, etc. She should be helping Producer with that. And also, it's like her to start up conversations with people and get to know them better. It's a good way to give background info, particularly on Producer. Haruka would be the first to want to know more about him.

>>24216796
Now that I'm thinking about it, if you feel like you're getting stuck on some of the characterizations or something, you could tell us and maybe we could help. Feedback's best as a two-way street.

>>24215974

Is there a way to edit the archive title? This thread is mislabeled as 11 and not 12.

>>24216752
Well, yeah, there's that, but that's the sort of thing that takes a decent amount of setup and really only works as a one-time thing. Whereas most of the others you can really keep going back to the same well over and over for a variety of contexts and scenarios.

>>24216796
This is actually pretty much the thing that makes it so hard to write her in this quest. She's the type of character who tends to smooth over conflicts rather than cause or exacerbate them, and that's generally something I feel should be more P's role. I feel like if I devote a lot of time to Haruka's positive, helpful influence, I'm relegating P (and therefore, the players) to a passive role for a good chunk of time, and you don't want to make your players be passive for very long.
Though I suppose I could always try to bring out more of P's flaws and have Haruka engage in that regard. And you do bring up a good point about the initiating conversations thing, I didn't think of that.
I guess it basically boils down to the fact that it's kind of the default that PC = active & conflict-resolving while NPC = passive & conflict-creating, and Haruka kind of subverts that.

>>24216847
Actually, one in particular that I could use some help with is Miki. With the shared watch shift, I figure the start of the next session would be a good time to give her some solid spotlight, but she's one of the ones I feel I know least well. Basically, my conception of her is more or less "lazy, impulsive, and childish, but extremely talented", which (a) is pretty negative overall, and (b) feels kind of shallow, like I'm missing something important. To be honest, it's probably just because Miki has never particularly appealed to me (at one point I would've said I really disliked her; now it's more just apathy), so I never bothered looking at anything beyond the surface aspects of her character. I'm gonna go to bed here, but if anyone could post some highlights of her character or recommend some good references I could look at to prepare for the next thread that would be very helpful.

>>24216883
Short of contacting the admin and begging for a favor you probably won't get, nope. Don't worry about it, it happens to a lot of quests. Just gotta make sure the next one is properly labeled.

>>24216901

Well when you're working with idols you can probably bet most of us are here for them, and not necessarily to be the driving force all the time. I can be the RPG hero in any other game, I'm mostly here to participate with the girls.

I personally would not mind seeing more character interaction and would actually prefer it.

I would not mind being more of an Ishmael narrating Captain Ahab's story sometimes, especially when it comes to Haruka.

>>24216901
Well like with starting up conversations, Haruka isn't an NPC as much as the other girls. You can use that to your advantage as well, such as giving information. You've already established her as a leader of sorts, so you can assign her some things rather than dealing with everything on your own if you want to streamline some stuff like you suggested. And she's extremely useful for revealing background info. You can have her chat with another character and have info about both of them revealed. Plus you can use her as a cue to us players, without spelling it out, how to deal with other girls.

>>24216994
And oh, Haruka's interactions aren't always smooth. She can and has had arguments with say Hibiki for instance. TWAIO has that, if you haven't read it yet.

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>>24216960

With Miki she actually does really care about the other idols, she just has a harder time expressing it. If you listen to the NoMake episodes that take place between the anime episodes, she's like one of the first ones to volunteer to help gather Ritsuko's fans. One of her biggest obstacles is she tends to lack tact and is almost too straight-forward with her feelings.

I think people tend to generalize her a bit too much just based off her surface traits, which probably reminds them of not too pleasant real life people, and so immediately dismiss her.
This in of itself, I think can be explored. The sort of immediate biases people form against her.

It should be noted I think, that she has an elder sister who's a hard worker and successful as well as successful wealthy parents. So I think a lot of her laziness stems from not wanting to compete and live up to the expectations put forth from her family.

Overall Miki is a hard character to get right, mostly cause it is very easy to misinterpret her sometimes.

>>24216960
>>24217196
The issue with Miki is most of the interesting stories about her were never translated, because it's back from iM@S1. What >>24217196 has is certainly part of it. Her parents are successful politicians, and her sister is successful as well. It seems like they let Miki do what she wants and it comes across a bit like they are so busy they don't have time to give her attention. Miki has all the raw potential her family has to be successful, but unlike them, she starts with no particular goal or vision to drive her. Like a kid who could be good at lots of things, but having things come too easy makes it seem like nothing in particular is interesting or worth doing, if that makes sense.
What Miki wants is that spark, something that makes her life interesting. It's why, even though she's sleepy and lazy, she wants to try out idoling. But first she has to figure out what she wants from being an idol, to really strive for it. In the anime, she does that by seeing Ryuuguu Komachi rise in success and then wants to be like them. A similar thing could happen in the quest, where she could admire and want to emulate someone else. You could also go the "awakened route" which happened when Producer risked his life to save her. But then we have to deal with clingy Miki which...eh.

>>24217403

I'd rather a kotori...

>>24217466

I'd rather danketsu with everyone and no favorites.

>>24217403
You'll also remember from the anime, Miki is our clutch person. Like if everything goes to shit, Miki will volunteer on her own to do something that's kind of impossible for everyone else, and save the day. Makoto's like that too in her own way, and we had our Makoto saves our ass moments. But we haven't had a Miki one yet. In terms of interesting but lesser known things...one of Miki's trademark things is even while she's asleep, she's actually fully aware of what goes on around her. She'll kind of participate or respond to people talking around her. Some idols aren't aware and are caught by surprise when Miki wakes up and knows what they said/did. She also talks in her sleep, but you probably already know that. Miki's very athletic, by the way, since Makoto mentions that Miki is faster than her...and Makoto is extremely fast. Men, other than Producer, fall easily for Miki's charm but Miki is uninterested since it's an everyday occurrence for her. This could possibly have quest uses.
There's more stuff but I'm tired and not thinking well. Hope this helps though.

>>24216960

A bit of a late addition, but hopefully you'll read this in the morning.

I actually think Miki is kind of a lonely character. I mean if you think about it, she doesn't have an immediate best friend pairing like all the other idols (Chihaya/Haruka, Iori/Yayoi, Makoto/Yukiho etc.). She kind of just third wheels a lot of groups. In the end all she really has is Producer, who in most cases doesn't necessarily reciprocate. It's kind of sad if you think about it. She acts like she doesn't care, but deep down maybe a lot of her attention grabiness is due to her desire for someone to really notice and care about her.

It's a bit of a sort of alternate perspective of her, but it's something that I think would be really interesting for you to explore.

>>24217501

You and i both know it'll devolve into waifu wars sooner or later.

>>24216994
>Plus you can use her as a cue to us players, without spelling it out, how to deal with other girls.

I like that.