Your name is Miranda Styles, a name that means nothing to anyone, and you are an interdimensionally-based Magical Girl For Hire. This generally takes the form of getting pulled into random worlds with a bunch of people in fancy, frilly clothes, varying attitudes, and monsters, and getting paid to solve their problems via violent means.

It's an okay gig, all things considered. You're invariably strong in whatever world you end up in (although hardly invincible, you'd had that proven to you early on), and you generally end up being either the miracle that saves the day or the secret weapon that allows the bad guy to win.

Yeah, you're not picky. At least not these days. You used to be a lot more discerning, but...well, evil pays well. And you never stick around for the aftermath, anyway. You're there to do a job, and that's it. That, and, well...

...you visit hundreds of dimensions and eventually you just stop caring quite as hard, you have to admit. Some of the lighter ones, you even treat like a sport. Others...well, the world's already mostly gone to shit, so what would a bit more to it actually do?

Either way, that's not here or now. Right now you have a stunned quintet of teenagers looking at you like you're crazy.

“W-w-what? What do you mean cash?!” The yellow one on the right stammers. She's in all frills, and has...is that a sunflower on her head? “Noctus didn't say anything about having to pay!”

You raise an eyebrow. You have a hunch who this Noctus was, but you don't say. “You mean he didn't tell you I don't work for free?”

The blue one looks around sheepishly, trying to keep her eyes off them. “Weeellll...I kinda figured.” Her bluebell headpieces seem to be wiggling out of embarrassment.

A collective “WHAT?!” comes out of the rest. They all seem to be flower themed, now that you're paying attention. A sunflower, a bluebell, a violet, an orchid, and a rose (of course) as the leader.

“What do you mean, you 'kinda figured'?!” the orchid yells. She seems to be 'the angry one.' “We don't have any money on us...”

“Do we?” the violet asks. “If you knew, then...”

“Not to worry!” The bluebell says confidently. “I would've said something earlier, but time was of the essence! But rest assured, we'll be fine!”

She turns to you. “Ms. Charm, we humbly request your power. We're prepared to pay any price.”

“Two million.” You respond instantly.

Bluebell freezes. “Uhhhh...t-t-two million yen? R-r-really? All at once?”

Rose just sighs despondently. “This was a waste of time...”

Hmm. There had to be a way to get your money's worth.

>"That's fine. We can set up a payment plan. But you'd BETTER pay up regularly. My time isn't cheap."
>"Well, I can bump you down to 'per attack' rates. Much more affordable for kids like you, provided you know EXACTLY what you want me to do."
>"As long as I get the money, I don't care who it's from. Do any of you have rich parents or friends?"
>Other

>>501780
>"Well, I can bump you down to 'per attack' rates. Much more affordable for kids like you, provided you know EXACTLY what you want me to do."

I figure we're pretty snarky.

>>501780
>"That's fine. We can set up a payment plan. But you'd BETTER pay up regularly. My time isn't cheap."
Wait, are we freelance, or a contractor hired on with an agency?

>>501901
Do we do our own Collections or outsource to a Collections Agency we have an account with?

Does it have to be cash or should we consider barter on the chance that we can turn a profit on selling the loot in the next dimension over?

>>501901
>"That's fine. We can set up a payment plan. But you'd BETTER pay up regularly. My time isn't cheap."
>"As long as I get the money...
Ynotboth

>>501933
Meant to quote >>501780

>>501901
Seconding.

This quest looks great :3

>>501780
>Can't pay, no deal. Bye.

I'm going to go for a payment plan.

>>501780

You put on a disarming smile. “Oh, that's fine, that's fine.”

Bluebell looks up at you with a bit of hope in her eyes. “It is? So you won't charge that much?”

It's hard to not laugh. “Oh, I absolutely will. But we can set up a payment plan if necessary. Regular payments of a predetermined amount are perfectly acceptable to me, say, monthly payments?”

Everyone suddenly seems nervous. They always are once you start getting into the payment details.

“The timeframe I'll leave up to you, so long as you pay it off within a certain period...and you pay up regularly.” You take a couple steps closer to Bluebell, putting a hand on her shoulder. She only flinches slightly. “Of course, you understand that my time isn't cheap, so it's in your best interests to pay up REGULARLY, right?” That smile was straining you now, but Bluebell's head was bowed, so only the others saw it.

Bluebell seemed to be trying desperately to not look at you. Oh well. Intimidation factor was necessary in this biz. “Y-yes m'am.”

Finally. “Great!” You let go of her and give her a little space, checking out the area you're in. It seems to be some kind of pitch black forest. No animals nearby, though. Guess they all wanted to get out of the way. “Of course, I'm not really too worried about you lot being dirty, filthy, dishonest, backstabbing, lying, cheating, disgusting flakes.” You give that a second to sink in, then turn around.

You barely catch them straightening up from whatever astonishment they'd sunken into. “You girls seem nicer than that. So! I'm going to need a bit up front, mind you.”

“Is, uh...hm...is fifty-thousand acceptable?” Bluebell asks. Clearly while she was expecting it to cost money, she wasn't expecting you to charge quite as much as you were.

“Ah, so forty payments of fifty-thousand over...eh, we'll determine the timeframe later.” You decide. “For now, though...” You stretch out your hand.

Bluebell looks back at the others with what appears to be a pleading expression. Rose just looks at her. “Hey, you're the one who said you expected it. Besides, it'll be worth it if she's as good as the legends say...I guess...” Rose trailed off at the end there. Eh, sticker shock. She'll get over it.

Bluebell sighs. “Fine, fine...” Taking a large purse out of apparently nowhere, she proceeds to reach in and – yup, that's solid cash.

You both count it out, and it's fifty-thou on the dot. You nod in approval. You'd rather get a lump sum, but a lot of these folks WERE kids. “Alright, then, you've acquired my services for now. Who and what are we after?”

(1/2)

>>501901
You're sorta freelance, but you're under an umbrella. It'll be explained later. Cash preferred, but depending on the valuable good, barter can be acceptable.

>>501920
You mostly do your own collections, but on the rare chance someone actually MANAGES to stiff you, there's a...method of getting what you're owed.

>>502238
>Cash preferred, but depending on the valuable good, barter can be acceptable.

What kind of stuff is acceptable for barter? Are there certain items that are written in our contracts that we can accept, or is it a more "cash, grass, or ass" kind of thing that we do on the side, out from the umbrella?

(2/2)

>>502238
Rose sighs. “Have you heard of Lord Canavult?” You shake your head. You knew one power-hungry tyrant, you knew 'em all.

“Well, he's been trying to take over Petal City for years now! We've never been sure why, but we, the Earth Angels, have sworn to stop him!” The five of them puff up their chests like they're proud of that.

Cute name, anyway. “So, lemme guess. He's finally fed up with you, and sicced something on the city that's going to wreck everything, and you can't stop it, so you decided to look up the local legend.”

“Uhhhh...yes. Yes, that's exactly what's happened!” Rose seems both excited and concerned. “So you understand why we summoned you.”

“Yup. So where is he?” Although if you had to guess...

“He's taken over the city.” Orchid responds. “Made the center of it into a giant spire of evil and now gross corruption is slowly spreading everywhere. He parked himself in it. Him and...that monster.” The five of them shudder in unison.

“'That monster' the thing that took you out, then.” You surmise. They nod.

“H-he called it The Gravelord...” Violet says. “It's so scary...”

“It's like a giant dog with four eyes, super black fur, and inky wings... and its mouth splits open like uggghhhh...” Sunflower supplies. Her imitation of it wasn't that great. “We barely scratched it before it swatted us all away. I think it's smarter than a normal animal...”

Rose nods. “It definitely is. We need a way past it or to take it out to get to Lord Canavult himself...if he goes down, it all crumbles. We've seen something like that before with him.”

"Maybe now that we have Lady Charm, we can just blast through the place!" Orchid claims.

"We don't know HOW powerful she is, though. It'd be a dangerous risk," Rose replies. "I'd rather maybe have her distract The Gravelord while we make for Canavult."

"Oooor, we could flip the script on him!" Bluebell says. "He's expecting us five, not her one! If we play defensive, maybe we can keep Gravelord busy for long enough for Lady Charm to beat him up! He'll NEVER see it coming!"

That sounds like she's just wanting to get the most out of her money.

...can't blame her. Still, maybe you should weigh in?

>Make it a group effort. Smash through everything in your way, you figure.
>Eh, no need to handle all of their business. Play with the puppy until they're done with their duty.
>They're paying you, might as well earn it. Handle the big bad guy while they keep his pet busy.
>Other

>>502267
Physical goods. Nothing like 'someone's soul' or shares/ownership of a company or 'eternal loyalty', etc.

Basically, if you could pawn shop it, it's acceptable barter. Whether it'd actually be worth enough to bother with is a different story.

>>502275
>They're paying you, might as well earn it. Handle the big bad guy while they keep his pet busy.

>>502275
>>Eh, no need to handle all of their business. Play with the puppy until they're done with their duty.
Sorry, but even a mercenary like me knows you don't shirk fighting your main adversary. If Lord Canavult is your main foe, you should focus on him. Fighting his minion while getting someone else to focus on him just feels like what a villain would do.

>>502275
Let them decide. They're the ones paying us, so they should be calling the shots

>>502275
> play with puppy
From their description it sounds like the dog is the harder fight anyway

>>502275
>They're paying you, might as well earn it. Handle the big bad guy while they keep his pet busy.

Going great dude!

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>502292
>>502296
>>502317
>>502337

Flipping a coin.

1= fight the dog.
2= fight the man.

>>501780
>Uhhhh...t-t-two million yen
Two million yen is incredibly cheap for summoning an extra dimensional entity capable of resolving a country shattering crisis.

You'll hardly be ably to buy a really shitty new car with that money

>>502675
Honestly, it is! Fortunately exchange rates are a thing (and the hilarious thing is that'll come into play in later jobs for you guys). You'll see what I mean.

Also I hate the fact that I'm up so early, but it's necessary.

>>502449
Let's fight the man tho.

Ded?

>>502826

Apologies, but I'd already flipped the coin. I would've written it earlier if I hadn't been pressed into early morning physical labor. Feels unfair.

>>502989
Nope, see above. Writing the next entry now.

>>502275
You shrug. “Look, how about I keep the pooch off your case, and you five go ahead and do your duty like you're supposed to, okay? Besides, it sounds like you've fought him before, so you'd be better suited to deal with him.” That might've been a lie. Chances are you'd fare against him just fine, but you didn't want to end up doing the bulk of the work on just a partial payment.

“See! She even agrees with me,” Rose states proudly. The rest sans Bluebell simply nod along with her. Bluebell pouts a bit, but after a quick look (and head pat) from Rose, she relents. “Alright...I guess it WOULD be kinda sketchy to let someone else handle our duty...”

Meh, you've done it before. Some people just have more money than fighting skill. “Right, then. Lead the way.”

What follows is a careful trek through woods- according to Rose, they'd been beaten back far enough to cause them to want to take refuge in a nearby park. Apparently this was also where a good number of refugees from Lord Canavult's corruptive 'creep' resided now- you could see a few people huddled together on occasion as you passed through.

“Normal humans get really sickly and turn into 'Defoulers' when they touch the stuff,” Bluebell explains. “We're immune to it, though, because we wield the powers of flowers and nature! We'd been using our power to keep this place shielded for Canavult's corruption, but we can't do that forever. You should be fine too, though, since you're a sun spirit.”

Huh. Sun spirit, eh? You subtly try to call up some magic power within you. Yeah, it's a solid wellspring, and you can feel the heat of your usual magics stir up. They'd probably take on a different color from the usual sky blue once unleashed, but that was to be expected. Magic was always so similar yet different.

Orchid scoffs. “Some sun spirit. Didn't know you had to fork over a down payment for her to help. Noctus has a lot to answer for...” You can see her growl at this.

You had the hunch that 'Noctus' was your overseer and 'handler', l- or as he preferred to call himself, 'Salavalda, The Greatest Deal-Maker of the Twelfth Outer Realm!'

You just called him Sal. Mostly because it was funny to see him react. But yeah, Sal's whole thing was to look up potential 'clients' for you- he tended to do that by taking forms of talking furry animals and letting his silver tongue do the rest. A bit cliché, but it worked more often than not.

(1/2)

>>503024

(2/2)

Soon enough, however, you reach the edge of the park forest and finally lay eyes on the city itself.

It's actually pretty ew.

The city is a large one, and it's practically covered in black sludge and strange pus. Weird, faceless beings that look like stone golems lumber around, seemingly patrolling yet looking for nothing.

In the distance- you estimate a couple of miles out- you can see the large, black tower that they spoke of. It's like a large spire, curling and twisting in on itself until it hits its pointed apex, what appears to be a shining, violet light emanating from the very top.

"I still can't believe how quickly he pulled it off..." Orchid grouses.

"We...we have to win!" Violet exclaims. She's shaking like a leaf, poor thing.

“Alright, we can take care of the Faceless easy enough,” Rose says. You're presuming that's the name of the golem things. “We just need you to stick with us until we get close enough to the tower to catch the attention of the Gravelord. Then we'll break off and let you do your thing while we do ours. Any questions?”

>Any questions for them?

>>503027
Nope.

How old is Miranda? Physically and mentally if she's older than she appears.

>>503027
Just follow them in. See how well they and the golems fight.

>>503027
Any qualms about collateral damage?
Anybody we shouldn't blast into component quarks?

A more restrictive RoE where we have to be concerned about civilian casualties should command a higher price.

>>503058
supporting

>>503039
17 year old physically.

Mentally...she's older.

>>503058
>>503100

Writing!

>>503027

“Rules of engagement?” That was always one to look out for. Heroes tended to have qualms about killing people. You found it was generally best to ask beforehand to prevent hissyfits.

Sunflower gives you a curious look. “What do you mean 'rules of engagement'?”

“I mean if I take out a city block in the middle of a fight, are you gonna complain?” You clarify. The shocked looks they give you indicate...

“YES. Yes, we would!” Orchid half-yells.

You're already doing the math in your head. “Alright, so I'm presuming collateral damage and civilian casualties should be kept to a minimum?”

“...you mean you wouldn't otherwise?!” Orchid seems incredulous at this point.

“...maybe this wasn't the best idea...” Bluebell mutters.

You wave them off. “It's fiiiiine. I can do that, I was just asking. But that WILL be an upcharge.”

“How...how could you be so callous?” Rose asks. She looks as if you're about to turn on them there and then. But that'd be silly. They haven't NOT paid you.

“Eh.” You shrug. “That's just a twenty-five percent upcharge. You'll be fine. I expect that additional after this problem is cleared up. Now let's get going. You move, I'll follow.”

“Nggghhh...whatever!” Orchid claims. “Let's just do this while we have the element of surprise!”

“Right!” the rest of them agree. With a shout of 'Let the Flowers of the Earth Bloom!' which you thought was especially cheesy, they (and you, you suppose) leap into battle.

With a multitude of glowing light, various shapes start to take form in their hands. As it dims, you see they all seem to have flower-themed, color-coded weapons- Bluebell has a staff, Violet has a large shield, Orchid has a whip, Sunflower has some kind of discus, and Rose has some kind of rapier.

You, as far as you can tell, just have your magic and your fists, which is fine.

(1/2)

>>503279

(2/3 because yeah)

Almost immediately you're set upon by a number of the various sludge monsters. To be entirely fair, the girls seem to be competent fighters- Bluebell's moving and spinning her staff expertly, thwacking any Faceless that tries to get close. Orchid's letting herself loose, whip singing through the air as it splits goop apart- even Violet is doing well, using her shield as both offense and defense whenever a Faceless tries to attack- it's punch seemingly bouncing off the shield surface. More than once you catch a squeak of fear from her, though.

You largely keep back, although one Faceless manages to get through to you. Before anyone can give a word of warning, though, you stick your fist out, humming with magic as it charges.

As soon as it impacts, you release the magic, and the burst of light disintegrates the Faceless entirely.

It takes a second for them to stop staring. You're used to it by now. The Faceless, however, force them to pick their jaws up from the floor sooner than later.

One of them lunges for Rose, who deftly dodges to the side, delivering a stab to its head area, and a quick series of followup slashes causes the thing to fall apart. “Let's move!” Rose shouts. Almost as one, they crouch down, and then leap high up into the air, bouncing through the streets at speed. You quickly follow up behind them. “Don't stop until we get to the tower!”

With powerful bounds, you all leap towards the center. You easily keep up with them, though it's clear they're trying to conserve energy.

All throughout, you're beset upon by Faceless chasing you, proving that they at least have the agility to also jump to rooftops, if not the speed to catch up, and the number of them seems to grow bigger and bigger up until the point you actually might need to fight if they don't stop...

“Almost there!” Rose says. Indeed, the tower's been getting bigger by the second. If what they said was right, then sooner or later...

“SO, YOU RETURRRRRN...” a booming voice calls. Everyone stops, Faceless included.

From out behind the shadows of the tower, a great beast on wings of black ichor flies. Four ruby red eyes, a whip-like tail, and the body of a great hound. The face resembles a sort of eel or snake, split like a cross down the middle.

Not the creepiest thing you've seen. Still, the other five get a shiver down their backs as the Faceless seem to retreat. “INTENT ON ANOTHER THRASHING SO SOON? PERHAPS I CAN USE YOU FOR SNACKS THIS TIME...”

It lands in the middle of the street, letting loose a powerful roar. The girls look at you, and you nod once. They do so in unison.

“Alright girls...” they stand in battle ready poses as the beast snorts. “...LEG IT!”

>>503284
Immediately they leap towards a nearby building, bouncing off it and aiming for a dark balcony nearby. The beast makes to leap after them, but you quickly cut it off with a blast of magic...that happens to blow a rather large hole in a nearby store.

Hopefully they won't notice.

The giant creature stops, almost in surprise, and focuses on you. “SO, YOU INTEND TO FACE ME BY YOUR LONESOME? MOST FOOLISH, GIRL...I'LL DEVOUR YOU AND THEN TAKE THEM!”

Like you haven't heard that a million times. How do you want to handle this?

>Go for the speedy beatdown. It might cost some collateral damage, despite what you said, but it'll take him out of the picture quick, fast, and in a hurry.
>You've got time, taunt him, be flashy. Might as well have fun with it.
>Play solid defense, see what he's got, powerwise. Don't goad him.
>Other

(Note: Your basic magic is somewhat akin to DBZ style ki. Energy blasts and whatnot. There's a lot you can do with that, which will be explained a bit later. For now, imagination is a thing. Also sorry for taking so long with these posts.)

>>503286
Play defense. Wait and see, and try to earn that 25% bonus

>>503286
>Play solid defense, see what he's got, powerwise. Don't goad him.
Never underestimate the opposition when multi-dimensional talent agencies are involved.

>>503286
>>Play solid defense, see what he's got, powerwise. Don't goad him.

Violet is suspicious.

>>503286
>Play solid defense, see what he's got, powerwise. Don't goad him.
Roll for disbelief

>>503286
>>Play solid defense, see what he's got, powerwise. Don't goad him.

>>503293
>>503301
>>503306
>>503310
>>503314

Well alright, then. We Monster Hunter tactics.

Writing!

Alrighty, then. Time to see what this pup's got. You maintain a battle stance, and as he roars, you ready yourself.

With a loud roar, his face splitting into four parts, he launches what appears to be a giant ball of inky blackness at you- corruption, you presume. It's relatively easy to dodge, and the second and third balls that splatter everywhere are similarly avoid without much trouble.

As you look up, you can see the last of them make it into the fortress. Alright, then, time to do your job.

After his three shots miss, he roars in challenge, and lunges towards you, grotesque mouth open as he tries to pin you beneath a massive paw. You quickly leap out of the way- jumping backwards a bit, and fire a few magic bolts at him to keep him honest.

They impact flush on his legs, and to his credit, he only flinches slightly. Another volley towards his face has similar effect.

Huh. Might be a skosh tougher than expected.

“YOU WILL NEED MUCH MORE THAN THAT TO DEFEAT ME, ANGEL!” Suddenly his tail whips out from behind him, splitting in three and growing to impossible lengths. In unison they dart towards you, all from multiple angles.

>Do your best to dodge them all.
>Form a magic barrier, brace for impact.
>Try to slice them off as they approach with magic waves.
>Other

(Thought about writing out a giant scene, decided it'd be better to play it a bit more piecemeal so you guys have influence on how to fight.)

>>503549
>>Try to slice them off as they approach with magic waves.

>>503549
Dodge

>>503549
>Do your best to dodge them all.

>>503549
>>Do your best to dodge them all, then cut them of when they have passed.

>>503575
This.

>Try to slice them off as they approach with magic waves.

Hm... Seems like

>>503575
>>503598

Would be the best middle ground here.

>>503652
Holy shit this is a cool quest!

So who do we seduce when the Job's done? Violet? Rose?

>>503736
>Not wanting to collect them all.

>>503736
Aaah, so they pay with their bodies.

>>503736
>>503752
>>503759
eh. that should only cover the upcharge we gave 'em, they'd still need to pay the rest of it. besides I don't know if we can keep them since the MC apparently hops world pretty frequently.

>>503549

It takes less than a second for the tail tentacles to reach you.

It takes less than THAT for you to move out of the way. On instinct you sweep your hand in a knife-edge, magic energy cutting through the air as your focused blade hits home, and cleaves through two of the tails. They'd come at different enough angles that you could only line two of them up, but that was more than enough as you hear the beast yowl in pain.

You can't help but smile a bit at that. You'd actually had to put a bit of effort into that one, unlike the casual blasts from earlier. That should shut him up real quick.

“GRAAAAAHHHHHHHGHHHH! INSOLENT WORMLING!” Nope, just made him madder. You quickly dodge a few more goo shots, and take to the rooftops. He doesn't follow (smart), but instead something else starts charging up in his mouth- that looks more like fire- yeah that's fire.

It's a quick shift to the right to let the plume pass you up, and a leap over his head plus a volley of magi-blasts at higher power cause him to actually reel a bit. That's good. You're not sure how long it'll take for those five to handle the big guy but- oh, wait, that was an explosion. Small one, looks like part of a wall got taken out. You can barely hear yelling up there, but can't make out the noise.

The Gravelord jumps back a little as you hit street level again, creating space for himself. He seems to regard you with both concern and curiosity now, if not still with a healthy amount of anger.

“YOOOOUU...SO, YOU ARE MORE CAPABLE THAN THOSE LITTLE MORSELS. FASTER. STRONGER. EVEN YOUR MAGICS ARE MORE POTENT.” His tail is lashing, and his mouth is salivating. You're not sure if that's respect or just hunger.

“YOU ARE NO NORMAL EARTH ANGEL. JUST WHAT ARE YOU, SMALL ONE?!”

>Any response?

(Next post will be a while, sorry!)

>>503853
Professional.

>>503853
"Hired gun and your doom. Give up and we can make this really easy."

>>503869
Going with this.

>>503853
Just a girl trying to make ends meet.

>>503869
This works

A magical chocolate girl. I like.

>>503853
"An inter-dimensional private contract mage."

>>503869
This.

>>503869
>psssh...nothin personnel...mutt...

>>503853
Back, and writing.

>>503853
A cute, magical watch-wearing dildo.

>>503853

“I'm a professional.” And with little more fanfare you charge him. He does the same, growling and charging, stride thundering down the street. As you're about to impact, he launch another goop ball at point blank range.

You just barely manage to lean to the side to avoid it, but he seems to anticipate that, his remaining tail swinging out to strike you. A lean back avoids it, and you're behind him, but only for a moment.

He swings his full body around, his massive paw also sweeping the area. You manage to clear it with a giant leap backwards, and suddenly you hear a crackling from above.

As you both look up, it seems that the battle is still raging upstairs- that was another piece of the castle that's come loose. Actually, a rather big piece- you have to quickly move to make sure none of the fallen pieces hit your are get into your eyes. Some of them are as big as you are.

Hopefully that's the result of those five throwing out powers and not the Canavult guy.

The Gravelord looks up as well. "My master...he fights with all his strength against those that would defy him." The monster refocuses on you. "I WILL CRUSH YOU IN HIS NAME, AND THEN I WILL ASSIST HIM IN RENDING THEM APART!" With a mighty roar, he claws at you with enough force to crack the concrete on impact.

You manage to see it coming, however, and a jump to the side sends you clear- although it was a much closer miss than before. He's getting faster. Probably because he's really getting pissed now.

As you dodge and duck his strikes, you come to realize you're not sure how the Angels are doing, or how injured the Gravelord is. Regardless, you can't let him build up too much of a head of steam.

There's at least a couple of options, though...one of your specialties might come in handy here...

>Try to blind him via emitting a bright, blinding light. You're pretty sure if he can't see, he'll be easy pickings. You'll have to be careful with energy afterwards, though.
>Set up a trap circle. An area where upon being stepped on, the enemy will be assaulted with your magic. It's not a LOT of magic, but it'll make most at least reel back in surprise enough to get a shot in.
>Try to finish him off via a magic bullet barrage. Get brutal with it if you need be, damn the mana cost.
>Other

>>504827
>>Set up a trap circle. An area where upon being stepped on, the enemy will be assaulted with your magic. It's not a LOT of magic, but it'll make most at least reel back in surprise enough to get a shot in.

>>504827
>>Set up a trap circle. An area where upon being stepped on, the enemy will be assaulted with your magic. It's not a LOT of magic, but it'll make most at least reel back in surprise enough to get a shot in.

>>504827
> magical barrage
He doesn't seem to dodge much but he also doesn't seem keen on following you around into traps

>>504875
>>504845
These two. This fool's about to get Yu-Gi-Oh'd

>>504827
>>Set up a trap circle. An area where upon being stepped on, the enemy will be assaulted with your magic. It's not a LOT of magic, but it'll make most at least reel back in surprise enough to get a shot in.

>Set her trap card

>>504827
>Set up a trap circle. An area where upon being stepped on, the enemy will be assaulted with your magic. It's not a LOT of magic, but it'll make most at least reel back in surprise enough to get a shot in.

>>504827
>>Set up a trap circle. An area where upon being stepped on, the enemy will be assaulted with your magic. It's not a LOT of magic, but it'll make most at least reel back in surprise enough to get a shot in.

>>504827
>>Set up a trap circle. An area where upon being stepped on, the enemy will be assaulted with your magic. It's not a LOT of magic, but it'll make most at least reel back in surprise enough to get a shot in.
he's just an underling, conserve your mana

Howdy, folks. Hope you're all doing well. Sorry about last night- I'd have had that next post, but I was exhausted from earlier and passed out. Writing.

>>506733
Fine by me. I'm here to quest if you want to.

>>506733
Around. How to quest if can run.

>>506733
and one more play'a here

>>504827
Ah, now there's an idea. He's been charging you here and there, might could be a way to get that to work for you. You don't tend to use this stunt much, but then again he's big enough that he might could fall for it...

Deflecting another tail strike, you quickly leap back, hands already glowing with energy. You focus yourself as quick as you can, then with a lowered palm you create a circle of magical force behind him. You decide to put a bit more juice into it than normal, if only to have a decent effect on something his size, but it's still not a major mana drain. He seems to think you're about to channel something major, and braces. However, when he sees nothing happening, he takes only a second to step back. Close, but not quiiite far enough to get him into it. From what you can tell, he's right on the edge.

“I KNOW NOT WHAT YOU'VE DONE, BUT IT WILL BE OF NO USE!” Shame he didn't just jump backwards like before.

And then he goes into a stalking crouch, opening his mouth.You can feel a sudden heat haze build up around you- fire breath again. Before he can launch it, though, you tense your feet and springboard over his form, causing him to try and follow your arc. Fortunately, your own trap doesn't affect you, and you land square in the middle of it, trying to gain distance and get him to pursue you.

Sadly, he doesn't- his firebreath takes priority, and you're forced to dodge again nearly as soon as you land- this guy can pivot surprisingly fast for his massive frame. You actually felt a bit of singe there. Might be high time to-

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” Whoa. That wasn't either of you. As you and he look up again at the tower, your visual senses are suddenly assaulted by a cornucopia of bright light as a massive multicolored beam lances out of the open hole.

...Huh. Smells like a bouquet all of a sudden.

As you continue to look at the display, you also notice a particular dimming of the purple hue that had been washed over the city- the bright purple light that has been shining is dimming, flickering.

You're actually vaguely impressed. “Well, well. Looks like the kids pulled it off.”

“MASTER...” Oh, he actually sounds sad. Then he turns to you, and those eyes are almost literally blazing. “FILTHY MONSTERS! YOU DIE!” And with sorrow and murder in his eyes, he charges.

Right into your trap.

“GRAAAAHHHHHH!” Huh. That looks to be hurting more than it did earlier. Maybe he had a power boost from the guy?

Either way, might well be time to finish this.

>Divide to conquer.
>Say ah.
>Walk towards the light.

>>507011
>>Divide to conquer.

>>507011
>Say ah.

>>507011
>Say ah.

>>507011
> Say, "Ah"!

>>507011
>Say ah.
time to end this

>>507011
>Walk towards the light.

Impromptu dentistry, then. Writing.

>>507011
Well, he's been yelling, and spitting and breathing out of that four-way split maw of his this whole fight. Might as well toss something back in for once. It takes little time to run up to him, the waves of energy emitting from your trap only just ceasing by the time you get in his face.

His mouth's still wide open, though, in what at this point is very much a silent scream.

Before he can realize what's happening, you've grabbed and tugged the bottom partition of his mouth down to ground level, keeping a foot on it for leverage, and holding the other one up with one hand. Your remaining hand is used to gently insert your arm between his jowls. And by gently, that is to say you're pretty sure your ruined his mouth with how much magic you're charging and how much force you punched into his gullet.

He seems to only barely realize where he is before focuses on you, and what is more than likely a growing pain in his maw.

He gets maybe a half of a growl out before you let rip.

The explosion is deafening, and you're forced to cover your ears after the actual blast goes off. It takes a good few seconds before you're able to see thanks to the dust and rubble. When you do, you're...mostly surprised, really.

By your estimate, there's nothing left of the poor mutt that's bigger than a couple of sludge-y pieces. There's also a crater in the middle of the street, but on the whole that was a very clean takedown. You're kinda proud of yourself. You half expected that to be a lot worse.

“Hey!” You look up, and you can see the five Earth Angels waving at you. Violet seems to be leaning on Sunflower rather heavily, and Bluebell is in a sitting position- she looks like she's panting hard, but they seem like they'll live. Seems you were right. They did it.

Good. Time to finish up details.

---------------

After a very lovely looking restoration of things thanks to them infusing their power into that bright crystal in the tower (which had now transformed into something full of plant life that would look better in some kind of elf village or something), the quintet finally to meet you at the base of the building. Already some of the citizens are making their way back into the city or from outside of fortified areas, and all are starting to talk and ooh and ahh and do the whole 'oh wow they saved the world' shtick. Great for them, but...

"Alright, so when can I expect your next payment?" They actually have the nerve to scowl at you. "...Hey, you agreed to it, and in my business, word is bond."

"You...I...just..." Rose sighs, before weakly shrugging. "Is monthly alright? We...we all just have part-time jobs, but maybe if we can get some people to help out..."

You're feeling a ringing in your head- contract's up, it's time to go. "Don't care, so long as I get my money regularly. I'll be by next month to pick up the first payment." They sigh and nod.

"Good. Pleasure doing business with you." And with a bright glow and flash, you disappear.

>>507358
That was fun OP, what now?

Say, what do we do during downtime? I mean, what do we actually spend the cash we earn on?

>>507382
>>507385

Heh, writing that up now.

>>507385
>I mean, what do we actually spend the cash we earn on?
Student Magical College Loans.

>>507403
>Student Magical College Loans.
oh wow, same as me, I became a wizard at college too

>>507358

Ahhhh, home sweet home. Well, home sweet apartment.

It wasn't much to look at. A one bed, one bathroom piece of nothing, situated in lovely no-space. At least, that's what the residents called it. Really, it was more like endless swirling blues, yellows, and various soft, colors beyond the city borders. Even after being here for so long, you can't quite get over the fact that some race not only lived in this realm of infinity, but managed something of an economy. They'd figured out the trick to traverse dimensions, gone to worlds aplenty, made bargains and deals of every shape and size...and with their gains, they made this.

The Intersection. A stable area of existence formed from the base matter and material of countless worlds, fueled by endless energies given off from every 'prime', material dimension. A place of traders, laborers, and average working joes, cast off from their original universe in one way or another, or to the very very 'lucky' few, born here. You weren't, but THAT was a long, long time ago.

“Heeeeyyyyyy, if it isn't one of the best in the biz!” Ugh. This was not what you needed upon getting back to your apartment in the middle of nothing. Why Sal was lounging on your couch was something you wanted to know about but at the same time really didn't care.

“Sal, can you try to NOT help yourself to my place for once?” You knew the answer was 'no', but you felt it only proper to at least give it an attempt every now and again. Sal, of course, just chuckles, his mercurial form sliding off the old couch and taking its full height. Why he chose to make himself look like a giant, fully silver bipedal lizard...thing...was beyond you. The last time you'd asked, all he'd said was 'because reasons'. And then ate the sandwich you'd been making.

“Well, fiiiine, if you don't want to hear the good news...” Part of you didn't. Good news from Sal tended to be less 'good for you' and more 'good for him'. Then again, being a Deal-Maker was all about focusing on yourself, or so you figured. It was why they seemed to own anything important in this little patch of everywhere and nowhere. “Just hand over my finder's fee cut and we'll be done for now. Although I've got to say- going for a payment plan? Not an option you swing for often.” He gives you a tiny poke and you bat his finger away, no real malice behind it. Sal was one of the nicer Deal-Makers, honestly. He didn't hound you twenty-four/seven for money or try to force you on dangerous assignments for a bigger payday like a lot of other handlers.

(1/2)

>>507454

(2/2)

Then again, maybe he realized that signing under an outfit like Silver Eye Solutions was a risk in itself. He wasn't exactly one of the bigger merc handlers, either, having only you and two other girls to his name. Frankly, he was probably happy to just be able to pay HIS bosses regularly.

With a grunt, you pass him his moderate fifteen percent. "They were like, teenagers. Young teenagers. Without a rich girl to be seen, as far as I could tell. No way they could've afforded the real deal."

He nods absentmindedly as he counts his share. "Perhaps, perhaps. I can't say I'm faulting you for it, just noting an iiiiinterestingly unusual occurrence." Satisfied with the amount, he tucks it away inside himself- you were never sure how he did that and refused to ask- and saunters over to the doorway. Maybe you'll actually get some-

"Sooooo..." Oh, great. He's lingering around the doorway a bit, as if he expects you to stop him.

> “Fine, let's hear it, Sal.” Might as well get it over with.
> “Can it wait? I at least want to appreciate getting back for a bit.” You could at the very least take a stroll around town.
> "Uh, yeah, bye." Let him leave. Knowing him, he'll just let it be a surprise.

>>507477
>“Fine, let's hear it, Sal.” Might as well get it over with.

>>507477
>> “Fine, let's hear it, Sal.” Might as well get it over with.

>>507477
>Fine, let's hear it, Sal.” Might as well get it over with.
Spit it out

>>507477
>“Fine, let's hear it, Sal.” Might as well get it over with.

>>507477
> “Fine, let's hear it, Sal.” Might as well get it over with.

So was she 17 when she started out? Or did shit go down and she stopped aging as a side effect?

>>507515
Magical girls.

>>507544
There are different kinds.

>>507477
You sigh. Sal was annoying, but whatever he had to say was probably business related, so more than likely you were better off hearing him out now than later. “Alright, fine, let's hear it, Sal.” You plop down on the couch he'd been sitting on.

Sal beams like he'd been waiting for this moment, and immediately breaks out into what you can only describe as a game-show announcer voice. “Connnngratulations, Ms. Styles! I've been talking to the guys upstairs, doing as much moving as my mouth could stand, eheh.” He looks particularly proud of himself here. “And I've managed to go fairly far indeed.” He does a strange tip-toe dance towards you, as if he's doing some sort of weird ballet. "It seems that they're getting a bit more impressed with you these days."

"Oh?" You raise an eyebrow. "Is that the good news?"

"Nope!" He crows cheerfully. "The good news is that they've given me a raise and improved clearance, which allows me to get a bit more distance for you!"

"Joy." All that meant was that he'd be able to send you to a larger variety of areas, instead of the myriads of worlds surrounding the Intersection. They all started to blend together after a while. Frankly you're surprised it took him this long to get that clearance.

He almost stops as he remembers something. "Oh, and I think I've managed to get you another job. A big one, too!"

Oh joy. You really should've expected this, but part of you had hoped... "Great...so what, I'm in and out?"

Sal chortles. "Oh, no no no, not yet. This one will take a bit more time- I've got to check in with the client in a bit, make sure they're sold on it, but feel free to take a stroll around, or just relax yourself. I'm sure you can think of some way to spend the time. But be ready- this one's almost guaranteed to be a big earner!"

With that, he twirls and flits out the front door.

...Well, joy for you. So...what best to do with the spare time you have? Might could go out and have something done.

Money isn't just money here. The incredible psychological value that most civilizations place on it gives it immense power in the Intersection, where that said value is converted, physically, into 'motes'. Basically small glowing, hard balls full of psychological desire, want, and a host of other feelings. You've never been sure of how it exactly works, but these motes work to help power and grow The Intersection itself faster than simply trying to drag matter into it. The Deal-Makers, ironically enough, use these motes as local currency. Everyone, in whatever way, works to get motes...because if they don't, then...well, you've heard things. It's kind of like paying bills. Only if you don't pay yours on time you risk getting tossed into the endless dimensional seas.

Considering the Intersection is currently about the size of a medium city, you can't blame them TOO much.

(1/2)

>>507680

(2/2)

'Outgoers' like yourself- people who are actively sent to other worlds like the ancient Deal-Makers- tend to make the most, although the high risk doesn't exactly make it a job everyone chases. Especially not your brand of outgoing.

Regardless, the nutshell is that these motes are what you spend to get anything in The Intersection. Whether it's clothes, food, apparel, or whatever else, forking those over so that they'd look good in the eyes of the higher ups was how you got ahead here. The more you made, the more you spent, the better your existence here. Motes were marble sized, but they tended to fade out of reality unless called upon by whoever owned them. Made it easy to 'carry' them around, and couldn't be stolen, just given willingly. You just chalked it up to dimensional weirdness. At the moment, you had about twenty-five motes to spare. Decent chunk, actually. Most things around here cost one or two motes. You'd once seen a building that costs fifty.

Hmmm...you meander to a far wall with what appeared to be a TV screen on it. Mind you, it's not. As you turn it on, the blue screen shines, then begins to display names- since there's only the three of you, it's really just three names and 'Current Status'.

Like you said, you weren't the only magical merc around. Izumi Yayoi was another, and one of the other two that Sal looked after. She was another old hand, and was AMAZING with any kind of weapon. She tended to prefer areas similar to her home- which often caused issues with her getting decent paying gigs. She also wouldn't play ball when it came to 'being the bad guy'. She was hella skilled, though. Because of how the system was set up, however, they couldn't exactly force her to take a job she doesn't want, so she was kinda in a bad way. Last you heard she was considering taking on a side gig in the city proper. Maybe you could find her, see what's changed, if anything. She was fairly pleasant to talk to, if a bit too easy to predict.

Lorelei was the other, and she was arguably the only person that you'd dare to call a friend around here. She was tall for a girl your 'age', light, brunnette, and had the most perfect freckle placement. She mostly held your viewpoints on what jobs to take- which is how you got friendly with her in the first place. The problem was that she had a HORRIBLE habit of being willing to take on side-gigs while on duty, which tended to cause...complications in an effort to maximize her payout. Lovely girl, but could not prioritize worth a damn.

Both of them are free right now, which is nice. You could visit either of them, or possibly just take a stroll around town, see what's up. Then again, you could actually stand to take a lie-down before Sal came back knocking again...

Fixing yourself a quick sandwich, you mull on your options.

>Visit Izumi
>Visit Lorelei
>Walk around (random encounter)
>Take a nap before the next job
>Other

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522 KB PNG

>>507731
>Walk around (random encounter)
WHATS IN THE BOX?

>>507731
>Visit Izumi
Even if we are ok with any job, it wouldn't hurt to look after her and make sure she doesn't compromise her own ethics by taking a bad sidejob

Next update will be a while out, sorry! Be back later!

>>507731
>>Walk around (random encounter)
Chance!

>>507731
>Visit Izumi
Are we the senior operative? It seems we're the most responsible/professional, at least. Maybe we should be the mentor?

>Walk around (random encounter)

>>507755
Senior most, but at this stage, it's relative to being on the job for a few months longer rather than years.

Lorelei is far newer.

>>507782
We seemed to appear in a body that wasn't exactly our own; does this mean that we can't take weapons/equipment bought here at the Intersection on our jobs?

>>507731
>Walk around (random encounter)

Walk around, and if we can, visit Izumi on the way home.

>>507798
Actually, it was largely just the clothes. You show up in area appropriate clothing, but weapons and general equipment are...well, you'll see if you decide to gear up. Basically, for clothes, to put it in MMO terms, you have mandatory cosmetic slots.

Stuff you buy is still useful.

I should also elaborate, that's what we just did was basically the intro. In future fights, there won't be dice, but there will be very very simple stats. I'll give you the rundown later.

>>507731
>Take a nap before the next job

Is Miranda over a hundred years old?

>>507850
Nope. She's 92.

Rolled 9 (1d20)

And I'm back in proper writing position. Going to see what we can see.

Rolling because I have a list.

>>508417
I'm here, but on my phone

>>508417
I wonder if that's good or bad.

>>507731
>>508417

Eventually, you figure you might as well get re-acquainted with the city at large. You weren't exactly a social butterfly, but who knows. Might be worth it to get out and actually connect with people. You'd figured when you'd arrived that people wouldn't be particularly friendly, but that proved to not be the case...

Anyway, moving on. As you step out, you have to admit. If nothing else, the weather was always fair. Granted, that's largely because there WAS no weather, but...ugh. You're getting into a funk. Stop it. Stop getting into a funk. Funks are horrible.

Eventually, you manage to de-funk yourself by getting lost in walking the streets. It's strange how the city's so large, but it's not really a place of giant towers and bright lights or the sort. Most of the buildings are varied goods and services, trading posts, restaurants, entertainment venues, that sort of thing. There's very few one could call 'administrative', and of those, it all lead back to the one building that managed to actually be called 'giant'- the immense, domed stadium called the Great Pavilion.

It was basically where all new businesses got their start before they expanded out into the city proper, as far as you were told. It was the first building the Deal-Makers actually crafted, and was- and is- their base of operations. The original few Deal-Makers that crafted a place they could actually remember and group and plan were called the Ingenious, and they sat in a room near the top of the Pavilion, rarely coming out.

But, that was no real concern for you. It's just interesting trivia you like to muse on now and again. You're pretty sure that Sal was more forthcoming with history lessons than most other Deal-Makers- another reason why you didn't mind him too much. It didn't really help, but sometimes it could be interesting if only as a way to occupy your head, like now.

Of course that on occasion leaves you open to not watch where you're going- like now.
You're not nearly as strong or resilient in The Intersection as you are elsewhere, and you can't stop the yelp of pain as you kiss the pavement, having stumbled over something.

(1/2)

>>508673

(2/2)

“Ohhhhhhh...” Huh. Something with a voice. You shake off the stinging long enough to take a glance back at your sudden obstacle.

It's a young boy. You're not sure how old- they look, like...SUPER young. Brown hair, round face. You'd peg him at...dunno, eight, nine? Ten tops? Of course, that didn't mean a whole lot here, but still. He's on the ground too, a simple pair of blue shorts and a small button up blazer, his face clearly tear-streaked. Clearly, there's something up with him in that aside from that low moan; he's not exactly too fussed about being collided into. In fact, he seems slow to react in general.

“I'm sorrryyyy...” The kid barely sounds like he means it, if only because he's too distracted. “I'm...still trying to find my way around.”

Ohhhhh...newcomer. That explains that. “I...don't worry about it, kid,” you say, brushing yourself off and getting up.

“You wouldn't happen to have seen...seen my sister, huh?" He's trying to avoid sniffling too much. "She looks just like me... only a girl. And she's really nice. I'm really worried about her...” Hm. Wonder what happened there, then. When some folks 'show up', there has been a notice that some people get...separated. There's no real 'lost and found', though. Apparently there's a running belief of 'everyone can find who they're looking for eventually'.

Never was that fond of that, but in a city like this, it sorta made sense.

“Sorry kid. No face like yours I remember.” You probably would, if she acted anything like him. That just seems to depress him even further, and he turns around like the poor thing he apparently is.

“It's okayyyy...kinda figured...” With that, he starts trundling away.

> Let him on his way. Probably just needs to adjust.
> Try to lift his spirits a bit- put some pep in his step. He'll find her if he keeps at it.
> Offer to help find his sister. If she's not quickly found, you'll have to do it between jobs, but...

>>508700
>> Offer to help find his sister. If she's not quickly found, you'll have to do it between jobs, but...

>>508703
this

>>508700
>Try to lift his spirits a bit- put some pep in his step. He'll find her if he keeps at it.

>>508703
Supporting

> Try to lift his spirits a bit- put some pep in his step. He'll find her if he keeps at it.

> Offer to help find his sister. If she's not quickly found, you'll have to do it between jobs, but...

>>508700
Ah, geez. He had to go and be like that. Ugh. “Hey, hold on, kid.” You weren't even getting paid for this, but...bah, you could deal. “Look, how about I try to help you out here?” As he turns around with an expression approaching shock,you're already getting into 'investigative mode', like when you need to do search and destroy or retrieval missions on a job. “What's her name? Likes, dislikes? General attitude? Pet peeves? Any details you can remember.”

“Uh...” he seems to still be caught off guard, but he at least attempts to remember. “Her name's Clara. I'm Bernard. She...she likes pets. And sweets...and playing pretend with me.” Okay, not the best start, but it's something. “She hates having to stay around grownups a lot. She gets bored real easy. She hates loud noises too, if they're not from an animal. And mean people. 'Cause she's really friendly.” Hmmm. Okay, that might be helpful, actually. There were several 'loud' areas that she'd likely avoid, then.

“How long ago did you two get here?” If nothing else, it'd likely confirm what you figured...

“Uh...like, three hours ago...I think.” Hoo boy. Yep, fresh. At least the timeframe was pretty small.

“Anything else?” You press. He puts his hand to his head in a show of trying really hard to think.

“Uhhh....nuh uh. That's...that's all I can think of.” He starts pouting again. “Sorry...”

“Eh, it's fine. I've worked with less.” Already you've gotten a basic plan of attack. This place still had areas where certain types congregated more often than not...

(1/2- maybe 3.)

>>508816
The whole city was built kinda like a wheel, the Grand Pavilion at the center. Everything spiraled outwards from there, and there were five main 'districts' of the city that people named, aside from the Pavilion, which was big enough to be its own thing.

The area of the Intersection you're in now is what's informally called the Outgoer's District. Namely because most of the goods and services here were geared towards...well, Outgoers. Equipment to keep themselves abreast of dimensional developments, weaponry that had no real use out of more normal planes of existence, and whatnot. If you had to be honest, it was kinda like a club here. There were the people who were in and then there was everyone else who were losers because they weren't in the club.

Then there was the Festival District. The place was basically the entertainment center of the Intersection, with plays, movies, physical games and shows, and the sort in abundance. The locals around there were exceptionally friendly and welcoming- if only because that increased the chances of patronage. They were loud as hell, though, hawking their new stuff.

The next thing that comes to mind is the Crafter's District. That's largely where the motes that everyone collected got transmuted and, well, crafted into usable things, or matter that would be put towards expanding the city. It was relatively quiet, but that's because the people there were generally really into their craft. It was largely more Deal-Makers and natives of the Intersection than transplants, though.

Next down was the Eatery District. There were a great deal of recipes and various foodstuffs brought back from many interdimensional forays, and the amount of restaurants, bistros, and other various food places that opened was so immense that that entire area of the city quickly earned its nickname. There was quite literally just about any kind of food anyone could want available...so long as you had the motes to pay for them.

The last place was the Learner's District. It was largely where Deal-Makers went to inquire about past dimensions, goods traded to and from there, and was also the location of most of the Deal-Maker's history. It was basically the closest thing to an actual business district the city had. It wasn't an area most transplants went to lightly, although it wasn't actually closed off or sacred or anything.

Hmmm... "Hey, kid, you've already looked around here, right?"

He nods sullenly. "Ever since I showed up. No one's seen her..." Alright then. You just hope Ruby's been fixed up.

Thinking about it, you decide to first check out...

>The Grand Pavilion
>The Festival District
>The Crafter's District
>The Eatery District
>The Learner's District

>>508831

(As a note, you won't be able to check all 5 areas. I completely blanked on mentioning this, sorry! Because Sal, you figure you'll get through about three before he mindcalls you back. Sal's pretty solid about following up on potential clients and tends to lock them in fairly quickly.)

>>508831
> Grand pavilion
> Eatery
Don't know where to go third

>>508831
>The Eatery District

>The Festival District
>The Crafter's District
>The Eatery District

>>508831
>>The Crafter's District
>>The Eatery District
>>The Learner's District
That order. Call one of our buddies up, see if we can enlist some help in finding the shota's sister.

Going to bed for now, will return once I wake! (8-10 hours or so)

Back. Also I'm going to try and actually keep a consistent schedule for this. I'm thinking that I'll start runs around 12-1 PM CST. How long they last will likely vary, but I'd at least like to have a solid starting time.

checking the:

Eatery District
Crafter's District

anyone want to break the tie for third? If not I'll roll for it.

>>509339
I'll break in favor of the Learner's District.

>>509346
Sold, writing.

>>508831
Your first summation is easy enough. “Well, you said she's got a bit of a sweet tooth...chances are if you guys are new, she might be trying to take in some comfort food. Chances are she might be in the Eatery District.”

“The wha?” The kid at least seems a bit more energetic now that he's got someone in his corner. “Where's that at?”

“I'll show you. But follow me for now.” With that, you start walking towards Mitzi's Repairs- the local mechanics. Mitzi was unusual, in that she was a native, but not a Deal-Maker. As she told it, she'd been born from a couple of early transplants who'd been fine with their new digs after they'd 'moved', and The Intersection was all she really knew. She'd occasionally expressed curiosity about the outside, but it'd rarely gone beyond mild interest after hearing some stories from Outgoers.

It fortunately isn't a long walk, and soon enough you're standing outside one of the six giant, glaring orange garages that made up Mitzi's workplace. You quickly spot a thin body from under the hood of what looks to be some sort of hovering car. Apparently sensing someone behind her, she pops her head out from the engine, revealing a goggled face that you can still see the amber eyes behind.
“Eeeyy, Miranda, right?” You nod. “Guessin' your here for Ruby?”

“Yeah. Trying to help this kid out,” you say, motioning to Bernard. “Sister got lost in the move, and the kid doesn't deserve that.”

“Huh. Not your usual MO,” Miranda quips, “But I ain't complainin'. Haven't seen any young 'uns around, but I'll keep my eye out.”

“Thanks. So about Ruby?” you press.

“Feelin' fit as a fiddle!” Mitzi grins. “Tested her out yesterday, ran like new!”

“Beautiful.” Ruby was your personal vehicle- the first thing you'd bought here that could really be called 'yours'. It's not a lot- basically a hovering, old thing of a motorcycle coated in cherry red- but it gets you from point a to b fast enough, and that's what matters.

“Three motes, gal. Had to do a lot more replacement work on her than I expected, but she's all set.” Well worth it, you suppose. You look at the kid as you hand the motes over. “Hope you're not afraid of high speeds.”

He just stares wide-eyed.

That stare turns into a yell soon enough as you both race down one of the streets, and soon enough the smells pouring out of cafes and restaurants tells you you're in the right place. “Welp. Welcome to the Eatery Distrct, kid. Now let's see what sweet shops we can find...”

Turns out, quite a few, actually. Chocolate-exclusive to finger candies to cakes and cookies of every conceivable flavor. It takes you a couple hours to actually investigate them all, and throughout it all Bernard keeps up a steady commentary of places he thinks that Clara would like. Interestingly enough, you notice that he seems to be giving certain places stares without saying anything. Maybe the sweet tooth runs in the family.

cont.

>>509426
It's not much good for finding a young girl, however, and eventually you decide on one more place before trying for the Crafter's district- a cupcake shop that was simply called Ms. Sweeties. As you walk in, the counter is staffed by what seems to be a very short creature, humanoid, but with long ears and sharp teeth. Its skin color is a hodgepodge of blue and green, and it's casually sucking on a lollipop as it wipes down the counter- presumably from the two kids that just strolled out both munching on cupcakes.

“Oh, heya! Welcome! What can I getcha?” She offers with a sunny smile.

“Actually, we're looking for someone new,” you cut off. “Small girl, looks like this kid.” You point toward Bernard.

“Oh yeah?” She seems fairly serious as she leans over the counter. “I...think that face looks familiar, actually. Chubbier and with a ponytail?”

“THAT'S HER!” Bernard yells. It actually causes you to jump a bit with how loud he got.

“Okay, okay, then.” You try to calm him down. “That's good.” you quickly turn to the girl. “I was hoping to ask you a few questions, then...”

She nods. “Fire away. Keep it quick, though- I can see customers walkin' this way.”

>What might you want to ask her? Limit three questions, max.

>>509457
Which way did she go?

>>509457
Can we decide on the questions one at a time? I imagine the later questions will vary depending on her she answers the first ones.

To begin with,
>Where can we find her?
sounds like a good start.

>>509482
Yeah, that's fine (and admittedly probably preferred, sorry. Still figuring some things out.) Just saying that three in total is your limit.

Well, best to start off with the obvious. "Do you happen to know where she went?"

To your dismay, the lady shrugs. "Sorry. She didn't exactly come in during a slow period, if I'm remembering right. She asked for a cupcake, I charged her a small mote, and gave her a six-pack of vanilla frosted sprinkles." She smiles a bit. "Heh. Kid actually gave me one back. Darling thing. She takes a closer look at Bernard. "...yeah, now that I'm tryin' to remember, she's a dead ringer for you. Just missing the necklace."

Bernard looks confused. "She doesn't have a necklace..."

Hm. Interesting.

>Next question, if any?

>>509533
Did she say anything that might tell us where to look next?

>>509533
I'm thinking
>What did this necklace look like?
and, if nothing else seems relevant,
>How long ago did you see her?

>>509533
Can we magically track your cupcakes?

Long shot but magic does all sorts of crazy shit.

I have a feeling she exchanged the neclace for motes

>>509570
(OOC but is common knowledge in-verse: Most magic spells are less effective (if not negated) in The Intersection than elsewhere because of its chaotic makeup. There ARE tracking spells, but they're more effective on more normal planes of existence.)

Rolled 3 (1d3)

>>509556
>>509559
>>509570

So, choices between...

>Did she say anything involving where she was going?
>What did the necklace look like?
>How long ago was this?

Rolling for it.

>>509626
"Alright, then. How long ago was this? Do you remember?" If you could cut down the time, you might be able to catch her wherever she was next.

"Uh, a bit over an hour ago, I think. You guys are lucky comin' in when you did, really. Normally this place is pretty swamped- case in point." As you look over your shoulder, you can see a group of people indeed coming in, getting near you and browsing the example pastries under glass. "Alright, any other questions?"

"Did she say where she was going? That necklace might be important to her..." You muse...

"Iunno. Looked like a normal necklace to me. Same clear silver you'd find outta a rookie crafter. Anyway, she didn't talk much so, sorry." As one of the patrons calls for her, she fixes you with an apologetic look. "Hey, I got payin' customers, so I gotta handle them, alright? Good luck with your searchin'."

You nod and exit the shop. So, she was here just about an hour ago, and she had on a possibly crafter made necklace? Curious.

"So where are we going next?" Bernard asks.

>Still want to go to the Crafter's District, or change areas?
(Sorry, I'll make the options one-by-one from here on.)

Also we're going to get to actual merc stuff very shortly so hang in there.

>>509660
To the crafter's district! AWAY!!!

>>509660
Yeah, let's go there. If she got a necklace from there, the seller might know something

>>509660

“Crafter's District,” you say, getting on the bike. “Sounds like she was there, and chances are high that if she got that necklace somehow from there, then that means she interacted with someone who can give us more detailed answers.” It's as good a lead as you can figure, really. Better than just chasing some blind guesses.

“Uh...okay.” Bernard doesn't have much to say about that, simply climbing on in front of you (better to keep him steady), and gripping your middle carefully. Geez, he doesn't have to clasp so tightly. Your driving style isn't THAT reckless. At least you think so.

It's not that far from the Eatery District to the Crafter's District. They're essentially next to each other- with the Outgoer's District being sandwiched between the Learner's District and Festival District. Fortunately, you wouldn't be touching the Festival District, since your apartment was closer to the Learner's side.

You manage to hit the area in short order, and you're already sensing the glares that your bike makes as it rumbles through the quiet streets of the Crafter's District. Due to a lot of the more fragile works being made here, most people here lived without using vehicles unless they needed to get to another district entirely. Making undue noise was rather taboo, and everyone knew it.

As the Crafter's District doesn't have a great number of actual consumer-based shops, mostly focusing on manufacturing, your questioning is large light and basic, simple 'have you seen this girl' stuff. Most of the people you talk to are Deal-Makers.

It's around your fifth jewelry crafting (and selling) company that you finally hit on something. One of the younger employees discusses making his first sale 'not too long ago, from a lovely little human girl.'

"Do you remember what she looked like?" you ask.

"I'm afraid I'm not that great with faces," he admits. "But she was very pleasant. Intrigued to know about the craft, too. I'm certainly no grand master, but..." Oh, no, not gonna let this guy start bragging. Too busy.

>Any questions?

Should I post prompts/options for this kinda thing, actually? I haven't been because I keep feeling like people will just try to ask all of them anyway.

> Ask if she mentioned any places she was interested in checking out.

>>509918
Which way did she go?

>>509918

"Uh, yeah, sorry, but if you don't mind, could you maybe answer me a few questions?" you quickly interrupt.

"Oh? Certainly, but I'm rather busy, so you'll have to keep it brief." Indeed, he'd answered you from a crafting table, and he seems to not want to take his eyes off of it for more than a few second at a time. If nothing else, you appreciate the fact that he's so dedicated to his work.

"Well, the first thing is if you know where she went, or perhaps might've talked about going? Hopefully you could get lucky...

"Well, nothing like that exactly sticks out..." Aw, crap. "But she did talk a bit while watching me work. Apparently she was rather new here- a transplant, I believe is the polite term for it, right? I was busy at the time, but gave her a basic rundown of things. She wanted to help me make things, but I tried to convince her not to- far too young, really. I was already working on the necklace, you see- just for practice, but still. No place for a young human to start. She eventually just started bringing me tools for about an hour. That with a couple of motes she had I deemed was sufficient payment for the necklace, when she asked that. When she asked how to get more motes, I told her that everyone starts at the Grand Pavilion."

He jerks as he realizes. "Oh. Perhaps she's headed that way, then. Well, I don't know if she knows where to go- I'll admit I never actually said where it was, but..."

"Fine with us," you say. That was as solid a lead as you'd get.

After your quick exit, you get a buzzing in your he-...wait, no, that's your hip, and that's your phone. Sometimes you tend to forget you have the thing- a fact you blame on the issue with taking Intersection-primed gear to other dimensions. Some things just don't hold together on stable planes, but if nothing else, they're still 'with you'.

You quickly pick up, answering. “Styles. Go.”

“Heeeeeeyyyyyyy!” Of course it's Sal. “Everything's a go, babe!”

Ugh. “Stop calling me babe.”

“Stop callin' me Sal, and we got a deal!” Welp.

“So, you need me back now?” You weren't fond of abandoning this kid, but if he had to be left somewhere...

“Well, I certainly need you back soon!” He laughs. “If you're in the middle of something important, go ahead, I won't say stop, but I'd looooove you back ASAP.”

You sigh. “Right, then. I'll...” you look at Bernard, who's looking at you with curiosity.

Sal interrupts, though. “Yeah, I gotcha. See ya soon! You're gonna love this!” Click.

Well, lovely.

>Job's a job. Point the kid in the best direction and get back to Sal for the details. Time to get to work.
>Might as well see it through. See how long you can stretch this out and keep looking for Clara.

>>510089
Dropped my trip, sorry!

>>509933
Probably a good idea for basic questions and stuff, but keep a Write In option for when players think outside of your parameters, OK?

>>510089
>Might as well see it through. See how long you can stretch this out and keep looking for Clara.

Worst case scenario, we could set him up in our apartment for a little while, have Sal watch over him and make sure he doesn't starve, that sort of thing.

>>510089
>Might as well see it through. See how long you can stretch this out and keep looking for Clara
Even if it ain't a paid thing, we should see our "job" till the end, like a professional

>>510089
Job's a job

>>510089
>Job's a job. Point the kid in the best direction and get back to Sal for the details. Time to get to work.

>>510089
>>Might as well see it through. See how long you can stretch this out and keep looking for Clara.

We see the 'job' through, no matter the situation!

>>510089
No, you've come this far, there is no reason to quit now. You've got a solid lead on where Clara is, and you've got a decent idea of what she might be doing. Now's the time to wrap this one up.

"So, that's where Clara might be?" Bernard asks.

"Yup," you respond. "Seems like she might have ended up here first, and then after talking with this guy, would have made her way to the Grand Pavilion. There's no reason she wouldn't have found it by now if she was on her way. It's honestly pretty easy to spot." Before he can say anything, you're already on your bike and patting the front seat for him. "Let's get you your reunion with your sister."

"Yeah!"

The Grand Pavilion is never not intimidating. With at least twenty floors, despite the name, it's really more of a gigantic trading house then it is just a floor for people to have their wares. Of course, it's not exactly easy to get in if you're not buying or selling. There's always checks at the door. And they will investigate to see if you left with anything that you didn't have coming in. Yeah, it's kind of a forceful method, but the Pavilion is really meant to be sort of a training ground for many up-and-coming merchants. Chances are you have to buy at least one thing while you're in here.

"Clara's not really fond of heights," Bernard mentions. "She manages, but she doesn't like them."

"So she likely isn't on the higher floors then." You surmise. "Alright, let's get to looking."

You both spend the next hour diligently searching the pavilion floor for any trace of Clara. Honestly, you really did forget just how much space is place to go. It's honestly kind of exhausting walking the length of the fairgrounds at least three times.

If that wasn't enough, having to deal with all the caterwauling and attempts at getting you to look at their wares just because you're an Outgoer gets old quickly. Not because of the fact that they are selling equipment, but really more of the fact that it's just all substandard.


Right as you're just about to give up and try another tack however, you hear a voice call out from the crowd.

" Bernard?!"

You look over, and you'll never admit it to anyone but yourself, but you had to fight back in her to double check and see if Bernard was still right next to you. Clara is indeed essentially Bernard, but in a dress and with fluffier eyelashes.

"Clara!" As Bernard rushes to his sister, you feel satisfied enough. It wasn't any money, but...eh. You can let it go for now.

You're not quite sure what to do next, considering that these two still seem to not have any parents in sight, but before you can mull on that for very long, Clara walks up to you, brother in tow.

" Bernard tells me that you helped him look for me. Thanks a whole bunch!" She holds out her hand, extending the necklace that was within it.

Cont.

>>510541
" I got this earlier, and a funny looking man told me that I was supposed to try and sell stuff like this. But I haven't been able to yet. So maybe I can sell it to you as thanks for helping my brother find me!"

That didn't really make a lot of sense to you. "How much?"

"Nothing!" Oh. Well then. It's at least something to show to the investigators at the Pavilion gates.

>You got an Amateur's necklace! And that means now I need to explain stats.

>>510585
Use it as an emergency battery. Store magic in it for a dicey situation.

Dropped my trip again.

Anyway, stats in this Quest are a bit different than what they would be like another quest. They're not really numerical values. They're more ratings. A through E. And they all have a positive and/or negative effect on each other. These are the stats.

Intimidation: this affects how seriously people take you. A higher intimidation rank means that you'll give off a more imposing vibe. This will allow certain conversation tracks to be easy and others to be more difficult due to cagey answers. It can at times can cause opponents to be more wary of you. Some characters may avoid you outright with high enough intimidation which can both be good and bad.

Humor: Humor effects generally the opposite of intimidation. A high humor rank will cause you to give off an air of good cheer and approachability. This will allow you to talk to people easily, but they may not take your inquiries to seriously, or give you much valuable info. In battle, it may cause your enemies to underestimate you... until you hit hard enough, in which case they will step up their game really really quick.

Otherworldly: a high-ranking this will give most other people around you a massive case of the heebie-jeebies. Otherworldliness is is an interesting stat and that it can be very helpful and very hurtful depending entirely on who you talk to. If forced, Men will fight harder against someone with a high otherworldliness stat, but beasts will fear your presence.

Hothead: a high rank inthis gives you the air of someone who's just raring to go 24/7. Most people will cut to the chase in conversations with you and try not to waste your time by giving details. In fights, expect foes to throw their all against you. This can be both good and bad, obviously. Some folks find this trait attractive.

Plainness: surprisingly, being plain can be useful in jobs such as yours. The higher this right, the more a nobody you seem to be. People won't engage you in conversation as often or even really be willing to talk to you for very long. In fights it will be near impossible for anyone to take you seriously, but similar to the humor stat gamma be wary of getting too loose with your power when you have this high... there may be unexpected consequences.

So! Any questions? Does it make any sense, or is it just stupid?

>>510763
Sounds fine OP, so so we get to choose which stat to emphasize when going into an encounter?

I'm curious as to what the current stats distribution is.

>>510763
Seems fine to me.

>>510936

You can do that, but that's only in particular circumstances. And it only really works if you have a decent enough rank in that stat. Think about like how Fallout used to do it.

Remember about how earlier it was mentioned that some things that are made in The Intersection are just kind of absorbed into yourself when you're on a material plane? That's how you stat up and down, via particular items that you purchase. And are absorbed into you when you leave.

>>510970
Miranda's baseline:

Intimidation: B
Humor: D-
Otherworldly: E
Hothead: C
Plainness: D

Here is your current 'gear':

Miranda's Jacket [Intimidation +1/Plainness -1]

Amateur's Necklace [+1 Otherworldly/-1 Hothead]

You can carry up to two main pieces of clothing (legs, body) and up to five accessories ( hands, neck, back, and head). The reason I didn't bother with the shoes is because they are in fact neutral in terms of plus or minus anything. But rest assured, you do have shoes on. Basically the original pic is you.

>>510763
>Humor
This wants me to steer towards D-Pooling but I think Miranda might like Otherworldlyness, Hothead and Intimidation more.

>>510585

Surprisingly, when you ask what they'll do now, it's Clara that has the answer.

"We're gonna go explore. I met a nice man who said there's a place for kids like us if we were interested." She doesn't seem as cheerful as she used to be...although that's for obvious reasons.

"So the Care House?" The Care House was...well, it was where you used to live, for a while. It was a place for younger kids...without direction, so to speak. You knew for a fact that there were at least three representatives of the place on this floor alone. Entirely possible she could've met one.

Sure enough, she pulls out a small brochure. "Some of the words are really fancy, but...it seems okay."

You nod. "Yeah, I can vouch for the place. Lemme walk you back to the guy, okay?"

After some searching, you find one of the reps, a human, and he gladly ushers the kids away, thanking you profusely for your temporary care of them. They both wave goodbye as you head out.

Flashing the necklace at the entrance to the investigators, you hop on Ruby, and gun it. Time for work.
-------


When you get back, Sal's on your couch yet again. Better to ignore it this time, perhaps. “Alright, Sal, so what's this great job of yours?”

Sal leans forward, lizard mouth curling up in a goofball way. “Well, fiiiiiiiiiiirst, lemme tell ya. This one's a big one...'cause I gotta brief ya on it.”

Okay, THAT'S worthwhile. Normally, you're called in the last hour or two, set up by Sal as a suggestion by an underling or other entity that supposedly may or may not have a stake in the conflict. There generally wasn't a whole lot for those moments, nothing to really give a ton of information about aside from the general idea for the kind of job you're doing- normally of the 'they're about to trash me please stop them' variety. Generally, Sal just kinda floated a series of pings in your head- basic images and feelings, and you went from there- or if you were home he'd give you a basic one-liner; your last mission, he'd simply said: “MG team needs a sixth in the eleventh-hour to save the city. Sound good?” And that was that. If he needed to give you details in advance? That meant the situation was more elaborate. And that meant a lot more pay.

“Alright, then...” You seat yourself alongside him as he pulls out a sphere. It's a datasphere, and one of the few magics that works at full strength in The Intersection. "So what do I got?"

Cont.

I'm sensing an interesting background for Miranda.

>>511083
>Amateur's Necklace [+1 Otherworldly/-1 Hothead]
Wait, so what was our Otherworldly before getting the necklace?

>>511528

“It's one that's not quite normal for you- still got magic in it, but with sorta an oldey-time feel to it, y'know? Knights and horses and all that kinda thing. Sword and sorcery.” The datasphere lights up, and projects a holographic image in the air of a lush, verdant land, with tall, green trees, simple, wooden houses, and what appears to be a large stone castle. The image blinks, and quickly shifts focus to what seems to be a mass cavalry charge from two sides- one side's decked out in green and gold, the other red and bronze. Soon, you see firey arrows light up, and the occasional strange glow.

Huh. That's not normal for you, no, but... “I've done swords and sorcery dimensions before, remember?”

“Yeeeeeaah, but wasn't sure if YOU did. At least, not well." Fair point. It'd been a long time since your last job like that- Lorelei tended to get those dimensions more than you. "And this place is weird. It's loaded with magic, from what I felt. Just a lot of humans seem to have issues USING it. Dunno why, not my job. Anywho, there's been this big three-way war that's been going on, and it's caused a real mess of things. The brawl's between the Kingdom of Alban, who claims to be descended from a hero who ascended to godhood and claim they're bringing everyone 'into the Noble One's Light', the Horinth Empire, who's fighting them because they claim to be descended from dragons and thus are the rightful rules since the dragons were here first, and THESE guys," he says as the view then switched to focus on something in the distance.

It's a group of three mounted warriors. Oddly, JUST three. One female looking, two male. They're all decked out in similar armor, a dark violet that for a second there you mistook for black. Their heads and bodies are completely covered, the plated armor making you think of scaled lizards. Or something else, you're not sure. Either way, they're just kind of standing there, watching the battle.

"These guys call themselves The Knights of the New Moon. They're our client." Huh. Go figure. "They're not remotely the size of the other two, but they're CRAZY serious about winning this war, since they think that either side getting the majority of the continent would be bad. Don't know, don't care. They got some kinda grand plan, but I'm not privy to that. Still, I, being amazing as I am, wormed my way into their good graces, and convinced them to hire you for the sake of making sure everything went off without a hitch. They said, and I quote: "Even a mountain of gold will be a small price if she can truly help us bring this land to heel." He looks smug at this.

>"Okay. So I'm playing super soldier for these guys?"
>"You told them I'd be expensive up front?"
>"Anything about these New Moon guys I should know in particular?"
>"Do you know anything else about Alban, then?"
>"Do you know anything else about Horinth?"
>Other

>>511639
>>511639
That IS your Otherworldly before getting the necklace. Those stats are your BASELINE. Your CURRENT stats with gear are:


Intimidation: B+
Humor: D-
Otherworldly: E+
Hothead: C-
Plainness: D-

Apologies for the confusion.

...Uggghhhh I'm gonna need to keep this and gear collected in a pastebin or something. Mrh.

>>511656
>So I'm playing super soldier?
And all three what should I know's

>>511656
>"Anything about these New Moon guys I should know in particular?"
>"Do you know anything else about Alban, then?"
>"Do you know anything else about Horinth?"
Ought to get all the info we can before going in.

>>511663
No, you had it written right there. I just skimmed through it too quickly. My bad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXNp4Z64tmU I have this playing. I don't even think it quite fits tonally. But I like it.

>>511656
>"Okay. So I'm playing super soldier for these guys?"

>>511656

“Okay, so I'm playing super soldier for these guys?” you ask. You're not entirely sure how much they'd try to jerk you around...

“More or less,” Sal explains. “From what I can tell, they really want someone that can make both the other guys panic and really beg for mercy, make 'em think that they're stronger than they are. You know the sort. But don't worry. I explicitly said that the best way to keep you in their good graces is by making regular offers of coin. Like I said, they seemed like they were cool with it.” He leans back a little, clearly comfortable with the situation.

Hm. Well, at least they (hopefully) wouldn't think you're some sort of puppet. You'd had that one pulled on you before a couple times, no thank you. “Alright, then. I need intel. What's the big story with these New Moon guys? Anything I need to keep a lookout for just in case or should probably know going in, just to ease headaches?”

“Hmmmm...” He mulls on it a bit, the humming sounding more like a purring, to you. “Ah! There's a bunch of footsoldiers, but the guys in the full armor you saw are big deals in that army. Those three that you saw were part of what's basically a council that commands the army themselves. The strongest of all of them, obviously. There's seven of them, and from what I could tell, six of them are equal, but the seventh is the big daddy of them all. You'll know him when ya see him- name's Commander Argus.”

“Anything else?”

“Uhh....their base is in the side of a mountain and guarded by a dragon. Takes a minute for them to get anywhere, I suspect it won't be that bad of a trip for you.” Oh. Neat. “Anything else you can probably ask them about yourself, because chances are I don't really remember it well.”

“Right, then...” Okay, moving on. “What about Alban? You said their whole hangup was saying they're descended from some guy?”

“Yeah, Hero Orind. Apparently, long story short, he was a crazy dude that did a lot of crazy stuff to make the world safer, then capped it off by killing this uberdragon that was destroying the continent or something in solo combat, and it's said that because of that incredible feat, he was granted godhood or something. Now that whole area thinks he's the best possible thing, and the king says he's a descendant. So they're trying to go and beat the crap out of more dragons and other stuff and saying how awesome their guy is for pulling off what he did. The folks there are really religious, from what I can tell, but it's not everyone. Pretty clean place, though.”

cont.

>>511932
“And Horinth? Might as well finish it up.” You'd be surprised it they were anything but warmongers.

“Big guys from the northwestern end of the continent. They claim that they're descended from dragons and that Orind basically messed up their gene pool. They say that dragons are the rightful heirs to the world. They can't stand Alban cause of what Orind did, and had been making a lot of aggressive moves lately to claim more territory before Alban showed up and tried to stop that. Well, you saw how well that was going. Which is to say, not very well at all. They're pretty deadlocked.”

Now it's starting to make more sense to you. “Okay, so The Knights of the New Moon are trying to crash the party,”

“With...'eh' success.” Sal finishes. "Apparently they're made up of malcontents from BOTH kingdoms, so yeah.” He breathes out heavily.

"Anything else, or can I stop talking your ear off?”

>”Nah. Lemme gear up, and I'll be set.” (Order/Purchase Equipment)
>"I'm good. Send me on out." (Straight to Mission Start)
> Other Questions

>>511944
>”Nah. Lemme gear up, and I'll be set.” (Order/Purchase Equipment)
Intimidation gear sounds like just what we need for this one.

>>511944
>”Nah. Lemme gear up, and I'll be set.” (Order/Purchase Equipment)

Off to sleep. Back at 12 CST, where we can finally get to the good stuff.

>>511944
>Other Questions
"You sure they'll be good for the pay? You know these types; talk a good deal about how they'll pay whatever price we set, then when we win their war for them, they try to stiff us on the payment because it ended up being too high."

I've got no problems committing atrocities and oppressing people, but I want to be sure we'll get paid for it.

>>512056
>I've got no problems committing atrocities and oppressing people, but I want to be sure we'll get paid for it.
this, we professional

And back. Gonna wait another half-hour or so for people to weigh in more.

>>511944
>>”Nah. Lemme gear up, and I'll be set.” (Order/Purchase Equipment)

>>511944
>>”Nah. Lemme gear up, and I'll be set.” (Order/Purchase Equipment)
might be a longer gig
also this >>512056

>>511944
>"I'm good. Send me on out." (Straight to Mission Start)

>>511944
“Just the usual worry,” you say even as you're already getting up. “You sure they'll be good for the pay? You know these types; talk a good deal about how they'll pay whatever price we set, then when we win their war for them, they try to stiff us on the payment because it ended up being too high."

“Ha! Too true. But they should have your first payment ready and waiting by the time you get there. Seven thousand gold pieces. Your first 'offering'.” He even does the air quotes. “Gold there seems to be a big thing- real solid transmute ratio. That alone should even out into like, two motes, judging by what I brought back as a test. Big ones, too.”

“Wow. We'll be set for a little while if this is as major as you say it is, then...” you muse.

“Aaaaat least until the elders ask for their shares this month.” He corrects. “But yeah. Who knows, you might be able to move into a swankier place than this!”

“Alright, then. Lemme gear up and I'll be set.” You head to the TV screen, and with a few presses, you hit the quick-order screen for mercs like yourself. It was a private system, using the limited magic to materialize goods right there for an exchange of motes, and to be honest you hardly used it, if only due to the limited goods that you could get through it- nothing custom ordered. It might be worthwhile in this case, however.

(Merchant Menu Coming!)

>>512928
Sorry about the wait, got called away.

CURRENT FUNDS: 25 Motes. It's advised to not spend all your motes from word go.

CLOTHES

Body

> Hunter's Longcoat
> A specialized longcoat that allows breathability and decent protection. Its rugged look and purposefully tattered edges give of an air of restrained menace.
> (Intimidation +1 / Humor -1)
>Price: 2 Motes

>Blank T-Shirt
> A Simple tee for an excellent casual look.
> (Plainness +1 / Intimidation -1)
>Price: 1 Mote

>Shimmering Gown
> A silken gown made from local magics and materials. The weave gives an optical illusion, making the wearer's body seem slightly wavy.
>(Otherworldly +2 / Plainness -2 /)
>Price: 3 Motes


Feet/Legs

>Heavy Boots
> Practical and comfortable, these boots are for laborers who need good foot protection.
> (Plainness +1 / Hothead -1)
>Price: 2 Mote

>Red Striped Sneakers
> A cool set of street sneakers with a kickin' red stripe. Impress your friends and look good at whatever sport you're into!
>(Hothead +1/Otherworldy -1)
>Price 2 Mote
ACCESSORIES

Neck

>Silver Necklace
>(Intimidation +1/ Hothead -1)
>Price: 2 Mote

>Black Bandana
>(Hothead +1 / Otherworldly -1)
>Price: 1 Mote

>Tyedye Tie
>(Humor +1 / Intimidation -1)
>Price: 1 Mote

>Spiked Choker
>(Hothead +1 / Intimidation +1 / Otherworldly -1 / Plainness -1)
>Price: 2 Motes

Head:

>Bottle Glasses
>(Humor +1 / Hothead -1)
>Price: 1 Mote

>Glowing Headband
>(Otherworldly +2 / Hothead -2)
>Price: 3 Motes

Hands:

>Amped Knuckle Dusters
>(Hothead +1/Intimidation +1/Plainness -1/Humor -1)
>Price: 3 Motes

>Fighter's Gloves
>(Intimidation +1/Otherworldy -1)
>Price: 2 Motes

>Servant's Gloves
>(Humor +1 / Hothead -1)
>Price: 1 Mote

Back:

>Superhero Cape
>(Humor +1/Plainness -1)
>Price: 2 Motes

>Noble's Cape
>(Intimidation +2 / Plainness -2)
>Price: 4 Motes

>Traveler's Backpack
>(Plainness +1 / Intimidation -1)
>Price: 1 Mote

Note: Artificially dropping a rank past E CAN happen- basically there'll just be a counter of how many points you need to gain in that section to bring it back up to Baseline. It'll look like this: (Stat): E-1/2/3/4 You get the idea. There may be repercussions for this, though. Be careful.

>>513141
Actually, hold off- making a new thread.