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>>597902

Young and innocent, Cecelia, or as she prefers to be called, Cici’s story has yet to truly begin, but perhaps that’s for the best. After all, there’s still so much for her to learn, so much growing that she needs to do both inside and out before she comes to face the world as an adult. One might be able to tell that much by simply looking at her as she halting flips through a book that’s more pictures than words, carefully sounding out the syllables to her pet rabbit, Din-Din, as she goes and occasionally brushing back her overly curious follicles to keep their shadows clear of the page.

Truly, she would need guidance in the days to come, and perhaps that’s why the fates entrusted you into her possession: an amulet of whispers fashioned into a bracelet and a conduit used to address spirits from beyond the veil, uncovered after years of disuse from the lair of a demon bear and still very much struggling to get back inside your depths. Perhaps both of you have some growing to do in the days to come.

--

Welcome to Gorgon Child Quest! Where-in you take up the role of a magical talking artifact being wielded by a young gorgon girl named Cici. Living out of the steadily improving remains of a once great dungeon, the game will focus on exploration, character interaction, and learning. I may also include a magic system down the line depending on how things go.

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dis gon b teh shit

>>597903
LEARN TO READ

>>597903
Okay so...
what's up?

>>597903
Oh, I wonder how far the skeletons have gotten in excavating and repairing the ruins by now.

>>597903
"Hey magic amlet, where does babby come from?"
"Well, when a man and a gorgon love each other very much, the gorgon puts a bag over her head ..."

>>597903
I am super interested but at work.

Ill check in in an hour.

Reporting in

>>597903
but wry

>>597903

I have pretty high hopes for this. so what do we do first though? >>597924 sounds legit, but can our amulet self even read?

Also do we talk to her as in, she can only hear us, but still via ears. Or direct mind sending?

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As the voices all begin speaking, a soft rumble runs through Cici’s arm, lights flaring up from within the amulet and casting a soft purple glow into the air.

“Oh! Good morning!” Cici says, letting the other cover fall on her lap as she raises the glowing jewel at the center up to eye level.

>>597924
>>597927

“Ah! I’m trying,” she promises, looking nervous. “It’s just… kinda difficult… b-but Mama says if I can read from this page to this page, me an’ Vivi get to come with her next time she goes to market! That’s why I woke up super early, to… to-” Her eyes droop wearily as she opens her mouth in a tremendous yawn, tiny fangs sticking past her lips briefly before she closes her mouth again. “…today.”

She rubs her eyes gently, offering Din Din a pat on the head as she stands up, carefully inserting a bookmark into the book before stretching. The house sure was cold this early in the morning, wasn’t it? That was probably why Mama slept in so late.

>>597928

“Hm? Well I can show you if you want,” Cici says, stowing the book back on the shelf with care and walking down the increasingly familiar path deeper into her home with bare feet.

Furnishings of her little home are quick to fall away along the path, of course, the second hand rug and weathered shelf Mama bought a bit ago soon out of sight as she descends the winding corridor down into the earth. And along the way, just like always, there are skeletons hard at work taking dirt out as she makes her way in, pulling carts and sometimes just handfuls all the way up to the surface.

It was hard to imagine this place she was standing used to be underground, honestly. It was so clean and neat, multiple empty rooms now stretching out in the dark as they branch off from the stair well. Also, it was a little spooky, but you don’t want to think about that. You just count the number of rooms before the glowing X.

One, Two, Three, and then the mark Uncle Yesh left to show you where you shouldn’t go further in. Apparently it was dangerous further down.

“That’s how far,” she explains.

>>597930

“And Mama says you shouldn’t talk about stuff like that. She got real mad last time when I asked her what a 'bone zone' is."

>>597998

No need to worry about just yet. so little one. What do we usually do around this time? Food isn't ready for awhile is it?

how is the nature around here, any forests we can explore?

>>597998
..."bone zone" I take it you heard that from one of the skeletons? ah well, anyway; whats the terrain around this place? desert? forest? a city? I mean you mentioned a market, so there's a settlement of some kind nearby, who/what lives there?

>>597998
Well, let's get back to reading, shall we?
We want to go to the market with your mother, right?

>>597998
>Vivi
a sister?
eat her. and the rabbit.
or just check on your mother. it's awfully cold.

>>597998
So, do you have names for your skeletons yet, kiddo? If you don't, it's gonna be hard to get them to have tea parties with them.

>>597998
CHILD. YOU ARE OF AGE. IT IS TIME TO ACQUIRE A WEAPON.

>>597998
So how does their gorgon gaze work, does it only work on humans, so we have to activate it, can we un-petrify people? I don't want us to go to the market and freeze all the vendors.

>>597998

My power was been taken by gremlins. Continue to vote, but expect minor delays.

I wonder if the snake's would look good with ribbons tied on to them...

>>597998
Do you have human legs or a snake tail?
I am pretty sure medusas have snakelocomotion

>>598081
She has human legs, her mom has a snake tail
The post specifically says that she is walking with bare feet, so she has legs.

>>598071
Yes.
Alternatively, bandanas.

>>598081
You're thinking of Echidna, or possibly Lamia. Medusas are generally humanoid in shape.

>>598087
Dang, snake tail is way cooler. Oh well.

So how is book progress going? Do we have any other duties? Can we give buckets to the unlucky skeletons carrying dirt out one handfull at a time?

>>597998
Are any graves nearby?

>>598032
Actually, yeah. How does the stonevision work?

>>598127

I gotta go elsewhere to continue writing. The power did not come back on.

>>598228
I see. Good luck.

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>>597998

>>598008
>>598020
>>598013

“Mama and I live in a big forest, right next to a HUGE rock garden,” she emphasizes, spanning her arms out wide. “She says the rocks are called ‘memorials’, and some of ‘em look really neat with pictures of angels and dragons! Anyway, Vivi lives here too now, cuz Mama didn’t want her living on her own with the lizard people. I’m glad. She probably would have been lonely there, even with Auntie around…

“Oh right, they live super far away, but the village filled with humans is just across the rock garden. Mama says I can’t visit either by myself though, cuz it’s dangerous. The forest is filled with bears and the humans…”

>>598032
>>598023

“Mama says they’re afraid of us cuz of that, but I don’t even know how,” she whines. “I asked her if she could teach me, but she said she’d tell me when I was older. She said the same thing about weapons…”

>>598021

“That one there’s Steffon,” she says, pointing to a random skeleton. “An’ Arnie, An’ Ben, An’ that one’s Splodey, cuz-“ With an unceremonious rattle, the skeleton collapses into a heap. “cuz that. Also, Uncle Lee, but Uncle Lee named himself. He hasn’t been home in a while….”

>>598014

“We should probably get back to reading or breakfast… Mama says I can have whatever I want on the roof garden so long as I don’t let Din-Din eat all of her flowers.”

>>598487
Alright, let's get back to the book, then.
Some of us might be able to help you with some of the words.

>>598487
All right, let's get back to your book, okay? If we get through two more chapters, we'll have a tea party together with the skeletons for lunch.

>>598487
Get tasty snack and return to reading.
Can you read on the roof?

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>>598487

>>598543
>>598540
>>598515

“I’m not sure if I could get them to drink tea,” Cici admits, “but we can keep reading on the roof.”

With that settled, the young gorgon about faces to find a fluffy hare almost underfoot, Din-Din looking up and twitching his nose inquisitively as Cici bends down to scoop him up off the floor. A giant rabbit and a small girl, it’s an awkward carrying situation to be certain, but as always, Din-Din simply allows himself to be lugged in whatever fashion suits her, raising no objection as his legs sway to and fro, his owner swiftly exiting the tower and rounding the staircase without.

And there atop a shattered peak in the midst of a sea of graves lies a strange oasis of life that none would have expected: peppers, tomatoes, berries, and root vegetables rising in neat rows from soil that should, by all rights, not exist so far above the ground, healthy and appetizing. All things budding have seemingly found a niche to occupy in every accessible inch of this little garden, all carefully cultivated for a neat aesthetic that would make many a gardener blush in envy.

However, for Cici, who had grown up knowing no different, this was simply the garden and she’s quick to grab a wicker bowl and begin casually plucking and picking the elements of a healthy breakfast, plus a little extra for Din-Din.

Carrots and celery, berries, peppers, and a bit of bread from the cabinet downstairs makes a simple meal that the small girl begins munching away at with relish, Din-Din greedily nosing the basket, impatient for his turn. The book meanwhile sits open on the side, far from where errant droplets of berry juice can reach it, but close enough to where your awareness can pick out the letters.

[F is for Fireball. Careful where you throw.]

And against the background there appears to be simply… a mage of some sort, not a fireball to be seen. Curious.

>>598739
is the page interactive somehow? maybe try reading the page aloud and see if the picture changes in response?
also... is din din a familiar or something, rabbits tend to be very picky about how you hold them yet he's ok with whatever plus he's unusually large...

>>598739
man why is din-din so delicious sounding.

Also, try to see if there's any kind of magic eye thing with the fireball. Maybe you have to squint to see it.

Also also, how often do you get food that isn't just veggies?

>>598739
Squint at that page; maybe there's some residual magic in there, a pop-up illusion book perhaps.

Anyway, let's help with the reading. Make sure Cici can read out the words.

>>598762
Din-Din's just a rabbit that Cici caught, and if he's gotten much bigger, he's probably evolved.

>>598739
Give some of that to Din-Din, just make sure you put it in his bowl. If you just give it to him here, he'll think you're going to feed him every time you go to the table.

>>598739
Is the page touch-sensitive? Get Din-Din to poke it, just in case it summons an actual fireball.

Help circi read the words aloud

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>>598739
>>598762
>>598828
>>598836
>>598985

It takes a little while coaching Cici on how each letter makes a particular sound, and a couple of dozen flips through the book, but after many shaky rounds of partial successes, she finally gets all of the individual pieces together.

“F is for Fireball,” Cici repeats after you, the words lighting up in gold as she speaks. “Careful where you throw.”

And as she finishes, you see the mage on the page summon a ball of fire in his own hand and with a smile, throw it into the void on the opposite side of the break. There it erupts in a shower of sparks, some of which leap up and out of the page, Cici giggling with delight at the colorful display while Din-Din uses her distraction to sneak a quick bite for himself from her plate.

That seemingly reminds the small girl to set out a bowl for the famished rabbit as well, the portion being divided out and quickly leapt upon from the moment it’s set down.

>>598763

“Mama usually cooks meat when she wakes up,” Cici answers. “And then we eat some together for lunch and dinner. Not Din-Din though, cuz he’s a rabbit. Are familiars a kind of rabbit?”

“Familiars are like an animal you have a special bond with,” comes an unbidden answer from down the stairs, the sound of clacking talons quickly giving way to fluttering wings as Vivi’s inevitable boredom with climbing by foot sinks in, the black feathered harpy promptly flapping over the walls before planting herself next to Cici. “Why the question, squirt?”

Before getting an answer, the young harpy is already wrapping a pair of wings around the smaller girl, holding them there for a good minute as Cici attempts to hug her back.

“The voices were asking questions again,” Cici says simply, brandishing her bracer by way of explanation.

“Oh,” the harpy responds, bending in with a warm smile. “Morning fellas!”

>>599039
Din din, you fuckin' smart.

What's with the harpy? A reeelative? A neighbor?

>>599039
uh... morning?

>>599049
I'm pretty sure it's vivi

>>599039
Hello there!
How's the wing? Feeling better?

Can you read, by any chance?

>>599039
Konichiwa! Guten morgen! Zăo shàng hăo!

Let's mess with the kid by answering in every language but English.

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>>599039
>>599045
>>599049
>>599093
>>599094
>>599199

“They say good morning back, also ‘konichiwa’?” Cici relates back to the confused harpy.

“Konichi-wha-?”

“I don’t know. They say weird stuff sometimes.”

“More like most of the time,” she clucks. “How goes the reading, by the way?”

“I-It’s, um… better?” Cici delivers haltingly. “I’m still not very good.”

“It just takes practice,” the older girl assures her. “You’ll get it eventually.”

“I want to get it today though,” Cici whines. “So we can go with Mama to market.”

“A bit of a tall order, don’t you think? Besides, I have work today, remember?” With a flourish, the harpy fishes into her satchel to remove a cap, plopping it on her head with a wide grin.

“I-I know….” Cici admits, “but Mama might not go until late today, and I-”

“You really wanna go, huh?” Vivi finishes, giving the smaller girl a pat on the head and getting a weak nod in return. “Well then, guess I’ll have to work extra hard and get done early then!”

“Don’t hurt your wing again!” Cici warns.

“Ah, relax. I’ll be back before you know it.”

With another quick hug and a couple of swipes to snatch up breakfast, the harpy is off into the sky like an arrow, wings gliding gracefully beneath her as she sails along the wind. Hard to believe that just a couple of days ago she had fallen out of the sky and almost gotten eaten by a bear. And now she was out delivering mail for the second day in a row as an apprentice delivery harpy. Happiness wars with nervousness as Cici sees her off, but in the end, she realizes she can’t do anything more than hope.

>>599385
Aw, she'll be fine.
I mean it's not every day you crashland.
Now let's see how long you can read that book before you get bored or your objective is completed. Also, how many people eat from this garden anyway?

>>599385
Alright, let's go back to the book, Cici.

>>599385
...If your that worried, you could try praying, or something? Make an offering to your ancestors that they may show you their favor and aid you?

>>599498
Didn't Medusa get screwed over by the Gods and killed her family our some shit?

>>599498
That's more Yesh's bag of tricks.

>>599531
I don't know what the history of this world's like. I suggested praying to the ancestors and stuff; hopefully, the dead are not gone.

>>599531
according to the op post medusa's or at least their originator seem to be on good terms with the gods:
>her once gentle heart twisted by madness and a lust for revenge well before the gods granted her the power to seek out those who had wronged her.
they granted the original power so... might not be too bad of an idea. hmm medusa cleric?

>>599385
"Hello, this voice asks of you. Pat your rabbit on the head. Also, turn the page on that book, i want to see what the G stands for"

>>599606
Wait, are there multiple voices in the amulet?

>>599658
Uh, yes. It was made quite clear that all of the voices are getting responded to, both the good ideas and the shit ones.

>>599658
vivi referred to us as "they" So yeah I think each of us has a distinct voice.

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>>599385
>>599498
>>599476
>>599606

“I don’t know if I have any ancestors,” Cici admits. “but Mama says Papa will always be watching over us. Maybe he’ll watch over Vivi too…” Absently, Cici fishes for the book, bringing it back into her lap and scooching Din-Din a bit closer as she begins reading again.

[“G is for Genie, Granting Wishes in Three.”]
[“H is for Healing, A High Cleric’s Specialty.”]

The list goes on and on, each page denoting a different letter of the alphabet, which you help Cici through in turn. It’s slow going of course, but eventually you work your way around to “O is for Owlbear” just in time for Cici to hear giggling on the breeze.

Young girl’s laughter echoes from below, near and yet far, their high pitched voices reverberating along the stones with an eventual shout of “Last one there is a rotten egg!” Sounds like they may be playing some kind of a game.

>>599658
But anon, you are the voices!

>>599703
Oh.
How much more of the book do we need to read?
I am interested in investigating who's here.

>>599703
You set yourself a goal, don't lose sight of it now, you're over halfway there.

>>599703
A peek couldn't hurt, right? Unless you accidentally petrify someone. Maybe peeking isn't such a bright idea.

>>599703
Keep reading, Cici. You want to go to the market with your mother, right?

>>599703
"Be a smart girl and finish your assignment. You've always wanted to visit the market with your mother, isn't it true? And just think about how proud she will be about you! Forget about the other girls. Friends aren't good for you. Unravel the secrets of the universe instead. You have to start somewhere. "

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>>599703
>>599747
>>599749
>>599763
>>599776
>>599894

Cici stares longingly out over the rooftop for a minute, trying to figure out where the fleeing forms are located, but after a long sigh of disappointment, she goes back to reading.

[“I is for Illusion, Making figments turn real.”]
[“J is for judgement, an important ideal.”]

The words continue to leave her lips, but the snakes on her head are no longer focusing on the book but on the noises behind them, swiveling and bumping into each other to try to get a better look at the distance while the main set tries to focus on the task at hand until finally:

[“X is for Xorn, Bringer of the End.”]
[“Z is for Zombie, a necromancer’s best friend.”]

With a quiet groan, she then shuts the book tight, ears perking up as she listens for any sound of the girls from before. Unfortunately, all she hears is silence, the quiet rustling of the wind through the trees her only companion before a high pitched scream shatters the air.

“Aaaah! HELP!” she hears the cry go up. “KATE, HELP ME!”

With a quick step, Cici is on the edge of the roof, peering out into the graves, and almost immediately she can see the fallen girl and her companion, the latter now running in the decidedly wrong direction to find the former. What should she do?

>>599926
just shout "wrong way, she's back behind you!"

>>599926
Well, shit.

Cici, you're not allowed to say that until your hair can spit venom, now go find your mother's big hat and see what the problem is. We don't want to turn them to stone.

>>599926
Scream "You're going the wrong way!" and give the running girl directions to where the other girl fell.

>>599926
Yeah, shout assistance from up here.

Then run downstairs when she is going in the right direction, because holy crap.

What is even happening to the girl?

>>599926
"Check the source of the screams, it might be a learning experience"

>>599926
Try to yell out directions from where you are.
You should help, and maybe the yelling will wake up your mother.

>>599991
Most likely the girl either fell, or she believes the racist adults of the human village and thinks the gorgon is going to turn her to stone.

Really, the humans around here can be such utter racist trash, it's disgraceful.
Not to mention, embarrassing for Cici when she gets old enough to understand it and is embarrassed of her human half.

Hmm, didn't you stop questing?

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>>599926

“HEY!” Cici shouts at the top of her lungs, attempting to wave her arm as high as she can as she bellows at Kate. “YOU’RE GOING THE WRONG WAY! KATE! YOU’RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!”

Fortunately, it seems the wind was working in her favor and the small girl turns to face the tower, eyes squinting somewhat in Cici’s direction before she begins sprinting off in the exact opposite direction she was going before.

“NO! NOT THAT WAY!” Cici tries to correct, but it seems she doesn’t catch the next one.

At least now, she’ll be heading closer to where her friend was, but if she had gotten hurt, she didn’t want to leave her waiting. And so, dashing downstairs and then back inside, Cici scoops up her traveling cloak, squeezes into her boots and is promptly on her way back out the door, Din-Din hopping close behind as the young gorgon attempts to tuck away her lochs as best she can.

From there, it’s a simple matter of following familiar avenues, days spent playing amongst the stones having given them a familiar feel that Cici exploits as she rushes in the direction of the screaming girl. Hardly more than a minute passes before she is on the final straight away, whereupon she’s greeted with a peculiar site. Namely, the girl in question appears to be hanging from a hood of her own which has been caught the outstretched arm of one of the stone angels, the frightened girl flailing like crazy to get loose but trapped by her own weight.

“You’re not Kate,” the girl helpfully points out, twisting about helplessly as you draw near.

>>600071

I found a little bit of time this evening to run something, and I figured I might as well start something new so that people would have the ability to join in.

>>600115
oh, she just got stuck.
That's not nearly so bad.
help her out, if she lets you.
Also, do you know them?

>>600115
You should tell her your name, and help her down, Cici.

>>600115
tell her you name and to cover her eyes, then help her down, not sure if your gaze might have an unintentional effect on the girl, so its good to be careful.

>>600115
Just tell her you heard her screaming and came to help.

>>600149
Pretty sure she said petrifying gaze is intentional and she doesn't know how to do it.

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>>600115
>>600129
>>600131
>>600149
>>600187

“No, I’m Cici,” Cici rebuts. “How’d you get up there?”

“I was trying to find Kate,” the girl bitterly explains, “and then I fell and this stupid angel caught me.” She kicks the air a few times in frustration as you note the hard stone she would have dropped on otherwise.

“I’ll try to help you get down,” Cici promises. “I just don’t really know how.”

“I don’t care. Just don’t rip my hood,” the girl insists. “Mom will kill me if she finds out I tore it up doing something stupid like this.”

“What were you doing, exactly?” Cici questions, grabbing the girl by the legs and trying to lift her off the angel’s fingertips.

“We were- Woah!” With a sudden lurch, the girl comes free from her makeshift hanger and immediately falls forward, body flopping onto the grass with an unhealthy thud.

“… playing monster hunters,” the girl finishes after a painful pause, spitting out a clump of dirt as she picks herself back up.

Well… that’s a thing….

>>600214
Tell her that it's better to play bounty hunter.
Uncle Lee had some very strong words about monster hunters that go after people.

>>600214
Well, I'm not sure you'd like that game. Though it's good you helped her.

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>>600214

And I think that's about as far as I can go for one night, folks. I have classes from morning to night tomorrow and I think that can be said for a good chunk of people.

Either way, I hope everyone had fun, and I'll try to continue this when I can. Next Monday looks the most likely, but if I can find the time to run before then, I'll post it up to my twitter, here:

https://twitter.com/bananon_QM

Feel free to leave comments, questions, etc. in the thread here. And until next time, take care.

>>600231
Thanks QM, that was pretty fun.

Hope to see you soon!

Also hope these girls aren't that serious about the whole monster hunter thing. I wonder if we're allowed to have visitors.

>>600231

Thanks for runnim. Although I was asleep for most of it. Should we archive it now then? What tags though?

>>600240

I can take care of it.

>>600250
>>600240

And, here we go. Vote it up, if you have a mind. If nothing else, just know it's been saved: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/597902/

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>>600258

This was nice QM. Cya next week.

>>599385
This crow is for lewds

>>600129
>oh, she just got stuck.
>That's not nearly so bad.
it's worse
weeping angels

>>600441
so we should... turn them to stone?

>>600447
they are all stone
they are humans
their hearts are already stone
they just haven't realized it yet

I caught this after it was finished which sucks. But great quest and can't wait for more.

>>600231
Rather late to the party but looking at what's here I rather like it. I like the voices of anons being an in game thing.
Also cute monster child is cute.

>>600231
Pretty cool quest. You're a bit long-winded sometimes, though.

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Well its monday here now atleast. Hope banano will pick this up again when im asleep, or wakes up,

I know she has legs but this is the most fitting thing I had

>>624822

That's adorable, but I'm afraid that it's still Sunday here in my particular neck of the woods. I live in the US, if that helps any of our friends abroad.

>>608898
>>607827
>>604331
>>600275
>>600233
>>600240

Anyway, thanks for the support folks, and I'll try to get back to running tomorrow.

If you are reading this from the archive. This >>628862 is next thread.

>>624822
I like it