You're going to need that morale boost, too. You somehow got roped into helping the local bartender with a rodent problem. Seriously? You shoot your mom a look, "just why am I doing this again?"

"I volunteered you, of course. You need a bit of a lesson that can't be taught from books," she replies. "Aside from that, I don't want those powers of yours going to waste."

"Yeah, and you didn't want the mayor getting involved," you smirk, adjusting the collar of your jacket. "Taxes seem to mysteriously go up whenever he solves a problem like that."

"Now don't be a smartass," she fails to suppress a giggle, "even if you are right. How about you call one of your little friends, see if they want to join you?"

A fair point. You don't know how difficult this will be, plus having one of them join you could improve your relationship with them.

[Who to Call?]
>George (quiet but loyal, on the pudgy side)
>Collette (sporty girl, full of herself and very reliable)
>Eli (awkward, but is pretty much a walking encyclopedia)
>Isabel (not really a part of your group, but you've always tried to include her)
>Finn (you're the only one he really speaks to, really energetic and really... weird)
>Moe (a bit of a bully, doesn't get along with anyone; why do you have his number, again?)
>>Instead of calling, just drop by the person's house; spontaneity ho!
>Contact nobody

[2/2]

(As you're reading and voting, I think it's fair to tell you a bit of behind the scenes stuff.)

(First thing; depending on the thread's activity, I will begin updating about 20-30 minutes after the first vote.)

(I don't use GETs or superfluous rolls to influence what action is made; it is majority based, but I will do my best to combine outcomes that aren't contradictory.)

(Write-ins are okay as long as they aren't too ludicrous. While I want to keep a light tone, I don't want it to tread too far into random territory.)

(When MC is performing tasks under stress or require significant effort, you will need to make a roll. Based on his associated Skill(s) he will have a varying dice pool. I will roll for NPC performance similarly. All dice are 1D100.)

(I will do my best to answer mechanical questions, but I don't want to reveal too much meta OOC.)

>>684412
> Collette
Get the sporty girl to do all the hard work will you drunk at the bar and critique her performance

Writing for: Call Collette
Underage drinking? Sorry bub, nocando.

Ah, Collette. She may be able to take a load off your shoulders, but you know she'll give you heck for it.

It's probably the lack of sleep talking, but you're not feeling super motivated.
You reflect on what you know about her as you dial her number.
<Blonde, athletic like yourself
<Good at what she does and won't let anyone forget it
It's scary how similar the two of you are in terms of performance, body type, and athleticism.

The two of you have known each other forever, and you both hang out with George on a regular basis. However, you two differ greatly in personality. She's nearly insufferable when it comes to competition; she needs to be the best, and absolutely hates second place. In a close match, it's always "but I was better in my finesse."

The phone rings twice before being picked up, Collette and yourself exchanging brief greetings. You get straight to business, telling her about your task, and she begins to laugh at you.

If it were anyone else, you may have actually been surprised.

"I'm sorry," she sputters, coming back from her laughing fit. "That sounds incredibly boring. I don't suppose you were inviting me?"

"Well, with that attitude," you begin, trying to save face, but she interrupts.

"On second thought, it could be a chance to hone my skills. I'll meet you at the crossing, and we can head over from there."

Then she promptly hangs up, neither waiting for a response nor giving you warning. Again, unsurprising, but you're still wearing a small smile as you hang the phone on its receiver.

[1/2]

File: Hometown.jpg (423 KB, 800x533)

423 KB JPG

You step outside of the house, giving your mom a yell goodbye. She wishes you luck, and tells you to be careful as the the door closes.

It's a beautiful day. Sunny sky, crisp air, just the right amount of breeze. You live in a small countryside village, named Torisburg. It's a bit of a drag, but you decide to jog to the afformentioned meeting place instead of walk; you don't need to hear any more nagging than necessary.

You reach a fork in the road, with a street sign; one leading to a different part of the residential area, the other leading into the commerce district. Of course, you see Collette waiting by the sign, and of course she's wearing a smug grin.

Not much to say about her attire; she's got a blue vest with a frilly, long sleeve blouse underneath, and blue jeans. Her black shoes are neither overly clunky, nor flimsy, and at her right hip is a mundane, if not authentic, iron rapier.

"Hah," she scoffs, "looks like you took your time."

[2/3] (I lied; blame "field too long")

File: Sodas and Schnapps.jpg (36 KB, 400x300)

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"You didn't bring your bow?" You decide to ask the obvious question, ignoring her last statement. Darn it, you were moving fairly quick, too.

"That'd make things too easy." She certainly doesn't miss a beat. "Let's say we get going, yeah?"

And she's off. Girl doesn't get tied down by anything. You follow her, compensating a bit to catch up.

Within ten minutes or so, the two of you have reached the commerce district. It's a small city square with a fountain in the center, surrounded by inns, restaurants, a clothier, and other small services; all family-owned. Your destination, the bar, is called "Sodas and Schnapps," it's a malt shop by day and a pub by night. The dichotomy is somewhat strange, but it's a popular place.

The bartender, a middle-aged man with a fine mustache and dressy attire, greets you and Collette with a wave.

[Choose An Action]
>Order your usual
>Offer Collette something
>Get to work already, maybe you'll grab a shake afterwards

[3/3]

(Gotta go for now, but I'll be back at 2AM UTC on Tuesday (10PM Eastern Time on Monday))

(Dynamic QM, reporting for duty!)

>>685240
>Offer Collette something.

We're a smooth lil' accident child.

>>685240
>>Order your usual
>>Offer Collette something

Writing for: Order malts like a boss

You wave back at the publican, and approach the bar. Realizing Collette isn't following you, you look back at her. She has an eyebrow raised, but obeys your gesture for her to come over. Rolling her eyes, she takes a seat next to you.

"I'd like a Float-A-Cola and an Orange Dream," you speak, holding up your index finger.

"Right away, Miles," the bartender says with a nod and a smile.

He gets to work immediately, and as you turn to Collette, she rolls her eyes.

"Don't tell me you're just using this as an excuse for a date," she says in a flat tone."

You give her a look that almost betrays your surprise, but not this time dear friend. You scoff, and give her a smug look out of the corner of your eye.

"Not at all," you assure her, "I just figured we could cool our heels before the job. Besides, how often does your mom let you have orange soda *and* ice cream?"

"A fine riposte," she sighs, a bit of bitterness in her response, "I still expect a share of the reward." She pauses, narrowing her brows as she addresses the bartender, "we are getting paid, right?"

"Depending on collateral damage, yes," he answers, turning around with two tall floats.

One is filled with dark, delicious cola and the other with delightful orange soda. The ice cream on top is barely-contained, and each is adorned with a bright red straw.

You look at Collette with a smirk, "to victory."

"Yes," she nods, losing a little edge, "to victory."

Thus, the two of you enjoy your treats.

[1/2] (for real I swear)

For the most part, you both sit in silence, but Collette is only going slow enough to avoid a dreaded brain-freeze.

"Would you relax a bit?" You ask calmly, in between bites of ice cream. "The rats aren't going anywhere."

"That's precisely the problem," the bartender chimes in, wiping and inspecting a glass.

The response causes Collette to giggle, but you retain your composure, and address the man himself; "so what can you tell me about the rodents?"

"Not much to say, really, they're chewing on things and I don't want them coming up here."

"Do you know how they're getting in?" Collette asks.

"Not particularly," he shakes his head. "If you could find out, and kill them at the source, I may be persuaded to pay you extra. Again, assuming the level of collateral damage is acceptable."

You raise your brows in surprise. Collette's not bad at finding ways to sweeten a deal. At this point, your desserts are finished, and you both hop off your stools. The bartender locks the door, turning the "closed" sign to face out the window. As you approach the basement door...

"A moment, Miles," the bartender clears his throat. "Your lady friend has a weapon, but you don't appear to." Reaching beneath his vest, he produces a chrome revolver, barrel pointing at the ground and grip facing you, "would you like to borrow this?"

Collette narrows her brows, though you're unsure if it's suspicion or disapproval. You eye the gun; your mother has taught you a bit about shooting, but you don't own a gun to carry around just yet. At any rate...
[Take the gun?]
>Yes
>No

[2/2]

(Gonna call it a night, thank you for your time guys. I'll return at 2AM UTC on Wednesday (10PM Eastern Time on Tuesday).)

>>689090
I thought this was a cape quest? Do we have powers (mom said we do), do they make a sidearm obsolete?

>>689538
Oh drat, I knew I forgot something.
All right, yes, you do have powers. The caveat is, as a kid (and your friends also suffer from this rule) in order to use your power you need to build a "charge" through fighting, whether it be martial arts, gunfights, whatever. Hitting well and being hit will build up "Action Points," sometimes other situations can build those points too.
Miles' power is bombs. He can generate a bomb, and once it leaves his contact, it starts to "burn down" until detonation.
This is very quick, but the best way to make the most of this power is to avoid being caught using it (surprise ) or to use it in a manner where the target(s) can't escape.

>>692173
(To more directly answer the question, it is actually advantageous to use a sidearm at times, even with a great mastery of your "Dynamic," as either a safety net to avoid collateral damage, or as a supplement to the person's fighting style. For some disclosure, only one person on your "call list" doesn't have a Dynamic developed yet. Miles knows this, so it's not meta.)

(You and your friends can develop their powers over the course of this Quest, too. You could gain all sorts of explosive powers, like cluster missiles that destroy incoming projectiles, or more passive abilities like detonating bombs from a distance with a bullet.)

(I'm ready for duty, by the way.)

>>692173
(I used caveat in the wrong context. It should have been drawback. Fuck.)

(To explain more about bombs, they can be instant win, but usually won't be. "Blast" type damage is reliable but not overpowered, and is effective even through glancing blows.)

(I think I'm gonna call it for the night. I'll possibly be here tomorrow, 2AM UTC Thursday/10 PM EST Wednesday.)

(Hurray progress.)

(Hello once again. DynamicQM reporting for duty!)

I'm here, for what it's worth.

And vote no to the gun. How good is Colette with her bore, and what's her power?

>>695354
Bow. Why does autocorrect hate me so?

>>695354
(Welcome; it is worth more than you may think.)

(Collette is only a little better with a bow than her rapier, but an onlooker wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Her power can manifest into two forms so far; the first form manifests a pair of energy wings for her allowing for a high velocity but low directional control, while the second form summons a mass of energy shaped like a falcon that attacks multiple times in its run.)

>>695376
Hmm, so not necessarily the best moveset for indoor fighting. Does the summoning take time? Can she use both powers simultaneously? Oh, and how much charge does she need to build before flying?

Writing for: No gun

(I'll be including some directions on combat in the update, too. Don't worry, it won't be a massive info dump.)

>>695389
Awesome. I'll need to drive home in 40 minutes as my nightshift ends then, but other than that 30 min interruption I have a few hours of free time.

>>695385
(The summon is fairly quick, so it's not like she'll be defenseless. Unfortunately, it's either one or the other. As for charging, the energy built up depends largely on how well she rolls, but with her rapier style she's prone to quick and multiple strikes.)

You shake your head at the bartender.

"I don't think that's necessary," you tell him. "You may not know this, but I can hit pretty hard, plus I'm nimble when I have to be."

The forefront of your subconscious reminds you of your run in with a kitchen chair earlier, but you blame non-friction floors and clean socks for that accident.

"Not being too overconfident I hope," Collette cracks a grin. "Don't cry when you have rat bites all over your ankles!"

As smug as her expression is, you can tell she's a little happy with your decision. You're not really sure why, but it might have something to do with the fact she left her bow at home.

The two of you head through the door to the basement as the bartender puts his gun away, accompanying the both of you. He waits at the top of the stairs as you head down...

[1/2]

(Combat, or any other situation requiring rolls, is fairly simple. Choose an action to perform, and you will get a dice pool based on relevant skills.)

(Miles has decent, but not spectacular skill in armed and unarmed melee combat, use of handguns, and gymnastics. Gymnastics may be invoked to add dice to your pool, but it opens up the possibility for a fumble. You may also attempt to taunt enemies if you feel a friend is in danger.)

(Having more dice increases the possibility of more attacks, reducing the enemy's number of attacks, and other small benefits. Effectiveness of your actions is measured from GLANCING (just missed target number) to AVERAGE (number met) then GOOD and GREAT for excessive values. Depending on the grade of your hit(s) you will gain Action Points, which will eventually allow you to use your power.)

>>695447
Right choice it seems, at least socially. Wouldn't want the rat tutorial to be too easy, anyway.

Right, driving home now. I'll be back in 20-30 minutes

As you and Collette enter the basement, you notice a large box and a number of wooden barrels cluttering the room. She draws her rapier and immediately takes point, assuming an aggressive posture as she notices several large rats in the room.

These rats, each the size of a house cat, perk their ears up and collectively hiss at the two of you.

(Black outlines are impassable walls. Color outlines may be used for cover, or passed over through Gymnastics. Miles is the green dot, allies are blue, enemies are red. An arrow denotes entances/exits, and broken portions of the map are undiscovered.)

You're certain as soon as you begin moving, Collette will start her attack. She's always been slightly faster than you, but you can definitely hit harder.

[What will you do?]
>Martial Arts: 1d100 (Target 23)
>Taunt: 1d100 (Target 40) Enrage your enemy and draw their aggression.
>Gymnastics: Add 1d100 to attack, increase target number by 13, add fumble chance.
>Stealth: Add 1d100 to attack, increase target number by 18, complete miss if discovered.

>Hang back without attacking and let Collette act; roll 1d100 for Stealth anyway (Target 36)

[2/2]
(Sorry for the wait)

File: Bar Basement 1.png (10 KB, 480x640)

10 KB PNG

>>695567
(I forgot the pic dammit. Also, Collette is essentially the melee/ranged glass cannon, but she's pretty hard to hit too.)

>>695575
Right, I'm at home now, so I should be somewhat more responsive.Voting for:

>>Martial Arts
Maybe we can chuck some of the clutter at them before engaging?

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>695567

>>695660
(You aren't quite strong enough to lift the barrels, as they're full, but I could count your action as attempting to roll a barrel at them.)

>>695671
Sure, there'll be time for fists later.

Rolled 30, 37, 6, 41 = 114 (4d100)

(Rolling for Collette)

>>695686
Should I also do multiple rolls for Miles, or is one sufficient?

>>695696
(In this case, the one was sufficient.)

(Updating now.)

File: Bar Basement 2.png (64 KB, 1528x2040)

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As you expected, Collette leans forward, propelling herself off her back leg, rapier reared-back for a right thrusting.

You have other plans. Spinning on your heel, you force a barrel to fall over (luckily it's sealed up tight), then quickly go prone, donkey-kicking the barrel into a group of three. Two of the rats squeal helplessly as they're immediately crushed by the improvised weapon.

>2 AVERAGE hits (16+16), 2 simultaneous kills (10+10); +52 AP

The third rat in the group dives off to the side, also squealing.

Collette, her blade glinting in the dim light, unleashes a flurry of thrusts and swings on two of the rats in her target group; the third nipping her on the calf. She yelps, more surprised than hurt, and proceeds to slay her offender.

She glances at you with a cocky smirk, then turns her attention to the remaining enemies.

[What will you do?]
>Martial Arts: 1d100 (Target 23)
>Taunt: 1d100 (Target 40) Enrage your enemy and draw their aggression.
>Gymnastics: Add 1d100 to attack, increase target number by 13, add fumble chance.
>Stealth: Add 1d100 to attack, increase target number by 18, complete miss if discovered.

>Hang back without attacking and let Collette act; roll 1d100 for Stealth anyway (Target 36)

Rolled 36, 69 = 105 (2d100)

>>695729

>>Gymnastics

Jump on the barrel, flatten the rest!

(Normally, I'd have the enemy do their rolls here, but one of them was surprised by sudden barrel, and the other was too busy diving away to consider a counter.)

>>695753
(The dice have spoken! Updating.)

File: Bar Basement 3-1.png (65 KB, 1528x2040)

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You hold up a hand to Collette, signaling her to hold up. She quirks an eyebrow, but complies as you stride towards the remaining rats, hands in your pockets.
You meet them in the middle...

File: Bar Basement 3-2.png (64 KB, 1528x2040)

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...then you leap over the fools, doing a flip in mid-air for good measure, and land on the barrel you had used previously. You almost lose your balance, but it doesn't show as you twist around and begin to steamroll the remaining rats.

>2 AVERAGE hits (33+33), 2 simultaneous kills (10+10); +86 AP!
(Unfortunately, AP cannot overflow past 100, but you didn't lose out on much.)
Current AP: 100

They shouldn't have grouped together like that, huh?

As the barrel clacks against the other one, you do a backflip off of it, landing next to your friend.

"You're such a show-off!" She tells you, while laughing.

You get the feeling you impressed her, even if you showed her up a bit.

[1/2]

The bartender, still at the top of the stairs, looks less impressed however, his arms crossed.

"You're lucky none of those broke," he speaks in a gruff tone, "nonetheless, it was certainly a creative use of your abilities."

You nod, playing it cool, but the urge to start beaming like a smug madman is incredible. Collette huffs, though a smile is still on her face.

[Choose an action here]
>Compliment her
>Acknowledge her?
>"can't hear you over how awesome I am"

[And one here]
>Continue searching the room
>We're done

[2/2]

>>695825
>>awesome/playful

>>continue

(Writing for: Be awesome and continue being awesome.)

You turn to Collette, "so, who was supposed to look out for rat bites again?"

"Hey, you just got lucky," she stomps a foot. "At any time you could have tumbled down. And, what would you have done if you couldn't move the barrel in the first place?"

You chuckle, shaking your head, "you underestimate me. I've always been the stronger of the two of us."

"Yeah, well, I'm better in my finesse," she scoffs, her brows narrowed. She's still smiling, but she is mildly annoyed.

Deciding to drop it, you change the subject. "We're still not done here, though. The rats are getting in somehow, and the wall around that box looks kinda strange."

[1/2]

File: Bar Basement Full.png (88 KB, 1528x2040)

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Collette looks at the bartender, "you don't mind if we move this box, right?"

"Like I said earlier," he replies, "if it helps you take them out at the source and doesn't cause damage to my product, go right ahead."

The two of you nod at each other, and begin the laborious process of moving the box. It doesn't budge at first, as the two of you grunt and groan.

"Maybe I shoulda brought George..." you say, half teasing.

"Oh yeah?" She snaps back, "I'll show you!"

The extra motivation is what it takes to get the box skidding along the stone floor. The box displaced, you can see a large hole in the wall, just big enough for you to fit.

"Scratch that," you correct yourself, seeing the size of the hole.

"Well, shall we?" Collette motions.

"You kids be careful!" The bartender calls, as the two of you inch through the cavern.

On the other side...

[2/3 ffs]

(Yellow dots are cautionary targets; open to converse with, but still likely to attack you or allies)

It sits on a throne of boards and planks, built with rusted nails. The wood sags underneath its girth; it is indeed a rat, but it is almost the size of a grown man. Atop its head is an assortment of broken bottles, duct-taped together forming some kind of crude crown. A mantle rests on its shoulders, it looks like some kind of shower curtain, maybe.

"Oh my God!" Collette yells, aghast, nearly dropping her rapier.

"Children," the rat hisses, steepling her fingers together.

You stand frozen, unsure of how to deal with this.

[What!?]
>Talk with this abomination
>Consult Collette
>Fight

[3/3]

voting for talk

>>695960
>>consult

>>695965
>>695971
(I will likely combine these two, unless either of you are overtly opposed to it.)

>>695993
>3 ▶
>>>695965
>>>695971 (You)
>(I will likely combine these two, unless either of you are overtly opposed to it.)

Nah, that's cool.

(Writing for: Talking the talk.)

it's aright

Your brow twitching from the initial shock, you turn your gaze to Collette, whispering to her, "we should speak with her... I think it's a her, anyway."

"Are you nuts? It's huge!" She whispers back. "What could it possibly have to talk about?"

"That's what I intend to find out." You look to the giant rat, sitting patiently, her pointy nose tilted up, and you call out to her. "Your... highness?"

"Clearly you are shocked to find me here." She begins, while ignoring your tentative greeting. "You've slain my darling children, and you hoped maybe you could drive all of them away. How could you know that, instead of finding a nest, you found a queen?"

You start to utter an answer, but she pounds one of the armrests, the dull thump resonating through the cavern.

"You, humans, have broken the treaty!" She snarls, agitated. "Your kind promised you wouldn't tread here, in exchange for me keeping my peace!"

You and Collette trade concerned looks, apparently she has no idea what this rat is talking about.

[What now?]
>Ask about the treaty.
>Tell her she violated the terms first
>Try to negotiate

[Regicidal Sub-plots]
>Attack while she's speaking
>Have Collette set up a distraction, you perform a follow-up attack
>Tell Collette to be ready for your signal, you'll distract the fiend

(I forgot to mention, you can choose to not do any of the "sub plots" for the time being.)

>>696066
voting to ask about the treaty, and do nothing

>>Ask about the treaty

Sorry for the delays, I have been talked into playing Overwatch.

>>696092
(No worries.)

(Writing for: Exposition!)

"Okay, I'll bite," you say to the regal rodent, "what's this treaty you're going on about?"

"The fat one." She says, calming a bit, "the fat one dressed in black said my children and I can scurry in the foundations of the humans' homes, taking whatever we like."

You look confused for a moment, then Collette composes herself and speaks, "the mayor."

"Yes," the rat's lips curl into a grin, "that's what you humans call him. You know, I'm not even bothered you killed my babies; it's their fault for getting caught. But to have you two trespass..."

"Hold on," you interrupt, "what does the mayor get out of this?"

The rat, unfazed by your interruption, holds up a gold coin with her thumb and gnarled finger, "we pick these off the streets and deliver them to him. If we find any in the basements, we also deliver them to him."

"That's..." Collette protests, feeling a mix of confusion, betrayal, and disgust. "How could he do that?"

"Are you surprised?" You ask her.

She stands stunned for a moment, then she chortles, "nah, never mind. Still, I wanted to give him a little credit."

"The thing that bothers me," you continue, "is that if the mayor is involved, the men and women who offer services in the commerce district should know too."

"Hey, yeah, that's right. Why didn't the bartender stop us, then?"

Part of you thinks that maybe he didn't know, and you're jumping to conclusions; but another part of you believes he wants to put an end to this creature and the mayor's schemes. After all, he did give you extra incentive to root the problem out at the source.

While the gold thefts are small and never directly from someone's pockets or safes, it still rubs you the wrong way. Question is...

[What will you do about it?]
>Leave the cavern
>Challenge the queen

voting to leave the cavern

same

(I don't want to sound like I'm trying to influence you one way or the other, but your "charge" carries over between battles, only diminishing from long periods of downtime.)

(That said, writing for: gee tee eff oh.)

You close your eyes. Though you never mentioned it, the rat's killing intent is clear as day, and only by her own "grace" has she decided to stay seated.

"Miles?" Collette looks at you.

"We're heading back," you tell her, voice quiet, then you look at the rat. "By your leave, of course."

"Naturally," she nods. "It is a smart decision."

You motion for Collette to enter the crevice first, watching the monster in case she tries something funny. When nothing happens, you exit as well.

Back in the basement, Collette awaits you, wearing a reluctant expression, "I'm not one for running."

"I don't like it either," you tell her, adjusting your cape, "but if we're getting involved, we should at least get more information."

The bartender awaits at the top of the stairs, looking at the two of you expectantly. The two of you return his gaze, thinking about your next words.

[!]
>Tell him about your conversation with the rat.
>Don't tell him.

[?]
>Ask him if he knows the situation.
>Accuse him of withholding information from you.

tell and accuse here, and i will also be sleeping now; good night

>>696259
(Good night, and thanks for coming!)

>>696259
>962
Voting for Tell and ask

(Writing for: The truth, the whole truth. After this, I will be heading off for the night (morning?), but I'll be running again, same time; 2AM Friday UTC/10PM Thursday EST)

(Thanks for playing, by the way!)

>>696289
That's four AM four me, but I'll try to show up.

As you make eye contact with the bartender, you thrust a finger towards the crevice, "what is *that*?" You're doing your best to contain your anger, but you yell just a little bit.

He breaks eye contact for a moment, then shakes his head, "the Rat Queen. I presume the three of you shared some words?"

"Yes. She told us she and the mayor have an... arrangement set up. Do you know anything about that?"

He doesn't answer for a moment.

"Sir," Collette interjects, "we're not mad at you, we just would like to know what's going on."

"All right," he sighs. "I know about it. The seamstress knows. The pizza chef, and the innkeeper know, too. All of us do."

"Why did you let us go in there?" You ask.

"Because I believe you could have handled it. That *thing* doesn't belong here, and we shouldn't parley with it! That mayor is lucky the monster isn't more ambitious."

"So, you want her dead." You nod, all your former suspicions about his part in this confirmed.

"It won't solve the mayor's greed, but it will take a dangerous effect out of our town. I have a feeling she's just biding her time for now."

"What do you mean?"

"Just think about how she came to be in the first place," he swirls a finger in the air. "Dynamic power. Humans aren't the only ones who can tap into it. The Rat Queen was granted her powers like the two of you, and began using them to ensure her survival."

"Do you know what her power is?"

"Rat in a Cage." He answers, with a decisive nod. "She is capable of *knighting* normal rats, giving them powers based on her own desires. She's building an army, and using the mayor as a security blanket so nobody rallies against her. We've tried letting the mayor know about this, but he doesn't seem interested in doing anything about it."

[What will you do?]
>Suggest a course of action involving you and your friends
>Suggest a course of action involving the shopkeepers
>Let it be, leave the bar

(I also will remember to set up an upgrade menu for your completion of the first battle; you still accomplished something after all)

>>696301
(Holy crap. Well, I do appreciate your participation and patience.)

(Dynamic QM reporting in, and ready for duty!)

(Gonna call it in early, tonight. I'll either be here tomorrow or the next night.)

Sorry man, my mobile ran out of juice, and so I woke at 6:30.

Anyway, since you have so few readers here, maybe consider moving to akun? I know the smut-crowd gives the place a bad name, but as long as you are clear that you're not writing that from the start there shouldn't be a problem.

There's much more active readers there, and the live-timers help a lot when it comes to planning sessions.

{hope you return, this thing is cool

>>699328
(No worries. And I have considered running on different sites, but not to any legitimate degree. I've had my doubts about akun, but I've heard it also has a lot of user-friendly features for both the QM and the player sides. I've also thought about tgchan, but the ratio of furry quests to non furry quests is astounding.)

(Also, I've been worried about mobile compatibility, because, full disclosure, I've been using mobile for everything this entire time.)

>>702981
(Thanks, man. Whatever I figure out, I'll make sure I announce it.)

(Also, sorry for not being able to run today. My days off aren't my own sometimes, so that's why I usually run at such strange times. I've considered maybe my schedule is too tight to be a QM, but this is something I've wanted fir a while. As disorganized as I've been... doing mental 'rithmetic, comparing character notes/abilities, rolling rice... it's been pretty fun, so I really don't want to give that up.)

{alright, will look forward to next/later/forward time

>>703458
It's definitely possible to run a quest from mobile on akun, even if I would recommend setting everything up on your PC initially if you want art and such. I've done half a session like that myself, and though I vastly prefer doing it with a proper keyboard, you can manage. The absence of captcha is a plus as well.
On that note, hats off to you, I don't think I'd have managed to write as well as you did on the phone, and I'm sure that should you ever find the time to properly do a session from home, both the quality and quantity of your writing will improve.

Well, whatever you decide, I'll definitely try to stick around for the ride.

>>703953
(Thank you very much. I appreciate your kind words. I think I'm going to continue operating here for the time being. The last few days have been hectic, but these things happen.)

(I'm actually ready to run tonight! Feels like I'd never get back in the saddle again.)

(Hate to do this... but I'm not gonna be able to run tonight. Check back tomorrow, though!)

>>714380
It's alright, man. I'll try to be there, but it's unlikely, as I'm running a session this evening.

>>715934
(It's okay, you have your fans to think about too. If you don't mind my asking, what do you run?)

(Thread archived on suptg. For this thread's remaining time, I'll answer some questions if you have any.)

(I'll also take some time to explain a bit more about the "system" in the next post.)

(About "damage")

(Damage is relative, all in all. I don't use an HP system to determine damage, though more powerful beings are still capable of taking more abuse.)

(The grade of hit; GLANCING to GREAT, is essentially a modification of what is hitting. Damage is almost always a common-sense thing. You can punch harder than Collette can, so an AVERAGE hit from your fists will have differing effect on the same target. Since she uses a weapon pretty much all the time, she's still going to have more effect than your fists.)

(Now, looking beyond common-sense, with the right skills (not necessarily through Dynamic powers) you and anyone else can be able to hit harder with bare fists than a weapon. Skills unrelated to Dynamic usually have a catch. To use Collette as an example, during the fight she had 4 attack dice. This was thanks to a skill that doubles her dice pool, but lowers the grade of all her hits in that chain. Of course, the rats have a lower damage threshold, so this drawback was rendered moot.)

>>718438
(Damage types)

(Interchangeably referred to in-canon as "elements" or "aspects." Thus far, we've only encountered the Physical damage type, which is the standard. The next step up is Gun, which is another physical type, but is harder to defend against. Then there's Blast, the final physical type; no creatures have permanent natural resistance, but it can be destructive. From there, you have Arcane, Fire, Ice, Shock, and Corrosive; each one having secondary effects.)

(Arcane makes its target more adversely affected by incoming attacks. Fire weakens the victim's physical attacks. Ice reduces movement and increases the target number required for an AVERAGE hit. Shock weakens the victim's non-physical attacks, and Corrosive ignores defenses.)

(About Skills)

(Skills are rather abstract in their base forms. Take martial arts for example; it is the prerequisite skill for all melee combat. From there, it gets more specific. Swords and such. When using a sword, you get the a dice pool combining "sword" and "martial arts." It is fair to note that newly acquired weapon skills have higher target numbers, but will get lower with use.)

(As for the Dynamic skill, usage requires 100 AP from those who don't have abilities reducing the cost. However, something I stupidly forgot to mention earlier is that if you don't have the AP, you can still attempt to use it, with the target number increasing based on the difference.)

(Since Miles' Dynamic (Dirty Deeds, named hilariously opposite to his character) involves bombs, failure would result in the bomb not exploding. However... the bomb could still be detonated via foreign explosions or a fire-based hit. The drawback is there is a limit to how many bombs may be "in play" at once.)

(The activation of Dirty Deeds, regardless of if it would produce a dud, can be altered by declaration of mundane skills too. Kicking the bomb, for example, would supplement it with martial arts. Target number would increase, but you get an extended dice pool. DD has a target number of 48 to not have the bomb detected by enemies, and 28 to not have Miles caught in the act of using it.)

(I feel dumb for forgetting these things earlier.)

(About choices)
This Quest isn't all combat, though. Interpersonal relationships cannot be bolstered by skills and are not left to chance, thus a different set of logic is used for such resolutions.)

(One thing you should know is that, while Miles is well-meaning, he could come across as brash and impatient, and at the worst, annoying. Usually when a decision is made, such as asking a friend to accompany him for delicious treats, he'll work out the details. Regardless of if it's a date or not, he's going to be careful about letting that intention be entertained, especially if the friend has a reputation for rejecting every guy who's asked her out before.)

(It isn't always going to work out. In this thread, pretty much nothing he said turned out badly, but at any point things could have taken a sour turn. Being careful with negotiating with the Rat Queen and being curious yet humble was the best way to placate her. Hopefully the good decisions hasn't made Miles look like a Gary instead.)

(Speaking of social, building your friendships will be important. Each one of your friends has a different set of abilities. Performing jobs for influential adults will open up opportunities to help people who would otherwise distrust you.)

(As you grow closer to your friends, you will be allowed to do things like learn their skills, perform "combo skills," or even alter your Dynamic. Most tasks will allow you to bring one or two friends with you.)

(Bonds between your friends are important too. If your chosen allies are perfect for the job, it won't mean much if they don't like each other.)

Next thread:
>>719118