>>803162
You have to say, it’s actually kind of peaceful, the traveling. The windswept lands are pock marked by various rocky hills, crags, and you can see the mountains in the distance. You find yourself riding past several native animals- some that look like old fashioned deer, or cougars. Others that look like a mix between cats and raccoons, a tortoise that’s too big and had a lot of moss on its back. Lorelei looks at it funny, like she wants to crack a joke, but shakes her head and you both keep on in companionable silence.

It’s fortunate that you don’t seem to have too much trouble traveling- you suspect that might be due to eventually getting onto a major pathway, however- as you find yourself occasionally being passed by riders going north for some reason or another, or coming around the large plateau, from the east. Evening hits soon enough, however, and you both eventually decide you’ll need to camp out. You can tell by some discarded trash here and there and the occasional fire pit that such an option was made fairly often.

Lorelei starts setting up the tent, whilst you prepare a fire. You’ll likely hit Saint Augustine in the morning, at least. Soon enough, you’ve gotten a decent burn going. “We’ll try to wake up early,” you say. “Once we get to Saint Augustine, we should be able to-”

“Hello there!” Hm? You look out into the distance from the direction you came, to see a group of four men riding up to you. They all seem around middle aged, the one who called out to you having a thick, black beard and a crinkled smile as he tips his hat. “Apologies for the suddenness, but I was wondering if’n you ladies might permit me and mine to gather round?” As he gets closer, you can see he’s well dressed for traveling, in strong leathers and boots, and has what looks to be a club of some sort alongside a chain. “We’ve been travelin’ for some time and, well, safety in numbers, right?” The three behind him nod- one's a slim man in both body and face, clean-shaven, with only a few brown hairs dropping from his hat as he eyes you. The one in the back is far more rough looking, pockmarked with moles, and a squashed face and bulbous nose. He’s putting on dashing grin at the both of you...or at least trying to. His attempts look more hilarious than anything, honestly. The one on the speaker's right is near bald, but has a very well kept, bushy mustache, and his eyes are sharp, checking you both out.

“Weeelll, I s’pose havin’ some nice, strong fellas here might not be so bad…” Lorelei winks at them. “But I’d say my good friend here should have a say in things as well, right?” She turns to you. “Whaddya say, Glory? Think we might could let ‘em rest in peace tonight?” She winks at you- she’s turned fully away from the group, so they didn’t see it. Hm. Wonder what she’s up to.

> “I suspect we can let ‘em sleep here, yeah.”
> “You’ll have to excuse my concern about strange men…”
> “Not exactly interested in having company tonight, Grace…”
> Other

>>803175
> “I suspect we can let ‘em sleep here, yeah.”

I'm sure everything is going to be fiiiiiiine.

>>803175
>> “I suspect we can let ‘em sleep here, yeah.”

Circle the wagons, folks.

Not that we have wagons to circle, but still.

Writing!

>>803175
>“I suspect we can let ‘em sleep here, yeah.”
Though it'll cost mana, we should put up a Zone Alarm just in case.

>>803175
You shrug. “Sure. I suspect we can let ‘em sleep here.” You personally had a couple of misgivings, but Lorelei seems to think it’s worthwhile to let them in. You’re rather curious as to why she’s down for that, but you have your suspicions…

The men all give a light cheer, and the leader tips his hat again. “Much obliged to ya, darlin’. Name’s Jack. Jack Rowley. That there’s Casey, Bentley, and Earl.” He points to the thin man, mustachioed man, and squat looking man respectively. They all proceed to dismount and head over. You can see that Casey has a sort of long spear, Bentley has some kind of gauntlets, and Earl has a pistol. As they all begin to sit down and unpack, you can see Lorelei sidle up to Jack’s side. “Name’s Grace, n’ that there’s my good friend, Glory, as ya may have heard.”

“So I have,” he nods, smiling. “What’re two lovely ladies like yerselves doing out here?”

“Oh, we’re jus’ travelin’ on to Saint Augustine,” she tells. “Thought it might be a nice change o’ view.”

He raises an eyebrow. “That so? Lookin’ for a fresh start, are ya? Saint Augustine’s a nice place fer it.”

Casey nods. “Good land. Lots of friendly people to help if you’re down on your luck.” His voice is raspy and light.

The other three nod. “Few places better than Saint Augustine, true. Redrock’s got a lot of hardy folks, Motlay’s a fierce place, and Gaugetown- well, they’re probably better off than anyone else,” Jack chuckles. “Saint Augustine will be a nice place to get yerself sorted and settled, yup.”

“Hey, you girls eaten yet?” Earl asks. “I got me a soup recipe that’ll clean knock yer socks off!” When Lorelei nods, Earl starts rummaging through his pack, and him and the others shortly set up a pot above the fire. Earl throws several things in alongside some water- some vegetable looking objects, some plants, and a few bits of dried out meat, and various small things like that. As he works, Jack’s just focused on Lorelei as she says little nothings, his attention firmly on her. Casey’s back to looking at you, looking away when he thinks you’re noticing. Bentley’s simply smoking and looking out at the stars.

>Ask Casy why the staring.
>Inquire as to what they’re doing.
>Try to talk to Bentley.
>Get Lorelei to cut it out.
>Other

>>803414
>Inquire as to what they’re doing.

>>803414
>>Ask Casy why the staring.

>>803414
>Inquire as to what they’re doing.
I hope we get a chance to kill them all and take their stuff.

>>803414
> Inquire as to what brings out into the desolate hostile desert

"So, if you don't mind me asking..."

Writing!

>>803414
“So if you don’t mind me asking,” you start, and you get three faces looking at you in response. “What are you all doing out here? You said traveling, but…” you let the rest trail off.

Jake shrugs. “Ah, well...we’re simply some travelin’ folk lookin’ to make some cash. Guess you could say we do a variety of jobs.” He grins. “Don’t get me wrong, Saint Augustine’s good fer settlin’ down- for the type who’re amenable to settling in the first place. Us?” He shakes his head. “Nah, we’re not quite for that.”

“We live life by our own way.” Bentley chimes in. “Move how we like, sleep how we like, and it suits us rather well.”

“No one to say yay or nay except ourselves.” Casey says. “It’s a freein’ feeling.”

Lorelei gives Jake a gigawatt smile. “My, my! Sounds rather excitin’! I bet you boys have plenty o’ interestin’ stories, hm?” She pats him on the leg, and you can see Jake refocus on her. “Think you might could tell me one?”

“If you’re gonna do it, do it after we eat!” Earl complains as he stirs the pot again. “I ain’t cookin’ this for nothin!” Yeesh. Guy was serious about his craft, apparently. “It ain’t gonna be but a minute more, so don’t go flappin’ your gums just yet; you’ll wear yourselves out. Won’t taste as good otherwise!” Jack just sighs and shrugs.

To his credit, the stew does smell good. Sweet, too. You and Lorelei both accept bowls, as you see Earl grab at a handful of something in his pack- when he fixes out his and his group’s bowls, he sprinkles a fair amount of of green flecks of something in them all. Lorelei gives him a curious look, and he just grins. “Just some special seasonin’! The boys here like it particular, but I’d say you two should try it as is- bit of an acquired taste, y’know?”

“Oh, well, I’d feel out of the loop if I didn’t try it like you boys!” Lorelei insists. “Wouldja mind if I had some as well?”

“Oh!” Earl jumps slightly- like he wasn’t quite expecting that question. “Well...I…” He stops and shakes his head. “...you can have a bit, I suppose…” He hands over just a slight pinch. “Trust me, ya don’t want more until yer used to it.” The others are already eating, focusing on their food, and Earl begins in on his.

Lorelei gives a particular look at you. “And Glory?” She’s staring at you- and her eyes flash down to the soup, then Earl without her face otherwise moving. “I suspect you’d be the same?”

Earl just frowns, and stares at you. “Trust me, you want it without!”

>Honestly, I’m not that hungry. I do appreciate it, though.
>Just take a sip of it with the green seasoning.
>Ask for as much seasoning as they have.
>Sip it as is.
>Other

Gotta go, but will be back later tonight! Use this time to think about stuff

like Intersection Mercenary politics. Because those are a thing.

>>803637
> I'm not hungry
They put a sedative in the soup and the green stuff is the counter agent.

>>803637
>Other
Make it look like we're eating the soup as is, but either dump it or use our mana to counteract any drugs in the soup.

>>803637
> Other
""Now boys, there wouldn't happen to be up to something with this here soup, would you.? It would be rather unfortunate for your wellbeing were that the case. "

>>803637
>>Honestly, I’m not that hungry. I do appreciate it, though.

>>803709
I think Lorelei wants us to play along so that she can shake these guys down later.

>>803637
>>Ask for as much seasoning as they have.

>>803637
>>Just take a sip of it with the green seasoning.

>>803637
>Ask for as much seasoning as they have
Go big. Or go home.

>>803637
>>Ask for as much seasoning as they have.

>>803655
Clearly no-one cares about politics. Sal handles that shit anyway right? Do they have to trade mercs if they get to uppity to appear the big boys? Like, I'll only let your stock rise if mine also does.

>>803655
This makes me think that the two girls at the end of the last thread are MGs as well. That'd be problematic.

And back. And from the looks of things we're loading up. Kinda like I like my mashed potatoes.

>>805019
Clearly. He does, but girls can do their own 'representation' if they like. No, they don't.

Anyway, writing!

>>803637
>>Just take a sip of it with the green seasoning.
"Grace" can take care of them by herself if need be.

>>805047
Problematic indeed. Wouldn't Sal know when there's more then one contract in one realm?

Depending on their contract, some compromises could be made.
A good thing MGs can recognize each other.

>>803655

Flashpoint seems like the outfit that everyone is on neutral to good terms with, simply because their specialization doesn't conflict with anyone else.
It's easy to be friends with people in the industry who aren't competitors.

If two merc contracts conflict, I'd imagine that the mercs in question would ring up their respective Deal-Maker bosses to see if a deal could be made.
If not, then the two opposing parties fight it out, non-lethally, to see which one gets to complete their contract. Everyone goes back to the same small city, so making things personal would be looked down upon by everyone in the industry.

However, I could see bad blood between operatives leading to "accidental" deaths during the duel. Or if the two Deal-Makers have some kind of enmity that's so bad that they let it affect their business decisions, though such a thing is probably something of a social stigma.

>>803637
Hm. Well, if you’re going to mess with them any, then you can do it in a way they can’t really refute. “That sounds like a challenge.” You hold the bowl out to him. “I can handle anything you dish out. Load it up.”

There’s a long stare at you by literally everyone in the campgrounds at your flat statement. You lock eyes with Earl for a solid ten seconds, silently daring him. Suddenly, you see his eyes flit over to Jack, for just a second. Then he just snorts and nods, a wry smile appearing on his face. “Alright. Don’t blame me when you regret it later, though!” He grabs a small handful of the stuff and drops the lot in your bowl as it starts to dissolve. “Let’s see whatcha make of it!”

You fix him with a look- you can see Bentley just shaking his head out the corner of your eye. And you down it all.

It’s actually not horribly disgusting. Just mildly so. There’s WAY too much mint flavor in it, and it gets rather bitter as the aftertaste kicks in. You do you best to resist reacting, though.

Everyone claps when they see you down the stew without flinching. “Ahhh. Real hard rider, aintcha?” Earl asks. “Seen folks lose their lunch with less! Ahh, but still early, yet. You’ll pay for it later.” He kicks back casually. Suddenly, Lorelei stands up from next to Jake. You glance over to see that her bowl is nearly empty. You don’t recall her drinking from it, however...

“Well, gentlemen, I dunno about you, but I’m feelin’ a bit winded.” She casually heads into the tent. “I’ll be headed to bed. I know Glory needs to do the same, right?”

You’re about to nod, when Jack interrupts. “We’ll be sure to send her along, Ms. Grace. Gal like this that can down all of Earl’s stuff without flinchin’?” He looks at you with a wink. “That’s someone I’d like to talk to for some time.”

She looks back at you, the mildest of concern on her face. You simply nod slightly, and she returns it. “Alrighty, then. You lot have a nice one.” And she disappears into the net.

“Ms. Glory, was it?” Jake says. “You seem like a gal that might appreciate a good tale, so if you would- Casey, couldja round up some more wood for the fire?” He nods and heads off. “Right, then. Now lemme tell you the story about how me Earl got caught up in some business with a cook what made the wrong enemies- I think you’ll like this one.”

You lean forward casually a bit. “Hit me.”

cont.

>>805333
And so he begins spinning a tale of a story about a time where he and Earl ran across a chef in a town called Wader’s Rock, trying to create some sort of miracle food. Apparently Earl had taken offense when he’d tried to learn some tips from the chef, but got insulted. They weren’t the first he’d mouthed off too, and there was a group called the Harper Gang, and he’d insulted one of their men as well.

The tale consisted of ridiculous posturing, a host of lucky breaks that they didn’t get shot, and a lot of food improvisation near the end. Jake keeps it animated and even illustrates with his hands- overall he’s a surprisingly capable storyteller. You notice Casey returns once, and then heads out again, while Bentley and Earl walk off halfway through.

After some time, it seems like he’s about to wrap up. “So then it’s just me an’ Tanner- the big lout. Chef’s cowerin’ in the corner. Earl’s nowhere to be found. Tanner’s talkin’ about how he’s gonna bring all of us to his bosses in bags, startin’ with me, and he’s about to plant one right between the eyes.” Jake leans in. “And y’know what happens after that?”

You cock an eyebrow. “What?”

Then Jake smiles. “This.” And then you feel a a light touch on the back of your head. Solid, but incredibly light. Hm.

Jake's smile is frozen, and you see his eyes flash above your head for a second before refocusing on you. And then there's that light touch again.

>Response?

>>805342
> Good story, you must tell it a lot to have it down so well. Pity I'm gonna have to kill you now.

>>805342
>"You ever hear the story of the dead cooks?"

>>805369
i'll back this.

Applause for the victim.

Writing!

>>805369
As much as I agree with this, should we torture them to death and tie up their bodies with signs declaring them as bandits, or should we tie them to the horses, take off their boots, and walk them to death into town in case there's a bounty on them?

Miranda isn't much for torture except where needed, but considering that our contract here is to clean up the Frontier, shouldn't we consider making examples of criminals and people that go against our client?
It wasn't spelled out in our contract, but I want to be thorough.

>>805369
Shit is it too late to change that to "Good story, pity you will never tell it again."

>>805532
Torture might be a bit much. Though I'm in favor of leaving one alive to ask if they have any bounties on their heads. And if they don't, we just kill him. Less hassle than trying to catch them all alive and torturing them.

>>805562
It can be adapted.

File: All Pirates Hang.jpg (92 KB, 1019x422)

92 KB JPG

>>805564
>Torture might be a bit much.
True, we could just kill them and mutilate the bodies.
But what about leaving an example to others of Frontier Justice?

>>805571
I'm in favor of the change to "Good story, pity you'll never tell it again."

>>805342
For a second nothing happens. You can see a cold sweat break out on Jake’s face as he looks at you. Eventually, however, you do break the silence. “That was a good story.”

Jake blinks twice. “Wait, what? Really?”

You nod. “Yeah. You must tell it a lot to have it down so well.”

Jake looks left and right before giving a shaky grin. “W-Well o’ course! Leavin’ someone in suspense is jus’ another part-”

“Pity you’re never gonna tell it again.” There’s a pause.

Then- “DAMNIT!” from behind you. You turn slightly, and raise a hand to catch the pistol- and the hand it’s being held in. Earl just looks at you sheepishly, then starts trying to tug his arm free. “Uh, uh...uh…” He’s starting to panic now as your grip holds firm, and you look over at Jake, who’s still trying to process all of this. You just raise an eyebrow.

“Uh...well...CASEY!” He quickly yells out- and suddenly there’s a rustling in the tent. Casey sticks his head out, after some seconds. “Yes, boss?”

“Get the other one out here!” He yells in a panic, then turns to you. “If you don’t leggo, Casey puts some new holes in yer partner, hear!?” His voice is far rougher now, laced with worry.

Casey, unfortunately for him, simply coughs in embarrassment. “I, uh...I can’t, boss.” Wow, he’s sweating hard, and looks incredibly nervous.

“The hell you mean you can’t?!” Jake asks incredulously.

“Cause me n’ him are havin’ a grand ole’ time!” Lorelei crows from inside the tent. Before you can reprimand her, she continues as Casey is jerked back slightly. “I’ve been learning ALL SORTS of new tricks with his long, HARD spear!” And suddenly he’s shoved out of the tent onto his stomach, naked except for his boxers, with his own spear pointed at his throat by a still-dressed Lorelei, grinning like a loon. “Like how best to hold one to hit the veins just right...”

“What the...you should be out like a light!” Jake panics. Geez, he’s starting to hyperventilate now.

Lorelei shakes her head. “Oh, hun, I must have at least fifteen different ways ta look like I'm eatin' n’ drinkin' something without actually doin’ it. Y’all weren’t all that subtle.” She quickly gives Casey a jab between the shoulderblades, and he shrieks a bit as the steel bites his skin, drawing blood. "But the evening entertainment's been nice."

Jake’s looking back and forth between the situation, and it’s clear he has no clue what to do now. His hand twitches towards his club, but he seems unsure whether to go for it or not.

Suddenly, footsteps, and everyone turns to see Bentley returning from wherever he was. He drops his cigar as he looks out onto the scene. “...aw, dammit.”

>They’re pathetic, and not worth your time. Strip them of everything, including the clothes on their backs, and let them go.
>Tie them up, keep them captive, and march them into town tomorrow. Might get somethin’ for them.
>Sometimes, the worst mistake is the last. Kill them all.
>Other

>>805661
>>Sometimes, the worst mistake is the last. Kill them all.

>>805661
>Sometimes, the worst mistake is the last. Kill them all.

>>805661
>Tie them up, keep them captive, and march them into town tomorrow. Might get somethin’ for them.
An example should be made of them. If there aren't any bounties, we'll just make them kneel in public and execute them.

>Tie them up, keep them captive, and march them into town tomorrow. Might get somethin’ for them.

>>805661
>Sometimes, the worst mistake is the last. Kill them all.

Talk about a bad life decision.

Largely because those lives are now forfeit.

Writing!

>>805661
>Sometimes, the worst mistake is the last. Kill them all.
No first-hand witness.

>>805661
Wait, the seasoning was actually the counter agent to a sedative!!? Called it!

>>805798
I made a face when you said that. You'll never see what the face was, though.

>>805804
Lewd.

>>805661
>>Tie them up, keep them captive, and march them into town tomorrow. Might get somethin’ for them.

>>805661
Hm. Welp. Unfortunate for these idiots. But you’re not in the mood to be merciful. “Grace?”

“Right, Glory?” She’s casually looking at the man under what’s now her spear. “What’s the verdict?”

You lock eyes with Jake, and he immediately knows what’s about to happen. Which is why he takes off in a flash, running like the hounds of hell are after him. Shame you’re faster than that. Seeing his leader bail, Bentley starts running, too.

Oy. “Clear ‘em out.” They’ll just die tired.

Lorelei immediately steps on Casey’s face- you can hear the cracks as his bones break, and then break again under the pressure. Lorelei’s not as strong as you or Izumi, but she’s still got some muscle. She then pitches the spear at the retreating Bentley. The weapon finds its mark, and with a wet *shunk* and a spray of blood fountaining from his chest like a blossom, Bentley stumbles and falls, practically planted in the ground.

Earl screams in horror at the sudden events, and desperately tries to tug his wrist free- even trying to bite you. It’s disgusting, but you ignore it in favor of the retreating Jake. Now, how to- ah. Bringing your arm around, and Earl with it, you swing once...twice...and pitch the stumpy man at Jake’s retreating back, the man in question screaming his head off.

The two collide with a heavy thud, and you can see some blood spray out of one of them, and splatter on the ground next to their tangled bodies. Neither of them seem to be moving, and you approach them calmly. As you survey the scene- Earl collapsed over Jake, you can see it was Earl that got his head broken open- Jake, you’re unsure. For the next few seconds anyway- you quickly take out your Flamebringer, and run the both of them through, Jake groaning in pain, which turns into a gurgling death rattle as he makes the foolish attempt to move. He collapses shortly thereafter.

You and Lorelei end up burying them all in shallow graves nearby- not out of any particular respect, but a simple matter of not wanting the smell around your campsite.

To your unfortunate findings, the group didn’t have much on them in the way of money, just a total of 30 Bills. Seems like they might’ve been planning on robbing you blind. But now you’re left with four extra horses, another pistol (with no ammo, you discover, in it or on Earl- no wonder he didn’t shoot it), a bloody spear, brass knuckles, and a club (it’s really more of a bat, now that you think of it) with a strange stone in its handle- this one purplish. You’re not sure what it does. Some food from Earl’s bag, as well.

“We are going to be SO rich.” Lorelei crows. You just want to get to sleep tonight. You were feeling energetic earlier, but now...you’re strangely exhausted…

cont.

>>805883
When you wake up, it’s midday. Lorelei’s sitting outside crosslegged, with everything packed, and a pout on her face. “What the hell, Miranda?! You’ve practically been unconscious!”

You sniff. Your sleep was actually pleasant. “Guess it must’ve been the soup.”

Lorelei just sighs. “Yeah, that makes sense. But now that you’re FINALLY up…” She hops up and starts to head towards the horses- they’d slept overnight, still in place. Seems like they were harder to spook than the ones you’d stolen. “We got a whole lotta stuff to sell!”

It’s fortunately just a couple hours before you make it to Saint Augustine, even with Lorelei trying to herd several horses (although you DID help...) and holy crap, it’s practically a real, actual town. There’s several streets and side streets, alleys, buildings for businesses and home, and other amenities. There’s a Saloon- more than one, likely, as well as a couple of Inns, and a plethora of shops- General Store, carpenter’s, blacksmith, gunsmith, even a shoe store and some other clothing shops. There’s children at play as well, and you can see what’s clearly a schoolhouse- no, several schoolhouses. There’s even a jeweler’s- kinda surprising.

The Town Hall is some ways down one road, as is the sheriff’s office, as well as a bank.

“This is great!” Lorelei says. “So, whaddya gonna do first? I’m gonna go cash in my goods!”

> Look into City Hall, and maybe ask about Cain.
> Check the sheriff’s office for any jobs that might need doing.
> Look into the general store for any interesting goods.
> Check out the Saloon for gossip on current events.
> Other

>>805887
>Check the sheriff’s office for any jobs that might need doing.

>>805887
> Check out the Saloon for gossip on current events.

>>805887
>>Check out the saloon for gossip on current events.
Let's see if we can get any info regarding our main task.

>>805887
>> Check out the Saloon for gossip on current events.
And maybe ask about Cain. I would hate for our employer to be in a spot of trouble while we where playing around with bandits and horses.

>>805887
>> Check out the Saloon for gossip on current events.
>>Find bounty board, see if you find the four idiots on it.

To the Saloon, then! Getting info and drinks. Writing!

>>805887
“I’m going to the Saloon,” you say as you head down the street. “Going to see what the buzz is lately.”

“Cool. So I’ll meet up withcha later?” You nod. “Roger. I’ll probably be hanging around that inn we saw earlier after I’m done. Just so we have a spot we know.” Sounds good to you. With a mutual wave, you both head off in your independent directions. The Saloon here is far bigger than the others you’ve seen- you can see this one even has a dancing stage for showgirls and other routines, and a large dining area- it’s kinda more a restaurant proper than a saloon, but there’s still that element of casual sit down and order, and the bar is of course present.

You sit down, and considering your job, you simply order a regular beer. As you pay the man, you can see a pair of guys give you a chuckle as you sit down for some reason. The bartender, an average looking fellow with a short, pointed beard, casually hands you a mug of the frothy stuff, which you tip back easily. It’s okay stuff, not close to the best you’ve had, but passable.

The bartender gives you a quick onceover. “Not from here?” He questions.

You nod, taking a moment to remove your glasses and wipe them off- you’d honestly forgotten you’d been wearing the things, save for when you went to sleep. They were clear lenses, so they didn’t change your view any. “Just got in not too long ago from Corson.”

He nods. “That so? Nice little place. What brings you?”

“Just looking for work,” you answer. “Heard a few big beasts tend to roam the lands. Making trouble for folks.”

“Ah. Lookin’ to risk your life to make a big payday?” He shakes his head. “I dunno if I’d recommend that. If’n you’re after one of the Big Seven, you need a posse to just try an’ bring just one of those things down, and not once has a posse faced one of them monstrosities and came back whole.”

>So there’s only seven?
>I’ve killed one at least. Maybe two.
>Well, I was told about them by a Theodore Cain…
>Are they not normal? You don’t talk like they are.
>Other

Last one for tonight. Will resume tomorrow!

>>806059
>So there’s only seven?
No need to attract more annoying challengers by boasting.

>>806059
>Are they not normal? You don’t talk like they are.
Play dumb, look for information.

>>806059
>Are they not normal? You don’t talk like they are.

>>806059
>>Are they not normal? You don’t talk like they are.

>>806059
>Are they not normal? You don't talk life they are.
Keep our hand so we can play it later.

>>806059
>So there’s only seven?

>>806059
>>So there’s only seven?
>>Are they not normal? You don’t talk like they are.

>>806059
>Are they not normal? You don't talk life they are.

Morning, folks! Writing for questioning normality.

>>806451
Evening Handy!

File: Monstro.png (422 KB, 720x317)

422 KB PNG

>>806059
Hm. Interesting way of phrasing it. “Are they not normal? You don’t sound like they are.”

He just shrugs. “Who knows? I don’t. They’re natural, but normal? Couldn’t say. There’s plenty o’ rumors, though, considerin’ we ain’t seen but the same ones. No young or nothin’.” He starts wiping down the counter a bit. “Biggest one is that they’re some kinda mutation from bein’ too close to major magic deposits. That’s the one what makes the most sense ta me, but at the same time...well, why ain’t there any others? They been around for years now- well before the first settlers showed their faces hereabouts.”

“Maybe they’re sterile?” you offer.

“Maybe, but still doesn’t explain why there ain’t others what grew strange, or growin’ recently. Some folks think they’re some kinda’ overseas experiment what broke free n’ stumbled over here. He breaks off briefly to take a newcomer’s order- a tall girl who’s covered in a cloak, and with a wide-brimmed hat. You can’t see much else. He soon turns back to you after he’s gotten her whisky. “Others think they’re the last of their sort- from way back when, back when magic was common n’ when humans were fulla the stuff. Mighta just migrated ‘ere.”

“Interesting.” You take a swig of beer. “Any of them plaguing you in particular?”

“Heh. Kid, you’re gonna get yourself eaten, trust me. I’ll tell ya if only so ya know what to avoid. Believe me, you don’t want none a’ that.” He sighs and pulls out a dusty, black and white photograph. It looks like nothing more than a giant, toothy maw, bursting from the ground, practically, aiming for something out of frame. “They call this sucker ‘Monstro’. Nothin’ more, nothin’ less. Folks say they seen ‘im just up n’ swallow men whole. Hide’s too tough for bullets, and gettin’ close to it? A death sentence.” He shakes his head. “Size of it kin fill up the whole of the street plus some. Only plus is that it ain’t a fan of nights. It don’t like movin’ too much, either. Sticks to one area. Problem is, though…” He sighs and grumbles. “Its territory? Right ‘tween us n’ Redrock. We gotta be real careful, ‘less we wanna use Boorsville as a go-tween, and our mayor and theirs ain’t on the best o’ terms.”

“Interesting...” The lady by your side suddenly mutters. She suddenly takes out some parchment and starts writing.

>(To the lady) ...Why are you interested?
>(To the bartender) So why don’t they like each other?
>(To the lady) Just who're you?
>(To the bartender) And if someone were to somehow take it down?
>Other

>>806501
>(To the lady) ...Why are you interested?
>(To the bartender) So why don’t they like each other?

>>806501
>(To the bartender) So why don’t they like each other?
>(To the lady) ...Why are you interested?
Journalist, or bounty hunter? Is her face human?

>>806501
>>(To the lady) ...Why are you interested?
>>(To the bartender) So why don’t they like each other?

>>806501
>(To the lady) ...Why are you interested?
>(To the bartender) So why don’t they like each other?
Said in a non-offensive tone, if at all possible.

Who are you, and what is their problem?

Writing!

>>806501
You quickly turn to her. “And why are you interested?” You’re not sure what’s going on with this girl, but the way she’s scribbling definitely means something. She’s got the paper turned away from you, so you can’t see what’s on it. The bartender seems curious too, from the way he’s side-eying her.

“I do a lot of travelin’, the lady notes as she writes. “Heard some about giant beasts, but just got to around these parts.” She turns to you- and you can see a few red hairs sticking out from under her hat as she looks at you. “Name’s Isabelle. You might could call me a bounty hunter. Mostly stayed way up in the northeast, but I was told it’d be better to try my luck down here.” Oh. Hm. A local hunter, then. Well, local relative to the dimension. “I’m pretty good at what I do, and I suspect with the right folk, we can handle this ‘Monstro’,” she tells the bartender.

He simply snorts. “Lady, you ain’t the first, and prolly won’t be the last ta say that. We’ll keep makin’ due fer now."

“Speaking of,” you interrupt. “What’s the problem with Boorsville? Why don’t the mayors like each other?”

“ ‘Cause there’s a family feud between the two. Boorsville just got founded a couplea years ago by mister Martin Boore, after him and his were kicked out of Saint Augustine for just plain bein’ too rowdy. Decided ta make their own town, and wouldn’t ya know it? It’s got a bit of a knack for attractin’ the hard folk. We got good liquor here, but we also got rules. Boorsville, you ain’t got nothin but your wits an’ weapons. Dangerous place. Been realizing we need safe passage, though, an’ they’re trying to make the passage cost an’ arm and a leg. Not much ta stop that unless ya can beat some sense into the man.”


“Ha! Sounds like a job either way.” Isabelle says, then looks to you. “You look about a fighter. Howsabout we team up on this one? I’ll split the pay.”

>Sorry, but I’ve already got back up.
>I don’t need someone like you.
>Hm. I’ve got a friend, but that would make this go faster…
>Other

>>806584
>Other
"Why don't you tell more about yourself? Your experiences?"
In any case, learning about the "locals'" strategies when fighting monsters if beneficial. Checking out the uses of the different magic stones and such.

>>806584
Let's inquire a bit, then.

Writing.

>>806584
>Hm. I’ve got a friend, but that would make this go faster…

>>806584
You turn to regard her fully, placing an elbow on the counter. “Well, before I make that decision, mind if I ask about you?” She kinda came out of nowhere, and you’re curious. If nothing else, she might be a nice source of information.

She nods. “Alright, sure. I’m not givin’ away any trade secrets, mind you.”

Made sense. You would probably give the same stipulation in her shoes. “Fair enough. Mostly I was just curious about your background. Y’know, credentials, experiences, that sort of thing. IF I decide to work with you, I should at least know a bit more than your name, I’d say.” That and you’re hoping she’s not just a rookie trying to talk herself up.

“Welll...I’m northern born, kinda implied that earlier. Did a lot of bounty hunting there, caught tons of criminals. Crank Twins, Buzzard, Big Easy- but eh, you might not know those names. Point being, powerful men, dangerous men. Had to put ‘em down or bring ‘em back.” She downs some of her drink. “Eventually started hunting bigger game, so to speak. Dire wolves, boar matreons, warhounds, all that kinda stuff. Couplea folks said this is the place to be if I really want to make my mark as a beast hunter, so here I am.”

“So what about your general strategies?” you ask further. You’re still not sure.

“Welp, I believe in handling things from a distance. I’ve a bit of kit that lets me hit from stupidly long distances, n’ with serious accuracy- way better than a rifle. Uses a couplea rare stones to get the force right, so I can’t really shoot but once in a while with her, but she packes QUITE the wallop.” She grins. “Most targets never see me comin’! O’course, I DO have a couple tools for when things get a bit too close for comfort. I mean, knives are always good...” The piece of steel she unsheathes, however, is no knife. “But I like machetes better.”

“Most folks blow their savings on shots if they’re tryin’ to take down one of the Big Seven,” the bartender notes as he comes back from serving others. “Never works, but getting in close is just too dangerous.”

“Too true.” Isabelle nods. I’m already thinkin’ of some things we might be able to do, though…”

>Well, I’ll let you keep them to yourself. Sorry, but I’ll handle this my way.
>I suppose we’ll find out later what they are, then. Meet us at the Inn down the road.
>Other

Taking a break for lunch!

>>806676
>I suppose we’ll find out later what they are, then. Meet us at the Inn down the road.

>>806676
>I suppose we’ll find out later what they are, then. Meet us at the Inn down the road.
Side quests galore!

>>806676
>>I suppose we’ll find out later what they are, then. Meet us at the Inn down the road, as my partner is waiting there.

>>806676
>Well, I’ll let you keep them to yourself. Sorry, but I’ll handle this my way.

>>806676
>I suppose we'll find out [...]
Make sure to keep an eye on her, be ready to use or barrier at any time if she's sniping. Don't know how hard the shots actually hit but an unknown sniper at our backs is danger. Even if she doesn't know who we work for she could try to kill us to avoid splitting the money, after all out there who would know or try to find out?

>>806676
So where's the G&G girls' mana gauge at right now?

>>806697

Glory (Miranda): 8800/9999
Grace (Lorelei): 6100/7500

Lorelei burned a fair bit in both the snake fight and the dog fight. She popped Me's A Crowd with the fight against the Crag Viper, but only used one clone.

>>806695
To add, I think bringing her is a fair rush. Either nothing happens or we finally found an enemy can interrogate who can't claim ignorance. The red guys were just a bunch of spaghetti heroes.

>>806705
We should know by now how much mana is recovered in a regular night of sleep

>>806720
Very Low recovery = I have it at 350 a night. Not a lot, pal.

>>806722
It's still enough to keep physical augmentation all day and still recover 200 a night. Since she doesn't keep it always on here, she can still recover more.

Magi-wave seems much more lethal than magi-blast, esp. when charged.

Activating the Flamebringer's thermal blade costs as much as 1 charged magi-blast, which seems much more efficient

How much do magi-beams cost?
>Can be useful in certain situations, but largely unused.
A little more specific?
Shocking touch to cost 25, is it a long-duration buff?

The mid-high cost techniques are to be set aside; Light Trap seems to be a low damage AoE to use againt Hordes and harassment.

>>806676
> well I'll let you keep them to yourself
Not sure what we gain by bringing her in board except a smaller share of the bounty

>>806756
Information, if we let Lorelei work her magic and she should know more than a townie on account of her being a successful merc and bounty hunter. Doing a job together should open her up nicely.

>>806750
Magi-beams are basically a continuous Magi-blast, and baseline is essentially 4+a continuing number depending on the length of time held and intensity of the beam. I'm waffling on the exact numbers since I'm pretty loose with that stuff. She CAN pull a Kamehameha, but it'll leave her drained if she wants to do anything ala Goku, or say Freiza Death Beam.


Shocking Touch is long duration, low continuous mana drain, much like Energy Channel.

>>806676
Hm. Alright, then. She sounds like she might be a decent source of information, as well as potentially...well, you won’t call her an ally, but...eh, maybe not a meat shield, either. A presence? Yeah, that’ll do. She sounds like she might be a decent presence. “Well, we’ll likely find out what they are later.”

She grins, nodding. “I suspect so! Sounds like we’ve got an accord?”

“Meet us in front of the Inn down the road later,” you tell her. “I’ve actually got a partner, and we’ll be meeting there to discuss things further.”

“Sounds like a plan. I was actually staying at the inn on the other end. Still, sounds like I might should finish up some stuff before we get together.” With that, she gets up, paying for her drink, and walks out. “See ya soon!” she waves as she leaves.

As she walks out, you can hear the bartender sigh. “I suspect one of ya’s got a date with the undertaker in their future. Kid, listen to reason an’ don’t do this, please?”

Oy, he was getting annoying. You end up paying for your own drink, and leaving shortly thereafter. Now, you’re back on the roads. You’ve still got some time if you want to do a bit more sightseeing, make any purchases, or asking around, or you could try to find Lorelei and tell her what’s up before she meets Isabelle. Or something else- there’s a lot you can do here.


>Try to find Lorelei.
>Look into any goods you might need.
>Ask around about Cain.
>Other

>>806869
> Ask around about Cain

>>806869
>Look into any goods you might need.
Get that bat with the purple stone checked by smithy or rune.
Receive an explanation about the different stone and their specificity (the rarer ones too), as in, are some monsters weak against certain types?

>>806869
>Look into any goods you might need.

>>806869
Doing some shopping and appraisal.

Writing.

>>803444
Wow, somebody's embracing the murderhobo lifestyle.

>>806869
You recall that club. You’d kept it on your horse, and it had a strange gem in it, but...well, chances are if there was anywhere that you could figure out what was up with that gem, then it’d be here. It doesn’t take too long to head out and get the club. The strange purple stone in it is still just sitting there- there’s no kind of ambient energy or anything from it at all.

It takes a bit of asking, but you realize that the jeweler is the best place to go for figuring out what the case is. The lady at the counter has several gemstones in glass, and a few stones as well. She looks lovely- long blonde locks, and light, flowy dress speaks to her propriety. “Welcome to Leona’s Jewelry! How can I help you?”

“I was wondering if you could take a look at this,” you say showing the club with the gem handle. “I’m kinda unsure as to what this is in the handle.”

Leona starts briefly, and looks shocked. “I-If you don’t mind...?” She reaches for the club, and you hand it over. “Just looking at this...this is a gravity stone...where did you find this?! Gravitite deposits are extremely rare?”

“I picked it up,” is all you say. “What’s it do?”

“Well, when it interacts with normal mana, this stone increases the local gravity in a very short range. Considering the size of the stone, it’d probably be just enough to cause whoever’s on the receiving end of this to get SINCERELY damaged. There’s no beast out there that can resist gravitite’s effects, unlike most other stones.” Iiiinteresting.

But how she’s looking at it is weird. “This is extremely rare, and gravity stones are used in several modern machines. They fetch a nice number of Bills…” She looks at you. “If you’d care to sell it, I’m sure I can offer a respectable price…say eighteen-hundred Bills?”

Hm…

>Alright, you’ve got a deal.
>Eh, pass. I’ll keep this.
>Other

>>807034
>>Alright, you’ve got a deal.

Gotta field test it first, lady!

>>807034
>Eh, pass. I’ll keep this.
>Other
Can you also modify an existing weapon to accept a stone like this?

>>807034
>>807041
good idea, switching

>>807040
We got plenty of ways to make money and I'm sure a can get a better price somewhere, you know after it has earned us some fat stacks already.

>>807034
> pass
If i wanna sell I know where to find you, but first I have some monsters to crush.

>>807034
>Other
>No thanks, but could you transfer the stone into another weapon, and if so how much would it cost and how long would it take?
Flamebringer+gravity stone would be hilarious.

>>807046
thats why I've switched to this >>807041

>>807034
Supporting
>>807059
Especially since it doesn't seem to work on charges

>There’s no beast out there that can resist gravitite’s effects, unlike most other stones
Inquire about this. Let's stop wasting charges on beasts that resist the element

>>807059
Waitaminute
Does that mean we could socket the Flamebringer with other stones as well? Like, supercharge Heat with Pepper or Thunderflame with Shock?

>>807034
>Eh, pass. I’ll keep this.
maybe ask about other ways to weaponize the stone though, like adding it to our sword or something else.

>>807072
You did that while I was finishing the post and submitting, look at the timestamp.

Seems like we're keeping and asking about possible upgrades.

Writing!

>>807082
What about using the stones in combination?
Can we use Pepper and Water to create Steam?

>>807093
Better ask first, then test on an expendable piece of equipment.

>>807034
Well, you had to admit, that sounded very useful. The stone itself, that is, as opposed to the price, for once. “I think I’ll be keeping this, then, actually. It could be useful to me.”

She sighs, but nods. “Fair enough. I can’t imagine most would want to give this up, especially if they’re someone who tends to get into fights like you seem to be.” She does look you up and down. “You sorts tend to have a particular...look about you.” Yeah, you’ve heard that one more than once. Actually, though, that makes you think.

“Hey, so. You said this stone’s effects can’t be resisted, unlike most other stones. Can you elaborate on that?” She gives you a strange look, but answers anyway.

“I don’t know what elaboration you need, but...I’m presuming you know the basics, about how mana infused stone charges will release an element, right? In melee objects or firearms?” You nod. “Well, the whole thing about effects like burning or explosive tendencies, shock and paralysis, and drenching or drowning?” Hm. Interesting. “Well, gravity is something everything’s affected by. This just increases the force exponentially, and in a local area.” She pauses. “Wow, I sounded like a schoolteacher there…”

“Can you put the stone in another weapon? One not necessarily made for it?” you ask. It COULD be useful in other weapons…

Fortunately, she nods with a smile. “That IS one of the services I offer! If your weapon is not designed with a stone slot in mind, we can build you one either on or in it. It’ll be depending on the weapon in question, however.” As you show her the Flamebringer, her eyes sparkle. “Oooh, that’s a rather nice sword, miss.” She inspects the entire hilt of the sword, top to bottom. “Oh, this might take some work, m’am...I’d say a couple of days at the least. The stone’s size isn’t much, but considering the limited room I have to work with, and how it’s clearly not made for a stone, or even for the possibility of one, I’d say...somewhere around nine hundred Bills? Carving an even slot and making the clasps for it will take some time.”

>You have 3,060 Bills.


>Accept
>Refuse
>Haggle
>Other

>>807165
>Accept
We should see about paying extra for a priority job, we have the bills to spare and time could be of the essence.

>>807165
>Agree
>Other
>Ask if there's any jobs she needs doing that we could do in exchange for part or all of the payment.

As it is the sort of thing we're in the business of doing.

>>807165
>Refuse

>>807165
>Accept

Ask if it's possible to divide the stone. How large must it be to have an effect? Does it need to be a whole, intact natural rock? How much efficiency will it lose?

>>807165
>Accept
We should go to the blacksmith and see if he has any ready swords that we can put this Gravity stone into. It'll help when we're hunting down the boss monsters and waiting for the Flamebringer to be finished.

>>807165
> refuse
We don't even know what it does yet. If it just makes the weapon heavier then it is pretty much wasted when we have super strength anyway.

>>807182
Revising my vote to:
>Refuse for now, but we might get back to her after we've tested the stone out.
Keep the question about whether she has any jobs to be done, though.

>>807165
Oh, and how much for a secondary and tertiary slots?

>>807195
>>807206
We can slot stones other than the Gravity stone, like fire, lightning, and water. We don't have to use gravity.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

Okay, seems like that's a tie!

Time to flip for it.

1- Accept
2- Refuse

Ugh, not feeling well all of a sudden. Gonna cut it for now.

>>807276
Get well soon, we'll be here when you get back.

>>807276
You're already good (as a QM)

so I hope you get better (health-wise)

Thanks a ton, guys. It was mostly a 48 hour bug, it seems like. I'm still not feeling 100%, but I can run for a bit.

>>811565
well, i'm here but I gotta leave in an hour and then continue writing a paper, not sure who else is here still.

>>811565
Don't feel obliged to run if you aren't up to it. Just focus on getting better if you need to.

Maybe. I like at the very least interacting with people. You guys help me with stuff like worldbuilding. It's nice. I'm taking pills at the moment.

>>811606
Glad you're still alive, bud. Nothing too serious I hope?

>>811606
Red pills? :^)

>>811701
>>811927

Nah, just a bug. Bad nausea, stomach stuff, sneezles. And no, they're white pills. I'm a lot better than I was yesterday, just not 100%. Had family come by and hang around, and that was pleasant.

>>811927
Nah, election is over.

Have to admit, I'm surprised this thing is only on Page 3. Sound off if you're livin', folks!

>>814667
Heyo

>>814667
i'm here, participation will be intermittent though, still working on a paper.

>>807165
After a few moments of mulling on the idea, you come to the conclusion that that should be fine. “Alright, then. Sounds like a deal.” You hand over the Bills easily, and after she counts them, she accepts the sword as well. “Check back in about two days. That’s the minimum about of time I’ll need to work on this,” she says, giving another look at the sword. “Did you want the gravity stone in it right now or…?” you shake your head. Chances are you could at least find a way to test it. “Right, then.”

>You have 2,160 Bills.

“Any way you can speed it up?” You ask. “I can pay for a priority job if need be.”

She shakes her head. “It’s not a matter of priority, it’s just a matter of making sure everything is set and working. I’m definitely going to need clasps for this, looking at it...unless I were to grind a lot of this side down...hmmm…”

“What about if you were to divide it?” You inquire further. “Would that make it lose potency?”

She nods absentmindedly. “The bigger the chunk, the better the effects, but the more mana you need to feed into it to cause a reaction. That’s for all stones. It’s why larger ones don’t get used much, though.” Made sense, you suppose.

When she starts muttering to herself about processes, that’s when you figure it’s time to leave. Hopefully, the sword will be fine in her hands. You still have the gravity stone, as well- she didn’t need that right now, and you kinda want to test it out. Of course, without a sword...then again, that’s what the blacksmith was for. Or you could just keep it in the club.

As you look to the sky, you can see it’s getting later in the afternoon. You really slept half the day away...yikes. You’ll have to make sure you finish up whatever before you head back to the Inn to prepare Isabelle and Lorelei for going against Monstro.

>Check out the blacksmith.
>Visit the general store.
>Visit the Town Hall.
>Head back and wait for Lorelei and Isabelle.
>Other

>>814841
>Check out the blacksmith.

>>814841
Did the jeweler have any interestingly big stones?
>Visit the Town Hall.
Check out documentation on the creatures, if only to know their strengths (elemental + tactics and hard body parts)


>Blacksmith
We can use the gravity bat for the time. For cutting purposes we have magi-waves and such.

I wonder if we could set the gravity stone in the fighting gloves we obtained from the bandits. Miranda's forte is unarmed, after all.

>>814841
>>Visit the Town Hall.

Going to the town hall it is! Writing!

>>814877
Nope. They're all about the same size.

>>814885
And can Bentley's Gauntlets be set with stones?

Talking about paired melee weapons, are separate stones necessary or is the magic linked?
If separate, Miranda can use Gravity + Water (or a rarer stone). There's a combo in Water stone while channeling Shock Touch, as a one-two punch or a synthesis into one hit.

>>814908
Yes, and separate stones are needed. Bentley, however, had no stones on him or anything in the gauntlets. Either he liked fair fights or just didn't have any at the time.

>>814926
>Fair
Ah ah, good one. They were probably just strapped and on the prowl, as evidenced by a low amount of bills and lack of ammo from the group.

>>814841
Thinking about it, you should at least head to the Town Hall- it probably has the most intel on Monstro, as well as any other issues the town might be facing. That, along with the possibility of looking into the feud between Saint Augustine and Boorsville, makes you figure that it’s worth it to at least check the place out.

It’s down a few streets, but you find the place easy enough. It’s about as you expected, a mid-sized, two story building with ‘Town Hall’ plastered on it and several people outside talking. As you get closer, you see that it seems to be a couple of lawmen, both talking with a pair of larger folk. They look like twins, practically. Big bellies, big beards, big mouths, judging by how they’re laughing. The lawmen are, too- probably friends.

You walk in with simply a nod from one of the lawfolk, and you’re quick to run into a man with several papers under his arm. He looks like a strong man, tall and with a 5 o’clock shadow. He pauses as he gets a look at you, and quickly scans you up and down before meeting your eyes. “Anythin’ I can help you with, miss?”

>I’m looking for information about Monstro, and the rest of the Big Seven if you have any.
>Do you know about any local goings on around here? Problems that need solving?
>Do you happen to have a job or bounty board? I didn’t see one outside…
>Other

>>814967
>>I’m looking for information about Monstro, and the rest of the Big Seven if you have any.

>>814967
>I’m looking for information about Monstro, and the rest of the Big Seven if you have any.
The immediately important ones first, and the others later if we've still time.

>>814967
>>I’m looking for information about Monstro, and the rest of the Big Seven if you have any.

>>814967
>>I’m looking for information about Monstro, and the rest of the Big Seven if you have any.

So about these giant beasts...

Writing!

>>814967
Best to get right down to business. “Actually, I’m looking for information about Monstro- and the rest of the Big Seven, if you have any. History of combat, patterns, noticeable weaknesses, that sort of thing.” The stuff the bartender told you was nice, but if there was anything else that’d help you turn the tide, you’d be better off knowing now than later.

He gives you a look, which you match, and after only a couple of seconds he backs down, taking a step away from you. “Alright, then...I guess you’re lookin’ to be the latest to try yer luck? I won’t stop ya...just lemme get this put away…” He walks off into another room, grumbling about paperwork and ‘sittin’ jobs’. You do notice he has something of a limp, now. Before long, however, he walks back out with just a couple of sheets of paper instead of the armful he had going in. “If’n yer gonna go out there? Hope you got a posse. This here’s a stack o’ accounts from folks who’ve seen ‘em, fought ‘em, n’ lived to tell the tale. Top sheet’s jus’ a list of ‘em all so you know what’s bein’ talked about. We mostly jus’ got information on Monstro, but there’s a couplea others we’ve got wind about somethin’ more than names.”

“I take it I can’t keep these?” you ask. He frowns briefly, but eventually shakes his head. “Nope. You can take a look through so long as you stay here, but I can’t letcha keep ‘em.” Fair enough, you suppose. Fortunately, you’re a pretty quick reader.

The big seven are, as the bartender told you, giant monsters that seem to be unique in the frontier. And they’ve all got pretty fanciful names…

Monstro, the glutton. Hellsnipe, the stalking death. Wheezer, the poisonous ruin. Nighthowler, the hellhound. Black Tongue, the mountain lizard. Ol’ Cackles, the valley guardian. And Bloodhawk, the horror of the skies. None of them have much information that’s not heresay aside from Monstro, Hellsnipe, and Ol’ Cackles.

cont.

>>815172

As you suspected, you've already killed one of the Big Seven- possibly two if Nighthowler was that thing you and Lorelei killed the other day. Then again, you'd think something as known as this means that the man would've mentioned it by name otherwise...so possibly not.

But, enough on that. You’ll focus on Monstro for now. From what you can tell, a lot of the bartender’s say-so was accurate. It seems to be a glutton that’ll eat just about anything, and its hide is incredibly hard and resistant. Apparently, one team got the bright idea to trick it into eating explosives, but they only seemed to slow it briefly- before it ate two of the party. No one’s saying anything about its underbelly, though- so either they didn’t think about it (unlikely), or more that they just couldn’t get to it. It’s not extremely active, though, unless it smells something delicious. It obsessively tries to eat the first thing it smells, even if other scents happen upon it later. Like the bartender said, it’s apparently more sluggish at night, but not enough to avoid casualties when night attacks were attempted, and it has a relatively small ‘territory’ that’s still frustrating for the people of Saint Augustine, but avoidable if you didn’t mind taking the long way around. Apparently it was most seen near a set of smaller hills to the southeast of town- one with two small trees on it, the other barren, but both really close to each other.

“You about finished?” you suddenly hear the man ask from over your shoulder. “You been at it for about a bit now.” True, thumbing through reports that weren't really in any particular order did make for difficult and long periods of simply searching out information that you hadn't already read in other words. Well, you could still read up on some of the others monsters...or by the way he's looking at you, maybe one.

>Yes, I'm done.
>Just a minute. (Read more about ____)
>Other

>>815181
>>Yes, I'm done.
"feel free to cross hellsnipe off the list."

>>815181
>Just a minute. (Read more about Ol' Cackles.)
As we've got the information to hand right now.

>>815181
>Other
Ask about Nighthowler and Ol’ Cackles

Specifics about Nighthowler might confirm its death. I don't think the lot of them have such corrosive lick
"You can cross Hellsnipe off the list"

>>815181
>Just a minute.
Check up on Nighthowler.

>>815172
>>Yes, I'm done.

So it's looking like it's between 'we're done' and 'asking more on Nighthowler.' I'll flip in five minutes.

>>815248
Acshually

>>815197
Ol' Cackles

>>815201
Nighthowler + Ol' cackles

>>815219
NightHowler

>>815248
>Verify death of Big Seven Monster.

Ah. So a three way tie, in a sense. Alright, then.

Actually, screw it, I'm combining them.

Writing.

>>815181
“Just a minute,” you call out. He sighs, and is about to walk out, before you stop him with a quick “excuse me. I was wondering if maybe you knew anything about this Nighthowler thing.” You quickly flip through some reports, but you don’t have a lot of information on this thing, aside from it’s a big dog and only comes out at night. Apparently it just kinda randomly appears- the areas it’s been spotted are wide and varied.

The man simply shakes his head. “Couldn’t tell ya much. Big, fierce-lookin...Heard that it’s got a taste for pig, but that’s about it. I usually heard ‘bout it from folks further east.”

“Anything about acidic saliva?” you ask. “Or leading a group of smaller animals?”

The man scratches his head. “Yeah, I’ve heard that. Also heard that it breaths fire n’ moves in shadows and such. Couldn’t tell ya anything positive- not like I’ve seen the dang thing in person.”

Drat. Not that that’s not helpful, but...well, hopefully you’d gotten two. You fix yourself to several reports on Ol’ Cackles. This one seems...interesting.

Apparently, he resembles a giant hyena, that lives in a valley that most travels have to cross if they want to get from Gaugetown to Last Light. He ‘patrols’ the valley floor, near the river, and is known to attack people mercilessly after his strange laughing cry. However, it’s said that people have found a way around him- tell jokes. The rumor goes that he might actually have human intelligence, as he has been known to make a deeper laugh, seemingly uncontrollably in the presence of humans that have been in the middle of telling a humorous story or joke, permitting them to pass without assault. No one knows why, and it seems even the lamest and simplest of jokes are amusing to it long enough to pass.

cont.

>>815441
It’s still said to be a great danger, however, as it is able to annihilate an entire convoy in seconds. A curious beast.

“Ah-hem…” the man clears his throat, and you look back to see someone else with him now- an elderly, withered lady with a long, green dress and glasses on. Her wizened eyes take a quick look at you through greyed and rumpled locks- although they hold no real malice, you can easily recognize impatience. “The schoolmarm here needs my attention. So if’n you don’t mind…?”

You hand the papers back without complaint. He nods, and then he goes off elsewhere into another room to speak with the lady.

As you double check the sky outside, you realize you should be heading back by now. As you make your way back to the inn, you’re only slightly surprised to see Lorelei and Isabelle already outside, chatting to each other. Lorelei’s quick to notice you, however. And she’s got something new... “Heeeey! You wouldn’t believe the haul I got for those horses. I kept the weapons, but that’s still sixteen hundred Bills! Lookie what I got with it!” Lorelei pulls off the new article of clothing- a black wide brimmed cowgirl hat. “I think it suits me real nice! Anyway, I met your...other partner here. I think we’ll be gettin’ along real nice on this here hunt!” Lorelei smiles.

Isabelle nods. “She’s a great gal, Glory. So, let’s get down ta brass tacks. How’re we gonna do this?”

>Simple. We’ll find where it’s sleeping overnight. I’ll wake it up, and you two keep at range.
>We’ll ride out now. If it’s lethargic at night, we likely can take it by surprise and prevent it from getting any rest.
>We ride out early tomorrow, and catch it just warming up. Won’t have enough time to react.
>Other

>>815448
>We’ll ride out now. If it’s lethargic at night, we likely can take it by surprise and prevent it from getting any rest.

>>815448
>We’ll ride out now. If it’s lethargic at night, we likely can take it by surprise and prevent it from getting any rest.

>>815448
>>We’ll ride out now. If it’s lethargic at night, we likely can take it by surprise and prevent it from getting any rest.

Alright, will be back later tonight to continue/begin this HUNT.

>>815441
Old Cackles is based. Someone with a good appreciation of the finer arts.

>>815745
The fine art of shit jokes?

>>815934
Indeed!

Endangering the the safety of the passengers has got to be against the manual, as is continuing to run the train despite knowledge of a hazard!

>>816212
Oh, oops, wrong quest.

>>816212
>>816216

Now I'm curious as to what quest that was...

anyway, back, and WE RIDE NOW. Writing!

>>816926
Lamplighter, we've got a sentient runaway train.

>>815448
“We ride now,” you decide. “They say it’s lethargic at night, which means it probably uses a lot of its energy during the day. If we hit it in the evening before it beds down, we’ll likely catch it when it’s most exhausted…”

“...and that means we’ll have an easier time picking it apart, in theory,” Lorelei muses. “Clever, but part of me’s worried that it’s probably been tried before. And if it has...why hasn’t it worked?” It’s a fair question, but you’ve already got a solid answer.

“They weren’t us.” You can see them both grin at that. “Now, I trust neither of you have anything else you need to take care of?” They both shake their heads no. As for you, this just means you’ll either have to rely on that club (you made sure to put the gravity stone back in it), or simply handle things the old-fashioned way. Well, more old-fashioned than where you were now. “Then let’s move!”

The ride out isn’t very eventful, but that’s good. It lets you mull over some things on the way there. You’re not entirely certain how you plan to handle the thing once you get near it- but you have your danger scent on and you’re constantly taking whiffs of the surrounding area to make sure you don’t just stumble upon it. Lorelei’s got a big grin with her big hat, and Isabelle seems equally as excited, if a bit more nervous. Understandable for her.

You end up going for about an hour before you start smelling something that reminds you of foul milk. Yeah, you’ve got to be close…

“Whoa!” Lorelei calls out suddenly, and the three of you stop. “Think I saw something,” she whispers. “Left, just over those hills.” She points at a few rocky hills in the distance. It’s where the smell seems to be coming from, direction-wise. “Saw a plume of dust go up. Think it might be him, Glory?”

You nod. “More than likely, Grace. Wonder if it’s bedding down or not yet. Hmmm.”

“Want me to go check?” Lorelei asks. “I can probably tiptoe on over...” Ah, that’s right. She COULD do that...but still, if it somehow sensed her in another way...

>Yeah, alright. Make it quick.
>Nah, too risky. We'll wait for a minute.
>Other

>>817311
>Yeah, alright. Make it quick.
"Also, just so you know, if it gets a whiff of you then it'll keep on only going after you, so you better be ready run and keep running."
We had better let Lorelei know that it seems to use smell as well to target victims, so if she has something that can mask scent, she should use it.

>>817311
>Yeah, alright. Make it quick.
Tell her if it smells her to not engage. Just keep it following her in circles while we grind at it.

Do it fast. Also a quick warning...

(Already writing, but I could've sworn I had sent this...)

>>817311
heh. if it gets our scent it'll chase us with its mouth open... we could drop a light trap right behind us and watch it go off inside it, always loved that gimmick when fighting nibelsnarf.

>>817311

“Alright,” you nod. “Just make sure to be careful, because that thing uses scent to track its targets,” you note. “If it tags you, it’ll be obsessed with you and try to eat you above anything else. We can use that, but just be careful and be ready to run.”

“Roger that,” she nods, and she closes her eyes, and breathes deeply. Then she dismounts with a flourish, handstanding on the horse and clacking her heels together before landing. As she lands, you note that you can’t hear anything when she lands. Seems like she got it going. Isabelle looks at her weirdly- seems like she didn’t notice exactly what happened, but she squints as Isabelle walks briskly, but carefully across the plains. She’s sure something’s off, but can’t seem to figure it out.

“So...you two good friends, then?” Isabelle asks as Lorelei warily approaches.

You pause only briefly. “Very.” Soon, Lorelei disappears over the hill. Hopefully she'll be fine. Isabelle already has her sniper rifle out, and she's tensed and ready. Good.

Before much longer, you suddenly hear a keening, chirping wail echo throughout the sands- and Lorelei is BOOKING it back to you.

“HE SMELLED ME IT’S HIM I’LL KEEP HIM BUSY YOU TWO WAIL ON HIM BYE!” She doesn’t even stop running as she gets near you, then veers off- and the gargantuan beast bursts through the nearby hill, sending dirt and debris everywhere and forcing you and Isabelle to fall back a bit, even at the distance she’s in. It’s cavernous, toothy mouth is wide open, seemingly swallowing the earth itself as it somehow ‘swims’ on its belly across the sands towards Lorelei as she sprints off in a different direction.

“Alright, showtime!” Isabelle quickly moves to get distance, and you…

>Move to get close. Time to see what’s up with this gravity club.
>Keep the same. Maybe some magical blasts might affect it more than the others.
>Other

>>817740
>Move to get close. Time to see what’s up with this gravity club.

>>817740
>>Move to get close. Time to see what’s up with this gravity club.
Yes please. Lets test it now before we get in a fig- oh, well ok. Lets just trust it...

>>817740
>>Move to get close. Time to see what’s up with this gravity club.

File: nibelsnarf.jpg (6 KB, 240x136)

6 KB JPG

>>817740
>Move to get close. Time to see what’s up with this gravity club.

>>817740
Smash and bash. Writing!

>>817740
Alright, time to try this thing out. “Keep me covered!” you yell as you dismount and charge. Monstro is still slithering after Lorelei, and and chomping his mouth like she’s the most delicious thing on the planet- which she might be to it right now for all you know. The good thing is that Lorelei’s smart enough to bob and weave, and she’s fast enough to dodge its lunges to keep it off-balance.

As you approach it from behind, you hear a loud *smack* from in front of its body, and Lorelei suddenly appears over the thing’s head, taking a giant leap to land on and then run down it’s back. “Hey, get ready!” she yells as the thing roars in confusion. You pour a bit of mana into the bat, and you can see a dark light shining from the handle as the creature turns to face its prey fully-

-And its snout is met with the business end of your club as you swing, the impact seeming a lot more severe than even you had expected. It felt like there was a bit of some sort of suction there, and you can see a large portion of the creature’s nose warp and seemingly cave in on itself as it reels back slightly. The thing shakes its head and snorts, its flesh jiggling and the caved in nostril suddenly blowing out again.

It lets out that strange keening wail again, and dives- this time for you!

A quick dive saves your life as the thing chomps on a mouthful of sand, but turns around fluidly to target you. “What the hell?!” Lorelei yells in confusion as she takes out her shotgun and lines a shot up. “I thought you said it’d stick to me!” A blast rings out that does little bit chip its thick hide a bit as you’re forced to dodge again, and deliver another swing to it’s side in retaliation. You can see an already loose bit of shell crack away and shatter, collapsing in on itself.

Great. This might change things a bit. Lorelei’s gun might not do all that well again this thing…

>Face it head on! Try to implode its head with your bat.
>Try to get it to expose something to either Lorelei or Isabelle.
>Toss the bat to Lorelei, she’s on monster mashing duty now while you dodge.
>Other

>>818137
>>Toss the bat to Lorelei, she’s on monster mashing duty now while you dodge.
Why not. And see how it responds to a few magi blasts while we are bouncing around it.

>>818137
>Try to get it to expose something to either Lorelei or Isabelle
See if Isabelle can shoot out an eye or something

>>818137
>Toss the bat to Lorelei, she’s on monster mashing duty now while you dodge.
Yell at her to concentrate on the spot where the shell cracked.

>>818137
Time for a pinch hitter. Writing!

(Last for tonight.)

>>818137
Thinking quickly, you toss the bat in Lorelei’s direction. The way it was focused on you, yeah, it might be possible to play bullfighter and do some damage, but it’d be a bit too risky for your tastes. Better to give it to someone who’d have better openings. Fortunately, she catches it easily, and she doesn’t waste much time in dashing in to do some damage. “Lay into where that crack was!” you yell as you point. She doesn’t acknowledge you, but you can see her beelining for it anyway as you jump away from a massive sand spray as the creature expels the sand in its mouth at a rapid velocity.


You can hear the impact on its side, and you can see what appears to be a sort of cracking dent in its hide- although you’re initially wondering why, you soon see that Lorelei’s feeding it a LOT of mana- the purple gem is shining almost like a star as rears back for another blow.

The thing chirps and shifts to follow your movement, however, and Lorelei’s forced to abandon her attempt to hit it as she moves back to avoid getting whipped by its fat tail. Just then, a loud gunshot rings out, however, and you can see something streak through the air and impact where the crack was- a small spray of shell pieces burst forth from the creature, and with that strange chirping wail, it shudders- did it really feel that?

Regardless, it remains focused on you, but as you quickly dodge back, you notice that it seems to be faster now. Perhaps it’s recognized a threat and wants to eat you first? You’re not sure, but you can see the sun slowly going down. How much more does it have in the tank, you have to wonder. The beast lunges again, diving at you like a starving shark, its jaws wide and dripping. You duck to its left, but as it hits the ground with its tremendous body, it flattens onto its belly, and starts slithering around like before as opposed to relying on its lumbering on its feet after you.

Lorelei quickly jumps after it, but although she gets a hit or two in near its rear end, it’s not done quite enough to lead to a similar situation. You can also see Isabelle in the distance trying to lead her target- she lets fly another round, but this one barely puts a crack in its armor. This is just gonna get tougher unless you find a way to slow it down…

>You’re pretty damn strong- it’s possible you could hold it for a couple of seconds.
>Maybe a light trap might work, provided its magic resistance isn’t too high.
>It’s unlikely, but there are rock formations around. Maybe try to force it into something like the Hellsnipe?
>Other

>>818354
> Give it a couple of standard magi blasts to the face. Should surprise it at least.
Tempted to go for shock touch since tough skin wouldn't help it there but surely the locals have tried with their shock crystals.

>>818354
>It’s unlikely, but there are rock formations around. Maybe try to force it into something like the Hellsnipe?

>>818354
>>Maybe a light trap might work, provided its magic resistance isn’t too high.

>>818354
>Other
>Let it approach as close as possible to you as you dare, and then throw up a Light Barrier at the last possible moment.
>Once its momentum is arrested, in the time before it recovers, throw a charged Magi-wave/Magi-blast at point-blank range into the crack in its hide.
>Then, if necessary, jump over its back to get away.

Today was a lot of errands. But, I'm here, and will be writing in a bit. Seems I might have to flip for it.

>>818354
>Maybe a light trap might work, provided its magic resistance isn’t too high.
i don't remember which id is mine, i might have voted already but...

Rolled 1 (1d4)

>>821635
If you voted already, I'd rather flip than count doubles. Although I don't see anything from that ID below you. So if you were on a phone or something, yeah.

Just to settle it:

1: >>818369
2: >>818412
3: >>818471
4: >>818485

>>821704
Pew pew, then. Writing!

>>818354
It’s simple, but it’s what you know the best at least. You quickly try to circle it briefly, make it lose sight of you for just a second- the beast swings around to follow you again similar to earlier, and this time you fire off a trio of magi-blasts straight for the things face...or at least what you think its face WAS. Hard to tell a bit.

The three impact hard, and there’s some impact damage you can see as well. It’s less than you’d like= some minor cracks here and there. The important thing, however, is that it flinches a bit- and ‘a bit’ is all that’s needed for Lorelei to come in again with another attempt at a crushing blow. This time, she’s got the bat in both hands, and comes down on it’s shell with a war-cry, slamming the rear area she’d attacked before with an overhand smash. You can hear the loud *thwack* and a CRUNCH of shell as a basketball-sized portion of its protection caves in about a second after impact.

THIS time the thing shrieks- and surprise surprise, it suddenly turns and goes after Lorelei. So much for ‘only going after the first thing it smells’. Apparently it just hadn’t been considered threatened enough to bother adjusting itself.

Lorelei yipes- and she moves just as another shot rings out from Isabelle, blasting away another chunk of the creature’s shell. You can actually start to see what looks like flesh underneath- fantastic!

“Glory, catch!” Lorelei yells, and she hurls the bat over the thing’s head- barely leaping away from it in time as she straightens out from her toss. She stumbles a bit on the landing, and you can see her regain her footing slopply thanks to an errant rock- enough to force her to jump away again as soon as she sees the thing barreling down on her. But this time she’s a might slow, and you can see a line of blood leave her leg as she gets through the air again- she had to have scraped against a tooth.

“Aw, DAMNIT!” Lorelei curses as you grab the bat. “I’m fine, but SON OF A….” Great.

>Intercept it head on to give Lorelei some breathing room.
>She says she’s fine- keep hammering away at back end of it’s shell.
>Start launching more magi-blasts at this thing. It seemed somewhat affected…
>Maybe a Magic Trap will hold it still for a bit…
>Other


>You currently have 8750 Mana.

>>821907
>Maybe a Magic Trap will hold it still for a bit…

Eh. Running late may not have been the best of ideas.

>>821907
>She says she’s fine- keep hammering away at back end of it’s shell.
Lets just smash away at it like the brute we are. Um, I am assuming we are using you physical buffs.
Oh shit, avoid the head though, we can take that back and get a bounty!

Alright, yeah, I guess I'll have to run later. I won't be running this Monday, however. I'll be running something else- Awoo/Shonen has given me permission to revive Hero Guardian Quest, and I'll be making my attempt at that tomorrow.

>>822142
ooh, I followed that quest, enjoyed it but wasn't sure where it could really go from where I left it, just seemed like anyone we cared about was going to die horribly and we'd get blamed for it.

so are you starting it from where it left off or restarting it entirely?

>>822169
Although it's probably not the smartest idea, I will be attempting to continue where we left off. Shonen's granted me his note files and some stuff besides, but if you've been following my quest for a while, you know he and I operate a bit differently (I'll be repeating this tomorrow in the QTG). I'll be keeping his dice system (although I might simplify it a touch) and a couple of other things (including the fact that I won't be lenient on bad rolls) but I'll be making some particular changes as well- I have a different option giving and writing style than him, and it's my hope that the players will be able to direct Lin's behavior and personality a bit more than Shonen was willing to.

>>822204
I'll also probably end up adjusting several plot points that may not have made the most sense to me.

>>822286
Do you have a link to archives?

btw also sorry for just being a lurker most of the time, been around for a while but you run at weird times of day

>>822614
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Awoo

It's fine. I know I do. My schedule's a lot better than it used to be.

With this, I need to set a schedule. So far, I think I'll do this:

Magical Girl For Hire will remain my primary quest, which I'll run from 2 PM to 9 PM (roughly) on Tuesday-Friday. Weekends will be Hero Guardian Quest, which I'll run from 1-5 PM on Saturdays, and 3-whenever I run out of gas on Sundays. Mondays I won't be running. Need SOME kinda break.

That's just what I have in mind for now. It might change to something like an alternating schedule, I dunno.

But I DO realize that I need to be more consistent with my runtimes.

>>822741
Oh, those times are CST.

>>821907
>Intercept it head on to give Lorelei some breathing room.

>>821907
>Put some spring in our step and let it build up speed, then drop a barrier in front of its face. That ought to fuck it up good.

>>821907
>Intercept it head on to give Lorelei some breathing room.

Time is on our side, we just need to keep off injuries.

What is our rational behind bringing the local by the way? Splitting the bounty a way with her defeats the purpose slightly, I think we had it taken care of.


Glad you have a rough schedule Handler. I know it's popular around here to keep quest times open, but it makes it hard to set aside time to follow.