The four of them require no further encouragement.

They breach the surface of the water within seconds of swimming inside, the echoes of loud splashes and their own cries of relief shrieking back through the feed. A quick glance around informs you that they’d breached an air pocket of sorts ... and that in contrast to the outside, the chamber—some fifteen feet across— looked largely intact (save for the lack of a proper floor, what with that piece on its way to the bottom of the oceanic abyss. Lights on and audio feed properly restored ... the girls exchange the ocean for a firm spot for their footing, their nude forms stepping, once again, onto wet, slippery concrete.

‘Where are we?’ Nachi questions, wringing the seawater out of her hair as she glanced around.

‘Looks like one of the engineering chambers,’ Houshou guesses, picking up what looked, to you,K like a rusted piece of pipe attached to some painted over panel of steel. ‘Looks like a dead end, though ...’

Shigure steps onto an incline, pulling the rubble aside.

‘There’s a hatch here.’

She gives the wheel a turn as the other three approach ... or tries to.

‘It’s jammed.’

>‘Give it another go.’ (Tell Shigure to give it another try)
>‘Blast it.’ (Deploy weaponry)
>‘Shouldn’t be that hard. Give it another turn.’ (Ask her to try harder)
>Find another way in
>Write-In

>>4304407
I say we have iowa or nachi pry it open. Blasting it would be way too risky and I don't really want to try and find another entrance that might not even exist.
Unless we can tell that just ripping the thing open is still too much for this place.

>>4304411
Whatever you decide, just a reminder that it's 35 minutes if there's a tie (Coin flip to decide) or 25 minutes if there's a majority vote.

>>4304407
>‘Give it another go.’ (Tell Shigure to give it another try)

>>4304407
>Write-In
Have Nachi pry it open

>>4304431
>>4304432
Coin flipped. Typing up now.

File: Strength or Dexterity.jpg (189 KB, 850x1003)

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'Give it another go, Shigure.’

She obliges. The rusted wheel whines as Shigure increases the output of her effort, slowly twisting the—

TWONG!

‘Ah ...’

Shigure holds onto the wheel, snapped off its axis from the hatch. She looks down in embarrassment at the offending object. Perhaps KanMusu strength at full—or even half—tilt had been a tad too much for something so delicate (although, considering the state of the hatch, you doubt that a human could have even prompted it to whine in movement at all); the broken axis attachment dangles on a bent shape, its purpose unable to be fulfilled.

Nachi sighs as she places her hands on her naked hips, glaring at the hatch.

‘What now?’

The clock was ticking.

>‘The clock’s ticking. Blast it.’ (Deploy weaponry)
>‘Would you be able to pry it off its hinges?’ (Brute force)
>Find another way in
>Write-In

>>4304465
>>‘Would you be able to pry it off its hinges?’ (Brute force)

>>4304465
>>‘Would you be able to pry it off its hinges?’ (Brute force)

File: I give up.jpg (137 KB, 756x1253)

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‘Would you be able to pry it off its hinges?’

In any other circumstance, that sort of ask would have been nonsensical. Pry a hatch off its hinges? One would be deemed mad even considering such a request, surely. In any other circumstance, of course. Your circumstances consisted of the deployment of regiments consisting of extra-dimensional revenants made flesh, bone and power ... and thus made your request less absurd than it sounded. Iowa and Nachi approach the hatch, pressing their fingers against the edges in an attempt to secure a grip, the seawater and rust making a finite mess of their attempt. Shigure moves in to assist, attempting to dig her fingers in between the rusted bolts, grunting and groaning as the three of them try to force their way through the partition. The thuds and groans are audible, and the shake of the hatch’s frame is apparent to anyone with eyes ... but damned thing refuses to give. Even Iowa, at her full strength, seems merely able to put her full weight against the thing.

Perhaps you’d somewhat overestimated the raw strength at your disposal.

‘This thing’s on tight,’ Nachi moans, releasing her hold and flexing her fingers for effect. Iowa follows suit, massaging the tips of her fingers as she concedes.

>‘Could we risk a ... controlled detonation?’ (Inquire about blasting the door in)
>‘It’s a dead end.’ (Call it)
>Write-In

>>4304528
Im not sure what the best choice is here, we don't have a lot of time but blasting is dangerous. What do yall think?

>>4304528
>>‘Could we risk a ... controlled detonation?’ (Inquire about blasting the door in)

>>4304546
this seems ok

File: Houshou's Naked Back.jpg (114 KB, 850x992)

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‘Could we risk a controlled detonation?’

You’re not sure about the terminology, but you suppose that it’s enough to get across that you wanted the door blown off its hinges without sinking the rest of the facility along with your girls. You’re quite certain that no one would be pleased with the outcome. In search of further opinions, three of your girls turn toward the most level head on the field ... who approaches the hatch, running her fingers over the wet rust and fixing it with as ponderous a look as she can manage.

‘It’d be a risk,’ Houshou concludes, wiping her hands over her features and resting her palms against the lower half of her face. ‘I’m not certain about the full integrity of the outpost. The most that I can conclude is from what I can feel coming from inside the facility; if you’re asking me whether it’d be safe to apply any sort of sudden, external jolt on the magnitude of a cannon blast, no matter how controlled ... I can merely hypothesize that anything of the sort carries the risk of dislodging what little balance is left. There isn’t even enough room to swing an I-Class in here, from what we’re seeing ... but if you wish to proceed with it, we’ll follow through the best we can.’

‘That’s assuming that there’s something worth tearing this place apart to get to in the first place,’ Nachi rumbles, crossing her arms over her chest, shaking her ponytail in what you assume to be a vain attempt at dislodging the sticky seawater from her strands.

You consider it for a moment.

>‘Shigure, you’re our best bet.’ (Have Shigure do it)
>‘Nachi, guns at the ready.’ (Have Nachi do it)
>‘Iowa, go big.’ (Have Iowa do it)
>Consider more input from the Squadron
>‘Abort.’
>Write-In

>>4304563
>>‘Shigure, you’re our best bet.’ (Have Shigure do it)

>>4304563
>>‘Abort.’

>>4304563
>‘Shigure, you’re our best bet.’ (Have Shigure do it)

>>4304563
>‘Shigure, you’re our best bet.’ (Have Shigure do it)

>>4304563
>>‘Shigure, you’re our best bet.’ (Have Shigure do it)

File: This Image Is Relevant.jpg (282 KB, 719x1024)

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‘We press on,’ you declare, decisively. ‘Shigure, you’re our best bet. Plug it.’

‘Acknowledged.’

She summons her weapons with one swift motion.

>Success? (DC: 32)

Rolled 1 (1d100)

>>4304705

>>4304705
It's a 1d100 each, if people are confuzzled.

>>4304705
>>4304706
>>4304707
Whoa, whoa, hang on. Reset. I'm reading the wrong rolling rules.

Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>4304705

File: gomenasorry.png (159 KB, 580x580)

159 KB PNG

>>4304705
CORRECTION:

>Blasting the door (DC: 16-2 (Optimum Choice) = 14)
>Roll a 1d6 each, total of 14 to WIN

REPLY TO THIS POST

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>4304705
rolling a d6

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4304712

>>4304713
Please reply to
>>4304712
For tally convenience purposes.

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>4304712

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>4304712

File: open door.jpg (36 KB, 375x653)

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The amplified echo stabs your eardrums in everything except the most literal sense. You keel over, rubbing the back of your neck as your blurred vision steadies itself; you have half a mind to curse whoever had enabled the Stream connection’s properties to include bridging every significant sensation without so much as a muffler for humans. You watch a fairy float by, briefly turning your head as your dazed self finds itself hypnotized by the sparkling blue trail it leaves behind ... before realizing that you were on a clock and return to your duties. The hatch, you find, is no more; or rather, the door part of it had been blasted off its hinges, leaving hot metal seared off the proverbial bone in its wake ... and not much else to show for it. Shigure, had, indeed, performed as well you’d expected: flawlessly.

‘Whoa,’ Nachi whistles, peering through the gap. ‘Nice control.’

Shigure looks away, magicking her cannons away from sight, unresponsive. You’re feel a slight influx of emotions from her end of the stream, but aren’t quite certain if it was relief from having performed to specification ... or at Nachi, of all ... people, varnishing her with praise.

Houshou’s naked form leans in, flashing lights through a diagonal, flooded hallway, its railings twisted and its walls forming impromptu waterfalls, the water splashing downwards and pooling at a bottom of shattered cement and rubble. Iowa steps in after her, placing a bare foot on the metal stairwell and gripping onto the grill on the side for balance. By the slight sensation of vertigo, you could tell that there was a slight vertigo in their current position. Water splashes from up on high, but your Squadron, now fully through the Shigure-made gap, is undeterred. They don’t wait for your command or input, either; Houshou resumes her position as Squadron Leader without a fuss, reorganizing the formation without a single word, with the one responsible for the gap herself reclaiming her position as the Squadron’s forward member.

The team climbs upward, eyes sharp and lights almost glaringly—

‘I feel my regulators activating; there’s a chill in the air,’ Iowa states, her voice steady, yet apprehensive. Shigure turns her gaze down to Nachi, biting her bottom lip and nodding, as if in confirmation.

‘We’ve breached one of the outer layers of the field,’ Houshou announces, speaking loudly enough for it to rise above the increasingly-noisy current. ‘Nothing to be alarmed about.’

Iowa grumbles something to herself as the team continues its ascent.

They move past the open ceiling and the gaping wall, grunting as they make their way past the small waterfall parallel to the stairwell … and find themselves, again, standing before a—

‘I think this one’s—’

—unlocked hatch.

‘—open.’

>Write-In

>>4304731
>Write-In: Have Iowa take point and go first in, she is best armored in case of anything unsavory

>>4304737
this

>>4304737

>>4304737
sounds good

File: corridor.jpg (50 KB, 640x432)

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‘Iowa, take point,’ you command, prompting her to switch places with Shigure with a disciplined shift of bodies. ‘Don’t bunch up; keep yourselves spread out enough for response and retreat. I don’t want to initiate any unnecessary combat in here if we can help it. Deploy weaponry on my mark, but keep to CQC if possible. The last thing we want to do is disturb what little stability this place has left … right, Houshou?’

‘Sir.’

‘All right,’ you breathe out, following the four feeds and their eyes on the edge of the unopened door. ‘Breach.’

Iowa pulls the door open, the soles of her bare feet slapping against the wet floor as she crosses and oddly … level portion of the outpost. The lights of your Squadron dash surface to surface as the four move in tandem, scanning the walls and ceiling for any signs of … anything. The outpost, save for cracks, a lack of power and the leaking seawater is, strangely, intact. The girls look around, spreading out as far as the small hallway allows them to; Iowa, still at point, peers around a corner to find a caved-in section of the sector, a large grill jutting through the top like a can-opener cutting through a soup can, while Nachi and Houshou peer up another stairwell, before turning down and seeing another pool of water, the air pocket inadvertently formed by the structure playing a hand in keeping the seawater, ultimately, out. The four them look around, their emotions gently massaging your own concerns while you consider your next move.

‘Anything, Houshou?’

Houshou, in response, kneels down, placing her palm upon the drowned floor, a fluttering sensation reaching out as she attempts to re-coordinate the objective.

‘Nothing,’ she finally answers, staring at her palm. ‘We’ve breached the first layer, but … I can’t make heads or tails as to where the pulse’s origin is. It’s somewhere here, but I—’

A sharp sound scratches at your ears.

Over here.

‘Sir?’

Houshou’s voice is drowned out.

No, that’s not right, no … you can hear her just fine, but … your attention is … elsewhere.

You hear the sound of droplets falling into water, into a blue, glowing puddle. You peer down an endless corridor, pipes above and to the side with a rusted grill below. You’re running, running, running … walking … stopping. You are on all fours, catching your breath; you are fatigued—as though you’d finished running a—

You see an old, kind face.

‘You came.’

And the cockpit and console come back into view.

‘Sir? Sir? Are you—’

You’re back in the cockpit. A cold sweat breaks out as you lean forward, a panic overtaking you … briefly. Houshou’s voice—

‘Did you feel that?’

>Write-In

>>4304795
'yes, yes i did feel that..."

>>4304808
Supporting

>>4304795
>yea i did and i saw a corridor

>>4304795


>>4304808
>>4304810

Yes I did + describe the vision

‘Yeah, I did,’ you answer, firmly but … uncertainly. ‘Did you catch any of that?’

‘Any of what?’

You bite your bottom lip as you try to recall the brief images, the dark surroundings, the—

‘I saw a face,’ you reveal. ‘I couldn’t get a good look of it, but there was definitely a face and …’

That was it, really. You couldn’t even tell if it belonged to a man or a woman. All you could make out was an old, tired visage peeking through the shadows, a strange warmth emanating from them as the illusion of sensations held a firm grip on your perception and … nothing. There wasn’t enough to call it a vision, but neither would you even call it a fever dream. If anything, it felt like a strange psychic impression whose only achievement was the brief warping and deafening of your surroundings. You weren’t even sure if you could call it an assault on your psyche.

It was … confusing.

‘I don’t even know what else to make of it,’ you let out, shrugging nonchalantly. ‘It did feel pretty weird and invasive, though.’

‘Like a hand … reaching out and grasping for what it can reach …’

‘Iowa?’

Three heads turn to the troubled visage of the lone Battleship, her hands in a tight grip under her naked chest and her bottom lip creasing from the impression by her upper incisors.

Houshou opens her mouth to say something, before closing it again.

>‘That’s right … Iowa, you sent a distress signal through the stream before, didn’t you?’
>‘Houshou, what next?’
>‘Scour the area; if there’s something here we have to find it. Clock’s ticking and the Abyssals are going to be on to us sooner or later.’
>Write-In

>>4304907
>>‘That’s right … Iowa, you sent a distress signal through the stream before, didn’t you?’

>>4304907
>>‘That’s right … Iowa, you sent a distress signal through the stream before, didn’t you?’

>>4304907
>‘Scour the area; if there’s something here we have to find it. Clock’s ticking and the Abyssals are going to be on to us sooner or later.’

>>4304907
>‘Scour the area; if there’s something here we have to find it. Clock’s ticking and the Abyssals are going to be on to us sooner or later.’

>>4304907
>‘Scour the area; if there’s something here we have to find it. Clock’s ticking and the Abyssals are going to be on to us sooner or later.’

>>4304907
>>>‘That’s right … Iowa, you sent a distress signal through the stream before, didn’t you?

I plan on running soon, if there are folks here who wish to spend the better part of their day/night reading terrible interactive fiction. Give me about an hour.

session soon lads, dont get us or the girls killed

I had to go out and get my kitten his food, as we didn't know we'd run out already. Had to drive half an hour one way and get caught in an exhausting traffic jam that last two hours on the way back. I apologize for the delay; the REAL session will commence in approximately an hour.

>>4304917
>>4305020
>>4305022
From now on, I'm just going to turn the concept of assist characters in my mind "off" because frankly, with the incidents piling up I don't want to give people hints or helping hands anymore if they don't even want to bother with them, period. From now on, you guys just get normal options. I don't care.

File: What Next.jpg (122 KB, 850x936)

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‘Search the area,’ you declare with authority; the Squadron fans out in an instant, scanning the dark corridors and relaying their perspectives back to you in succession. ‘I don’t want to spend any more time chasing ghosts than I absolutely have to; clock’s ticking and the Abyssals are on the prowl. If there’s something here worth digging up, let’s get to it.’

The four viewpoints cross over the nexus of your mind. In your earlier days as Commander, you might have keeled over and vomited from the sensory overload … but the weeks since your unexpected appointment had tempered your mind; eased the pressure. Peering through multiple perspectives is little more than a case of processing it one at a time; a far cry from your first time in that old training RAY. You see walls, cracks and shattered surfaces, each intermingling and crossing over, yet somehow remaining unique. Light and darkness shift with every bob, every shake of the head. The pitch blackness gives way to a brief respite from the KanMusu’s light source, before whirling out of view again.

Not that there’s much to make of what you can find, in any case.

Dead ends, cracked walls and slabs and the like littered along the floor; steel bars jutting out of their previous means of containment … and the occasional mini-waterfall that reminded you of the precarious position that the outpost—and your crew—had found themselves in. As they shift rock and peer into dark holes that were little more than breaches in integrity, you voice your concerns, asking them to hurry things up as much they’re able to … and get a biting remark from Nachi in return, asking you to strip down bare and dive fifty feet below to lift rocks two-thirds of your weight.

You decide not to play the taskmaster for the following five minutes.

‘I think I’ve got something,’ Iowa calls out, lifting a slab and bending over, peering into what seemed to be a large—and oddly dry—pipe connection, which had, in all likelihood, been slammed forcefully inward by the collapse. ‘It’s a bit of a tight fit … a little horizontal … but it looks like it’ll leading somewhere.’

‘Got a way up here,’ Nachi grunts, kicking what looked to be half a door (knob still intact) aside, causing it to splash into the chasm under the stairwell below. She then leans over a small gap through a particularly large slab, staring upward into a mess of rocks with a light at the end, heading upward into parts unknown.

Shigure drops herself from a small mound of rocks back onto the water, tilting her head quizzically at Houshou.

‘Up … and … across,’ she comments, her tone neutral.

‘Sir?’

>‘Up.’
>‘Across.’
>‘Abandon the objective. Exit the structure and detonate the pillars.’
>Write-In

>>4306311
>‘Up.’

>>4306311
>>‘Across.’

>>4306311
think of it guys, the vision sh0owed someone running, meaning that wherever they were, its dry as hell

>>4306324
I'm not giving anymore NPC assists during missions, so if you're going to have a discussion have it now.

>>4306311
>across

>>4306324
Well if we are after somewhere dry, the pipe is explicitly stated to be 'oddly dry'

"Across" it is. Typing up.

File: momboat butt.jpg (141 KB, 850x1086)

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Your decision had been made not two minutes ago … but your regret at deciding crossing across the sunken facility through a hopeful network of large pipes comes with the last body through the gap, wherein you realize the cramp quarters (measuring no more than a bare meter at best) requires a more compact formation of your Squadron. Which, of course, normally, wouldn’t be an issue, except …

‘Sir? Everything all right?’

Except for the fact that the four of them were very … naked.

Iowa plays the role of vanguard, her larger proportions forcing her to squeeze just that bit more, with every jostle of movement highlighted by a shake of her plentiful bot—

‘Everything’s fine,’ you let out, clearing your throat and trying to remember your Carrier’s—Houshou—that was her name; Houshou. Yes.

‘Where does this thing even lead?’ Nachi grunts, the unfortunate perspective of Houshou’s anus flashing right in her eyes every other wiggle … the sight of which prompts you to bite down your embarrassment and keep your eyes for—

No, no, no. That was the last thing that you wanted to look at.

Three of the four linked feeds highlight a fistful of fleshy rump, their wet (from sea-water, you emphasize) lips shaking in tandem with the rhythm of their cheeks as they made their way through the pipes. You try your best to keep the thoughts—and memories—out from your immediate line of reference, realigning your objectives and priorities so as to not tumble over like some idiotic schoolboy. It was not as if you hadn’t had a good look before, of course: you’d slept with three of the four women present and showered with all of them on what was practically a routine. Huffing in frustration, you slap your palms together, loudly and deliberately, in a sort of non-verbal declaration to your very core.

You would not be swayed by—

‘N-Nachi?’

‘Oh, sorry.’

Your blood runs cold as the group comes to a halt, Houshou’s derrière tantalizingly close to you … with Nachi’s finger tracing the edges of her tight ring. Iowa looks behind her shoulder, her connection informing you of her sudden confusion at Houshou’s unexpected, shrill, explanation.

Houshou peers over her own shoulder, Nachi’s eyes locking over her naked back in an exchange between embarrassed (Houshou) and curious (Nachi) expressions.

‘Wh-What’re you—’

‘I was just … wondering how wide it stretched.’

For five seconds, the only sound you can hear is the tinkle of droplets falling.

‘Wondering how wide … what stretched?’

‘This, of course,’ Nachi answers, pressing her—

‘O-Oh!’ Houshou moans, keeling over slightly, dipping her front locks into the small stream below. ‘Ah …’

‘Wh-What’re you two doing back there?’

That was what you wanted to know!

>Write-In

>>4306357
>Nachi, its already hard enough for me to focus with what im seeing, please leave prodding Houshou's holes till after we're on the way back

>>4306364
Supporting

You place your head in your hands, barely able to restrain … everything and anything. To an external audience, you suppose you must have looked quite the odd, pathetic sight. There is an uncertainty to how long it takes to truly collect your thoughts and gather what little authority that your post afforded you … but seeing as Nachi’s fingers were manually twitching inside Houshou’s anus … you’re quite sure that it hadn’t been more than two breaths worth of your time. Raising your head, you form the sentences in your head, ready to get this show back on the road.

For the most part.

‘Nachi,’ you start, wearing as neutral a voice as you can manage, ‘it’s already hard enough for me to focus in this rather tight junction of ours’—bad choice of words, but you choose to press on, in any case—‘so if it’s not too troublesome for you, I’d like the distractions be kept to a minimum and your fingers to exit Houshou’s …’

You consider your words.

‘Exit.’

Time seems to stand still … until Nachi dislodges her fingers and—miracle of miracles—actually has the decency to look thoroughly embarrassed at having endangered the mission with—

No, no, that would be a poor arrangement for the report.

Your superiors wouldn’t be keen on such a development resulting in the failure to achieve your objective … and neither would you. Explaining that your mission achieved such catastrophic levels of failure due to one member of your Squadron shoving her fingers up the Squadron Leader’s rectum out of sheer curiosity in tight quarters would probably have had you lined up against a firing shot and pock-marked without hesitation.

‘My apologies, sir,’ says Nachi, bowing her head slightly as you try not to focus on Houshou—with the group now resuming movement with an incredulous Iowa at the head—gently rubbing her slightly-spread sphincter. ‘It was a … lapse. I await full disciplinary action in the event of our return.’

‘Apology … accepted,’ you breathe out, glad to have that over and done with … before noticing a slight change in your surroundings. ‘Is the pipe getting … bigger?’

Houshou looks around.

‘There’s a slight vertigo; we’re on an incline.’

‘Stay alert,’ you warn them, taking note of the gunk that made up the walls. ‘Looks like some fungi’s started its takeover.’

Iowa touches the—

‘Ew,’ she comments, disgusted.

‘It’s getting slippery,’ Houshou informs the group. ‘Keep a—’

‘Eeek!’

Chaos erupts. Darkness, light and gunk make a dizzying mess of things, almost making you throw up. Thuds and squeaks shrill into your ears as the mess of bodies slide down what had to be the incline Houshou had warned about prior; four bodies rolling and swinging about as though they were on a slide.

It’s over in six seconds.

Houshou and Iowa make the joint-bottom of the pile, pressing up against a loose grate. Houshou’s bottom presses against Iowa’s cheek as Nachi, in the middle of a sandwich, is either upside-down or right-side up against gravity, the sensation of discomfort reaching across the Stream itself. She feels—and probably looks—as though she’d been pressed into a can of MREs, limbs splayed and bottom up, her face between Iowa’s armpit and—

‘If we live through this,’ Houshou starts, ‘may I suggest that this incident not be deemed necessary for the mission report and debriefing?’

Two of her three companions let out a groan of agreement.

Humanity’s last hope.

>Write-In

Someone on the Discord asked if Shigure is in that pile. Yes, she is, but Iowa and Houshou make up the bottom, Nachi is right in the middle and Shigure "escaped" by being the smallest and lightest, falling last. She's butt-to-butt with Nachi, and is unscathed.

>>4306413
>you read my mind Houshou, what thes condition of the room ya'll in?

>>4306434
Supporting

You decide to stay on top of things … pun not at all intended.

‘Do any of you see anything?’

There is a collection of grunts and rustles as the four of them try to orient themselves as well as they’re able to. Houshou untangles herself from Iowa, allowing the latter to roll over and peek between the bars of the grate … which doesn’t do much for anyone involved.

‘Hang on,’ Iowa grunts, gesturing for the other three to move back as well as they can … before kicking the grate open with a gross application of her strength, causing the offending object to smack against the wall opposite your Squadron’s unceremonious entry point with a loud clang. The KanMusu shuffle out of the cramped exit, stepping into shin-deep water.

‘Where … are we?’

The group activates their lighting, turning their gaze up—

‘What’s … that?’

The closest thing that you can compare to what you see is the inside of a wasp’s nest. The walls and ceilings find themselves are covered in what looks, to you, like hardened industrial glue. Fleshy, rubbery surfaces stretch along the amalgamated corridor, the ceiling and one end holding another part of the collapsed structure in place of what could have been another stair well or chamber. The girls are immediately apprehensive upon their findings; a sensation of dread and paranoia stretch over the core of their being as their curious eyes regard the strange substances that had effectively conquered this section of the outpost.

The patterns, the lining … they have a strangely organic quality to them. A sickly, greenish black, you—

And that’s when you see it.

A doughnut-shaped creature, a red one, clutching a black panel in its hands and … seemingly staring at your team from the end of the corridor.

In what cold only be an act of utter cowardice and self-preservation, it throws the panel up into the air, dashing around the corner and out of sight.

>Write-In

>>4306492
>AFTER THE LITTLE BASTARD
would like to take a sample but we have nothing to hold it with

>>4306492
No time for sightseeing, grab that panel which it dropped, and get after that thing!

>>4306364
this, maybe don't use the "holes" word.

Girls, please, we are on the cock. Er. Clock.

>>4306492
Proceed carefully. We may be on its home turf now. Take a look at that panel though.

Typing up. Running within 20-30 minutes.

File: a cloudy, hazy memory.jpg (34 KB, 1280x720)

34 KB JPG

‘When I get my hands on that thing, I’m going to roast it over an open fire …’

‘How can something so small be so … fast …’

‘As I thought, my spread anus is turning me on so much …’

‘THAT LAST ONE ISN’T LIKE THE OTHERS AT ALL!’

The four of them had spent at least the last five minutes giving chase to the tiny creature through the oddly maze-like section. Every wall, every ceiling, seemed identical to one another. You find it hard to believe that a labyrinth of such magnitude could be formed by a jumble of toppled chambers and pillars, yet … here you are.

By the presumptive—and conservative—estimates of your Squadron’s pace, you …

‘Haven’t we run a little bit more than we should be?’

‘Huh?’ Shigure questions, tilting her head upward and meeting Nachi’s equally-puzzled gaze.

‘Sir?’

A sense of deja vu envelopes your thoughts; the whole scenario seemed … familiar. You just couldn’t put … where …

Or were you just imagining things? There was an … oddness of the whole circumstance. As though everything was too tidy, proper … muddled. You can see everything clearly; you can hear the chatter of your KanMusu, each and every one of them voicing their frustration, confusion (and arousal) as they move to continue the search for the mischievous, circular—

You shake your head.

No, no. You had definitely been through something like this before …

>Write-In
>Try to remember (DC: 16, 1d6 each)

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4307180
>Try to remember (DC: 16, 1d6 each)

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4307180
>Try to remember (DC: 16, 1d6 each)

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>4307180
>>Try to remember (DC: 16, 1d6 each)

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>4307180
>Try to remember (DC: 16, 1d6 each)

>>4307180
>>Write-In
>This is a Shaman mind trick isn't it?

>>4307431
A little too late, mate. The lads rolled well enough to remember it, anyway.

Session soon lads

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‘Everyone, stay where you are,’ you command, finally remembering just how this incident scratched at your memory. ‘Houshou, are you able to sense any changes in the ebb and flow of the magic?’

Houshou bends over slightly, pressing her hand against one of the covered walls.

‘No,’ she returns. ‘In fact, there’s … the points of divergence seem to breaking up in odd places. It’s more distorted here than it was topside, but there’s a heavy concentration of it at several … unnatural points. It’s shifting, flowing, but the changes are more rapid, more reactionary; as though there’s something that it’s trying to … no, I can’t make sense of it at all. We crossed the first layer in trespassing, so there should be some sort of change—no, there should have been a change I would have been able to pick up. I wouldn’t have walked us right in at all if I didn’t sense any—’

The mischief of the Heretic Shaman rises to the top of your thoughts.

‘You’re not meant to,’ you explain. ‘The magic is meant to distort and confuse; I don’t know how it does what it does, but we’ve walked right into one of their defensive countermeasures … or, rather, we ran straight into it with eyes wide open. They’ve caught us in a net.’

‘The Shamanistic Arts,’ Iowa grumbles, getting to her feet and creasing her brow, hitting her fist into an open palm for good measure. ‘Never thought that I’d be on the receiving end of one of their tricks.’

‘Does that mean that there’s a Shaman here?’ Nachi blurts out, her voice oddly hopeful. ‘Alive?’

You don’t answer her.

Through Shigure’s feed, you catch a brief, grim look carving itself upon Houshou’s features. Your conclusions run up a mile a second as you try to make sense of your recent discovery and the new questions that likely plagued the minds of your Squadron. Odds were that, yes, there was indeed a Shaman that had made these very ruins a shelter to call their own. After all, Houshou had verified the deployment of such arts from high above, and you and your Squadron’s stumbling upon this recent development further supported the hypothesis of there being a Shaman present. That face that you had seen, as well … it was very much human-like. How could—

‘If there is a Shaman here, then … why would it … not want for us to progress?’

Shigure’s consideration is a plausible one.

‘Maybe they’ve gone crazy after all those months cooped up in here,’ Iowa jokes … prompting three sets of glares to shift towards her in an instant. ‘S-Sorry …’

Houshou sighs, looking around.

‘If we’re caught in one of their spells, then … assuming that there is a human force behind it, how do we convince it to release us from its hold?’

‘Well, judging by the—’

You hear a loud splash. Four sets of eyes turn around, coming face-to-face, once again, with a grinning white doughnut, blowing its tongue—

>>4307572
>'Don't go after it! We'll get nowhere. It's only baiting us.'
>'After it!'
>Write-In

>>4307574
>'Don't go after it! We'll get nowhere. It's only baiting us.'

>>4307574
>>'Don't go after it! We'll get nowhere. It's only baiting us.'

You pull on the reins before the first canter.

‘Don’t go after it!’ you bellow, almost launching yourself forward. ‘You’ll only end up wasting your stamina and winding down the mission clock more than we already have. We’re pressed for time as it is.’

The creature blows one final raspberry, happily hopping around a corner, uncaring of the volatile, cursed glares of the four KanMusu.

Nachi sighs, crossing her arms underneath her breasts as she makes her frustration known. ‘So what do we do? If there’s a human presence, we can’t just—’

‘We have to convince the matrix—or the caster—of this … field that we are not a threat,’ Houshou answers, her voice firm and authoritative as she rises to her feet. ‘If we’re able to make contact with them at all.’

You crease your brows, leaning over ever so slightly as you begin hastily counting down your options.

‘Houshou, would you be able to deactivate it?’

She mimics your expression, cupping her chin for effect. ‘I … could … theoretically. I’m trained in the Art as much as any other Carrier, after all and I would be able to link and try to undo the matrix by force if I have to, but … that’s only in theory. I’m not sure just what’s on the other end of this spell and if it’s something that we’re not … particularly expecting, there’s the risk that it could … hitch onto my core and … well, it’s risk, just like every other action. I’m aware of the mechanics of spell structure and the like, but if there’s something at the end that doesn’t want to give us permission—with a full-stop—I won’t be able defend myself against the ebb and flow interlinking itself with our Stream. After all, I’m not … human.’

‘What’s that got to do with it?’

‘Well, there are certain … limitations, even for those knowledgeable in the art,’ Houshou sighs, her shoulders drooping as she does so. ‘The human mind, the KanMusu core, the human soul and the KanMusu spirit; there are certain … locks and keys that allow for specific … advantages. I suppose in this case, you could say that a human Shaman interlinking and communicating with an unknown Stream is a dynamic case, while a KanMusu’s would be static, yet active. You wouldn’t be able to substitute a Shaman with a Carrier if you wanted to erect a Summoning Module even with all the training and knowledge of Basilius. There are limitations.’

‘So you can’t do it?’

‘I could,’ she responds, further confusing you: could she or couldn’t she? ‘I’d be totally defenceless if the matrix decided I was hostile, and … if the caster decided the same, then …’

>‘Do it.’
>‘You said KanMusu … what about a human, another … Shaman?’
>Write-In

>>4307623
>>‘You said KanMusu … what about a human, another … Shaman?’

>>4307623
>‘You said KanMusu … what about a human, another … Shaman?

>>4307623
>‘You said KanMusu … what about a human, another … Shaman?’

>>4307623
Time to put sensei’s lessons to a test... damn this is going to be a pain to obfuscate on mission reports.

>>4307623
>>‘You said KanMusu … what about a human, another … Shaman?’

We need to do more of these magic lessons. I think we're 1/5 finished with those (or at least, have for more memories to feel with). And going by this whole mission we're clearly going to need a boost to our knowledge-base.

>>4308481
>We need to do more of these magic lessons.
B-But if you let more people back into your life, then you can't escape into the embrace of your Shipgirls! You don't want to go back there!

Also, come on guys: the first time I'm free and no one wants to play?

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‘You said KanMusu; what about a human?’

Houshou sighs, tilting her head slightly as her expression turns thoughtful. ‘It would be a viable option if there was a human here to act as an independent access point and conduit for the purpose of the mission … but in any case, it’d be a futile endeavour. We’d only be fulfilling half the requirements for a clean insertion and—’

‘I’m talking about me.’

‘Absolutely not.’

‘We—’

‘Just because you’ve had a crash course in the Shamanistic Arts doesn’t mean that you can just …’

Houshou trails off. Her emotions are not unknown to you, despite the understandably large distance between your persons. The stream sees to that; thoughts may not be opaque enough to manifest itself into intelligible words and sentences … but Houshou’s utter rejection of your suggestion had manifested itself into an onslaught of negative emotion that had you on the cusp of taking it back within seconds. Still, your authority (and desperation) remained … and thus, your tabled option. You would at least have sift through the filters before you have one opinion deny its fruition.

‘It doesn’t mean that you’re prepared for something as advanced as countering the spell of another … matrix, never mind another Shaman’s presets or, even worse, one of their defensive projections erected for the explicit purpose of repelling and perhaps even destroying anything it deems a significant enough threat,’ Houshou practically blasts you, its effect very much within optimal shaming radius. ‘I’m sure that whatever that … man … taught you could be very useful, but that last thing any of us want is to put you in any unnecessary danger.’

‘That’s pretty … dangerous, yup.’

‘The Vice-Admiral … yes, very dangerous.’

‘Definitely dangerous.’

‘This is what we’re here for, anyway,’ Houshou continues, her tone more diplomatic compared to before. ‘You don’t have to put yourself in the fire. It’s not in your job description, anyway.’

The timbre of her voice is … cattier than usual, but Houshou’s voice rings true. She was right: it wasn’t in your job description to put up with this sort of thing … or volunteer yourself, for that matter. The scope of the mission had definitely exceeded the designated objectives; this was what the KanMusu were here for. Your purpose was little more than to act as the one holding the reins when you weren’t being what as effectively a battery.

Yet …

>‘All right.’ (Follow her suggestion)
>‘Your objection is noted, Carrier Houshou. My decision is thus, made in direct opposition to your suggestion. Disabling stream restraints and limiter nodes.’ (Stamp your authority)
>‘Houshou …’ (Try to sweet talk her/convince her)
>‘Abandon the objective. We go with what we’re here to do in the first place.’ (Abandon)
>Write-In

>>4308662
>‘Houshou …’ (Try to sweet talk her/convince her)

>>4308662
>>‘Houshou …’ (Try to sweet talk her/convince her)
Time to bring out the cheese bois

>>4308662
>‘Houshou …’ (Try to sweet talk her/convince her)
This will go swimmingly.

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At the back of your mind, you can hear the rather discourteous harmony of terrible jazz music being played.

The peanut gallery would always remain the peanut gallery, you suppose …

‘Houshou …’

>Write-In

>>4308687
>Houshou, I know this is is risky but at least I'll have a chance of avoiding the defensive measures should they prove hostile plus I feel the Shaman that set this barrier has been waiting for someone to come find them. If I think the situation is going south I'll unplug myself immediately

>>4308697
eh, good enough

>>4308687
>Write-in
Houshou this is what I was trained for. I won't willingly send you in to do the job if I know you have no defense to whatever lies beyond that barrier.
You are my only operational carrier, I can't afford to lose you, so if I have a chance here I am going to take it.
If this doesn't work then we get out and blow this place before it has any chance of doing harm.

>>4308702
>You are my only operational carrier
SHOULDA PAID ATTENTION TO ALL YOUR GIRLS EQUALLY BRO

>>4308707
IF THEY WANTED THAT THEN THEY SHOUDLN'T HAVE TAKEN AWAY ALL BUT ONE OF OUR GIRLS WHO COULD ACTUALLY ATTACK OVER THE HORIZON IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR BRO

>>4308702
Anons gotta point
>>4308707
GIB KAGA BACK REEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
I am sad now

‘It’s a risk,’ you concede, gathering as much momentum as you can in this attempt, ‘but I think I know my way around the’—you need a moment to actually remember the proper term—‘spiritual and mental connection between our nexuses. It’s like you just said: if you plug yourself in, your … attributes won’t allow you to do much if the … spell matrix’—you hope the terminology was correct—‘registers you as a hostile. I might not be on the level of an actual Shaman … but I am the less risky option between the two of us.’

For the first time since … you can remember, you hear Houshou mutter a string of curses under her breath, looking way from the group as she attempts to gather her own thoughts. You can tell that the next few seconds are spent editing what would have been a tirade for Tenryuu’s ears; it doesn’t take long for her to form her counterpoint, however, and its emphasized by an almost … childish stomp by the petite Carrier. Houshou’s arms form a cradling motion, her palms facing the ceiling and her body slightly hunched over, a very audible groan following right after.

‘We don’t even know if there’s a Shaman at the other end,’ she argues. ‘There could be an … an Abyssal!’

You had her.

>‘All the more reason that I go in.’
>‘You’re … right.’
>Write-In

>>4308732
>‘All the more reason that I go in.

>>4308732
>‘All the more reason that I go in.’
All in.

>>4308732
>‘All the more reason that I go in.

>>4308732
>>‘All the more reason that I go in.’

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‘All the more reason that I go in.’

You can actually feel her frustration with you squeezing your brain at that sentence. It was a rare thing for Houshou to be adamantly against a decision of yours; she had been so … professional about things prior. Her disagreements had been rarely charged with emotion and you’d always come to a stoic compromise or concession regarding the labyrinth that was your decision-making processes, so it had come as a slight surprise that she had been so stubborn in this instance. Granted, it did involve sitting you down in a likely-fatal circumstance, but that was hardly reason. Had she not paid attention to you the last several weeks? It was practically routine for you to come through that door with a bloody nose at least!

You tilt your head.

That had not been your thought.

Really?

You almost mutter a response, but decide against it. Talking to yourself was one thing: arguing with the Abyssal fragment that you were about to lean against to drag you out of that pit once you went in too deep was another.

Wait, what do you mean drag you out of that pit once you went in too deep?

‘I don’t know how long I’ll be in there,’ you start, ignoring Nee-san’s unnecessary—they are absolutely necessary—queries. ‘At the first sign of trouble, I want the bunch of you out of there and top-side. Don’t wait for me if you feel you don’t have to.’

Houshou doesn’t answer.

‘Houshou?’

‘Orders acknowledged, Vice-Admiral.’

You let out a breath, deciding to take what you can get.

I would just like to invest in this opportunity to say that you were the worst possible outcome of all the possibilities of the vast infinite spectrum of time and space.

Her suggestion is noted.

You begin the sequence. The Shaman’s lessons, the nature of the spiritual and mental connection and their spill-over into reality returns to you as you turn your attentions inward, taking in the concerned visages of all four girls, anchoring yourself as tightly as you can manage. The lectures replay verbatim with every stretch of your hand, every caress of your fingertips against the empty space of the cockpit, trying to summon your own spiritual core. You reach over, flicking the limiters and safety zones into a state of temporary shutdown … and immediately feeling the feedback of an amplified, undeterred, stream.

A mountain pushes against your shoulders. The limiters and the safety measures are there for a reason. The MagiTek’s purpose is there; all for a reason.. The connection, the weight of it all … it’s not like jumping into the pool of your mind: you’re caught in a torrent of pure chaos, flung into the ebb and flow of—

No.

No, you had this. There was a connection now: another soul that you’d chosen to keep next to you.

You could fight against it.

With ...

>Who?

>>4308769
Note: there is no "wrong" answer for this. There are, however, TWO specific choices that are "more right than right".

Oh boy, here we go again.

>>4308769
>Kaga
I'm feeling ballsy

>>4308769
>Takao

>>4308769
>Iowa

>>4308769
>Takao

I wonder if Kasumi was one of the options, or a good idea...

>>4308782
>takao

>>4308796
She was one of the two "super right" options. There are no "wrong" answers in this per se, but as this was about connecting the stream, an anchor (Kasumi) or the ones you experienced a proper Stream dive (Kaga, Nagato, Iowa) would have been the best "progress" choices. The others would only have led to + relationship points.

Also, I'm dropping in to say that this quest is, effectively, over. I'm sorry, but I really can't get the "why can't you give us a bigger hint" bullshit anymore. I'm cleaning my hands of things, period. I've tried being patient, dropping hints, telling people EXTREMELY OBVIOUS things so they don't lose their way, but people still don't seem to get it, so ... I'm cleaning my hands of Shipgirl Commander. Glad to have you for 4 years, but really, I've had enough. I wanted this to be a replacement for my buddies spreading out all over the world and starting their new lives without me, but it's run its course. I no longer want to hold the spoon to feed and I'm pretty sure no one here wants to eat from that spoon either. Thanks for the laughs, but this is it. I've had enough. Good luck with whatever you're trying to do in life.

>>4308807
Oh well. Thanks for the fun OP. Good health and good fortune to you.

Cool, more mecha then.

>>4308769
>>Who?
kaga

>>4308769
>Kaga

>>4308807
Can't really blame you. I just finished binging this a few weeks ago and the last few threads had a noticeable tone shift in the questers. It's like people stopped trying. Went from being serious about the quest to seeing what happens when you break things.

And that's no fun for anybody.

Still, even with this ending you've accomplished something pretty cool here. Due to the aforementioned binging, I can say with certainty that you've written over 50 hours of content for this quest. That's damn impressive considering the lifespan of the average quest. Moreover, with very few exceptions it's actually /good/, with a well developed setting, characters, and backstory. Whatever your thoughts on how it ended up, this is something you should be proud of.

>>4309318
Something toss away into the trash by the QM. Leaving quest unfinished with a bad ending like this is pretty faggot move. Pretty much ruins the rest of the quest if it ends like this

>>4337111
He had a hard life and is hardly first one to take it out on random strangers on this site. Take solace in the good, and let the bitterness wash over you. It will dry out in the sunshine of tomorrow.