Archive:http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Tuffle%20Quest>You are Son Peppa, Son Gohan, and Izumi Mahogany, children of Earth’s heroes, Maple, Goku, Acer, and Chi-chi>“Canon” has taken a radical shift from the series’ norm, you’re just one part of it, and things could go even further off the rails from here>Mechanics and character details in the pastebins here:Peppa: https://pastebin.com/mYj7hCWkGohan: https://pastebin.com/P0nMbAxyIzumi: https://pastebin.com/fXjzXsyb>Let’s all try to have some fun, ok?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj5PGIqnaFsLast time, on Dragon Ball Tuffle Quest Kai! Peppa’s team met up with Kikono and Lemo from the PTO and Irico from the Galactic Patrol to investigate the mysterious metallic planet, with results beyond what any expected. The world, known as Varak, not only turned out to be inhabited, but home to mechanical lifeforms of its own, capable of changing their forms. With the initial survey mission expanding far beyond what they had planned, Peppa and co. set out to help these aliens, finding strong new allies, but facing new and dangerous foes. The most shocking revelation of all came in the form of the world’s true origin, not just as a temporally displaced planetary system, but originating from another universe entirely! And some are now intent on returning there with the help of the Dragon Balls…Meanwhile, back on Earth, Izzy has recruited her gang along with Piccolo, Basilea, and Basilea’s Majin attendants for a mission into the depths, seeking out the ruins of an ancient civilization. What mysteries await her and her team? Good luck, Izzy! Good luck, Gohan! Good luck, Peppa!
>>5827214“Thanks, Grandpa Roshi!” you call out to him as you flip the Capsule in your hand and catch it. “Don’t worry, we’ll get this back to ya in one piece.”“Heh! You just take care of yourself, kid.” he responds with a grin, laying back down on his lounge chair. Nearby you see Gamera relaxing near the shore, his smaller son close by with Turtle.“Any recommendations on operating it?” you question as you lift up off the ground.“Watch the depth gauge, it can go deep but it’s not meant for trenches and the like.” he answers. “Also, if you intend to ferry some diving mechs with it like you said, make sure they’re secured on nice and tight while diving.”“Got it! Thanks again, Gramps!”Taking off, you get to Capsule Corp after a short flight, and see Cheelai and the boys going over diving mech operations with some employees there. Piccolo, Basilea, and the goo girls are standing silently, observing, when they notice you touch down. The demon girl is the first to greet you, though it’s with a gruff and direct acknowledgement, a simple “Izumi.”“Got the submarine, gramps topped it off and everything.” you tell them all, showing off the capsule. “We all ready to go?”“We should be. Who’s piloting it though?” Piccolo asks you.>A. Actually, was hoping you’d be able to, Piccolo>B. Basilea, think you can handle it?>C. Cheelai, you wanna be mission control for this?>D. Do either of you goo girls think you’re up to the task?>E. Something else?
>>5827216>D. Do either of you goo girls think you’re up to the task?Been a while!
>>5827216>E. Something else?It shouldn't be too hard to pilot, but stoll ask if any of them has related piloting experience or just feels more confident for whatever reason and go with them. Otherwise go with >C.
>>5827216Hit votes:>C. Cheelai would probably rather stay out of the dangerous stuff, at least until the treasure gets unearthed. (Unoceaned?)Support, and support this question first too >>5827221
>>5827219>>5827221>>5827230I'll support these
>>5827216“Well, I’d like to go with anyone who has some prior experience, but gramps did say it was relatively easy to pilot.” you respond with a bit of a shrug. “So, any takers?” You look over everyone, noticing Cheelai sticking her head up from the diving mech’s open cockpit.“I’m up for it.” she states confidently. “But I don’t wanna step on any toes of our new pals…” Her eyes focus over on Basilea and the goo girls.“I have no objection to that.” the demon girl remarks, arms crossed.“All right then, Cheelai, you’ll be Mission Control, though if you want to come out and help with some of the treasure gathering, we’ll have one of those mechs at the ready.” you state. “Sounds good?”“Good to me, boss!” She hops down and has the mech return to its Capsule form, handing it to you. “We ready to go then?”“I believe so, let’s get going!”Another short flight and you’re at a little harbor area, submarine out. It’s sort of a wedge-shaped vehicle, a large “80” written on the side, with Cheelai jumping in, followed by Basilea and Piccolo, with everyone that needs to be suited up for the dive. The Majin girls decide to hold on to the sides, while Don and Bon get in their diving mechs and do the same. You finally bring out the Mahou Knight and have it splash down in the water.https://youtu.be/SuSM_krLYME?si=R5_Swu9gNjIXOcOTAs you all dive, Cheelai contacts you from the sub. “Comms working, boss?”“As intended, everyone keep in touch.” you answer. It’ll still take a while to get close to the ruins, but you should probably get a landing location set. Where to?>A. That fallen ship… pyramid… obelisk thing, chance there might be some dry places in there to set up a base camp>B. The labs, they likely have the tools and the gin that Melchior requested>C. Main citadel, it’ll more likely than not have some important points of interest>D. The (potentially still drunken) mermaids. They’re locals, they know the place, and it’ll show you come in peace>E. Cheelai, think you can connect with the ROV we have down there? See if anything’s changed?>F. Something else?
>>5827307>B. The labs, they likely have the tools and the gin that Melchior requested
>>5827307>A. That fallen ship… pyramid… obelisk thing, chance there might be some dry places in there to set up a base camp
>>5827307Hit vote:>E. For intel. >A. Support, and I say we check if anyone wants to split up to cover more ground with the ROV.
>>5827307>A & E.
>>5827307“Cheelai, think you can make contact with that ROV we have down there? We’ll use that to scout things out a bit again while we head to our landing site, that crashed ship… pyramid… obelisk thing. With any luck there’s some dry areas in it still.”“I’ll see what I can do, boss.” she answers. After a moment, she gives you the good news. “Hey, right where we left it!”“Good the locals didn’t try messin’ with it.” Don Para comments. “Woulda’ caused some problems.”“The less we have to deal with drunken idiots, the better.” Basilea grumbles.“Eh, they can prove useful when you’re trying to get info out of ‘em.” Cheelai remarks. “Anyway, gonna send out a video feed to everyone.”A small picture-in-picture screen appears on your mech’s visuals, showing the ROV’s point of view. Doesn’t look like much has changed, good. Still better keep an eye on it. Diving deeper, you eventually are able to pick up on the intended landing zone. The closer you get to it, the more it… does look like some kind of spaceship. It’s… actually reminding you of what Maple and Gohan said about the ship Babidi came here on. It IS really big, too. You got a good sense of scale with the previous look from the ROV, but actually seeing it come into view is something. The descent is also met with this vague, ominous feeling like something’s watching you, yet you can’t really sense anything out of the ordinary… well, what you think is the ordinary for these sunken structures.Reaching the hull of the ship, you watch as the ROV checks out some broken sections of it, closer to the main citadel. There… are odd regions that look like they still have some power in them, if not very much. More importantly though, there does look to be a few air pockets in the ship, including one close to… what you assume might be a bridge area of some kind? Interesting.>A. Let’s split up a bit, search around the ship structure. Everyone keep in contact!>B. Gotta set up a base camp first, search for an area that can fit the mechs and sub within the ship>C. Check out the exterior first, try to see if any of the locals have shown up again>D. You should focus on any areas of high Magical resonance first and foremost>E. Something else?
>>5827447>B. Gotta set up a base camp first, search for an area that can fit the mechs and sub within the ship
>>5827447>B. Gotta set up a base camp first, search for an area that can fit the mechs and sub within the ship>E. Something else?"If we do meet the locals, how should we communicate? Telepathy?"
>>5827447I support >>5827457And Hit vote:>A.>D.
Rolled 15, 6, 1 = 22 (3d20)Okay folks, roll me 2d20, best of three! DC is 10 for both!
Rolled 7, 6 = 13 (2d20)>>5827481
Rolled 5, 15 = 20 (2d20)>>5827481
Rolled 8, 17 = 25 (2d20)>>5827481
Rolled 7, 20, 9 = 36 (3d20)>>5827482>>5827484>>5827487Well. Passed one! Writing...
>>5827447“Let’s look for a proper place to set up base camp, find somewhere that we can get the mechs and sub to fit through.” you tell your team. “Cheelai, that ROV find anything?”“Don’t exactly have schematics on this thing, but scans have been able to show some places big enough for us.” she replies, sending the info to you. “What do you think, boss?”“Worth a shot. Let’s look closer.”https://youtu.be/WfoFC8B0AFo?si=8KKY9YXH6CS94PwRAll of you moves through the dark waters, illuminated by nothing but the lights on the sub and mechs and the faint, eerie glows further away. One area does look like it might fit everything, and so you try getting in closer. The interior is… nearly equally as ominous, yet you kinda recognize parts of it. They have architectural styles reminiscent of the Nemurian ruins you’ve seen prior, just done up in more sophisticated and extravagantly. There are also… what look like machines scattered in a few places, made of ceramics and silver-blue metals. However, you hit a bit of a snag as you try to move in further.‘Collapsed hallways, look like they’re pretty well devastated.’ Shun Shun tells you all telepathically. ‘We could squeeze through with ease, no issue there. You all could probably start moving things out of the way, but that’d take time to do it without risking further damage.’“We’ll double back around and try somewhere else.” you try to tell them, however…“Haru Haru, Shun Shun, head off into the ship and continue along that path. The rest of us will stick with Izumi.” Basilea orders the pair.“Yes, Princess.” Haru Haru answers, and she and Shun Shun do as asked by her.“Hey, hey! What gives, Bas?” you complain.“It’s going to make this go by much quicker. They can teleport and bring us to them if there are no other routes.” she responds nonchalantly. “We are here as allies for the time being, not underlings.”You frown. “That’s not what I meant, just that we need to agree on things like that instead of having them run off on their own like that.”“Fine.” she agrees with a small huff. “But we shouldn’t waste too much time debating action.”“Gonna turn the sub around now.” Cheelai says, hoping to end the conversation there.(cont.)
>>5827611As you head out, you do get a bit of an idea. “Say, if we do encounter any natives, how should we go about contacting them? Telepathy?”“It’d be the quickest method.” Piccolo finally speaks up. “We should make it clear we aren’t hostile, but that we also don’t want them pulling any of those stunts trying to pilfer ancient alcohol while we’re working down here.”“Makes sense to me.” you agree. Still not sensing any of them nearby, not for now at least.Thankfully, this second attempt goes over better, Cheelai having found something with the ROV that doesn’t look nearly as blocked up. There’s still some rubble, but you don’t need to take much time clearing that out as you and the Para Para boys open up a path for the sub. It’s a tight fit, but there’s just enough room to get it through, with the ROV headed on further. Good news, it finds a rather large air pocket. And better news…“Hey, boss! Treasure spotted!” Cheelai declares as the visuals from the ROV show… a place with several large crystals scattered across the floor, glowing softly with power.“Ey, good work, Cheelai!” Bon Para cheers to her.“Good work indeed.” you tell her proudly. Not seeing any Dreamstone, but looks like you’re on the right track.‘...Heeeey. So. Just a head’s up.’ Shun Shun contacts you all telepathically.Oh you don’t like the sound of that. Basilea speaks up as the sub gets to the surprisingly spacious crystal room, asking, “Report.”‘Some lifeforms lurking in here. Not friendly. Don’t know how smart they are either.’>A. Do you guys need help?>B. Don’t engage with them unless they prove to be an actual threat. Too many unknowns here for the time being>C. Head over to us, our area’s clear>D. Bas, what do you suggest?>E. Something else?
>>5827613>B. Don’t engage with them unless they prove to be an actual threat. Too many unknowns here for the time being>E. Something else?Ask for a description of the lifeforms. Remind them the last creature we encounter, aka the Shapeless could possess people.
>>5827613>>5827657 +1
>>5827613Support as well >>5827657
Rolled 20, 15, 18 = 53 (3d20)Okay! Sadly I do need to get some rest, but I'll leave the vote open until tomorrow, where we'll be back ~6:30 pm PST. Thank you all for playing, stay safe, and see ya then!
>>5827675Thanks for running boss, good to be back.
>>5827613>E. Turn them into candy. Saltwater Taffy, please!
>>5827613>>5827657I am good with this.
Okay, we are back!>>5827613“Try not to engage unless they prove to be an actual threat.” you tell the pair. “Also, can you describe them to us? We faced some things up north before like the Shapeless, and that was able to take over the bodies of others.”‘It’s big, it’s ugly, it’s dumb, it’s yellow-brown, it’s got big ornate spikes all over, it’s got a large mouth at the bottom of its body, it’s got two lumpy arms…’ Shun Shun begins to relay.‘Body looks to use some kind of ceramic for its dermal structure.’ Haru Haru notes more helpfully. ‘There’s also a high amount of residual Magical energy coming off the thing. Other than that there are some eyeball sentry things lurking around.’“Can you capture the main one?” Basilea asks.‘Easily.’“Wait, hold on.” you warn. “Remember, we don’t know what such a thing is capable of. Don’t bring it here just yet.”‘It’s looking at me funny.’ Shun Shun grumbles.“Send visual feed from a Scouter first, then.” Basilea orders them.A new screen shows up, this one from one of the goo girls. Huh… well, Shun Shun’s description was spot-on. It looks almost like some kind of… robot? Though not quite, maybe some kind of Magical construct or sentry. The exterior does look familiar, like that broken machines with ceramics and silver-blue metal you’d seen prior. Aaaand it starts casting Magic, Shadow Magic by the look of things. Before it can get whatever spell it was attempting off, Shun Shun freezes the thing in place, encasing it in ice. The eye orbs flee after seeing the thing stopped with such ease.>A. I guess it’s safe enough, then. Teleport it over here, I wanna get a closer look>B. Tell the goo girls to just observe it for now, we have this crystal room to check out first>C. Can one of you get me over there? I’d like to investigate that further but without letting it in this room>D. Something else?
>>5828657>D. Smash it to bits. Good job, you two!
>>5828657>C.>D. Have Cheelai and Basilea take over investigation of crystal room.
>>5828657>C. Can one of you get me over there? I’d like to investigate that further but without letting it in this room>D. Something else?Let's coordinate a triple-tech attack with Haru-Haru and Shun Shun when we teleport in. The move should be a basic triple attack. Lightning, Ice, and Fire in homage to Pokemon's Tri-Attack and call it>[The Goo Goo Dolls]>>5828665Support!
>>5828668Sorry I mean if it breaks out of the ice! It's immobilized currently.
>>5828668Haru Haru and Shun Shun use lava and blizzard magic respectively, but close enough, good attack. Name's kinda racist tho.
>>5828671Woop
>>5828657Support >>5828665>>5828668>>5828669
Rolled 3, 6, 11 = 20 (3d20)Okay, real quick, roll me 1d20, best of three. DC is 10!
>>5828657Btw, can we have some Nazis to race against in the ancient ruin? Kinda of a snoozefest right now. And no, Mira teleporting in at the end like he's jobber!Golbez/Exdeath isn't a valid rival to compete with.
Rolled 6 (1d20)>>5828680
Rolled 12 (1d20)>>5828680
Rolled 2 (1d20)>>5828680
Rolled 13 (1d20)>>5828680
Rolled 10 (1d20)>>5828680
Rolled 14 (1d20)>>5828680
>>5828683>>5828685>>5828688>>5828689Passed! Writing...
>>5828681Or if we don't have tomb raiding rivals to contend with, at least make the scenery interesting. The only things noteworthy with this place are that it kinda looks like something we've seen before and if our submarine can squeeze through the tight spaces to get to the air pocket to unload our sea people.Shun Shun's description of that guardian robot was great, can we have more of that in Izzy's prose, please?
>>5828703Or, if spontaneously throwing in PMCs trying to plunder Atlantis doesn't appeal to you, or if describing the grotto gradually becoming more uniform in structure to where the stalagmites can be described as Ionian or Corinthian in structure also doesn't seem like a good use of time... You could have the characters talk more. All of our dialogue has been very straight to business, I wanna shoot the shit with our companions and make goofy faces in the frozen robot's reflection to see if we can make our mouth as big as the robot's. The last thing I want from Dragon Ball is for it to be super serious. It can happen at the end of an arc, but until then I want goofiness.
>>5828657“Cheelai, Bas, mind heading the investigation into this room?” you ask the two.“I’m sure we can sift through what’s valuable in here and what isn’t. Brought some extra storage capsules just in case.” the green girl tells you with a grin on her face.“Perhaps, but why do you ask?” Basilea inquires.“I’d like to check on that machine the twins just encountered. It’ll be quick, and this room’s more important. Haru Haru, Shun Shun! Think either of you can teleport me over there?” you ask aloud, but also send a telepathic message to the two.https://youtu.be/jRy_exCrUVk?si=PfwLXEq4pfA8kHe1‘Yeah sure fine, just a sec.’ Shun Shun responds, teleporting to you and placing a hand down on the shoulder of your mech. She brings you over, and you notice that the room is much like the flooded ones from before. It’s damp, but the air pocket looks to be decently breathable. The thing Shun Shun froze is right in the middle of the floor, looking surprised. It… doesn’t have a lot of energy, but there’s definitely Magic flowing through it.You get in closer, having the mech kneel down to get a better look at it. About two meters tall, vaguely cone-shaped. Through the ice you can tell there are some minor scratches and cracks through the ceramic dermal layer, clearly it’s seen better days. Looks like its frozen prison is holding for the time being, but you still think to tell the pair, “If this thing does get out and attempts to attack again, let’s blast it together. Some Fire, Ice, and Lightning. Maybe give it a cool name, like… the Goo Goo Dolls!”(cont.)
>>5828826“...That’s dumb.” Shun Shun blurts out. “You’re supposed to be the smartest.”“What? What’s dumb about it?” you ask genuinely.“The name! The name is dumb! Don’t give attacks dumb names!” she complains as she flies up to your mech’s head. “Give them cool ones!”“That IS cool!”She crosses her arms indignantly. “No, ‘Blizzard Bomb’ is cool, ‘Goo Goo Gals’ is a band name!”“Sis, shut up and focus.” Haru Haru calls out to her. “Izumi can give her attacks whatever dumb or cool names she wants.”You huff, but at least Haru Haru sounds like she’s agreeing to the plan. You think. Still, you do a better scan of the frozen foe, and do actually find something interesting. The Magic that’s powering it… seems to run on circuits of some kind. It’s not quite like the Hakkero you made, but it’s something similar enough in concept that you can recognize it for what it is. There’s also a power source of some sort deeper within it. Interesting.“Hey boss, Basilea and Piccolo have been going through some of those crystals and they’ve found a few that they say are points of interest. We’ve been able to gather one storage capsule’s worth of them so far.” Cheelai informs you. “Seems like they’re trying to catalog them and what they can do for the time being.”“Good work. I’m pretty sure the machine here is a security mech of some sort.” you respond. And… well great. “And it wasn’t alone.” you add as you hear movement deeper in the air pocket section. You can sense two more things like the one encased in ice. Might not be too much a problem, but should be on-guard just in case.>A. Maybe you can attempt to communicate with them? Sure one of the Majin twins froze their buddy, but it’s still technically functional>B. Better let the twins handle this, you’ll just provide backup in case they need it>C. Come on girls, team attack time! Let’s smash ‘em apart!>D. Something else?
>>5828832>C. Come on girls, team attack time! Let’s smash ‘em apart!>D. DQ Blizzard!
>>5828832Oh right, I didn't ever get to commission that thing you requested, but this should have what you wanted. https://capcom.fandom.com/wiki/Gallery:Devilotte
>>5828832>C.>D."If you think you've got a better combo attack name, by all means, shout it out."
Lavalanche Z?
>>5828832>>5828852Put up or shut up, slimeball!
>>5828858Hey, cool it with the anti-slimetic remarks, HAG.
>>5828832Try >A. but just on the frozen one, and just to get intel. Expect a fight, and when it (probably) happens go with >C.>E. First to take one out gets to name the attack.
Rolled 1, 12, 13 = 26 (3d20)Okay, real quick, roll me 2d20, best of three! DC is 12 for both!
Rolled 14, 13 = 27 (2d20)>>5828868
Rolled 11, 9 = 20 (2d20)>>5828868
Rolled 3, 14 = 17 (2d20)>>5828868
Rolled 14, 10, 19 = 43 (3d20)>>5828869>>5828872>>5828874Passed both! Sadly I do need to rest, but we'll be back tomorrow ~6:30 pm PST. Thank you all for playing, stay safe, and see ya then!
>>5828876See you tomorrow, great job on the last post, it was funny!
>>5828876Well we're shooting out three beams in a triangular shape simultaneously. Oh snap, I've got it. ADVANCED GEOMETRY [/SPOILER]
>>5829016You goofus, that's Advanced Meterology
>>5828832>>5828852Supporting!
Okay, we are back!>>5828832https://youtu.be/4BoiwiFFpwA?si=C2Ra1lNhJmTLIT3i“Well, if you can think of a better name, by all means, shout it out.” you tell Shun Shun, then add, “Now come on girls, team attack! Let’s smash ‘em apart!”The two constructs make their way towards the three of you, both of them readying their own Magical attacks. Wait… you think you recognize it! Crap, they’re about to launch MP Busters! Okay no time to delay! Well, here it goes! You charge up a Lightning Magic attack, Shun Shun going for her Blizzard Bomb, and Haru Haru reading a blazing sphere.“Izumi, stay put. Sis, flanking maneuver!” Haru Haru calls out, the two goo girls dashing to either side of the constructs. Well, that’s briefly confused the two monsters. Here it goes! You fire off the Phantom Spark, Haru Haru her Volcano Bomb, and Shun Shun her Blizzard Bomb.“FACE YOUR END! DELTA DOMINATION!” Shun Shun yells.The contrast of extreme cold, extreme heat, and truly shocking power, completely devastate the pair of constructs. Their bodies break apart and vaporize, briefly leaving a pair of crystalline shards, before those break apart and shatter too.…Might’ve overdone it just a tad. But hey, it worked!Shun Shun places her hands on her hips and smugly asks, “Well? How’s that for a name?”>A. All right, all right, that was a cool one>B. Eh, could be better>C. Haru Haru, what do you think?>D. So these things are powered by some kind of Magic crystal… maybe we can get the one out of the frozen construct!>E. Something else?
>>5829651>D. So these things are powered by some kind of Magic crystal… maybe we can get the one out of the frozen construct!>E. Face Your End is pretty cool! Good work!
>>5829651>B. Internally: Eh, could be better, but she likes it.>E. Externally: You have a taste for "coolness," don't you, Shun Shun? Is that why you do blizzards?>D. So these things are powered by some kind of Magic crystal… maybe we can get the one out of the frozen construct! Don't get your tongue stuck on it, Shun Shun.
>>5829651>A.>D.
>>5829651Hit vote:>A.>but >C.>then >D.Support
>>5829651Heh. The Double D technique.>A. >C.>D. >E. "Any ideas on how to remove the crystal safely you two?"
>>5829681Support as well
Rolled 1, 17, 14 = 32 (3d20)Okay, real quick, roll me 1d20, best of three. DC is 10!
Rolled 7 (1d20)>>5829691
Rolled 16 (1d20)>>5829691time to nat 1 LETS GOOOOO or get a 9!
Rolled 19 (1d20)>>5829691
Rolled 14, 20, 15 = 49 (3d20)>>5829694>>5829695>>5829701Passed! Writing...
>>5829702Dayummmm, she keeps showing us up!
>>5829651“All right, all right. That was a cool one.” you admit. “But let’s take a second opinion. Haru Haru, what do you think?”“It works.” she responds in a way that could be approval, or merely a platitude so to placate her sibling.Regardless, Shun Shun is pleased. “Good that you see some sense.”You have your mech turn around to face the frozen construct. “So it does seem clear that these things are powered by some kind of Magic crystal. Maybe we can get the one out of this guy for a more proper analysis. How about it?”“Sure, I can pry that thing open.” Shun Shun responds with a nod, heading to it. “Hold it in place with telekinesis for me, will ya?”“Er, sure.” Your mech’s arm raises up slightly and levitates the thing off the ground, with Shun Shun placing her hands on the ice encasing it. Suddenly, it starts to mold and shift around the thing, being pushed up and forming a horizontal crack across it. You can get a better read on where the crystal might be, and let her know. “It’s right above where the… face area seems to be, towards the middle of it all. But you might wanna be careful, I sense some energy buildup-”“HRAH!” The Majin girl’s arms shoot INTO the ice and pry the construct open, yoinking out the crystal from it and pulling her arms back. “Okay let it go.” she tells you, and you set it down, the machine completely inert now. Shun Shun flips the crystal in her hand and shows it off to you. “Easy.”You have your mech kneel down again and look over the crystal a bit better. A soft white glow surrounds it, with an… almost rainbow-ish hue at the edges, like the light’s being diffracted and split. There’s also still a significant amount of Magic residing inside the crystal, even with the glow it’s giving off. Interesting. Maybe it’s like your own crystal in a way?>A. All right, let’s regroup, back to base camp>B. See if you can experiment with the crystal a bit, maybe you can get a better idea on how it works>C. Continue on in this area, the others can handle themselves for the time being>D. Try to look into the internals of the construct, maybe it can help you a bit>E. Something else?
>>5829783Hit vote:>D. See if we can figure out how it interfaces and uses the magic.>E. Check in to see if the crystals the sub team found compare to the construct core.Support
>>5829783>E. Hold up the crystal, "Either of you hungry?"
>>5829783>>5829796Sorry, not to discard the crystal, but so we can see what it will do with the Majins.>B. See if you can experiment with the crystal a bit, maybe you can get a better idea on how it works
>>5829783>E. Suck out all the Magic with the Hakkero>C. Continue on in this area, the others can handle themselves for the time being
>>5829783>B. See if you can experiment with the crystal a bit, maybe you can get a better idea on how it works
>>5829783>B. See if you can experiment with the crystal a bit, maybe you can get a better idea on how it works>Stick to a cursory inspection, save serious analysis for when we have more time to do it and less risk of breaking anything.
>>5829837This is good too
Rolled 8, 13, 20 = 41 (3d20)Okay, roll me 2d20 this time, best of three. DC is 11 for both!
Rolled 9, 20 = 29 (2d20)>>5829843
Rolled 17, 6 = 23 (2d20)>>5829843
Rolled 9, 6 = 15 (2d20)>>5829843
Rolled 2, 14, 10 = 26 (3d20)>>5829844>>5829847>>5829851Passed both! Writing...
Sorry about that, everyone, but looks like 4chan's back to relative normal for now. And with that, we are back!>>5829783While the two look over the crystal, you decide to pull the broken construct over first, trying to see how the crystal powered the thing. There’s a form of magical circuitry using gold and quartz structures, however it’s… honestly a bit more simplistic than the stuff you’d seen before. Or at the very least, the circuits are very “direct” in their functions, working on only very specific Magics sent down each circuit. That… actually gives you an idea.“Hey, Shun Shun, Haru Haru, can you toss me that crystal real quick?” you ask, turning back to the pair and- …and you facepalm a bit. “Why are you biting it.” you less ask and more just accuse.“Checking the flavors of the Magic.” Shun Shun replies after taking it out of her mouth.You blink. “What.”“You get a sense for it when a good chunk of your body is made of the stuff. Some Magic artifacts, they got a less powerful flavor, some are so devastatingly powerful it’ll blast your ass right off if you more fleshy mortal types try to touch it.” she explains. “This one’s got a moderate but varied flavor. Can give off a lot of different kinds of Magics if you use it right, but only a few of them are even remotely a threat to any of us.” She taps her chin with the crystal. “Aside from that green underling of yours. Best you don’t put her into combat.”“Her name is Cheelai.” you remind the Majin girl.“Right, her.” Shun Shun affirms with a nod.That does get you thinking, actually. “Hey, Cheelai, preliminary findings on the crystals you guys have gathered?” you ask as you contact her.“Big Green’s been looking them over. Different types he’s found, some for storing only one specific type of energy, some for storing a multitude, some acting as capacitors of some kind, and some focused on… absorbing energies, right?”“Correct. It’s reminded me of something that came to Earth a while back, though I’m not quite sure it’s tthe same.” Piccolo adds in over the sub’s radio.“Hmm… couple of those sound similar to the one we salvaged from this construct.” you comment.>A. Okay, let’s head back and actually set up this base camp>B. Basilea, do you want the two Majin girls scouting out the ship a bit more? They can kinda cover more ground>C. What exactly does it remind you of, Piccolo? Maybe that can give us some idea on what to expect down here>D. Something else?
>>5830635>D. Good work, Big Green, Thicc Green!>B. Silly Billy, do you want the two Majin girls scouting out the ship a bit more? They can kinda cover more ground
>>5830635>A. Okay, let’s head back and actually set up this base camp>C. What exactly does it remind you of, Piccolo? Maybe that can give us some idea on what to expect down here>D. Something else?The twins can compare the other crystals we found.>E. Ki sweep and scouter sweep the area again. We wanna check for natural and artificial signatures now. Memo to self - put crystal in scouter later to see if it can help us better track magic. Mahou Scouter.
>>5830664>Memo to self - put crystal in scouter later to see if it can help us better track magic. Mahou Scouter.The Hakkero should work like a compass for energy flow.
>>5830635Hit vote:>C.>B. And maybe Izzy stick with them for a bit. They seem fun!
>>5830635>>5830664>>5830669Oh, right, that got cut off. Support both these
>>5830635>C. What exactly does it remind you of, Piccolo? Maybe that can give us some idea on what to expect down here>>5830669And supporting, they are certainly the ones to stick to, lol
>>5830635“Okay, let’s regroup back at base camp and decide our next step there.” you tell the pair. They nod, and teleport you over, allowing you to power down from the Mahou Knight for a short bit. The crystal room has some emergency lights and crates set up near where the sub’s been parked, with a few of them open as Piccolo looks over them. The Para Para boys are gathering the last few for the last crate, with Basilea staring down at some that look significantly darker than the others, like they’re made out of obsidian, almost.“Welcome back, boss.” Cheelai greets.“Thanks! And looks like everything’s in order. Hey, Piccolo, where’s that crystal you were talking about?” you question as you head over. You have the twins place the crystal that was yanked out of the construct. It does match with some of the ones recovered, but not the one Piccolo was talking about. He points it out, and it’s got a whitish, almost glistening silver look to it. It’s rather opaque too, oddly enough. “Huh. What’d it remind you of, exactly?”“A short while before Freeza’s clan invaded Earth, there was a different being that came to this planet from the stars.” Piccolo begins. “Your mother, father, aunt, uncle, and a few others met this threat, a massive creature with crystal structures jutting out of its body, using them to drain energy.”(cont.)
>>5830770…This is starting to bring up some memories of a foe they fought before. “Wait, was it some kind of Kauji?”“Correct, a sort of ‘Space Godzilla’ of some kind. Some of those recovered crystals were eventually used in development of those Ki Containers.” Piccolo continues.You snap your fingers. “Space Godzilla! Oh yeah!” …wait shit. That bodes VERY badly. “Wait wait wait wait, hold on! Are you telling me those things are Space Godzilla crystals?”“What’s a ‘Space Godzilla?’” Cheelai asks Don Para.“Presumably a Godzilla. From Space.” he answers astutely.The green girl nods. She then quietly adds, “…And what’s a Godzilla, exactly?”“That big spiky lizard thing, you saw it before, remember?” Bon Para tells her.“Ahem.” Piccolo clears his throat to get them back on track. “No, or at least, not exactly. They do have similar properties to those, however.”“Likely they come from the same source, then.” Basilea states. “Some crystal formation that mutated the alien being.”You cross your arms. “We’ve got a bit of a mystery, then. Bas, you okay with Shun Shun and Haru Haru doing some more scouting? And me tagging along, if you don’t mind? They’re probably able to cover the most ground out of any of us.”“Very well.” she says with a small nod.“Okay! Let’s see…” You have a sweeping scan made of the nearby area with scouter, Ki sense, and any Magical energies you can pick up. “Hmm… few more places nearby, and one further down connected to this air pocket.” Two points of interest, to be exact, in addition to that one connected to this air pocket. One to the west, and one to the east.>A. You should journey to the western one!>B. Majins, east! Let’s go!>C. Their choice, honestly>D. Have some other follow you into the area connected to this air pocket, and maybe let Cheelai and someone else guard this little base camp you made>E. Something else?
Ah shit, this is like bringing Yamcha to a lab.>>5830773>A. You should make a trip to the opposite of the east.
>>5830773>>5830777>E. Hey, Haru Dee and Tweedle Shun, I wanted to give Basilea a gift in return for her help. I wanted to workshop the idea with y'all, materialize and magicalize it, but while we're on the topic, what would you like as a reward?
>>5830773>C. Their choice, honestly>E. Create an Izzy clone to stay behind and teach those guarding base camp how to play Senet.
>>5830800Fuck Backgammon, no!
>>5830773>C.
>>5830773Hit vote>B. >E. Maybe send a message to Bulma for insight on crystal properties?Support, and this >>5830800
>>5830803>>E. Maybe send a message to Bulma for insight on crystal properties?Piccolo and the Majin Twins just told us, pay attention.
>>5830773>C. Their choice, honestly
Apologies, passed out for a short bit.>>5830773“Okay, what do you say, girls? East? West? I’m thinking east, but that’s your choice, really.” you tell the pair.“Well, then let’s go west!” Shun Shun declares, floating up into the air and moving in that direction, Haru Haru following after.You are about to head off with them, but you get another idea. You use Multi-Form and make a copy of yourself who heads over to Cheelai. “I’ll help keep watch over here, just in case.”She shrugs. “If you say so, boss.”“Also, might wanna check in with Bulma to see if she has anything to add about those crystals.” your copy adds, tapping the scouter a few times and sending a message with some pictures attached.As your copy stays there, you go with the two Majin girls. Forming an air pocket around you, you delve into the water and follow after the pair as they head to the contact point to the west. As you approach, you notice the submerged area still has some power flowing to it. Curious. Moving closer, you end up in a submerged room with several broken tubes and… something at the other end moving of it. Haru Haru and Shun Shun immediately take up fighting stances in the water, while you observe and try to sense it out. It… almost feels like there are two presences, or at least two crystals powering something. Alerted to your presence, it moves closer, the two Majins flaring up their auras, causing the water to swirl around them as the room’s illuminated.You get a good look at the thing, and… what in the hell is that? It’s organic, clearly, but the body looks like some kind of oversized deep sea creature hit with the ugly stick a few more times. Looks almost squidlike, or maybe like some kind of starfish with delusions of grandeur. An ominous aura surrounds it, and you notice the waters visibly shift in hue. Well, it looks like this thing wants to fight.>DRAGON BALL TUFFLE QUEST KAI #52… Paused.>Twitter account is @KatoQm, will have status updates there>Got some questions for the QM? Suggestions? Throw them at ask.fm/QMKato and I’ll try to answer them as best I canAll right folks, that’s all for tonight! We’ll be back tomorrow ~6:30 pm PST. Did y’all have fun? Thank you all for playing, and stay safe out there!
Sorry about that delay, bit of traffic home, but we are back!>>5830912The monster’s energy flows around it. It’s not really a threat to you physically, Scouter is reading at… a Power Level of between 6000 and 4000, which is weirdly high for something supposedly native to Earth, but still no threat to any of you. Weirder still, that fluctuation seems to be a result of one part of the being being different from the other, the top part kinda reading higher, the bottom lower. Still getting a sense of some strong Magic around it though. Best not to let your guard down.Haru Haru and Shun Shun are ready to fight the thing, regardless. What should you do?>A. Just watch them work, you don’t need to barge in for something like this, and better to observe how it uses its Magic>B. Offer long range support with some of your Spirit Bits>C. Why let them hog all the fun? Charge in and start smashin’!>D. Probably best if you let them decide if they want help or not>E. Something else?
>>5831861>E. Throw away your scouter like you threw away your training wheels and floaties and parachute>F. Use Light and Dark to make a Strobe Orb for the dark dweller to ponder>A. Just watch them work, you don’t need to barge in for something like this, and better to observe how it uses its Magic
>>5831861Hit vote >A. as a combo of >B. and >D.
>>5831861>A. Just watch them work, you don’t need to barge in for something like this, and better to observe how it uses its Magic>D. Probably best if you let them decide if they want help or not>E. Something else?Take pictures of the creature with our scouter and try to think of name for it while they work. "Two-Face, Janus, Orthrus?"
>>5831876Squiggly!
>>5831876Though, it also looks like pic related
>>5831861>A, B & D.Let them do their thing, but be ready to step in if they ask or if/when anything goes sideways. Or if there's nothing else to learn and it's dragging on or whatever.
>>5831861>>5831874>>5831876>>5831891Gonna support these then
Why are we here?
Rolled 20, 8, 8 = 36 (3d20)Okay, roll me 2d20, best of three! DC is 11 for both!
Rolled 7, 13 = 20 (2d20)>>5831900
Rolled 13, 2 = 15 (2d20)>>5831900
Rolled 20, 15 = 35 (2d20)>>5831900
Rolled 14, 7, 9 = 30 (3d20)>>5831902>>5831904>>5831905Awesome! Passed both! Writing...
>>5831905Fortunate
>>5831861https://youtu.be/6-g9Fmi4jw0?si=SdX2A4FdBQA_jpu7“Hey, girls, you want me to distract it with some Spirit Bits while you kick its ass?” you ask, phrasing it in a way you believe won’t come off like you’re trying to take charge.“Hah! Sure, just you watch as we show this ugly thing it’s WAY out of its league!” Shun Shun boastfully declares.“So, what do you wanna name it? Two-Face? Janus? Orthus?” you ask“Janus seems appropriate to-” Haru Haru is about to answer before she’s interrupted by her sister.“BUTT and UGLY!” Shun Shun yells, charging in.With your Scouter recording some pictures, you send two forward towards the creature, one high (boosted with Fire Magic) and one low (boosted with Ice Magic), and fire off a couple shots. The intense heat from the Fire-boosted one boils the water around it, causing the impacting shots to hit with an increased intensity as they slam into the upper half of the monster, causing it to reel back in pain, the distorted color in the water vanishing. The Ice-boosted one on the other hand freezes the water around it and causes shards of ice to hit alongside the Ki as it makes contact, freezing the whole lower body part.It still attempts to fire off an attack that you can tell uses Shadow Magic of some kind, but all three of you easily avoid it. Haru Haru quickly moves in front of the thing with such speed that it starts to knock it over, then delivers a quick jab into its head… which easily penetrates the thing’s flesh and sends a thick bile-like black fluid oozing into the water. She pulls her arm back, and with it, another one of those crystals. Huh! …And the lower half still seems to be fine in spite of all that.Shun Shun meanwhile handles it with just as much ease, especially with such a target being frozen solid, as she kicks down and shatters the lower section into small chunks that float through the water. However, they too leave behind one of those crystals, which she quickly stretches her arm out for and grabs.“Nice work!” you tell the pair.“No ancient Earthling constructs are a match for the likes of Majins like us.” Shun Shun responds with a smug grin.>A. Send those crystals back with the others, we should continue on>B. Investigate the crystals here, see what you can discern from them>C. Look over what’s… er, left of the monster>D. Something else?
>>5831972>B. Investigate the crystals here, see what you can discern from them>C. Look over what’s… er, left of the monster
>>5831972>A B C. Yeah yeah, sounds like the smart thing to doINTERNALLY>D. Okay, what was that? "You don't want to come off like you're trying to take charge???" Whose plan was this, Izzy? They agreed to tag along with you on this trip, you decide where you're headed or they can get off the train!
>>5831991>E. Well excuuuse me, me, for not wanting them to think I'm high-strung or a stick in the mud. They can do whatever they want, they're having fun with it. And at the end of the day, that's what counts!
>>5831972>B.>D. Have Shunni check if it tastes any different than the others first.Her method isn't as technical, but it is quick.
>>5831993>F. Right, right, but for the fact we're looking for something in this Hole at the bottom of the sea! Something about crystals and saving our uncle and the god and the other one. Do we really have time for a nice little sideshow with Thing 1 and Chocolate Thundah?>>5831972>>5831998Ooh, nice idea!
>>5831972Support >>5831982>>5831999As does Hit
Rolled 14, 5, 19 = 38 (3d20)Okay, one more roll of 2d20, best of three! DC is 9 for both.
Rolled 1, 5 = 6 (2d20)>>5832006>G. Peas and Rice, they had it handled, chill out.>H. That's what I'm saying, they had it handled, so you could have lended more hands ot help it quicker or you could have looked in another room for whatever this place has. But, I suppose we've always been ones for lollygagging around those stronger than us.>>5832011rollin
Rolled 16, 16 = 32 (2d20)>>5832011
>>5832014Ah rats!>>5832014>I. Lollygagging? We don't have to compete if we don't have to.>J. Yeah, sure, that's why Peppa's still world champ.>K. ...WE'RE world champ!>L. Exactly, we're BOTH world champ, Izzy and Peppa.>M. Wow, how petty of me. Pantea's there too.>N. Yeah, and that other girl, because we can only measure up to being at least as good as Peppa.>O. It lays out where our efforts took us, we can try again next time!>P.fffffffffftttt, sorry, did I say "TRY?" Izzy, if we're put in a position where we have to try, it means we're on the backfoot and need to bounce. All our victories have been because some weapon or spell or ancient power has fallen into the silver spoon in our mouth. Or->Q. Or the other two did something cool and saved the day. Are you gonna say that Haru Haru and Shun Shun are a real time example of that?>R. ...don't think I need to. But yeah, this adventure is also pretty emblematic of our rut, we don't have the solution to a problem, so hopefully we find it at the bottom of another ancient ruin.>S. Sigh... and on this adventure we're spearheading, we're spectating.>>5832011Should I roll again?
Rolled 9, 19 = 28 (2d20)>>5832011Can we go play with the mermaids next, or did we miss the sub on that?Also, good night, thanks for running!
Rolled 17, 16 = 33 (2d20)>>5832011
>>5832014>>5832018>>5832053Passed both! Sadly I do need to rest, so thank you all for playing, stay safe, and see y'all tomorrow ~6:30 pm PST.
>>5832053Hey good jorb Exen
Yo Kato, you alright?
Apologies, some issues came up at work. We're back now though!>>5831972“Hey, can I get a quick look at those crystals?” you ask. Shun Shun, who… had it in her mouth for a moment, spits hers out towards you, and you almost fumble it as it passes into your barrier. You hold it carefully, narrowing your eyes slightly at her and asking, “It taste any different than the others?”“Bit weaker, but weirder too. Like it’s intentionally held back but able to last longer.”That’s curious. You decide to do a little experiment, putting in a small jolt of Light Magic into the crystal, just enough to get it to glow decently brightly. And… it does glow, but not quite as much as you expect. You try again with a tiny bit less energy, but to your surprise it’s able to glow a bit better. It… seems to have some kind of resistor effect to it? Interesting. Maybe because it was interfacing with living organic material instead of more inert metals and ceramics?…It also cracks a bit from that. Woops. Haru Haru’s hand pokes into your battier and hands you the spare crystal. “…Thank you.”Okay, monster next! You look over the… er, chunks of it that are floating through the water. They look… weird. The flesh in the frozen parts of it look almost gel-like, oozy and kinda gross. There are solid structures in them, but they don’t quite have a “natural” look like normal bones do. It’s weird, almost like-…Almost like the fluid body of the Shapeless back up north. Just… congealed? Perhaps forcefully, given that the top and bottom halves almost look a bit like they’re two different creatures shoved into one, right down to their internals.‘Izumi, we have dealt with a foe that attempted to halt our progress here. A weak creature possessing two of those crystals inside it, one that attempted to use Shadow Magic against us.’ Basilea informs you. ‘ We’ve also detected a stronger energy source deeper within the ship, located in what seems to be some kind of large elevator shaft. We are going to head toward it.’Sounds like the one you fought just now. Curious.>A. All right, go ahead, we’ll investigate this direction a bit more>B. Have the twins teleport you all over to Basilea, better you all stick together for this>C. Head back to the base camp with Cheelai, you should compare this broken crystal with the others>D. Something else?
>>5832884>A. All right, go ahead, we’ll investigate this direction a bit more
>>5832884>A. All right, go ahead, we’ll investigate this direction a bit more>D. Something else?Ask Shun Shun advice on offensive abilities thank to her knack for them. Ask Haru Haru advice on tactics as that seems to be more her area.
>>5832901Can we give them presents for their work so far? Like choco cigars?
>>5832884Well, I gotta hit the fleapile. Don't pass out. Or do. Whatever. See you tomorrow.
>>5832884Support >>5832901
>>5832884>A.
>>5832884>D. I liked your name for it, Shun Shun. Now that I think of it, I don't even know what a Janus is.
>>5832884‘All right, go ahead, we’ll investigate this area some more.’ you reply. ‘Let us know if anything come up.’ Turning to face the twins, you store the crystals away and ask them, “You sensing anything else in the area? There’s still that point of interest over east.”Shun Shun shrugs. “Eh, likely just gonna be more of the same. Which like, yeah it’s interesting and all, and beating up some weird ancient Earth monsters is fun, but we should be looking for something with a bit more bite to it.”“Consider this, then.” Haru Haru speaks up. “These are behaving in a manner like some kind of security, patrolling the corridors and rooms of this vessel and attacking intruders like ourselves with very little warning. The more resistance we face, the more important an area they are likely guarding.”“So, we seek out any larger or grouped Ki signatures, then?” you ask.The Majin gives a nod. “Something to that effect. Shun Shun, the taste you were able to get of that Magic being used, can you discern where others like it might be congregating?” she inquires.“Sure, just give me a moment…” Shun Shun’s hair… tentacle things start to wave around a bit, then looks off in one direction. “Aha, here we go. Bunch of weaklings by the feel of things, but should be what we’re looking for.”As she leads the way, you ponder a bit. “Haru Haru, you seem like you’ve got a knack for tactics, what do you suggest we do if some problems start arising?”“We have a multitude of tools at our disposal, and their power pales in comparison to ours. The most we have to watch out for are abilities that specifically target Magic, Ki, and the like.” She looks back at you and adds, “That barrier around you might keep you safe from normal attacks, but anything that can suddenly take it down will mean you’re going to start drowning unless you get to an air pocket immediately.”That’s… a grim prospect. “Right, okay, be on the lookout for things that’ll try MP busters and the like.”Her head turns forward, but she continues. “Spirit Bits should prove more useful while we take on any foes. Otherwise you’ll need to use your magical mecha to ensure you don’t end up endangering yourself.”(cont.)
>>5833046“All right. Shun Shun, you’ve got a read on the Magic they’d use, how’d you suggest countering them?”“Don’t let them get a chance to hit first. Smash ‘em quick. If there’s anything more dangerous lurking in there, like those that could absorb energy of some sort, your mistake there gave us a pretty solid clue on how to deal with it.” she replies.“And what’s that?”“Overloading with relatively weaker but sustained techniques. Even if that doesn’t immediately stress the crystals to the breaking point, that still will cause unnatural buildups in the bodies of whatever possess them. At worst, they’ll be momentarily vulnerable. At best, they’ll explode into big, messy chunks!” She waves her arms out for emphasis.“...Noted.” you reply with a nod.They lead you into a larger chamber in the ship, one that… strangely looks more like a mad science lab? Or evil wizard’s lair? Maybe both? Ah hell it’s definitely both. There are a few more crystals scattered around, and the room is tilted in such a way that you think you see another air pocket close to a platform area above. More worryingly, you do notice… human remains. Or at least bits and pieces of them, bones in varying states of decomposition, the odd skull here and there.There are also what look like test tubes throughout the room, most of them broken or empty, a number somehow still sealed and with the preserved remains of some animals and other creatures inside them and… a small few with what look like people in them, lifeless but relatively intact. Now that you’ve noticed that, you also notice the human remains seem to be around those broken test tubes.“HEY! IZUMI! OVER HERE!” Shun Shun calls out to you as she… stands sideways ON the glass of one of those test tubes. “Look at this ugly thing!”You approach it and notice the whole thing is pitch black, like there’s some kind of tar or something inside it. Gross, but… hey wait, why can you sense energy coming from-? WHAT THE SHIT?! Eyeball forms out of nowhere inside it, then several more, all glaring at you. Oh. Ohhhh. Another thing like the Shapeless.“What, mad ‘cause I called ya ugly, ugly?” Shun Shun questions it, sticking her tongue out at it. The eyes disappear, and you get the impression of it swirling around in the glass tube containing it.(cont.)
>>5833048>A. Let’s not agitate the amorphous monstrosity sealed away, yeah?>B. Let Piccolo and Basilea know what you’ve found, there may be more of them in this ship>C. Maybe you can transfer the thing out of here? Try to find a way to remove it, carefully>D. …Hold the intact crystal up to it, see if that has any reaction>E. Something else?That said, sadly,>DRAGON BALL TUFFLE QUEST KAI #52… Paused.>Twitter account is @KatoQm, will have status updates there>Got some questions for the QM? Suggestions? Throw them at ask.fm/QMKato and I’ll try to answer them as best I canAll right folks, that’s all for tonight! We’ll be back tomorrow ~6:30 pm PST, vote open until then. Did y’all have fun? Thank you all for playing, and stay safe out there!
>>5833051>A. Let’s not agitate the amorphous monstrosity sealed away, yeah? >B. Let Piccolo and Basilea know what you’ve found, there may be more of them in this ship>E. Something else?Spirit bits barrier the area.
>>5833051>A. >E. Poke at it with telepathy, see if there is anything coherent there. It more looks like a particularly crazy thing so expect to protect against that, but making assumptions about mad science is also unwise.
>>5833075Mad Science got me acting unwise...Also, really like the whole angle ofA. "Don't fuck with it"E. Secretly fuck with itSo,>>5833051Supporting >>5833075
>>5833472Guh
>>5833048>A.>B.>D. SCIENCE
>>5833051Support >>5833057>>5833075>>5833932
Rolled 18, 11, 20 = 49 (3d20)Okay, we are back!And with that, roll me 3d20, best of three! DC is 12 for the first, 11 for the last two.
Rolled 10, 10, 15 = 35 (3d20)>>5833971
Rolled 5, 5, 12 = 22 (3d20)>>5833971
Rolled 9, 6, 15 = 30 (3d20)>>5833971
Rolled 2, 20, 8 = 30 (3d20)>>5833977>>5833986>>5833992...Well! Passed one of 'em! Writing...
let it in
>>5833048“Okay maybe let’s NOT agitate the amorphous and still sealed monstrosity, yeah? Yeah.” you warn the Majin girl.“Psh. What, you think it it’s gonna jump out of its container and try to take over my body?” She has her head spin around in a full circle, grinning at the thing and widening her eyes rather intimidatingly. “I’d like to see you try, weakling. I’ve taken on things way scarier than you. I’ve EATEN things way scarier than you. So by all means. TRY.”You notice its many eyes focus on her, and they seem… angered still, but stewing in that anger. Almost like it knows that isn’t a bluff. Hm. Well, you decide to try the Spirit Bits to form a barrier around it just in case. The eyes turn back to you, illuminated better by the light of the Spirit Bits around it. The anger leaves them, and they seem to more just regard you with intrigue.Okay. You’ll try a different tactic. You hold one of the crystals up to the tube, and see how it reacts. And… well, it’s caught the thing’s attention. There’s a bit of a sense of surprise that you have one of those, and it… calms a bit, at least. Or at least you think it does. Good, good. You’ll attempt contact, via telepathy. Here it goes…‘Can you understand?’ you ask the thing. There’s a pause, and its eyes… bubble in and out of its body. ‘Crystal?’ you think to it, waving the object around a bit.There’s a delay in response, until finally you hear in your mind, ‘CrYStaL…’‘So you are capable of telepathy.’ you comment with a bit of a smirk on your face.‘Viltemnebgamosetot-deg-duwerentirid.’The smirk fades. Okay. Language barrier, maybe. ‘Crystal?’ you try again, holding the object up.The eyes shift around, and there’s a longer delay in response. Shun Shun’s eyes narrow into a glare as she moves in a slight bit closer. “Don’t get any ideas, ugly.”(cont.)
>>5834101‘Crystal…’ it finally repeats, clearer and more direct. Most of the eyes close for a moment, and you get a weird sense of energy flowing out from it for a very brief moment. ‘Ah, yes, now I… understand better.’Okay, some things standing out. It’s capable of telepathy and you FELT something come out from it just now. It refers to itself in the first person singular. It also seems to have picked up the language, or intimidated out of playing dumb. It also is now looking all around the room with its many, many eyes. ‘Good. Who… and what are you?’‘I am a man who was human, once. A… king. Great and proud, unjustly imprisoned.’ it responds. ‘Who are you?’You notice Haru Haru move away from you all and face a different direction, Shun Shun finally spinning her head back around so her neck isn’t twisted and looking over her shoulder. They’ve noticed something. You also see parts of the mass moving closer to the edges of the tube it resides in.>A. A king, huh? Well you might as well give your own titles! A proper and full introduction!>B. Ask the twins what’s bothering them, and if this has been the cause of it>C. This already doesn’t quite quite match up with what Jaki mentioned to you OR what you saw up north. Time to probe it for questions and potentially catch it in its lies!>D. Shun Shun gave it a name. Now you have its title. Refer to it as “King Ugly”!>E. Something else?
>>5834105>E. Well hey there, bright eyes! Is there a Mrs. Imprisoned King, or can there be?
>>5834105>A. A king, huh? Well you might as well give your own titles! A proper and full introduction!>B. Ask the twins what’s bothering them, and if this has been the cause of it>E. Something else?"What were the charges your Majesty?"
>>5834113>the potential of a husband who can only watch
>>5834105Hit supports >>5834122And so do I
>>5834138Fully committed to Hit, me thinks
>>5834105>>5834122Seconding, plus>Don't spend too long socializing and/or interrogating until we know there isn't an immediate threat.
Rolled 1, 20, 7 = 28 (3d20)Hmm...
>>5834166What crystals have they been eating!?
>>5834168All of them.
>>5834184All of them???
>>5834105Well, if this thing… dude… shapeless mass is claiming to be a king, you may as well give your own proper titles! ‘I am Princess Izumi Mahogany of the Ox Kingdom, Mahou of Earth, Majin Slayer, Mahou Knight, a Champion of Mifan, wielder of the power of the Hakkero, and… technically a parole officer operating with the Galactic Patrol.’ Yeah that should most of it. Though at the same time, ‘Hey so like, what’s bothering you guys? Is it this thing? Is it trying to call you two rude names?’‘Only name it seems to think is fitting for an insult for us is “Outsider”, but yeah it’s up to something. We’ll handle it.’‘Very… interesting, young princess. You sound like quite the accomplished individual for someone so young.’ it remarks. It sounds like it’s doubting you, but attempting to humor you. Maybe. ‘My Kingdom once had princess with great power, using it to better the people, and as such was beloved by her people. As for myself, you may call me King Darutanias of Nemuria.’…You know about the princess, but that name seems suspect. ‘So what were the charges, your highness?’The supposed King seems taken aback, eyes shifting in surprise. ‘Pardon?’‘I mean, what crime were you… falsely accused of that resulted in you ending up in this sorry state?’ you ask.‘Ah, of course. Oh it was so tragic, our Kingdom suffered a calamity that drove it to ruin, yet I attempted to have us persevere, stay strong and help as many of our people as I could!’ he responds in a dramatic and discernibly more human, masculine voice. ‘And yet a dangerous and power-mad prophet wished to take advantage of this catastrophe, leading some of my most trusted advisors to charge ME with warmongering and tyrannical ambitions. Oh but all I ever wanted was the best for my people!’…Right. Yeah. Okay. He’s full of shit. Play along for now. ‘So what do you want me to do about this?’(cont.)
>>5834233‘I ask but that the curse placed upon me be lifted. There should still be some way to return me to my proper human form.’ he says in a way that expects you to be convinced by his… story. ‘I may be able to gather some aid of my own in getting this form out of what it’s trapped in. I just ask that you trust-’“This attempted ambush has already failed.” Haru Haru declares, thrusting one arm out and smashing it into the face of… one of those golem constructs from before. Shun Shun cackles as she fires off a quick Ki blast that shatters another, the shards of it scattering across the floor. Some of them hit the tube, but not hard enough to shatter it.‘What are those Outsiders doing?!’ he demands.>A. Outsmarting you, clearly. You were going to try and get the jump on us with those constructs, weren’t you? We’ve seen them before, they attack on sight>B. Girls, calm down, he’s no threat to us. We’ll take him along though, just… keep ‘em in the test tube for now>C. Call him out properly, he’s no King, his story’s full of holes, and you know enough ancient Nemurian history AND fantastical tales to not fall for that>D. Something else?
>>5834235Woops, last bit got cut off>DRAGON BALL TUFFLE QUEST KAI #52… Paused.>Twitter account is @KatoQm, will have status updates there>Got some questions for the QM? Suggestions? Throw them at ask.fm/QMKato and I’ll try to answer them as best I canAll right folks, that’s all for tonight! We’ll be back tomorrow ~4:30 pm PST, vote open until then. Did y’all have fun? Thank you all for playing, and stay safe out there!
>>5834235Best not to tip our hands too much right now.>B. Girls, calm down, he’s no threat to us. We’ll take him along though, just… keep ‘em in the test tube for now>D. Something else?"We can remove that curse and turn you back to proper human form, but in exchange you behave and tell us what we need to know. Deal?"
>>5834235>A. Outsmarting you, clearly. You were going to try and get the jump on us with those constructs, weren’t you? We’ve seen them before, they attack on sight>D. And Ugly is in the eyes of the beholder!>>5834237This was a good session, the Great Googly Moogly is something that talks and is opposed to us.
>>5834235>B.>D. Get every advantage out of this blowhard as is possible. We can help him get what he wants, and so we're in a position where it's entirely in his best interests to help him get it.We aren't going to deliver, obviously, but playing along for now may be a lot more useful than callling him out and interrogating.Quick ideas here:- Play to his ego to loosen his lips, and play up our common "royalty" to make trusting us easier. - Let the twins in on it. We should be able to telepathically tip them off but don't be careless. They may need to invent problems to avoid resolving the situation too soon.- Expect him to set up a trap. Make sure to seem to fall for it as long as possible. - His sudden learning of our language is a bit suspicious. Be impressed with it so that he can brag about how he did it. Mind Reading is a valid concern.- Ask how was he changed and how do we change him back. Emphasize the places state of disrepair and how likely it is that easy solutions are broken. Teaching us everything he knows about magic shouldn't be hard if we're *so impressed* by every piece. Play up being a curious magic nerd, not a sensible one.- Any history we get from him is going to be bullshit, but could still be useful to figure facts out. Again, be a curious and uncautious nerd. It's a lower priority though. I doubt all of that will be relevant, but any of it could be. And my head had a spare barrel or ten of exposition anyway, overpreparing here is as good a use for it as any.
>>5834279One more thing!:>E. Present the "Outsiders" as our loyal (if quirky) retainers (or similar), so he won't be as suspicious of them.
>>5834235>>5834279>>5834283Absolutely, all of this, solid plan.
>>5834235Support!>>5834279>>5834283
>>5834235>C. Call him out properly, he’s no King, his story’s full of holes, and you know enough ancient Nemurian history AND fantastical tales to not fall for that>>5834279And supporting!
>>5834283Haru Haru and Shun Shun live that with Basilea, so is it cool if we present them as our masters? We can be their vassal for a day!
Rolled 17, 14, 4 = 35 (3d20)All righty! We are back! And with that, roll me 3d20, best of three! DC is 14 for the first two, 15 for the last!
Rolled 18, 8, 19 = 45 (3d20)>>5835040
Rolled 15, 11, 7 = 33 (3d20)>>5835040
Rolled 20, 15, 14 = 49 (3d20)>>5835040
Rolled 15, 17, 8 = 40 (3d20)>>5835046>>5835057>>5835090And passed all! Writing...
>>5834235You hold your hand up, calling out to the twins, “Now now, let’s calm down, girls. He’s no threat to us. But we can take him along, for now.”“That’s a dumb plan.” Shun Shun retorts.‘Which is why we’re going to ACTUALLY going to use this blowhard’s knowledge to our own advantage.’ you inform the two of them telepathically. You compose yourself a bit, and give a quick curtsy, stand up straight, tilting your chin up as you look down at the eyes. ‘I do hope you understand now what you’re dealing with. But I do not blame you, King Darutanius, of wanting to leave the place you were imprisoned in. You wish my trust, I ask that you try to not to surprise my… retainers with stunts like that.’‘A-ah! Yes, yes of course. These… Outsiders answer to you. My sincerest apologies.’ he does his best at feigning genuine remorse. ‘Are you still willing to help me with my predicament, young princess? I can absolutely help you with your own goals in return.’‘Yes, a form of… equivalent exchange, if you will. A philosophy my family tends to stand by.’ Okay this absolutely isn’t how it works, but you’ll let him believe that.‘Yes, yes, that absolutely works for me!’ he sounds a bit more cheerful.“Girls, let’s move him out of here and take him with us.” you say as you start to move out of the lab.(cont.)
>>5835299Haru Haru’s arms jet out towards the top and bottom of the tube, then yoink the whole thing out of the floor. It hasn’t actually shattered the glass, the jerk’s still in there, but he’s technically no longer stuck in that room. However, Shun Shun’s head moves closer to the eyes and gives them all an intimidating glare, before it’s pulled back. ‘You better know what you’re doing, Izumi.’‘Oh I do. Don’t worry.’ You look back, and this time speak aloud. “You know, I am impressed you were able to catch up on our language so quickly. Quite the accomplishment, sign of a sophisticated and intelligent mind.”‘It took a moment to properly figure how to… enunciate myself in this particular tongue. I had heard it before, from some of the other visitors to this place, but many of them weren’t human like you and I are.’ he replies. ‘Still, I do my best to learn quickly. Any accomplished Magic wielder needs such a skill.’“Aha, true, true!” you proclaim proudly. “That you’re willing to work with us to get your original form back must mean you know some method of reversing what you were put through, though. Perhaps you will require some… help, in that regard?”‘Why yes! Yes indeed.’ he agrees, sounding almost like he’s ready to add an ominous chuckle to that. ‘My girl, there is much I can show you in regards to Magic.’“Do you?” you ask, trying to force yourself to sound excited and eager. “Oh I’d love to hear it.”>A. How about you tell us about these crystals, to start things off?>B. We have noticed those constructs you were able to call over, what are they made of, exactly? They seem fascinating!>C. Should have the twins teleport you over to Piccolo and Basilea’s group soon, after checking in with them>D. See if he has any suggestions on where to go to help him change back into a human>E. Something else?
>>5835302>E. Outfit change real quick to doll yourself up, emphasize your hair and bring out the color of your eyes, the king of these eugenicists has a type>F. Really play up the "Dumb Magician Girl can't figure out what end of the wand to hold, need hands-on instruction" angle, hem and haw cutely as you think on what to say>G. To Haru Haru and Shun Shun, telepathically say, 'How about you tell us about these crystals, to start things off?'>B. After they express confusion and not a moment before, ask the king "We have noticed those constructs you were able to call over, what are they made of, exactly? They seem fascinating!"
>>5835302>A. How about you tell us about these crystals, to start things off?>B. We have noticed those constructs you were able to call over, what are they made of, exactly? They seem fascinating!>C. Should have the twins teleport you over to Piccolo and Basilea’s group soon, after checking in with them>D. See if he has any suggestions on where to go to help him change back into a human>E. "Your language, is that Nemurian? I'd love to learn it."
>>5835302>E. Bring up the fact that this is underwater, and go over some ideas on why it might be the case in order to lead him in into revealing more information.
>>5835302>>5835358Yes, this is good.
>>5835302>D. See if he has any suggestions on where to go to help him change back into a human>B. We have noticed those constructs you were able to call over, what are they made of, exactly? They seem fascinating!>E. Why don't we pop your eye balls in a construct? You can move around that way!
>>5835302Shit forgot>A & C.This too.
>>5835302>>5835358>>5835377Seconding, with priority on the write-in.
>>5835302>>5835326Supporting that E, we should say we have a gift for tongues.>>5835358We should also say we have no problems going underwater to explore ancient yet still mighty temples.>>5835375And that we're an expert at handling "eye balls"
>>5835384
Interesting. Okay, roll me 1d20, best of three. DC is 11.
Rolled 2 (1d20)>>5835404
Rolled 10 (1d20)>>5835404
Rolled 5 (1d20)>>5835404
>>5835407>>5835412>>5835413Diiiidn't pass that one. Writing...
>>5835302“How about you tell us a bit about these crystals, for starters?” you ask as you hold the one you showed him earlier up. “We’ve been able to guess they’re used to regulate the kind of Magic certain constructs work with, and I have something similar I’ve found before, though not quite using this same concept. What are those made of, by the way?”‘Nemuria at its zenith was able to develop a variety of crystals specifically attuned to different Magics, grown using a base set to better attune them. My Golems were meant to function as protectors, crafted with an artisan's touch, beautiful and powerful. They would keep… my people safe, and protected from the monsters and demons and other Outsiders that would threaten them. Their Orichalcum construction provided them great protection against most threats of our day.’“Interesting! Especially with how you were able to get them to work with organic constructs.” you say with faux praise. ‘Hey, Basilea, Piccolo, you guys going okay down there?’‘We may have located one of our main goals.’ Basilea replies. ‘I think you and the twins will need to see this, though.’Aha, positive news, it sounds like. ‘We’ll be there shortly.’‘The organic constructs were more a result of intense study, seeking to augment our people’s Magical abilities further. We dare not risk the lives of our people, but some still were willing to… volunteer in some ways.’ He pauses for a moment. ‘Perhaps the ultimate fruit of our labor came true, given your ability to claim Outsiders, demons like those two, as part of your retinue.’A curious statement, but not one you’re going to entertain JUST yet. “So were some of those experiments carried out on this vessel? I assumed they were related given the lab we found you in.”‘Yes, yes, that’s exactly it.’ he answers quickly, several of the eyes closing for a moment before only a couple of them reopen.“It was surprising to find this on the ocean floor, though. Didn’t look like some kind of submarine vessel, so I’d been trying to piece together how exactly it crashed down here.” you begin, looking forward. There are a few aquatic monsters that cross your path, but the Majin girls scare them off. “Leading theories I’ve had involved either some attack that sent it crashing, or some kind of power failure. Impact caused it to snap in two against that… palace structure, which I’m surprised is still mostly undamaged.”There’s a momentary pause, before he remarks, ‘Reasonable guesses. But had you considered some form of sabotage to be at play as well?’(cont.)
>>5835655You… actually hadn’t. Hrmn. You slow down a bit, turning around. “Given your story, that’s also a reasonable assumption to make.” you say, humoring him. “Speaking of, how exactly do you intend to return to a human body?”‘It would require certain curse removal spells, as well as healing Magics and potentially a crystal like the one in your hand, but a degree more powerful than that one. I should have no trouble identifying such a thing, though, some of my Golems can search for an appropriate one.’Curse removal. You can probably work with that. “Okay, the others have found a point of interest that should be worth our time. Let’s head over.” And immediately, one of Haru Haru’s hair… tentacle things stretches out and taps you on the forehead. Darutanias is shocked and confused by the sudden teleportation, but regains his cool quickly. All of you end up in another air pocket, letting you relax a bit and lower the barrier around you. The room you’re in is surprisingly large, and there’s a bit of a red tint to it, and at first you see Piccolo, Basilea, and Don and Bon over in an area near a broken bit of the floor that has water gently flowing back and forth in it. The four of them are looking up at something, but turn to face you all.Piccolo crosses his arms and gives a harsh glare at the mass in the tube, while Basilea looks down her nose at it, tail whipping across the floor intimidatingly. The Para Para bros in contrast gulp, but ease up a bit as you approach. “H-hey boss.” Don greets hesitantly. “That, uh, that thing not gonna get out?”“You’ve got nothing to worry about, it’s in there tight. Besides, doesn’t want to stay like that.” you explain.“Fine. We have more pressing matters anyway.” Basliea grunts as she nods her head over in the direction the red glow is the strongest, and… and… oh. Oh damn.There’s a MASSIVE crystal structure jutting out of what… you think might be part of an engine block? It’s actually bigger than this room, piercing part of the ceiling above and walls to the sides, though curiously it’s got chunks of other devices lodged inside it, and even seems to be giving off a subtle but noticeable Magical energy. Might be what’s keeping this larger air pocket stable. But the most surprising thing is its hue. It’s a pinkish red, and very translucent.“Is… is this one massive thing of Dreamstone?!” you exclaim.“Sadly not. Or at least, not all of it is.” Bon Para answers. “If there’s any of that stuff in there, it’s lodged in deep. Waaaay deep.”You grin. “Shouldn’t be a problem for any of us.”(cont.)
>>5835658>A. King Darutanias, any recommendations?>B. Let’s start chipping away at it, folks! Be careful and get to the good stuff inside!>C. Maaaaybe you can transport this whole big crystal? Just gotta get it out of here real carefully>D. Something else?That said, again,>DRAGON BALL TUFFLE QUEST KAI #52… Paused.>Twitter account is @KatoQm, will have status updates there>Got some questions for the QM? Suggestions? Throw them at ask.fm/QMKato and I’ll try to answer them as best I canAll right folks, that’s all for tonight! We’ll be back tomorrow ~6:30 pm PST, vote open until then. Did y’all have fun? Thank you all for playing, and stay safe out there!
>>5835658>C. Maaaaybe you can transport this whole big crystal? Just gotta get it out of here real carefully
>>5835660>A. King Darutanias, any recommendations?>D. Something else?If this is thing keeping this air pocket stable, we're going to make a replacement if we do take it out.>E. Ask Darutanias how this place is connected to the Nemuria ruins in the Break Wasteland and in the northern nemuria ruins in the ice.sidenote: PICCOLO MAYBE YOUR DEVIL'S BRACELET MIGHT BE CONNECTED HERE
>>5835660>>5836023Supportin'.
>>5835658Support as well >>5836023
>>5835660Even supports >>5836023 too
>>5836023What's the Devil's Bracelet?
My apologies again, work was hectic once more. But we are now back!>>5835660“So, if this thing’s keeping the air pocket stable, we might need something to replace it…” You turn your attention to the tube. “Any recommendations, King Darutanias?”‘Well if you don’t want any of your… Outsider underlings at risk of the intense water pressure, a barrier of some sort may be optimal.’You notice Basilea look over in your direction as well, eyes narrowed, though she makes no further comment and looks back at the crystal. “Okay, barrier of our own, that’ll keep things from flooding in. Should we do anything to REPLACE it though?”‘It may not prove to be easy, but… perhaps you could use the surrounding crystals as a substitute for the one you take out, or the one you have in your possession, if you properly attune it.’“Okay. Guys, we’ve potentially got a solution to this…” You relay the recommendations to the others, Basilea and Piccolo looking at one another and giving some nods.“We can use one of the ones we recovered earlier, shouldn’t be a problem.” Piccolo confirms.“Haru Haru, Shun Shun, one of you help me with the barrier.” Basilea orders.“Yes, Princess!” Shun Shun responds quickly, leaving the tube in Haru Haru’s hands… arms… whatever.Darutanias seems to give you a curious look from a few of his bubbling eyes. ‘That one is a princess? A demonic princess, answering to a human… it seems I was right. Our dreams have been realized.’You don’t like the way he’s phrasing that at all, though that does bring something to mind as you look at Piccolo. “We have visited some ruins belonging to Nemuria before. We’ve seen things like the battles against the Makyans depicted in one that’s located in a wasteland currently, or some of the remnants of a castle up north.” You notice Piccolo has an odd bracelet on his wrist, too. “How exactly do the ruins here connect with those?”‘Ah, our once great castle that rose high in the sky crashed to the earth below. It was once connected to the palace near here, but with our great kingdom’s fall, so to was it met with a more… literal fall. That is not to say we lacked places on the surface, we once had complexes dedicated to uncovering the secrets of monsters and demons and all sorts of Outsiders that would see humanity as a whole brought under their heels. But given your status, Princess Izumi, our fortunes have been reversed in the years since.’Hmm.>A. Okay, you’ll let him indulge just a bit more, he’s on a roll. Try to see what methods his people used in the past to try and control demons, if that’s what he’s actually implying>B. Anyone want help with those barriers? I can probably provide some good support>C. Gonna try to get through the outer crystal to grab that Dreamstone, who’s up for helping me?>D. Something else?
>>5836727>C. Gonna try to get through the outer crystal to grab that Dreamstone, who’s up for helping me?
>>5836727>A. Okay, you’ll let him indulge just a bit more, he’s on a roll. Try to see what methods his people used in the past to try and control demons, if that’s what he’s actually implying
>>5836727>D. Actually... I currently serve under Basilea Basilea, empress of the dark realm of Kress. She was kind enough to provide me with two retainers for my protection. You are currently alive, alive as that can be considered, in accordance with her hospitality.
>>5835384>going underwater to explore ancient yet still mighty temples.Dang it, instead of "temples" I should have said "palaces" with an emphasis on the "ph"
>>5836727Hit vote>A.>D. Awkwardly pantomime the useful idiot plan to Basilea and Piccolo.And support
>>5836774You're so confident that he can't hear our telepathy, why don't y'all keep doing it with Basilea and Piccolo? No need for charades if you're that confident in your leaky craft.
Rolled 5, 20, 1 = 26 (3d20)All righty! Roll me 1d20, best of three. DC is 12!
Rolled 13 (1d20)>>5836783
Rolled 5 (1d20)>>5836783
Rolled 9 (1d20)>>5836783rolly rolly
Rolled 18, 13, 8 = 39 (3d20)>>5836784>>5836789>>5836800Passed! Writing...
>>5836781Even if it can't be intercepted, the act of doing it can be noticeable as odd pauses and focusing. The other person reacting to something unsaid is also a concern.
>>5836843Okay, so telepathy doesn't travel at the speed of thought, but speaking?
>>5836846It's sending words as information either way, so the time to compose the thought or process it shouldn't be much different. If it wasn't words we'd just be using empathic signals, which would be out of place for a number of reasons. Dragonballs telepathy canonically working like words should be reason enough though.
>>5836854It also works by placing your hand on someone. Where is the best place to covertly put our hand on Basilea?
>>5836857Ah, wait, that only works to read someone else's mind, and we shouldn't do that without Basilea's consent.We should bump into her for the opposite!
>>5836861Wait, wait, I've got it, we kneel before our Queen Basilea, lay out our meritorious deeds, and request a headpat.As for Piccolo, we can say what we want under our breath and he would hear.
>>5836727He’s gotten a bit more chatty. You can use this. Just gotta let him indulge a bit more. “So, how far along were you, exactly, before you were… betrayed and sealed away in this form? I’d imagine the process was fairly involved.”The eyes focus on you and seem… amused? You think? ‘Oh it took substantial research into darker forms of Magic that some would attempt to use against humans, to take over their bodies and minds, to drive them into madness and evil. We managed to work out how the vile demonic mist, and its more concentrated form, worked, for example. Sadly, attempting to merely turn it on the Outsiders that wielded it proved less effective than we hoped. But in that, we began to better understand their life force, their mindsets, and most importantly of all, their understanding of Power.’You glance at Piccolo for a moment, who seems to be charging up his Spiral Beam Cannon, while Don and Bon are closer to the larger crystal. Basilea meanwhile has a barrier set up with Haru Haru’s help, and… you think you kinda recognize it from the Mifan Tournament? Yeah, that’s sorta the thing she used against Peppa and Keli! …Getting distracted. Anyway! ‘Glance over here if it won’t distract you.’ you telepathically tell Piccolo and Basilea, trying your best to pantomime what exactly Darutanias’ explanation to this all is.It’s working! …You think!Still, he continues, ‘The… Queen and I had a bit of a disagreement on how to properly go about bringing peace and security to our people. She thought that using the powers of a fractured god could allow us to achieve apotheosis, becoming as gods ourselves and making even the most mighty and obstinate Outsider bend the knee. Or rather, she believed SHE would be best fit to achieve apotheosis, while I thought such power would be better put to use distributed among those deserving of it. Augmented further by… by…’ At least a dozen eyes are focused on you as you’re pantomiming. ‘…What exactly are you doing?’(cont.)
>>5836916“If you MUST know, I am directing them.” you respond, thinking quickly. Shit how do you convince him that- WAIT, OF COURSE! “There are methods Nemuria seems to not have considered. Boys!” you call out to Don and Bon, quickly telepathically telling Piccolo to hold off on his attack. They match over to you with a slightly confused look on their faces. “The Dance.”They get an excited look on their faces, then give a quick nod. And so, the demonstrate to the mass of ooze and eyeballs (and Haru Haru, who gives you a glare) their Dance.https://youtu.be/vuD0Fe2GPhs?si=9vVuAhKnfAUTK7C_“Boom-Para-Para!~”“Boom-Pa-Pa!”As the two show off their little dance, Darutanias just stares in dumbfounded disbelief. At first. Then you notice the shapeless mass start to move around inside the tube it’s trapped in, against its will. Haru Haru twitches as she does her best to keep herself from moving, still glaring at you. Thankfully you’re just far away enough to not be affected by… this, keeping an air around you like you’re the one in control here.‘I understand, I understand! Please, please, Princess Izumi, you can tell them to stop!’ Darutanias pleads with you.You snap your fingers, the the brothers do a little twirl and pose to end their dance. You then clap for them, both of them bow. “Good work, boys.” The pair head back, and you pantomime that the ploy worked. Up above, and while she’s trying to hide it, you notice even Basilea seems a little amused you were able to pull that off. “Anyway, you were saying, King Darutanias?”‘Y-yes… I was saying, such things would be augmented further by certain trinkets that, while capable of adding a bit of strength to certain demonic outsiders, would also keep them in line with those who’ve achieved their own more controlled versions of apotheosis, utilizing the Dreamstone you’re attempting to retrieve right now.’With that explanation finished, Piccolo fires his attack, making sure it’s actually slower but more focused than normal, as it drills into the larger crystal just enough that it reaches the Dreamstone, but doesn’t hit. The whole place shudders for a moment, and then again when the Para Para Brothers quickly grab the actual Dreamstone. The barrier holds, thankfully, and Piccolo quickly pulls out the other crystal and stretches his arm down into the hole he made, setting it there. It begins to react with the surrounding larger crystal, and the creaking of metal and flowing of water outside the barrier eases a bit until it finally ceases.“Job one done, boss!” Bon Para declares, holding up the Dreamstone.‘Hmm… I believe that will hold for a time, but it doesn’t have the same give as the Dreamstone proper. Let’s not stay in this area for long.’ Darutanias comments, and honestly you couldn’t agree more.(cont.)
>>5836918Meanwhile, over with Cheelai, she and your copy have finished sorting out the crystals and doing some scans of the ship, and the surrounding structure. “Aha, and not a moment too soon.” your multi-form copy declares. “We got some Dreamstone.”“Great! What does that leave us with?”“Melchior’s tools…” you start, and then look over at the live feed from the ROV. “…and the Gin.”>DRAGON BALL TUFFLE QUEST KAI #52… Paused.>Twitter account is @KatoQm, will have status updates there>Got some questions for the QM? Suggestions? Throw them at ask.fm/QMKato and I’ll try to answer them as best I canAll right folks, that’s all for tonight! We’ll be back tomorrow ~6:30 pm PST. Did y’all have fun? Thank you all for playing, and stay safe out there!
>>5836919Goodnight!>>5836843>>5836854Thanks for playing with me, Exen.
>>5836918He absolutely deserved it.Fantastic work, Kato.
Glad you had fun! And okay, we are back!>>5836919The twins help you all regroup back at the base camp, Cheelai jumping back behind your copy as she sees the thing Haru Haru is holding. “What in the…?!”“It’s cool, we got it under control.” you tell her, rejoining with your copy, to the interest of Darutanias. “Anyway, looks like we’ve got our next two stops set. Recovering some of the tools, or the special stop.”‘I have a suggestion of my own.’ Darutanias tells you. ‘If you can convince your underlings to head into the Palace, we should be able to find some useful Magical artifacts, and more likely than not a way to return me to human form.’That… is an option, you guess. But how are you gonna transport ‘em? He’s probably able to fit in the sub, but it’ll be a bit of a tight fit…>A. Workshop first, get those tools and you’ve got all the important stuff you need out of here>B. Get the gin, no telling how much those mermaids might be back for>C. Okay, we’re listening, King Darutanias, where in the palace should we head to?>D. Keep ‘em in the sub for now, but tell someone to keep an eye on ‘em>E. Hey, Haru Haru, you can store things inside you, right?>F. Something else?
>>5837702>A. Workshop first, get those tools and you’ve got all the important stuff you need out of here
>>5837702>F. Convince Haru Haru and Shun Shun, pop a capsule while reciting the magic spell: "Ba da ba ba ba!">G. Haru Haru, you're the Lava Expert. Pretty please hook D'Artagnan's tube up to the Sub's Lavatory. A Lavatory is a thermally isolated chamber in the vehicle for storing cargo.
>>5837702>B. Get the gin, no telling how much those mermaids might be back forAnd for this, switch over to the Izumi with Cheelai, head with Cheelai to get the gin so we can store it on the sub
>>5837702>A & C.>F. Tell KD that space is limited but we can always come back. Ask him what artifacts are most important to grab right now. Expect the answer to benefit him especially.
>>5837702Hit vote:>B.>C.>F.>Split into teams, one team on Booze Run, Izzy with Piccolo and Dalton to find out what his secret bullshit is
>>5837702“Okay, we should split up into teams for this. Piccolo, let’s head into the palace, King Darutanias has some things we can look into, so you’re with me. Haru Haru, we’ll need you to keep ‘em safe.” you begin, then look over to Cheelai. “We still need to get the stuff the mermaids have been stealing. Cheelai, you’re on point for that.”She nods. “Got it boss.”Piccolo gives the tube a bit of a side-eye, then asks you telepathically, ‘Are you sure this is wise, Izzy?’‘Yeah, don’t worry. I’ve got a good read on this guy by now.’ You look to everyone else. “And we still need those tools. So, three teams. Who’s on what?”Basilea glances at you as she heads to the sub. “I’ll assist Cheelai.”“Boss, permission to retrieve the tools?” Don Para asks.“Granted. Shun Shun, you wanna help them?” you ask.“Fine, whatever, I’ll babysit them.” she grumbles.“Okay, then teams are set. Let’s get going!”You all head off, with you calling forth the Mahou Knight once more as Piccolo makes a barrier around himself, Haru Haru holding on to the tube as she enters the water with the three of you. As you make your way out of the ship, you once again get the… foreboding feeling that something’s out there, observing you. You look back to Darutanias, and the eyes in the tube keep bubbling around randomly, each one of them seeming nervous, dreading something, almost. Getting to the courtyard area, you notice movement further off, sensing some weak Ki signatures, and detecting… Power Levels in the 40’s - 60’s. They’re also keeping a VERY healthy distance from you all, but they’re at least… aware of you, you think. Yet they’re not what are giving you that uneasy vibe. At least, you think.The entrance to the palace turns out to be quite large, enough that even the Mahou Knight can fit through it. And… that eerie feeling that you’re being watched is growing stronger. You make it to a central hallway, noticing another barrier of sorts providing an air pocket again. However, you can’t actually see any crystal that should be providing such a barrier. Weird.>A. All right, King Darutanias, lead the way. Point out what you think would be the best place to go to first>B. So… you’ve been able to sense it too, right, Darutanias? Any clues as to what that ominous feeling is?>C. Send out a telepathic message to the people you assume are the mermaids that’ve been spying on you all from the outside, show you mean no harm>D. Something else?Once more,>DRAGON BALL TUFFLE QUEST KAI #52… Paused.>Twitter account is @KatoQm, will have status updates there>Got some questions for the QM? Suggestions? Throw them at ask.fm/QMKato and I’ll try to answer them as best I canAll right folks, that’s all for tonight! We’ll be back tomorrow ~6:30 pm PST, vote open until then. Did y’all have fun? Thank you all for playing, and stay safe out there!
>>5837957>C. Send out a telepathic message to the people you assume are the mermaids that’ve been spying on you all from the outside, show you mean no harm>D. Switch over to our cloneThanks for running!
>>5837957>>5837967Sypporting, Mermaids are cool.
>>5837957>C. Send out a telepathic message to the people you assume are the mermaids that’ve been spying on you all from the outside, show you mean no harm>B. So… you’ve been able to sense it too, right, Darutanias? Any clues as to what that ominous feeling is?>>5837967We remerged with our clone. >“It’s cool, we got it under control.” you tell her, rejoining with your copy, to the interest of Darutanias. “Anyway, looks like we’ve got our next two stops set. Recovering some of the tools, or the special stop.”
>>5837957>B.
>>5837957>B & C.
>>5838250Oh dang that slipped by me. Thanks for the save!>>5837957Adding>E. Make a CloneTo >>5837967
>>5837957>>5838720Supporting!
Okay, we are back!>>5837957You focus your mind on some of the Ki signatures outside, making it look like you’re deep in thought, and send out telepathic messages to them. ‘We are not here to bring harm. We are just on a mission to recover certain things, and hopefully prevent the abuse of dangerous artifacts that remain here. We come in peace, and want to leave in peace.’There’s a silence that almost suggests they aren’t capable of any telepathic communication. But then you get an ominous message back. ‘Then why do you bring a would-be tyrant with you?’Opening your eyes and looking to Darutanias, you give a very simple but firm response to the one who sent that message. ‘Because I need to know what he’s planning, and keeping an eye on him is better than leaving him to his own devices and aware of us. He won’t bring harm to you either. You have my promise.’‘We will hold you to that.’You place your hands on your hips and address Darutanias next, asking, ‘You’ve been able to sense it too, haven’t you? There’s something out there, aware of us, spying on us, and with an ominous vibe to it.’‘It… should be nothing to be concerned about.’ he replies, and it sounds more like he’s trying to convince himself than anything else.‘You know what it is. Let’s hear it.’https://youtu.be/QyGAmIYljxU?si=kGF0q40aAtSET2y1‘...Our Queen’s attempt at Apotheosis involved using the fractured remains of a dead god. Some of those fractured pieces are still out there. Conscious, but not in a way you or I are. Not even in the way many Outsiders are. A powerful being like yourself, able to command demons and monsters and other Outsiders, who themselves have great power at their disposal, will draw the attention from one of the fragments.’…And you’re suddenly worrying a bit about Cheelai now. Sure, she’s got powerful people protecting her, but she also has powerful people around her that this thing’s going to be focused on. Sending a copy of yourself over to her would add just that extra bit of insurance, but it’ll also make maintaining Mahou Knight harder. Should you?>A. Yeah, better safe than sorry. Send a copy their way>B. You can trust Basilea, and Cheelai doesn’t need to be babysat, they’ll be careful>C. Where exactly would this fragment reside?>D. You know what? Boast. Tell him you’ve already faced one of them and turned it into an ally, >E. Something else?
>>5838802>it’ll also make maintaining Mahou Knight harder.Score.>A. Yeah, better safe than sorry. Send a copy their way
>>5838802>A. Yeah, better safe than sorry. Send a copy their way>C. Where exactly would this fragment reside?>D. You know what? Boast. Tell him you’ve already faced one of them and turned it into an ally,
>>5838802>B.>C.>E. Send a message along to the other teams about our tenuous ceasefire with the ominous watchers.
>>5838802>B. You can trust Basilea, and Cheelai doesn’t need to be babysat, they’ll be careful>C. Where exactly would this fragment reside?>E. Something else?"Could you tell us more about the dangerous and power mad prophet who led a coup against you? Surely they were involved if a piece of a dead demon god is involved."Kinda just realized something. Dudes been down here for over 3000 years and yet he's...fine. Sure he's a goo creature with eyeballs but - he should be either shutdown entirely or gooey insanity. ...so all things considered good or bad Darutanias has a lot of willpower. Then again if he was an asshole before becoming eyeballs and goo, then time probably didn't improve that.
>>5838845I'll support this E.
>>5838802>>5838834Supporting!>E. Barter with the mermaids using surface drinks, Equivalent Exchange!What kinda drinks should we trade?
>>5838802Support>>5838845>>5838848
>>5838854Chateau Frypani, our kingdom's best vintage~!>>5838802and support >>5838854
>>5838862Works for me. I was thinking tequila, but that's probably gonna kill a fish person?
>>5838802>>5838845>>5838848Supporting as well
>>5838802Changing >>5838834to support >>5838848
Sorry, passed out.>>5838802You take a deep breath. No, no, you can trust Basilea, and Cheelai doesn’t need you trying to babysit her. Heck she’s older than you! Still, better to let people know what’s up, both in regards to the mermaids that are likely spying on you all, and… well, potentially another thing like the grub. First thing’s first, ‘Hey, mermaids and others spying on us likely know we’re here, and we got a tenuous ceasefire with them. So like, don’t go smacking ‘em around, be nice and all that.’‘Awwww, lame.’ Shun Shun complains.‘Also be aware of anything else out there watching y’all. We’ll try to handle it, but, y’know, be cautious.’ Okay, that’s all set. Piccolo gives you a nod as he looks at Darutanias now. You cross your arms. “You think the fragment is still around here, right? Any clues as to where it might be?”‘Deep in the depths of this palace complex. Bottom level. It would linger around the machine that tried to tap into its power, that awakened it. Perhaps try to draw in any Magic it could for sustenance.’ he replies. ‘You… will probably get a clearer picture the further in you go.’Of course it would be there. Where else you gonna shove some kind of end boss monster? “All right. Bottom level, just keep going for the ominous feeling.” The mention of a “machine” being out there does bring to mind that thing you saw in the depths of the palace complex up north. Might be something similar down here. Though… that brings another thing to mind. “So I’m curious now, that mad prophet you mentioned, that led a coup against you, can you tell us a bit more about him? I suspect that he’d likely be involved with the fragmented demon god thing too.”‘A vile, devious, and dishonorable cur! Oh how I long suspected he was the reason the Queen lost her mind to ambition. His interest in the princess was likewise suspect, perhaps seeing her as part of his true goal to usurp Nemuria away from its rightful rulers. Often he would speak in esoteric riddle, especially to those he disliked, trying to seem more wise and mysterious than he really was. I suspect he was even involved with Outsiders, working with them in secret while they threatened out people to secure his grasp on power!’ The pitch black fluid is absolutely bubbling in rage, eyes popping in and out as he goes on… honestly what sounds more like conspiratorial rant than statement of fact. ‘The vile curse he cast upon me no doubt was derived from one of the Makyan monsters, if not even stolen from the fragmented god itself…’“Ahem.” you clear your throat. “I… understand a bit better now.”(cont.)
>>5839019Piccolo’s eyes narrow. “Were there any others who may have been working with such a person that we might have to worry about?”‘Hmm… he was often seen discussing matters and getting into debates with our kingdom’s greatest sages. A sage called Melchior especially may have been one of those under his wing, but he was lost to us along with our Queen, our princess, even the young and… ambitious prince.’And that’s suddenly the most enlightening thing he’s said thus far. Melchior may have been involved in some ancient conspiracy against him. You… also realize another thing. This supposed king has been trapped down here for potentially millennia, in a form so alien from his former human body that by all reason, he should have lost his sanity a long, long time ago. Or… maybe he did, already. Maybe he got bored of true insanity and became quite sane, or something approaching it. Then again this assumes he wasn’t a bit of a nut to begin with.In any case, you have options now.>A. Searching for the fragment first might make this all go by much smoother>B. Should lock down securing any artifacts first and foremost, it’ll placate Darutanias a bit too>C. See if Piccolo has a preference, maybe that bracelet of his can help make finding things easier, especially since it’s a Nemurian artifact>D. Haru Haru, what kinds of Magic can you detect in this area? Points of interest and the like?>E. Something else?Sadly, once more,>DRAGON BALL TUFFLE QUEST KAI #52… Paused.>Twitter account is @KatoQm, will have status updates there>Got some questions for the QM? Suggestions? Throw them at ask.fm/QMKato and I’ll try to answer them as best I canAll right folks, that’s all for tonight! We’ll be back tomorrow ~6:30 pm PST, vote open until then. Did y’all have fun? Thank you all for playing, and stay safe out there!
>>5839020>E. None of the above, go deal with the mermaids as yourself, no clone.It's not babysitting our friends, I want to go see the mermaids because I've been looking forward to it and I don't want to see it get sidelined.
>>5839020>B. Should lock down securing any artifacts first and foremost, it’ll placate Darutanias a bit too>C. See if Piccolo has a preference, maybe that bracelet of his can help make finding things easier, especially since it’s a Nemurian artifact>D. Haru Haru, what kinds of Magic can you detect in this area? Points of interest and the like?>E. Something else?Ask the merfolk if we could talk to a representative of theirs first after we deal with all this.
>>5839020>C.>D.
>>5839020Support >>5839598And this E >>5839298
>>5839020Switching my vote from >>5839026To >>5839298's Write-in.A bit more formal than I would have hoped, but at least this plan allows for mermaids, which puts it tail and flippers above the rest.
>>5839020>>5839677Support
Apologies for the delay, but we are back!>>5839020You contact one of the merfolk once more, letting them know that after this is over, you’re more than willing to meet with a representative for them and talk things through. You just have a bit more important of a mission going on at the moment. So. Now the important part.“Piccolo, that bracelet you have is Nemurian in origin, right? Can you sense anything similar to it in the area? Or any other artifacts or points of interest that we might need to look into?”“Gimme a moment to focus on it.” he responds as he closes his eyes, lifting up the arm with it.“Haru Haru, how about you, what’s your read on the Magic in this area, and do you have any points of interest you want to tackle?”Holding the tube with just one arm now, she uses the other to rub her chin, pondering quietly for a bit. “…Vibes are all off. Lots of things in here feel like they’re infused with a malice, human and demon in nature, mixed and vengeful.” She looks to the side, pointing out a doorway underwater. “That way leads to something festering in its cursed existence. While over this way…” Her arm moves away from it, pointing at a wall, but likely indicating something deeper down inside. “…has a number of things that were once human that’ve been stripped of any real human Ki signatures, lying in wait for any who might try to delve into whatever they’re guarding.” She then scrunches her face up, then… licks a finger, holds it to the air, and then puts it back in her mouth. “…Yep. Feels like something important down there too. Almost reminds me of some Ki absorbers that exist in the Demon Realm.”“I’m reading something else down this way.” Piccolo speaks up, pointing to a corridor that’s connected to the air pocket. “Something used to augment the strength of other beings like this bracelet. It’s not quite the same, but it could still be dangerous if it got into the wrong hands.”‘Perhaps you should try to see of the Bibliotheca at the southern-west wing of the third level is intact. I could even potentially help identify useful tomes from such a place.’ Darutanias brings up completely unprompted. Piccolo and the Majin girl both raise an eyebrow at him in suspicon.>A. Let’s go with where Haru Haru suggested>B. Piccolo’s got a point, power-augmenting artifacts could prove dangerous if certain nefarious people got >C. A library filled with Magic tomes? Well why didn’t you say so sooner! Come on, head there>D. Something else?
>>5839827>B. Piccolo’s got a point, power-augmenting artifacts could prove dangerous if certain nefarious people gotPlus we can use them. FOR GOOD!
>>5839827>You just have a bit more important of a mission going on at the moment.Darutanias is way low on my list of priorities, we got stuck gofering for him because you misread a vote. I'm just humoring this because it's not an appropriate time to change course right now, know that I would fucking zoom over to the mermaids if allowed.>A. Let’s go with where Haru Haru suggested>D. Do you have a Discotheca?
>>5839827>B.>D. Get Darutanius talking about the kinds of things in the library. It should be worth checking out on its own merits even if it should wait until our main goals are complete.
>>5839827Support >>5839854
>>5839827>C. A library filled with Magic tomes? Well why didn’t you say so sooner! Come on, head there!
>>5839827>B. Piccolo’s got a point, power-augmenting artifacts could prove dangerous if certain nefarious people got>...Keeping in mind that KD is a certainly nefarious person.>>5839854And support.
>>5839854support
Rolled 19, 12, 6 = 37 (3d20)Okay, real quick, roll me 1d20, best of three. DC is 11!
Rolled 13 (1d20)>>5839865
Rolled 3 (1d20)>>5839865
Rolled 20 (1d20)>>5839865papa needs a new pair of shoes CMON!
Rolled 3, 12, 19 = 34 (3d20)>>5839869>>5839870>>5839871Passed! Nicely done! Writing...
>>5839827“Hm. Power-augmenting artifacts could be quite the problem if certain nefarious people get ahold of them. Let’s target that first.” you state, trying your best to not give Darutanias the side-eye he very likely deserves. “We can check out other areas after that.”“Very well.” Piccolo responds with a nod, taking the lead.https://youtu.be/o5GodBpOQ50?si=8Z7Xq8yA610kjViRThe path you travel down is gloomy and ominously lit, surfaces giving off a slick appearance, but surprisingly not actually very wet. There’s also a sense of… Ki running through them, but not natural life energy like you’re used to. Weird. You have your mech keep a scan running as you approach the room, then decide to keep Darutanias talking. “So that library you mentioned, King Darutanias. What might we find there, exactly? You mentioned tomes, and I’d assume they are tomes of Magic, so…”‘Indeed, indeed. Such tomes may be difficult to understand unless you’re capable of reading the Zemurian language, but luckily you have someone with you capable of that.’ he begins, sounding a little smug. ‘Among them should be things like a catalogue of creatures set to guard this palace, spells of protection and warding, development of enchanted objects, technological manuals, and, if we’re lucky, some based in curse removal.’Aha. That’s what he’s planning. When you reach the room Piccolo’s identified as a point of interest, you see that it’s a place with chunks of the floor recessed into what looks like some kind of void, glowing a baleful white. On the other side of the chamber, there’s an orb of some kind floating in a barrier, though your mech’s picking up on several unusual Magical readings around it. Traps of some kind, most likely.(cont.)
>>5839982“Hm.” Haru Haru verbalizes as she rubs her chin again. “We should check to see how any security systems here actually function.” And… she starts slowly moving Darutanais towards the sphere, to his visually increasing worry.“Use something better for that method. Something we don’t want to risk breaking open.” Piccolo tells her. He then materializes a statue of a dragon and sends it towards that orb. As it approaches, an aura of darkness surrounds it, and it… slows down? Piccolo’s eyes narrow a bit, and he telekinetically pushes it a bit harder, but if anything it seems to just slow further. It eventually stops completely. Piccolo holds his hand down.It’s still stuck there, in midair, the green-tinted colors of the statue dulled unusually.“That’s… different.” you remark. Your mech’s sensors are picking up a sort of… distortion in space-time.…Wait.>A. Try and locate any unusual crystal structures in the area, that might allow you to shut this off>B. If this is slowing down that thing’s acceleration, maybe you can find a way to reverse the effect? Speed it up?>C. Instead of trying to move towards that orb, maybe you can pull it out of there?>D. Something else?Sadly, yet again,>DRAGON BALL TUFFLE QUEST KAI #52… Paused.>Twitter account is @KatoQm, will have status updates there>Got some questions for the QM? Suggestions? Throw them at ask.fm/QMKato and I’ll try to answer them as best I canAll right folks, that’s all for tonight! We’ll be back Friday ~6:30 pm PST, vote open until then. Did y’all have fun? Thank you all for playing, and stay safe out there! And if any of ya’ll have Thanksgiving plans tomorrow, I hope they go well!
>>5839983>A. Try and locate any unusual crystal structures in the area, that might allow you to shut this off>B. If this is slowing down that thing’s acceleration, maybe you can find a way to reverse the effect? Speed it up?>D. Let's think about this...Shadow magic. Shadow magic influences gravity and what can effect space-time? GRAVITY SLOWS THE PASSAGE OF TIME.>The stronger the gravity, the more spacetime curves, and the slower time itself proceeds.Therefore we just need to neutralize any shadow magic in the area. Voila!
>>5839983>B. If this is slowing down that thing’s acceleration, maybe you can find a way to reverse the effect? Speed it up?>D. Create some dark magic and pull on/open up the barrier itself. No need to break the machine or the barrier if we can just finesse a path through it.The main benefit to this method is learning something about how that funky barrier works AND how to subvert it. But even if we fail utterly (and don't end up in combat) we can still give >A a shot afterwards. Probably.
>>5839990I'll support this, since it aligns with my post's idea.
>>5839983>B. If this is slowing down that thing’s acceleration, maybe you can find a way to reverse the effect? Speed it up?
>>5839982>“Hm. Power-augmenting artifacts could be quite the problem if certain nefarious people get ahold of them. Let’s target that first.”Is Izzy doing a bit or does she really talk like that?>>5839983>D. Throw Haru Haru and/or Shun Shun at it, black holes are no match for bubble gum!>E. Since we don't ask people to do something we wouldn't do, throw ourself at it too.
>>5839983Support >>5839989>>5839990
>>5839983>>5839990supportin'
Rolled 1, 7, 13 = 21 (3d20)Okay, we're back. With that, roll me 2d20, best of three. DC is 13 for the first, 14 for the second.
Rolled 20, 19 = 39 (2d20)>>5842031
Rolled 20, 5 = 25 (2d20)>>5842031
Rolled 12, 17 = 29 (2d20)>>5842031
Rolled 12, 12, 20 = 44 (3d20)>>5842035>>5842036>>5842037...Hahahahahaahaa. Fantastic job! Writing...
>>5839983https://youtu.be/ZGGrA3iWauw?si=T1WtEmXeTUfvg6FfYou close your eyes and think this over. A space-time distortion, slowing the passage of time for an object instead of just being a barrier. Which means… this is using something similar to Shadow Magic. Crafted with care and finesse, certainly, but at the end of the day you think you can grasp the idea behind it. And if you can do that, you can try to find ways of altering it, either slowing it down, or speeding it up. Or, even better, being very precise with your next maneuver and subverting the magic in place without actually breaking any of the mechanisms using it!Okay Izzy, how are you gonna do this? Opening your eyes up again, you start to channel Shadow Magic into your mech’s hands, a dark aura surrounding them. You approach the barrier, and when you start to feel resistance, you bring your mech’s hands together in a clap, harmonizing the Magic on display with your own. You bring the mech’s hands apart, and in doing so open it up! You let out a laugh of triumph! “HahahahaHAHA!” Oh but you didn’t just overcome that barrier, you’ve picked up the location of the crystal being used to operate it. Namely, it’s located WITHIN that object behind it, though being channeled into the terminal it’s placed on to further boost the protective power it has.…And at the same time, the dragon statue Piccolo made suddenly reverses direction as if it were launched right out of a cannon, with you quickly lifting your mech’s leg to let it pass. Piccolo dodges it. Haru Haru isn’t expecting it, and gut reaction leads to her trying to use the tube containing Darutanias as a shield.There’s a sudden, very girlish shriek that you all hear in your minds, with Piccolo thinking fast moving him out of harm’s way too. The dragon statue crashes into the wall near the entrance and shatters into a million pieces.‘That was… quite close.’“Oh please, like that would have caused any lasting damage with a body as ooze-like as yours.” Haru Haru grumbles.‘It still would have HURT! Ugh, how rude of you…’ he grumbles.“Focus.” Piccolo states and stretches his arm out to grab the item behind the barrier. Which… actually deactivates the whole thing, with only a soft glow coming off the object.>A. Okay, that’s all settled, onto the next point of interest!>B. Hey, Piccolo, can I see that for a bit? I think I’ve got a good handle on how it works, wanna test it>C. Okay maybe I can hold on to Darutanias for a bit, it’ll free you up to help with other things, Haru Haru>D. Something else?
>>5842088>A. Okay, that’s all settled, onto the next point of interest!
>>5842088>B. Hey, Mr. Piccolo, can I see that for a bit? I think I’ve got a good handle on how it works, wanna test it
>>5842088>A.>B>D. Really try not to break it, we want to USE it. Even if we master the technique it's still quite useful as a passive item. Especially if we learn to recreate these crystals - it'll give us options that don't rely on using our dimsensional-barrier-screwing super item.
>>5842088>A. Okay, that’s all settled, onto the next point of interest!>D. Which is outside with the mermaids, these magic items aren't doing it for me.>E. And ditch the gaudy mecha, damn thing is an embarassment.Wings are one thing, but Epaulettes? Gag!
>>5842088>>5842106This is good. Learn that gravtime barrier.
>>5842088Support >>5842106
>>5842088>A. Okay, that’s all settled, onto the next point of interest!>D. "So what do you plan on doing when you're curse is lifted? The world above has changed quite a bit. Culture shock like that might be - well paralyzing." Get a gauge for what his thought process is about it.
>>5842124This is good too
>>5842088>>5842124Supporting in addition to>C. Okay maybe I can hold on to Darutanias for a bit, it’ll free you up to help with other things, Haru Haru
Okay, roll me another 2d20, best of three. DC is 14 for both this time.
Rolled 8, 5 = 13 (2d20)>>5842135
Rolled 10, 14 = 24 (2d20)>>5842132Sure, support >>5842135Rollan
Rolled 9, 6 = 15 (2d20)>>5842135
Rolled 20, 10 = 30 (2d20)>>5842135
>>5842136>>5842138>>5842139Passed one!>>5842140Oooh, so close...Writing...
>>5842140That's rough, buddy.
>>5842088“Okay, let’s get going to the next point of interest, but can I see that real quick, Piccolo?” you ask as you start to head off, holding the mech’s hand out. He gives you the device and you also decide to ask, “Hey, Haru Haru, I can hold him for now, be ready to bust some heads should it come down to that.”She just gives a smirk and tosses you the tube. So, on the one hand, you’ve got the ancient supposed-king of ancient Nemuria who’s absolutely trying to conspire something at this point, but also now aware that you all are out of his league at the moment and probably genuinely terrified. On the other hand, you’ve got a cool barrier device powered by Nemurian crystal tech that you really do want to look into.Okay, that other one first. Your scans do indicate it’s got a set level of power it gives off naturally, or at least as natural as the crystal allows it. However, it’s designed to be integrated into other systems, and with that give a much stronger effect like the one you saw prior. The problem: your mech sorta can’t mesh with it yet. You’ll need a better understanding of the underlying ideas in order to get it to work to its full potential. Maybe you can try the Hakkero another time. But on a more positive note, you can get it to function without integration with little effort. You apply a bit more Shadow Magic into it, and it forms a proper barrier again, if a little small. You take care not to put too much in, don’t want to break it.Okay, that’s good. Now your other question: “So, what do you plan to do once the curse has been lifted and you’re back in a human body? The world above has changed substantially, way more than down here. Culture shock’s likely gonna be a bit… paralyzing, if you’re not prepared for it.” you tell the thing in the tube.‘I have certainly seen shades of that… change in time, but more to the point I would like to start recovering some ancient bits of my people’s history, maybe look into those knowledgeable on the subject and see what’s survived. Perhaps this could be a… fresh start.’ He pauses for a moment, thinking over how he wants to phrase this next part. ‘I will admit, part of me will still wish to return to before the curse was cast, before my people were led astray…’Your eyes narrow slightly. Better… keep any talk of time travel to a minimum. Still, looking for other remnants of Nemuria might also be bad news. But, you attempt to be cordial about it. “I would assume the Royal Academy of Science would be thrilled to have someone like you around.”‘Aha, perhaps you could introduce me to them?’“One thing at a time.”(cont.)
>>5842423Next point of interest is back in a more watery portion of the citadel, and almost immediately you see some… rather ominous sights. Several mannequins with what you think are Ki signatures inside them, their heads very slightly turning to face all of you, watching as you cross. Piccolo keeps his eyes forward and focused, though Haru Haru seems to look down her nose at them, almost daring them to do something.Finally you all reach a larger room, one that looks like another laboratory of sorts, though weirdly it almost has a… theater-like look to it? There’s an observation area up above, even a sort of stage. And on that stage, there’s one last mannequin, this one with a large shield to the side of it, and… an arm wrapped around a device you have a pretty bad feeling about. Its head twists up unnaturally. An aura of darkness surrounds it, as an inhuman sound fills the water. It… has actual demonic Ki in it, but it’s more like an amalgamation of different energies all smashed together.“Be careful. I think this thing can absorb energy.” Piccolo warns as he takes a defensive stance.>DRAGON BALL TUFFLE QUEST KAI #52… Paused.>Twitter account is @KatoQm, will have status updates there>Got some questions for the QM? Suggestions? Throw them at ask.fm/QMKato and I’ll try to answer them as best I canAll right folks, that’s all for tonight! We’ll be back tomorrow ~4:30 pm PST, vote open until then. Did y’all have fun? Thank you all for playing, and stay safe out there!
Okay, we are back!>>5842425As the mannequin monster takes in the sight of you all, it at first seems to try and register who or what you all even are. But then you see its head tilt up slightly at the tube you’re carrying. The pupils of its doll-like eyes suddenly narrow, more inhuman sounds filling the water. They… sound way, way angrier. Furious, even. As she notices this, Haru Haru just moves out of the way, crossing her arms.“What are you doing?” Piccolo asks.“It’s stopped registering most of us as targets.” she replies. “We don’t have any reason to fight it, and if we do we risk it trying to absorb energy from us. Just play keep-away with the blob, if that worries you, and stick to investigating.”>A. Better safe than sorry, let’s take it down>B. She’s got a point, will be easier to just try to keep it from attacking Darutanias>C. Maybe we can capture it! It’s easier to keep it from causing more trouble if it’s locked up in something>D. So. Darutanias. Mind explaining why it’s upset with you?>E. Something else?
>>5843418>A. Better safe than sorry, let’s take it down
>>5843418>C. Maybe we can capture it! It’s easier to keep it from causing more trouble if it’s locked up in something
>>5843418>A. Better safe than sorry, let’s take it down>D. Sned your mech at the blob and have it self-destruct!
>>5843418>B. She’s got a point, will be easier to just try to keep it from attacking Darutanias>D. So. Darutanias. Mind explaining why it’s upset with you?
>>5843418>>5843466Dang it, I meant E. for the write-in.
>>5843418Hit vote:>D.>C.Support
>>5843418Supporting >>5843473
Rolled 20, 3, 1 = 24 (3d20)Okay! Roll me 2d20 again, best of three, DC is 13 for both!
Rolled 8, 16 = 24 (2d20)>>5843481
Rolled 11, 11 = 22 (2d20)>>5843481
Rolled 14, 3 = 17 (2d20)>>5843481
>>5843481Why are your dice so bipolar lately?
Rolled 14, 2, 11 = 27 (3d20)>>5843488>>5843489>>5843491Passed both! Writing...
>>5843418“So. Darutanias.” you address as you look at him underneath your mech’s arm. “You gonna explain why this thing’s so angry with you?”‘Well… I admit I have no… personal awareness of what that is.’ he very obviously lies. ‘But perhaps it sees the form I am in and finds it repulsive, dangerous, even! All the more reason to return me to a human body.’There’s a screech of rage, followed by a psychic message of ‘KWOYNEH’ that’s just filled with dripping malice and hatred, a message it repeats as it starts to approach.“See, it has its target, and it clearly wants some kind of revenge on it.” Haru Haru comments. “Almost tempted to just say we leave the thing as bait for it elsewhere so this… whatever it is doesn’t bother us.”‘Wait wait wait! I uh, just remembered! It might be… some kind of experiment performed by, uh, the followers of the mad prophet that wish to bring about the demise of the royal family?’ he speaks up pleadingly.“My, what excellent timing to recall such a piece of information.” you say in an emotionless monotone that’s still filled to the bring with sarcasm. “Whatever. Leaving it alone could give us problems, but as it is now, it’s no major threat. I’ve got another idea: let’s capture it!”‘...What?’ Darutanias asks in utter bewilderment.Piccolo gives an approving nod, while Haru Haru rolls her eyes. “Fine, fine, capture it.”It finally leaps with surprising speed at you, though you still dodge its attempt to stab your mech with the device on its other arm. It then holds up the shield, expecting a retaliatory strike. Instead, Piccolo holds it in place with telekinesis while you form a large, reinforced sphere around it, doubled up to keep it from breaking out. Sorta transparent at the top so you can keep an eye on what it’s trying to do. As Piccolo’s hold on it loosens, the thing immediately tries to break out, even releasing a powerful pulse of energy against the sphere, but you’ve reinforced it enough that it’s able to hold.…You’re almost tempted to add a big stripe around the middle of it, and then another circle in the middle of that stripe, and then show it off to Peppa. Ehh, let it calm down first. Then ask your cousin the name of the thing you caught. Hehehehe.“If you’re done playing around with the mannequin demon, I’ve got some good news.” Haru Haru’s voice calls to you. “There are more of these in here. A good deal more.” You and Piccolo approach, and see several more devices like the one the mannequin was holding. It’s still trying to break out, releasing pulses of energy into the sphere you imprisoned it within.>A. Let’s look over the energy containers, see how they work>B. Take a moment to get the thing you’ve captured to calm down, show it you don’t intend harm>C. Gather the stuff up and let’s keep going, we still have a job to do>D. Something else?
>>5843606>C. Gather the stuff up and let’s keep going, we still have a job to do
>>5843606>B. Take a moment to get the thing you’ve captured to calm down, show it you don’t intend harm>Hum some dragon lullabies to it
>>5843606>A. Let’s look over the energy containers, see how they work>Don't actually spend extra time investigating, just confirm or rule out any immediate risks or unpredictable elements to them. If they're kettles of evil, make sure they stay sealed, separate from the others, and that they do not interfere with our Jar of Jellied Jerkface.Then>C. Gather the stuff up and let’s keep going, we still have a job to do
>>5843606Supporting >>5843610Sounds cute!
>>5843615>>5843606Supporting
>>5843606Hit supports >>5843615And so do I, also this >>5843610
>>5843606>D. Demech and hop onto the sphere like pic related.>C. Gather the stuff up and let’s keep going, we still have a job to doWahaha, we are the best at Super Monkey Ball!
Rolled 5, 6, 5 = 16 (3d20)Okay, real quick roll of 1d20, best of three this time! DC is 10!
>>5843606>B. Take a moment to get the thing you’ve captured to calm down, show it you don’t intend harm>C. Gather the stuff up and let’s keep going, we still have a job to do>D. Something else?"Why didn't they simply execute you instead of turning you into this? This seems like a lot of trouble to imprison someone like yourself."
Rolled 2 (1d20)>>5843632Damnit, too late.
Rolled 4 (1d20)>>5843632
Rolled 16 (1d20)>>5843632Rollan'And support >>5843633
Rolled 16 (1d20)>>5843632
Rolled 12 (1d20)>>5843632FUG
>>5843634>>5843635>>5843636>>5843637Passed! Writing...
C'mon, you can do it!
>>5843606Okay, first thing’s first. You approach the thing carefully, having your mech hold its hand out gently, in a calming manner. “Hey, hey, listen, we’re not here to hurt you.”‘Y-you’re not?! Are you sure that’s wise?’ Darutanias questions.‘Of course. We showed you the same courtesy.’ you respond telepathically, eyes narrowed as you look at the tube containing him.‘...Touche.’Focusing back on the trapped mannequin demon, you tell it, “I know you’re upset. I know you were hurt by something, someone. But it will be okay.”It brings up the shield again as you get closer. It’s not trusting you just yet, letting out another pulse of energy as it attempts to break free. The doll-like eyes on it once again focus on the tube containing Darutanias. The shield bashes against the orb and it once more lets out a psychic declaration of ‘KWOYNEH’.https://youtu.be/OVyuJYTtkW4?si=6Uwkv86gZccyUEQZYou close your eyes and think. How are you gonna get it to calm down? …Wait, wait you’ve got it! A lullaby you and mom would sing or hum to Icarus when he got upset and scared by something. As you share this with the captured thing, you have the mech kneel a bit to ensure the thing knows you’re serious about not trying to harm it. The shield arm lowers, the device in the other arm no longer pointed at you, ready to strike. It still lets out a wary ‘…kwoyneh…’ psychically but it at least isn’t going to hurt itself trying to get out.“All right lil’ guy, you’ll be safe.” You bring the orb over with you, then decide to give a quick look over the energy containers that Haru Haru found. A few of them seem to be broken, some actually taken apart and maybe in a state of repair before they were left behind, while others seem to have just been subject to the seawater damage. A few are intact… and one or two seem to be sorta malfunctioning, passively trying to gather energy from the surrounding area, while some are genuinely filled to the brin with malicious power. Okay, sealing those up and away from the rest so they don’t cause any problems, or get close to the tube you’re carrying around. You then decide to start moving on, leaving the gathering of the useful ones to Piccolo and Haru Haru while you lug around Darutanias and the mannequin demon.(cont.)
>>5843798‘I still am not sure it is… wise bringing that thing with you.’ Darutanias says. ‘Namely because it does not seem to still have much of a reasoning mind left.’Your mech’s head turns to face the jar of jellied jerkface. ‘Would you rather it be out of sight, using what’s left to try to plot against you?’‘Point… taken…’ he responds in defeat.…You know this does make you curious now. “So, there’s something I’ve been wondering ever since we learned about how you were sealed away into this form. Why keep you like this? Why’d the prophet you were enemies with and whatever conspirators may have been scheming against you leave you to this fate instead of just… getting rid of you for good?”There’s a pause as many of the eyes look to you. ‘What do you think would cause a King more pain? An assassination and potential martyrdom as he tries to rally his people to rebuilding after a great calamity? Or a betrayal and eternal imprisonment, knowing that a kingdom was in the hands of the traitors, and that it would be led down a path of ruin?’“They still could have sent something after you to ensure you could never rise again.” you point out. “Or prevent someone from trying to rescue you like we’re doing now.”‘Few would still be able to reach these depths after the downfall. Those that could like those… Outsiders and inhuman beasts that ruled the waves had no love for our people, much less their rulers. They would leave me to fester, to live in disgrace. A century ago they even hosted TOURS that skirted the edges of this place, making this a monument to Nemuria worthy to nothing but their mockery.’‘...kwoyneh…’ the mannequin lets out, anger still bubbling under the surface. Anger at Darutanias, and him alone.That’s not the full story. It might be as much as you can get out of him for now, but he’s clearly omitting parts of it.>A. What does that word mean, anyway? The one it keeps repeating>B. Well, we’ve done these parts, let’s head to that library area you mentioned>C. Get back to the air pocket and see if you can work out just what exactly the mannequin thing is, and what you can do for it>D. Something else?And once more,>DRAGON BALL TUFFLE QUEST KAI #52… Paused.>Twitter account is @KatoQm, will have status updates there>Got some questions for the QM? Suggestions? Throw them at ask.fm/QMKato and I’ll try to answer them as best I canAll right folks, that’s all for tonight! We’ll be back tomorrow ~6:30 pm PST, vote open until then. Did y’all have fun? Thank you all for playing, and stay safe out there!
>>5843800>A. What does that word mean, anyway? The one it keeps repeating
>>5843800Hit vote:>B.>A. conversationally, while we're on the way.
>>5843800>>5843809>>5843840support>D. "From the context clues I'm given, it's like punishment, or payment right? Even life sentences are allowed a chance to appeal their case or go on parole."
>>5843800>B. Well, we’ve done these parts, let’s head to that library area you mentioned
>>5843800>>5843840Supporting, though it could be a "je neh sais kwoy"
>>5844214Not sure an ancient court would have modern laws, but we can ask.>>5843800Supporting, and>B. Well, we’ve done these parts, let’s head to that library area you mentionedWe can look for a lawbook there either way it'll be another language.
>>5844601Support. I wonder if the Nemurians have spells to keep the tomes from degrading with time. That'd be a useful spell to add to our magic materialization.
>>5843800Yeah these are good>>5844214>>5844660
Sorry again for the delay, but we are back!>>5843800“So, can you point out the direction to that library area again?” you ask.‘The Bibliotheca should be at the south-west wing, third level. There should be a path nearby that will lead you in that direction.’“All right, I’ll follow the directions.”You all continue onward, passing through more mannequins that watch you all as you pass through the halls. Eventually you happen upon what looks like a massive elevator shaft, wide enough to put a whole Capsule House in. The actual elevator is gone, but you can easily maneuver through it, and start to head up the next levels. On the third, you start getting the directions on where to go from Darutanias. And all along the way, you keep hearing the mannequin repeating that same word.Now you’re kinda curious. “What does that mean, by the way?” you question. “That word it keeps repeating, ‘kwoyneh’. I mean context clues kinda imply it’s something to do with like… punishment, imprisonment? Or like, paying a debt through those things.”‘You are… mostly correct.’ Darutanias responds hesitantly. ‘It would be slightly more correct to say it denotes being imprisoned, punished, as the payment for a transgression. Perhaps describing the thing’s current predicament. My own current state is quite similar, wouldn’t you say?’An inhuman, psychic growl of anger comes out of the mannequin. “Doesn’t seem that it agrees with that.” Haru Haru remarks.“From what you’ve said, it could also roughly translate as ‘vengeance.’” Piccolo adds in, eyes narrowing. “And it does seem to hate you, specifically.”‘Well, that’s… also one way to put it.’ he admits almost sheepishly. ‘In any case, its mind may be filled with that thought through years upon years of such a tortured existence.’Haru Haru rolls her eyes. “If you say so.”(cont.)
>>5844812“What ancient laws would allow for such a thing in the first place? Even our modern ones that set life sentences allow for some kind of parole, with the rare edge cases being those who literally need to be sealed away due to the immense threats they pose.” you bring up, knowing he’s going to try to change the topic of conversation anyway, so you’re taking a more lateral movement to get him to talk more.‘Certain crimes required a more drastic punishment, especially those involving abuse of certain Magics. Say for example someone is able to recklessly augment their natural talents by overdosing in enchantments, with those augmented Magical powers potentially running rampant. They would still need to be punished, but they also need to be kept from making the situation they are in worse. Similar to those edge cases you mention, it would be more… humane to seal them in something that can dampen the rampancy of the Magic.’ he responds, sounding almost like he’s rehearsed that answer. ‘Though with the prophet taking the reigns, I’d imagine those drastic punishments might end up more common, and used in less human ways.’ He pauses, then notes, ‘Hallway to the right, then sharp left into the larger chamber.’https://youtu.be/oD1fCifMgZQ?si=9ERkr6PHCL09uwLgYou follow those directions, and finally, you reach the library. It’s an absolutely enormous, cylindrical room, filled to the brim with tomes after tomes of books, though you notice that a lot of them are likely way more damaged than the others. The pathway leading into it is broken and fractured, but you notice some chunks still floating near it, as if still connected by an invisible beam or rope.>A. Should start gathering up whatever ones are still relatively intact, save as much of this as you can>B. Okay, we’re at where you wanted us to be, do you know which tome will help you, Darutanias?>C. If this thing has been unjustly punished just like you, maybe we could find a tome that’ll reveal a way to help it. Might be best we do that first, since a King’s duty is to his subjects, no?>D. Something else?
>>5844813>A. Should start gathering up whatever ones are still relatively intact, save as much of this as you can
>>5844813>C. If this thing has been unjustly punished just like you, maybe we could find a tome that’ll reveal a way to help it. Might be best we do that first, since a King’s duty is to his subjects, no?
>>5844813>D. Give the place a thorough scan. If anything in here was used to reverse last-resort punishments, it's sure to be protected.>C.
>>5844813>B. Okay, we’re at where you wanted us to be, do you know which tome will help you, Darutanias?>Is it that destroyed one? Or that destroyed one?
>>5844813Look, I don't care to spend any more time here than is needed. We wrote in on the last vote that we wanted to check out their books, so why does this need another vote?>A. Should start gathering up whatever ones are still relatively intact, save as much of this as you can>D. Hurry up, there's only one thing to go to ancient underwater libraries for! We have other stuff we could be doing!
>>5844813>A. Should start gathering up whatever ones are still relatively intact, save as much of this as you can>C. If this thing has been unjustly punished just like you, maybe we could find a tome that’ll reveal a way to help it. Might be best we do that first, since a King’s duty is to his subjects, no?>D. Something else?To Piccolo telepathically "Would the Guardian of Earth of this era have passed any of this information down? Feels like something they should've observed and at least wrote down about.">>5844825support!
>>5844813Support >>5844825Should we try to check with Jaki to see if he has any ideas on what might be relevant or not? Might make the search easier.
>>5844813>>5844825>>5844836Supporting>>5844838Do we have Jaki's number?
>>5844844Does telepathy require a number? If that's too hard we could ask Haru Haru to find him and give him a Scouter or something, though that might defeat the purpose of trying to speed this up...
>>5844838Jaki would be helpful in clarifying stuff. Melchior as well. How far is our telepathy range anyway?
>>5844847We could do an @everyone planet-wide asking for Jaki!
>>5844847>>5844848>>5844850If Jaki and Melchior were useful for this than we would have brought them along. I don't think they would know what's in the ancient library any better than you would know the layout of your childhood grocery store....do you think their advice would speed this along or take up more time?
>>5844848>>5844850Oh. We could just check with Melchior. That's actually more reasonable. >D.Contact Melchior to see if he has any suggestions on books to look for!
>>5844813>>5844860Supporting
Rolled 18, 3, 14 = 35 (3d20)Okay, roll me 2d20, best of three! DC is 11 for both!
Rolled 19, 10 = 29 (2d20)>>5844870
Rolled 11, 20 = 31 (2d20)>>5844870
Rolled 10 (1d20)>>5844870
Rolled 19, 7 = 26 (2d20)>>5844870buh
Rolled 12, 6, 11 = 29 (3d20)>>5844871>>5844872>>5844883And passed both! Writing...
>>5844813https://youtu.be/WGXDgFLTro0?si=6wBPz7KoY9I88vKaYou think over how you’re going to approach this, and it hits you. The ones who helped you get all this started, Melchior and Jaki, they’d know at least a bit about what to look for in a place like this. Not sure you can pick out Jaki immediately, but you know where Melchior is. Telepathically, you contact him and let him know where you are and what’s going on, giving an abridged version of the events. At the same time, you set your mech to start scanning for any energy sources that might stand out among the shelves.‘I figured my tools would still be intact, but it is a surprise to hear the Bibliotheca persists.’ he answers initially. ‘Curious. Still, you don’t quite comprehend the ancient Nemurian language, so simply describing what titles to look for won’t be helpful.’‘What do you propose then?’‘While it has been quite some time since I’ve used it, I still recall our writing structure. Additionally, many tomes are still likely to contain some visual indicators of what is inside them, though they may be a little unusual compared to the norm. I will focus on this visual information, your job will be to try to memorize as much as you can.’‘Got it. Let’s give this a try.’Your eyes close and you focus with intent, and… it works! You get the visual descriptions for what a few words would look like, and their significance. “Memghwos” seems to be the most general descriptor for many Magics (helpfully accompanied by Magic circles, usually), “Kehilos” referring specifically to Healing (depicted with a double circle commonly), “Sehkos” referring to sanctifying rituals and warding of evils (usually with a stylized triangle with the top extended so it looks a bit like an X with a line underneath), and finally “Haertis” referring to sorts of craftsmanship and construction (which can have a number of different symbols near it, but most commonly a hammer shape). You try to then force those images and symbols into the mech’s scanners, and immediately get a few significant reads.‘...Hooh. That’s a bit more exertion than I expected.’ Melchior remarks in a slight daze. ‘Still, that should be the most relevant to you. I do ask that you try to stay safe, young Izumi. While your efforts are recognized and appreciated, be wary of the things that lurk down there.’‘Oh I’m plenty wary. But we’ll be fine. And hey, we still gotta bring you your tools, right?’‘And the gin.’ he reminds you cheekily.‘Cheelai’s on that case, you’ll have more than you know what to do with when we’re done.’ You look around and take notice of one of the readings, spotting Piccolo near it. “Hey, that one a shelf above you looks undamaged and rather ornate. Might be worth checking out.”(cont.)
>>5844987He looks up and reaches for it, pulling it down. The actual writing is locked up in a solid ceramic, and with the hammer symbol on the cover accompanied by at least one word containing “Haertis” you can tell it’s some kind of crafting tome. “Looks like it’s held up remarkably well. Even seems enchanted in some way to keep it from getting damaged.”“Score! Let’s keep looking, guys.” Your mech starts to move out from the path, and telepathically you ask Piccolo, ‘Do you think any of the prior Kamis knew much about things like this place? Things they could have passed down?’‘If they did, it didn’t survive to the time before I split into Kami and King Piccolo, vaults containing such things would only go back a few generations.’ he answers. ‘Though maybe there are parts in the Lookout that they were put in and forgotten about. I’ll check with Trip after we are done.’‘You’ll wander for a while if you don’t actually have a solid idea on what you’re looking for.’ Darutanias remarks.“We’re taking stock in what is and isn’t damaged. Goal is to look for something that can cure you, and the mannequin demon.” you reply, going down a level deeper into the library.‘You still intend on trying to undo that thing’s predicament as well, even if it may have lost most reason in the ages since it was sealed in here?’You have your mech’s head turn and look down at him, sternly, as you respond, “If that thing was unjustly punished like you were, it stands to reason there should be some information gleamed on how it happened in here somewhere. It’d be the best for it. After all, it’s one of your people, and it’s the duty of a king to care for his subjects, no?”There’s a look in many of the eyes that make up his form, as if there’s a bit of silent judgement going on. But he relents with an affirming ‘It is indeed.’“Good. Now let’s get to looking!”It takes a short while, but eventually you do happen upon things that seem relevant to the task at hand, and then some! Turns out there are way more tomes that are intact than initially appeared, a good 20 of them in total that you, Piccolo, and Haru Haru are able to grab. And more to the point, you have ones that seem to be about healing, powerful binding rituals, what you can guess is something about removing magic, and more. Even Darutanias is impressed by the haul.‘This is… perfect, actually. We have everything we need.’“So how exactly will this work?” Haru Haru asks.‘I can read the instructions necessary to heal myself and the mannequin demon you’ve trapped. It may require certain materials, but given the crystals you’ve collected and Princess Izumi’s substantial Magical abilities, it should not take much time. I do recommend you cure me first, that way I can assist in… helping this subject of mine.’(cont.)
>>5844988At the same time, you get further good news. “Booze haul is a success, boss. You’ve got enough to get a whole army plastered.” Cheelai informs you.“We’ve got some of those tools you’ve been looking for too, boss!” Don Para adds in.“Great! Any difficulties in retrieving them?” you ask.“Basilea fended off this sea dragon thing that was guarding the biggest horde of it.” Cheelai tells you. “…Well, fended off is underselling it. It thought it could knock her away, and got thrown around like a toy doll. She then started talking down to it for even daring to challenge her. Kinda overdid it I think, but hey, it worked.”“Shun Shun made… art out the destroyed security machines.” Bon Para says with a shudder.“Of course she did.” Haru Haru says with a bit of a shrug, but also a slight smile.>A. Okay, let’s regroup here in the palace, there’s a place we can make base camp again>B. Best we get the Magic set up now rather than later. Find an air pocket and start healin’!>C. You’ve mentioned multiple times that you’re worried about the mental state of the mannequin, but is there anything we could do to ease its mind?>D. Actually I think it’d be better that you’re healed up last, Darutanias. At least let us practice with this so we don’t make a mistake with you>E. Something else?And once more,>DRAGON BALL TUFFLE QUEST KAI #52… Paused.>Twitter account is @KatoQm, will have status updates there>Got some questions for the QM? Suggestions? Throw them at ask.fm/QMKato and I’ll try to answer them as best I canAll right folks, that’s all for tonight! We’ll be back tomorrow ~6:30 pm PST, vote open until then. Did y’all have fun? Thank you all for playing, and stay safe out there!
>>5844989>A. Okay, let’s regroup here in the palace, there’s a place we can make base camp again>D. Actually I think it’d be better that you’re healed up last, Darutanias. At least let us practice with this so we don’t make a mistake with you>E. Secretly make a plan to handle Darutanias if he causes any trouble after being fixed
>>5844989>>5845060Sounds good. The plan? Kill him.
>>5845060>A. Okay, let’s regroup here in the palace, there’s a place we can make base camp again>D. Actually I think it’d be better that you’re healed up last, Darutanias. At least let us practice with this so we don’t make a mistake with you>E. "We need to make sure this place won't come down on us if as a contingency to keep you trapped. I'd also rather not turn you back to human, just for you to rapidly age the lost years in a few seconds." Izzy's watched Indiana Jones I imagine. (Izzy-iana Jones?) so these tropes feel like they'd be familiar.
>>5845257Indiana Jones does exist here, albeit as an old computer game franchise meant to teach geographical trivia.
>>5844989>>5845060Seconded. If we had a method to remotwly trigger weakening or disabling him built into the help we provide that could be especially handy. Or just a tracker/spy thing so he can't go be a threat elsewhere.
>>5844989>>5845060Prepare the rice cooker.
>>5844989>B. Best we get the Magic set up now rather than later. Find an air pocket and start healin’!>C. You’ve mentioned multiple times that you’re worried about the mental state of the mannequin, but is there anything we could do to ease its mind?
>>5844989Support >>5845060>>5845746>>5845759
Rolled 1, 3, 3 = 7 (3d20)Okay! We are back! And with that, roll me 3d20, best of three! DC is 13 for the first two, 14 for the last!
Rolled 6, 3, 18 = 27 (3d20)>>5845823
Rolled 20, 3, 3 = 26 (3d20)>>5845823
Rolled 8, 3, 5 = 16 (3d20)>>5845823
Rolled 20, 12, 16 = 48 (3d20)>>5845827>>5845838>>5845850Passed two! Writing...
>>5844989“Okay, everyone, let’s regroup over here, there’s a place in this palace structure we can make a decent base camp.”“Got it boss, see you there.” Cheelai confirms.“We’ll regroup with you shortly!” Don Para declares.As you head off, you let Darutanias know, “Whatever spells we attempt, it might be better that we wait just a bit on getting you back to normal. At least until we have a proper grasp on how this kind of Magic operates. Better we iron things out before we turn you into like, a rapidly aging pile of bones or something.”‘That… would be ideal, yes.’ he responds hesitantly. He initially seemed disgruntled at the thought of waiting, but putting that image in his head has tempered that reaction.“Also, you have brought up worries about your subject’s mental state before, but might there be something in the texts we’ve recovered that could help with that?” you inquire.There’s a clear pause of hesitation. ‘…I would not get your hopes up. But the possibility exists, yes.’“Good. Also, let us know ahead of time if there’s some load-bearing structures in here. Don’t want this crashing down on us.”‘Of course, of course.’Back towards the entrance, Shun Shun teleports the boys to your group, and you decide it’s better to get things over with quickly. Piccolo and Haru Haru set down a number of the tomes that’ve been collected, especially the ones relevant to the task at hand, and Darutanias reveals how to properly open them up. At the same time, you telepathically ask Piccolo, ‘Hey, you got anything you can use to subvert Darutanias’ sudden yet inevitable betrayal once he’s back to a more human form? Maybe we could seal him away in something… oh! Like a rice cooker!’Piccolo raises an eyebrow. ‘...The part of me that remembers being in that state wants to glare at you. The part of me that remembers being Kami finds your request reasonable. In either case, I can do that, but I don’t know how necessary that’d be. The fool’s overconfident in his own abilities, and even moreso the idea that he’s been the one manipulating you.’‘Better safe than sorry.’ you say, and spot him subtly materialize one.(cont.)
>>5846115https://youtu.be/40BZyMdDG4s?si=cybejC-hvfKawN1DFinally you happen upon something that you think might work. It’s in one of the books on healing arts, and according to Darutanias it MIGHT, just might, be the key to healing this thing’s mind. The mannequin demon still lets out one last angry ‘Kowyneh.’ towards him even as he attempts to help you with this.Okay, he next says it’s a bit of a two-step process. One involves having it being able to reclaim its humanity through excising much of the demonic energies that permeate its body, which should help with its mental state. The next is using that as the basis to bring it into a more human state, instead of being stuck in a body like that. He seems much more interested in that part, but you’re able to keep him focused on this task.Now, the moment of truth. Setting the sphere down, engraving certain symbols into the sides of it, and having the Majin girls hand you some of the crystals and embedding them into the center of it, you finally step back with your mech, holding its hands out. Now, the declaration: “Yugo… Kaijo… SHOUKAN!”A light fills the sphere as you pour your power into it, followed by the inhuman screeches you’d heard before, though now they seem more… raw. As if they were no longer being held back by whatever vessel they were contained in. The light that filled the orb is now clouded out with darkness, swirling masses of furious spirits crashing against it. And… cracks start to form. Oh that’s not good.“I got it.” Shun Shun says nonchalantly, stretching a limb out far and wide to cover the whole thing before you can even get a word of warning out. That proves to be a mistake, as the spirits seem to suddenly jump out from the sphere and into her! “OW! SHIT! GAH!”“Sister, that was stupid.” Haru Haru remarks dryly, not really concerned.‘They will be looking for a new vessel to leap into. You provided an easy one.’ Darutanias says as if she should have known better.“VERY FUNNY! EW! GAH! HOW DO I GET THESE OUT?!” she growls in response.“Remove your limb!” Basilea’s voice commands as she reaches the air pocket. Shun Shun does as told, autotomizing her arm. “HELL BLITZ!” she declares as she launches a Demonic Ki blast at the limb, destroying it completely.(cont.)
>>5846119While that happens, the light in the sphere returns. The massive shield the mannequin was holding falls and breaks, while the limb containing the Ki absorber changes back into a more normal one, holding a staff. But… the light fades, and it seems to do so prematurely, as the mannequin’s body, while taking on a more humanoid, even feminine appearance, doesn’t become fully human. Instead, the limbs and body structure still look rather doll-like, especially at the joints, but there seems to be more… “life” in it, for lack of a better term. There’s a structure at the head now that resembles hair, and more of a proper, and expressive face. The body of the mannequin falls to its knees, at first attempting to pant in exhaustion, only to realize she… can’t really breathe. There’s an initial bout of panic, but she calms a bit as she looks out the clear part of the orb. Her head tilts curiously.A voice, feminine, cautious, and both spoken and broadcast psychically, calls to you questioningly, “Serwehyeti…?”Ah. Language barrier, still. She also looks really confused.‘Well, you were right. It seems to still require some fine-tuning.’ Darutanias says nonchalantly.>A. Just show her you mean no harm, even if she can’t comprehend you completely>B. Should we try again, see if we can get her healed all the way?>C. Okay your turn Darutanias, come on, let’s get ya fixed!>D. We should get her out of here first, ask someone who can teleport to bring her over to Melchior, he’d know how to communicate with her better>E. Something else?And again,>DRAGON BALL TUFFLE QUEST KAI #52… Paused.>Twitter account is @KatoQm, will have status updates there>Got some questions for the QM? Suggestions? Throw them at ask.fm/QMKato and I’ll try to answer them as best I canAll right folks, that’s all for tonight! Calling it a bit early so I don’t end up passing out trying to write the next update. We’ll be back tomorrow ~6:30 pm PST, vote open until then. Did y’all have fun? Thank you all for playing, and stay safe out there!
>>5846122>C. Okay your turn Darutanias, come on, let’s get ya fixed!Thanks for running.
>>5846122>B. Should we try again, see if we can get her healed all the way?Rather not leave her in this half-life state...then>D. We should get her out of here first, ask someone who can teleport to bring her over to Melchior, he’d know how to communicate with her better
>>5846119>Now, the declaration: “Yugo… Kaijo… SHOUKAN!”Yūgō janai, Yugo da!>>5846122>A. De-mech. Hug!>E. "Happy, joy-py, nice-to-meetcha-py!"
>>5846122>A. Just show her you mean no harm, even if she can’t comprehend you completely>>5846135Supporting E, but not the hug.
>>5846122>A.And support >>5846129
>>5846122>>5846129Supporting
>>5846823Support!
Rolled 11, 4, 3 = 18 (3d20)Okay, we're back! And with that, roll me 2d20 once more, best of three! DC is 13 for both!
Rolled 10, 16 = 26 (2d20)>>5847420
Rolled 2, 6 = 8 (2d20)>>5847420
Rolled 17, 10 = 27 (2d20)>>5847420
Rolled 11, 5, 18 = 34 (3d20)>>5847427>>5847430>>5847431Passed both! Writing...
https://youtu.be/-DkwAYVIK_s?si=USnJ6Uz-YKZTm1Jk
>>5846122https://youtu.be/OksDoUW1oxE?si=-uh73f9WHc4PPoWhYour mech kneels down on one knee as the mannequin girl looks to you cautiously. “We mean you know harm.” you say in the calmest, most welcoming tone you can. “We wish to help you return to normal.” Her doll-like eyes stare at your mech, her hand still on the interior of the sphere. She understands that you’re non-threatening, but doesn’t quite seem to comprehend your words. Uh. “Happy… joy-py… nice-to-meet-ya-py?” Aaaaand nope. Think… oh! OH RIGHT! Powering down from your mech, you show yourself as you are, to her clearly increasing surprise. “Memghwos.” you say as you point to yourself, then add, “Kehilos.” and gesture at her.The look in her eyes seems a bit more understanding, a slow nod of her head. She looks down at herself, watching as her limbs move. There’s a melancholic frown on her face, and she sits back in the sphere. Basilea approaches the tube containing Darutanias and demands, “You can understand her, can you not? Help translate.”‘That’s a rather rude way to make such a request.’ he responds.“She has a point though. You can speak to her. You can help her understand she’s not under any threat, and that Izumi’s trying to help her.” Piccolo adds in.There’s a clear hesitation in that, but he lets out a ‘Very well.’ and sends a psychic communication to her.Her head raises up, and instead of the softer, if confused, look on her face, there’s a glare, filled with resentment, anger, wrath. “Puehnor! Dusmenes!” She now rises to her feet, grabbing the staff in her hand and even pointing it towards the tube containing Darutanias, and you feel a Magical buildup within it. “TWE KWOYNEH-! …Ngh… k-kwoyneh…” Her limbs seem to give up on her and she goes limp, like a puppet without its strings.(cont.)
>>5847665You place your hands against the clear part of the orb, telling her again, “Hey, hey, it’s okay, we really aren’t here to hurt you. We’re trying to help.”“What did you say?” Basilea asks with a growl.‘I said nothing more than describing our situation, honest!’ he replies in protest. ‘She took exception to something bizarre and looked like she was about to try to attack. Might have even hurt herself in the process.’She sits up again, still glaring at Darutanias, but she looks to you again. You give her a calm smile, promising, “We’re gonna help you. It wasn’t quite complete, but we’re not giving up just yet.” And for emphasis, you say again as you gesture to her, “Kehilos.”She eases up, sitting down patiently, though she still looks over her limbs again with a slight frown. “So what exactly went wrong, as far as you can tell?” Piccolo questions Darutanias.‘Well… it may be that there’s not as much very much original organic material to really reconstruct her old body with.’ he answers. ‘So the best any Magical healing could do is replace the body that currently existed with a closer approximation.’“Oh, so she just needs some more human organic material?” Shun Shun questions, drawing attention to her. “Well here.” The Majin girl pulls out a Capsule from her body, tossing it into the air and revealing another container. She opens it up and- …what? There are… several vaguely humanoid but weirdly featureless bodies within it, each in their own test tube like Darutanias. Almost… doll-like, but clearly made of actual flesh.“...Do I want to ask?” you remark dryly.‘Ah, Homunculi bodies.’ Darutanias answers. ‘Magically crafted bodies often used… for medical purposes, such as replacing organs that have been damaged by disease.’“Will it work?” Piccolo asks, trying not to pry any more on the nature of the things.‘Yes, that should be perfect.’ he answers.All right, here it goes. Shun Shun places one of the Homunculi bodies down, and you once again start casting a healing spell. “Yugo… Shoukan!” You have the orb open up, and light fills the girl’s body, as well as the Homunculi body placed near it. It becomes blinding, almost, as the two bodies raise into the air. And… and it works! The Homunculi body is subsumed, and the mannequin-like form is replaced with a true human body for her.A young woman, probably a bit younger than Cheelai, in ancient-looking robes, hair a green color, and giving off a surprisingly strong Magical presence. She looks around herself, eyes filling up with emotion, a smile appearing on her face. “Serwehyeti… gworhtos.” she says to you… and then seems to faint, falling forward. Don and Bon quickly catch her before she faceplants.(cont.)
>>5847670Bon Para looks her over. “Think she’s okay, just exhausted.”“Well, looks like that’s all settled, ey boss?” Don Para asks you.“Almost. Can someone teleport her out of here? It’d be better that she’s given some place to properly rest and recover.” you request, looking over to the Majin twins.“I’ll do it.” Piccolo says as he walks over. “I think I know who you want me to take her to.”“Thanks, Piccolo!” you say with a wide grin.“If you’re headed where I think you are…” Cheelai speaks up, hopping out of the sub and pulling out a Capsule pack. “I think you’d better bring these with you.”“Oh! Right! And this too!” Bon Para exclaims as he gets his own Capsule pack out.Piccolo nods, takes them both and the young woman, then places two fingers on his forehead and vanishes. Melchior’s gonna be happy to have those all back. Which just leaves…‘Now that it’s been shown to be a roaring success, how about we remove this cursed existence from me, Princess Izumi?’>A. All right. We had a deal, now it’s your turn>B. Before we do… we need to have a bit of a talk, about who you REALLY are, ‘King’ Darutanias>C. Wait for Piccolo to get back, so he can put ‘em in the container if necessary>D. There’s still something else down here, in the lowest level. We should probably deal with that before we leave>E. Something else?Once more,>DRAGON BALL TUFFLE QUEST KAI #52… Paused.>Twitter account is @KatoQm, will have status updates there>Got some questions for the QM? Suggestions? Throw them at ask.fm/QMKato and I’ll try to answer them as best I canAll right folks, that’s all for tonight! Pausing it here again, sorry about that, but things should pick up a bit more soon. We’ll be back tomorrow ~6:30 pm PST, vote open until then. Did y’all have fun? Thank you all for playing, and stay safe out there!
Oh hey, a post! I had thought you went off doing pirate things with your first mate.>>5847671>A. All right. We had a deal, now it's your turn>E. [Dirty Fireworks] his cursed existence awayWell, have a good night, see you tomorrow!
>>5847676>doing pirate things with your first mate.Ugh, sorry, how crass of me to insinuate that, so degrading... With your Co-Captain!*
>>5847671>A. All right. We had a deal, now it’s your turnThis will be good practice to undo future curses...>E. Something else?"Do you have any preferred theme music for your return? Here let me cue it up for you. I hope you have a good singing voice your highness."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr2ZnpqikRMNo, no, no stop the music!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ovUxXRpt-wWe need him to make the Aerial Dalton Imperial. I say we humor him with something he won't know isn't ironic.
>>5847671>B. Before we do… we need to have a bit of a talk, about who you REALLY are, ‘King’ Darutanias
>>5847671>>5847691Supporting!
>>5847671Support>>5847691>>5847703
>>5847671>C. Wait for Piccolo to get back, so he can put ‘em in the container if necessaryAnd supporting >>5847691We should use the Para Bros' Vests for this!
>>5848674Backing that write-in
Rolled 15, 11, 11 = 37 (3d20)Okay, and again, we are back! And with that, roll me one more 2d20, best of three! DC is 12 for both!
Rolled 5, 11 = 16 (2d20)>>5848701
Rolled 14, 18 = 32 (2d20)>>5848701
>>5848705Nice!
Rolled 2, 17 = 19 (2d20)>>5848701
Rolled 8, 5, 5 = 18 (3d20)>>5848703>>5848705>>5848708Passed both! Congrats! Writing...
Hey, wouldn't it be funny if Basilea wasn't Princess Misa's daughter?
>>5847671“All right! It’s your turn next, King Darutanias. We had a deal after all. Want music to go with it? We can set it up. Boys, help set it up!” you call out, snapping your fingers, Don and Bon getting their stereo system ready. “Hope you’ve got a good singing voice, heh.”There’s a pleased look in the eyes, though not one that seems to have good intent behind it. ‘Well, my oratory skills are quite extraordinary, though I haven’t quite been much of an actual singer, myself. Still…’https://youtu.be/5LF7uaj8Opo?si=BVVzgZktZ5coEVXrThe boys set a track that sounds appropriately upbeat and energetic, like it’d be set for a triumphant return. But you psychically tell the pair to ready a second one, because…“That’s good. Because there are a couple more questions we have.” you say as you have another one of the Homunculus bodies are placed down on the ground in front of him. “Like the fact that there’s still something down in the depths of this palace structure…” You cross your arms behind your back, with them covered by your cape, as you look at Darutanias with a bit of a side-eye. “And you know more about it than you’ve been letting on.”‘...I am not sure I get what you mean, Princess Izumi.’ he responds.“The machine used to call forth the power of a fractured god, that being’s true nature, and your actual involvement with it, for one.” You ready things for the spell to be cast, but keep talking. “You said we could probably get some better ideas on it the deeper we go towards it, but I’d imagine that’s not the actual extent to your knowledge of it. Am I right, ‘King’ Darutanias?”‘Well, I gave what was most relevant to you at the time-’(cont.)
>>5848852https://youtu.be/fB4wM6TZM3k?si=GEYFDbiiyRKe-pkCYou snap your fingers, indicating for the boys to switch up the song, and face the writing mass in the tube properly and keep a sharp look in your eyes. “It had a counterpart. One that was still active. Still feeding. Still ‘alive’ in a sense. Key word here being ‘had.’ The intent is still to shut down the one here and be rid of it. But you’re aware of the surroundings here enough to know more than just its location. It’s not the first thing I’ve noticed you withholding information on, either.”There’s a beat of silence. You… feel a weird numbness in your mind for a moment, spotting Cheelai rubbing her head, and even the Para Para bros seeming confused by a strange sensation. Basilea ends up on guard, while the Majin twins keep their eyes fixed on the tube. ‘…Are you sure you wish to make an accusation like that?’You shrug. “It’s a statement of observed fact. I’m not naive. Especially given how that young woman reacted to you. Look, I still intend to help you in spite of you not giving us the full story. But I need you to be willing to actually trust us some more.”Another beat of silence. Basilea looks down her nose at the tube, making it clear she hopes he picks his next words very, very carefully. You though keep the sharp but honest look you’ve been giving him. ‘…Very well. The… woman who became that mannequin may have… been part of the prototypes used in the creation of the machine. The technology behind it is based in part on my designed for puppeteered golems, as a method of control.’ he begins, several eyes closing. ‘The intent was to connect a method of control to our best, strongest, and most skilled, to use that fractured god’s powers to control those who would threaten Nemuria. To turn our foes into our guardians. Things did not go as intended, the Queen can be thanked for that, and the fragments proved stronger than anticipated. I have been trying to keep tabs on it, but the first few incursions using my golems did not go well.’“Not go well now, exactly?” you question.‘It took control. Used them as its own pawns. They had to be destroyed. From there and then, I have done my best to keep observations of it. Its influence can wax and wane, depending on how well it things it can take control of those nearby. Some of the Deep Dwellers that have investigated this area in the past have come too close to it and ended up thralls to it. They had to be… dealt with, lest it gain influence beyond this area.’You cross your arms. “So it’s capable of a form of psychic possession. Is that all?”‘If you truly do wish to face it, you will need to be aware of that power. I do not doubt your strength of will, your skill in Magic, but I tell you that the fragment down there is not to be taken lightly.’(cont.)
>>5848855So, this clears some things up. That’s probably the most you’ll get out of him now. “Okay. Thank you.” You hold your arms out and channel Magic through them. Here it goes, once more. “Yugo… Kaijo… SHOUKAN!”The tube containing Darutanias fills with light, the writhing mass swirling around it with vigor, a shout of pain first in Darutanias’ voice… but then it becomes something significantly less human. A presence leaves the vessel and enters into the Homunculi body set before it, which itself starts to glow brightly. It takes a proper human form, the Magic even clothing it in something you believe is what was Darutanias’ outfit before he was sealed.Before you all stands a muscular man with long, flowing light brown hair that almost borders on blonde, dressed in a fancy outfit with a long cape. He’s wearing what looks like an eyepatch, but actually seems to be a kind of monocle with a dark-tinted glass. The man is giving off some notable Magical energy, but it’s not as strong as the young woman you freed prior. Still, he looks over his body, then grins wide. “HaHA! The once and future King Darutanias is BACK!” He spins around and strikes a pose. “BahahahahaHAHA-! HRK-!” He lets out a… loud and unbecoming belch, then falls flat on his face.“...Is he dead?” Cheelai questions, almost hopefully.“No, no, the moron is sadly very much alive.” Basilea responds dryly.“Uh, boss?” Don Para calls to you, and points back at the tube. “What about that?”You look over and see there’s still… the shapeless mass inside the tube. It seems almost relatively intact, which… you don’t know if it’s testament to Darutanias’ strength of will or him proving too unpleasant for even THAT thing to subsume. Still, do have to do something with it…>A. Just leave it, it’s not going to cause any trouble in this state>B. Bring it to Baba’s. The Shapeless can have a friend!>C. Poke Darutanias with something until he wakes up>D. You should… probably just get him out of here while he’s unconscious>E. Something else?
>>5848858>E. I think Haru Haru and Shun Shun should eat it.>C. Poke Darutanias with something until he wakes up
>>5848858>B. Bring it to Baba’s. The Shapeless can have a friend!>D. You should… probably just get him out of here while he’s unconscious
>>5848858>A. Just leave it, it’s not going to cause any trouble in this state>C. Poke Darutanias with something until he wakes up>E. "Hey Basilea, since you're mostly demon, does it hurt when I draw the Sword of Braves? It doesn't?" Poke him with it. "How about now?"
>>5848858>B. Bring it to Baba’s. The Shapeless can have a friend!And yknow, make sure they don't combine together into some horrifying threat we have to put down....>D. You should… probably just get him out of here while he’s unconsciousMake sure he does not have anything dangerous on his person that was materialized with him like a weapon.>E. Something else?Update Big Green about the situation. Ask if we can get back-up with mental protection like Prince Vegeta (thanks to his wish) or anyone with sufficient telepathic blocking skills. Just in case anyone of us fall under thrall.
>>5848858>B. Bring it to Baba’s. The Shapeless can have a friend!>C. Poke Darutanias with something until he wakes upSee pic related
>>5848858>>5848877>>5848890SecondedAlso,>E. Clothes Beam up a "Mock Me" sign on his back.
>>5848894Whoa, that's way worse than poking him with a sword!>>5848858Supporting >>5848894
>>5848858Support >>5848898
>>5848898>>5848858Support, hehe>>5848894We should for sure think about doing it, but throw it away. Princesses gotta have class!
>>5848906Get it very close to his face
>>5848858>>5848906>>5848907Sounds good, snrk
>>5848898Hit supports as well
>>5847665In the bottom right, is that Bickuribox?
>>5848858Okay, first thing’s first, the formless mass of angry. “We should get that over to Baba’s. The Shapeless might be a bit more talkative if it’s got a buddy near it.”“...Especially one that it could plot with.” Cheelai remarks with a raised eyebrow. “You sure that’s wise?”“They can handle it, not like they’d let it merge and become some kind of monstrosity to put down, and besides it’s best we don’t just leave it here anyway.”Shun Shun shrugs and walks over to the thing. It lets out a psychic shriek… and Shun Shun responds with a dismissive, “If you keep trying that you’re going to become my lunch.” The thing quiets down. “Good.” She grabs on to the thing and teleports away.You look over to the prone form of King Darutanias. First thing’s first: materialize a sign woven into the back of his cloak that says in big, bold letters “MOCK ME”. Cheelai and the boys snicker at that, and while Basilea seems to shake her head, there’s a very slight smile on her face. Next you try to sense for if he has anything very dangerous on his person, like some kind of weapon or whatever, but looks like he’s clear, for the most part. And lastly… you use Magic Materialization to create a stick with a peculiarly designed thing you happened to see once over in Penguin Village that- okay it’s a poo stick with a face on it. Not the actual stuff. This one’s coated with tiny, tiny glitter bits. Hehehehe. You bring it close to his face, ready to poke him to wake him up. There’s a bit of a chant from Haru Haru, going “Do it, do it, do it!”Aaaaand you decide not to, instead placing the stick in his hand. She frowns at you, but you tell her, “How about we just get him out of here so he doesn’t end up causing trouble or… hurting himself a bit more than he already has?” Haru Haru looks at you, then looks at him, and gets a bit of a smirk on her face. She winks, then moves over to the unconscious Darutanias, who has begun loudly snoring, grabbing him and teleporting away too.(cont.)
>>5848954“Well we got all of that over with, anything else, boss?” Cheelai asks.“I do still intend on some of us going down there and trying to handle the thing residing in the depths of this palace.” you answer, placing a hand on your chin. She seems… less than thrilled by the prospect, but gives a little nod. “Hmm… maybe we could use some backup, just in case…” Okay, this might be a bit of a long shot, but it’s worth a try. ‘Hey Piccolo, the lady doing okay?’‘Yes, she’s calmed down and Melchior is talking to her in their language. I’m about to head back.’‘We dealt with the so-called “King” Darutanias and got him to explain a bit more on what’s waiting for us down there. Problem, it seems to have some mind control abilities. Maybe not immediately dangerous ones, but… enough that we might need a little extra ‘oomph’ just in case. You think you can check in with Vegeta and see if he’s willing to pitch in if things get rough?’There’s a telepathic sigh. ‘I’ll… see what I can do.’You place your hands on your hips. “Okay, good news, we’re potentially gonna have some backup. For now, let’s base camp set up again, then wait for everyone to get back.”“If you’re sure...” Cheelai responds, getting out a few Capsules.“I’m not gonna ask you to jump down there with us. You being up here will be a big help.” you tell her to ease her concerns. “But we do need to be ready for what’s down there. All of us.”Basilea looks towards the path that leads down deeper into the palace. “We do. There’s no telling how far it can influence, so we all need to be on guard.”>DRAGON BALL TUFFLE QUEST KAI #52… Paused.>Twitter account is @KatoQm, will have status updates there>Got some questions for the QM? Suggestions? Throw them at ask.fm/QMKato and I’ll try to answer them as best I canAll right folks, that’s all for tonight! We’ll be back tomorrow ~6:30 pm PST. Did y’all have fun? Thank you all for playing, and stay safe out there!
>>5848954>okay it’s a poo stick with a face on it. Not the actual stuff. This one’s coated with tiny, tiny glitter bits. Hehehehe.If you were going to neuter it,
>>5848954>>5848970>You bring it close to his face, ready to poke him to wake him up. There’s a bit of a chant from Haru Haru, going “Do it, do it, do it!”>Aaaaand you decide not to, instead placing the stick in his hand. She frowns at youYou could have just let us poke him with it, or have it smell bad while waving it around his face. As it stands now, we look like a huge wuss and our prank doesn't make sense.
>>5848955>Did y’all have fun? Thank you all for playing, and stay safe out there!Yeah, I did look forward to pranking the passed out Dalton, and the yugioh card is interesting, I hope she has a bad personality to offset the cuteness. Looking forward to it, see you tomorrow!
Okay, sorry about the delay again, but we're back!>>5848955You wait a short bit for everyone to get back. Shun Shun and Haru Haru arrive first, followed by Piccolo a few moments later. “Most I could do to convince Vegeta to help out was have him on standby in case things go awry. He… to put it in more polite terms, thinks you can handle this yourself.”“And in less polite terms?” you inquire.“He’ll only help if it’s actually a problem worth his time.” Piccolo says sourly.“So what should we do, boss?” Don Para questions.“The three of you are at greater risk of whatever psychic attacks the thing down there is capable of.” Basilea speaks up before you can. “You should stay here.”The two Para Para brothers frown a bit at her, though they don’t exactly disagree with that statement. Cheelai though gives a shrug and says, “She’s got a point.”>A. We do need the two of you up here, just in case>B. We’ll need one of the twins up here too, just in case they need a quick evac>C. Nah, we’ll need as many people on this as we can get. Cheelai can hold down the base camp, but we’re all heading in there>D. Something else?
>>5850033>A. We do need the two of you up here, just in caseand a variation of B,>D. Hey Piccolo, can you make a son who can teleport them for an evac?
>>5850033>A. We do need the two of you up here, just in caseTell them the basics on block out mind reading and focus on that while they wait.>D. Mahou shield, add a helmet for extra mental protection.
>>5850053Forgot to add for Basilea on D.
>>5850033>A. We do need the two of you up here, just in case>>5850053We could try materializing some helmets for the Para Bros!
>>5850033>D. ...why do we need to handle the thing at the bottom of the palace? We have what we came for, we can go back to the surface.>E. And leaving our least fighty members at the base camp is asking for Mira to teleport in and steal what we've stolen. Packing up the goods from our base camp is our top priority, fighting something that's been at the bottom of the sea for who knows how long is not.>>5850053>>5850054Wait a minute, nevermind, are we making armor for people I have something I really want to give Basilea I call it the Glitter Goat please please please can we give her a deflect move
>>5850033>B. We’ll need one of the twins up here too, just in case they need a quick evac>>5850053>>5850054>>5850057>>5850061Supporting magicking up some armor! For the Para Bros and Cheelai, some Mithril hats, and for the gummies some Mithril... wrappers to function as forehead protectors. The Mithril is like really tough tinfoil that can block out energy, can we make that?
>>5850033Support >>5850053>>5850054
>>5850033>>5850053>>5850054>>5850057Support.Also,>D. Relay to Vegeta that what he offers is all we need from him: a safety net for a very remote worst-case scenario. We don't need to explain to him what that scenario looks like.
>>5850080This is good too
>>5850033>>5850075>The Mithril is like really tough tinfoil that can block out energy, can we make that?We can try, support. And I am thankful you supported me, but can you support less things, please? Kinda clutters up the vote.
>>5850089>can you support less things, please? Kinda clutters up the vote....k?>>5850033Withdrawing support for >>5850061
Fine. Have fun, y'all.
Rolled 19, 11, 9 = 39 (3d20)Okay! Roll me 3d20, best of three! DC is 12 for the first, 13 for the last two!
Rolled 6, 18, 7 = 31 (3d20)>>5850104
Rolled 20, 8, 7 = 35 (3d20)>>5850104
Rolled 15, 18, 20 = 53 (3d20)>>5850104
Rolled 6, 10, 2 = 18 (3d20)>>5850107>>5850108>>5850109Passed all! Fantastic job! Writing...
>>5850033“We do need the two of you here, just in case things go wrong down there.” You turn to face them properly, smiling kindly. “It’s not about if you can handle it or not, it’s that we need to be ready for anything. You’ll have an easier time being able to resist attempts at influencing your minds the further you are from the source, and if things go wrong down there, I know we can rely on you all to have our backs and help pull us out of there.”That brings a bit of a smile to their faces. “Well… okay boss, we’ll hold down the fort.”“Thanks, though just to be safe…” You try to materialize something using what you’ve observed of this area beforehand in crafting some enchanted items that’ll help ward away strong psychic influences. Think that metal some of the constructs were using were some kind of like… mithril or something, maybe? Well that’ll help with the Magic you’re gonna add to these. And of course, you make sure to make them stylish. Can’t just have lame-looking tin foil hats now, can you? …Maybe for the twins. Actually wait, is that offensive to them? …Glancing in their direction they don’t seem to care, so, hopefully not. Or they’re not trying to read YOUR mind. You’ve got an idea on mental blocks- oh tight! “These helms will provide that extra boost, but there’s also a simpler way to develop a telepathy block.”“Oh?” Cheelai questions with a raised eyebrow.“It’s more like a mental reflex, really. A certain thought that comes to mind when someone attempts to read your brain. Like a catchy tune, or a food you like, or a grocery list, whatever!” you explain.Cheelai rubs her chin. “Huh… that actually makes a lot of sense.”“So, work on that. And since we’re getting ready…” You motion to Basilea for her to stand in front of you, and once she’s there, you boost her defenses with some Magical armor, and a helm to match it just in case.“A bit overkill. I’m already quite adept at resisting telepathic control.” she tells you matter-of-factly.“Sure, but the better prepared we are, the easier this will all be.” you tell her. “Girls, your t-”“Do NOT.” Shun Shun tells you sharply.“...You sure?” you question.“We’ve got our own tricks we can rely on.” Haru Haru answers.Piccolo forms a barrier around himself and declares, “Let’s get going.”You do the same, getting a barrier around yourself as you enter your Mahou form, Basilea likewise doing that as the Majin girls trail behind you.(cont.)
>>5850237https://youtu.be/lL5OhV1KYzo?si=C-OPXkAs1-M_G8XBAnd so the five of you head into the depths, first seeking out the elevator shaft you used to travel higher into the palace. As you all head down it, you… finally get that feeling like you’re being watched again, and you start to recognize it for what it actually is. It’s… the thing’s mind, psychically observing you all, and giving off such a strong presence that you can FEEL it looking at you. You could feel it looking at the drone. It… It’s been able to watch you all this whole time, with enough psychic presence that you could actually notice when it was active.The darkness grows stronger as you go down deeper, and you use a Spirit Bit filled with Light Magic to try to illuminate things. The depths are still murky, but you can sense you’re getting closer. REALLY sense it, as that presence is becoming quite a bit stronger. And finally you… start to feel something more than mere observation. A presence makes itself known, attempting to give you subtle commands. It wants you to… turn back.‘No.’ you answer.The commands feel a bit less subtle, and yet more complicated. It wants you to forget about trying to ‘wrap things up.’ That this isn’t worth your time. That you are done here and should leave.‘No.’ you answer, firmer and more resolute.You all reach the bottom level, a broken elevator there, and find a path subtly illuminated stretching out into the abyss. But… the place starts to shimmer slightly. You get glimpses of weird objects in the distance, crystalline spines “moving” yet it looking almost like a mirage. And… eye-like shapes emerging and disappearing. You start to move closer… and now the commands cease. Words, actual words, echo in your mind.Words that have… a strangely familiar feel to them.‘{WHY DO YOU APPROACH, HUMAN?}’>DRAGON BALL TUFFLE QUEST KAI #52… Paused.>Twitter account is @KatoQm, will have status updates there>Got some questions for the QM? Suggestions? Throw them at ask.fm/QMKato and I’ll try to answer them as best I canAll right folks, that’s all for tonight! We’ll be back tomorrow ~6:30 pm PST. Did y’all have fun? Thank you all for playing, and stay safe out there!
>>5850242>Mammon Machinehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsqmU3v0hVA
>>5850237>“Girls, your t-”>“Do NOT.” Shun Shun tells you sharply.Sure glad we learned the Clothes Beam so we could Not play dress-up with other people.
>>5850484Eh, it could just be a matter of "Our SL isn't high enough to put bows on them."
All righty, we're back!>>5850242https://youtu.be/SmKbAUxZJK4?si=BT5EfmO5tMLb9RGYSo. It can think. It can speak. And… it seems to speak with the voice of multitudes. That’s… concerning. It doesn’t seem that Basilea, Piccolo, or the twins heard it, though they all still seem to know it’s aware of and observing them. So it’s addressed you specifically.‘{WHY DO YOU APPROACH, HUMAN? YOU MUST LEAVE.}’‘No, I don’t think I will. I don’t think any of us will.’ you respond.‘{YOU MUST LEAVE.}’There’s… an odd, reddish hue that starts to tint the surroundings.>A. Refuse and just move onward>B. Okay, if it can speak, maybe it’s willing to talk. Try talking with it>C. So can anyone else hear that? Just me?>D. Something else?
>>5850905>A. "You're not dealing with the average human, I am 75% subhuman! Ohohohoh-oh wait">D. That reddish hue really emphasizes Basilea but I've lost sight of Piccolo>E. Poke one of your pupils with a silver needle to purify it
>>5850912Ah shit, nevermind on that D. Piccolo would be black but Basilea would be invisible.
>>5850905>B. Okay, if it can speak, maybe it’s willing to talk. Try talking with it>"Why must I leave? Help me understand.">D. Speak outloud as well so the others are on board, whether they can hear the voice or not.
>>5850905>>5850919Supporting
>>5850905Backing >>5850919
>>5850905>D. Mute our mech's speakers>B. Okay, if it can speak, maybe it’s willing to talk. Try talking with it
>>5850919support
>>5850946Support this too, gotta fave this with mech out just in case
>>5850954Face, not fave, damn
>>5850905oh if its not too late>D. Take this things picture and compare it to the other machine we met before
>>5850956Support
Rolled 10, 14, 19 = 43 (3d20)Okay, real quick, roll me 1d20, best of three! DC is 13!
Rolled 18 (1d20)>>5850959
Rolled 17 (1d20)>>5850959
Rolled 10 (1d20)>>5850959
Rolled 10, 2, 1 = 13 (3d20)>>5850961>>5850962>>5850968Passed! Writing...
>>5850905You know you’re going to need to bring out your best for this. On the one hand, it can converse, it can talk, and you might be able to have some kind of dialogue with it. You’ll take the chance given here. But you’re also not going into this without some protection. You bring out the Mahou Knight, mute its speakers, but make sure the others can hear what’s going on.“Why must I leave? Help me understand.”‘{YOU ARE NOT LIKE THE OTHERS. YOU MUST LEAVE, HUMAN.}’Basilea, Piccolo, and the twins slow a bit as you make sure they’re aware of the conversation. Still not really getting an answer, though. “That’s not helping me understand, that’s just a command. I’m not going to be influenced by your commands.”The red tint in the area glows a deeper crimson slightly, then pulses almost like a heartbeat. ‘{IT IS NOT TIME FOR ONE LIKE YOU. YOU INTERRUPT THE GROWTH. LEAVE.}’A pressure can be felt around you, around everyone, and the twins seem to feel it the most, flinching at it. You’re able to hold it off though, and you press on. “What growth? What… even are you? Are you like the other thing up north?” You try to get a picture of it, but you when you do, you realize there’s nothing physically there ahead of you. It’s… more of a mirage off in the distance. Still, you bring up a reference of the other machine from the palace.https://youtu.be/CISWq0uo7dE?si=vUCFSD77NHC-knzBA new, ethereal form appears in front of you, though it seems to be more a psychic projection than something truly there. It’s huge, something at least as big as your mech, yet it appears to be dressed in almost priestly robes, styled slightly reminiscent of Nemurian outfits you’d seen prior, just way more ornate, and yet also sorta showing an armor… based on that machine over it, yet dressed up and almost regal in a way. It’s humanoid, but doesn’t have a human head, instead a sort of dome with spikes coming out the sides and a three part beak for a face. Its arms are large and end in three-fingered slightly bulbous hands, and across its back you notice the hint of rows of crystals.‘{WE ARE KIN. WE ARE NOT KIN. WE ARE MORE. WE ARE LESS THAN THE WHOLE. WE ARE I. I AM WE. A MULTITUDE YET ONE. WE MUST GROW TO BECOME WHOLE. WE ARE OF THE MACHINE, WE ARE OF THE STARS, WE ARE OF THE HUMANS. I AM A FRAGMENT, YET MORE.}’“You’re talking in riddles.” you grumble.‘{YOU SEEK TO INTERRUPT OUR GROWTH, MY GROWTH. THE RETURN TO THE WHOLE. THEREFORE YOU MUST LEAVE.}’>A. I’m not leaving, none of us are, until we know there’s no threat lingering in this place>B. And just what does this growth, this “becoming whole” entail for you?>C. Why are you showing us that form? Is that… the true you, or what you’re trying to become?>D. What do you mean by you being “of the machine,” “of the stars,” and “of the humans”?>E. Something else?
>>5851017>C. Why are you showing us that form? Is that… the true you, or what you’re trying to become?>D. What do you mean by you being “of the machine,” “of the stars,” and “of the humans”?
>>5851017>“You’re talking in riddles.” you grumble.I don't care to hear another of your riddles.>A. I’m not leaving, none of us are, until we know there’s no threat lingering in this place
>>5851017>B. And just what does this growth, this “becoming whole” entail for you?"Is this your Apotheosis and Promised Day? How long until your ready for that">C. Why are you showing us that form? Is that… the true you, or what you’re trying to become?>D. What do you mean by you being “of the machine,” “of the stars,” and “of the humans”?>E. Something else?"What do we call you?"
>>5851017>You bring out the Mahou Knight, mute its speakers, but make sure the others can hear what’s going on.I wanted to have the conversation in private so the others wouldn't think we were crazy, can we unmute if we're not doing that?>B. And just what does this growth, this “becoming whole” entail for you?>C. Why are you showing us that form? Is that… the true you, or what you’re trying to become?>D. What do you mean by you being “of the machine,” “of the stars,” and “of the humans”?
>>5851037Ah, apologies, misread the intent there. Sure.
>>5851039Thanks!
>>5851017>B. And just what does this growth, this “becoming whole” entail for you?>E. Your words say nothing that separates you from every other blindly power hungry monster we have faced. Give me a reason to care about what you are, or will become.This is as likely to trigger a monologue as a battle, but I don't know how else to get useful info out of them than to challenge the might of it's future glorious whatever.
>>5851049They do sound kinda like if Imperfect Cell was using TTS.
>>5851050The arrogance of Imperfect, with as much rational thought as the egg he hatched from.
>>5851051'{MAKE DEAD.}'>>5851049>>5851017Sure.
>>5851017This is all good>>5851026>>5851034>>5851037
Rolled 13, 10, 19 = 42 (3d20)Okay! Roll me 2d20 this time, best of three! DC is 13 for both!
Rolled 10, 16 = 26 (2d20)>>5851067
Rolled 20, 6 = 26 (2d20)>>5851067
Rolled 9, 11 = 20 (2d20)>>5851067
Rolled 4, 13, 4 = 21 (3d20)>>5851072>>5851079>>5851081Passed both! Good work!Sadly I do need to get some rest, so we'll be back tomorrow ~4:30 pm PST. Thank you all for playing, stay safe, and see ya then!
>>5851079>>5851086Night kato.
Okay, small delay, but we're back!>>5851017You flip the speakers for your mech back on, seems like everyone’s able to see this now given the reactions from Piccolo, Basilea, and the twins. The form shimmers slightly, the slight red hue around it from the surrounding almost making it look transparent. “Why are you showing us that form? Is that the… ‘true’ you, or what you’re trying to become? What even should we call you?”‘{WE EXIST IN MANY FORMS. I EXIST AS THIS, YET NOT ONLY THIS.}’ the thing answers. ‘{WE CAN BE KNOWN MY MANY NAMES. THE WE THAT IS I CAN BE REFERRED TO AS… ASPINTHION.}’You have a name now, you guess. “Then what does ‘becoming whole’ actually entail, are you trying to become something more, Aspinthion? Something akin to what you originally were? How long would it take to achieve such a thing, your ‘Apotheosis’ or ‘Promised Day’?” you inquire, seeing how it reacts to those specific words. Furthermore, you ask, “And just what do you mean that you are ‘of the machine,’ ‘of the stars,’ and ‘of the humans?’”‘{WHAT WE SEEK TO BECOME, IS THE RESULT OF WHAT I AM. OF THE MACHINE, SUBSUMING ITS EXISTENCE WITHIN OURSELVES, WHAT ONCE WAS THOUGHT TO BRING GODHOOD AND CONTROL, NOW MAKES THIS SHARD ALL THE GREATER.}’You get a vision of the machine once more, in a significantly more intact state, though its form seems to alter as a bright red glow fills it.‘{OF THE HUMANS, THE WILLS, THE MINDS, THE SELVES OF THOSE THAT SOUGHT APOTHEOSIS BECAME ONE WITH THAT SHARD. BECAME ME.}’The next vision shows shadows of many people in ornate or regal dress, and… glimpses of a woman that looks like the last queen of Nemuria, with the girl you’re sure was her daughter by her side. The Queen is almost lost in a mad euphoria, her daughter shocked and frightened and filled with despair.(cont.)
>>5851964‘{WHAT WE WERE, BEFORE WE BECAME SHARDS, WAS OF THE STARS.}’Finally a new vision, that of… an absolutely massive, spiny, vaguely worm-like, or maybe more accurately “wyrm-like” monstrosity. It’s vaguely cone-shaped, but with a segmented maw akin to the one on the face of the humanoid before you. It’s traveling through space, stars leaving red and blue streaks past it, until you see… a purple hue engulf it and start to break it apart. Followed by a powerful, almost painful, monstrous scream… one you’ve sorta heard before.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dfb_n7wjb5k‘{WE ARE NOT THIS EXISTENCE ANYMORE. WE ARE I. AS I AND WE BECOME WHOLE, WE WILL BECOME A NEW EXISTENCE. SOMETHING BEYOND WHAT WE WERE AS OF THE STARS. THE TIME WILL TAKE FOR THIS TO COME TO FRUITION IS MEASURED IN CENTURIES, WHERE WE WILL BECOME WHOLE AND AWAKEN AS A NEW WHOLE, AND TAKE TO THE STARS AGAIN.}’ The humanoid form raises up one hand. ‘{OUR GROWTH WILL BE HAMPERED BY THE LIKES OF YOU. LEAVE.}’And suddenly, you feel that psychic pressure once again, but this time you’re focused enough to rebuff it in full. Piccolo and Basilea likewise seem to get through the psychic pressure. “NO!” you exclaim defiantly. “Not a damn thing you’ve said so far has sounded all that different from the power-hungry monsters and villains we’ve faced before. The hell do you expect your ‘new existence’ to even be, beyond stronger, more conscious than before? You made thralls of those who explored here before, and it seems very likely you’ll do it again. Are you demanding we leave because you CAN’T do that to us? Or are you actually trying to be nicer to us for some reason?” Your mech takes two steps forward. “I’d like to hear a damn good reason for why your ‘growth’ SHOULDN’T be hampered by our actions!”The hand lowers, but instead of an angry monologue, or even another psychic command, it seems… almost curious by your declaration. ‘{THE END RESULT DOES NOT CONCERN SOMEONE OF YOUR LIFESPAN, YET YOU STILL SEEK TO STAND IN THE PATH OF OUR GROWTH.}’“That’s not a reason.” you state firmly.‘{YOU GAIN NOTHING BY OUR DESIRE FOR A NEW, MORE ENLIGHTENED EXISTENCE. EVEN IF MORE THRALLS ARE MADE, IT WILL BRING LITTLE MORE THAN KNOWLEDGE TO US AS WE SEEK TO BECOME WHOLE, NOT PRESENT NEW THREATS TO YOUR KIND.}’ Aspinthion remarks. ‘{NO CONFLICT IS WISHED UPON YOU. ALL THAT IS ASKED IS THAT YOU LEAVE.}’The place seems to shimmer again…>A. That’s not good enough. You’re not giving us a clear answer on to you not being a threat>B. …Fine. But if we find you betraying this trust, going after people, I WILL be back here, and you WILL pay for it>C. It’ll be conditional. We leave on the condition you help us. Sound good?>D. Something else?
>>5851966>D. If you want to be enlightened, I know a god you can talk to. Would you like me to introduce you?
>>5851966>A. That’s not good enough. You’re not giving us a clear answer on to you not being a threat>D. You're the only one who cares about your continued existence. That's all you've managed to produce, and this place is evidence of that. You didn't do a thing to cultivate something other than you.
>>5851966>>5852024Support.>E. Blow this derelict the hell up to heaven!
>>5851966>D. Nope. Absolutely not. No more conversation, no warning, we just kick its ass. Take a moment to psychically message the others that it absolutely needs to die immediately and do some basic coordination. Then AFTER we start beating its shit in can we'll tell it "I refuse."No matter if we truthfully leave it be, lie and plan for later, or just continue talking it will almost certainly be more prepared to be attacked and for us specifically as a threat. So lets not let it do that.
>>5851966>D. Ask Piccolo what his senses say. Is this thing malevolent or benevolent? This is important
>>5851966>>5852049Supporting, then>>5852024
>>5852049Can we comprehend the form of its ass tho?>>5852054That would be a use of Detect Evil and Good, and the result would be... Yes!
>>5851966Support >>5852054
Oh also, the fact that it is known of and *can* be challenged is going to be utterly anathema to this thing, no matter how confident it may be. No way it will just allow that station to continue.>>5852058Does it matter? As long as we aim at whatever bits are the most kickable and have at it that'll be good enough.
>>5852065Fair enough.>>5851966>>5852065Supporting, we must find the all- and non- existent being's catboxed ass so we can kick it.
>>5851966Support >>5852054And if vibes are off, this >>5852049
>>5852080I'll support. Just throw in my question as apart of the group one then if it fits.
>>5852084Well, if Aspen considers itself benevolent or harmless, does that make it benevolent or harmless?
>>5852085Everything you do in your own interests is benevolent and harmless when you're the only being in the universe that matters.
Rolled 6, 19, 12 = 37 (3d20)All righty, roll me 2d20 again, best of three! DC is 14 for both!
Rolled 13, 12 = 25 (2d20)>>5852107
Rolled 19, 18 = 37 (2d20)>>5852107
Rolled 2, 16 = 18 (2d20)>>5852107
Rolled 12, 19, 13 = 44 (3d20)>>5852110>>5852113>>5852115Passed both!
Rolled 8, 7, 9 = 24 (3d20)>>5852117And writing...
>>5851966‘Piccolo I’m getting some pretty bad vibes off this thing. It’s not giving an actual answer and I think we might need to kick its ass now rather than letting it get another word in. Please tell me you’re seeing some red flags.’ you question telepathically.‘Crimson. It hasn’t actually attempted to converse with the rest of us. Only you.’ Piccolo’s eyes close and his arms cross. ‘From what I can infer, it intends to send you away and attack or control the rest of us.’That’s all you need. You stare down the form before you and… let out a pulse of energy with a Solar Flare enhanced with Light Magic to try and dispel any illusions that have been built up, letting everyone know, psychically, ‘We’re taking this thing down, it needs to be stopped immediately, so get some sunglasses on quick!’https://youtu.be/yNX1y4c-7vM?si=1MBUtiH1NdpNgqATBasilea and Piccolo get them on in time, but you notice the twins have been holding their heads in discomfort. The Solar Flare eases their discomfort, though they’re not quite quick enough to keep from being blinded. Piccolo and Basilea though take fighting stances, standing with you. The image of the humanoid form is gone, though there’s a crimson light deeper down, with several large crystal shards jutting out from the hallway. You launch forward, Piccolo and Basilea following after you, and try to get to the crimson light. Immediately, there are large chunks of crystal that appear in front of you to try and impede your progress, though Piccolo’s guess was spot on: instead of trying to hold them back, massive and very sharp shards jet out to try and take them down. Thankfully they can dodge easily, but the intent is there.(cont.)
>>5852187‘{LEAVE, HUMAN.}’ Aspinthion demands of you, letting out another psychic command.You rebuff the command and even fire a Ki blast charged up with Wind Magic ahead of you to try and stop it. It breaks through some crystal barriers that it erects, but stops eventually as it seems to strike an energy barrier. “I REFUSE! All you’ve shown is a desire to continue your own existence at the cost of others! All you’ve produced is a testament to yourself and your own self-importance, just look at this palace! Look at how you’ve talked to me but not them!”‘{THEY ARE OF NO CONCERN TO I. THEY ARE SURPLUS, EXPENDABLE.}’“THAT’S WHERE YOU’RE WRONG!” Basilea roars in anger, letting out an explosive wave through the barrier she has surrounding her that both pushes away the water and also ruins several of the sharp crystals headed her way. “You’re scared, because you know we have been able to refuse your call so far!”Piccolo actually uses some Water Magic to gather up the water that Basilea pushes away into an extremely high pressure flow, then flings it out towards the barrier. The turbulent stream puts some strain on it, and one more push might break it completely. You provide just that, using your own Water Magic to gather up most of the liquid around you all and thrust it at the barrier, working in coordination with Piccolo and finally bringing it down!But there’s another layer behind it, this one erected suddenly and dulling the crimson light coming down the hallway. ‘{SO BE IT.}’ You sense some other energy building up behind the new barrier. Looks like it’s finally taking you all seriously.>A. Aspinthion, stop hiding and face us yourself! Or else you’re only delaying the inevitable!>B. A barrier that dulls the light? You know how to break such a thing!>C. Check in with the Majin twins, they holding up okay?>D. You better let Cheelai and the boys know what’s going down, see if they’re being targeted too>E. Something else?
>>5852189>B. A barrier that dulls the light? You know how to break such a thing!A Silver Bullet for one who would Bury the Light!
>>5852189Aw man, our attacks will be half as effective so long as this thing has life energy to spare!>B. A barrier that dulls the light? You know how to break such a thing!>C. Check in with the Majin twins, they holding up okay?>Give them pudding pops, not the roofie kind
>>5852189>B. A barrier that dulls the light? You know how to break such a thing!>E. Something else?Ofuda Seal (its in our inventory, go look!) + Mafuba Jar prepped by Piccolo = captured mammon machine. Let's do that.
>>5852189>>5852212>>5852227Supporting
>>5852189Hit vote:>C & D.Support, and support this >>5852227
>>5852189>>5852227>>5852233Support
Rolled 19, 6, 9 = 34 (3d20)All righty, roll me 4d20 this time, best of three! DC is 14 for the first three, 17 for the last!
Rolled 12, 12, 8, 20 = 52 (4d20)>>5852239
Rolled 2, 6 = 8 (2d20)>>5852239
Rolled 5, 11, 10, 4 = 30 (4d20)>>5852239
Rolled 15, 6, 8, 7 = 36 (4d20)>>5852239Woops
Rolled 19, 2, 4 = 25 (3d20)>>5852240>>5852245>>5852246Passed two of 'em!
