Eh, it's probably fine. Maybe you should ask what a Boiler is before you leave though?

>>1119767
Yes.
What is a boiler?

As to trust issues...
Apply cold logic.
If you were their immediate target, then you would already be under attack.
In that sense you can trust them.
Piloting the ship needs to happen for them as much as you so you can trust they will cooperate in that goal.
Remain alert for developments, but until the short term goal is met, you can be sure of no direct action from them.

>>1119776
no cold logic, hot logic. Simmering anger and restlessness are the only thing keeping us going right now. Keep that boiler stoked or we will pass out again.

Oken 2026/03/02(Mon)20:58 No. 1122857 ID: 0d1c28
File 177248513395.png - (214.40KB , 658x920 , APO041.png )

It's best to trust them for now, if they turn on me... well I guess I'll just have to deal with that.

Fuze is waiting for my approval, I give it. "good enough"

I turn to leave but I stop short and turn "Do you know what a boiler is?"

Fuze chuckles "I suppose you aren't talking about heating water..."I give him a silent stare for that one, he sigh and removes his glasses to clean them "Ahem well, there isn't any official classification it seems to lump in a number of symptoms and can occur under a plethora or stress induced situation, but to put it bluntly most doctors classify a 'Boiler' as someone undergoing a type of degenerative battle frenzy, it's considered very rare in actuality and the term is more commonly applied as a sort of slang insult between low class Astranians. does that help?"

>>1122857
Degenerative how?

How big? Not barghest sized this time I hope

Is there something going on with the new World Tree?

(Half-joking just to add some levity to the situation, but we have a pretty good track record for it so far) Is it something we can solve with sex?

>>1122784
The bigger problem being us needing to complete our mission on the moon first?

You know, we could just leave the Aegis on the moon if it's THAT much a problem

>>1122852
Honestly, that would probably be the best course of action. It's too powerful and attracts too much attention to keep. The courts will never stop hunting for it so long as it remains "in play," and there's nowhere it can be hid on the planet that we can be sure that it will be safe long term. If it can't be destroyed, it's gonna have to stay up there, where nobody can have it.

(1/3) kpwlt 2026/03/02(Mon)12:25 No. 1122841 ID: 127310
File 177245431199.png - (20.85KB , 700x700 , u17p1.png )

>given the eye symbol's placement on the first map it would seem to indicate Sam's position

The symbol has moved with Sam and it’s the same as the one on her dress.

>red and green symbols

The green symbol generally indicates the Lower House or the Legislature as a whole. The red symbol is the logo of Hazard Association. It could be that Uberto and Simone’s weapons were either imbued with some power, or some power rubbed off on them, causing them to register.

>Does Sam know any birds?

Not personally. She has issues with Uberto’s cockatiel, though.

>Oh, she can't be the burning figure though, you saw what she was wearing and it didn't match what the figure was wearing, right?
Hella was wearing black and white, loose, sort of boxy clothing, and wore her long orange hair down. It was difficult to see what the burning figure was wearing because of its large and indistinguishable form.

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(2/3) kpwlt 2026/03/02(Mon)12:25 No. 1122842 ID: 127310
File 177245432028.png - (104.37KB , 700x700 , u17p2.png )

Sam retrieves her documents on Kleidas and completes the ritual prescribed for a situation as close as conceivable to this one.

A ripple of darkness extends from Sam’s hand and corrodes a part of the wall. She steps back to allow the sliver of rock to peel away and crumble into nothingness. The room starts to smell quite strongly of the absence of black tea.

A feathered mass bulges in place of the star-shaped slice. It’s as though whatever was on the other side has pressed itself up to its own wall as best it can. A mound in the centre of the apparition cleaves itself in two to reveal a featureless eye.

(3/3) kpwlt 2026/03/02(Mon)12:25 No. 1122843 ID: 127310
File 177245432620.gif - (56.38KB , 700x700 , u17p3.gif )

A pale membrane flicks across the viscous dark several times. With each pass, it embeds some greyish afterimage into Sam’s mind.

A lot going on here.
Looks like you working with the birds. wielding a feather, then summoning a bird, and it must have gone well because you have a crown in the third image.
Also of note is you are holding a halberd.

the question is; is this a premonition, or an offer?

The first image. You are standing in a room with thorned vines and bones. You are holding up a feather... there is someone in the doorway.
I think this means the feather can be found in the corpse room.

The second image. You have performed or are performing some sort of ritual, and a crow stands on a pentacle drawn on the floor.
Clearly you can use the feather to summon the crows.

The third image. You are wearing a crown, wielding a halberd, and there are symbols visible... those black symbols on the map that look like flies are attached to your hand by lines. There are buildings in the background.
Hmm. I guess this means you become ruler of... whatever this place is? They're promising good things will happen to you after you summon them. Perhaps they're saying you will have control.


Well, no harm in getting the feather at least. We can confer with our allies as to whether it's a good idea to summon the birds.

>>1122583
Ok now that we know what the symbols generally mean I think the black fly symbols are associated with Hella's group... assuming she's in her office. If Hella is in the pit room then the orange symbol is her, and there's someone else in the office.

>Hella is wearing black and white
>She peers through the makeshift door and spies a black and white clad figure hunched over a crate. The figure quickly ceases its rummaging and bursts into bright orange flame.
Yeah either Hella is the culprit, or someone that dresses like her, which would mean someone in her organization. After we decide what to do about the crows, we should confront her.

Don't want to interrupt him while he's on the clock. Maybe you can hang out and talk while he works.

Silence 2026/02/27(Fri)15:00 No. 1122690 ID: 6d1406
File 177220443434.png - (38.10KB , 326x253 , Mech421.png )

>>1122636
>>1122644
If you wanna stay here for a bit, that's fine. Got time to kill, just doing some tuneups.

The APCs you should be familiar with, they're used for transporting people, occasionally VIPs for important missions.

The trucks however are for cargo and logistics. Most of the parts around the ITA campuses on the planet get their parts shipped from here and there. These things usually ship them.

Can't wait for this war to be over though, I want off this world...

oh yeah? Where's he want to go?

Silence 2026/03/02(Mon)14:55 No. 1122844 ID: 6d1406
File 177246335208.png - (42.64KB , 289x302 , Mech422.png )

>>1122711
He relaxes and leans against one of the trucks.

Oh man... Pirmante, a lovely tropical world. I'd relax on the beach, just drink, and watch the waves. Far away from any frontier or war front, god what I wouldn't give for my job here to be up... what about you? Where would you go?

>>1122844
Don't know, haven't really thought about it before, I'm usually taking jobs and piloting a mech. But if I could take a vacation……

Maybe I'll also go somewhere tropical. Wear a bikini, catch some sun, try and learn to surf, if my implants are waterproof.

Then again, I might go somewhere with lots of snow. Sit by a fireplace, drink some hot chocolate, try and learn to snowboard.

Wherever I go, I might try and find a date or something. Never been on one and I figure it'll be an interesting experience.

Absurdity DeVoid 2026/02/27(Fri)21:29 No. 1122702 ID: 6ca3f9
File 177222778945.jpg - (2.46MB , 1858x4352 , Quest Deligator 174.jpg )

A) No, I will not need your help anymore.

B) Maybe I will be interested in your services.

C) Yes, I would like to get more of your predictions.

>>1122702
B) I'll see how accurate they are tomorrow, and come back with my decision.

B. maybe not every day, but return visits are possible depending on accuracy and emblems.

C)aw why not? help the little guy out

>>1122720
This

Put the panties back on, for the stats.

use the shitty door physics of bumping against the door to noclip past the owl event and continue being naked, it's a good plan, I swear.

>>1122801
sequence break past the dang owl by backward shieldsurf jumping through your wall.
just don't get too close to the front of your house or the dang owl event will trigger again

>>1122801
Wear the physics defying tunic dress thing to contain your chesticular fortitude, and those darn cute boots, but leave the panties on the floor as an act of secret defiance to that bossy tutoriowl.

Use your pillowcase to craft a Hood of Anonymity, equip only the Hood of Anonymity, and proceed on your adventure.

Hooters can't possibly recognize you if your face is covered.

1) Landi most vulnerable (actually its Pierre but we can't let on that he's important)

Landi

Landi needs you most at the moment

Stay silent.
He's lived in a bog made of lies. An autocracy built on hollow nuances and twisted virtues.
If he doesn't wear many faces, he's the designated suicide bomber. You can't trust where he's going.

>>1122835
Àgreed.
This stinks of a lesson hes planning on teaching.

But we may not be allowed to stay silent so if that is the case... we should pick the one capable of withstanding any cruelty he may be planning.

>>1122650 Well you've sealed it with that one. Perk usage on Dizelu confirmed. Especially since we can subvert those mechanical people. Just treat them like people and we'll have most of them on our side. Great to have a strategic coup as an ace. Oh and stay to find our spy because we should at least attempt to.

Absurdity DeVoid 2026/03/01(Sun)07:30 No. 1122742 ID: 6ca3f9
File 177235025834.jpg - (1.69MB , 3510x4880 , side quest 70.jpg )

Possible answers to the question that was asked:

A) Talk with the newcomers.

B) Politely apologize for not having the time to talk with them.

C) Grab the breasts of the Bleeding Baroness.

D) Other suggestions.

A. Introduce yourself as skygazer. Ask the Bleeding Baroness about the symbol on her bodyguard's neck, you saw a book with that same symbol Steinhardt Seagal had Lira take to his room.

>>1122743
I'll just second this

C) I am shameless, but ask if she gives you permission first.

>Eat the Rich
This has my vote in the grounds that not only would you be able to get a gift but the idea that your lover could then go back to that world himself and help the masses and lead the world down a better path would probably make them happy as well. Maybe you could go with them and turn it into a date of sorts if you think they'd like that. Never a bad time to try and spend more time with your lover after all.

>>1122734
Boss.
As much as i hunger to see you at your most, well, ~you~ , the primal world isnt right. It behooves me to suggest the one you should take not the one i want.

So I say The Dungeon of Akamak the Oasis-Seeder.
Its a place that you can show your depths as well as strengths without relying on your full power unleashed which im sure your sweet angel already knows.

The idea of both of you using your abilities to overturn a techno distopia is too good an idea to use yourself. Its a perfect date as other souls have stated.

Pirates pirates pirates! Yarr!

the oasis seeder seems like the best one as far as who deserves to be taken down a peg. And who knows, prehaps you could find a way to influence him for the better along the way.

eat the rich

>>1122592
>Linguistics 1 (Flametongue)
>Intelligence 2 + Martial Arts 5
Scattered across canyon walls, mostly eye level, are posters in a consistent format: Name across the top, close-up portrait on the center left, side view of fighting stance on center right (sometimes with colorful streaks painted around it, suggestive of anima flare or elemental techniques), noteworthy violent deeds and a numbered quantity of money listed below. Overall layout, and exact copies of some designs, standardized enough that there's surely a printing press in use around here somewhere.
>Lore 0, Barbarian flaw
Unsure whether the information being presented is supposed to be bounties on dangerous outlaws, or mercenaries advertising their services, though. Might even be both.

In a side street, two merchants - one in a narrow wagon whose wheels fit into grooves in the ground, the other leaning out of a second story window, under a protruding beam which supports a rope and complex set of pulleys - are haggling over bolts of cloth, seemingly encrusted with alternating stripes of amethyst and emerald.

Bonsai tree on a windowsill with a tiny fired-clay blood ape (glazed in red, with black and white highlights) hanging from one of the branches, slice of actual dried banana (proportionately the size of a huge wheel of cheese) in his mouth and other hand as if he was eating it.

The bonsai tree's wood is tin.

Front wall of the church has lifesized statues of the four of you - somewhat caricatured but unmistakable - along with a fifth figure you don't immediately recognize, posing in front of a bas relief prominently featuring something which at least vague

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>>1122631
Male, 40s, northerner. Whitewall, maybe? Brown hair, pale blue streaks on the sides of his beard. Squints like he's nearsighted, marks on his nose from glasses he's not currently wearing. Scholarly, but, based on his callused hands, and overall muscle tone, also has some reasonably recent experience wrangling heavy machinery. Hasn't gotten much sleep in the past week but was eating well before that.

He's scooting the chair backward and trying to steer toward a pile of stuff on top of a cabinet in the corner. Pile looks like... overcoat, chainmail shirt, backpack, couple of books, gold necklace with a sunburst pendant, knife on a belt.

rolled 6, 9, 4, 9, 2, 7, 5, 1, 10, 3, 8, 8, 8, 5, 6, 9, 1, 10, 10, 2, 7, 2, 4, 6, 9, 5, 9, 7, 9, 6, 8, 1, 1, 7, 8, 1, 4, 4, 2, 10, 9, 1, 10, 4, 3, 5, 2, 2, 2, 9 = 280

---

Malice circles around behind the prisoner and drops Hidden Predator Camouflage. She steps over to the cabinet and picks up the knife, pulls it out of its sheath, pockets the necklace, leafs through the books a bit. Then she turns around and speaks, trying every language she knows. "Hey! Why do they have you tied up down here? You're not going to hurt me if I set you free, right?"

Can I find the guy's glasses?

>mechanics
Mostly a Dex + Larceny roll (5 + 5) to steal the necklace without him noticing.

Character Sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HRodWW0VRJ5_BLe3C_XpgGld3kaaywmEtmqGj4yjHgk/edit?usp=sharing

Proposed character. Would be looking for a place to build up a cult, craft some equipment or artifacts, otherwise solidify advantages. Could very easily have gotten stuck here somewhere, especially since I haven't yet fit Transcendent Desert Creature in here. Need an Urge, Kimberian or Cecelynian, and the Stone of Acrid Understanding could be changed to another background if more appropriate.

rolled 6, 10, 10, 1, 3, 7, 3, 2, 10, 9, 10, 5, 2, 4, 6, 5, 10, 10, 2, 7 = 122

---

>>1122567
>Anyways, we need to take over, but stealthy like, right? Don't want to call the attention of any immaculate too early.
>>1122589
>When she gets on the ground, she immediately triggers Urban Hell Renovation to creates a column from which to stand above everyone, not that her height of over 7 feet really requires it.

Aaaaaaand great, okay, full mask off, no disguises, fantastic. That means anyone who's not down to rebel against the realm is going to automatically look for ways to subvert and resist. Lets see, could try to fake a confrontation, but that'd only go so far, and from what she can tell Xi-hun seems unlikely to play along with... well with much of anything, really. These people are fucked either way, no saving them from the realm now which means instead we need to find a way to disappear when the hammer comes down. A fleet of ships? Probably too hard to hide...

While contemplating just how exactly they're going to hide their base of operations from the watchful eye of sycophants and fools, Akemi brings the ship down. Of course, her dad never had her do exercises on demonic hellships before, but honestly there's a lot of overlap. Two miles outside of town, around a bend in the canyon walls so the ship isn't immediately visible through the tall grass. She has the crew make camp here, offloading goods and setting up tents. Using rod of verdant minerals to prep some trade goods- unsurprisingly, there was plenty of brass and copper

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Baron 2026/03/02(Mon)02:22 No. 1122816 ID: fd2dfa
File 177241811933.png - (581.83KB , 1280x1024 , 8.png )

Okay, so the house is a mess, but this IS an improvement, I am working on cleaning it up. Still working on it.

>>1122696
What? Oh, um enriched air. Yeah, Mars is still terraforming. Marnari tech helped speed up the process like crazy, but it's still gonna be centuries long to get all the conditions right. So air's breathable, but outside of green zones that are pumping air out like constantly, oxygen levels are too low for humans or Marnari. So when not in a green zone or indoors, you take a puff of the regulator anytime you feel light headed. Or if you're in a red zone, you just have it on all the time. It gives you an extra boost of O2 and scrubs your lungs of anything that shouldn't be there, cause Mars still has stuff neither of us process.

Drake Baron 2026/03/02(Mon)02:26 No. 1122817 ID: fd2dfa
File 177241838322.png - (590.73KB , 1280x1024 , 9.png )

>>1122683
>You mentioned that you sometimes leave the house without the regulator, so are you sure you had it when you came back? Where do you normally put it when you come home? Do you use it inside the house? Does it need maintenance?

Yeah I'm sure. I-oh snap that's right! The breathing tube and mask is in the sink! I remember, I took that off and left it in the sink the soak overnight cause it was starting to smell skunky. You know, I use that word 'skunky' a lot but I have no idea what a skunky is.

Okay, so the tube came off here, which means I set it down somewhere while I let the other parts soak. So...I'm guessing it's somewhere downstairs.

That reminds me, the whole reason I went out was because dad might be coming home tonight. I left cause I was thinking of making something for him cause I know he's real tired when he gets back so I figured making a home cooked meal would be nice before he sits in the living room and passes out.

Do a little more cleaning up and the rest of it may reveal itself.

then you should look through what you have in the kitchen, and decide on a meal to make. And while you're looking around you'll find the regulator.

>>1122815
So Martians are interstellar aliens that are native to Earth-like planets, and we agreed to share technology and terraform Mars so we could inhabit it together? Convenient!

Did you mean a "gamma ray burst" destroyed their homeworld?

>>1122817
Skunky? Oh, you mean like a skunk! That's a small, black and white mammal from Earth that evolved to generate noxious chemicals as a defense mechanism. They're infamous for the foul smell of their spray, but they're also really cute. Some people keep them as pets.

What's to the left of the sink? I see something that looks vaguely regulator-like, but it's obscured by the pile of stuff in the foreground.

Of course not. She's like the only nice person I've met in here.

>>1122681
Then by the powers vested in me, blah blah blah, you are hereby pardoned. We’ll work out the paperwork later when I can feel my fingers and I’m not bleeding and burnt.

As for you Happy, I hereby— Ahh, to hell with it.
*Shoots Happy with the rifle.*

Absurdity DeVoid 2026/03/01(Sun)16:57 No. 1122751 ID: 6ca3f9
File 177238425953.jpg - (7.23MB , 3423x4476 , Divergent 461.jpg )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiCA-WDz_BQ

>>1122751
Oh, i'm terribly sorry, did you want to be the one to do it? Use your head, for once.

We arrest him, then what? We put him in a cell and wait for trial that would have had the same result anyway? The evidence is all around us. We were put on this mission to find him and bring him to justice. This WAS as much justice as we could afford. My entire assumptions about him were correct, he had people on the inside of this organization. The longer he stayed alive, the more chances they had to break him out. The Silent Whispers needed him alive and to succeed. Now he's dead and we've thrown a monkey wrench in their plans. I guarantee had we kept him alive for any longer they would have used their powers to break him out and we would have been right back at square one. They are probably on their way now, or at least are beginning to go into hiding as we speak, some are probably watching us right now.

Now get your hands off me, or do what you need to do.

I seem to be fine. Frankly I'm surprised we didn't all die.

*whispers to SC*
Are you planning to make a break for it? This is probably your best shot. I don't know how many people left in this room are really on the tribunal's side, but they're mostly distracted by Corax.

[2/5] Stingpie 2026/03/01(Sun)22:54 No. 1122780 ID: 35d66b
File 177240568523.jpg - (227.11KB , 2480x1754 , subscene_5_v2.jpg )

"Tony points toward Kleincakes and her fuzzy friend."
"Tony: 'I don't know what youse was thinking tryin'ta fight without any weapons.'"
"Tony's gang needs no words to tell them what's to be done."
"Tony: 'You ain't smart in my book if ya pussy-foot around what needs ta be done.'"
"He slowly walks behind the gang approaching Kleincakes & Meep Meep."
"Tony: 'Lil' miss science ovah here think she's so smaht.'"
"Tony: 'Thinks she's so important.'"
"Tony: 'Thinks every lil' thing is gonna go her way cuz she's so special.'"
"Tony: 'Well, I hate ta be the one ta tell you this, but there ain't a supahman goin' around setting things right.'"
"Tony: 'It's just me and you out here.'"

[3/5] Stingpie 2026/03/01(Sun)22:55 No. 1122781 ID: 35d66b
File 177240571150.jpg - (136.01KB , 1754x1240 , subscene_5-5_v2.jpg )

"Tony: 'And you brought nuttin' to a knife fight.'"

[4/5] Stingpie 2026/03/01(Sun)22:55 No. 1122782 ID: 35d66b
File 177240575130.jpg - (278.78KB , 2480x1754 , subscene_6_v2.jpg )

"Footsteps come thundering down the street, a fluid of faceless bodies brandishing knives and guns.
"Meep Meep stays to defend the fleeing doctor, who takes one more look at the situation before dropping into the stormdrain."

[5/5] Stingpie 2026/03/01(Sun)22:56 No. 1122783 ID: 35d66b
File 177240577268.gif - (83.73KB , 620x438 , subscene_7.gif )

"With a 'plop' Kleincakes lands in the basin."

He looks at you with an unusual combination of smugness and dissapointment.

"Now, onto the addition phase. You can forfeit now, if you'd like. I think I have a fairly good hold of how you think."

An awkard smile crosses his face.

"I guess that's my not-so-subtle way of saying my next move is a winning one."
"Now, what would you like to introduce?"

I would add a vent in the wall that leads to the boiler room of the neighboring hotel, which has a fine old sauna and bathhouse. This boiler room is minorly famous, mainly among plumbers and workmen, for being ancient, poorly planned, and being an agonizingly hot tangle of steam pipes.

A fine place for a slime to hide, no?

Yeah if you can pry the latch. not like anyone is going to be here

If Gargill was here where there were known does, no doubt they left nothin' usable here for you.

Okay, as long as you replicate the doe's pawprints, you should be able to steal anything left. This is a low-class neighborhood and the door is unlocked. No-one will bat an eye if someone ransacks the place clean. Just make sure they think it was someone with working muscles.

>>1122721
Something bad happened here.
As houses go, im betting it looks as if its been made pretty rabbit proof too, though im also betting its more focused on keeping them in than out.
So, walk the boundry of the house. Look for vents or loose boards or areas reinforced from this side. Those would be escape vulnerabilities they shored up to keep whoever they had in there. Does, i think. It was meant to be does.

It's going to be bad in there. Try to suppress the gag reflex.
If you go in, you're going to find knowledge to tell other bunnies, and incidentally there may still be reserves of food. Not sure any of the other rabbit... equipment in there is worth taking.

New outfits get!

Toxoglossa 2026/02/25(Wed)03:13 No. 1122604 ID: d10be1
File 177198921281.png - (283.01KB , 800x731 , 17-306.png )

“If that’s everything, you better get going.” The fae waves a hand and a stone gateway opens in the wall, through which Cecil’s garden is visible.

“If I may…” Casey steps forward and nods, “We appreciate the training and trusting us with your heartspace gate.”

“Yeah, I can’t wait to show Del how much tougher I’ve gotten.” Gabe flexes an arm, showing a hint of a bicep.

“I definitely learned a lot. It was an honor.” Kol nods in a slight bow.

“What’s all this? Gettin all mushy on me, are you?” Argus grins and opens his arms wide. “Alright, guys. Bring it in…”

The former servants come in and embrace their master, feeling his arms wrap around them one more time. Even without his full strength, the werewolf’s muscles crush them together gently, as if reluctant to let go of the moment.

“Thank you, sir…” Casey tells him, her voice low and quiet.

Argus drops his arms and steps back. “You three come back sometime! We’ll have a rematch: you might actually stand a chance next time!” He says with a chuckle, discreetly wiping away a tear.

“You’re on!” Kol tells him, turning back as they leave.

As the three cross the boundary between the faewild and their world, the wolf’s howl follows them, bidding them farewell and good luck on their next journey.

End of Chapter 17

Well that was fun
next stop: the moon

Sweet, another one for the books, great chapterrrr

Do you know that sex in space is a legit subject of scientific interest?

>>1122688
Stirring not sitting stir always when Heating so this should take in total 6 minutes

>>1122667
Dig deep.
There could be a booty themed prize.

Ensure you arrange the fridge magnets in the rudest phrase available. Butts seems like a low hanging fruit though.

Need to think about how to make those 17 bucks stretch to fill a fridge.
What?
Fifteen percent service charge is fair. And you aint spending your own hard earned cash, are you?

Cost effective foods:
Rice, beans, maybe milk (by volume per dollar), raw ingredients like sugar or flour, raw vegetables

>>1122695
Means we can make out own bread and pastry dough the two food groups also beans surprisingly Good on toast

I don't see baking turning out well. Better to get food that's simple to cook.

Rice and beans are cheap yeah, but don't forget store bought bread and pasta. Eggs tend to be affordable (even in this fucked up economy) and sometimes groceries have short-lived sales to get rid of food that's about to expire; you can take advantage of that. Might even be possible to find someone selling bruised or unattractive produce at a steep discount.

>>1122679
Vi: get loaded guns into Eiko's hands. Stay out of the angel's range.
Eiko: start shooting at body parts of opportunity. Hitting the spear arm would be great, but really anything that slows them down is good so that you can try to get a lethal shot in, or fully disarm them. If you can manage it, shove some health into Vi so she isn't so close to falling over, and direct the pack to flank the angel. At some point *someone* is going to have a clear shot, and if they get stunned even for a moment more bullets will fly in.

...guess we should've used some downtime we spent talking to transfer health from a mook to Vi, but I guess we didn't know Vi was this scrappy.

>>1122680
Agree with directing Vi to get guns into Eiko's hands.

You've got the angel riled up, now feign seduction to really throw them off with rage!

Stick your tongue between two fingers while grinning, add a corny one-liner for extra insult.
"You're gonna have to get your other spear if you want to penetrate me!"

>>1122685

Also, add "Oh, what long spear you wield."

Being seductive just plays into his superiority complex with eiko and vi being lowly beasts.
Thatd have little effect.
Hit what he cares about.

Brainstorming taunts:

"I guess zir decided you have to fight like youre having a seizure too, huh?"

"Zir foresaw THIS performance and he sent you anyway. Dude has a sense of humour. The choir must be pissing thrmselves laughing."

"Now now. Zir is the god of serenity, not frothing impotent rage. Hed be soooo disappointed in you."

"Hey listen! His Zirness is singing a new verse just for you! *sad trombone noises*"

Just a few quick options.
Whatever we pick, target his object of devotion and his inadequecy in serving them.
There, he is vulnerable as in his mind he is the heroic crusader, not a target of mockery.

Let's go Leeroy Jenkins on this dark hole. The more time we spend second-guessing ourselves the more time we give our ENEMIES to attack us. We need to keep moving.

Nalthar 2026/02/22(Sun)03:29 No. 1121377 ID: fd169b
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The two pull their heads out of the hole, and not a moment later you hear, or rather, feel a screech pass by you that leaves your teeth on edge. Dis nods to herself "Mm, yes. Bat."

"I want out." Cedric says, fiddling the chain in his hand "Come on there's five of us, we can take em!"

You agree "But lets not take any chances. When they come by here we can rush them."

Lisel taps the side of her acid thrower's tank. "I've enough for one or two more sprays. How should we array ourselves? Perhaps someone should go in the vent to ensure their attention is drawn past here."

We could try to make this a pincer attack. Have Lisel go into the vent with Kh'khechil as a meat shield, and those two engage the patrol and force them to chase them past the hole. Then Lisel sprays them; and after they're hopefully blinded, the other three charge in behind for a sneak attack.

My thought process is that the bat knows we're here, but not how many of us; so if they encounter more than one person in the vent they likely won't be expecting anyone else. Having Lisel go first means that she can spray them without having to worry about hitting anyone else behind her targets. She does need some way to stay in the fight once her acid is exhausted, though. Are there any other weapons she could use?

>>1121377
Similar tactics to last time? You're in a choke point. You can surprise them as they come out. Maybe one person in the entrance to create the illusion of a single passer-by, who can bolt from the hole and draw the rest into an ambush, starting with Lisel's spray.

>>1121377
Five against four, and one of them is a bat. This is going to draw a lot of attention.

Send the beetle and Lisel out first, in opposite directions. The beetle approaches the enemies slowly and cautiously, blocking their view of Lisel with his large body. When the guards think they've found a lone beetle to attack, go into a fighting retreat until he reaches reach Lisel's position, giving her a perfect chance to hit the whole group with an acid spray and avoid friendly fire.

By this point, the enemy will have alreadu passed by the hole, letting the rest of our group ambush them from behind while they think they've already been ambushed by the beetle's single ally. If we've got backup weapons to share, I'd give the chain blade back to Tem'rty; he's injured and its added reach will let him attack from relative safety and without having to move too much.

How sure are we that "four pairs of feet" mean "four opponents"? I wouldn't put it past this house of horrors to pit us against a bizarre monster that defies conventional anatomy. Even if we've got the four of them surrounded, be wary of other enemies coming from behind us.

>>1122635
Nnngh.
She looks hurt, but you guys nearly died.
Ok

Haul off on her. Say all the shit you wanted to day to herbover everything that went rown. The good and the bad, the worry and the anger.

Then, when youre empty of all that, think about her question again.
Think about what itd do to you to help, but also what itd do to you if you didnt.

You are in no way obligated to help her. At most, she can have some bandages for her paws (assuming the bloody footprints were hers), but that's the amount of help you are offering. she can bandage herself up.

>>1122637
this

Why is she here? She was in the cave, we saw her shed fur. Is she with the poachers now?

no no no. if she's here those psychos could be hunting her down as we speak.

But, it would be great if she was far, far away. So lets hear it fox, what's your plan? Where you trying to go?

Also if you're going to be talking to her for more than a minute or two, you need to get her away from the geocache. You're probably not the only ones searching for it, and you *will* be seen with her if you stay where you are.

If you're going to do this, you also want to get her bandaged up first. The trail of fur and blood she's been leaving is very bad in her situation, and also bad for you as long as you're in her vicinity.

I'm going to say have her bandage herself up while you close up the cache, then get somewhere more secluded while you figure out what to do with her.

LW 2026/02/25(Wed)05:55 No. 1122605 ID: 0d1c28
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Iolantha stashes the books underneath the bridge, maybe to return for later.

LW 2026/02/25(Wed)05:56 No. 1122606 ID: 0d1c28
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They continue down the river.
Porala spots a cave along the river it might work but she'd have to check it out further.

"It's so cold in the river..." Iolantha complains.

This is as good a hiding place as we're likely to find, if it has enough space. We need to make sure we have a place where we can get out of the water, and enough space to rest while drying off. It's likely to be cold and uncomfortable; safety is our first priority, but we need to make sure we're not going to develop hypothermia.

If nothing else, we should be able to stop here and recover our strength.

>>1122628
Agreed.
The ladies who arent born to it need out of the water for a while. Hopefully a dry ledge at least in there to huddle together on and share body heat

stop and rest in the cave