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🐲 FIST OF THE SPACE DRAGON [Intergalactic Martial Arts Quest]

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[X] Plan Eye of the Space Tiger (AKA Plan Training Montage)
-[X] Personal: Train - Agility
-[X] MIGHT - Informal Free-For-All
-[X] MIGHT - Hunt Vermin
-[X] MIGHT - Fight a Garbage Kraken
 
Vote status update!

Adhoc vote count started by weredrago2 on Mar 9, 2023 at 8:46 PM, finished with 49 posts and 20 votes.
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Unless things change significantly overnight, I'll be closing the vote tomorrow.
 
Voting is now closed!

Adhoc vote count started by weredrago2 on Mar 10, 2023 at 9:53 AM, finished with 52 posts and 22 votes.
Click to expand...


Plan Eye of the Space Tiger is the winner!

I'll start writing up the results tonight.
 
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The Dance of the Dark Heart
  • Sidestory
    • The Dance of a Dark Heart​

    Happing System - Planet Stoked

    The creatures of the dark,
    They lurk within the heart,
    Waiting for their moment to arise;
    For pleasure or pain,
    They can't be contained,
    How I long for the creatures of the dark.    ​

    As she sang and danced her routine, she could see him there, watching as if she were the only thing in the universe that mattered. The incomparable might of his immortal frame, an aura that flowed with unparalleled power; they lit an unquenchable passion within her that fueled her performance.

    Even in spite of the fact that he wasn't actually there.

    Cant-Stop-Wont-Stop saw it as nothing less than a tragedy that it was only in her mind's eye that she could see the Dread King Necromania watch her perform. Instead, she was stuck with the local Planet Boss, a Styman named Stoth.

    The entire room came to an abrupt stop as the power briefly went out, then the lights came on, cutting the music and leaving the Marinus known as Cant-Stop-Wont-Stop – 'Canwon', as she was sometimes known - with nothing to sing to. She wasn't the only one who took rather annoyed notice of the situation, Stoth and his lounge guests likewise looked about, grumbling as they asked what was going on.

    "Someone better provide a good explanation before I have to hurt and explanation out of someone." Said Stoth, the calm of his voice belying the threat it carried.

    "Sir, news." Said Talktofist as he entered the room. A Yeren dressed in a crisp, professional, high-class suit that outshined even Stoth's wardrobe, complete with some of the most expensive sunglasses to be found anywhere, he was one of Stoth's key lieutenants. Perhaps his key lieutenant, all business all the time, the one man Stoth could always count on to make sure things were running even when Stoth himself needed to break from the rigors of being a Planet Boss.

    "And what news could possibly justify interrupting one of Ms. Canwon's most wonderful performances?" Stoth asked. That his words remained as calm as they were was attributed to Talktofist being the one they were meant for.

    Talktofist said nothing, letting his actions do the talking. The TV set in the other major alcove of the loung flipped on.

    "Attention all mortals of the Wugant Sector! Lend me your hearing organs!"

    Cant-Stop-Wont-Stop's breath caught in her throat.

    It was him.

    The rest of the universe faded away as she hung on the man's every word, his every action.

    "It is I, NECROMANIA! Uncontested ruler of all that he surveys. Perhaps you've heard of me? I must admit, I have become rather tired of being uncontested for so long. No matter how hard I searched for a worthy opponent, it's been YEARS since I've had a good fight! For this reason, I am issuing a challenge to the greatest warriors in all of Wugant! That's right! A challenge! It's a simple one, too! I'm offering anyone who can defeat me in a duel one wish! Anything that is within my power to make come true, I shall! Dominion over a planet or two? Sure. Riches? As big a number as you can imagine! Nyeh heh heh! Not even reversing the process of death itself is beyond my reach!"

    A wish. A wish for anything?

    The bright spark within Canwon that burned for the Dread King burned brighter than it ever had before.

    "However! I won't be making it easy! You'd better come at me with all you've got!"

    Cant-Stop-Wont-Stop watched with wide eyes and swiftly beating heart as she witnessed but the first challenger and Necromania's answer with his captivating display of power.

    "Where was I? Oh, yes. Beat me and you get one free wish! Think you're tough enough?"

    Cant-Stop-Wont-Stop stood frozen with joyful shock as the broadcast came to its conclusion and the room turned quiet.

    Was she tough enough?

    If she was honest with herself, the answer was 'no, not yet'.

    Key word 'yet'.

    A laugh broke the silence of the room. Not a big laugh, but a laugh all the same. Everyone in the room turned to Stoth.

    "Necromania wants a challenger, does he?" Stoth said as he gently shook his head. "Oh, how I pity the man."

    Confusion flowed through the room as people tried to make sense of what Stoth was saying. The Styman stood from his seat and walked to the center of the room.

    "A man like him, does he really think that if such a challenger were out there, such a challenger would not have come for Necromania already?" Stoth said. He turned to the room at large.

    "Maybe he should use some of that wishing power for himself. Wish himself up the challenger he's looking for." Stoth said, then he laughed as if he'd told a brilliant joke. It received mixed results, some finding it genuinely funny, some laughing just to position themselves favorably in Boss Stoth's eyes, some not sure if they should be wishing at all.

    Cant-Stop-Wont-Stop was distinctly in the last category. He may have meant it as a joke, but to Canwon's ears, it sounded like a genuinely brilliant idea.

    "Oh, to have everything you want but not have what you really want." Stoth said as he walked back to his seat.

    To not have what you really want. It was a feeling Canwon knew all too well. She glanced at Stoth, then stared at the image of Necromania that was currently plastered on the TV screen.

    "What you really want." Echoed through Canwon's head.

    Stoth could be brilliant at times, even when he didn't realize it. It was among the reasons she'd turned to him when she'd first sought a path to Necromania. His own loyalty to the man and recognition of Dark King's greatness was another. That he was, in contrast to the portly frame most the boarly Stymen were known for, a man of impressive physique didn't hurt either.

    "If we can move past that little distraction, perhaps you should take it from the top." Stoth said to Canwon as he took his seat again. "The show must go on, after all."

    Silence filled the room, Canwon stood still as her brain remained on a different track.

    "I do believe there is still a performance to be finished." Stoth said with a firm reminder. Canwon snapped back to the now, then looked to Stoth. She put on her most convincing fake smile, then took a low bow before returning to first position. From the top, the music began to play, and Canwon began her song and dance once more.

    Even as she was distracted, what followed was what Cant-Stop-Wont-Stop recalled as one of her greatest performances. It was the motivation that drove her. Where before she had seen just the Dark King Necromania watching from the crowd, now she could see herself in the crowd as well, as close by his side as she could be.

    She had once made her way to Boss Stoth in hopes that he would grant her a path to Necromania himself. Tonight, she knew that had always been a futile path. Something needed to change. She could continue to sing and dance forever, but never would it bring her what she really wanted.

    Some might have let such failure grind them down and lose sight of the prize. Not Cant-Stop-Wont-Stop. Necromania may have never been in the room, but he had never not been in her heart.

    But if what Necromania really wanted was a worthy challenger, then so be it. Canwon would become that challenger or die trying. She already had a foot in the door – her very dance steps were an adaptation of what combat she already knew, adapted for use in performance. She needed merely adapt it back, then refine it and herself until she was so worthy a challenger that Necromania would never want for a worthy challenger ever again.

    Tonight, she would conquer the room with her song and dance. Tomorrow would begin her journey to conquer Necromania's heart.

    How I long for the creatures of the dark.​
     
  • Sidestory
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    ROUND 1 - RESULTS
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Plan Eye of the Space Tiger (AKA Plan Training Montage)
    -[X] Personal: Train - Agility
    -[X] MIGHT - Informal Free-For-All
    -[X] MIGHT - Hunt Vermin
    -[X] MIGHT - Fight a Garbage Kraken


    ★ GALACTIC ACTIONS ★

    🥊 MIGHT - Informal Free-For-All
    TN N/A - Just Walk Into a Bar and Punch Somebody
    The streets of Forgo are full of cyberized punks and drunken spacers looking for a quick scrap. Indulge them in a brawl to show the casual fighters where you stand: The top of the pile!

    TONG BEI MIGHT 3D10
    0, 2, 9, = 19
    Success

    As you've decided to take on the universe one fool at a time, you start by walking into the nearest bar and hitting the first unlucky sucker that gives you an excuse. Since people seem to frown upon you starting fights for "no discernable reason", you sit at a vacant seat and patiently wait for a reason to appear.

    "Gimme a Ninth Ray." The multiarmed Marinus at the bar pops open a fresh bottle of blue liquor and pour a glass for you. "Leave the bottle."

    It doesn't take long for a volunteer to step forward. Before you can enjoy your drink, the bloated, red-capped Mycoloid sitting next to you decides to strike up a conversation.

    "Aren't you a bit far from Yeren Prime?" he asks.

    Yeren Prime has been an airless crater for about as long as you've been alive. The implied suggestion that you should head back there anyway wasn't lost on you.

    "Aren't you a bit far from a compost heap?" you reply. "Or do you keep fertilizer on you for when you get hungry?"

    Decomposers tend to get rather defensive when you bring up their diets.

    "What I keep in my pockets ain't your damn business."

    Doubly so when you guess their primary food source right.

    "It'd go a long way to explain your breath."

    The mushroom man put a hand on your shoulder. Took him long enough.

    "Listen here, you--!"

    With an upward swing of the liquor bottle, you uproot the toadstool from his barstool. Not being done yet, you take advantage of his stagger with a hard kick and send him sailing across the bar. Credbills and dice scatter into the air as the fungi falls into a round table where a group of spacers were playing an informal game of craps. For a moment, they all look dumbstruck, before putting two and two together. Despite their varied backgrounds, they all knew a fight when they saw one, and rose from the table with fists and furniture legs ready.

    By the end of the night, a good fight and a lot of bruises were had by everyone involved. You should do this more often.

    Reward: You sufficiently impress the local toughs and transient types. New actions unlocked.

    🥊 MIGHT - Hunt Vermin
    TN 15
    The varied waste that is dumped on Forgo has led to an outbreak of rodents of unusual size. These mutant vermin are pests in the top percentage of pests. Trying to catch them could serve as a distraction from the usual status quo of them dragging people into the darkness.

    TONG BEI MIGHT 3D10 + 2D10 (WILD HUNTER)
    0, 0, 3, 3, 8 = 23
    Success

    Nobody likes the mutant rats. They hunt the monocellular amoobas that graze on the plains of plastic, attack people on their commutes to work, and spread what few diseases the average Forgonite hasn't already developed a resistance to by exposure. For every giant rat you see, there's a lot more you don't.

    Trying to get rid of them all would be a monumental task, and not one you're particularly jazzed to do yourself, so you settle for reminding the local game why they still have prey instincts. You don't need anything fancy. A box of smelly cheese from the orbiting fromagerie and stainless steel bar sharpened to a point do the trick; you aren't in the market for a better mousetrap than that. The last thing they see is a flicker in the dark and a spear between the eyes.

    By nightfall, you've got enough rat corpses that you need to bribe Horse with a moon cheese wheel so he'd help sell the rats you don't have room for out the back of his truck. However, there's enough left over that you end up having to give some of them away in bags so that they don't go to waste. The rest are for yourself, as well as a couple you set aside as bait.

    Reward: There are less giant rats plaguing the planet, decreasing the TN to explore the Forgo Heaps and Depths. Food scarcity in the region is temporarily relieved.

    🥊 MIGHT - Fight a Garbage Kraken
    TN 25
    Garbage krakens are big monsters that burrow through Forgo's middle and bottom layers. They supplement their diets of trash with unsuspecting victims. Anyone can scare off a garbage kraken with a missile launcher; hunting one with your bare hands should be a good challenge!

    TONG BEI MIGHT 3D10 + 2D10 (WILD HUNTER)
    1, 4, 5, 6, 8 = 18
    Failure

    You attach a large cube of rotisseried rat onto the hook of a reinforced fishing rod and lower it into the dark abyss where the Squid Row ends. When you feel a tug on the end of the line, you jump in with your spear and start stabbing.

    "GOT YOU NOW, SQUIDDY!"

    Try as you might to take down the garbage kraken, your tussle with the giant monster ends in it slapping you off its back with its mighty tendrils and retreating to fight another day. Subsequent attempts to lure it out of hiding with rat bait are equally unsuccessful, as the creature digs back into the dark recesses beneath Squid Row before you can spring a proper ambush.

    Better luck next time.


    ★ PERSONAL ACTIONS ★

    ★ PERSONAL - TRAIN
    Hit the gym! Hit the books! Be better, do better. You can train up your mind and body, though without any extra space or special equipment dedicated to the task, your results may vary.
    - AGILITY

    TONG BEI AGILITY 3D10
    0, 1, 6 = 16

    The alkane ape style that was founded by your ancestors utilizes strength, volatility, and flexibility. Above all of those things, it relies on speed. The disciple needs to be in the heat of battle and out of danger before your enemy even knows what's hitting them. Your grandfather isn't around to teach you the forms anymore, so you've developed it further on your own, mixing in street fighting tricks and sweet dance moves you've picked up along the way.

    There's no time to lose, so you run, and run, and run. You need to be faster than the next guy, and then the next guy after that. If you can't get in a hit faster than Necromania can fire off a death blast, then you're not going to get very far at all.

    Agility Training Progress Revealed: 16/40


    ★ RUMOR MILL ★

    ⚫ NECROMANIA'S CHALLENGE! ⚪
    The Dread King of the Wugant Sector, Necromania, has put out a challenge to the most powerful warriors around. Whoever can defeat him in battle will earn one wish, winner's choice! Scores of fighters have already flown to Omegadeth, in search of having their greatest dreams fulfilled, only to be disappointed when they're killed instantaneously.

    Life insurance companies on numerous worlds have filed for preemptive bankruptcy, and countless widows across the varied sectors have changed their relationship status to "single".

    🟡 BOOMTOWN ON CENOTAPH 🟡
    A large vein of power jade was found on the frontier planet of Cenotaph, leading to a furious rush in activity around the largest jade mine. Tellus-10-5, public relations representative of the Hiveworks Xanthos Mining Company, has put out an open call for new workers of any species to participate in their mining efforts. This is an unusual message from the normally-insular HXMC, though the allegations of poor storage conditions for their worker drone eggs and resultant decrease of hatch rates may be the cause of this call for external labor.

    🟡 AIR ON FORGO DECLARED BREATHABLE 🟡
    To the surprise of many, an independent test performed by the Forgo Air Commission has declared that the air on your homeworld can be breathed. These numbers are derived from the average air quality across the world, and do not necessarily represent air quality of the irradiated death pits. This clean bill of health is expected to increase tourism to the planet by at least 2%. Dark tourism rates and gas mask sales are projected to remain more or less the same.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Horse is a good friend/minion. We need to hang out with him and officially have him join the winning team.

    So unless we roll at least 2 4s Agility Training will take 2 more actions. Does excess roll over onto the next tier?

    Something tells me the independent test of Forgo, by Forgo, is not to be trusted.
     
    Would I be correct in guessing the amount required for tiering up to a new attribute level is (New Level x 10)? So raising our Intellect to 3 would require 30, and Spirit to 5 requires 50?
     
    Anyone suspect Tong, as an alien volcano monkey as capable of breathing things that would totally take us out?
    Because I'm pretty sure her curry eating through the floor is just an occupational hazard of serving things a Yeren will eat.
     
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    weredrago2 said:
    🥊 MIGHT - Fight a Garbage Kraken
    TN 25
    Garbage krakens are big monsters that burrow through Forgo's middle and bottom layers. They supplement their diets of trash with unsuspecting victims. Anyone can scare off a garbage kraken with a missile launcher; hunting one with your bare hands should be a good challenge!

    TONG BEI MIGHT 3D10 + 2D10 (WILD HUNTER)
    1, 4, 5, 6, 8 = 18
    Failure
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I know this would end this way.
     
    Finally got a moment to check this out. Interesting premise! Reminds me a little of the Ballad of Edgardo, the punchy man who went on to defy the world. I miss the freedom fighter quest (the die saves against the local big bad was one of the best, most insane results I've ever seen! Still wonder if there was ever a chance of Sonic going against him, too, to show off the power/skill difference between him and Lagoon), but this quest is shaping up to be just as entertaining.

    Gotta get better and take on that garbage kraken. 🦑
     
    I don't think trying to take the kraken on again is a bad idea. We do have a decent chance of beating it - I'd say we just got unlucky this time. However I can understand why people would want to hold off on challenging it again - next time it might decide that monkey is on the menu, rather than fleeing.
     
    @weredrago2

    In honor of the conclusion of Round 1, I have decided to use my 1XP freebie from Lagoon to pose a rather titular question. I think it'd be fitting as the first use of XP in the Quest 'Fist of the Space Dragon'.

    What exactly is a Space Dragon?
     
    Necromania's Greatest Hits
  • Sidestory
    • Necromania's Greatest Hits​

    The commercials came to their end, bringing the TV back to its prime programming. Standing in a studio next to an oversized monitor was a stocky Sschub in a plain-spoken but highly professional suit, the long weaves of the hair that covered the whole of his body a bold shade of dark browns. At the bottom of the screen, an overlay provides a reminder of his name for those who had somehow either forgotten or were just tuning in for the very first time - Olaf Snocone

    "And welcome back to Necromania's Greatest Hits, the only show authorized to bring you all the greatest action from the one, the only, the Necromania Take-A-Wish Challenge."

    The Sschub host spoke with a deep voice of unusual presence and authority, as if he could monologue about the most boring things in existence and still find a way to make them interesting.

    "As we reach the conclusion of tonights episode, we finally bring you the replay you've all been waiting for."

    The screen to the side provided a graphic that was itself graphic, showing the outline of a Torusan with a pile of bones and internal bits scattered about. A title - "The Inside Story" - lay over the mess of a display.

    "In the months since it began, the Necromania Take-A-Wish Challenge has taken the Wugant Sector by storm, and quite possibly the galaxy at large as well. We've already seen scores of ill-fated challengers meet their brutal ends at the hands of our Dark Lord and Master, the Dread King Necromania. But to date, perhaps none have put the 'blood' in 'Blood Planet Omegadeth' like our next video."

    "For anyone watching at home who is squeamish, I ask both why you're watching this show in the first place and also what is wrong with you."

    The screen cut to an infographic display where on the one half was an action shot of a Torusan, a name plate of "Tumbleweed" below the image. The other half was a box filled with supposed factoids, though it was impossible to tell which were true and which were made up for dramatic or comedic effect, such as the line at the bottom of 'Last Meal: Probably Chow Mein Stew'.

    "Our latest victim is a Torusan named Tumbleweed." Olaf narrated over the display. "And he's about to learn why you should always watch where you step."

    After a few brief moments, the video cut to Omegadeth itself. The camera moved around a bit, as if searching for something, then after a brief view of Necromania's castle of skull and bones, it panned up high into the sky. There, something fell from the sky, likely dropped from a ship that was soaring away and out of view.

    "Necromania!" The falling object shouted as it sped toward the castle. The camera zoomed in, and it became clear that the falling object was a Torusan. As he neared the top of the castle, jet boosters fired that slowed down his speed, then burst away in various directions, letting the Torusan safely land on the highest point of the Dark Tyrant's castle. After a moment to let a heroic landing sink in, the Torusan took a triumphant pose.

    "Your vanquisher has arrived!" The Torusan declared. "It is I, Tumbleweed! Let the galaxy hear my name, for it is soon destined to go down in the annals of history!"

    Tumbleweed hopped about atop the castle, almost as if putting on some kind of acrobatics display. A litany of shouts and grunts came as the small adorable alien lunged about.

    Then, the view cut to a new camera that showed Necromania himself approaching.

    "When I called for challengers, I don't recall saying anything about landing on my house." Necromania said. It was hard to tell if he was more amused by the audacity on display or annoyed that his castle was now being practically danced on by what he well expected to be another disappointing challenger.

    "Ah-ha!" Tumbleweed shouted, turning toward Necromania and taking a pre-combat pose. "At last, you stand before me, where your last moments begin!"

    "You have my attention." Necromania said. "And that attention comes with great expectations. Fail to meet them, and I'll have you wishing for the same quick and boring deaths I gave those came before you."

    Tumbleweed shouted a battle cry, then lunged at Necromania. Already, he'd lasted longer than most those who had already failed in their own challenges. Several more bounds followed as Tumbleweed leapt about, moving with impressive speed and creating the impression that the Torusan might actually provide a challenge, if not somehow find a way to win.

    However, it didn't take long before it became clear to anyone watching that the only reason Tumbleweed was still alive was because Necromania willed it. Whether to draw out the eventual humiliation of Tumbleweed's defeat, because the display somehow amused Necromania, or for some reason known only to the Dark Tyrant himself, it was clear that Tumbleweed only lived because Necromania was toying with him.

    Anyone watching who hadn't picked up on it already had the fact slapped in the face when Necromania reached out and grabbed Tumbleweed by the throat.

    It was there that the screen paused for a moment, a close-up shot of Necromania holding Tumbleweed in a death grip, the Torusan's eyes bulging wide. The moment was punctuated by new narration from Olaf Snocone.

    "I'm not a mind reader, but in this moment, even I can tell what's going through Tumbleweed's head." Olaf narrated. "I believe they're words to the effect of 'I've made a terrible mistake'."

    The video resumed playing, allowing the display of the highlight. A few brief moments of panicked action followed from Tumbleweed as the Torusan tried to correct his mistake and avoid having everything be rendered moot.

    It was likewise clear that those few moments only happened because Necromania was again toying with Tumbleweed before the Dread King near literally turned Tumbleweed inside out.

    The video showed the moment in all its gruesome glory, all the way till Necromania finally tossed Tumbleweed's bloody remains aside to a pair of waiting zombie warriors.

    "And now let's see it again." Olaf narrated. The entire video rewound to the beginning, then played all the way through again, this time without the pause or narration. The rest of the segment continued in kind, including highlighting particular moments of Necromania turning Tumbleweed's death into a moment and slow-motion replays.

    Finally, at last, the video made its way to the end.

    "At least he made it interesting this time." Necromania said, then he turned to one of the cameras. The video cut to the feed of Necromania facing the camera head on.

    "If only he'd made it interesting by actually being a challenge." Necromania said. "Still waiting!"

    There was an undertone of boredom and being unimpressed that underscored the final two words before turning and wandering off, muttering something to the zombie attendants holding Tumbleweeds remains. Debate would rage in some circles for weeks about what exactly Necromania said. Most concluded it was something about Necromania turning Tumbleweed's remains into something, though what exactly nobody was quite sure.

    Then, the video faded to black before cutting back to the studio with Olaf on display.

    "As are we all." Olaf said to the camera. "But until that day, I'm sure we'll all continue to enjoy watching the Dread King Necromania put all the wannabe upstarts in their place."

    "Until next time, this has been Necromania's Greatest Hits."

    The camera pulled back and faded as credits rolled, which were soon joined by a promo reel for the next show in the nightly lineup.

    Though really, it was easy to pity whatever program had the duty of having to follow up a show like that.
     
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  • Sidestory
    • FictionPack said:
    What exactly is a Space Dragon?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I need to take a crack at this.

    ...It got away from me.

    * * * * *

    >Search parameters: Space Dragon

    >Accessing archives...

    >Access denied. Administrator access only. Please login.

    >User: *********

    >Password: ********

    >Access granted.

    >Welcome back ◇◇◇◇◇.

    >Space Dragon

    A creature that has transcended its fellows. Borne of mortal dreams and starlight, the creature is as near to divinity as one could ever be. They typically feast upon celestial bodies, most commonly those about to go supernova. Because of this, the mere whisper of the presence of a Space Dragon is enough to strike terror into the very core of those still amongst the living.

    Space Dragons also possess seemingly limitless energy and life force, such that should one foolish enough decide to get close to one, they will know both eternal bliss and eternal torment, driving the individual insane. It is hypothesized that if an individual manages to survive the Space Dragon's radiation, they will be imbued with unimaginable power.

    Due to the mere existence of this creature being able to send civilization to its knees, any and all references to Space Dragons are to be declared fictitious.

    >_
     
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