[X] Open assault on Kyoin.
Flandre's Quest (Touhou) World - (Madness Quest)
- Thread starter Entropy Judge
- Start date
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Votes are not locked.
It occurs to me now that I probably should have put the naming option below a line, so it could be counted separate from the 'what to do' votes. :/
EDIT: Votes are locked.
[X] Open assault on Kyoin.
2
[X] Sneak through Kyoin.
[X] Name the Sandflier.
-[X]Wüstefalke
1
[x] Sneak through Kyoin.
[x] Name our Sandflier
-[x] Tiamat
3
[X] Name the Sandflier.
-[X]Wüstenfalke
1
[X] Open assault on Kyoin.
[X] Name the Sandflier.
-[X]Wüstefalke
1
2
[X] Sneak through Kyoin.
[X] Name the Sandflier.
-[X]Wüstefalke
1
[x] Sneak through Kyoin.
[x] Name our Sandflier
-[x] Tiamat
3
[X] Name the Sandflier.
-[X]Wüstenfalke
1
[X] Open assault on Kyoin.
[X] Name the Sandflier.
-[X]Wüstefalke
1
It occurs to me now that I probably should have put the naming option below a line, so it could be counted separate from the 'what to do' votes. :/
EDIT: Votes are locked.
Last edited:
Through the Causeway
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
[X] Sneak through Kyoin.
[X] Name our Sandflier
-[X] Tiamat
You roll off the bed and head back through the cabin to the deck, taking out your parasol again. Ershin stands at the control station and pilots the ship with credible skill, and you lean against the rail near it, looking around in case something interesting or worthwhile catches your eye. "… Nothing down there that I saw. Just some beds and a table bolted to the floor in a couple rooms."
"That makes sense. Sandfliers were originally designed for warfare, after all." That makes sense to you. As a guerrilla force, a sandflier with a dozen soldiers could lay in wait, covered by magic or a simple canvas, and wait for several days at least before launching an attack with little or no warning for the defenders. Especially in a desert, where water and mobility are paramount, they would be incredibly valuable and dangerous. Still ….
"But there wasn't anything else. No maps, nothing in the chests, and it was being taken out somewhere with soldiers in it. You'd think they'd at least have extra equipment on-board for whatever they were doing!" You huff in exasperation. "Even if they were just moving troops from one place to a temporary posting, for this ship to have nothing in it is just … weird." Ershin refrains from commenting, and you sigh before you start thinking about names for the little ship. You spend quite a bit of time before you come up with a name that tickles your sense of irony enough for you to keep it. "Tiamat." Ershin turns to look at you.
"Tiamat?" You nod, grinning.
"Yup! Tiamat was an ancient ocean goddess, so what better name could I use for the sandflier? After all, this is an upside-down world where gods are made to do things for others." After your explanation, Ershin watches you for a short while before turning back to the controls.
"… We will reach Kyoin before nightfall." You giggle.
"And we'll sneak through to the other side!" Ershin looks at you again.
"You do not want to wipe out the soldiers? Deis says." You shake your head.
"Think about it. If I fight my way through their checkpoint, they'll keep underestimating me. But if I suddenly appear on the other continent, without them knowing how I got there, they'll be terrified and throw everything they have at me!" You giggle again, then yawn. "… Anyway, I'm going to take a nap, so see if there are any good places to observe the place before we get there so I can get a good look before we go in." Ershin turns back to the piloting station.
"I will do that." You nod and head back into the cabin, curling up on one of the beds and falling asleep almost instantly.
You wake up as Tiamat slows to a halt and settles on the sand. You spring up and rush back outside, not bothering with the parasol for now, and nearly bump into Ershin. "Any problems?"
"No. Although the Synestan officials are probably sending out a patrol, if they haven't already." You grin and clap your hands, then rise into the air for a look at Kyoin. You see a light wooden wall across most of the peninsula, with a gate in the middle. Most traffic must be by sandflier, you suppose, given its location. The military camp stretches behind it, and behind that is a tall tower. What you don't see is a bridge. Ershin said there was a causeway, but you don't see it, and you drop back down. "Wait, how do we get across?"
"The Causeway." Ershin points back toward the base. "At the end of the peninsula is a tower, and at the top of the tower is the Causeway - a magical gateway connecting the two continents. It is said to have been built by the First Emperor over six hundred years ago. Says Deis." You stare at the animate armor, blinking, as you try to fit the information into your plan. Sneak through a base, up a tower, and then through a magical gateway? Your mind jumpstarts as Ershin begins laughing, and your hand clamps on the grill below the helmet and toss it into a nearby dune. "… It appears I was in error - I should not have laughed at that juncture," it says a little weakly. You stare at Tiamat as it sits on the sand.
"Deis, can you do anything useful?" Ershin gets up and walks over to you, turning between the ship and you.
"I can't conceal the ship, not without a lot more time -" You cut the armor off with a snort.
"I'm not talking about Tiamat, I'm talking about Ershin. Unless you're holding out on me again, the only way I'd be able to take the sandflier with us is if I carried it to the top of the tower - but knowing how things work, it's probably too big to fit, right? So instead, I'm asking if you can do anything to keep this walking hunk of metal from getting noticed by everyone who isn't deaf and blind!" Your voice turns to a vicious snarl as you finish, and your arm twitches as you keep yourself from pounding away at something - mainly because the only things nearby are Ershin and the sandflier, and you don't really want to destroy either one.
"I can do that, says Deis." You nod stiffly, then head back into the sandflier. No sense moving out in daylight, after all.
Sneaking past the sandflier gate is simple in the darkness. The idea that someone would move through it on foot isn't so outrageous, but the guards normally would have had some kind of warning that someone would be trying. Without that warning, there are no extra precautions, and the first obstacle is dealt with. Past that, however … you had considered simply moving around the camp, over the sea of mud, or over it, but you're too irritated to bother. You lean against Ershin's bulk as you study the interior of the camp more closely. It isn't as heavily-fortified as you had thought it would be, although you can see where formidable additions could be added relatively quickly. It's likely that they were removed as a sign of goodwill. Regardless, the initial area is clear of buildings or walls, with a pair of wooden roads with cart-rails leading to the sandflier dock - Deis explained that with no fighting going on, the Imperials prefer to buy supplies from one or another of the merchants in the area. The large buildings immediately behind the walls are warehouses, then, meant to take supplies straight from the ships. You look around for anyone watching, then dart forward to the warehouse on the right, Ershin following you almost as quietly.
You creep around the well-maintained brick wall of the warehouse and look at the barracks yard. At least, if you were in charge, this is where you would put the barracks yard … and there are paired buildings along the left side of the camp. There are only tents on this side, and you aren't sure if the camp is transitioning or if they weren't expecting to hold as many people as are in it now. Or maybe there's another reason that you can't figure out. But in the middle area, two groups of soldiers are drilling by soft lamplight, and guards are prowling around the buildings and the tents, with more around the buildings, for some reason. You resolve to get a few of the Imperial Army's uniforms before you leave this world, or at least get a few good drawings. Making life slightly more difficult is the fact that some of the patrolling guards aren't human, and probably have better senses - you see at least two that look like shaggy dogs, and another that makes you think of some weird fish-human thing. You slip back to where Ershin waits. You need a distraction, and with a bit of effort the two of you have quietly ripped a hole in the roof of the left-hand warehouse. Deis sets a rather large fire within, and in a few minutes the soldiers are scrambling madly. You throw Ershin to the far side of the courtyard, then leap after it. As you land, the warehouse explodes, but you're already pushing deeper into the camp. More elaborate buildings distinguish this section from the barracks, so it's probably an officers' area, or for clerks and other noncombatants. The lack of inhabitants leads you to the conclusion that it's the latter, although it could be vacant due to not having any officers of sufficient rank in residence. You move quickly, forcing Ershin to hurry to keep up with you. Maybe there's something interesting in one or another of those buildings, but you don't really have the time to look. Even if you hadn't set that warehouse on fire - and especially if it hadn't exploded - sneaking through the base limits your ability to take your time. So if there is anything interesting in the base, you'll just have to do without it.
The tower itself presents a problem, but one easily fixed. The interior is heavily guarded, not so much with human defenders or wards, but with magical guardians. The entrance alone has three massive suits of red armor waiting for intruders, and a brief exploration of the floor while invisible reveals more than a dozen more suits of armor. The solution, of course, is going up the outside of the tower - you simply carry Ershin up to the top with you. Not a perfect score, thanks to the fire, but you passed! The tower's exterior is in extremely good shape, especially if it's really older than you are … but the walkways to nowhere indicate that there's a magical elevator system in place, so that's not such a big surprise. The top of the tower has three structures that remind you of the gate at the Hakurei Shrine, arrayed to the north, south, and east, while the west has a long projection over the edge. You drop Ershin and look around.
"So … this is the Causeway. I hope you can turn it on," you say, and Ershin walks carefully to the diagram in front of the projection.
"Yes, just give me a few minutes, says Deis." Ershin kneels in the middle of the diagram, and multi-hued flamelike lights begin playing over the armor. You look back to the south, searching out the place you left Tiamat. While you could probably go back and then carry it up here, the Empire almost certainly lacks the ability to get it down without destroying it, so despite the feeling of abandonment, you know it's safer for the sandflier to stay where it is for now. Besides, it doesn't look like you'd be able to get it through the Causeway, anyway. As you turn back to Ershin, a swirl of stormclouds and lightning tumble at the end of the projection. The clouds part to reveal a swathe of … nothing, like the grey void only it's changing colors. You sigh - the Empire is definitely going to know someone used the Causeway to get to the other continent, and the way things are going, they're as likely to blame someone from this continent as they are to attribute it to you. "Hurry! It won't stay open long!" Ershin rushes along the projection and leaps into the gate. You look back at the continent you've been on for only a couple days - what you can see of it, anyway - and hurry after it.
Like Patchouli's portals, there's no oddness or delay when you pass through it. It's just like moving through a space without a portal, only you're in a different place when you move through it. You're on the top of another tower, but when you look down, there's no base at the bottom of this one. Ershin kneels in the tower's diagram and after a short pause the gate dissipates. You look around the tower, and it's not quite a desert, although it's still dusty and dry. You can see trees to the southwest, however, and maybe some mountains to the west. Ershin moves up beside you.
"To the southwest is Astana, a large military base and home to the Carronade." Hmm … if you want to make an impression, that's certainly the place to start!
What do you do?
[ ] Attack Astana.
[ ] Sneak into the base. Maybe there's some neat stuff you can find, since you won't be on a time limit.
[ ] Examine the Carronade. Maybe you can find something neat about it!
[ ] Other?
[X] Name our Sandflier
-[X] Tiamat
You roll off the bed and head back through the cabin to the deck, taking out your parasol again. Ershin stands at the control station and pilots the ship with credible skill, and you lean against the rail near it, looking around in case something interesting or worthwhile catches your eye. "… Nothing down there that I saw. Just some beds and a table bolted to the floor in a couple rooms."
"That makes sense. Sandfliers were originally designed for warfare, after all." That makes sense to you. As a guerrilla force, a sandflier with a dozen soldiers could lay in wait, covered by magic or a simple canvas, and wait for several days at least before launching an attack with little or no warning for the defenders. Especially in a desert, where water and mobility are paramount, they would be incredibly valuable and dangerous. Still ….
"But there wasn't anything else. No maps, nothing in the chests, and it was being taken out somewhere with soldiers in it. You'd think they'd at least have extra equipment on-board for whatever they were doing!" You huff in exasperation. "Even if they were just moving troops from one place to a temporary posting, for this ship to have nothing in it is just … weird." Ershin refrains from commenting, and you sigh before you start thinking about names for the little ship. You spend quite a bit of time before you come up with a name that tickles your sense of irony enough for you to keep it. "Tiamat." Ershin turns to look at you.
"Tiamat?" You nod, grinning.
"Yup! Tiamat was an ancient ocean goddess, so what better name could I use for the sandflier? After all, this is an upside-down world where gods are made to do things for others." After your explanation, Ershin watches you for a short while before turning back to the controls.
"… We will reach Kyoin before nightfall." You giggle.
"And we'll sneak through to the other side!" Ershin looks at you again.
"You do not want to wipe out the soldiers? Deis says." You shake your head.
"Think about it. If I fight my way through their checkpoint, they'll keep underestimating me. But if I suddenly appear on the other continent, without them knowing how I got there, they'll be terrified and throw everything they have at me!" You giggle again, then yawn. "… Anyway, I'm going to take a nap, so see if there are any good places to observe the place before we get there so I can get a good look before we go in." Ershin turns back to the piloting station.
"I will do that." You nod and head back into the cabin, curling up on one of the beds and falling asleep almost instantly.
You wake up as Tiamat slows to a halt and settles on the sand. You spring up and rush back outside, not bothering with the parasol for now, and nearly bump into Ershin. "Any problems?"
"No. Although the Synestan officials are probably sending out a patrol, if they haven't already." You grin and clap your hands, then rise into the air for a look at Kyoin. You see a light wooden wall across most of the peninsula, with a gate in the middle. Most traffic must be by sandflier, you suppose, given its location. The military camp stretches behind it, and behind that is a tall tower. What you don't see is a bridge. Ershin said there was a causeway, but you don't see it, and you drop back down. "Wait, how do we get across?"
"The Causeway." Ershin points back toward the base. "At the end of the peninsula is a tower, and at the top of the tower is the Causeway - a magical gateway connecting the two continents. It is said to have been built by the First Emperor over six hundred years ago. Says Deis." You stare at the animate armor, blinking, as you try to fit the information into your plan. Sneak through a base, up a tower, and then through a magical gateway? Your mind jumpstarts as Ershin begins laughing, and your hand clamps on the grill below the helmet and toss it into a nearby dune. "… It appears I was in error - I should not have laughed at that juncture," it says a little weakly. You stare at Tiamat as it sits on the sand.
"Deis, can you do anything useful?" Ershin gets up and walks over to you, turning between the ship and you.
"I can't conceal the ship, not without a lot more time -" You cut the armor off with a snort.
"I'm not talking about Tiamat, I'm talking about Ershin. Unless you're holding out on me again, the only way I'd be able to take the sandflier with us is if I carried it to the top of the tower - but knowing how things work, it's probably too big to fit, right? So instead, I'm asking if you can do anything to keep this walking hunk of metal from getting noticed by everyone who isn't deaf and blind!" Your voice turns to a vicious snarl as you finish, and your arm twitches as you keep yourself from pounding away at something - mainly because the only things nearby are Ershin and the sandflier, and you don't really want to destroy either one.
"I can do that, says Deis." You nod stiffly, then head back into the sandflier. No sense moving out in daylight, after all.
Sneaking past the sandflier gate is simple in the darkness. The idea that someone would move through it on foot isn't so outrageous, but the guards normally would have had some kind of warning that someone would be trying. Without that warning, there are no extra precautions, and the first obstacle is dealt with. Past that, however … you had considered simply moving around the camp, over the sea of mud, or over it, but you're too irritated to bother. You lean against Ershin's bulk as you study the interior of the camp more closely. It isn't as heavily-fortified as you had thought it would be, although you can see where formidable additions could be added relatively quickly. It's likely that they were removed as a sign of goodwill. Regardless, the initial area is clear of buildings or walls, with a pair of wooden roads with cart-rails leading to the sandflier dock - Deis explained that with no fighting going on, the Imperials prefer to buy supplies from one or another of the merchants in the area. The large buildings immediately behind the walls are warehouses, then, meant to take supplies straight from the ships. You look around for anyone watching, then dart forward to the warehouse on the right, Ershin following you almost as quietly.
You creep around the well-maintained brick wall of the warehouse and look at the barracks yard. At least, if you were in charge, this is where you would put the barracks yard … and there are paired buildings along the left side of the camp. There are only tents on this side, and you aren't sure if the camp is transitioning or if they weren't expecting to hold as many people as are in it now. Or maybe there's another reason that you can't figure out. But in the middle area, two groups of soldiers are drilling by soft lamplight, and guards are prowling around the buildings and the tents, with more around the buildings, for some reason. You resolve to get a few of the Imperial Army's uniforms before you leave this world, or at least get a few good drawings. Making life slightly more difficult is the fact that some of the patrolling guards aren't human, and probably have better senses - you see at least two that look like shaggy dogs, and another that makes you think of some weird fish-human thing. You slip back to where Ershin waits. You need a distraction, and with a bit of effort the two of you have quietly ripped a hole in the roof of the left-hand warehouse. Deis sets a rather large fire within, and in a few minutes the soldiers are scrambling madly. You throw Ershin to the far side of the courtyard, then leap after it. As you land, the warehouse explodes, but you're already pushing deeper into the camp. More elaborate buildings distinguish this section from the barracks, so it's probably an officers' area, or for clerks and other noncombatants. The lack of inhabitants leads you to the conclusion that it's the latter, although it could be vacant due to not having any officers of sufficient rank in residence. You move quickly, forcing Ershin to hurry to keep up with you. Maybe there's something interesting in one or another of those buildings, but you don't really have the time to look. Even if you hadn't set that warehouse on fire - and especially if it hadn't exploded - sneaking through the base limits your ability to take your time. So if there is anything interesting in the base, you'll just have to do without it.
The tower itself presents a problem, but one easily fixed. The interior is heavily guarded, not so much with human defenders or wards, but with magical guardians. The entrance alone has three massive suits of red armor waiting for intruders, and a brief exploration of the floor while invisible reveals more than a dozen more suits of armor. The solution, of course, is going up the outside of the tower - you simply carry Ershin up to the top with you. Not a perfect score, thanks to the fire, but you passed! The tower's exterior is in extremely good shape, especially if it's really older than you are … but the walkways to nowhere indicate that there's a magical elevator system in place, so that's not such a big surprise. The top of the tower has three structures that remind you of the gate at the Hakurei Shrine, arrayed to the north, south, and east, while the west has a long projection over the edge. You drop Ershin and look around.
"So … this is the Causeway. I hope you can turn it on," you say, and Ershin walks carefully to the diagram in front of the projection.
"Yes, just give me a few minutes, says Deis." Ershin kneels in the middle of the diagram, and multi-hued flamelike lights begin playing over the armor. You look back to the south, searching out the place you left Tiamat. While you could probably go back and then carry it up here, the Empire almost certainly lacks the ability to get it down without destroying it, so despite the feeling of abandonment, you know it's safer for the sandflier to stay where it is for now. Besides, it doesn't look like you'd be able to get it through the Causeway, anyway. As you turn back to Ershin, a swirl of stormclouds and lightning tumble at the end of the projection. The clouds part to reveal a swathe of … nothing, like the grey void only it's changing colors. You sigh - the Empire is definitely going to know someone used the Causeway to get to the other continent, and the way things are going, they're as likely to blame someone from this continent as they are to attribute it to you. "Hurry! It won't stay open long!" Ershin rushes along the projection and leaps into the gate. You look back at the continent you've been on for only a couple days - what you can see of it, anyway - and hurry after it.
Like Patchouli's portals, there's no oddness or delay when you pass through it. It's just like moving through a space without a portal, only you're in a different place when you move through it. You're on the top of another tower, but when you look down, there's no base at the bottom of this one. Ershin kneels in the tower's diagram and after a short pause the gate dissipates. You look around the tower, and it's not quite a desert, although it's still dusty and dry. You can see trees to the southwest, however, and maybe some mountains to the west. Ershin moves up beside you.
"To the southwest is Astana, a large military base and home to the Carronade." Hmm … if you want to make an impression, that's certainly the place to start!
What do you do?
[ ] Attack Astana.
[ ] Sneak into the base. Maybe there's some neat stuff you can find, since you won't be on a time limit.
[ ] Examine the Carronade. Maybe you can find something neat about it!
[ ] Other?
- Location
- Bowling Green
[X] Sneak into the base. Maybe there's some neat stuff you can find, since you won't be on a time limit
[X] Attack Astana.
- Location
- United States
[X] Examine the Carronade. Maybe you can find something neat about it!
I considered attacking but I'm curious about the Carronade. Flan will also still get a chance to let loose if people try to stop her from examining the Carronade.
I considered attacking but I'm curious about the Carronade. Flan will also still get a chance to let loose if people try to stop her from examining the Carronade.
[X] Examine the Carronade. Maybe you can find something neat about it!
Crossing my fingers on this ending with us blowing the thing up and/or killing Yuna.
Crossing my fingers on this ending with us blowing the thing up and/or killing Yuna.
HymnOfRagnarok
Let's Rock
Be careful though; he's one of the few people who could pose a threat without ever engaging us in combat. Especially if he recognizes Deis and Ershin.
Slith10
Back from the dead and ready to party!
- Location
- New Zealand
Either:
[X] Sneak into the base. Maybe there's some neat stuff you can find, since you won't be on a time limit.
-[X] Examine the Carronade. Maybe you can find something neat about it!
Or:
[] Examine the Carronade. Maybe you can find something neat about it!
-[] Sneak into the base. Maybe there's some neat stuff you can find, since you won't be on a time limit.
[X] Sneak into the base. Maybe there's some neat stuff you can find, since you won't be on a time limit.
-[X] Examine the Carronade. Maybe you can find something neat about it!
Or:
[] Examine the Carronade. Maybe you can find something neat about it!
-[] Sneak into the base. Maybe there's some neat stuff you can find, since you won't be on a time limit.
Wait, what about -
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
"So there I was, surrounded by Elites, the last of the Jackals taken out by the last of my ammunition. The squid-heads were just standing there, and then one of them took out one of those fancy energy swords. I knew that I had one chance, and to take that chance, I had to go back to my roots." Sergeant Major Avery Johnson smirked at the marines and Navy personnel gathered around him in the mess hall. They all had different stories of survival, but he had them all beat.
"What do you mean, your roots, Sarge?" Johnson snorted in disgust at the question, not even bothering to look at the marine who'd asked.
"Huh. Back when I joined the Corps, we had two sticks and a rock to train with - and the rock had to be shared through the whole platoon! Well here I was, tree at my back, and all these lovely rocks at my feet." There were groans and snorts of disbelief from all around him.
"Oh, come on! You don't expect us to believe you fought off half a dozen Elites with a stick and some rocks, do you?" His response was interrupted, however, by the arrival of the most well-known figure currently on the Cairo.
"They're ready for you, Sergeant Johnson." He wasn't the only one to rise as the green-armored SPARTAN called for him; he knew that well over half the people in the room owed their lives to the Master Chief, would have died without his personal intervention in one firefight or another. Hell, even discounting that, we'd probably all be dead if it weren't for him. The two old soldiers walked along in silence until they came across a window, through which they could see Earth - and their prize.
"How did you survive that fight, Sergeant Major?" Johnson shrugged at the female image that appeared on one of the nearby monitors.
"Hell if I know. One minute I'm saying my prayers, the next I'm surrounded by skeletons and blood, just like on that ship there, and I'm getting squawks about reporting for extraction." As they were about to continue walking the lights flashed red.
"Warning! Unknown contacts inbound!" The screen flashed to a radar display showing scores of ships slicing through space toward Earth. Another screen activated, showing static at first, then the battered and blasted interior of a ragged-looking command deck. And the strangest scene Avery Johnson had seen in all his years.
"Hmm …." The blonde girl tapped her lips as she paced the length of the command deck, her bejeweled wings idly waving. "People of Earth! I have come to destroy you! … No, no. … Humans! For centuries you - argh! Huh. How to go about it …." One of the hulking green brutes that crewed the ship turned to her.
"Uh, Boss?" The girl, less than a third the creature's height and a tenth its mass, ignored it. "Boss? Uh, I -" Without warning, a twisted black rod flashed into the girl's hands, and she lashed out at the creature. Its head was pulverized in the first strike, but she kept hammering at the corpse until nothing was left but mulched flesh. She turned to the largest ork in the room, a massive monster over four meters tall and clad in thick metal plates, topped by a dainty, antiquated bicorne hat.
"What have I said about terms of address?"
"Yer said to be called 'Lady,' not 'Boss,'" it rumbled back, and the girl nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Remember that." She turned back to her pacing. "Hmm …. Pathetic mortals, maybe? Oh, or … wait. Captain!" She spun in place and looked at the huge creature again. "What language do they speak? Have we picked up any transmissions?" The armored captain gestured at the console formerly occupied by the crewmember she had brutally dispatched - a bright blue light was blinking next to a row of displays, and the girl stared into an active camera, anger plainly visible. With a shriek of rage, she slammed her weapon into the deck, shattering the metal plates.
"ALMA!!" Some of the orks ducked their heads at the intensity of the scream, and another little girl simply warped into space behind the winged girl. Dark-haired instead of blonde, and barefoot, but wearing a red dress as well, she giggled at the other's antics. "Alma, that is not funny!" The barefoot girl laughed again, a childish sound of joy, and she hopped forward to embrace the winged girl, who struggled away from her. "NO! I mean it, it's not funny!"
"… What the hell?" Sergeant Johnson stepped back from the screen, shaking his head. The scene was just too bizarre to comprehend immediately.
"… Language isn't showing up in any of our databases. All I can guess is that they weren't supposed to be transmitting," Cortana said as the second girl seemed to be trying to placate her raging comrade. Unsuccessfully, apparently, as a third monstrous creature was torn in half, and the remainder tried to find somewhere to hide in the cramped space. Amazing, how they can have so little space on a ship that's more than twelve kilometers long, Johnson thought, his mind trying to focus on something it could explain. The screen flashed again. "More contacts! Covenant … only fifteen ships?" The rampaging girl stopped as well as lights flashed and the creatures babbled at each other. Earth's defenses, already active from the ramshackle fleet's arrival, kicked into overdrive in the presence of their enemy, and even the skeletally-manned Truth and Reconciliation began turning to add its formidable weapons to the upcoming fight. "Energy spike!" The massive warship at the heart of the ramshackle fleet began turning, an ungainly whale among smaller sharks, and the blonde girl vanished in a flash of crackling lightning. The sound systems throughout the station screeched in protest as the armored monster howled.
"- fire up da gitspeakas! Da Eye-Breaka's gonna deal with da gitz wot jus' showed up, an' all yer other grots is gonna krump da humies, got it?" Energy weapons began firing on the Covenant ships, uselessly flailing against the scrap-fleets' shields, and the smaller ships began hurling themselves into the teeth of Earth's defenses. "Humies! If youz gitz're listenin', you'd best get ready for a fight, cuz dis here's da Scarlet Waaagh!" The speakers collapsed as howls from all the other ships joined the creature's final roar, and the fleet surged into combat range. The great behemoth's cannons sent massive shells toward the Covenant ships, and the rare hit sent a battlecruiser spinning out of control. Massive engines sent it rushing forward, and it plowed through one of the Assault Carriers even as the other was crippled by internal explosions. Then a little girl appeared on the deck of the Cairo, and the last instant of Sergeant Johnson's life was blood and fire.
"What do you mean, your roots, Sarge?" Johnson snorted in disgust at the question, not even bothering to look at the marine who'd asked.
"Huh. Back when I joined the Corps, we had two sticks and a rock to train with - and the rock had to be shared through the whole platoon! Well here I was, tree at my back, and all these lovely rocks at my feet." There were groans and snorts of disbelief from all around him.
"Oh, come on! You don't expect us to believe you fought off half a dozen Elites with a stick and some rocks, do you?" His response was interrupted, however, by the arrival of the most well-known figure currently on the Cairo.
"They're ready for you, Sergeant Johnson." He wasn't the only one to rise as the green-armored SPARTAN called for him; he knew that well over half the people in the room owed their lives to the Master Chief, would have died without his personal intervention in one firefight or another. Hell, even discounting that, we'd probably all be dead if it weren't for him. The two old soldiers walked along in silence until they came across a window, through which they could see Earth - and their prize.
"How did you survive that fight, Sergeant Major?" Johnson shrugged at the female image that appeared on one of the nearby monitors.
"Hell if I know. One minute I'm saying my prayers, the next I'm surrounded by skeletons and blood, just like on that ship there, and I'm getting squawks about reporting for extraction." As they were about to continue walking the lights flashed red.
"Warning! Unknown contacts inbound!" The screen flashed to a radar display showing scores of ships slicing through space toward Earth. Another screen activated, showing static at first, then the battered and blasted interior of a ragged-looking command deck. And the strangest scene Avery Johnson had seen in all his years.
"Hmm …." The blonde girl tapped her lips as she paced the length of the command deck, her bejeweled wings idly waving. "People of Earth! I have come to destroy you! … No, no. … Humans! For centuries you - argh! Huh. How to go about it …." One of the hulking green brutes that crewed the ship turned to her.
"Uh, Boss?" The girl, less than a third the creature's height and a tenth its mass, ignored it. "Boss? Uh, I -" Without warning, a twisted black rod flashed into the girl's hands, and she lashed out at the creature. Its head was pulverized in the first strike, but she kept hammering at the corpse until nothing was left but mulched flesh. She turned to the largest ork in the room, a massive monster over four meters tall and clad in thick metal plates, topped by a dainty, antiquated bicorne hat.
"What have I said about terms of address?"
"Yer said to be called 'Lady,' not 'Boss,'" it rumbled back, and the girl nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Remember that." She turned back to her pacing. "Hmm …. Pathetic mortals, maybe? Oh, or … wait. Captain!" She spun in place and looked at the huge creature again. "What language do they speak? Have we picked up any transmissions?" The armored captain gestured at the console formerly occupied by the crewmember she had brutally dispatched - a bright blue light was blinking next to a row of displays, and the girl stared into an active camera, anger plainly visible. With a shriek of rage, she slammed her weapon into the deck, shattering the metal plates.
"ALMA!!" Some of the orks ducked their heads at the intensity of the scream, and another little girl simply warped into space behind the winged girl. Dark-haired instead of blonde, and barefoot, but wearing a red dress as well, she giggled at the other's antics. "Alma, that is not funny!" The barefoot girl laughed again, a childish sound of joy, and she hopped forward to embrace the winged girl, who struggled away from her. "NO! I mean it, it's not funny!"
"… What the hell?" Sergeant Johnson stepped back from the screen, shaking his head. The scene was just too bizarre to comprehend immediately.
"… Language isn't showing up in any of our databases. All I can guess is that they weren't supposed to be transmitting," Cortana said as the second girl seemed to be trying to placate her raging comrade. Unsuccessfully, apparently, as a third monstrous creature was torn in half, and the remainder tried to find somewhere to hide in the cramped space. Amazing, how they can have so little space on a ship that's more than twelve kilometers long, Johnson thought, his mind trying to focus on something it could explain. The screen flashed again. "More contacts! Covenant … only fifteen ships?" The rampaging girl stopped as well as lights flashed and the creatures babbled at each other. Earth's defenses, already active from the ramshackle fleet's arrival, kicked into overdrive in the presence of their enemy, and even the skeletally-manned Truth and Reconciliation began turning to add its formidable weapons to the upcoming fight. "Energy spike!" The massive warship at the heart of the ramshackle fleet began turning, an ungainly whale among smaller sharks, and the blonde girl vanished in a flash of crackling lightning. The sound systems throughout the station screeched in protest as the armored monster howled.
"- fire up da gitspeakas! Da Eye-Breaka's gonna deal with da gitz wot jus' showed up, an' all yer other grots is gonna krump da humies, got it?" Energy weapons began firing on the Covenant ships, uselessly flailing against the scrap-fleets' shields, and the smaller ships began hurling themselves into the teeth of Earth's defenses. "Humies! If youz gitz're listenin', you'd best get ready for a fight, cuz dis here's da Scarlet Waaagh!" The speakers collapsed as howls from all the other ships joined the creature's final roar, and the fleet surged into combat range. The great behemoth's cannons sent massive shells toward the Covenant ships, and the rare hit sent a battlecruiser spinning out of control. Massive engines sent it rushing forward, and it plowed through one of the Assault Carriers even as the other was crippled by internal explosions. Then a little girl appeared on the deck of the Cairo, and the last instant of Sergeant Johnson's life was blood and fire.
Absolutely non-canon, for a number of reasons. But it's been itching at my brain for over a month, so maybe it'll go away now.
From what I can understand, in this alternate route Flandre ended up in Warhammer and started a multidimensional Waaagh! - with Halo being the latest unfortunate conquest. That certainly would have been interesting, in a humorously, terrifying way. May the kami help us all.
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HymnOfRagnarok
Let's Rock
Still reading but that's no Warhammer; that's Halo.
EDIT: Oh huh. Guess it could be Warhammer; my mistake.
EDIT2: And that world is ending in fiery death.
Last edited:
Slith10
Back from the dead and ready to party!
- Location
- New Zealand
And Alma's the sane(er) one apparently.
I'm trying to work out how Flandre came to the decision of destroying the Empire because she wanted one of the boats.
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Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Something to comment on - the title? Johnson and the others were 'rescued' from the Halo. Which means there are now Orks looting a Halo. And that Flan owns a Halo with Florks on it.
Fighting the Empire (IE, having fun) and stealing a sandflier are unrelated ideas.
EDIT: Votes are
[X] Sneak into the base. Maybe there's some neat stuff you can find, since you won't be on a time limit
1
[X] Attack Astana.
1
[X] Examine the Carronade. Maybe you can find something neat about it!
4
[X] Sneak into the base. Maybe there's some neat stuff you can find, since you won't be on a time limit.
-[X] Examine the Carronade. Maybe you can find something neat about it!
1
1
[X] Attack Astana.
1
[X] Examine the Carronade. Maybe you can find something neat about it!
4
[X] Sneak into the base. Maybe there's some neat stuff you can find, since you won't be on a time limit.
-[X] Examine the Carronade. Maybe you can find something neat about it!
1
EDIT2: Votes are locked.
Last edited:
The Carronade
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
[X] Examine the Carronade. Maybe you can find something neat about it!
You shrug and walk toward the edge of the tower. When Ershin joins you, you grab the armor and jump off, flying toward Astana. If you're going to study the Carronade, you're going to want someone relatively important to show you around, and the best way to get that is to show up before it gets too dark. Something scratches at your mind, and you cautiously pay attention to it.
"You're not going to attack Astana, either, are you?" You grin as you recognize Deis's voice.
"Not immediately, anyway. The Carronade seems interesting, though, and I want to study it a little. Easier to do that when the base isn't a smoking ruin, especially since I'll probably be able to find someone to help me!" Deis sighs.
"You … are quite the flighty young lady, aren't you? Just keep everything in mind, okay?" You snort and increase your speed. Your eyes widen a bit once Astana finally comes into view - or more accurately, once you can see the Carronade. The base has a small wall around it, white plaster over brick, with towers every so often, and it stretches south from the gate. The cannon itself is a massive long-barreled weapon extending over the front gate of the base. You take note of the troops gathering at the gate, then drift forward to study the cannon. The barrel is constructed of multiple pieces locked together by a frame halfway through its hundred-meter length. The safe end of the barrel is tucked away inside a tall building, and you giggle when you realize that, yes, the whole building can apparently rotate. The cannon's barrel can elevate, and then the whole assembly turns … it's quite impressive from an engineering standpoint, considering what else you've seen. You fly back to the front gate, watching amusedly as soldiers rush back and forth to keep you in view, and then drop to the ground. A small platoon of soldiers armed with spears and crossbows tries to bar your way, and despite the wavering of weapons when you take a step toward them, they hold their ground.
"General!" Your eyes flicker to the top of the steps inside the base as a white-haired, bushy-bearded old man in a uniform reaches them, sword drawn. Before he can hurry down, however, someone darts in front of him and levels a pistol in your direction. Your eyes widen and you bolt forward, slipping above the soldiers and landing next to the dark-haired, single-tailed fox-woman. As she tries to adjust to your presence, you wrench the weapon out of her hands and turn it over in your hands.
"Oh! Did you miniaturize it? How does it reload? Is it geared to just you, or can anyone use it?" You rattle off questions to the youkai and the old man - a general? - as you try to figure out how it works. After all, you still have a lot of Grief Seeds, and if you can figure out how to use them as ammunition …. Come to think of it, maybe you could use a Witch to fuel the Carronade itself? You spend several seconds looking at the pistol before glancing up at the officers. The woman is staring at you, furious, but the old man seems genuinely concerned about something.
"Miniaturize what? And may I ask who you are, and what your purpose is?" Your wings jingle as Ershin walks up the stairs to stand behind you.
"The Carronade, of course! Isn't this a handheld version of that?" You aim the pistol up at the huge barrel above your heads. The woman stiffens, face paling, and she nearly snarls as she tries to yank her weapon back, but you flip it around and crack her in the head with the butt of the handle. She drops to her knees, momentarily stunned, and the general visibly controls himself. "That's what I'm interested in right now, anyway - the Carronade. Can you show me around?" Something flickers in the corner of your eye, and you glance toward it.
"I'm afraid the good general cannot show you around the Carronade, young lady. And, no, that little weapon does not function similarly to this in any way except that both use magic." You pout as the fox-man fades into existence, a slight smile gracing his features, and hand the pistol back to the woman. She mutters a thanks beneath her breath, barely audible even to your ears, and takes an uneasy step back before touching a hand to the blood trickling down her forehead.
"Advisor Yuna. I thought you were working on an improvement?" The old man bows negligibly, an unhappy frown forming on his face. The fox-man - Yuna - bows more politely.
"Indeed, General Rhun. Trying to solve the … sacrifice problem. But then I sensed something up here and decided to see what was happening. Two somethings, to be … more precise," he says, staring at Ershin. The smile never drops from his face, and he has an irritatingly polite and precise method of speaking.
"Is the Carronade yours?" His smile dims slightly as he looks at you in surprise, but he recovers quickly.
"Oh, no, of course not! I am merely the current caretaker of this particular device. The Carronade has existed for far longer than I have held my post, although not always in this particular form. Would you like to know more about it?" You curtsy politely and smile up at him.
"Of course! My name is Flandre Scarlet. And that is Ershin." He bows in reply and turns to leave.
"Oh, General Rhun, Captain … hm, Ursula, I believe? Would you be willing to join us?" Rhun nods, mouth set unhappily, and gestures for two of his guards to follow as well. You dart up to one of them and grab his helmet, sticking your tongue out at the man as he stares at you in shock. You dash back to walk beside Yuna as he heads for the base of the cannon, playing with the helmet and its visor. "As I said, the Carronade has existed for centuries, although not always in this form. At its earliest, it was simply a large magical cannon, not unlike Captain Ursula's weapon. It had its advantages, but also a large disadvantage - it was direct-fire only, and only moderately destructive. After the Empire conquered Astana and the weapon that came to be the Carronade, it realized it needed an offensive weapon instead of a defensive one, and studied methods of increasing its viability. Eventually, it was determined to use hexes - a specific form of curse that is created from the suffering and hatred of an individual. They are quite destructive, of course, and -!" He ducks back, cowering, as you leap up and yank the tall hat off his head, as much to try and irritate him as because it's interesting.
"I've been to Chamba. It was boring, and hardly anything was destroyed. Nothing really worth fighting, either." Yuna stares at you, mouth hanging open, and you shrug. "Should I go on ahead?" He shakes himself, and the smile plasters itself back on his face.
"I should say that it is destructive to humans, then. Endless, of course, are something else entirely." You feel the jolt of fear in the soldiers behind you as the advisor betrays your nature to them. They should have known you were more than human, of course, but he just called you a god … not that you're going to correct him, at least just yet. "But, yes, let's move on. Early on, the Carronade was only worthwhile as a battlefield weapon; it is only recently, with my developments, that it has truly been useful at attacking cities. And even that has its difficulties. One of the key difficulties with using hexes is that the sacrifice should have a close connection with the target - the closer the connection, the more power the attack has. Thus, using it at peak efficiency is … difficult."
"Given the proximity of Astana to the Causeway, aren't you worried about someone sneaking through and using the Carronade against you?" Yuna laughs, an odd, almost delicate sound.
"Oh, it's a possibility, but the majority of troops stationed in Kyoin and Astana are from nearby regions, or the less-populated northern part of the continent. Attempting to use it against the Capital would be quite difficult. And the Carronade has its own defenses, as well …."
"And it assumes that a strong-enough force manages to get through the Causeway without an alert coming through or the Causeway being damaged, and then capturing Astana," Rhun interjects. You spin, walking backwards to look at him, and toss the hat to his aide. She almost doesn't catch it, but you clap your hands and gesture for her to toss it back. You grin at her when she does, and you add both the hat and the helmet to your collection. Yuna frowns distastefully, and you stick your tongue out at him. The guards at the building open the door, and Yuna leads you through a short series of passages to a small chamber with a dizzying array of controls.
"And that the group can actually target the Carronade. As you can see, it's quite complex, and the hex itself doesn't travel in a straight line to its target. Another reason for the close connection - for some reason, the hex tries to disperse itself, especially over longer distances. With a close connection, it is kept together until the point of impact, which itself is closer to the intended target with a close connection." He sweeps out of the control chamber, smiling happily, and leads you to another small room in the center of the building. You stumble to a halt as you enter the room, an odd sensation welling up inside you, and in the corner of your mind you feel Giltless gibbering behind Headless. Shaking yourself, you follow the fox-man around the edge of the room, letting the rest of the group file in as well. The two officers look uneasy, and the captain covers her mouth with her hand. "This is where the sacrifice is used. … Used up, I should say - the greatest disadvantage the Carronade has is that sacrifices almost never last for more than a single use. Between the stress of the activation, and the fact that most humans don't live in a state of perpetual suffering, the sacrifice needs to be … carefully prepared. With the amount of torture needed to generate a truly powerful hex, even a Woren will usually die with the first firing, and they normally won't be useful for a second shot." He sighs, shaking his head. "According to the records, monsters of various types have been tried, but it's difficult to generate the same level of suffering, there are problems with targeting, and keeping the hex contained instead of having it blow back into the structure itself is nearly impossible. Some level of humanity, of human thought and emotion, seems to be necessary for the proper application of the hex." As Yuna explains the procedure, the typical tortures and inflicted agonies, the odd feeling resolves itself. You've only felt it once before, when you rescued Remilia from the vampires who had tried to break her. You relax just before something loud echoes up from the central shaft and the structure shudders.
"Yuna, is something wrong?" Rhun is controlling himself quite well, although his aide and the two soldiers seem to be nearly panicking. Yuna sighs before smiling at the general.
"Ah, it's my little project. Nothing to worry about, General, it's all under control. Although I suppose I should go back down …." He frowns before looking at you. "Perhaps you or … your friend … might have some insight into how to proceed? Or would you care to observe?" You lean against the wall, thinking. Well, you've done what you wanted. You could destroy the base now. But now you have some more questions! You could probably teach yourself to use a magic gun like the captain has - or get Deis to teach you! You could see about getting a mini-Carronade and using the Grief Seeds as ammunition … or you could just show Yuna the Grief Seed and see if he can do anything with them. Decisions, decisions ….
What do you do?
[ ] Destroy Astana.
- [ ] Leave the Carronade standing for later study.
[ ] Show Yuna the Grief Seeds:
- [ ] And ask him to make a mini-Carronade for you.
- [ ] And ask him if he can use them in the Carronade. Try to bring out a Witch if necessary.
[ ] Follow Yuna into the basement. Offer advice if you have any.
[ ] Other?
DM Note: I am bad at description. I probably could do a much better job if I put the effort into it, but then I'd feel bad about all the other stuff I'm not describing. So here are some non-spoiler pictures for people to look at!
You shrug and walk toward the edge of the tower. When Ershin joins you, you grab the armor and jump off, flying toward Astana. If you're going to study the Carronade, you're going to want someone relatively important to show you around, and the best way to get that is to show up before it gets too dark. Something scratches at your mind, and you cautiously pay attention to it.
"You're not going to attack Astana, either, are you?" You grin as you recognize Deis's voice.
"Not immediately, anyway. The Carronade seems interesting, though, and I want to study it a little. Easier to do that when the base isn't a smoking ruin, especially since I'll probably be able to find someone to help me!" Deis sighs.
"You … are quite the flighty young lady, aren't you? Just keep everything in mind, okay?" You snort and increase your speed. Your eyes widen a bit once Astana finally comes into view - or more accurately, once you can see the Carronade. The base has a small wall around it, white plaster over brick, with towers every so often, and it stretches south from the gate. The cannon itself is a massive long-barreled weapon extending over the front gate of the base. You take note of the troops gathering at the gate, then drift forward to study the cannon. The barrel is constructed of multiple pieces locked together by a frame halfway through its hundred-meter length. The safe end of the barrel is tucked away inside a tall building, and you giggle when you realize that, yes, the whole building can apparently rotate. The cannon's barrel can elevate, and then the whole assembly turns … it's quite impressive from an engineering standpoint, considering what else you've seen. You fly back to the front gate, watching amusedly as soldiers rush back and forth to keep you in view, and then drop to the ground. A small platoon of soldiers armed with spears and crossbows tries to bar your way, and despite the wavering of weapons when you take a step toward them, they hold their ground.
"General!" Your eyes flicker to the top of the steps inside the base as a white-haired, bushy-bearded old man in a uniform reaches them, sword drawn. Before he can hurry down, however, someone darts in front of him and levels a pistol in your direction. Your eyes widen and you bolt forward, slipping above the soldiers and landing next to the dark-haired, single-tailed fox-woman. As she tries to adjust to your presence, you wrench the weapon out of her hands and turn it over in your hands.
"Oh! Did you miniaturize it? How does it reload? Is it geared to just you, or can anyone use it?" You rattle off questions to the youkai and the old man - a general? - as you try to figure out how it works. After all, you still have a lot of Grief Seeds, and if you can figure out how to use them as ammunition …. Come to think of it, maybe you could use a Witch to fuel the Carronade itself? You spend several seconds looking at the pistol before glancing up at the officers. The woman is staring at you, furious, but the old man seems genuinely concerned about something.
"Miniaturize what? And may I ask who you are, and what your purpose is?" Your wings jingle as Ershin walks up the stairs to stand behind you.
"The Carronade, of course! Isn't this a handheld version of that?" You aim the pistol up at the huge barrel above your heads. The woman stiffens, face paling, and she nearly snarls as she tries to yank her weapon back, but you flip it around and crack her in the head with the butt of the handle. She drops to her knees, momentarily stunned, and the general visibly controls himself. "That's what I'm interested in right now, anyway - the Carronade. Can you show me around?" Something flickers in the corner of your eye, and you glance toward it.
"I'm afraid the good general cannot show you around the Carronade, young lady. And, no, that little weapon does not function similarly to this in any way except that both use magic." You pout as the fox-man fades into existence, a slight smile gracing his features, and hand the pistol back to the woman. She mutters a thanks beneath her breath, barely audible even to your ears, and takes an uneasy step back before touching a hand to the blood trickling down her forehead.
"Advisor Yuna. I thought you were working on an improvement?" The old man bows negligibly, an unhappy frown forming on his face. The fox-man - Yuna - bows more politely.
"Indeed, General Rhun. Trying to solve the … sacrifice problem. But then I sensed something up here and decided to see what was happening. Two somethings, to be … more precise," he says, staring at Ershin. The smile never drops from his face, and he has an irritatingly polite and precise method of speaking.
"Is the Carronade yours?" His smile dims slightly as he looks at you in surprise, but he recovers quickly.
"Oh, no, of course not! I am merely the current caretaker of this particular device. The Carronade has existed for far longer than I have held my post, although not always in this particular form. Would you like to know more about it?" You curtsy politely and smile up at him.
"Of course! My name is Flandre Scarlet. And that is Ershin." He bows in reply and turns to leave.
"Oh, General Rhun, Captain … hm, Ursula, I believe? Would you be willing to join us?" Rhun nods, mouth set unhappily, and gestures for two of his guards to follow as well. You dart up to one of them and grab his helmet, sticking your tongue out at the man as he stares at you in shock. You dash back to walk beside Yuna as he heads for the base of the cannon, playing with the helmet and its visor. "As I said, the Carronade has existed for centuries, although not always in this form. At its earliest, it was simply a large magical cannon, not unlike Captain Ursula's weapon. It had its advantages, but also a large disadvantage - it was direct-fire only, and only moderately destructive. After the Empire conquered Astana and the weapon that came to be the Carronade, it realized it needed an offensive weapon instead of a defensive one, and studied methods of increasing its viability. Eventually, it was determined to use hexes - a specific form of curse that is created from the suffering and hatred of an individual. They are quite destructive, of course, and -!" He ducks back, cowering, as you leap up and yank the tall hat off his head, as much to try and irritate him as because it's interesting.
"I've been to Chamba. It was boring, and hardly anything was destroyed. Nothing really worth fighting, either." Yuna stares at you, mouth hanging open, and you shrug. "Should I go on ahead?" He shakes himself, and the smile plasters itself back on his face.
"I should say that it is destructive to humans, then. Endless, of course, are something else entirely." You feel the jolt of fear in the soldiers behind you as the advisor betrays your nature to them. They should have known you were more than human, of course, but he just called you a god … not that you're going to correct him, at least just yet. "But, yes, let's move on. Early on, the Carronade was only worthwhile as a battlefield weapon; it is only recently, with my developments, that it has truly been useful at attacking cities. And even that has its difficulties. One of the key difficulties with using hexes is that the sacrifice should have a close connection with the target - the closer the connection, the more power the attack has. Thus, using it at peak efficiency is … difficult."
"Given the proximity of Astana to the Causeway, aren't you worried about someone sneaking through and using the Carronade against you?" Yuna laughs, an odd, almost delicate sound.
"Oh, it's a possibility, but the majority of troops stationed in Kyoin and Astana are from nearby regions, or the less-populated northern part of the continent. Attempting to use it against the Capital would be quite difficult. And the Carronade has its own defenses, as well …."
"And it assumes that a strong-enough force manages to get through the Causeway without an alert coming through or the Causeway being damaged, and then capturing Astana," Rhun interjects. You spin, walking backwards to look at him, and toss the hat to his aide. She almost doesn't catch it, but you clap your hands and gesture for her to toss it back. You grin at her when she does, and you add both the hat and the helmet to your collection. Yuna frowns distastefully, and you stick your tongue out at him. The guards at the building open the door, and Yuna leads you through a short series of passages to a small chamber with a dizzying array of controls.
"And that the group can actually target the Carronade. As you can see, it's quite complex, and the hex itself doesn't travel in a straight line to its target. Another reason for the close connection - for some reason, the hex tries to disperse itself, especially over longer distances. With a close connection, it is kept together until the point of impact, which itself is closer to the intended target with a close connection." He sweeps out of the control chamber, smiling happily, and leads you to another small room in the center of the building. You stumble to a halt as you enter the room, an odd sensation welling up inside you, and in the corner of your mind you feel Giltless gibbering behind Headless. Shaking yourself, you follow the fox-man around the edge of the room, letting the rest of the group file in as well. The two officers look uneasy, and the captain covers her mouth with her hand. "This is where the sacrifice is used. … Used up, I should say - the greatest disadvantage the Carronade has is that sacrifices almost never last for more than a single use. Between the stress of the activation, and the fact that most humans don't live in a state of perpetual suffering, the sacrifice needs to be … carefully prepared. With the amount of torture needed to generate a truly powerful hex, even a Woren will usually die with the first firing, and they normally won't be useful for a second shot." He sighs, shaking his head. "According to the records, monsters of various types have been tried, but it's difficult to generate the same level of suffering, there are problems with targeting, and keeping the hex contained instead of having it blow back into the structure itself is nearly impossible. Some level of humanity, of human thought and emotion, seems to be necessary for the proper application of the hex." As Yuna explains the procedure, the typical tortures and inflicted agonies, the odd feeling resolves itself. You've only felt it once before, when you rescued Remilia from the vampires who had tried to break her. You relax just before something loud echoes up from the central shaft and the structure shudders.
"Yuna, is something wrong?" Rhun is controlling himself quite well, although his aide and the two soldiers seem to be nearly panicking. Yuna sighs before smiling at the general.
"Ah, it's my little project. Nothing to worry about, General, it's all under control. Although I suppose I should go back down …." He frowns before looking at you. "Perhaps you or … your friend … might have some insight into how to proceed? Or would you care to observe?" You lean against the wall, thinking. Well, you've done what you wanted. You could destroy the base now. But now you have some more questions! You could probably teach yourself to use a magic gun like the captain has - or get Deis to teach you! You could see about getting a mini-Carronade and using the Grief Seeds as ammunition … or you could just show Yuna the Grief Seed and see if he can do anything with them. Decisions, decisions ….
What do you do?
[ ] Destroy Astana.
- [ ] Leave the Carronade standing for later study.
[ ] Show Yuna the Grief Seeds:
- [ ] And ask him to make a mini-Carronade for you.
- [ ] And ask him if he can use them in the Carronade. Try to bring out a Witch if necessary.
[ ] Follow Yuna into the basement. Offer advice if you have any.
[ ] Other?
DM Note: I am bad at description. I probably could do a much better job if I put the effort into it, but then I'd feel bad about all the other stuff I'm not describing. So here are some non-spoiler pictures for people to look at!
First up is Astana and the Carronade.
Yes, when you walk into Astana, you are doing so in the shadow of a great big cannon that shoots concentrated human suffering.
Next is Ershin (and the Purifiers):
No, Hulk!Ershin is not available in-game. I can only assume it's concept art.
^ Ursula, some completely unimportant guy, and some guards wearing awesome helmets. Seriously, if you don't think those are awesome helmets, something is wrong with you. Ursula is 160cm tall (not counting ears?), for a height reference on those guys.
^ Yuna and his hat. Doesn't he look like he needs a hug?
Yes, when you walk into Astana, you are doing so in the shadow of a great big cannon that shoots concentrated human suffering.
Next is Ershin (and the Purifiers):
No, Hulk!Ershin is not available in-game. I can only assume it's concept art.
^ Ursula, some completely unimportant guy, and some guards wearing awesome helmets. Seriously, if you don't think those are awesome helmets, something is wrong with you. Ursula is 160cm tall (not counting ears?), for a height reference on those guys.
^ Yuna and his hat. Doesn't he look like he needs a hug?
- Location
- United States
I'm considering just destroying everything because of
or trying to obtain a mini-Carronade.
- Location
- Bowling Green
[X] Follow Yuna into the basement. Offer advice if you have any.
[X] On the way show Yuna the Grief Seeds:
-[X] And ask him if he can use them in the Carronade. Try to bring out a Witch if necessary.
-[X] And ask him to make a mini-Carronade for you.
[X] On the way show Yuna the Grief Seeds:
-[X] And ask him if he can use them in the Carronade. Try to bring out a Witch if necessary.
-[X] And ask him to make a mini-Carronade for you.
Yuna of all people answers our questions. Of course. If it wasn't for that incident with Remilia and the Vampires we'd probably get along with him really well IC. As it is, he makes her twitch.
I'm honestly not sure how she'd take what he did to what's-her-name in the basement though. I want to see, but if it goes badly, I'm not sure it'd be worth the few SAN points we have.
Would she see it as something interesting a human's accomplishing or an abomination against what it means to be a youkai/kami.
I don't really care about the mini-cannonade, seems too niche really. Nice area-denial though.
Morbidly curious what he can do with a Witch Seed.
And there was a theory that he was the one that made Myria and gave Deis a body if this is the same continuity as the rest of the games.
I'm honestly not sure how she'd take what he did to what's-her-name in the basement though. I want to see, but if it goes badly, I'm not sure it'd be worth the few SAN points we have.
Would she see it as something interesting a human's accomplishing or an abomination against what it means to be a youkai/kami.
I don't really care about the mini-cannonade, seems too niche really. Nice area-denial though.
Morbidly curious what he can do with a Witch Seed.
And there was a theory that he was the one that made Myria and gave Deis a body if this is the same continuity as the rest of the games.
The Welcome to Chamba update.
- Location
- United States
[] Destroy Astana. Start from the Cannonade and keep expanding until you feel satisfied.
- [] Target Yuna first, he seems to be a focal point of the discomforting feeling you got from this place.
If it wasn't for the incident with Remilia, I'd probably go for trying to get a mini-cannonade and/or learning more about how this all works. As it stands though, Flan hasn't had a chance to truly let loose in a while and this seems like a reason to do so.
OOC, I don't really want Flan to get into utilizing suffering or forgetting her struggles alongside Remilia when they used to be closer.
Edit: I changed my vote since the memories and atmosphere didn't affect Flan as much as I thought so it seems a bit premature to slaughter everything. Also, if we aren't going to kill everything we should make use of this opportunity.
[X] Follow Yuna into the basement. Observe and ask questions if you find anything particularly curious.
-[X] And ask him to make a mini-Carronade for you.
- [] Target Yuna first, he seems to be a focal point of the discomforting feeling you got from this place.
If it wasn't for the incident with Remilia, I'd probably go for trying to get a mini-cannonade and/or learning more about how this all works. As it stands though, Flan hasn't had a chance to truly let loose in a while and this seems like a reason to do so.
OOC, I don't really want Flan to get into utilizing suffering or forgetting her struggles alongside Remilia when they used to be closer.
Edit: I changed my vote since the memories and atmosphere didn't affect Flan as much as I thought so it seems a bit premature to slaughter everything. Also, if we aren't going to kill everything we should make use of this opportunity.
[X] Follow Yuna into the basement. Observe and ask questions if you find anything particularly curious.
-[X] And ask him to make a mini-Carronade for you.
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