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It's Turbin' Time (Library of Ruina Modded/Arknights)

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I just looked at the pic for sig and am supremely disappointed. why is he purple. he's color and his color is STEEL which is GREY. not purple. being made a color should require sticking to the theme.
 
[X] Offer the goons a trade, Capone for the old man.
-[X] Whether they agree or not, ram into the enemy formation with your vehicle after the trade deal is completed and proceed to fight them off from there. Make sure they don't retreat with Capone or the old man.

If all else goes wrong and Capone distorts, we at least have Mostima and her time arts with us, so we ought to be fine for the most part.
 
Oof, that's nasty. Something with many mouths screaming and crying yet still clinging to life.

Should we try to talk with Capone? I mean it probably won't be enough but... ugh.
 
Redsoff said:
Oof, that's nasty. Something with many mouths screaming and crying yet still clinging to life.

Should we try to talk with Capone? I mean it probably won't be enough but... ugh.
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We could try, but we don't really have any in-character reason to be nice to the man. Can't really suspect him to be distorting either since as far as Sieg knows, the man's just very stressed and coping via silence right now.
 
[X] Offer the goons a trade, Capone for the old man.
-[X] Whether they agree or not, ram into the enemy formation with your vehicle after the trade deal is completed and proceed to fight them off from there. Make sure they don't retreat with Capone or the old man.

I'll go along with the Arknights Lore Man's plan.
 
[X] Offer the goons a trade, Capone for the old man.
-[X] Whether they agree or not, ram into the enemy formation with your vehicle after the trade deal is completed and proceed to fight them off from there. Make sure they don't retreat with Capone or the old man.
 
Let's go Arknight lore man!
[X] Offer the goons a trade, Capone for the old man.
-[X] Whether they agree or not, ram into the enemy formation with your vehicle after the trade deal is completed and proceed to fight them off from there. Make sure they don't retreat with Capone or the old man.
 
[X] Offer the goons a trade, Capone for the old man.
-[X] Whether they agree or not, ram into the enemy formation with your vehicle after the trade deal is completed and proceed to fight them off from there. Make sure they don't retreat with Capone or the old man.
 
[X] Offer the goons a trade, Capone for the old man and oats.
-[X] Whether they agree or not, steal their oats, and ram into the enemy formation with your vehicle after the trade deal is completed and proceed to fight them off from there. Make sure they don't retreat with Capone or the old man or oats.
 
[X] Offer the goons a trade, Capone for the old man.
-[X] Whether they agree or not, ram into the enemy formation with your vehicle after the trade deal is completed and proceed to fight them off from there. Make sure they don't retreat with Capone or the old man.

Shouldn't we try to investigate the voice? Sieghart suspects the voice of doing something sketchy, or at the very least doesn't want to underestimate her.
Also, will Capone distort even if there isn't (much at the very least) light in this world? If not, I imagine him going crazy and getting help from the voice for... Something.
 
Docere AcDiscere said:
[X] Offer the goons a trade, Capone for the old man.
-[X] Whether they agree or not, ram into the enemy formation with your vehicle after the trade deal is completed and proceed to fight them off from there. Make sure they don't retreat with Capone or the old man.

Shouldn't we try to investigate the voice? Sieghart suspects the voice of doing something sketchy, or at the very least doesn't want to underestimate her.
Also, will Capone distort even if there isn't (much at the very least) light in this world? If not, I imagine him going crazy and getting help from the voice for... Something.
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Not entirely sure how Sieg's supposed to do any investigating. He thinks it's strange that she's gone, but he doesn't have any leads to where it went or if it's just keeping quiet for one reason or another.
 
thelordofmango said:
I just looked at the pic for sig and am supremely disappointed. why is he purple. he's color and his color is STEEL which is GREY. not purple. being made a color should require sticking to the theme.
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According to the mod's authors, that was entirely intentional and meant to get into people's nerves. However, it turns out that no one even noticed until you :V

(probably because his armor is still grey-ish)
 
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  • Voting
    • Scheduled vote count started by thenew on Nov 27, 2022 at 11:32 AM, finished with 20 posts and 7 votes.
    • [X] Offer the goons a trade, Capone for the old man.
      -[X] Whether they agree or not, ram into the enemy formation with your vehicle after the trade deal is completed and proceed to fight them off from there. Make sure they don't retreat with Capone or the old man.
      [X] Offer the goons a trade, Capone for the old man and oats.
      -[X] Whether they agree or not, steal their oats, and ram into the enemy formation with your vehicle after the trade deal is completed and proceed to fight them off from there. Make sure they don't retreat with Capone or the old man or oats.
    Click to expand...

    The trade, hmm? Okay, then. I'll publish the chapter later today, if possible.
     
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  • Voting
    • As expected. The simple vote won.

    Though then again, with Sieghart as our man character was it any surprise?
     
    Sieg is far less chaotic than his friends.

    Though save your doubts my friend. Our common benefactor, Carmen, is hard at work to make sure evetything goes wrong.
     
    I have a question. Why is Carmen trying to fuck everything up? Didn't she literally die in order to give the City even the faintest hope of it becoming even slightly better?
     
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    1.11 - Unnacountably Peckish
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    • [X] Offer the goons a trade, Capone for the old man.
    -[X] Whether they agree or not, ram into the enemy formation with your vehicle after the trade deal is completed and proceed to fight them off from there. Make sure they don't retreat with Capone or the old man.

    1.11 - Unnacountably Peckish

    Your name is Capone, and you are going to die.

    You've barely managed to register what Penguin Logistics just said. You're going to be handed over back to Gambino, in exchange for the Rat King's lackey. He'll find out your betrayal, and then you'll die.

    You're reminded of that day. So long ago.

    …if you'd stayed with Gambino, in Siracusa. Would things have gone any differently? Maybe with you out there, to temper him… and he, there, to stand by your side. No matter.

    This hatred inside of you is a painful, acidic thing. It longs for release. It longs to be free of your misbegotten flesh, but it will never be so. All these suppressed emotions, all this repressed flesh…

    As you allow these feelings to grow in intensity, the mouths inside of you bite. Your flesh tears. The pain is horrifying. You can barely see. And yet…

    Your eyes are dry. So dry. You can't even cry. You're going to die and you can't say anything, can't communicate anything, can't let these feelings out. You are so afraid of judgement that you've become something… less. A non-being. A "mafioso." A haphazard mess made from the rules of Siracusa, and the rules of Lungmen, and the rules of your father, and the rules of your brother. In this thing that they call "Capone," there is no space for you. You are what your father wanted. The automaton that will do what is appropriate in the correct situation and nothing else… except you can't even be that, right? You betrayed your family. You're a failure in every aspect and you can't even speak about it.

    "Well, then, you just have to let go of it. Let all these voices- all these mouths inside of you- out. Let your emotions into the world. Let everyone scream alongside you."

    You can barely muster the energy for an answer, but you try your best.

    "How? How do I let it out?" you mutter. One of the Penguin girls- the Sankta- looks at you confusedly. She doesn't matter- the warm voice is more important.

    "You just have to make the first move. What is it that binds "Capone" to you? What is his defining characteristic?"

    It's the crossbow. It's become part of your reputation. Of that tangled mess of rules and expectations that composes Capone. But… you don't have it here. They took it from you, when you were captured. You can't get rid of it.

    "Well, that's an issue. But there's something else. What do you wield your crossbow with?"

    Your… hands? Your left hand, specifically… it's your best hand. You think you could use a crossbow with a torn right hand and some workarounds. Same isn't true for the left hand.

    "Then tear it out."

    …if you were a little less tired, you'd reject this clearly insane idea. But you just can't muster the strength of will to do so. Your hands are tied up…

    You'll have to use your teeth.

    "There's a little scarcity of material around here, you know. Not enough Light. But don't worry. I can light the first match. Everything else, you can do by yourself."

    Light?

    "It's what I'm using to talk with you, silly. It's seeping into Terra as we speak. And with you coming out of your cage- letting you, the real you, out… there will be a lot more to go around."

    Light.

    Light.

    Light… it glows so brightly.

    You're hungry, now. This Light… It can help you keep going. Your mouth is watering at the thought. All that matters is that you keep going. There's something crawling through your throat- something that wants to burst out. Your body is a prison to it. No, no, not "it." That something is you. The you that was kept hidden so long. A you that is free to live, free of codes and laws and secret rules. The you that is free to persist and scream and the you that is real. The you who betrayed no one.

    "How…" you mutter to yourself. Your mouth is filling with blood as your throat is torn to pieces from the inside. But you can still speak. The pain does not cloud your mind. Your thoughts and feelings remain coherent.

    How can you betray something, when your only allegiance was your own survival? That you who resides inside of your throat has no care for meaningless platitudes like "Family," or "honor," or even "Siracusa." It does not comprehend borders or nations or states or mobile cities. It does not comprehend weapons, Arts or Originium. It only comprehends itself and its own survival, its own emotions. And you think that will be enough.

    "You're almost there. So, so close. Keep going. You can do it!" speaks that strange voice. There is reminiscence in her tone… as if she was contemplating those ever-so-fleeting memories that plague all of you.

    You are hungry. Your teeth are sharp. Your hands are chains binding you. Blood is seeping from your skin, wetting the floor of the pickup truck, sizzling and melting through the metal. You're almost laughing. Almost there. The MBL princeling points at you and screams as the sounds of ripping flesh and boiling metal grow louder. There is a grin on your face. You lower your head, and you bite down on your left arm. Your mouth unhinges itself, and the enormous maw inside your throat comes out. It chomps your entire arm off.

    People are screaming. The pickup truck is spinning, and you're flung into the street by the force of gravity- no, the armored mercenary- Sieghart, was that his name? Yes. He kicked you off the truck. Your jacket flies off your body and into the ground. Your neck cracks and your spine shatters painfully- but you've become so detached from this pile of meat you call a body that none of it matters. There is a bright Light spilling from the armored mercenary. You want it. You need it. You don't have enough Light.

    The voice was kind enough to give you some of her own. There is a flaw in the land- a flaw connecting her reality and yours. A place in Lungmen, somewhere. No.

    It's not in Lungmen anymore, or is it?. As the city- and the world- moves, it moves as well. You can feel it in your tongue. It carves a path through the lands of Terra, spilling Light as it moves. It's just a little bit of Light. It shouldn't even be enough to influence you.

    "The door between this place and the City. Well, it leads to the Outskirts nowadays, but you get the point. But with Sieg as a… conduit, I managed to pull enough for a little bit of Light to spill through. Enough Light to set you free."

    Skull cracking. Your old teeth- so fragile- crack and splinter. Bone shards litter your mouth, and your long tongues snatch them up, one by one. Your head is meat. Your brain is meat. And you are so damned hungry.

    The old and worthless thing that you call a mouth spits. Your weak and fragile eyeballs stare into the purple-hatted mercenary. You look directly into his eyes, hidden beneath the hat- and you see that lonely gaze of his. For a single second, you feel a shred of empathy. You hope that the voice can set him free, one day.

    Then, it's gone. You're gone.

    "Goodbye, cazzo. Won't miss you."

    These will be the last words that "Capone" will ever speak. As you finish speaking, the second mouth that dragged itself out of your throat eats your entire head. It's a blackened thing, with sharp teeth and tentacles for tongues. As it emerges through your neck and crushes everything above into paste with the sheer strength of its bite, something else happens. Many, many mouths with jagged, mismatched grins are bursting-spewing out of your torso and into your legs. You're so hungry.

    Your mouths open, letting out long-held screams. Their sharpened tongues move for the assault, and everything they touch is you. The mouths burst from the floor that you touched with your legs, when you fell off Penguin Logistics' truck. Some of them spawn in the arms, legs and internal organs of your former subordinates. Matteo screams as his arm moves against his will, a hand in its palm eats his eyeballs. Your main mouth lets out a screech, and it's so satisfying.

    You need to keep going-pursuing. You ate your left hand-arm-appendage. You can consume the other-second one, too.

    People are shooting at you. Your old subordinates. Oh, that's Antenor. He's nailed one of your new eyes. No matter. You will just grow another one. A bolt-proofed eye. Highly resilient membranes over it. Perfect.

    The mouth stretches its tendril tongues, and they wrap around the arm. With a wet sounds, you tear it off. The mouth then eats the second-other-not-primary arm-hand-appendage.

    Self. Remains hungry.

    Light-glow. Needed-required to progress growth-increase-evolution. Maintain persistence-eternity.

    "Sieghart." You speak through mouth-maw. Face-hidden warrior-enemy. Contains-holds Light-glow. Consume. Obtain Light-glow.

    "Oh dear. I'm afraid he's a little out of your league. At least for now. But try to find other people. They have a bit of Light inside of themselves, too! You just need a little nibble, and then you'll burst out of your prison for sure."

    Contemplation.

    Second-other-not-primary targets have Light-glow inside themselves. Sliver-minimum-fragment of Light-glow. If consumed-absorbed-devoured, evolution-enhancement can continue-persist. Body can be permanently escaped, ensuring persistence.

    List of priorities-objectives fully traced-designed.

    Designate-name: obtain Light-glow as priority-objective one-initial.

    Designate-name: spread influence and transmit emotions through mouth-maws. Priority-objective two-secondary.

    Ensuring persistence remains objective zero-override. Maw ready. Consumption of enemies in progress.


    You fucked up.

    The plan was simple. Offer the Syndicate goons a deal. Their leader, in exchange for the old man. Whether or not they'd accept didn't matter, to be honest. You were just planning on running them over immediately afterward and snatching Tung up.

    Well, that plan is a bust. First of all, Capone started talking to himself. The only coherent sentence you could catch a question- "How do I let it out?" You did not understand it, at first. But then he started bleeding acid. Your mind went in overdrive at that moment.

    The Distortion Phenomenon. A strange event that has yet to be fully understood by the City, in which after the event known as the White Nights and Dark Days, certain people, people heavily affected by emotional instability, mutate into uncontrollable abominations. These "Distortions" hold mysterious powers, powers that equal or even surpass the uses of Singularities.

    Right now, Capone had somehow sent the truck spiraling out of control. You think he melted through a wheel, and he's eating his own arm. You have no idea how that's possible. He unhinged his jaw and something came out, biting down the entire thing. It's honestly a disgusting sight.

    It's the second time today that you have to do this, apparently. You take a deep breath and the world slows down. The Fairy instantly reactivates, and you can feel your circulatory system struggle. But it's considerably less than before. You've already learned to adjust your movement. You're figuring out how to live with these wounds. And now, you're ready to take another step.

    First, you deliver a swift kick to Capone's mouth. The momentum will send him flying off the truck. Next, you take a deep breath. Energy coalesces around your fingertips. You typically just use this for weapons, and you weren't very sure about using it with your current condition, but you guess it'll have to be like this. First, you'll run across the truck, picking up everyone and placing them gently on the ground.

    First, Bison. He's a possible high-value target and is your priority for now.

    Second, Exusiai and Sora.. As they are, respectively, support and a ranged specialist, they're probably the ones least suited to handle a crash.

    Third, Crossiant, then Emperor. Oh, Emperor already jumped. Good. Same for Texas, and it appears that Mostima was already on the ground, landing perfectly upright, before you even accelerated your thoughts. It's genuinely impressive.

    Now, you need to rein down the truck. It's in a collision route towards a building that you're sure is not abandoned. Today, you've learned that Penguin Logistics has a bit of a problem with property damage, a problem that often lands them in trouble with the city's authorities. Getting your pay docked for wrecking someone's house? That won't do.

    Chains made of a strange hard-light material form in your hands. This ability- you do not understand it fully. It came to you around the time your "friend," the Voice, arrived in your head. You typically use it to materialize your sword- the most familiar and personal you can think of. But with a little bit of effort, other things can be made. You toss the chains- these small blades you formed in their ends burying themselves in the sidewalk. Afterwards, it's just a matter of tying them to the doors. That'll hold them, all right.

    You leap off the car, and time resumes. The chains struggle and crack, but the car's momentum is altered enough to prevent a catastrophe. Instead of running through the walls of a building, it simply flips on its head and lands with a sound of crushed metal.

    …maybe you should have taken more care. Are you going to have to pay for this? Shit.

    No matter. The Distortion is the most urgent matter right now. He's already mutating beyond recognition. There's a puddle of blood where he landed, hissing and bubbling? An acidic substance? Superheated, perhaps? A fire-based Distortion, like the Crying Children?

    Capone's shirt- the jacket fell during his short foray into flight- is being torn open from the inside. Mouths- armed with sharp teeth and long tongues- are tearing their way from his skin. Meanwhile, the mafioso's original mouth is bleeding. Whatever this destructive liquid is, it does not seem to affect his own body. Great.

    He's babbling something. Only your enhanced hearing can pick it up, and fro. the look in his eyes, Capone knows it.

    "Goodbye, cazzo. Won't miss you."

    Right after he finishes saying these words, Capone's head is torn off and eaten. A grotesque maw- the same creature that ate his arm- tears its way from the inside of his neck and devours the entire thing in one bite. There are mouths sprouting from the floor, now, in the regions around him. You evoke a lightblade. This is a fight you will have to take seriously. It's not possible to judge a Distortion's strength based on what they were before. The Crying Children was rumoured to be a no-name Grade 5 from the Dawn Office, and the Pianist was an absolute nobody before unleashing their devastating power over District 9. This could be anything. This could be a Star of the City. There is simply no way to know.

    Capone's mouths- all of them- take a deep breath, and then they screech in perfect unison. The sound is overwhelming. Both Penguin Logistics and the Siracusans seems heavily affected, but you can power through-


    A perfect meal, an excellent substitute. We ate incessantly to live.

    This feeling invades your flesh.

    The inevitable diminution, the waste…

    Your mouth fills with drool. Your stomach churns. Why are you so damnably hungry?

    To accustom oneself to the taste was an inevitable process.

    Drool becomes blood as your cheeks slowly tear. You need to keep going. Your tongue seeks the spilled substance with desperation. Not a single drop can be wasted.

    We could live. We could continue eating.

    It takes all your strength to even stand up straight. Around you, your comrades tremble and let out suffocated screams. It does not matter. You drip, you ferment, you salivate. Your persistence is ever-growing. You are almost ready.

    They fought amongst themselves to eat the others.

    There is no god but life. Eat to continue your life. Live to continue eating, continue screaming, continue feeling. Flesh and blood, beating heart and thrumming lungs. Let out a painful scream. Let out all which you've suppressed. Nothing else matters. Your teeth are digging into your own lips. Maybe… maybe your own flesh can sate this horrific hunger, maybe if you tear your mouth apart you can let out a greater scream-

    And the stronger side survived. That, simply, is the story.


    -scratch that, you couldn't. That was an experience you don't want to have again.

    The influence seems to have receded. You and the rest of Penguin Logistics held it back. Everyone but you seems to have collapsed- and you are on the verge of doing the same. Your sword of light is nowhere to be seen. You lost concentration and it dissipated.

    The Siracusans aren't so lucky. They've been overtaken- the Distortion released a dozen tongues from its new mouth, and the second it touched them, they were lost. There are mouths growing all over their bodies, and they're futilely trying to shoot at Capone, but he's healing faster then they can damage him. Dammit.

    The horrifying creature stretches its tendrils, and rips off the other arm. More flesh for its seemingly endless stomach. It takes a look at you. Once again, it locks directly into your eyes with a singular eyeball- an eyeball that grows on its torso region. Its mouth is still dripping with blood. Lodged between teeth, you can see chunks of bone from Capone's skull. Its tongues wag like a dog's tail, spreading goo everywhere around it. The many mouths, around the floor, in the mafiosos' bodies and in Capone's form, speak in unison towards you.

    "Sieghart."

    Then, it seemingly changes its mind, and turns towards its former comrades. The thing stands up on shaky legs. You takes a second to look for the old man- Uncle Tung. He used the chaos as an opportunity to flee towards you. The man's hands are firm, but you can see utter and complete horror in his eyes.

    Texas puts her hand on your shoulder. Her eyes hold a little bit of fear, but there is no terror. She will not break. It occurs to you that, maybe, the Distortion of Capone is your fault. She does not seem to be used to this- are there Distortions in this world? There weren't any in the City, either, not until the White Nights, Dark Days. Well. If anyone asks, you had no idea of what this was. Honest. 100% unrelated to you.

    Penguin Logistics is back into action- everyone has recovered. For a given measure of recovered. Texas seems okay, Emperor didn't even budge, but Sora was hit hard. She's visibly trying to hold back tears. Bison seems dazed, as does Exusiai. Crossiant took it well. She's a sturdy gal. Mostima looks dead serious. The smile in her face hasn't vanished, but it's faint, now. There is steel in her eyes. She's barely damaged by the scream, it seems.

    Capone is currently busy tearing his own comrades apart, but you're sure that when he's finished he'll move for you… you need to get yourself a plan. You don't have much time- you need to figure something out. It's not as strong as it could be- somehow, you know that.

    It's not complete. It's already incredibly strong, and he's not even complete. He needs to leave his body behind fully, something which he hasn't done. Why? And... how do you know that?

    BOSS BATTLE: THE HOUR OF AMBER - ETERNAL PERSISTENCE

    (Battle Plan: Fight? Ensure the safety of the finball seller? Tactical retreat for now? Communicate with your ally? How?)
    [ ] Write-in.

    Character Sheet Unlocked: Crossiant
    Character Sheet Unlocked: Mostima
    Character Sheet Unlocked: The Eternal Persistence
    Status of Self and Allies:
    Sieghart:     The Fairy's Wound has reactivated- considerable loss of blood and damage to inner tissue. However, he has gotten used to how it feels and will receive reduced damage from Fairy for the rest of the fight.
    Penguin Logistics: Significant amount of mental damage taken. Emperor nearly completely unnafected. Sora halfway to panic. Bison and Exusiai at 80% mental capacity. Crossiant and Texas already on their feet. 95% capacity, likely. Mostima surprised but unharmed.
    Uncle Tung: Horrified and under a significant amount of mental strain. Will likely not take another hit from its mental assault and will go unconscious.

    Enemy Status:

    THE ETERNAL PERSISTENCE

    - Grade: Uppermost rankings of Urban Nightmare. Can rise higher.
    - Condition: Berserk combat state against former comrades.
    Sieghart's Note: Distortions have such different capacities it's hard to judge, but Carmen's Note: Almost there. He has been a big help, you know. When he finally sheds his body, I will have many, many options at my disposal. Enough to help everyone.

    Syndicate Goons
    - Grade: 8-5
    - Condition: Panicking. Heavily affected by the Eternal Persistence's corruptive spread.
    Sieghart's Note: I don't think they're even enemies right now. They're basically dead already. The Distortion might convert them into minions. That happens, sometimes.

    A/N: Surprise, surprise! The chapter came sooner then I expected. I've started writing this one the bus. I've went back to Fallen London recently. Started seeking Mr. Eaten's Name. Let me tell you, it's a great experience to go and fuck over my character for no concrete gain whatsoever. Horrific hunger is such a great trope.

    Had you chosen another plan, Capone's distortion would have been delayed a little. Probably hit him when you met the Rat King, or when you faced down with Gambino yet another time. Him believing surely that he was going to die was the drop in the bucket for his Distortion.
     
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