So, I could create a Reyvateil...
*searching* And nope.
Oh, I can create the body of a Reyvateil with a Tripolar Incubator. However, her mind and soul depend on a Triangle Nuclear Loop and a D-Cellophane.
Well... I can create AI and have access to Time Crystals from Infinite Stratos so I could do it...
I'm really feeling like I'm Frankenstein.
So, I could create a Reyvateil...
*searching* And nope.
Oh, I can create the body of a Reyvateil with a Tripolar Incubator. However, her mind and soul depend on a Triangle Nuclear Loop and a D-Cellophane.
Well... I can create AI and have access to Time Crystals from Infinite Stratos so I could do it...
I'm really feeling like I'm Frankenstein.
No really, if you can't fuse tech to defy even the time-space continuum then you won't get everything because some one will wind up killing you on accident.
Just had a funny thought about Cosmic Tailoring, could the MC make a ribbon of Chakra seals with Moonsilver engravings to tie down Leviathin if he shows up in the Bay? Just thinking of Levi the speed demon held in place by ribbons has me laughing at the looks on other capes faces, and it should be possible with the perk.
Just thinking of Levi the speed demon held in place by ribbons has me laughing at the looks on other capes faces, and it should be possible with the perk.
Wrong comparison.
Baran is seemingly kinky because he used ribbons.
Ribbons have nothing to do with homosexuality.
I'm closing this particular discussion before we deviate too much.
These worked for me, but I'm not sure if they'll work for you. A while back you were saying that it was too bad there wasn't an already made generator, and while I won't upload an excel document, if you add a sheet to your local excel document and add certain lines you should be able to use it as a simple generator. Hitting the delete key while selecting an empty cell or typing anything in an excel workbook should cause it to randomize :
Plop this data somewhere in the new sheet:
1
1 - Assistants (37)
37
2
2 - Protection (56)
56
3
3 - Time (58)
58
4
4 - Vehicles (59)
59
5
5 - Toolkit Mundane (47)
47
6
6 - Toolkit Magical (30)
30
7
7 - Facilities Mundane (69)
69
8
8 - Facilities Magical (67)
67
9
9 - Mundane Small Scale (39)
39
10
10 - Magical Small Scale (59)
59
11
11 - Mundane Large Scale (24)
24
12
12 - Magical Large Scale (25)
25
13
13 - Database Mundane (64)
63
14
14 - Database Magical (36)
36
15
15 - Database Magitech (18)
18
16
16 - Knowledge Abilities and Sk
122
17
17 - Knowledge Intelligence (70
70
18
18 - Knowledge Reverse Engineer
42
19
19 - Knowledge Mundane (87)
87
20
20 - Knowledge Future Tech (84)
84
21
21 - Skills Alchemy (63)
63
22
22 - Skills Clothing (41)
41
23
23 - Skills Enchanting (40)
40
24
24 - Skills Magitech (39)
39
25
25 - Skills Magic (65)
65
26
26 - Crafting Artisan (50)
50
27
27 - Crafting Metallurgy (23)
23
28
28 - Crafting Technological (42
42
29
29 - Crafting Magical Items (79
79
30
30 - Crafting Magitech (46)
46
31
31 - Quality Appearance (35)
35
32
32 - Quality Design (21)
21
33
33 - Quality Durability (29)
29
34
34 - Quality Efficiency (66)
66
35
35 - Quality Resources (76)
76
36
36 - Quality Safety (29)
29
37
37 - Quality Size (25)
25
=RANDBETWEEN(1,37)
=VLOOKUP(O1,J:L,3,FALSE)
J:L are the columns my category chart above were in
O1 is the location of my random category and O2 is the location of my random power selection
If you select the whole second row and drag it down after pasting it in should allow you to get up to the maximum of 9 sub-powers, though I can't recall any that go beyond 4 sub-powers
For V3 the formulas are the same, since I copied most of them from there, but the chart is:
1
1 - Assistants (31)
31
2
2 - Protection (35)
35
3
3 - Time (48)
48
4
4 - Vehicles (34)
34
5
5 - Toolkit Mundane (37)
37
6
6 - Toolkit Magical (27)
27
7
7 - Facilities Mundane (47)
47
8
8 - Facilities Magical (57)
57
9
9 - Mundane Small Scale (32)
32
10
10 - Magical Small Scale (67)
67
11
11 - Mundane Large Scale (17)
17
12
12 - Magical Large Scale (22)
22
13
13 - Database Mundane (64)
64
14
14 - Database Magical (32)
32
15
15 - Database Magitech (17)
17
16
16 - Knowledge Abilities and Sk
76
17
17 - Knowledge Intelligence (50
50
18
18 - Knowledge Reverse Engineer
35
19
19 - Knowledge Mundane (57)
57
20
20 - Knowledge Future Tech (49)
49
21
21 - Skills Alchemy (49)
49
22
22 - Skills Clothing (23)
23
23
23 - Skills Enchanting (38)
38
24
24 - Skills Magitech (36)
36
25
25 - Skills Magic (51)
51
26
26 - Crafting Artisan (37)
37
27
27 - Crafting Biotech (64)
64
28
28 - Crafting Metallurgy (26)
26
29
29 - Crafting Technological (33
33
30
30 - Crafting Magical Items (72
72
31
31 - Crafting Magitech (35)
35
32
32 - Quality Appearance (25)
25
33
33 - Quality Design (20)
20
34
34 - Quality Durability (25)
25
35
35 - Quality Efficiency (60)
60
36
36 - Quality Resources (63)
63
37
37 - Quality Safety (22)
22
38
38 - Quality Size (24)
24
And the randomized category goes up to 38 instead of 37
I remember at least one worksheet didn't originally work simply because there were empty columns added in for no obvious reason, so you might want to check for and fix that as well if you're planning to try this.
Honestly, every time I think of weaponized ribbons, I can't help but remember the Zeruel fight from Evangelion with it's weaponized rolls of toilet paper just zipping out and slicing everything else to ribbons.
Notes: Before I forgot, EVERYTHING you're going to read about the Grathmeld of Ar Tonelico is limited by my initial knowledge of the setting and what the MC has at his disposition. They'll be some errors!
So don't make a mountain from a mole's mound. And don't hesitate to send corrections, I'll surely use them in a later chapter as my knowledge and reach grow.
And on the seventh day, the God of Cooking rested… not!
There was no escape from the dreaded Katou-sensei who dragged me from the bunker of my blankets for breakfast and then training. Her confirmation that I finally reached mastery in Judo, Karate, and Kendo wasn't much consolation.
The heartless. She didn't let me mope over Grathmeld from Ar Tonelico. I didn't know much about that setting. I knew that it was about artificial life forms, female and beautiful of course, able to use song-based magic powered by an orbital elevator-sized tower. I knew that Grathmeld was a scientific approach to song magic in an alchemical form called Synthesis. And… that was all.
Yeah, I wasn't about to reproduce something akin to the Philosopher's Stone with just that. Of course, I read the Jumpchain document… a while ago. And I didn't have a photographic memory or convenient access to those documents.
I sighed. At least I now had a proper crafting skill covering anything a mortal master-level craftsman could do. Including some more modern skills like electronics and mechanics.
And the best thing to do, because I wasn't about to ignore any parts of the Celestial Forge, was to scientifically examine the assortment of materials inside that white ceramic cube… Just analyzing the ceramic provided some clues. And emptying it would ensure the largest selection when it renewed its content.
Everything was labeled and thus gave me a lead on what the hell this mess was. Danzou giggled when she saw me putting on my newly-made lab coat before entering the Naruto workshop. I discovered with sadness that the Great Works I could pull out with my Cosmic Tailoring weren't something you could call at will.
A Great Work seemed to be something that happened when it needed to happen. Something about Fate and Destiny and the proper timing and place. But I could sew and do so. My lab coat was "The Lab Coat", complete with pens, pencils, markers, and glasses. Whenever I wore it, it would make me better at doing "Science!". I would be more efficient, learn faster, and research deeper. I firmly had the intention to create an appropriate garment for each of my activities, including my costume for proper heroing.
The first thing I discovered about Ar Tonelico components was that they were magical in nature and thus outside the reach of my Toaruverse resource generator. My thaumaturgy could detect that mystical tingling with but a touch. My Subnautica scanner could probe them and gave me a good perspective on their mundane nature. In conclusion, they were techno-magical materials and items based on sonic properties.
Well, not exactly sonic-based, but wave-physics-based according to my scans and computer analysis. Our own universe is particle-physics-based, so I was essentially holding a transient and yet stable solid energy array, or for the non-scientists, a song made real… Which explained why they could be combined to form another and completely different item. It, unfortunately, meant that I couldn't use any material from a non-wave-physics universe in Grathmeld.
The grathnode crystals were fascinating – they seemed to be universal energy sources for any grathmeld constructs and could also double as boosters, both enhancing existing properties or adding new ones. The innate quality of the crystal was in direct proportion to what you could do with it. I had four types of crystals in the cube, each with a different overall color.
The red, blue, and green ones seemed to require a biological key to use them. Neither I nor my scan could find what or why so far, but they could still be used for synthesis without problems. My Lunar intuition whispered to me that they were intricately linked to the Reyvateils' song magic and thus of limited use for now. I supposed I could sing while holding them and see what happened… Yeah, right. What a great way to have a sonic nuke going off in your lab, Baran. Maybe simply recording their harmonics and resonances for now would be a better idea.
After all, I had six years of music theory from my childhood, an ear that my family and a great pianist qualified as exceptional, and a plethora of Celestial Forge-given master-level skills since art thus singing was considered as crafting. With all that I should be able to find a few of those musical access keys for those crystals… Then I could also guess what sort of gene structure was required to interface with them.
The purple crystals, however, could be used by linking one to four of them to a piece of equipment which boosted its parameters or added a special property. It was through them that I found the four tiers of quality that all the crystals exhibited. They were the only crystals of immediate use… A quarter of the lot.
Fortunately, they were all labeled so I could make an index for all of those I had. A random selection each week… I shuddered in advance. In fact, indexing was the only problem because I had to personally test each one of them on a piece of equipment before the computer system could properly register them. My lack of time efficiency and qualified personnel struck again.
I could learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu from Danzou, but it needed complete focus for more than a day so I couldn't really afford to do it now. As for Danzou herself, she could only provide testers. She was an assassin, a spy, and a teacher. Not a researcher. Well, at least we should have a proper index of those current purple crystals in less than a day.
The alchemy comparison seemed a good one since my computer showed that, in theory, I could refine each item made with Grathmeld to a level enough that reversing the synthesis would create a much better grathnode crystal and probably a completely different one than the original.
The other components… Well, as I said, they were a mess. I could guess for some because of their labels like "natural cotton", but the others… Moreover, what the hell was an "akashic record" doing here? An in-game wink to the Nasuverse or an honest-to-Luna piece of data coming directly from the Root of Existence?
Even scanning them or examining them through my magical sense didn't yield many useful results. I could only deduce that all of them were basic materials and could be used together to form more advanced components or usable items and that was all. Oh, some had very interesting properties like "Airmetal", a unique kind of metal, hard and sturdy, but surprisingly light. I could easily use it for any flying constructs.
Blue stone seemed to enhance recovery mechanisms in biological life forms. Red stone was a very stable form of explosive. Black stone could weaken biological AND artificial/mechanical life forms/constructs. A Seed of Phebes was… delicious. Thundershroom was a biological electrical explosive. The ultimate cactus had needles so keen and solid that they could easily pierce a standard tire. Skuwat metal emitted a beautiful sound with tonality depending on its form and size. Yuteria was a non-metal much stronger than any ceramic samples I knew about and also much lighter.
The worst were the pieces taken from animals… Frankly, a dragon's wing? I felt sorry for the poor big dragon… although in my RPGs, my characters gleefully skinned a few dragons. I also admitted that I was tempted to grill a nice and juicy dragon fillet for me… Probably my dog's instincts. Some were completely absurd like the roasted "Nyo?guts"… Blech!
And then we had the weird and disturbing. A D2 cell was analyzed and described as an imperfect artificial form of a human cell, most likely the result of experiments predating the conception of the Reyvateils. The photon oscilloscope looked like a Subnautica precursor machine and seemed to constantly emit a field that accelerated the energy inside matter… which should boost the sound energy from Ar Tonelico components. The power screw was simply a very durable screw… Meh.
Songstone was the most interesting of those components, but that was mainly because I vaguely remembered it was important in the game background. Probably one of the pillars of their whole techno-magical science. I could feel untapped potential just by holding it. A thorough scientific analysis revealed a partial truth of this magical material. It was composed of 3 elements – two main ones separated by another. One of the main elements was microscopic grathnode crystals. It was easy to deduce that the two other elements were also very important. I took a very small sample and tried to separate the 3 components.
Chemical separation via acids or bases didn't work, only a slowly heating process worked, not unlike the process for oil products. The first main element, some sort of metal, was the first to melt and solidified outside the heated area, followed by the separating substance, which let the crystals clump together into one partially melted crystal. A rather ugly one… I rapidly understood that it was because of my ignorance. I accidentally melded all 4 types of crystals present in songstone into one, which meant that the process needed some chemical catalysts and/or absorbents to be complete.
My computer could now show me their physical properties. Fascinating, the very solid metal seemed to absorb and store any sounds and vibrations. Grathnode converted it into energy. Finally, the separating substrate had all the characteristics of an exceptional and durable non-silicon-based semiconductor.
The trouble I discovered was that songstone, or more specifically, the sound-absorbing metal, had a storage threshold. Once reached, it liberated its charge that was then converted by grathnode. The computer warned me that if songstone was violently altered in any way, this discharge was total and sudden… A waiting sonic bomb. I gulped and silently gave instructions to properly secure and store the samples of songstone I had.
After all that, one of the other things I could immediately do was to prepare a few Subnautica indoor growth beds and cultivate all the plant-based components, thus ensuring a better line of supply for them… Well, at least 5 out of 37 basic materials.
Since Ar Tonelico was a video game and synthesis was based on mixing components, it was a certainty that "recipes" of items existed… Recipes that weren't among the random assortment of components. And due to the wave-physics nature of those components, I couldn't even determine which basic materials were compatible with another… I needed something like a techno-magical analyzer with a sonic/sound-oriented module to resolve that enigma, or perks coming from the same setting.
"VIDA reminds you that you have enough renewable components that you can test them by mixing one with others and recording the results."
I did a Spock. "Indeed, but that is the long, destructive and hard way. Besides, some of those synthesized items must be weapons or explosives since it came from an RPG video game and could easily blow up in our faces." I tapped my fingers on the table. "On the other hand, I could easily automate the procedure and build an armored chamber for that in the Cosmic Warehouse." I weighed the pros and cons in my head. "No, there might be very rare or unique components in each cube… Not yet. Let's wait on that for a time. Take a note, store the statistically rarer items separately, and remind me of that when I gain a relevant perk."
"Recorded. VIDA reminds you that it is a proper time for you to call upon the Celestial Forge."
"Indeed. And to do it with Danzou inside the Warehouse, and after a little prayer to Luna… I'll have to make her a proper altar very soon."
Do you wish to make a roll on the Celestial Forge?
Current charge: 5.950. Perk range: 250 CP.
"Okay, Danzou, here we go… I'm using that phrase a little too much. By the way, I didn't think to ask you this morning but would you like to go with me on a date this evening?"
Her eyes widened and she blushed. "My Lord? A romantic date...?"
"No, a proper date to know each other outside our mission and to see how we are in our current relationship."
She was a little flabbergasted. "Master Baran, Danzou is your Servant. Even without a command seal, you could simply tell me what to do."
I shook my head. "No, it doesn't work like that. At least, not without tears and blood, fucking dramatic anime authors. No. You're my Servant, yes, but you're also my friend, my partner, and my teacher. And, let's face it, you're an attractive woman and I'm a red-blooded male. I would prefer to deal with the eventual sexual tension before it explodes so that we, at least, stay as friends and partners as opposed to Master and Servant. So?"
Her blush darkened, but she seemed to think about it. "Alright… Yes, I can do that."
I smiled. "Great! Don't worry, we'll stay simple. I'll reserve dinner at a restaurant and we'll go to a movie on the Boardwalk. Do you prefer Eastern or Western style clothing for our outing?"
"Western. We still need to be discrete." She smirked. "I just hope that neither the Empire Eighty-Eight nor the Azn Bad Boys bother us. Race traitors indeed."
I snorted. "With our luck, we might see both of them. Don't worry about your dress, I'll use my Cosmic Tailoring… I need to make you a proper wardrobe later. And now, for the perk."
Current charge: 2.522. Perk range: 100 CP.
"Huh… I could have hacked the server for our reservation rather than pay for it."
I turned to a perplexed Danzou. "Well, Spymaster, I can now truly help you in your endeavors." I waved my fingers. "I've just become a complete sci-fi scientist with, among a plethora of them, a diploma in master hacking. Only completely disconnected systems are out of my reach now. Even quantum-based computers are not safe from me."
I winced as other free aspects of the original perk surged in my mind. "Still, I could have done without the skills necessary to obtain funds and materials at all costs, especially moral and ethical." I blinked. "That said… Being able to understand the alien minds of Scion's species and the Shard network is a genuine boon."
"You can now understand them? We can make true models and establish a proper pattern?"
I nodded absently, trying to sort the mass of knowledge and skills I gained. "Once I study them and record my findings, yes. The author Wildbow and the various forums on my world were the primary sources of lore, but nothing beats a study anchored in reality."
She smiled like a shark, all white keen teeth. "Well, master, it seems that our blades are closer to a few throats now." She tilted her head. "What about Dragon now that you have a skill able to help her?"
I frowned. Yes, what about the best Tinker of Earth Bet, AI, and a real hero? "I do have enough knowledge about AI to effectively make one or help another. The problem is the accursed Dragonslayers. I need to drop an ambush on them because their fucking leader Saint must have prepared a fucking ton of deadman switches and other surprises in case of his demise." I sighed. "Which means the first step is to have an established contact with Theresa Richter aka Dragon." I nodded to myself. "Since it'll happen because I'll rub shoulders with Armsmaster, we'll just have to prepare ourselves, make plans and contingencies, and build the tools and equipment necessary." My eyes narrowed. "Especially if I can't seize the goddamned Ascalon terminal and its kill-switch."
"VIDA and NAVI have taken notes about that and remind you that you wanted to cook for your afternoon appointment with the Hebert."
We blinked at each other and I sighed. "Never enough time. Ask me for anything but time!"
"Hebert residence, Danny Hebert. Who am I speaking to?"
"Good afternoon, Mister Hebert. This is the independent hero StarKnight. I hope I'm not disturbing."
"StarKnight?! Huh… No, you're not disturbing, and good afternoon. Is there a problem?"
"No problem at all, mister Hebert. I'm just calling to inquire about your daughter. I want to be sure there was no sequel to the previous unpleasantness."
"Oh… Then no, no lingering problem, and StarKnight? Thank you for helping my little owl."
"It was my duty and responsibility, Mister Hebert. That said, if she's alright and if you don't have any obligations today, I would like to come to your home. It's just a courtesy visit and I feel it should be done face to face, so to speak."
Half an hour later, I was ringing the doorbell. Danny Hebert blinked when he saw me. I was bundled in winter's clothes, enough that you could only see my eyes if you tried hard. "StarKnight?"
"Good afternoon again, Mister Hebert. Yes, this was preferable to a three point power landing in full power armor."
He chuckled a little and let me enter. "Quite right, more discreet too."
Under the bundles, I was, of course, clad in my hero costume of blue, white, and gold trim. A slim, tall and worried teenage girl was coming from the living room. "Ah, here is our damsel in distress. Good afternoon, Miss Taylor, and it's a real pleasure to see you up and mobile."
She shuddered a little at the reminder of her ordeal but rallied and smiled a little. "Good afternoon, StarKnight, and… err… Thank you for saving my life."
"You're welcome, Miss Taylor. But I'm not here for that but to shake your hand." I had a little smile while doing that as she was rather flabbergasted. "You were officially my first rescue in Brockton Bay. So…"
I pulled my chocolate-based creation from subspace along with some complimentary tea in a thermos under their widened eyes. "I called it "Welcome back and Get Well" and it would please me greatly if you and your father would taste it and give me some feedback."
Taylor blinked as her father took the magnificent cake and searched for plates, mugs, and a knife. "A hero baked us a cake?"
I shrugged. "I'm single, Miss Taylor. To eat is to either cook or order a pizza. Besides, it's a good hobby apart from physical training or video games."
At the first bite, both Heberts showed manifest signs of foodgasm and happily declared that it was the best cake they had ever eaten. Then Taylor spoke about how it reminded her of a past anniversary with her mother and Emma… and burst into tears.
I cringed and made desperate head signs to Danny so that he took her in his arms. Once the frazzled father had his daughter in a comfortable hug, I mouthed "sorry about that" while discreetly exiting the house under his eyes after bundling back up in my winter clothes.
I made Taylor cry… Good! My plan went as I had foreseen… Wow, imitating Palpatine felt rather weird. Nonetheless, my cake should begin the mourning process for both of them and the thermos of tea will ensure that it went smoothly in time. Being a God of Cooking able to enchant food was really useful in some situations. Too bad I couldn't properly use it if I wanted to escape any accusations of mastering… which I was technically guilty of now.
Bah, the cake and tea would disappear into their stomachs and the effects were targeted to only those two. Any examination should reveal nothing unless they could detect magic. A risk, but a limited one.
Why all this when I already helped her enough with my rescue? Because sometimes Fate and Destiny can be real bitches. In the grimdark setting of Worm, there was still a possibility for Taylor to be pulled into a desperate situation where… Skitter might return. Even or especially without a Corona Pollentia. And in that case, I preferred her without depression and with all her mental faculties… which wasn't that reassuring when speaking about a teenager "sure" of what she was doing.
When I left my bedroom, I was clad in a nice suit for the evening. Not something that screamed jet-setter or new-rich, but something sober and handsome… I was going to turn heads this evening.
But, that was okay, because she came out of her room with "the little black dress" that I made for her with Cosmic Tailoring. She was under either a henge or a genjutsu that hid her Karakuri Doll nature, gave her alabaster skin a normal Japanese color and an epicanthic fold to her eyes. She also dimmed their yellow color to a more normal amber.
But she was still Danzou Katou, the Assassin Servant that accepted a dinner/movie night date with me, a middle-aged paramedic turned avatar of the Celestial Forge. And Luna, did her dress highlight her curves without exposing. She certainly would turn more heads than me.
"You are…" I stopped and searched for an appropriate word. I made her dress, I should know how to compliment her. "Simply magnificent, Danzou. I'm literally speechless."
She blushed. "Thank you, Baran. You're not that bad either."
I offered my arm. "So, while I'll still be Baran Sunheart, what should I call you tonight, my dear?" The false IDs made or bought by her network ensured our relative safety.
She smiled, put on a warm coat, and grabbed my arm. "Ritsuka Fujimaru." I stopped and looked at her with incredulity and she burst into laughter. "Seriously, this is just a homage to my last Master." She gave an impish smile. "You're not jealous, are you?"
I was unfazed. "Considering that Ritsuka is a unisex name and thus could be male or female depending on the world…? No."
She was interested and we went to the boardwalk in a cab as I spoke about the protagonist of Fate Grand Order and the fact that each player could choose the gender of the MC at the beginning. Who her parents were was also a big surprise, especially since she remembered Archer EMIYA.
The dinner went splendidly. Most men and a few women were jealous of me, but the disquieting part was the inverted ratio of people being jealous of Danzou.
I selected a restaurant that would play to the adventurous side of Danzou about food. It couldn't measure up to my standards, God of Cooking here, but it was good and varied.
Once we sat, Danzou made a few quick and discreet gestures. "There. The genjutsu field is in place. Now, we can speak of whatever we want."
"Good… This is a little awkward." I looked at her with a bittersweet smile. "I don't suppose we can discuss the weather?"
She giggled. "In the middle of winter? No, Danzou doesn't think so." Her eyes became serious. "Baran, can I ask you how you are feeling about the whole situation?"
"Of course you can." I frowned. "I'm not sure about the answer, however." How was I feeling? "I think… I'm still feeling detached. Like it's still about someone else's problem." Yes, despite all that happened… "I haven't formed a real link with this world."
Danzou seemed worried. "Would it have been better if you took a parahuman under your wing despite the risks?"
I fingered my glass of water as I pondered. "No… It would have been worse until now. They could… would have sensed that I didn't consider them as real people."
"Why until now?"
I shrugged and smiled at her. "Because without Katou-sensei, I could have fallen deeper in my "not real world" delusion. You're the one who is anchoring me to Earth Bet."
She blushed. "And now?"
I remembered Cindy, the little girl with her dog. "Now? I have the smile of a little girl in my heart. I shed tears at her situation. Through her, they all became real." I nodded to myself. "That's why I took a cake to Taylor and healed her psyche. I wanted to apologize for ignoring the wounded teenage girl under the Queen of Escalation." I gently reached for the back of her hand. "Thank you Danzou."
She blushed and didn't look at me. I sighed in contentment. Without her, it could have gone deadly fast or I could have gone corrupt with ultimate power. Which reminded me… "Danzou? What about you? What about your own goals in this crazy world?"
She blinked. "Danzou's goals…?" She pondered and nodded. "It's true that it's a little like a Grail War in the fact that my wishes have an influence, but…" She smiled at me and grasped my hand in return. I didn't remark that I was still touching it. "I'm discovering that despite being an assassin, I can enjoy myself outside my class duties and obligations. You see, sometimes, when I took on a disguise during a mission in the past, I asked myself if I could have become like them if I haven't been created as a Karakuri doll. At that moment, I simply felt that I was malfunctioning. What could be more important than the mission? It was only during the Chaldea Crisis that I began to understand that everything was both important and relative… That surviving without living was a hellish existence without value. Through you, Danzou is finally learning how to be happy."
The rest of the dinner passed in quiet conversation. We really enjoyed ourselves in that moment of peace. I felt like a great weight was no longer on my shoulders.
The movie was a catastrophe, however. The popcorn was awful, the action film, from Earth Bet, was horrible with actors acting badly and a plot I could see two miles away… at least. So horrible that we decided to head home early, wrapped in an illusion, and enjoyed jumping from roof to roof just for the rush.
As we came to the entry hatch, Danzou stopped me. "It is traditional that the girl states her intention just before entering her home." She smiled and grasped my hands. "I really enjoyed myself and I wouldn't be averse to another date."
I smiled and squeezed her hands in return. "Thank you. I feel the same. Next Sunday?"
"Next Sunday." She smiled impishly and quickly kissed me on the lips. She giggled as she entered the base, really needed to name it, and left me outside, completely flabbergasted.
I stayed there a long minute touching my lips then blinked and looked down on me. "Damn de-aged and hormonal body!" I raised my arms to the sky before entering. I had a date with a cold shower.
I sighed as I entered the Cosmic Warehouse after my shower. Danzou still had things to do with the organization of her spy network so she was absent with just her clones around as I turned my attention to the Celestial Forge. I was a big boy, I could handle it… Was that a feeling of déja-Vu?
Do you wish to make a roll on the Celestial Forge?
Current charge: 6.002. Perk range: 300 CP.
I heard the mental double-click of a computer mouse.
Current charge: 0.002. Perk range: 0 CP.
"Oh ho oh! Interesting and so useful." I could now make any kind of alloy with absolutely anything, freely mixing chemicals and metals, and including mystical metals like Uru or Orichalcum. The final result kept ALL the properties of its components. I could blend brittle substances with super-hard metals and not have a fragile alloy as a result. Truly, the possibilities were unlimited. Just using my current catalog would produce astounding alloys. I blinked and considered the perk more deeply… Yes… Yes, I could also use the wave-physics-based materials from Ar Tonelico with particle-physics-based matter without problems.
I nodded to myself. "Good, the overhaul of my Infinite Stratos should be really easy now," I smirked. "I can't wait to see Hookwolf's face the next time he'll want to do its grinding belt imitation." I frowned as I considered the remaining charge of the Celestial Forge. "I could still make a roll… I voluntarily limited my rolls per day so as not to be overwhelmed but… Those zero point perks are still powerful and useful…"
I shrugged. "In shaa Luna." I reached for the mental trigger of the Forge.
Current charge: 0.002. Perk range: 0 CP.
Well… It was worth the risk. I just gained knowledge on how to make backpack devices that protected the wielder from environmental dangers. All sorts of dangers. The only constraint was a cumulative need for more energy and exotic components if I decided to block more and more dangers.
The only problem was the free gifts that came with it. I absently patted the weasel, a loyal and tamed pet that spontaneously manifested, and looked at the junk pile in a corner of the Warehouse.
An entire but broken spaceship… And that wasn't counting the tech station and the mech craft/repair station which just fused with the Warehouse. At least those two created their own space.
I scratched my head. "Okay… Vida, full analysis of the ship. Recycle everything you have a complete blueprint of and store the rest.
"Analysis in progress. What about the two new additions to the Cosmic Warehouse and the currently inactive non-sentient AI integrated into the ship?"
"Analysis only, no alteration or recycling. Keep the ship AI inactive until I have properly examined it. I'm going out for my Sacred Hunt. I'll make a decision tomorrow."
The moon was a waxing crescent, but between my dog nose and my Lunar-boosted senses, it was midday and the Sacred Hunt was going well.
A red fox fell to me almost immediately as I roamed the outskirts of Brockton Bay. I surprised it while it was sniffing in the trash bins. A raccoon, bat, squirrel, and rabbit followed as I simply had to spot their lairs and ambush them. The instincts of my spirit shape were very useful in that case. I already dealt with a seagull before leaving the city center… Seagulls didn't taste like chicken.
Unfortunately, the skunk I hunted proved why you didn't attack it normally. I was stinking to the point that I had to find a way with my Essence to short circuit my sense of smell. I already knew that tomato or lemon juice would do nothing, but I had to find a solution or Danzou would make me sleep outside the base. I wasn't even sure if changing form would get rid of the smell… Not thinking about its taste.
Fortunately, I had some of her clones at the base and I barked outside to warn them. My smell did clue them in on my stinking problem. After a general burst of laughter, they connected me to NAVI, as I couldn't use my Vida PDA without contaminating it.
"NAVI recommends the use of a solution made of one quart of three-percent hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, and one teaspoon liquid dish soap just before use, not in advance.
NAVI reminds Danzou Katou's clones to wear rubber gloves and plastic aprons when applying and to keep the solution away from Baran Sunheart dog form's eyes and mouth.
NAVI recommends after that to rinse immediately, then follow up with a pet shampoo designed to neutralize skunk smells.
Lastly, NAVI reminds Baran Sunheart that skunk spray is a deterrent and that you should have followed common sense."
I sighed as I sat in a washtub. A gaggle of Danzou clones were giggling and teasing me about the "big great badass hunter" while trying to drown me with cold water, anti-skunk solution, and pet shampoo. I also tried to not think about how the brushes felt on my fur. It was humiliating, especially after our date and her kiss. Frankly, they should feel lucky I didn't shake myself on them.
Notes: I had an encounter with the Undersiders in preparation, but I couldn't use it properly in this chapter. A later time.
Well… A skunk won against a Lunar… Is everyone surprised? Not me.
I'm not very satisfied with my romantic scene. It felt too cliche… Give me your advice since I can end easily this particular plot in advance.
A good scene with Taylor, inspired by an Omake fromLambert Kipling.
Ar Tonelico… This is going to take me some time to properly analyze the 3 main games. I hope what I wrote so far isn't completely false and sufficiently coherent.
And 3 rolls on the Celestial Forge. I took care to not present a wall of explanations. It seemed easier to explain some perks by analyzing them through other perks. It also takes nicely care of too much data at once.
Current charge: 0.728. Perk range: 0 CP.
Perks gained in this chapter:
Security Worm (Hive Queen Quest) (200CP)
Some people think firewalls and passwords are enough to keep a hacker out, they would be right in most cases too except they didn't count on you. Your ability to hack and crack systems passwords is astounding and anything short of a complete physical disconnect in a system is simply another way for you to gain access. Did somebody order Chinese food on the company Wi-Fi? You can probably get into their network servers in a few minutes while they place the order.
Scientist (Hive Queen Quest) (Free)
While born and raised on Arnim, you showed yourself to be highly skilled in the field of biology, spending your time as a child cataloging native insect species found in the yard, and eventually working your way into a graduate program and securing a scholarship to the prestigious institutes of Mentan. Like most students of Mentan, you focused your studies on several subjects with a particular goal or theme in mind. In your case, it is to better humanity through a greater understanding of non-human life, society, and history, with degrees in Xeno-biology, Quantum Logic Theory, Xenopsychology, archeology, Xeno-sociology, and Quantum Computer Engineering. An impressive resume indeed, which is why you are currently on a ship headed to your chosen planet ready to start your new career! * Please, don't ask me about quantum logic, I could barely read a few lines in Wikipedia.
(Hive Queen Quest) (Free Scientist) Spin Doctor
Let's face it sometimes your work may not be completely moral, attractive, or even make much sense. But you need funding! You need test subjects! You need materials and goods! These problems can be easily solved however by securing proper government funding. You are a master of spinning what you know into an attractive and lucrative business proposal. Making your horrific experiments seem like something a person may want to take part in (for the right price) is well within your capabilities and securing government funding for your projects is child's play. So long as you keep up your end of the deal and get results. So long as you keep up your end of the deal and get results.
(Hive Queen Quest) (Free Scientist) Xeno-Anthropoligist
Your studies are many and varied, extending to even odd or eccentric fields such as Xenoanthropology, the study of the behavior of alien races. As such you find it much easier to understand alien races' motives as well as their way of thinking giving you a slight leg up in social situations, as a bonus you also learn alien languages much faster than normal.
Alloy Smith (The Avengers - Earth's Mightiest Heroes) (300CP)
Advanced knowledge of chemistry and metallurgy has allowed you to create alloys out of various materials, including metals and chemicals. These new alloys retain all of the properties- including those that are supernatural in nature- of the materials used to make them, allowing you to create truly powerful substances.
Environmental Protection (Starbound) (0CP)
It is a dangerous universe out there, and you'll need protection. You know how to make Environmental Protection Packs (EPPs), specialized devices designed to protect the wearer from hazards such as lack of oxygen or heightened levels of radiation. You can fine-tune them to block out most forms of danger that you come across. Just be aware, the more dangers you are blocking, the more energy and exotic materials your EPP will require.
Basic Techs: (Starbound) Free
Tech are special implants that give the user various abilities designed to increase their range of movement, which can be used at will, though some of them do use energy. This perk unlocks the basic tech groups: Morph Ball, Dash, or Pulse Jump, along with the three variants of each of those techs. This also comes with a free tech station in your Warehouse/Spaceship, where you can switch between your chosen techs. You can decide whether the Techs that come with this are actual implants or just innate abilities. Given time, you may be able to figure out how to implant techs in others as well, using your own as a basis.
Mech: (Starbound) (Free).
Mechs are large bipedal vehicles, used for both land and space travel. Each comes with two weapons set in each of its arms and a pair of thrusters used for movement in space. Each mech has an internal energy supply, which drains over time as the mech is in use, and drops sharply as the mech takes damage. If the mech's energy drains completely, it ends up "despawning" to await re-deployment and avoid total destruction. You get a basic mech for your given race for free, along with a mech crafting/repair station, which will store your mech between deployments. This station can be placed as an attachment to your Warehouse or set in a section of your Spaceship (does not provide additional room in your Spaceship). The basic mech has enough energy for roughly 8 hours of deployment, and comes with a flak cannon and drill on its arms. It can fly in space at around 20 kph, and run on land at around 10 kph.
Fixer-Upper: (Starbound) (Free)
You get a basic broken ship for free, with a week's worth of supplies for two people, including rations, medical supplies, a few simple weapons, and the like in the ship's storage. None of these supplies are CP-backed, and they won't replenish once used. This is where you will start your jump, and your initial goal will be to find a way to patch up and repair your ship. You can either do it yourself, or follow the standard questline down to the planet, make your way to the Outpost, and find someone to help you there. Your standard size ship can hold a crew of two comfortably, with living quarters, bathrooms, basic food prep stations, etc.
Ship's Pet: (Starbound) (Free)
Not a true companion, but you can choose to gain one of any of the ship's pets, even those for other races, for free. They do not take up a companion slot and may accompany you to new worlds, without aging or dying. If you choose to import them into a new world as a companion, or if their intelligence gets raised to human or better levels, then they will begin to count as a full companion.
S.A.I.L.: (Starbound)(Free)
A Virtual Intelligence that is in charge of maintaining your ship, S.A.I.L. doesn't count as a full companion. While it mimics sentience, it isn't fully sentient in its own right. However, this could change if you decide to import it as a companion in future jumps, or if you manage to unlock it into full sentience via software upgrades.
Wait Wait, arent shards giant computers? This means once mc can get any kind of link with them, something like a brain computer interface on a parahuman, he can hack them. Though I recommend he doesn't do so in case they can send out some messages before he fully hacks them, until he is confident to take them out in one fell swoop. Maybe he can target one of the dead shards first its likely safer.
Alloy smith is awesome, he can blend all sorts of materials to get all sorts of properties and make super materials.
He should probably activate Sail sooner rather than later, surely she would be better than Navi.
The romance read fine, though I didn't think he would really have romance on his mind any time soon, especially with her what with the massive disproportionate power dynamics, she is basically fiat backed to be his slave and while he can give orders to balance that like he did it will always be there in the back by fiat. But then its not like he can trust anyone outside summoned companions with a relationship anwyay, what with all the humans who have been modded by shards.
He got a lot of xeno understanding perks and knowledge which should help a lot. He does not need to wait to get better scans, there is a lot of material available on powers, earth bet has tried to science it, he can probably read through that as initial resources before he can get better scans.
That EPP looks awesome, with alloy smith he will never be short on exotic materials so the only issue he needs to solve is energy.
Would you believe that I forgot about that?
Well, I don't like retcon like that so no, I won't take a racial form... Maybe if I gain another Starbound perk.
Yes.
They're biological computers with a possibility of sentience, but yes, I can hack them.
Experimenting on a dead shard seemed the less risky option.
Also, a constant scan on an active parahuman should also shed some light.
Technically true, but in my story, she isn't fiat-backed to obey. She's a Servant here to help her Master. Not being a slave to him tremendously help Baran.
That's the whole point. Just having access to the public data is going to help a lot. A general model shouldn't take much time. Refining it will take direct observation, scans, and research. In time, Baran will have a better model than even Contessa.
Careful, the perk doesn't give the knowledge of exotic alloys. It allows the mixing without a method of different chemicals and metals. It doesn't matter if they are compatible, volatile, or impossible, Baran can do the mix and obtain an alloy having ALL the properties of its components regardless of the impossibilities.
It might, but then maybe the 2 AIs can play off each other in interesting ways to make it even better.
Or you can merge them somehow, or stip all the useful bits off Sail and integrate them into Navi.
Technically true, but in my story, she isn't fiat-backed to obey. She's a Servant here to help her Master. Not being a slave to him tremendously help Baran.
She may not be fiat backed to obey, but she is fiat backed to consider mc her master, there is some subtlety but its basically the same. In fact its the same with most CF summons a lot of them have lines about being loyal and there are even separate perks which make sure any of your creations and AIs are always loyal. Mc has been dealing with it well but in the end the foundation is still what the perk text says and building a romantic relationship on that bedrock will be a hard road.
Careful, the perk doesn't give the knowledge of exotic alloys. It allows the mixing without a method of different chemicals and metals. It doesn't matter if they are compatible, volatile, or impossible, Baran can do the mix and obtain an alloy having ALL the properties of its components regardless of the impossibilities.
True but there are so many materials, alloys, etc which are mundane and so many which have been given by his perks, this will only grow. The combinations will grow exponentially as the number goes up.
Because he's an adult and she's a child. He absolutely doesn't want to send a teenager into this war. And without her power, Taylor wasn't that special.
The Queen of Escalation is the result of a torturous path and the presence of the Queen Administrator shard. I can't see any normal adult condemning a child to this.
What is the best supernatural Martial Art style for Baran?
Please take note that all those styles allow the use of armor (at least light armor) since Baran must be able to use it with his power armor.
Single point shining in the void:
A sword-style known for its speed, deadly finishing moves, and iconic style of sheathing the sword after each strike. Masters of this style have killed enemies so fast onlookers have been confused as to who dealt the fatal sword strike.
* This style was chosen because Baran relies on swords in weapon-based melee combat.
Silver-voiced nightingale:
A unique style that uses neither weapon nor unarmed attacks, but the power of the voice-magnifying the singing and speaking properties of its practitioner to a combative degree.
* This style was chosen because of its synergy with Song Magic introduced by the Ar Tonelico perk "Grathmeld".
Centipede:
The style is defined by speed, using swift barrages of blows to wear down enemies and nimble footwork to outmaneuver them. Once a stylist's many strikes have left her opponent reeling, she can grapple him to restrain his movement, deliver a telling blow to an unguarded weak point, or unleash this style's deadly venoms.
* This style was chosen because it's the closest style to my own blending of Judo and Karate.
Falcon:
Falcon style is a high-flying art, its practitioners leaping across the battlefield to deliver powerful strikes or claim elevated vantages from which to deliver the finishing blow. In addition to attacks executed in midair, the style makes heavy use of grappling, locking enemies into painful submission holds or throwing them to the ground before executing punishing follow-ups.
* This style was chosen because Baran prefers a flying position in battle. It also has good synergy with the strength of the power armor.
Sounds super interesting plus I'm pretty sure there's a bunch of perks that effect singing an artistic endeavors like singing so all those combining could be super cool
