Not everything we fought were Rats, there were those dudes who were good enough to slip past those Fixers defending the school, and there was that Baby Syndicate that still had a little experience going for them.
The only one of those which even remotely posed a threat save in overwhelming numbers were the kidnappers.
But, honestly? Why don't we just wait for the GM to define this, like I asked?
A question for the thread, what upgrades/augmentations are we looking to give Lily as her spending money increases in the future?
Something like a gap-closer to avoid being picked on from range? A Knock (the debuff that gives -1 to enemy rolls) effect on her clothes that affects the enemy when they hit her? Something that protects her Sanity since that stat is currently the lowest?
Ranged should not be a huge deal with our defenses, mostly. The debuff when Lily is hit or defends would be fantastic since that turns our best stat into offense. Sanity is our biggest weak point and we will need to eventually fix that somehow.
As for current standings? Damage, or accuracy. All that endurance and life steal do not mean jack without a way to actually kill our opponents.
I don't know if this quest has a difference, but even low level Grade 8 Fixer like Eri has them, and even people like Stray Dogs use augment tattoos. It just doesn't look obvious.
Stray Dogs, one of them, also talked about a ring he used. Augments are common, yes, but the question is what the in-universe lingo counts as augments.
I would normally use augments to mean something like cybernetics, not rings or tattoos. So asking a clarifying question on the matter helps a lot especially since there is a ton we do not know about the PM world.
Actually, on that topic, @SoothingCoffee , when we're referring to 'Augs', are we just straight up looking at surgery or implants and all that, or is that just a catchall for "How much money is your drip worth and is it enough to operate at the level you're at?" Because that would absolutely be worth ridicule if Mister Victim thought he could get by with a mass produced uniform and hand-forged sword.
Because if that's the case, we've got roughly 12 mil invested into Lily's swag between her uniform and the Knockbar, which is damned respectable for a Grade Eight Fixer who's only been on the job for a month now. Mao is a Fifth Grade and her bigass rifle's just worth 20 mil.
It's the first one -- though of course, as all things are wont to be when money's involved, it gets blurry at a certain point, especially when your equipment's as wacky as Karrion's (take a guess of what it is, Lily has). They are essentially things that you add onto/into your body with the express intention to, well, augment them in one way or another. They're somewhat permanent (as in, removal costs money), and they normally provide passive buffs.
I don't know if this quest has a difference, but even low level Grade 8 Fixer like Eri has them, and even people like Stray Dogs use augment tattoos. It just doesn't look obvious.
Not everything we fought were Rats, there were those dudes who were good enough to slip past those Fixers defending the school, and there was that Baby Syndicate that still had a little experience going for them.
The only one of those which even remotely posed a threat save in overwhelming numbers were the kidnappers.
The reason why you don't see "8th grade people blitzing through the streets" or equivalent, is because well, 8th Grade Fixers or their equivalent can't generally really afford them. From how Eri talked about it, or how I read it, it was more of a salesman's pitch about Augs than "this is what 8th grade fixers can do/pay". She only managed to get/upgrade her Strength Aug after promotion into 8th Grade after all, after all, just enough to casually swing her giant sword -- impressive, to be sure, but "blitzing through the streets, and carrying a power pole" seem to me more like a Vespa feat than anything else. Far more likely, their augs are more general boosts to give them a slight advantage etc etc.
Of course, while augs are definitely important, other things are also important. Skills, weapons, etc. When it comes down to it, there are a lot of people out there. Very rarely, you get someone like the Red Mist, who's just built different, or in this quest, you get someone like Kai's and her Mom, who've found their niche, and is skilled enough to put it up to the 11. Sometimes, there's Lily, who's... well...
So something on the cut-off mark into the 5th Grade, barring certain exceptions.
I would take Eri's words with some grain of salt though -- she's right, of course, in that augs are key, but they're also not the end all be all like she believed/said. She still did get punked, and she is still an 8th Grade Fixer; someone who is still in the bottom of the barrel, all things considered. And well, augs are still expensive, and most low-grade Fixers can only afford small boosts if they want to do that (as shown with Eri having to get to 8th grade to get her new/upgraded aug). Tattoos are notably very cheap, far as augments go.
tl;dr: augs are important sure and they are common,, and there are cheap options, but they are not that cheap (and thus, not that common) to the point that low-grade fixers could swing power pole or blitz through the streets willy nilly, because that's more higher-grade stuffs. The enemies that Lily has encountered so far is on that low-grade level.
Anyway, this got away from me a bit, and I don't know if it answered any question because I just woke up, and I gotta go to work, so ciao.
Wouldn't Fixers need around bullet timer reflexes or speeds at around Full-Stop Office level to not just instantly die to bullets, when the expense is worth it? That should be enough to "blitz down a street" and that's much lower than Vespa who is a Grade 1 if I remember correctly?
Wouldn't Fixers need around bullet timer reflexes or speeds at around Full-Stop Office level to not just instantly die to bullets, when the expense is worth it? That should be enough to "blitz down a street" and that's much lower than Vespa who is a Grade 1 if I remember correctly?
Kinda, but not exactly like you are thinking? They are a couple of reasons why people do not need to worry about guns from what I can gather. The first is what we see in the game with the Blue Reverberation and ranged/melee clashes which show that guns are not great compared to melee at the same level. Melee can just shut down ranged if you have the skill and/or power. The second reason clarifies why this happens often enough to be a stigma, which is price and regulation. Guns, and more importantly ammo, are expensive, to the point where you can get more bang for your buck for more melee specced augs or weapons.
This leads to the relative strength of guns almost always being lower than the strength of melee at the same grade bracket. This then feeds the stigma which changes the question from "Can you outspeed a bullet?" to "Why do you need to outspeed a bullet if you are not likely to encounter them?". This seems to be the case for lower grades until about grade 5 or so, like when we meet Full Stop Office and Dawn Office. There is also the point that you do not need to be able to outspeed bullets to not get hit by them, you just need to react faster than the one holding the gun.
This starts falling apart the less restriction a person or organization has upon them, such as R Corp has some of the good stuff or most egregiously, the Head. They heavily regulated everyone else in gun usage but the arbitrary laws do not apply to them, which is just more of a reason that the populace fears them so much.
(There are outliers of course, like the Nest Pair at the very beginning but I am rationalizing the best I can here.)
Kinda, but not exactly like you are thinking? They are a couple of reasons why people do not need to worry about guns from what I can gather. The first is what we see in the game with the Blue Reverberation and ranged/melee clashes which show that guns are not great compared to melee at the same level. Melee can just shut down ranged if you have the skill and/or power. The second reason clarifies why this happens often enough to be a stigma, which is price and regulation. Guns, and more importantly ammo, are expensive, to the point where you can get more bang for your buck for more melee specced augs or weapons.
This leads to the relative strength of guns almost always being lower than the strength of melee at the same grade bracket. This then feeds the stigma which changes the question from "Can you outspeed a bullet?" to "Why do you need to outspeed a bullet if you are not likely to encounter them?". This seems to be the case for lower grades until about grade 5 or so, like when we meet Full Stop Office and Dawn Office. There is also the point that you do not need to be able to outspeed bullets to not get hit by them, you just need to react faster than the one holding the gun.
This starts falling apart the less restriction a person or organization has upon them, such as R Corp has some of the good stuff or most egregiously, the Head. They heavily regulated everyone else in gun usage but the arbitrary laws do not apply to them, which is just more of a reason that the populace fears them so much.
(There are outliers of course, like the Nest Pair at the very beginning but I am rationalizing the best I can here.)
In general this mostly makes sense to me, but the big sticking point that makes this a bit too weird to accept for me is the Thumb.
While the Thumb may not use state of the art guns and also uses the stock as a bludgeon a lot, Thumb mooks themselves use guns and bullets of a respectable quality, and I don't think they're that rare?
If I understand them right.
Edit:Specifically, this is the "not likely to encounter them" part.
Wouldn't Fixers need around bullet timer reflexes or speeds at around Full-Stop Office level to not just instantly die to bullets, when the expense is worth it? That should be enough to "blitz down a street" and that's much lower than Vespa who is a Grade 1 if I remember correctly?
Just got back home, so I can articulate what I was trying to say better, I think, but essentially: yes, augs are important, but going "blitzing through streets" or "carrying a power pole" is something way above your average low grade (9 to 5 Grade-ish) Fixers and equivalent. Eri could wield her big sword casually, but she's not going to be able to carry a power pole, etc etc.
I didn't mean "that sounds like something Vespa could do" in the sense that only someone like Vespa (1st Grade) could do/afford that, but more in the sense they're toys that belong to the relatively higher-grade Fixers or equivalent.
In general this mostly makes sense to me, but the big sticking point that makes this a bit too weird to accept for me is the Thumb.
While the Thumb may not use state of the art guns and also uses the stock as a bludgeon a lot, Thumb mooks themselves use guns and bullets of a respectable quality, and I don't think they're that rare?
If I understand them right.
Edit:Specifically, this is the "not likely to encounter them" part.
On guns:
Guns and bullets aren't rare in the sense that they're scarce, but they're rare in the sense that they're expensive as fuck to purchase and maintain, and the Head created several rules that limit their usage. In that sense, guns are very circumstantial -- they're powerful, of course, and up against low-to-mid tier Syndicates, they're effective, but after a certain point, you'll encounter people that could just no sell it (ex: Argalia), and that doesn't include the limited amount of ammos you're allowed to carry in the first place, as well as their cost and maintenance, which makes prolonged fights generally undesirable.
You could only make them work if you're something like Full Stop (and even then), who'd target those that aren't so high up on the least, and their usual tactics being "go in, shoot, go out" as quick as possible. Or you have a specific trick -- or you're strong and big enough to laugh at that. Example: the Thumb and the Rabbits.
The Thumb cheats by being a Finger. Their guns are actually made out of some sturdy special wood, and they're strong-plus-influential-plus-rich enough that they themselves are the manufacturers -- they even have stockpiles of them lying around. And the Rabbits cheat by being a Wing and the personal headcanon that they don't use your average bullets so much as pure Energy (enkephalin).
In general this mostly makes sense to me, but the big sticking point that makes this a bit too weird to accept for me is the Thumb.
While the Thumb may not use state of the art guns and also uses the stock as a bludgeon a lot, Thumb mooks themselves use guns and bullets of a respectable quality, and I don't think they're that rare?
If I understand them right.
Edit:Specifically, this is the "not likely to encounter them" part.
Fair point. I will point out that the Thumb is fought late into the game although part of that is fighting a large force of them (the Elites show up in the second fight with the Thumb). The Thumb themselves appear above the Grade 5 threshold that I am using as a benchmark so the feats we are talking about become more feasible. The Fingers are a big deal too, you are much more likely to deal with their subsidiaries than the Fingers themselves. I am led to believe that the Thumb's gear is saved for themselves, the Kurokumo do not use guns from what we see.
Hell, the Index Proselytes are pretty up there too if we look at them. Lily has the dubious fortune to meet two Fingers personally before her first month of working is even done. While Baya seems to be where I expect them to be in power, Nico was much weaker because he was fresh, a newbie. A newbie that had a serious chance of wiping the floor with us.
Edit: QM ninja'd me. I feel strangely proud of that.
On the guns and bullet rules:
The usage is strictly monitored and under so many rules,
Basically the price is already steep, and even then i think they sell bullet individually not per pack.
The bullet and gun manufacturing license is more strictly monitored and expensive to obtain.
The mass production of guns and bullets i think is prohibited, basically each of bullets or gun parts is made one by one.
The fines for any broken bullet and gun rules is also potentially live threatening.
Like we Will label you as criminal, revoke some of your license, and now you have so many debt.
This is what i remember from watching Ruina playthrough, a year ago maybe?
Kinda, but not exactly like you are thinking? They are a couple of reasons why people do not need to worry about guns from what I can gather. The first is what we see in the game with the Blue Reverberation and ranged/melee clashes which show that guns are not great compared to melee at the same level. Melee can just shut down ranged if you have the skill and/or power. The second reason clarifies why this happens often enough to be a stigma, which is price and regulation. Guns, and more importantly ammo, are expensive, to the point where you can get more bang for your buck for more melee specced augs or weapons.
This leads to the relative strength of guns almost always being lower than the strength of melee at the same grade bracket. This then feeds the stigma which changes the question from "Can you outspeed a bullet?" to "Why do you need to outspeed a bullet if you are not likely to encounter them?". This seems to be the case for lower grades until about grade 5 or so, like when we meet Full Stop Office and Dawn Office. There is also the point that you do not need to be able to outspeed bullets to not get hit by them, you just need to react faster than the one holding the gun.
This starts falling apart the less restriction a person or organization has upon them, such as R Corp has some of the good stuff or most egregiously, the Head. They heavily regulated everyone else in gun usage but the arbitrary laws do not apply to them, which is just more of a reason that the populace fears them so much.
(There are outliers of course, like the Nest Pair at the very beginning but I am rationalizing the best I can here.)
No yes I mean to the point that you can afford guns it means you're on the level where people are hot shit enough to actually be able to deal with said guns. and since its expendables and so costly youd probably get more bang for your buck getting some ugprades that stay with you.
You're not gonna waste bullets on rats or the like. Each bullet worth more than a dozen of said requests involving them, but so when you get up to requests that would make the cost-benefit worth it it also means the power levels are not loopsided to your advantage through guns. So its a toss up if your opponents skilled and upgraded enough to just deflect your bullets in real time. Full Stop goes "for the cost it may be more effective just to get some premium augs but we got a gimmick damnit!"
Just got back home, so I can articulate what I was trying to say better, I think, but essentially: yes, augs are important, but going "blitzing through streets" or "carrying a power pole" is something way above your average low grade (9 to 5 Grade-ish) Fixers and equivalent. Eri could wield her big sword casually, but she's not going to be able to carry a power pole, etc etc.
I didn't mean "that sounds like something Vespa could do" in the sense that only someone like Vespa (1st Grade) could do/afford that, but more in the sense they're toys that belong to the relatively higher-grade Fixers or equivalent.
Sounds fair. Though even then augs should give at least some benefits even at lower levels no? And a combination of Weird Shit(tm) and augs and luck and skill is how the top of the top get made.
(though Im relatively sure Kali also had good augs as she mentions her following bodies are kinda shit compared to her former one.)
Ah right may I ask if the different write-ins on the shopping votes would influence the update Coffee?
Looked at it. There's... not much of a difference, far as I could see? I suppose Alectai's more specific in that the plan's not looking for anything permanent, while yours is more "anything goes".
Edit: so Alectai's plans would have you finding consumable stuffs, or accessories and stuff, while yours is more open, and I suppose more extreme in what Lily's willing to go with.
Looked at it. There's... not much of a difference, far as I could see? I suppose Alectai's more specific in that the plan's not looking for anything permanent, while yours is more "anything goes".
Edit: so Alectai's plans would have you finding consumable stuffs, or accessories and stuff, while yours is more open, and I suppose more extreme in what Lily's willing to go with.
Why not just split the difference with the options? Give a consumable option or two, and then some long term option or two? That's fundamentally the only difference between them, and our focus is such that it'd be hard to just cram three/four options for either one.
Why not just split the difference with the options? Give a consumable option or two, and then some long term option or two? That's fundamentally the only difference between them, and our focus is such that it'd be hard to just cram three/four options for either one.
I could do that, but then it also feels like it renders the differences (however little) of either plan basically the same -- but if that's fine, then it's fine, I suppose? Hm. Suppose I would put higher priority on what's being written, with Crow's having potentially better Augments and yours having better consumables/accessories?
Adhoc vote count started by SoothingCoffee on May 7, 2022 at 4:55 PM, finished with 190 posts and 46 votes.
[X] Plan: Batten down the Hatches. -[X] Luxurious, and Nutritious (100,000 Ahn): You can… you can treat yourself a little, right? For once in your lifetime, and – fuck. You don't know. Eat whenever you're hungry. HamHamPangPang sandwiches, and that rice porridge Mao and Mori treated you to. Shit, maybe even pork belly? God. Please. [Receive Status: Energetic – +5 Max Health or Sanity Points. Receive temporary +1 to one of your Favored Skills (1d3 Dice Roll). --[X] Boost Sanity
-[X] Shopping Time – last time you went into the Market District, it was with the gang, and there's a sorta time-restraint then. Now, you have the time to look around a bit. You have money. You don't really know if it's enough for much of anything, but well… why not, right? You can also bring someone else with you, if you want.
--[X] Mao
--[X] You're confident in your ability to stand up, what you need is something to help you put others down. Given your budget and what you've seen of Kai's eye though, maybe best not to get something that you can't take out if it's a bit too scuffed. Some kind of underlay to your clothes or something. A temporary booster is also fine, as long as it can help you ramp up.
-[X] Extermination: Weeping Heartstrings (Urban Plague). Moon, Sun's Ex-Lover, and the guy who first kicked off your career into the Fixer business, has been spotted heading towards Sun's apartment. Normally, that wouldn't require much of any concern, but Moon has Distorted, now dubbed as the Weeping Heartstrings, and has control over the whole of Vic's Office. This will be your first time dealing with Distortions, and you're going in blind without much knowledge beyond speculations over what the Weeping Heartstrings could do, and Mao herself doesn't think this is going to be a simple Request: Distortions are very 'funny' like that. Fortunately, Chief Vale managed to 'evacuate' Sun away from her apartment, but if you fail, that's only going to be a stopgap measure. Pay: 15,000,000 Ahn – After Cut, Before Split. This Request Takes Priority over Other Requests.
--[X] Mandatory: you'll go with Mao. -[X] Neighbor(s) from Hell (Canard): Mister Toko has cottoned onto the fact that one of his neighbors – or neighbors – might be trying to kill him. Cause? Noise complaints. All of which goes ignored by the Landlord since Toko paid extra for his rent and does so always on time. Something that his neighbors do not always do. It appears that Toko is something of a musician – and people are… sensitive of musicians after the Pianist Incident. One day, Toko caught one of his neighbors stalking him to his work. It might be his paranoia, but regardless, he's willing to hire a Fixer in case he's right. Pay: 350,000 Ahn – After Cut.
-[X] One Month Celebration Party.
[X] Plan: The Best Defense. -[X] Luxurious, and Nutritious (100,000 Ahn): You can… you can treat yourself a little, right? For once in your lifetime, and – fuck. You don't know. Eat whenever you're hungry. HamHamPangPang sandwiches, and that rice porridge Mao and Mori treated you to. Shit, maybe even pork belly? God. Please. [Receive Status: Energetic – +5 Max Health or Sanity Points. Receive temporary +1 to one of your Favored Skills (1d3 Dice Roll). --[X] Boost Sanity
-[X] Shopping Time – last time you went into the Market District, it was with the gang, and there's a sorta time-restraint then. Now, you have the time to look around a bit. You have money. You don't really know if it's enough for much of anything, but well… why not, right? You can also bring someone else with you, if you want.
--[X] Mao
--[X] Look for something to shore up your offense, you need an edge. Speed or strenght or whatever. You're tough its true but the best defense will always be killing the other dude before he kills you.
-[X] Extermination: Weeping Heartstrings (Urban Plague). Moon, Sun's Ex-Lover, and the guy who first kicked off your career into the Fixer business, has been spotted heading towards Sun's apartment. Normally, that wouldn't require much of any concern, but Moon has Distorted, now dubbed as the Weeping Heartstrings, and has control over the whole of Vic's Office. This will be your first time dealing with Distortions, and you're going in blind without much knowledge beyond speculations over what the Weeping Heartstrings could do, and Mao herself doesn't think this is going to be a simple Request: Distortions are very 'funny' like that. Fortunately, Chief Vale managed to 'evacuate' Sun away from her apartment, but if you fail, that's only going to be a stopgap measure. Pay: 15,000,000 Ahn – After Cut, Before Split. This Request Takes Priority over Other Requests.
--[X] Mandatory: you'll go with Mao. -[X] Neighbor(s) from Hell (Canard): Mister Toko has cottoned onto the fact that one of his neighbors – or neighbors – might be trying to kill him. Cause? Noise complaints. All of which goes ignored by the Landlord since Toko paid extra for his rent and does so always on time. Something that his neighbors do not always do. It appears that Toko is something of a musician – and people are… sensitive of musicians after the Pianist Incident. One day, Toko caught one of his neighbors stalking him to his work. It might be his paranoia, but regardless, he's willing to hire a Fixer in case he's right. Pay: 350,000 Ahn – After Cut.
-[X] One Month Celebration Party.
[X] Plan: All You Need is Not Die -[X] Luxurious, and Nutritious (100,000 Ahn): You can… you can treat yourself a little, right? For once in your lifetime, and – fuck. You don't know. Eat whenever you're hungry. HamHamPangPang sandwiches, and that rice porridge Mao and Mori treated you to. Shit, maybe even pork belly? God. Please. [Receive Status: Energetic – +5 Max Health or Sanity Points. Receive temporary +1 to one of your Favored Skills (1d3 Dice Roll). --[X] Boost Sanity
-[X] Shopping Time – last time you went into the Market District, it was with the gang, and there's a sorta time-restraint then. Now, you have the time to look around a bit. You have money. You don't really know if it's enough for much of anything, but well… why not, right? You can also bring someone else with you, if you want.
--[X] Mao
--[X] You're confident in your ability to stand up, what you need is something to help you put others down.
-[X] Extermination: Weeping Heartstrings (Urban Plague). Moon, Sun's Ex-Lover, and the guy who first kicked off your career into the Fixer business, has been spotted heading towards Sun's apartment. Normally, that wouldn't require much of any concern, but Moon has Distorted, now dubbed as the Weeping Heartstrings, and has control over the whole of Vic's Office. This will be your first time dealing with Distortions, and you're going in blind without much knowledge beyond speculations over what the Weeping Heartstrings could do, and Mao herself doesn't think this is going to be a simple Request: Distortions are very 'funny' like that. Fortunately, Chief Vale managed to 'evacuate' Sun away from her apartment, but if you fail, that's only going to be a stopgap measure. Pay: 15,000,000 Ahn – After Cut, Before Split. This Request Takes Priority over Other Requests.
--[X] Mandatory: you'll go with Mao. -[X] Someone to Hang Out With? --[X] Kai. Provided that you managed to survive your mission alive — no, she'll definitely live. And then, it wouldn't be… bad to hang out together, maybe sparring? -[X] Burning Curiosity – For the first time in years, you've heard something about your parents – and that comes from Landlord Lin. You've already forgotten their face, their voice, and even their names. It doesn't bother you, no, but staring at the crumpled-up doodling of them… loathe as you are to approach him, you gotta know.
-[X] One Month Celebration Party.
[X] Plan Were Already Awesome -[X] Luxurious, and Nutritious (100,000 Ahn): You can… you can treat yourself a little, right? For once in your lifetime, and – fuck. You don't know. Eat whenever you're hungry. HamHamPangPang sandwiches, and that rice porridge Mao and Mori treated you to. Shit, maybe even pork belly? God. Please. [Receive Status: Energetic – +5 Max Health or Sanity Points. Receive temporary +1 to one of your Favored Skills (1d3 Dice Roll). --[X] Boots Sanity
-[X] Extermination: Weeping Heartstrings (Urban Plague). Moon, Sun's Ex-Lover, and the guy who first kicked off your career into the Fixer business, has been spotted heading towards Sun's apartment. Normally, that wouldn't require much of any concern, but Moon has Distorted, now dubbed as the Weeping Heartstrings, and has control over the whole of Vic's Office. This will be your first time dealing with Distortions, and you're going in blind without much knowledge beyond speculations over what the Weeping Heartstrings could do, and Mao herself doesn't think this is going to be a simple Request: Distortions are very 'funny' like that. Fortunately, Chief Vale managed to 'evacuate' Sun away from her apartment, but if you fail, that's only going to be a stopgap measure. Pay: 15,000,000 Ahn – After Cut, Before Split. This Request Takes Priority over Other Requests.
--[X] Mandatory: you'll go with Mao. -[X] Neighbor(s) from Hell (Canard): Mister Toko has cottoned onto the fact that one of his neighbors – or neighbors – might be trying to kill him. Cause? Noise complaints. All of which goes ignored by the Landlord since Toko paid extra for his rent and does so always on time. Something that his neighbors do not always do. It appears that Toko is something of a musician – and people are… sensitive of musicians after the Pianist Incident. One day, Toko caught one of his neighbors stalking him to his work. It might be his paranoia, but regardless, he's willing to hire a Fixer in case he's right. Pay: 350,000 Ahn – After Cut. -[X] Time for Tea – Adil, your most recent neighbor, staying right across your room. She's… fine, you think. Okay. Granted, you only spent a good some minutes with her, but you also pass by her through the hallways, every now and then, exchanging greetings. It's… actually nice. And she seems to know something about your mom, and… well, you want to know. -[X] One Month Celebration Party. There is, as it happens, a sort of tradition going on with Scarecrow Office and its Sister Offices, where at the end of every month, representatives (generally the Vice Chiefs) of each Office would come together and discuss over this and that. It's a private, and boring thing, Mao told you. This time, however, is going to be different. It's going to be a celebration party – for whom? For everyone, really, but mostly for the recruits who managed to survive within the business for a single month. That means you. (Mao grins, golden ambers curving almost into slits. "We get to basically boast over our juniors – that's you and Kai, by the way – and decide who got the best. And this time, I'm going to be the winner.")[Can only be picked as the Last Action of the Week.]
[X] Extermination: Weeping Heartstrings (Urban Plague). Moon, Sun's Ex-Lover, and the guy who first kicked off your career into the Fixer business, has been spotted heading towards Sun's apartment. Normally, that wouldn't require much of any concern, but Moon has Distorted, now dubbed as the Weeping Heartstrings, and has control over the whole of Vic's Office. This will be your first time dealing with Distortions, and you're going in blind without much knowledge beyond speculations over what the Weeping Heartstrings could do, and Mao herself doesn't think this is going to be a simple Request: Distortions are very 'funny' like that. Fortunately, Chief Vale managed to 'evacuate' Sun away from her apartment, but if you fail, that's only going to be a stopgap measure. Pay: 15,000,000 Ahn – After Cut, Before Split. This Request Takes Priority over Other Requests. -[X] Mandatory: you'll go with Mao.
[X] Plan: Don't Die then Socials -[X] Luxurious, and Nutritious (100,000 Ahn): You can… you can treat yourself a little, right? For once in your lifetime, and – fuck. You don't know. Eat whenever you're hungry. HamHamPangPang sandwiches, and that rice porridge Mao and Mori treated you to. Shit, maybe even pork belly? God. Please. [Receive Status: Energetic – +5 Max Health or Sanity Points. Receive temporary +1 to one of your Favored Skills (1d3 Dice Roll). --[X] Boost Sanity
-[X] Shopping Time – last time you went into the Market District, it was with the gang, and there's a sorta time-restraint then. Now, you have the time to look around a bit. You have money. You don't really know if it's enough for much of anything, but well… why not, right? You can also bring someone else with you, if you want.
--[X] Mao
--[X] You're confident in your ability to stand up, what you need is something to help you put others down. Given your budget and what you've seen of Kai's eye though, maybe best not to get something that you can't take out if it's a bit too scuffed. Some kind of underlay to your clothes or something. A temporary booster is also fine, as long as it can help you ramp up.
-[X] Extermination: Weeping Heartstrings (Urban Plague). Moon, Sun's Ex-Lover, and the guy who first kicked off your career into the Fixer business, has been spotted heading towards Sun's apartment. Normally, that wouldn't require much of any concern, but Moon has Distorted, now dubbed as the Weeping Heartstrings, and has control over the whole of Vic's Office. This will be your first time dealing with Distortions, and you're going in blind without much knowledge beyond speculations over what the Weeping Heartstrings could do, and Mao herself doesn't think this is going to be a simple Request: Distortions are very 'funny' like that. Fortunately, Chief Vale managed to 'evacuate' Sun away from her apartment, but if you fail, that's only going to be a stopgap measure. Pay: 15,000,000 Ahn – After Cut, Before Split. This Request Takes Priority over Other Requests.
--[X] Mandatory: you'll go with Mao. -[X] Time for Tea
-[X] One Month Celebration Party.
[X] Plan Auged
-[X] Extermination: Weeping Heartstrings (Urban Plague). Moon, Sun's Ex-Lover, and the guy who first kicked off your career into the Fixer business, has been spotted heading towards Sun's apartment. Normally, that wouldn't require much of any concern, but Moon has Distorted, now dubbed as the Weeping Heartstrings, and has control over the whole of Vic's Office. This will be your first time dealing with Distortions, and you're going in blind without much knowledge beyond speculations over what the Weeping Heartstrings could do, and Mao herself doesn't think this is going to be a simple Request: Distortions are very 'funny' like that. Fortunately, Chief Vale managed to 'evacuate' Sun away from her apartment, but if you fail, that's only going to be a stopgap measure. Pay: 15,000,000 Ahn – After Cut, Before Split. This Request Takes Priority over Other Requests.
--[X] Mandatory: you'll go with Mao.
[X] Boundary of Death (44,444 Ahn): Your foray into the cooking world with the help of Sun has proven to be incredibly valuable. At the very least, you ain't gonna accidentally burn down your place, and you can make something dependably – 'course trying out new things, experimenting, and creating a whole new ass recipe is another thing entirely. [1d4 Roll. Rolling 1 will lead to a Bad Recipe. 2-3 leads Mixed Recipe. Rolling 4 will lead to discovering a Good Recipe. You are allowed to either Learn the Recipe, allowing you to recreate it, and consuming one Recipe Slot, or Ignore it.]
[X] Time for Tea – Adil, your most recent neighbor, staying right across your room. She's… fine, you think. Okay. Granted, you only spent a good some minutes with her, but you also pass by her through the hallways, every now and then, exchanging greetings. It's… actually nice. And she seems to know something about your mom, and… well, you want to know.
[X] One Month Celebration Party. There is, as it happens, a sort of tradition going on with Scarecrow Office and its Sister Offices, where at the end of every month, representatives (generally the Vice Chiefs) of each Office would come together and discuss over this and that. It's a private, and boring thing, Mao told you. This time, however, is going to be different. It's going to be a celebration party – for whom? For everyone, really, but mostly for the recruits who managed to survive within the business for a single month. That means you. (Mao grins, golden ambers curving almost into slits. "We get to basically boast over our juniors – that's you and Kai, by the way – and decide who got the best. And this time, I'm going to be the winner.")[Can only be picked as the Last Action of the Week.]
[X] Someone to Hang Out With? -[X] Boss. For the first time, you spoke with Boss Daniel. You still don't know how that happened. Still. You don't think he's bad, and… maybe if you got back here intact, he would give you more cake?
-[X] Sun. Provided that you live this through, you might be able to visit her bakery…
-[X] Ask Sun if she has any fancy schmancy recipe books that Lily can borrow.
[X] Plan: All You Need is Not Die -[X] Luxurious, and Nutritious (100,000 Ahn): You can… you can treat yourself a little, right? For once in your lifetime, and – fuck. You don't know. Eat whenever you're hungry. HamHamPangPang sandwiches, and that rice porridge Mao and Mori treated you to. Shit, maybe even pork belly? God. Please. [Receive Status: Energetic – +5 Max Health or Sanity Points. Receive temporary +1 to one of your Favored Skills (1d3 Dice Roll). --[X] Boost Sanity
-[X] Shopping Time – last time you went into the Market District, it was with the gang, and there's a sorta time-restraint then. Now, you have the time to look around a bit. You have money. You don't really know if it's enough for much of anything, but well… why not, right? You can also bring someone else with you, if you want.
--[X] Mao
--[X] You're confident in your ability to stand up, what you need is something to help you put others down. Given your budget and what you've seen of Kai's eye though, maybe best not to get something that you can't take out if it's a bit too scuffed. Some kind of underlay to your clothes or something. A temporary booster is also fine, as long as it can help you ramp up.
-[X] Extermination: Weeping Heartstrings (Urban Plague). Moon, Sun's Ex-Lover, and the guy who first kicked off your career into the Fixer business, has been spotted heading towards Sun's apartment. Normally, that wouldn't require much of any concern, but Moon has Distorted, now dubbed as the Weeping Heartstrings, and has control over the whole of Vic's Office. This will be your first time dealing with Distortions, and you're going in blind without much knowledge beyond speculations over what the Weeping Heartstrings could do, and Mao herself doesn't think this is going to be a simple Request: Distortions are very 'funny' like that. Fortunately, Chief Vale managed to 'evacuate' Sun away from her apartment, but if you fail, that's only going to be a stopgap measure. Pay: 15,000,000 Ahn – After Cut, Before Split. This Request Takes Priority over Other Requests.
--[X] Mandatory: you'll go with Mao. -[X] Someone to Hang Out With? --[X] Kai. Provided that you managed to survive your mission alive — no, she'll definitely live. And then, it wouldn't be… bad to hang out together, maybe sparring? -[X] Burning Curiosity – For the first time in years, you've heard something about your parents – and that comes from Landlord Lin. You've already forgotten their face, their voice, and even their names. It doesn't bother you, no, but staring at the crumpled-up doodling of them… loathe as you are to approach him, you gotta know. -[X] One Month Celebration Party. There is, as it happens, a sort of tradition going on with Scarecrow Office and its Sister Offices, where at the end of every month, representatives (generally the Vice Chiefs) of each Office would come together and discuss over this and that. It's a private, and boring thing, Mao told you. This time, however, is going to be different. It's going to be a celebration party – for whom? For everyone, really, but mostly for the recruits who managed to survive within the business for a single month. That means you. (Mao grins, golden ambers curving almost into slits. "We get to basically boast over our juniors – that's you and Kai, by the way – and decide who got the best. And this time, I'm going to be the winner.")[Can only be picked as the Last Action of the Week.]
-[] Shopping Time – last time you went into the Market District, it was with the gang, and there's a sorta time-restraint then. Now, you have the time to look around a bit. You have money. You don't really know if it's enough for much of anything, but well… why not, right? You can also bring someone else with you, if you want.
--[] Mao
--[] You're confident in your ability to stand up, what you need is something to help you put others down. Given your budget and what you've seen of Kai's eye though, maybe best not to get something that you can't take out if it's a bit too scuffed. Some kind of underlay to your clothes or something. A temporary booster is also fine, as long as it can help you ramp up.
...
Urban Plague – like all things, there's a rating and grading to Requests. You start from Canard, shit so trivial that it's not even worth pointing, then you go off into Urban Myth, where it's still trivial-as-fuck-shit but at least it's now worth of substance, barely worth a glance –this is where someone of your Grade would stop at. Up a step, and you get to the Urban Legend, where shit gets real, where it affects people; cases noted and confirmed by the Associations themselves. Another, you finally get to the Urban Plague, and they're where trivial shit stops being so trivial – full eyes and focus. It's where the Associations go all out, where Fixers like the Scarecrows get hired full – not just Mao, but also Mori, and Burke, and maybe even Boss Daniel.
Notice how you don't fucking include yourself and Kai?
Because you might be stupid, but you don't got a fucking death wish – because you know that this shit's way above you. If you're already struggling against an Urban Myth, imagine going up against the Urban Plague. You know this. And Kai's facing an Urban Nightmare, even if she got a bunch of High Grade Fixers coming alongside her. You know that. Smart thing to do would be stayin' put, to take on jobs that are more your level, keep your head down, and –
No. Fuck off.
Point is, you can't. Yeah, that's your fucking point – you can't, and you won't. Backing off, cowarding out, running away, letting all of them do the hard liftin', while Kai's doing all sorts of shit while you're here twiddlin' with your thumbs hopin' that all of them come back safely – fuck, you'd look and sound like that one pussy character from that shitty-fake Red Mist movie you watched that one time.
And you'd sooner die before you do that.
[Insight Check: Trivial. Autopass.]
You never actually claimed to be smart.
[Ego Check: Medium. Pass.]
This is where you started, the first chapter where your life truly began – Mao, the Vice-Captain of Scarecrow Office, the annoying yet somehow dependable woman who first guided you through the steps of this field, and Sun, your First Client, the woman you've come to grow close to through the past few weeks since you met, and Moon and the Vic's Office, your First obstacle and stepping stone, where you risked your life for something beyond just you. It's only right for you to be the one closing the chapter.
[Empathy Check: Hard. Pass]
Sun. You didn't just grow close to her, did you? You cared for her. You can't deny it anymore – you truly do not want her hurt. Compared to hers, your life is somewhat, and also depressingly factual, less valuable. And Mao… God, she's fucking annoying, but she's also powerful, you know that even if you haven't actually seen her in action. She's got to be. And she should be fine without you. But… one of her, and at least seven of them – even if six of them are low-grade Fixers, it's not a favorable odd. She knows it too, if she had to pull out that 'health insurance' suitcase. And you might be a dead fucking weight in the end, but –
[Endurance Check: Easy. Autopass.]
But even a dead weight can take a hit or two. And sister, you're a Wall of a Dead Weight.
[Melee Check: Easy. Autopass.]
Not that you're a fucking dead weight.
[Vision Check: Medium. Pass.]
When Landlord Lin asked you back then, you couldn't answer him. But in the short few weeks, you did change. If there's one good thing about the past, it's this: that you ain't some scum shit desperately scurrying and scrounging like a filthy rat no more.
You're not doing this just for money. Well, that's a fucking lie – you're also doing this for money, but if it's just that, then you would have backed off like a pussy. No, you're also doing this for yourself. Lin would fucking shit himself.
Still, he's right about that one thing – that this – pride, mercy, and kindness, and so much more – is the privilege of the truly powerful. And you are still just a measly Ninth Grade Fixer, but – it's about time you prove those Nest bitches looking down on you from their high-rise apartments wrong.
You exhale, then tense up just as quickly. Of course, that's a fucking nice thought and all, but it doesn't change the fact that you're still way in over yourself, and with what laughable amount – hah, 'laughable' amount! Imagine thinking that a few weeks ago – of Ahn you got in your wallet, you need to find something – a leg-up against what you're about to face tonight. So you're here, back in the familiar old and some unfamiliar new rows and columns of shops lining the sides of the Market Streets.
People wander about, pockets of 'em, wearin' Fixer outfits, and wearing non-Fixer outfits. You know that look in their eyes, of purpose and of focus, and you reckon that you got a similar look in your eyes. Mao's words ring out back to you. Something's about to happen – no, something is already happening, and it's about to tip over. The Middle and Syndicates being destroyed by someone, leaving behind vacuums that even you can't miss – the Distortions cropping up left and right. The local Hana Association Section IV apparently having most of its number recently decimated, leaving only a couple behind, and the captain of that local Office, Ran, the one who tested you, is currently on a warpath against the Loud Orchestra – and Hana doesn't normally do that, do they?
"Soooo what're you looking for?"
You flinch, turning your glare to Mao. "I don't remember fucking inviting you."
Mao's lips stretch wide, amber-gold eyes narrowing. "Luckily, you don't have to invite me," she replies, smug as shit. "'Sides, we still have time 'fore we gotta move – and I'd be a poor senior if I don't help my junior out, wouldn't I?"
Your glare doubles, before promptly grumbling, looking back to the road, shoving your hands deep into your pockets. "You're fucking impossible."
"You know me well," Mao sing-songs, chuckling, and you grunt, flinching as a familiar weight – her weight – falls onto you, her arm rounded around your shoulders. "So come on, tiger," she smiles, curved amber-gold eyes inches away from you. "Help me help you, hm? Whatcha' lookin' for?"
"Fuck off," you grumble, trying to shrug her off, but you know already it's a futile effort. At least you could say that you tried. Sighing, you growl under your breath, shoving your hands even deeper in, nails scratching at the seams of your pockets.
[Instinct Check: Trivial. Autopass.]
Blood and iron and old papers. And that bitter scent of the Office. You're so used to it by now that you barely register it, but they're still there, lingering with Mao, ever-present – it's her signal.
[Melee Check: Easy. Pass.]
Nothing bad with a little blood.
[Endurance Check: Easy. Pass.]
Iron's good for your body – not that you need it.
[Ego Check: Hard. Pass.]
This is a good practice, is what it is, for when you'll start carrying her for real.
[Ego Check: Very Hard. Fail.]
It's still annoying.
Brushing off the creepin' heat, you start mumbling. "M'need a leg-up – somethin' ta make me hit harder," you tell her, chewing the inside of your cheeks. You trail off a bit, fidgetin' quietly. "It don't gotta be, but also something that don't stick permanently, and nothin' too complicated."
Mao hums thoughtfully. If she had a thought about what you said, she thankfully said nothing of it – then she smirks at you, cheekily. "Could always get a gun."
You blink, once, twice, feeling a reflexive shudder of revulsion coursing through your flesh, quickly replaced with disbelief. You stare at her, wide eyed. "Fucking what? Fuck off."
"What?" Mao looks 'offended'. "I'm serious."
You scoff. "Right – and I've got money to waste," Mao snorts at that, lips twitching. "And even then, I don't even know how to shoot a damn gun."
[Ranged: Auto Fail.]
Hello, is anybody home? No? Well, okay then.
[Gadgetry: Auto Fail.]
Nobody's here too.
That seems to get a chuckle out of Mao. You grunt as her hand starts ruffling up your hair – it feels surprisingly large. "Tiger, you don't have to know how to shoot a gun to shoot a gun – that's the entire point of a gun."
"Keep sayin' that when I accidentally shot your back."
"Oh?" Mao leans in closer to you, her grin wide, ear to ear, eyes almost closing, golden-amber seeming to glow. "Wanna bet?"
You squint your eyes at her. "No."
"Darn," Mao pouts, clicking her tongue, before snorting with a chuckle, and the glow fades away. She leans away from you – but not off you, taking a more casual stance, humming thoughtfully. "But in that case, then just shoot it close at fist range," she smirks, amber-gold crinkling in amusement. "That's what I did."
[Melee Check: Easy. Pass]
O-oh?
You scrunch up your nose – you know what, you're not going to even bother. Grumbling, you hunch over slightly, and you realize a little too late that it only makes Mao's perch on you more comfortable. Damn it. She shoots you a smug look. Damn it. "Then what's the damn point of having a gun?"
Smiling a bird-eating cat smile, Mao lounges over you, humming. "'Cause guns are cool," grinning, she idly pats at the huge-ass blocky-ass rifle slung 'round her shoulders – same rifle that has also been the cause for the glances, as well as the berth that you've been getting. It is intimidating. "And guns are powerful, Lily," Mao continues, whispering into your ear, and you jump, glaring at her. She shoots you a quick smirk, before shooting her gaze to the crowd. "There's a lotta assholes out there that talked a lot of shit about the usefulness of a gun, but those people are just fucking idiots, too scared that they could die before they even realize it," she mutters, smiling mockingly and menacingly at the crowd. "Not everybody can punch a hole into a thick slab of steel, and not everybody can take that damage – when it comes down to it, it's hard to live after you got a huge hole in your chest. Guns let you do that damage."
[Instinct Check: Hard. Pass.]
Amber-gold eyes locked on with a pair of pale greens – on her hands, a rifle aimed forward, finger on the trigger, ready to fire, and in his hands, a twin pair of blades. Even though they were meters away, even though she should be the one having the advantage, it was the other way 'round, and by the smile on his lips, he knew it.
"How about you give up, dearie?" the man drawls out, his stance laxed, yet ready. "No need for this to end in a bloodshed, eh?"
Despite everything up against her, the woman manages a smile. "Says you."
And just like that, she pulls the trigger, and him, expecting that, lunges forth, blades ready to block – but the bullet never comes. A spark of amber gold lights up the air. His eyes widen in surprise, in incomprehension, and then his head becomes a burst of red flesh, and white skull. His lunging body falls to the ground, sliding forward, blades clattering as it barely reaches the tips of her boots.
A glint in the dark – the emblem badge of a scarecrow.
Mao.
[Endurance Check: Easy. Pass.]
Weird question: can you take a gunshot?
[Endurance Check: Hard. Pass.]
That's the wrong question, sister. It should be: can a gunshot take you? The answer is no. It can't.
"… I recall Ran easily deflectin' a gunshot," you muse aloud – yeah, that pair of Nest Dwellers. You don't even remember their name. Mao raises an eyebrow. Right, she wouldn't know. "One of the applicants brought in a gun – he's the only one who couldn't hit her."
Mao looks like she's about to laugh. "Well, no shit. Don't use our Local Hana Captain as a point of comparison, Lily, or you're gonna get a real hard headache real fast. You need more than just a gun to deal with her, and 'course, you can't just casually stroll your way through the Grades with just a gun alone. Or any weapon, for that matter. You need skills, Lily. You need an attitude – the right attitude. All good Fixers do."
"And you got them, I'm guessing," you reply, rolling your eyes, snorting.
Mao raises an eyebrow. "What you think?"
She is the Fifth Grade Fixer between the two of you, so it's obvious she got things going and working. But like hell you're gonna say that to her face. So instead you grumble under your breath.
Mao chuckles, eyes crinkling. "And personally, and I've said it before, you got them too."
You flinch, feeling very ickily warm. Ugh. "Whatever," you grumble. "It's not for me – I can't even afford it even if it is," you remind her, and Mao hums, and you don't particularly dig the look she's giving you. "Also," you move on, furrowing your eyebrows together. You've already noticed it, of course, but… "Stop calling me 'tiger'."
"What, don't like it?"
You open your mouth, and then closes it. It's better than a lot of things – and tiger's supposed to be fierce, ain't they? "… Just call me Lily."
Mao sighs deeply. "You're a very difficult girl to please, Lily – you need a nickname. It's important."
"Like hell I do."
"Come on, it's just a nickname."
Aha. "So it is just a nickname."
Mao nods wistfully. "That's right, it's just a nickname, so you shouldn't mind it that much."
[Ego Check: Hard. Pass.]
You don't, actually, you know, mind that much.
Shit, she got you there. You look away from her, lowering your head slightly. "Fuck off. I thought you're here to help me out?"
Mao chuckles, smiling, and you grimace as she tousles your hair again. You're not enjoying this, fuck off. "And I got a few places in mind," you perk up. Finally. The corner of her lips twitches. "Tiger."
You glower at her.
…
Shopping Rolls: 80, 85, 5, 8, 50, Mao
…
"Mhm," the man behind the counter hums, a bored look in his sleepy eyes as he inspects you from tip to top. You keep still from bristling – the smell of grass and flowers and medicines permeate the room, itching and scratching at your nose. Behind you, Mao inspects one of the locked-up windowed shelves. "With that much money, for what you're looking for, then we have this for you," and at that, the receptionist of Beanstalk Workshop-slash-Pharmacy pulls out a flat tin box the size of your palm. He opens it, and inside, held in position by a foam, a golden pill the size the tip of your pinkie. Etched on the surface, the number 7.
You lean towards it, and the man slides the tin box away. You glare, annoyed, before grumbling at his returning look. "What does it do, and how much does it cost?"
He smiles, for the first time, attention completely focused on the pill. "We call this seed the 'Seven Minutes of Heaven, Seven Hours of Purgatory, and Seven Days of Hell'. Once you consume it, the seed will hatch and germinate – you'll go through seven minutes of power, tripling your strength," he explains. "And after that, seven hours of nothing, for the seed to grow, to prepare for the following seven days of pain, where the seed shall bloom," the man opens his closed fist, forming what you think is the shape of a flower with his fingers. He pauses, taking a breath. "It will cost you seven-hundred-seventy-seven-thousand-seven-hundred-seventy-seven per seed."
It takes a moment to count how many sevens there are: six sevens. At least it's not seven sevens. But – you pause, eyeing him flatly. "Really."
He grins, dead eyes gaining a life of their own. "The symbolism is far more important than the pricing – and if I had any say on it, I would have given it an extra seven. Alas," he shrugs, expression pinched. "We have to feed ourselves too."
You snort. You don't say anything, but by the way the man narrows his eyes, you don't really need to. But… seven minutes might not sound much, but seven minutes are more than enough to weigh the balance of life and death into your favor. You glance back quietly to Mao – she's the one who led you here, and you trust her, and if she hasn't said anything, then you doubt you're being tricked either.
But that much money – sure, you'll get it back later, and it doesn't really matter if you're gonna die anyway, but that's still a lot, isn't it, for seven minutes – and then the following seven days of backlash? "… I'm gonna have to think about it."
The man shrugs, closing the tin-box. "We'll be here."
…
You stare at the blue glove in front of you with wide eyes. It's scuffed, looking like it's gone through hell and back, with pockmarks and stitches that wouldn't be out of place together with your uniform. But the logo on it is undeniable as it is recognizable: a blue zig-zagging arrow, cut horizontally by another logo. It's the W Corp. Symbol, and around that symbol, a trio of arrows, the symbol of this very workshop: Salvage Workshop.
"How the shit is this even allowed?"
Standing behind you, her head peeking over your shoulders, you catch Mao nod. "Gotta agree with my junior here, big guy."
Said 'big guy' grunts, grimacing. "Lots and lots and lots of work and negotiation, that's how – it being an outdated model also helped," he mutters. You turn to him. Cap over his balding head, and yellow-green vest covered in stains. He looks haggard. "Also enough modification to make it legally distinct. But yes, it's very legal," he grunts. "And it works – though how it does, you gotta figure it out yourself. Part of the fun, eh?" he asks, crooked, before shrugging at your look. He snorts. "In any case, if you're looking for something that'll make you hit hard, and at that price, then this is it. One mil."
"… I would have figured this would cost a lot more," Mao muses a loud, and you tense at the blade in her voice. "Even scuffed as it is, it's still a Wing product, no?"
The man grunts, grimacing. "Like I said, it's a really outdated model, and I worked on it a long time ago, and it's been sitting in shop for a while now – that's why I'm selling it at cheap price," another pause, before he lowers his head with a grumble: "It can also malfunction, thanks to the aforementioned shit, and the negotiations."
"Ah," you say, eyeing the glove tentatively. "Now that explains it. I gotta… think about it."
The man grunts.
"Good idea," Mao murmurs.
…
You stare at the beating, pulsating thing in front of you. You don't even know where to begin. "What the fuck is that?"
Behind you, Mao lets out a whistle. "Damn, is that what I think it is?"
The man behind the table smiles wide, purring, teeth – fangs glinting white. From head to toe, white fur grows from his body, glossy and silky looking as they reflect off the light; a tuft of white forming a scarf around his neck. There's a patch of golden fur over his animalistic face, whiskers growing from either side of his cheeks. And then, on top of his black and white-streaked hair, a pair of large and equally fluffy-looking triangular ears. Instead of white, his eyes are dark blue, interrupted by a needle-like pair of black pupils.
The man, as you decide to call him, wears an open lab-coat far larger than his comparatively small body, practically engulfing him in entirety, and in contrast to all of that, he wears a normal plain blue tee-shirt, and a pair of shorts – and hidden behind the counter, you see a tail twisted around his leg. It takes you a moment, stepping back a bit as you inspect the man before you, himself puffing his chest out, grinning, that you finally realize what it is you're seeing. You've seen something like this before, back that one time you visited that bar with Mao, but those were only ears, and not to this extent. Half-cat, half-man. Before you is Doctor Nyorau, Master of the Nyorau Workshop, and the expert, as Mao puts it, in 'fusion-slash-hybridization' augmentation.
You are currently, thanks to Mao's suggestion, in the Nyorau Workshop, an Augmentation Workshop owned by the very Nyorau that you're currently facing. Immediately, you're already regretting this.
"You nyow it, Myao," the man purrs, grinning maniacally, stretching ear to ear. "It's a piece of a creature from benyand the City – it's a piece of a monster. I was able to get it from a nyanventurous friend of myan – isn't it fanyastic? Even though they assured me that it's dead as dead could be, it's still beating. But it is dead, else the Head would have destroyed the entire streets down, nya."
You try not to stare too long at the man. Instead, you stare at the… thing. It's still beating. Twitching. You don't know what it is. You can't really describe it. It just is. You feel a great headache. "… And you want to put this into me?"
"Nyas!" the catman vibrates, eyes sparkling, jumping – behind him, his tails goes stiff straight. "It's the next step, nyes! Imagine what sort of beast would you turn to be! I would have tested it on my own Fixers, or the Beast Office, but," he clicks his tongue, shaking his head, ears flopping, deflating as he pouts, disappointed. "They refused."
Beast Office? They seem familiar…
[Insight Check: Medium. Pass.]
They're those fixers with the ears, aren't they?
"Yeah," you growl, tearing your eyes away from the thing. It's giving you a headache. "I fuckin' wonder why."
"… What would it even do?" Mao asks, and you twitch at the interest in her voice.
You turn towards her with wide eyes. Her eyes lock with the thing with such intensity it's worrying. "Mao?"
Nyorau smirks knowingly. "I nyow you would be interested, Myao," he giggles. "But my friend told me that it reminds them of a dragon, nya," he muses, looking at the beating thing with wide sparkly eyes. "Dyagon! Imagine that. And it was really hard to kill, and one of people during the expeditions melted into screaming goop when it hits them."
Mao whistles. "And how much are you willing to sell this, doc?"
"Sell?!" Nyorau bristles, hissing, eyes narrowed. "I nyot selling this, Myao! I'm only willing to work this into you –" at that, he immediately grins: "For free, nya. All I want to see is what it'd do!"
Mao hums.
"I'm…" you start, closing your eyes. "I'm gonna have to think about this."
"… If my junior here's not willing to take it, I might take a look at it later."
You stare at Mao in horror.
Nyorau shrugs. "It'll only be here until somenyan's willing to be my vi – volunteer."
You eye the catman dubiously. "Probably never"
"Nyaa…" Nyorau deflates. "I nyoow."
…
"Now we're talking," you mutter under your breath, eyeing the vest. "Finally. Something normal."
Mao smirks smugly.
"Wow," the woman behind the counter drawls. She wears black on black on black. Dark makeup, black hair, and equally black dress – on her back, a dozen of small, long arms sprout out. They twitch and swivel here and there, a pair of them elongating down to the ground, keepin' the woman from falling down. She's Lengan, of the Wayang Workshop, specializing in bionics products — whatever that is. Before you, is a neatly folded vest. Hanging on its corner is a price tag. Or at least, it should be. Its price slashed and scratched several times to the point that you can't read it. "Musta seen some shit. But well, this is what we got for something 'round your price range — it's a muscle vest. Connects automatically into your spine, and it'll help you flex and reorganize your muscles in shapes that you need. You want to hit hard, it'll get your muscles primed for hitting hard."
You hum.
"Gonna need to think about it."
The woman shrugs in boredom. "Knock yourself out," she shoots the vest with a bitter look. "Not that anyone's going to buy it soon."
…
"You fuckin' with me here?"
You don't turn to glare at her. You don't need to. Before you, displayed in a case, is a strange-looking mechanical glove, and on one side of the glove is the muzzle of what is undeniably a gun's.
"I thought we talked about this."
"We did," Mao agrees.
"… You really want me to accidentally shoot your back?"
Mao snorts, eyes crinkling, golden ambers twinkling in amusement. "You're really gonna have to try really hard to do that – isn't that right, Mander?"
Mander grunts back. White hair stained with oil; the proprietor of SilverSteel Workshop rolls her eyes. "Yeah. I configured it for short-range specifically – anything longer, and you won't hit anything," she sighs, shoulders hunching. "S'why it's not selling well. Dumb of me to think outside the box for once."
"C'mon, Mandy," Mao says, and you twitch at her soft tone. "I got someone in, don't I? I like your stuffs – 'specially the ones you get creative with."
The corner of Mander's lips twitches slightly. "Right," she murmurs, before shaking her head. "But she doesn't really look keen about it."
You shrug. "I don't think I can even afford this."
"But I can," Mao purrs. "I'll buy it for you. Consider it as my early celebration gift for your survival through the end of your first month on the job. Though," she shrugs. "You're gonna have to buy the bullets yourself."
"One-hundred-kay per pop," Mander mumbles. You stare at the… sad girl in disbelief. She shrugs back. "They're not cheap to make – and they can do damage," she tells you as her excuse. "Though you can load six of them in at once, and since you look new to this, the Head only allows you to carry double that for an outing."
[Melee Check: Easy. Pass.]
W-well, there's really no bad reason, is there? R-right?
[Endurance Check: Hard. Pass.]
It's not going to be cheap, sister, but you could finally see if you can take a gunshot.
You grimace, looking away from the gun. Would be a lie to say that you're not tempted. "… Gonna have to think about it."
But even as you said that you're already running out of time, and it's nearing lunch, and you should probably make your decision now if you don't want to get to the mission starving.
Article:
What to buy? (You can buy more – vote in plan in that case):
Wallet: 1,103,150 Ahn
[] 'Seven Minutes of Heaven, Seven Hours of Purgatory, and Seven Days of Hell' Seed – a seed product 'cultivated' by the Beanstalk Pharmacy. Consumable. Effect: for your next 7 'Turns', you receive +7 Damage, +7 Mental Resist, and +7 Armor Resist. However, for the rest of the Week, after the Mission, your health will be stuck in an 'Injured' State. Cost: 777,777 Ahn.
[]Salvaged Warp Glove – despite your trepidation, it does seem to be perfectly legal. Of course, there's no such thing as something this good ever existing at this low a price. Effect: When Attacking, if you roll a 6 on your 2d6, you deal an extra +5 Damage. However, if you roll a 1 on your 2d6, inflict 5 Damage to Self. Damage from glove ignores armor. Cost: 1,000,000 Ahn.
[] Strange Organ Transplant (Augment) – Doctor Nyorau, according to Mao, is apparently a Master of actual repute, and you're only able to afford this because it's both highly experimental, and the payment that he seeks is to see what change this brings you. He's a Master of Hybridization Augmentation – a way of strengthening someone through adding traits from other beings into you. This is incredibly, incredibly suspect. Effect: +1 to Melee: What, +1 to Endurance: Are, and +1 to Instinct: You?. -2 to Ego: Not Yourself. ???. Cost: Nothing. Yourself?
[] Bionic Muscle Vest (Wearable) – a product of the Wayang Workshop. A 'simple' vest that works by… connecting itself into your nerve's muscles? Or something? Anyway, it apparently reorganizes your muscles in a way that would make you stronger or tougher. It works, at least. Effect: At Start of Battle, you can choose to either increase your Damage or Armor by 1. Cost: 1,000,500 Ahn.
[] Gun-Glove (Wearable) – product of the SilverSteel Workshop. One of the few Workshops involving Guns that Mao seems to frequent – even though it's a gun, it's only usable in punch-range. It's part of the reason why it's cheap and hasn't been sold – it is still expensive, though Mao's more than willing to foot the bill. That being said, you have to buy your own bullets. Effect: +4 Damage per Shot. Uses Melee instead of Ranged. Requires Bullet. Cost: 4,999,999 Ahn. 100,000 Ahn per Bullet. Can only Carry 12 at Maximum per Outing.
-[] How many Bullets to Buy?
[] Tattoo (Augment) – alternatively, you could always go for a tattoo. It looks like the artist is giving you a discount for your first tattoo ever, though they do look a little disappointed at the one mil thing. But you should manage. Effect: Flat +1 Damage. Cool Tats. Stylish. Cost: 999,999 Ahn.
-[] Where and What's the Tattoo
I'll have to think on it, but these are some intriguing options.
Actually, huh, @SoothingCoffee , does the Warp Glove have to punch through Armor if it backfires (In which case, our build's actually well suited for handling it, because we can almost completely laugh off the backfires unless we roll snake eyes)? And "Damage" here is the final roll that gets Clashed, right?
Actually, huh, @SoothingCoffee , does the Warp Glove have to punch through Armor if it backfires? And "Damage" here is the final roll that gets Clashed, right?
Damn, didn't think about that -- but no, it goes straight through armor. Less [(Damage + Glove Damage) - Enemy Armor], and more [(Damage - Enemy Armor) + Glove Damage]. Since this is Warp, we're talking about, to keep it authentic.
Edit: added a line to specify Glove's special trait.
Edit: Edit: Damage is the [final roll - blocked], yea
Damn, didn't think about that -- but no, it goes straight through armor. Less (Damage + Glove Damage) - Enemy Armor, and more (Damage - Enemy Armor) + Glove Damage. Since this is Warp, we're talking about, to keep it authentic.
I'm referring to the Backfires hitting Lily, where it's "Take 5 Damage", but she's built like a tank and only half of that comes from her threads. Still unreliable, but worth risking.
I'm referring to the Backfires hitting Lily, where it's "Take 5 Damage", but she's built like a tank and only half of that comes from her threads. Still unreliable, but worth risking.
Still, it's very tempting. Lily's got oodles of HP, and an activation can just delete an enemy, it's scuffed as hell but it's nice.
The Gun-Glove though is more controllable, even if it's a money hole, the ability to just add +4 to our clashes when something needs to die fast is tempting. It also gives a reason to start working on our Prudence skills.
The Gun-Glove though is more controllable, even if it's a money hole, the ability to just add +4 to our clashes when something needs to die fast is tempting. It also gives a reason to start working on our Prudence skills.
Just to avoid confusion, since I could also be misreading this, but Damage isn't referring to the Roll -- that's Melee, specifically, but on the aftermath. So say you rolled 10 vs a block at 7 -- the damage would be added after the clash. So it's 3 + Damage.
Hrm, it not applying to Clashes does knock it down a point or two.
I'll also admit, the scuffed aesthetic of the Warp Glove fits the Scarecrow Office look much better. Though the fact that the Gun-Glove is just "Convert 100K into +4 damage" is tempting as well, that can turn a glancing blow into something that punts someone down a Wound bracket and imposes the Knockbar effects on them. Very much a "Build momentum and keep winning".
Warp Glove though... Hrm, in the long run, would we be able to upgrade it to something a bit less scuffed?
EDIT: And of course, ALL SEVEN FEVER is fucking nuts. "Wanna Cosplay as a Grade 1 Fixer for 7 rounds? This is your jam".
