tippler 2021/12/10(Fri)09:25 No. 1017030 ID: eedbeb
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There was nothing wrong with being an egg. Chuck spent most of his time drifting in a trance-like state as a liquid slurry of mana in the protective shell. It was meditative, and on the whole, quite boring.

It was hard to know how much time had passed when he decided enough was enough and started the slow process of eating the eggshell from the inside, thinning it so that he’d be able to break out.

He’d gotten a chunk loose and torn it away so he could see the snug box Ahpin had placed him into, when a familiar looking robot had snatched him up and taken him deep within the earth.

tippler 2021/12/10(Fri)09:25 No. 1017031 ID: eedbeb
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The robot places Chuck on a warm rock and moves out of his limited view. Chuck redoubles his efforts to get free. Something’s clearly wrong and he needs to hatch as soon as possible so he can protect himself.

He sloshes himself aggressively back and forth, until the egg rolls free of the rock and falls on the stone floor, cracking open. Chuck surges into the cool air.

What should Chuck become?

A. Elf (static physical form, enhanced strength and spellcasting, androgyny)

B. Spirit (dynamic physical form, magical abilities related to chosen nucleus which will be decided if spirit is selected)

Elf

Spirit

>>1017031
Spirit!

Spirit

>>1017031
If I ever see another elf, it'll be too soon.

Spirit!

Spirit. Never elf

Spirits. Good thing your diet had at least some variety.

tippler 2021/12/10(Fri)11:38 No. 1017041 ID: eedbeb
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>Spirit

Elves suck, it's time to be supremely cool like the powerful spirits Chuck met during his brief childhood, which means he needs to find a focus.

There are three main categories to choose from:

A. Physical: Any kind of physical thing, whether specific or general. Gain magical powers associated with said thing.
Examples: Elementals, Dryads, spirits of earth, water, air, or fire.

Elementals specifically gain macro and micro telekinetic control of their element within energy limits.

B. Metaphorical: Any kind of nonphysical thing. Gain magical powers associated with said thing
Examples: Spirits of truth, freedom, beauty. Dusty, the guardian spirit.

C. Relational (rare): Gives blessings or makes deals with other beings, either mortal or immortal. Weaker in base form than other spirits but can reach higher peaks with enough allies.
Examples: Angels, Demons

Relational spirit, you want to thank Aphin for raising you and helping you and feeding you, giving back is only fair!

spirit of dust, and we'll take our form after our caretaker, Dusty






dust buny

SILICON blows, man, no way are we going to base ourselves on anything physical.

You've honestly been pretty critical of everyone around you, to be honest - I can see you becoming either a SPIRIT OF JUDGEMENT who'll try to make an effort at actually bringing the ban-hammer down on Silicon or an ANGEL who wants nothing more than to help everyone around them GET THEIR SHIT TOGETHER and all pointed at the same actual enemy here.

Metaphorical:
You're a power-hungry spirit with big dreams. Why not become addiction personified?
* Conjure Cravings - If the target has an addiction or an obsession, they must roll a willpower check or be charmed into attempting to fulfill that craving. If the roll succeeds, they still act as if they haven't fulfilled their craving for a while.
* Address Source - Attempt to find the source of the target's addiction. Can be used with advanced spells to remove the addiction, replace it with another, or control the target.

Physical, copper elemental. Something adjacent to the control of electricity or computers. No particular reason.
As a second choice, something metaphysical like a spirit of bravery.

Metaphorical

Spirit of suggestion

It's related to us suggestors in some way. Maybe Chuck can literally hear us, and lets other people nearby hear us too to suggest for them or give them advice and tell them what they dont know from knowledge we gain from previous threads.

Metaphysical: Spirit of probability. Good luck Chuck.

>Relational, can commune with suggestors and interdimensional beings!

tippler 2021/12/10(Fri)19:41 No. 1017076 ID: eedbeb
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The easiest choice would be physical. If he were an elemental or a spirit of stone, it would make getting back to the surface a lot simpler.

But no, Chuck doesn’t want to be like Silicon. He’d rather be something with more flexibility.

Going demonic would be good to gain power, but bad for the situation at hand. He doesn’t have time to amass followers when he’s stuck underground. It’s tempting, but unreasonable.

That leaves being metaphorical. Chuck swirls himself around faster, hands appearing out of the shimmering mana to grab and pull himself into shape.

He wants to be strong. He wants to be so important he’ll never be at the mercy of elves or elementals or even Ahpin.

Most of all, he wants to be needed.

tippler 2021/12/10(Fri)19:42 No. 1017077 ID: eedbeb
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>Spirit of Addiction
Everything falls into place and Chuck feels a familiar pang of hunger. Right now, he’s approximately as strong as an average mortal and has 5 units of spare mana. It takes 10 units of mana for the first stat upgrade and more for subsequent ones. Chuck can consume mana from any source that will let him, though he can also be drained by other spirits.

He gains the following abilities:

Passive: Identify addiction source (Chuck can sense existing or potential causes of addiction in his target)

Active:
-Strengthen Cravings (1 mana, Chuck can strengthen a target’s cravings, making them weaker)
-Imitate Cravings (2 mana, Chuck can attempt to charm a target and imitate their cravings, creating a dependency)
-Increased Strength (2 mana, Chuck can temporarily boost his physical power)
-Resist Magic (3 mana, Chuck can resist a stronger spirit’s attempts to drain or subdue him)

What animal does Chuck imitate for his form?

Camel!

Something went wrong: human

A red eyed mouse, specifically the kinds used in lab settings

>>1017077
A lizard or a scorpion.

>>1017077
Mosquito

We ARE rather lacking in the human department in this website, after all.
Let's do it!

Ooh! Or goblin! We can do goblin!

>>1017081
I second this

>>1017087
Support

>>1017084
Support on lizard

tippler 2021/12/11(Sat)08:15 No. 1017108 ID: eedbeb
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>Lizard
Chuck remembers the snake that accompanied his father in the dungeons, a strong, masculine man. Inspired, he furrows his brow and concentrates.

Scales form over his surface and a thick tail sprouts from above his butt. He has large eyes and a broad mouth.

Given his current mana limitations, Chuck’s not as muscular as he’d like, instead resembling a lithe twink. This is a shame. Chuck makes his dick bigger to compensate. He gives himself shorts as an afterthought.

tippler 2021/12/11(Sat)08:16 No. 1017109 ID: eedbeb
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Hatch complete, Chuck examines the rock room. There’s nothing in the cave besides the warm boulder and his old eggshell, with trace amounts of mana in the air that wouldn’t even make a mote.

Three tunnels connect to the room. Chuck thinks the tunnel on the right is the one he came from, which would lead to the surface though there would probably be guards in the way. The tunnel in the middle smells appealing, like mana and other spirits, and he can’t detect anything from the left.

What should Chuck do?

Okay, fine, no goblin. Changing my vote to mouse.
But he's gotta be 90% torso and be called Monty.

Eat the egg to give yourself a boost of a few MP and head to the middle, gotta figure out how a spirit works after all

Middl

Go left, probably the bathroom. Might need to use it after being in hibernation for so long...

Oh, and eat your eggshell for sweet sweet nutrition.

Aww, shucks! Simultaneous update.

Okay, let's explore the middle tunnel. Let's be Miss Congeneality to the other immortals.

CONSUME EGGE

Go to the right, if only to learn what you're dealing with. Maybe there's a chance at you escaping right fucking now - hope for the best even as you prepare for the worst and all.

Consume eggshell like a proper lizard. Then head to the middle, see if you can find someone friendly.

Take eggshell
Start with the right tunnel, and be sure to mark it.

tippler 2021/12/11(Sat)14:51 No. 1017124 ID: eedbeb
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>Eggshell
The remaining pieces of shell are thin, but still contain useful energy. Chuck chomps through them with relish and gains 1 unit of mana. He currently has 6 units total.

>Middle tunnel
Chuck is eager to make friends and influence people, so he heads for the middle tunnel. Maybe if there are other spirits they can tell him why he was kidnapped and how to get back to the surface.

After a minute of careful walking with his new scaly feet, Chuck emerges in what appears to be a mess hall. Tables of stone as scattered across a spacious cavern, with a few creatures enjoying a meal of solid mana.

Who does Chuck approach?
A. Red eyed mouse (spirit, preparing food)
B. Camel (elemental, messing with a computer alone)
C. Goblin and Scorpion (sitting together)

Gobbo and scorp.

A, bartenders have the most info about what's going on, probably is employed by whoever is runnin the joint too

A.

Awwwwwwww, you drew all the runner-ups as spirits just for us. <3 <3

Let's try the bartender.

Bartender.
And then the goblin and scorpion afterwards

tippler 2021/12/12(Sun)08:16 No. 1017151 ID: eedbeb
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>Mouse

Chuck cuts confidently across the cafeteria, drawing surprised stares but no interference. He puts a hand on the bar counter, clears his throat, and cocks his hip.

The mouse has feathery wings on her back, and her chest is bare besides a thin apron.

Addiction: Sex (Chuck has a feeling he’s going to be seeing this one a lot)
Potential Addictions: Prayers

“You’re a new face.” the mouse says. Her voice is buttery and vaguely melodious. She not so subtly glances down at Chuck’s tight shorts. “Need a snack, sugar? Has Silicon given you the onboarding?”

“No he hasn’t, I hatched five minutes ago. Silicon took me here from the surface as an egg so I don’t really know what’s going on.” Chuck explains. “My name’s Chuck, what is this place?”

tippler 2021/12/12(Sun)08:16 No. 1017152 ID: eedbeb
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“I’m Gabriela, and this is one of the offices of Silicon Industry Inc. It’s the largest employer of spirits and magical creatures around the world, you know. Most of the employees have gone topside for the robot army rollout but someone needs to keep the guards fed and maintain the equipment.” the mouse pouts adorably. “Silicon warned us adventurers were going to be invading, so you’ve probably been hired to help guard. He recruited someone about your age a few days ago.”

“Okay.” Chuck says slowly. He doesn’t want to say he was kidnapped since Gabriela seems like a loyal employee, but the whole operation sounds ominous.

“You must be hungry, have one of my plates, I’ll bless it extra special for you so you can have a full stomach before Silicon comes around.” Gabriela offers, with a wink.

What should Chuck do? He can only pick one option but he can also ask Gabriela any questions:
A. Try to make Gabriela dependent on him (sex and magic)
B. Eat the food, gain mana
C. Talk to someone else
D. Other

Eat the mana, gain food.

A need power. Get her addiction going with this line: hi can i get an iced latte with breast milk i mean breast milk  mean breast milk sorry i mean breast milk i mean breast milk I mean

As much as I wanna flirt with the cute maus and make breast milk jokes if we are about to get a job, spending 2/6 mana likely having a hard time getting more for at least a bit it might be more prudent to get food, but maybe you can make the breast milk joke and get a mana latte to drink on the go

Mana is held in the balls and boobah after all

When I said the mouse should 90% torso, this is not what I meant.

Let's eat the food.
Sexy times come when we turn 18.

>>1017152
B

>>1017155
>maybe you can make the breast milk joke and get a mana latte to drink on the go
Do this

>>1017162
>Sexy times come when we turn 18.
Check the very first post: >>1017029 . It specifically states that Chuck is an adult. Sexy times can be whenever we feel like it.

A, because we're a responsible adult.

B: Eat.

You don't even really want to be here, so don't form relationships you don't know you'll be able to maintain. While you're playing nice, the best thing you can do right now is to amass personal power. That means saving up for either an upgrade or a golden opportunity for an escape (like an adventurer you could convince to escort you from the premises).

Also, trust that you can squash any dependency with this place they try to force on you (such as with this food) effortlessly; bitch, you're the Spirit of Addiction! If there's anyone in the world who can be considered the master of their own wants and needs instead of the other way around, it's you. (Perhaps wanting to emulate mana-dad's incredible self-control was another motivating factor in making this your domain.)

tippler 2021/12/12(Sun)13:23 No. 1017175 ID: eedbeb
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>Food, but sexy
I’d love something to eat, or drink.” Chuck lets his eyes fall suggestively to Gabriela’s boobs. “Maybe a latte, something with lots of milk.”

“Oh, I have a recipe that could work.” Gabriela sways her hips as she turns to get a glass and a jar of raw mana, which looks like the stuff Chuck stole from the elves.

The mouse places the glass between her breasts and waves her hands. The mana flows from the jar into the air and turns pure white. Her red eyes flash and Chuck senses some kind of strengthening spell being cast.

He watches as Gabriela deliberately fills the glass too full so that some of the mana dribbles onto her chest, then tops everything with a spiral of whipped cream.

Gabriela carefully pushed a metal straw into the cream then leans over the counter so Chuck can reach her. He ducks his head smoothly and, maintaining eye contact, takes a sip.

tippler 2021/12/12(Sun)13:23 No. 1017176 ID: eedbeb
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“Intern! Der you are!” A robot with dark, spiky armor charges out of the tunnel that connects to the warm boulder room. Gabriela abruptly pulls away before Chuck can finish, leaving the straw dangling sadly from his lips. He only gains 2 mana, bringing his total to 8 units.

“Sorry hun,” she whispers. “Boss is watching, I’d love to continue later if you can find me after hours.”

The robot hurries past the tables, with a brief greeting to the camel and a great clanking of metal boots. Chuck notices it has a huge sword sheathed across its back.

“Ah, I leave you alone for only a moment and you manage to get into trouble.” Silicon turns and wags a sharp finger at Gabriela. “I told you before, do not feed dem! Dis is an unpaid internship.”

“Okay, but they’re awfully cute.” Gabriela mutters mutinously.

You should correct them, saying *unpaid kidnapping and internship combination experience*

Also what's silicone's addictions, you obvs wont be able to out-mana-him, but this is good info

You look dressed for war. Wait, don't tell me you dress like this all the time?

"I quit."

Let's not antagonize the scary-looking dude. Obviously, do a passive scan on his entire person for addictions (who knows, maybe there are more people there than we thought). Although, I already get the feeling that paying lip service will net you a significant return on investment - so don't go rejecting him or calling him out to his face.

If he interrogates you on what you are, say that you're a SPIRIT OF PLEASURE with the power to stimulate people. (While definitely related to addiction to the point of being a half-truth, conceptually speaking, there are (hahaha) some pretty fucking vital distinctions that could spell the downfall of those who are taken in by the lie.)

Also, as almost an afterthought, ask where you can get some clothes. You didn't think to manifest anything besides underwear.

>>1017176
No. I do not work for you. Where's the exit?

Just attack him. Crack his screen with your fist.

"You seem to have a speech impediment. Here, Let me just..."
Start fiddling with his screen.

tippler 2021/12/12(Sun)16:31 No. 1017204 ID: eedbeb
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Chuck tries to scan Silicon for addictions, but sees nothing. Is there some kind of ward blocking his ability?

Silicon notices his squinting and squints back. “Trying to spell me, intern? Dis is a robot I’m remotely controlling, a fancy high quality one, so you’d be causing property damage if you mess with it. That is not very smart if you want to be rehired!”

“I’m not your employee. You kidnapped me.” Chuck hisses.

The robot twiddles its thumbs. “Aggressive recruiting tactics give us the edge in de business.”

Everyone in the cafeteria is playing very close attention to the conversation while trying to hide the fact that they’re listening. Gabriela lowers her head and starts wiping dishes when it’s clear Silicon is done addressing her.

“You’re not going to let me go.” Chuck states.

“Correct, de guards have orders to stop you at the exit tunnel.”

tippler 2021/12/12(Sun)16:31 No. 1017205 ID: eedbeb
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“If I’m not paid, what do I get for being an intern?” Chuck grumbles. He’s still going to try to escape but he’ll play along for now.

Silicon brightens. “I’m glad you asked! You and de other intern are competing for this—“

The robot unsheathes the massive sword, which lets out a deafening scream and spits fire along its serrated edge.

“—beautiful weapon! All you have to do is guard de office, get coffee for me and my brodder, learn about robots, and help de other employees with any work they think is too boring to do themselves.”

To Chuck’s relief, Silicon puts away the sword. “Of course, the other spirits may think you are too much trouble and eat you. Since you are only an intern you don’t get any protection benefits. That is part of the risk! You have two days to impress me and den I will decide who gets the sword.”

Alright, well let's see what other interns we're competing with.

But what if you don't want the sword? What if you want no part of this? Is he just not giving you a choice? What happens to the "interns" that don't win? Does he just dispose of them?

What if we don't want sword?

>>1017205
...do we even want that thing? I guess we could drain the mana out of it, maybe?

Hold up, Silicon has a brother? Who is it? (it's gonna be Carbon but I guess Chuck has no way of knowing that)
Ask if you can leave after the contest is over. If not, what would you do afterwards?

mmmmmmmmmmmmm sword

>>1017209
>Ask if you can leave after the contest is over. If not, what would you do afterwards?
That's a good question. This can't all just be for some stupid sword.
What's our actual incentive to do this? He can't honestly expect us to stick around, especially if we were to get our hands on that sword. We have no reason to work for this jerk outside of being forced to.
I imagine that he'd just kill us outright if we completely refused to cooperate, though that might make him look bad in front of his minions.

"You expect us to somehow give you coffee in person despite being locked up in here, don't you."

"Okay, sure, that's a great sword you got there, mister. Very scary. What's my actual incentive for cooperating, or for that matter, sticking around after the end of this little competition either way?"

If the consolation prize is "you die," well, you may as well rip off that band-aid now so's you know what's really at stake here.

tippler 2021/12/12(Sun)18:26 No. 1017215 ID: eedbeb
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“What if I don’t want the sword?” Chuck asks.

Silicon’s digital face disappears for a moment. “I don’t understand the question.”

“Let’s say I was a normal person who didn’t want to be involved in your bizarre competition for a huge screaming sword. What then?”

“Um. Well if you were a carbon or silicon elemental we would eat you, but since you’re not…” Silicon shrugs helplessly. “I guess I have learned recently you can’t force magical items of great power onto people so I would keep you here as an intern for two days then let you go as planned.”

The phrase ‘great power’ grabs Chuck’s attention. “What does the sword do?”

“Ohohoho.” Silicon puts an arm around Chuck’s scaly shoulders and pulls him close. “It kills people. It’s a killing sword. Cuts through wards, metal, stone, flesh etc. With this baby you could kill people without even trying. It could even kill, for example, a very powerful magical being like myself.”

tippler 2021/12/12(Sun)18:26 No. 1017216 ID: eedbeb
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That’s a suspicious thing to say. Chuck opens his mouth to respond when something catches his eye.

Addiction: None
Potential Addictions: Love, Affection

Where was this coming from? Silicon just said the robot couldn’t be scanned and there was no one else nearby.

“Now that we’ve cleared that up, intern, please fetch me some coffee.” Silicon says pompously, interrupting Chuck’s thoughts.

“For your real self or this robot?”

“Let’s start with the robot, and who knows, if you prove yourself I may grace you with my noble form.”

lets try to take advantage of his potential addictions so we can manipulate him later. Give him a coffee because you "care".

Look over to Gabriella and repeat what you asked what you wanted:

"gimme a latte, something with lots of milk."

then give it to him.

A sword that does all the heavy lifting for you? Kinda cheapens the whole thing. Somebody trains for combat and/or schemes for years, only to get killed by a guy with a delete key? That would suck.
Go ask Gabriela for some coffee with regular milk, I mean regular milk, I mean robot milk. Then bring it back to him.

I bet you got close enough to the robot to peek at Silicon through its connection. Or perhaps the connection isn't wireless... and you have to get close to detect the wire?
Or maybe there's an invisible Spirit somewhere. Or Silicon has secret tunnels nearby and happened to be traveling down one of them.
If that *was* Silicon's readout, then... maybe Silicon is starved for attention, and that's what this whole thing is about.

But ok, go get it some coffee. Ask how Silicon likes it. Milk? Sugar? What blend? Also, coffee from... here, right? There's no coffee machine somewhere else?

You were actually focusing your attention on the prize just then. The sword can scream, so there's no reason to assume it isn't its own entity. You were reading the sword's potential addictions.

"Alright, where can I normally find your robot. And are you going to tell me where coffee is made around here, or is that something I'm expected to figure out myself?"

> GOALS
1: Get coffee for this ASCII clown.
2: Meet the competition, possibly convince them you aren't taking the competition seriously. (Technically true, but GOAL 3 will hopefully mean the competition is moot.)
3: Make an effort to brainwash the sword directly whenever you meet with the ASCII clown.
4: Obtain clothes at some point.

>>1017216
Oh, my God. Fine.
Get the metal baby his caffeinated bottle.
Anything to get out of here with as little fuss as possible.

>possible addictions: love, affection
I knew it!

Let's give him a hug.

>>1017216
>Where was this coming from? Silicon just said the robot couldn’t be scanned and there was no one else nearby.
It’s the sword. You’re currently scanning the sword.

>>1017228
Shit, you're probably right. It's got an eye, it's probably sapient.

tippler 2021/12/13(Mon)07:26 No. 1017249 ID: eedbeb
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Chuck motions to Gabriela.

“How do you like your coffee?” Chuck asks Silicon, as an afterthought.

“Oh, I don’t know, never had it. I want real coffee, not mana.” Silicon clarifies.

“Well, we don’t have that.” Gabriela shrugs. “Spirits have no use for mortal stimulants.”

Chuck is temporarily stumped. “Why do you even want mortal coffee?”

“I am just sooooooo quirky.” the robot trills.

“We have water, so if you can get some coffee beans or a good substitute I could help you make it.” Gabriela offers.

tippler 2021/12/13(Mon)07:27 No. 1017250 ID: eedbeb
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>Change Tactics

“I know you don’t really want coffee, how about a nice warm hug instead?” Chuck gingerly finds an angle around the robot’s spikes.

“Intern, you are being vewy weird.” Silicon extracts himself. “I want coffee because I want to make you get me coffee to show I have power over you. What kind of spirit did you say you were again?”

Chuck curses silently. Okay, the addictions really weren’t coming from Silicon. That left…

Wait, the sword had an eye. It screamed. Maybe it was sapient?

Sure enough, Chuck feels his first Dependency connection, weak as a thin thread, between him and the sword, who he managed to catch in the hug.

“I’m a metaphorical spirit.” he says evasively.

“Be careful with that.” Silicon replies.

tippler 2021/12/13(Mon)07:27 No. 1017251 ID: eedbeb
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Chuck sighs. “Okay, I’ll get you coffee once I find a way to get beans down here. That’ll take me a while so what should I do in the meantime?”

Silicon’s screen displays a simple map of the underground office, and Chuck commits it to memory.

“De other intern is on guard duty, he seems to like that best since the employees say he is not helpful with advanced robotics at all. I will send someone to find you if I or Carbon need anything and you can talk to the employees in the office area, cafeteria, or the dorms.” Silicon explains.

Current Tasks:
-Get Silicon Coffee (hard)
-Meet Gabriela in the dorms after work (also hard if you know what I mean)

What should Chuck do?
A. Go to guard duty and meet the other intern
B. Talk to the employees to get tasks
C. Explore, try to find an escape route
D. Other

>>1017251
C.

B, go see goblin and scorpion

C. Also keep an eye out for mana. We need to build some up so we don't get ate

A: We must meet the competition early. Possibly sizing the other intern up is fine, of course, but given the optional goal the sword turned out to be, it's more important that you establish yourself as a non-threat and as a possible friend.

(Plus, I have a funny feeling about who this guy will turn out to be.)

B, so you don't get eaten.

A, go find the exit from this place and see if coffee beans could come in with a shipment or something.

A. Meet the other intern, see how they feel about the situation and if they're also coerced

>>1017251
C

Also ask how we’re supposed to deliver the coffee to Silicon. Are we supposed to find him or will he come find us?

>>1017251
B. Explore and look for a way out while keeping an eye peeled for coffee beans and empty Starbucks cups

tippler 2021/12/13(Mon)13:01 No. 1017266 ID: eedbeb
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>A
Chuck wants to meet the competition, and there might be an opportunity to get some information or instant coffee from the adventurers who are trying to stop Silicon. After bidding Gabriela farewell, he locates the correct tunnel and starts walking up the steps.

He hears voices echoing around the rock walls after a while, growing louder as the tunnel widens and opens into another well-lit cave where several basic robots accompany a tough looking elf. The elf is wearing brightly polished armor and shaking her head sternly at a trio of mortals.

Chuck runs a quick scan on everyone before he’s noticed.

tippler 2021/12/13(Mon)13:01 No. 1017267 ID: eedbeb
File 163942928588.png - (322.70KB , 1000x1100 , p21.png )

Mortal #1
Addictions: Cat, sex

Mortal #2
Addictions: Cat

Mortal #3
Addictions: Cat, social media

Elf
Addictions: Video games

Robot#4
Addictions: Revenge
Potential Addictions: Someone to trust


Whatever this Cat thing is, it’s very lucky. The adventurers are three attractive women from what Chuck can tell since the rogue is mostly covered by her cloak and hood.

Probably best to just listen in and figure out what's going on before you do anything, is one of them the intern, if not, watch the scary/pretty ladies

The elf is the intern. Back her up.
"Hey. No shirt, no shoes, no service. "

>>1017267
Hmmm, robot 4 might be a man we can use. I bet he'll be willing to swap favors if we help him out with revenge, which may get him addicted to having a confidant. We should pal up with him after hearing out whatever is going on here.

One of the "basic" robots is independent? Interesting.

Can you emulate Cat and charm all three at once?

>>1017290
>Can you emulate Cat and charm all three at once?
No, because he's a lizard, not a cat. And he doesn't know who Cat is. He's gotta know how Cat acts in order to emulate them.

>>1017293
Oh, excuse me. I meant imitate.

>-Imitate Cravings (2 mana, Chuck can attempt to charm a target and imitate their cravings, creating a dependency)

Tell these vixens to back off.

Clamp your hand on the independent robot's shoulder as you round the group (after double-checking which one that is).
Whisper to it: "Do I want to know what I just walked in on, 'Mr. Silicon, sir?'"

tippler 2021/12/13(Mon)19:56 No. 1017315 ID: eedbeb
File 163945416332.png - (214.27KB , 1000x1100 , p22.png )

>Wait and listen

Chuck wants more information before he interrupts so he carefully lowers himself stomach first onto the stairs and peeks his head over the edge to watch.

“I’m sorry for the inconvenience but my answer has not changed. This facility is not accepting visitors at this time.” the elf says sternly.

“We know Silicon’s in here. The real Silicon.” the crocodile insists.

“Yes, which is why you should only come when you have everything ready for the final battle. You’re not even wearing clothes!” the elf says, pointing at the rabbit, who yawns.

Is the elf the intern? She seems too experienced, with a scar on her jaw and a stern, tired tone.

“This is all some kind of fucked up game to Silicon so I doubt he’ll be upset.” the mouse sniffs. “We’ll be fine, just let us do some reconnaissance.”

The elf stamps her foot in frustration. “For the last time, no. I have strict orders not to let adventurers through.”

tippler 2021/12/13(Mon)19:56 No. 1017316 ID: eedbeb
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The tension snaps with a burst of ice that flies out of the crocodile’s palm. The elf tries to dodge, only to trip over her shadow, which has twisted around her feet. Freezing air blasts her, forming icicles on her armor and stopping her completely.

Chuck is stunned to see the elf defeated. The adventurers are already advancing on the robots, weapons drawn.

>Charm
Chuck tells himself he’s doing this out of self-preservation. The adventurers might freeze him, and then what? He’d never get to bone Gabriela.

Since all of the addictions are the same, Chuck gets 50% off the normal casting value of using Imitate Cravings three times. It takes 3 mana, leaving him with 5.

He’s a little shaky with the magic, so he’s surprised when the spells immediately take root, stopping the adventurers in their tracks.

The crocodile looks around, dazed. “Cat? Are you here?”

The three normal robots rush over to the frozen elf and start blowing hot air on her blue tinged skin. The rabbit adventurer, teeth gritted, drags her gaze over to Chuck’s hiding place on the stairs and shakily raises her gun.

tippler 2021/12/13(Mon)19:56 No. 1017317 ID: eedbeb
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The fourth robot shakes and seems to melt, unfurling four long limbs and a mouth full of gooey teeth. A pair of cat ears pop into existence above an oval, almost cartoonish head.

Chuck stares at the adult changeling as he cracks his neck and seizes the adventurers with his tentacles. The gun goes off with a bang and Chuck hears the bullet hit the stone to his left.

Rhine heaves the adventurers into the air, arms elongating as he brings the mortals to the peak of a deadly arc.

What should Chuck do?
A. Nothing (Rhine will bash the adventurers against the ground, which has a high chance of injuring and small chance of killing with each adventurer rolling separately)

B. Shout at Rhine to stop (Rhine has a 50/50 chance to not listen and do A. Success rate improved by what Chuck says)

C. Physically intercept Rhine (Rhine will be pissed and the adventurers will attempt to get away)

D. Magically intercept Rhine (Attempt a 50/50 to charm Rhine, if successful he won’t be upset and the adventurers will escape)

What about E. Let Rhyne do his thing but try communcating with one of them to see if you can get a communications channel with the outside world.

Yeah it might result in injury for someone else or death, but you technically don't know them, even though I care for these sweet alt children of mine.

We can't do nothing.

If we shout, what could we possibly say to improve our chances? Silicon most likely already told Rhine we're here, so trying to make a big reveal of our presence probably won't help.

If we get physical and Rhine decides to get violent, he might hurt or kill us. He seems to have gone a little crazy since we last saw him.

Using magic to solve all our problems would be nice, but it, like option B, relies too heavily on luck for me to like it.

"Whoa, easy, there! I think they get the point!" Magically charming your brother (even if you aren't aware of him being your brother) is going to be a big no-no. If we want to be besties with him, we're doing it the hard (but non-toxic) way.

B, ask him to let you interrogate them first. Perhaps one of them is sufficiently charmed you can get some info...
Like, what do they know about Silicon's plans? You're asking this to find out how good the enemy's info is, of course. Not to help you escape or anything.

Also towards the end of the conversation you can ask them to tell your father you're okay.

B. Don't be a tool for Silicon, Rhine! Or Carbon.

All in for A!

just be all "Wait I need them!" and then as they are scrambling away beg for a cup of coffee with nothing to offer in exchange

tippler 2021/12/14(Tue)15:48 No. 1017418 ID: eedbeb
File 163952572444.png - (299.17KB , 1000x1100 , p25.png )

>Don't be a tool, Rhine

"Rhine, they're charmed, you don't have to hurt them, that's what Silicon and Carbon would want!" Chuck shouts.

The changeling freezes, extended arm shaking from the weight. He turns to glare at Chuck as he slowly lowers the adventurers to the ground. He wraps them together with another limb for extra security. The rabbit has shaken off the magic daze and struggles, but can't get free.

"Who are you?" Rhine hisses.

"I'm your brother, Chuck. I hatched and I'm a spirit now." Chuck clambers to his feet and walks towards Rhine. The changeling is a lot bigger than he is, and stronger too. Chuck hesitates, but goes into grabbing range.

tippler 2021/12/14(Tue)15:49 No. 1017419 ID: eedbeb
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"What kind of spirit are you?" Rhine asks, suspiciously.

Again, Chuck wavers, but decides to tell the truth. If he's going to be a person Rhine trusts he's going to do it the hard way.

"I'm a spirit of addiction, I can uh, see what people's addictions are and cast spells based on that. I got these guys spelled, so now would be a good time to interrogate them."

"You better not do anything to me." Rhine growls.

"No, of course not. Are you the other intern? Silicon kidnapped me earlier and told me about the competition for the fancy sword."

Rhine gives Chuck a calculating look. "I'm winning that sword and using it to kill Silicon and Carbon."

Well, that's not a terrible idea. Chuck rubs the back of his head and feels his gaze be drawn by the struggling rabbit who almost shot him.

tippler 2021/12/14(Tue)15:49 No. 1017420 ID: eedbeb
File 163952576303.png - (268.22KB , 1000x1100 , p27.png )

"Hey, um, what do you guys know about Silicon's plans? Do you know my dad, Ahpin?" Chuck asks.

The rabbit responds. "Silicon is a clown who likes to fuck around, and not in the fun way. As for Ahpin,
I've heard of that guy, G here had to help his sister get something. What do you mean he's your dad?"

Chuck puffs himself up with pride. "Me and Rhine here ate all his mana and then he adopted us."

"Right. He must be so proud." the rabbit says sarcastically.

"I'm Chuck, by the way. What's happening on the surface? Are the robots attacking?"

"I'm A. And no, Silicon never physically hurts people, the robots are just being really annoying." A mutters. "We still have to deal with him, but on his schedule."

She shrugs. "That magic sword you mentioned sounds promising. The Guild theorized he was going to drop a weapon that could actually damage him sometime soon, we were planning to scout his hideout here and try to find it."

tippler 2021/12/14(Tue)15:49 No. 1017421 ID: eedbeb
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Rhine approaches A and bares his teeth in her face. "Why are you telling us this?"

"Ooo, scary monster." The rabbit sticks out her tongue teasingly. "Put those tentacles to good use daddy."

Rhine turns bright pink and loosens his grip enough that the rabbit pulls her arms free and slaps G, the mouse, across the face.

"Wuh? Not so hard Cat..."

"You’re under a spell, snap out of it." A says, slapping the mouse again.

"Do you have coffee?" Chuck asks hurriedly.

"I brought a thermos. Gets cold down here." G mumbles. She shakes her head in confusion while A applies slap therapy to the crocodile. It looks like the adventurers are breaking free of Chuck's influence and will soon try to escape.

Make sure they fork over the coffee before they go.

"And to be clear, the brothers who aren't us and shall not be named are the primary targets of that REVENGE addiction I passively sensed, right?" If confirmed: "Phew! Okay, that makes this way less complicated. We're in agreement on what we should use that sword for, then; ergo, we only have to worry about the senior employees in the meantime."

Also: "For the record, Silicon seemed very suspicious in waving that thing in front of us. What's more, I figured out that the sword itself is sentient. If there's a trap built into the thing, it's probably that it won't kill anyone it's loyal to - however, I've already started working on that."

>>1017421
Tell Rhine to knock them out, and the two of you can start tying them up. After that its time to get to know your estranged brother

Ice them!

Huh, Silicon doesn't hurt people? Then I guess what we just said to Rhine was wrong and Rhine can hurt them if he wants.

Get coffee, also get any mana-rich items from them you can get. Also take A's gun, since you're still weak and need some manner of self-defense against other spirits.

Loot the thermos while they're charmed. Hey, can you guys tell Aphin we're down here?
Then it is family bonding time. How did you get here from when we last saw you? Is this part of the same dungeon?

tippler 2021/12/14(Tue)19:38 No. 1017444 ID: eedbeb
File 163953950928.png - (360.96KB , 1000x1100 , p29.png )

>Kill
Whoa whoa whoa, Chuck isn’t quite comfortable with that. He stopped Rhine from slamming the adventurers on the rocks after all, it’d be weird to go back on that decision.

>Maim?
Well, if Silicon doesn’t want people to get hurt, then Chuck wouldn’t mind letting Rhine rough the adventurers up a little.

“Hold them still for a second, separately. Don’t kill them but you don’t have to be gentle.” Chuck says. Rhine adjusts his grip and Chuck takes the thermos and A’s gun. He’s moving fast, but he still has time to leech 1 mana from the mage. He has 6 units total.

Rhine hisses and lets go of the mouse as G stabs his hand with a green dagger. He forcefully throws the other two on the ground. The crocodile’s right wrist snaps and A grunts as she hits the wall.

Okay, that was a bit harsh. The adventurers scurry back up the exit tunnel as the robots finish thawing the elf.

tippler 2021/12/14(Tue)19:38 No. 1017445 ID: eedbeb
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“Thank you, interns.” the elf says stiffly, getting to her feet. “Silicon will hear of your good work.”

“Is Silicon not listening through them?” Chuck asks, pointing at the robots.

The elf scoffs. “He can remote into any robot but he can’t be everywhere at once. These are running on AI based on Silicon’s personality.”

Rhine grumbles under his breath and shapeshifts to blend back in with the machines. The only way Chuck can tell his brother apart from the robots are the addictions that float into view when he does a scan.

Chuck now has a magic gun, a thermos of coffee, and an uneasy mix of dread and guilt. What should he do next?

A. Deliver coffee to Silicon and get more tasks
B. Stay on guard duty and talk to Rhine
C. Other

Well, should probably get this coffee to Silicon while it's still hot. For whatever reason. Let's catch up in the cafeteria later, Rhine.

>>1017445
The coffee can wait. It's time we caught up with our brother.

The coffee is in a thermos, it'll be fine. Ask Rhine what he's been up to. Did he decide to stay as a changeling, or has he just not felt secure enough to enter his egg phase?
(is there some downside to staying as a changeling?)

Should we give Rhine the gun?

tippler 2021/12/15(Wed)08:41 No. 1017476 ID: eedbeb
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>Stay

Chuck has a lot of questions for Rhine so he remains on guard duty, which seems to mostly consist of the elf playing video games on one of the robots while the others watch. He scoots next to Rhine, who gives him an irritated look, like the changeling’s mad Chuck is blowing his cover.

Chuck nudges Rhine with an elbow. “What’s up with you? I’ve been an egg since we last saw each other, contemplating the universe and existence and all that. Are you planning to stay as a changeling?”

“I haven’t felt like becoming an egg. Dusty says it’s fine to wait and that’s how hybrid creatures like kobolds and goblins were sired in the first place.”

“Did Silicon kidnap you too?”

Rhine frowns. “Dusty said I was being a grump and told me to give her some space. I went to the third level of the Ultimate Annihilation Dungeon to try to get more info about Silicon and Carbon and found my way here. Silicon was weird the first time I met him, got the idea to make me an intern and told me off for threatening Carbon. They’re working together on all this.”

tippler 2021/12/15(Wed)08:41 No. 1017477 ID: eedbeb
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“Okay, I get it, you want revenge on Carbon for messing with us in the dungeon and on Silicon for helping him.” Chuck says slowly. “Just a warning, the sword’s sentient and there’s probably something that stops it from killing Silicon. I’m working on that, though.”

“Hm.”

Chuck examines the magic gun. It seems to have little mana pellets as unlimited ammo instead of real bullets.

“Here.” Chuck offers Rhine the gun. “Since you’ll be guarding more than me you should have this.”

Rhine takes the gun and uses his tendrils to suck away the magic energy, leaving a sad metal shell.

“Dude!”

“What? I don’t need a gun and I’m hungry.” Rhine complains.

Just laugh it off, take scrap metal shell. Might be able to find a tinkerer to refurbish it to something else later

Pff, I could have used that gun... I don't blame you though. Silicon told the cafeteria lady not to feed interns, and I'm guessing he's not letting you come and go as you please, either.

>>1017477
Just laugh it off. Let him know that you missed him.

Then tell him that you’re going to look for a way to escape from this place. If you find a way out, he can come with you if he wants to. But if the only way out is to kill Silicon and Carbon, then you’ll help him do that.

>>1017477
Tell him it would've been nice to have a warning. You need mana too. How would one go about getting some down here?

Well, you gave it to him to use as he saw fit. You're feeling a bit peckish yourself. Why don't we try and mooch more mana from the cafeteria?

tippler 2021/12/15(Wed)14:51 No. 1017490 ID: eedbeb
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>Laugh it off
“I’m glad to see you haven’t changed much.” Chuck jokes. “I’m also kind of hungry, I think Gabriela can hook me up after hours if you want to try and get some mana from her.”

“Maybe. That’s the angel lady right? Blessings are weird, I don’t want to mess with her.” Rhine says.

“Just know it’s an option.” Chuck checks to make sure the elf is absorbed in her game, then lowers his voice. “Are they keeping you here? I’m trying to find a way to escape, we could take on that lady right now and leave.”

Rhine scowls. “Don’t even think about it. I’m here to get that sword and if you leave I bet Silicon will call off the whole thing because it’s not going according to his stupid plan.”

“You’d stop me?” Chuck says incredulously.

“I’m on guard duty, aren’t I? We were given orders not to let you past this cave.”

tippler 2021/12/15(Wed)14:51 No. 1017491 ID: eedbeb
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Chuck spends the rest of the day catching up with Rhine while avoiding sensitive topics like how scary his brother has become and his desire to return to Ahpin. No other adventurers show up and Chuck finds himself thinking wistfully of Gabriela’s soft white fur. He takes back the gun with hopes of refurbishing it later and bids Rhine farewell.

The cafeteria is empty when he returns. What should Chuck do next?

A. Deliver coffee
B. Go to dorms
C. Other

Deliver coffee. Maybe it's still warm? He probably can't drink it anyway.

Deliver coffee and meet your prospective girlfriend.

Deliver covfefe, might as well show your own initiative, also maybe taste the coffee? see what its like, not like he asked for a slightly undrinked coffee, or a whole thing of coffee

>>1017491
>how scary his brother has become
You can’t really blame Rhine for that. Remember, Ahpin used Rhine as bait to try and get a sneak attack in on Carbon. Sure, Ahpin wasn’t actually going to let Carbon harm Rhine and he did apologize for doing that, but it doesn’t change the fact that it happened.

By extension, he’s probably mad at you for going to live with Ahpin instead of staying here with him.

>What do?
Might as well go deliver the coffee.

tippler 2021/12/15(Wed)18:21 No. 1017508 ID: eedbeb
File 163962126876.png - (171.88KB , 1000x1100 , p35.png )

>Coffee
Not to be a goody two-shoes, but Chuck wants to give Silicon the coffee before he sees Gabriela. Can a robot even drink liquids? Probably not, like Silicon said it was more about the power play. That means he wouldn’t mind if some was missing, right?

Chuck unscrews the lid of the thermos and takes a tentative sip. The coffee’s still hot, and tastes surprisingly good, probably because it’s a somewhat addictive substance. He puts the lid back on and ponders how to find Silicon in the network of caves and tunnels.

The idea comes to him in a moment of brilliance. He has a connection to the sword, and Silicon has the sword. If he follows the thread it should lead him to the robot.

tippler 2021/12/15(Wed)18:21 No. 1017509 ID: eedbeb
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Chuck focuses on the sword and feels a miniscule pull in the direction of the offices. He heads towards the proper tunnel with a spring in his step.

His optimism quickly wears off. The robot production area is much larger than Silicon’s map led him to believe, a labyrinth of cubicles, robot parts and sporadic caverns lined with catwalks that overlook heavy machinery. Chuck has to backtrack multiple times when the corridors start leading him in the wrong direction. Everything is eerily deserted.

Finally, he rounds a corner on a catwalk and sees a familiar black ape.

“Hello intern! Do you have my coffee?” Silicon asks cheerfully from Carbon’s elbow. It’s the same robot body as that morning, sword included. Carbon turns his diamond eyes on Chuck but stays silent.

Addiction: Control

Absolutely do not mess with carbon, also realize that if carbon is addicted to control and silicone is really really into just being wanted or liked or attention, then, even if all your hate is put towards Silicone, chances are it's actually CARBON that's the real problem, quest directive update, kill CARBON too.

Also, give coffee, ask what cute mouse gf likes as gift so you can impress her.

"Yep." Then just wait for orders.

Yeah. Coffee delivered as asked. Though you're gonna need help getting back to the dorms, this place is bigger than you expected.

>>1017509
Surrender coffee to metal idiot.

tippler 2021/12/15(Wed)20:27 No. 1017524 ID: eedbeb
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“Yes, er, here it is.” Chuck hands over the thermos, trying to ignore the way his mana crawls around Carbon. Now that he’s a spirit he has a better sense of how powerful the elemental is, and if Carbon attacked he’d definitely be doomed.

Silicon takes the thermos and peers at the contents. “Hm! Yes, very good, I didn’t think you’d actually do it. I really have no use for this, Carbon, would you like some coffee?”

The ape takes the container between thumb and forefinger and drains it, before crushing the aluminum container into scrap and tossing it over the side of the railing.

“If that’s all, I’d appreciate some help getting to the dorms from here…” Chuck trails off hopefully.

“Nonsense! This is a perfect opportunity to demonstrate your interning skills, you are very lucky to have two important members of the company here who could use your help. I will even let you choose who you want to go with for the night.”

A. Silicon
B. Carbon

Carbon...?

Carbon, since his addiction is control, we'll let him indulge in it by being his assistant

Silicon. Would rather not mess up and get crumpled like that coffee can so early.

>>1017524
A. Silicon

Silicon. More direct forms to impress him that way.

Silicon. Carbon may have an angle for you, but holy shit is that going to get scary and dark real fukkin quick.

At least with silicon you can get some info on the sword,

and if carbon finds out you use magic on him, he's going to abuse you into a pile of meat and eat you. No thanks...

On the one hand, if we follow Carbon, we can work on his addiction without a single breath of magical charm - cheap and subtle.

But on the other hand, we'll need an opportunity to strengthen the sword's dependency on us - pretty sure we can get into full-on brainwashing territory with repeated visits. Best to do that when there isn't the main body of a powerful elemental present that can detect where we're pushing our mana. (In fact, now I'm afraid of the notion that Carbon can already somehow sense that our metaphorical concept is inherently dangerous if allowed to accumulate mana.)

Go with Silicon.

tippler 2021/12/16(Thu)11:31 No. 1017573 ID: eedbeb
File 163968308989.png - (231.20KB , 1000x1100 , p38.png )

>Silicon
Knowing Carbon's addiction would give Chuck an advantage, but he doesn't want to risk upsetting the ape and getting crushed like the thermos.

"I'll go with you, Silicon, if that's okay." Chuck stutters.

"Wonderful, brother, I will bid you farewell." Silicon says, with a flourish.

"I shall attend to our supply shipments and meet you in the morning for the debriefing." Carbon rumbles. He leaps away into the darkness, with a screech of complaint from the catwalk.

"Carbon does not like it when I talk like dis." Silicon confides to Chuck once Carbon is out of earshot. "But now dat it is just the two of us I can be more fwivolous."

Chuck blindly follows the robot through the facility, until stone starts to replace metal and they arrive at a giant black door with a crystal handle. Silicon waves a clawed limb and it swings open.

tippler 2021/12/16(Thu)11:31 No. 1017574 ID: eedbeb
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Silicon's room is proportional to the door, with most of it obscured by a floor to ceiling curtain. In front of the curtain is a normal sized imitation of a bedroom, with a bed and bookshelf made from stone.

The robot hums a tune and sits on the grey mattress. It leans the sword against the bed and reaches for a pink blanket, before lying down and closing its eyes.

"Read to me from my favorwite books, intern. Any of de ones on the top shelf."

This is kind of weird, but at least he's not in any danger. Chuck gets on his tip-toes and examines the old tomes covered in a thin layer of rock dust.

tippler 2021/12/16(Thu)11:34 No. 1017576 ID: eedbeb
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All of the books look ancient, dog-eared and stained with flimsy yellow pages. Chuck can pick two to read to Silicon from the following options, which will reveal different areas of the elemental's history:

A. The Lord of the Bling (a work of fiction)

B. Based? On What? A Study of Magical Organisms

C. The Gentleman Adventurer's Handbook

D. Her Forbidden Romance (there's a mortal and a shapeshifter on the cover in passionate embrace)

E. Villains through the Ages

>>1017576
E, Silicon loves villainy!

you have to have a high iq to get the E

E and B, E for plot reasons, B because I think the names funny. I think the prompt said we could pick 2 right?

Hmm... See if you can focus your passive scan on whatever's behind the curtain while you choose.

But yeah, E for Ego-Stroking fun times, followed by B for Booooooooooooring enough to actually put Silicon to sleep once you're done indulging him.

Oh, and if that curious scan turns up nothing, whip up another dosage of addictive charm for the sword - we know now that actually indulging the addiction is optional, but try staring lovingly at it just in case.

B,E

A, C. Silicon seems fixated on adventurers. He gains their attention by acting like a villain.

tippler 2021/12/16(Thu)14:59 No. 1017593 ID: eedbeb
File 163969554146.png - (322.50KB , 1000x1100 , p41.png )

>E and B

Chuck reaches for the two hardcovers and sits at the boulder Silicon has generously pulled from the ground as a seat. He cracks open Villains through the Ages and flips to the introduction.

What is a villain? The name implies a certain fictional idealism, an exciting storybook character instead of the mundanity of real life. In our society of magic, adventurers, and heroes, the title feels appropriate to describe the individuals who rose across history to shake our small world to the core.

There are villains who murdered and raped, who caused mass starvation and genocide. There are villains who improved the quality of life of many people and contributed to technological innovations, whose beliefs wouldn’t be out of place in a modern elf debate hall. I have debated separating these groups, but my publisher asked me to keep down marketing costs.

tippler 2021/12/16(Thu)14:59 No. 1017594 ID: eedbeb
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Here they are in the very same book. I suppose it makes for better entertainment to see the full range of evil.

All of the mortals found here are dead and most of the immortals have been killed or are no longer active. Villainy is a demanding lifestyle and not for everyone.

I ranked each villain on a 1 to 10 scale by their peak power level, approximate kill count, and flair. If you disagree with my ratings, I expect a well-written letter to my home, which I shall promptly burn.

-Ioelena, elf scholar and mortal historian

“She is still alive, I think. During my travels with Carbon we found her colony and I got her to autogwaph my copy.” Silicon says dreamily.

tippler 2021/12/16(Thu)14:59 No. 1017595 ID: eedbeb
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Chuck continues reading. Judging by the years listed in the profiles, the book is badly out of date by several centuries. Silicon gets particularly excited when the villain has a high flair score, and goes silent when Chuck lists the atrocities cause by various mortals and spirits.

Hours pass. Chuck doesn’t need to sleep, but his stomach rumbles and he feels weary.

After finishing the last entry (Zeno the Bloodthirsty), he shuts the book with a sigh. “Can I have a break or something before we start the next one?”

“Certainly.”

Suggest what Chuck does on his break. He has to stay in Silicon’s room.

Peek under the curtain at the rest of the room.

your lizard senses make you sniff sniff sniff until you find a source of mana nearby to nibble on, probably behind the curtain, probably some hoarded source of mana, or maybe it's literally just a bunch of silicone dolls.

Ask for Gabriela to join in on the storytelling and give Silicon a good night kiss when you finish reading.

Ask why Silicon hangs out with Carbon. Carbon doesn't seem very nice.

Check all around the room with your passive scan, under the guise of kicking back and resting. If no one is hidden under the bed or behind the curtain or whatever - ergo, if the actual Silicon isn't present to sense what you'll do - then hit the sword with another dose of LOVE addiction. We now know that actually indulging the target's addiction is optional, so no need to hug it (though you can shoot it a loving look to be safe).

tippler 2021/12/16(Thu)18:30 No. 1017616 ID: eedbeb
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>Sword
Chuck notices that his bond with the sword has strengthened. Maybe it enjoys story time as much as Silicon.

>Mana?
Chuck can sense a lot of mana on the other side of the curtain. He hurries over to the heavy cloth and tries to squeeze under it.

Silicon sits bolt upright. “You stop dat.”

Chuck wasn’t making much progress with the curtain so he sheepishly stands back up. “I was looking for mana, I’m pretty hungry.”

“Yes, that is normal for a hatchling, you are not in any danger of starving and I am not comfortable showing you my twue form yet.” Silicon says.

“Why not?”

Silicon grumbles, a sound like radio static. “I am not…attractive.”

tippler 2021/12/16(Thu)18:30 No. 1017617 ID: eedbeb
File 163970821244.png - (252.66KB , 1000x1100 , p45.png )

“Well, I won’t judge and I would be happy to meet the real you.” Chuck says. “Anyways, I was wondering if we could recruit Gabriela for sleepover fun times.”

“No? It is not her work hours.”

“What am I doing here then?”

Silicon squints at Chuck. “You are an intern. It is different, Gabriela has a union.”

Chuck groans. “Okay, one more question. You seem like an okay guy besides the whole kidnapping thing, so why do you hang out with Carbon?”

“I do not understand.”

“You’re kind of a goof and he’s, y’know, a big scary mean thermos crusher.”

Silicon frowns. “I have known him since I hatched, he is my best friend and confidant, and I twust him to follow my plans.”

The robot pauses. “It is true he has not been…totally satisfied with de intern plot, which pains me greatly, but I think it is my best idea for the finale.”

Ask Silicone point blank why he wants to give a sword to one of the interns and is heavily implying it can hurt him, does he want some sort of coup from all of his minions so that he becomes a villain that everyone rose up against, thus becoming one of the most popular and important figures but at the cost of his life?

I think Gabriela has a whole lotta unions, if you get what I'm saying.
"...I miss my dad." Back to storytime.

How much say has Carbon had in the plan?

Methinks Carbon can think of a few weak links in Silicon's fail-safes, and there's a chance we found one of them.

"So you admit you're using the sword for some underhanded plot." It'll be unlikely that Silicon catches the significance of your inflection there - emphasizing "using" as though he were betraying the sword's trust (uttered in front of said sword, of course - a witnessed accusation hidden in plain sight).

Launch into the more boring text before Silicon can formulate anything beyond a basic retort.

tippler 2021/12/16(Thu)20:42 No. 1017632 ID: eedbeb
File 163971615242.png - (236.54KB , 1000x1100 , p46.png )

“What’s Carbon upset about? What are you planning with the sword?”

Silicon lies back down. “Tsk tsk intern, it’s not much of a plot if I tell you everything, eh? I think your break has gone long enough, let us return to reading.”

Chuck returns to his seat and picks up Based? On What?. Judging from the faded jacket picture, the author appears to have been a mortal gopher. This book is thicker than the villains’ review and Chuck will have to pick subjects he wants to read before morning comes.

He can pick two from the following sections:

A. Changelings, consciousness from nothing

B. Elves, the mortal’s mirror

C. Spirits, a perpetual threat

D. Eldritch, a doomed existence

A, learn more about our brother for when we need to help him out.

D, Eldritch. I don't think Chuck has ever seen or heard of one, right? Maybe check that out of curiosity (maybe we'll learn if we could do something with Tom's ashes)

Changelings and spirits. I wonder if it's healthy for Rhine to remain in that form. He does seem pretty cool.

A and C seem most immediately relevant, for lack of an Elemental section.

A+D

>>1017632
A,C

Yeah, A and C

tippler 2021/12/17(Fri)12:09 No. 1017676 ID: eedbeb
File 163977174564.png - (286.78KB , 1000x1100 , p47.png )

>A and C

Chuck wants to learn more about changelings since he’s worried about Rhine. He flips to the correct page and starts reading aloud.

Many mortal researchers have asked and failed to answer the age-old question: Where does the consciousness of a magical creature come from? Where in the world does a creature of pure energy keep its brain?

The starting place for this question is obviously the changeling. How does the rudimentary sprite evolve into a creature with adult mortal level intelligence with only a bit of mana? None of the other magical creatures have been able to give answers, excluding the obvious lies of the eldritch.

Based on new field research and past text on the subject, this book describes several feasible theories and the valuable firsthand accounts included here may pay the way for future discoveries.

tippler 2021/12/17(Fri)12:09 No. 1017677 ID: eedbeb
File 163977175310.png - (150.30KB , 1000x1100 , p48.png )

Chuck drones through some dense information about survey methods for wild changelings and procedures for growing them in the lab from mana mold formula. Silicon shows he’s listening with sleepy grunts.

At the end of the section, there are a few acerbic paragraphs.

After years of study, the author has come to only one solid conclusion on the nature of these beings. Changelings are conniving, vicious, and unabashedly cannibalistic. They show many antisocial traits in both the wild and brief captivity and are not fit for normal society.

Spirits and elves do their best to keep the little bastards away from their homes either by giving an unfortunate citizen the job of raising the next generation or threats of violence to scare the changelings away. Since mature magical organisms lose their psychopathic tendencies after hatching, they rarely follow up on these threats unless particularly hungry. The main predators of the changeling are other changelings, which fortunately keeps their numbers low.

Good luck to the next generation of magic scientists, you’ll need it.

“Da temperament issues are why I don’t want to give the sword to de other intern, but since you are not interested that is the only option.” Silicon murmurs.

Ask Silicon why the author stated Changelings are natural psychopaths.

"Yeah, maybe it'd be for the best if you didn't give it to him. I mean, sure, I'm not sure what I'd do with a sword like that (other than take good care of it), but I can see things getting out of hand if you gave it to a changeling, even by your standards. I don't see myself escaping ahead of schedule - at least not in a way that's worth the trouble - so I guess I can play along for now. Two days (coming on one) wouldn't be a very daunting amount of time to wait, even if I were a mortal."

Continue into the section on Spirits. You want to learn more about yourself and your opponents.

Compliment him on trying to make a comfortable enviroment for changelings and lament mortals don't take him seriously for it.

Well, if you really want it to get used, so you give it someone who really wants to use it, you reap what you sow. What if you tried teaching us to use it responsibly, instead of framing it as a petty game?

>>1017677
Tell Silicon you agree your brother should not have the sword. You'll take it, just because of that. (though you're still going to help your brother get revenge... just maybe not by killing Silicon outright.)

...wait, you didn't seem very psychopathic during your changeling phase...

tippler 2021/12/17(Fri)19:42 No. 1017688 ID: eedbeb
File 163979895713.png - (220.81KB , 1000x1100 , p49.png )

“This book’s full of crap, I wasn’t a psychopath when I was a changeling.” Chuck says. “All I did was drain Ahpin’s mana, manipulate him by roleplaying as his child, steal from elves, and fantasize about eating a magic egg.”

“Mm. And how long were you a changeling for?”

“Day and a half.”

“De author was clearly delusional.” Silicon agrees.

“Also, I might have changed my mind about the sword.” Chuck feels the blade tune into the conversation and he tries to send it a mental pat on the head. “What if you showed me how to use it responsibly? I could help you with your mysterious plan without causing any casualties.”

“You did bwing me coffee today.” Silicon admits. “If you continue to be a responsible asset to de company tomorrow I’ll see what Carbon thinks.”

tippler 2021/12/17(Fri)19:42 No. 1017689 ID: eedbeb
File 163979896822.png - (327.54KB , 1000x1100 , p50.png )

Excitement boiling in his stomach, Chuck returns to the book with new vigor.

As mentioned before in the previous section on changelings, spirits on the whole are peaceful, friendly, and patient. Many an adventurer has annoyed or intruded into a spirit’s domain, without serious consequences. Elementals in particular can near instantly kill a mortal with little effort, and the fact that fatalities number less than ten a year shows remarkable restraint.

The inherent good nature of immortals is the only reason the world is not a blasted ruin. Recent test results with willing volunteers have shown that spirits, unlike elves, have no upper energy limit. Since spirits can take mana from other spirits, it would only take one unusually ambitious outlier to seize control of enough mana to reach a power singularity.

“Dis is where we got the idea.” Silicon interjects.

“What?”

“This part is where we got de idea to take over de world.”

tippler 2021/12/17(Fri)19:43 No. 1017690 ID: eedbeb
File 163979898030.png - (157.36KB , 1000x1100 , p51.png )

Spirits dissolve and die when they lose most of their mana, whether from severe damage to their form, being drained by another spirit, or voluntary expenditure. Elementals and other physical spirits are a special case, since they often have a vulnerable core that they build the bulk of their form around out of their relevant substance. Under no circumstances do we recommend attacking or challenging a spirit.

The rest of the section is fairly dry, and Chuck feels his voice cracking as he finishes. He sighs with relief and puts the books back in the shelf.

“Well!” Silicon flings the blanket away and stands with a stretch. “People should be coming into the office now so you can get going. I can send you wherever you’d like.”

Where should Chuck go?
A. Offices (get tasks from employees)
B. Cafeteria (see Gabriela)
C. Guard Cave (see Rhine)

See Gabriella, note it says "see her" and not "bone her" I guess we'll be in for a surprise, but you were a goody two shoes all day and are now tired so go get those mommy milkers

B. Apologize for the no-show, tell her Silicon didn't let you go after you delivered the coffee.

> PARTING WORDS
"Hmm... The way you explained your plan just now, it sort of sounds like you're committing genocide against your own kind. Huh." Of course, don't act judgemental; shrug and accept it if he tries to correct you. The simple statement of fact should shake Silicon enough for something interesting to fall out, given how squeamish he was about the actually monstrous shit villains have done.

> WHERE TO
B for Big Jugs, a.k.a. the cafeteria lady. Maybe we can ask for tasks from her while asking her about the nature of BLESSINGS. ("The other intern seemed kinda iffy about that stuff for some reason. Should I be concerned about getting brainwashed into serving you or something?" (I know, I know; real fucking subtle. It's called being dramatically ironic.))

Go to the cafeteria.

Go to the offices to get more chores.

tippler 2021/12/18(Sat)11:06 No. 1017734 ID: eedbeb
File 163985440867.png - (273.21KB , 1000x1100 , p52.png )

>Gabriela

“I’d like to go to the cafeteria.” Chuck says.

Silicon walks over to the sword and unsheathes it. Instead of screaming, it makes a pleased squeaky noise.

“Check dis out.” Silicon walks away from the bed and swings the sword in a wide arc. The dark blade cuts through the air, leaving red glowing portal that opens into the cafeteria. Gabriela looks up from her cooking in surprise and waves.

Chuck waves his hand through the portal nervously, then turns back to Silicon for some parting words. “I don’t get why you were so squeamish about the villain stuff when you’re basically doing the same thing by eating other silicon elementals.”

Silicon ducks his head with shame. “I—you are right. There is no defense for what I have done.”

The portal is already shrinking, so Chuck darts through it before he can think of a response. The cafeteria is empty except for Gabriela, who’s making mana pancakes.

tippler 2021/12/18(Sat)11:06 No. 1017735 ID: eedbeb
File 163985441606.png - (366.01KB , 1000x1100 , p53.png )

“Hello cutie.” Gabriela says cheerfully, flipping a fluffy disc of false batter.

“Hey, sorry I didn’t make it to the dorms yesterday, Silicon got ahold of me and made me read him bedtime stories all night.”

“I was a little disappointed.” Gabriela admits. “But the other intern showed up, said you told him about me, so I still had a wonderful night.”

Wait is she implying—did Rhine—

“Er, what do you mean?”

Gabriela launches in a detailed and extremely graphic description of Rhine fucking her ten different ways using his shapeshifting powers.

tippler 2021/12/18(Sat)11:07 No. 1017736 ID: eedbeb
File 163985442690.png - (239.65KB , 1000x1100 , p54.png )

“—He was nervous at first, but I told him I’m only allowed to bless the food and that he didn’t have anything to be afraid of.”

“Right.” Chuck croaks. “Glad you had a good time.”

“My offer to you is still open for tonight, though the other intern would be joining us.” Gabriela says. “Could you help me deliver some pancakes? Everyone is very busy with the data from yesterday.”

Current Tasks:
-Meet Gabriela in the dorms after work day 2 (Rhine will be there, which is kind of weird)
-Deliver pancakes to everyone

Deliver those pancakes!

Time to deliver those pancakes, be a company asset.

That's what we get for being named Chuck.
Pancaaakes!

Collect pancakes, get ready to start delivering.

"So... is that guy right to be worried? Will I become your brainwashed slave or something if I keep eating your food?" (This is what we in the business call 'dramatic irony.')

tippler 2021/12/18(Sat)12:32 No. 1017743 ID: eedbeb
File 163985957029.png - (268.16KB , 1000x1100 , p55.png )

>Pancakes

Gabriela hands Chuck two plates stacked with three thick cakes each, drizzled with syrup and topped with a tiny scoop of butter. He feels better now that he knows Gabriela isn’t going to mind control him or something weird, the blessings just augment the heartiness of the mana.

Who does Chuck deliver to first? Should he try to sneak a few cakes for himself?

Deliver to goblin and scorpion

can.. can I have a pancake?

>>1017743
No sneaking food. This whole ordeal should be over soon enough. We can gorge ourself then.
Let's deliver to that gob/scorp duo first.

Maybe there will be some left over after deliveries are done... Or maybe one accidentally gets dropped, "oh no that's so terrible I'll just eat it off the floor to clean up, then get a replacement"

tippler 2021/12/18(Sat)15:58 No. 1017756 ID: eedbeb
File 163987191166.png - (283.46KB , 1000x1100 , p56.png )

>Scorpion and goblin

“Do you know where the people sitting here yesterday work?” Chuck asks.

“Oh yes, so they’re all usually in the office. Clementine does software and the other two do hardware. If you make some noise and say you have food, it should get their attention.”

Chuck thanks Gabriela and heads towards the maze of cubicles. The pancakes smell very good, and he eyes them with great longing.

>Theft bad
Damn, hatching really did a number on his sense of morality. Chuck leaves the food untouched and calls out his arrival.

“Hey, uh, intern here with some food. Are the scorpion and goblin around?”

tippler 2021/12/18(Sat)15:58 No. 1017757 ID: eedbeb
File 163987193229.png - (421.77KB , 1000x1100 , p57.png )

“Over here!” A green hand waves at Chuck from around the corner. He follows it to find two women crouched over a robot chassis.

“Hi intern, I’m Wingnut, this is Aloise, we’re working on a problem with the spinal column, folks from the field say it’s getting jammed too much when lifting heavy objects.” chirps the goblin. She eagerly takes the offered meal and sticks an entire pancake into her mouth.

Aloise’s exoskeleton is made of glossy metal plates. “Are you an elemental?” Chuck asks.

“Pretty close, I’m a spirit of alloy. I couldn’t pick one metal so I went with all the good ones.”

Wingnut
Addictions: Alcohol, spicy wings

Aloise
Addictions: Platinum, titanium

That's pretty cool! So uh, spinal column? Are you building a giant robot for Silicon?

They're engineers? Maybe they can do something with the gun.

>>1017759
Second this, also wing nut (the goblin I think) is cute, compliment her ears!

so the giant robots have real skeletons?

Compliment the scorpion on her choice of element. Very smart!

> Alcohol
Oof, that's one of the nastier addictions if it gets out of hand. It's... not exactly comforting to know you have ways of making certain people crash and burn in the long run, on top of your dependency-enslavement powers.

If you remember correctly, goblins are one of the things changelings can turn into if they don't form an egg. Be wary if you're ever alone with her.

"Well, nice to meet you! Now, do you know where I can find Clementine in here? I need to deliver to her, too."

>>1017757
If they're having issues with a spinal column, they may want to consider not making it anthropomorphic/bipedal.
That kind of construction is an architectural nightmare.

>>1017760
This yes.

>>1017789
This

Ah, it wasn't clear before- ask exactly how goblins were created. It's a hybrid race how exactly? A changeling mating with a mortal, or does an adult changeling's egg have more options when it hatches?

tippler 2021/12/19(Sun)08:15 No. 1017806 ID: eedbeb
File 163993050770.png - (313.64KB , 1000x1100 , p58.png )

>Robots
“Can you tell me more about the robots?” Chuck asks curiously. The one on the floor looks like the standard kind he saw guarding the entrance.

Aloise opens the chest casing and shows Chuck the metal skeleton underneath. “The company has developed all sorts of robot models, this one always gives us a lot of trouble since it’s bipedal, makes it hard to balance and the joints break down a lot faster, but Silicon insists.”

“We cheat a lot.” Wingnut adds. “Magic and all that.”

“They’re meant to be helpers for mortals, so we don’t want to use the scary metal spiders even though they’re a lot easier.”

tippler 2021/12/19(Sun)08:15 No. 1017807 ID: eedbeb
File 163993051531.png - (361.89KB , 1000x1100 , p59.png )

>Goblins?
“My bro—the other intern mentioned that goblins are hybrids, how does that work exactly?”

Wingnut puffs air between her teeth. “Not too complicated, my dad was a changeling so I can consume mana and live a lot longer than normal mortals. My mum, rest her soul, told me he ditched her after they hooked up so I’ve never met him. 1st gen hybrids are almost all female so they can reproduce and every generation after that is basically a normal mortal.”

Wingnut leans over to whisper to Chuck conspiratorially. “Listen buddy, if you can get me real chicken wings and some hot sauce, I’d be super grateful. Working underground is great except I can’t get my meat fix.”

“I’d say I’d suck your dick as a reward but honestly I’ll do that anyway.” she says at normal volume. “Not a lot of dick to go around right now, or at least dick that can fit in my mouth. Carbon doesn’t fuck the employees anyway.”

Chuck blushes. “You’re really cute, so I’d be down.”

“I still think Carbon and Silicon get it on.” Aloise interrupts.

“Girl, we’ve worked here for 40 years and never even seen them kiss.” Wingnut complains.

“So they’re shy, that doesn’t mean it never happens.”

tippler 2021/12/19(Sun)08:15 No. 1017808 ID: eedbeb
File 163993052305.png - (300.93KB , 1000x1100 , p60.png )

Chuck remembers the broken gun, and takes it out to show Wingnut. The goblin examines the artifact with a critical eye.

“This is a nice piece of work, but yeah, totally drained. I can repair it but it’ll be tough, and I’m lazy. How about if you get me my chicken I’ll make it better than before.”

“I’ll try.” Chuck says. “It was nice to talk to both of you, but I should get back to delivering pancakes. Is Clementine around here?”

“Oh yeah, she should be. CLEM! YOU THERE?”

“What?” says the camel irritably from a cubicle across the cave.

Current Tasks:
-Meet Gabriela in the dorms after work
-Deliver pancakes to everyone
-Get spicy wings
-Get evidence to support or debunk Silicon and Carbon’s supposed relationship

keep delivering those pancakes!

What if give wingnut smooch on the forehead and continue work, leaving her with a wink so as to tease her and go keep working. Put her on the smooch docket

Clem, meet pancakes. Pancakes, meet Clem.

tippler 2021/12/19(Sun)12:31 No. 1017849 ID: eedbeb
File 163994589205.png - (300.00KB , 1000x1100 , p61.png )

>Keep delivering pancakes!

Chuck winks at Wingnut and retraces his path back to the cafeteria, where Gabriela is ready with another two plates of pancakes.

“Is there anyone besides Clementine left in the offices?” Chuck asks.

“Well Silicon never comes out of his room but Carbon should have a nice warm meal, the poor guy works too hard. You don’t have to deliver to him if you don’t want to.” Gabriela says hurriedly, seeing the look on Chuck’s face.

Should Chuck give pancakes to Carbon?

In that case, eat Carbon's pancakes.`

Gabriela feels bad for Carbon. Give him pancakes, at least for Gabriela's sake

Give Gabriela a goodbye kiss and go have visit Carbon.

Then invite everyone to a party at Gabriela's dorm after hours.
What they don't know is that it's actually a charades party.

...ask her what Carbon is like. Maybe there's more to him than you've seen.

Carve out the pancake into something that makes it seem like Carbon has control over you. Eat the leftovers.

>>1017849
If we were to deliver to Carbon, does Gabriella have any advice for dealing with him? Ways to avoid his wrath/hunger.

tippler 2021/12/19(Sun)19:46 No. 1017870 ID: eedbeb
File 163997197276.png - (310.50KB , 1000x1100 , p62.png )

>Yes, with an innovative plan

Chuck takes both plates, idea forming in his mind of how to get some mana and please Carbon at the same time. If he cuts the pancakes into an appealing shape, like a methane molecule or something stupid, he can eat the scraps without suspicion.

“What’s Carbon like as your boss here?” he asks.

Gabriela frowns, effortlessly pouring a new pancake without looking at the pan. “He’s more about getting things done than Silicon. They’re both brilliant and hardworking, but Silicon is the ideas guy and Carbon keeps everything running with raw material shipments and mana tracking.”

“So does he get mad when people mess up?”

“He’s never raised his voice at me or made me feel threatened.” Gabriela says firmly. “He likes certainty, and people showing improvement from their mistakes.”

tippler 2021/12/19(Sun)19:46 No. 1017871 ID: eedbeb
File 163997198377.png - (275.59KB , 1000x1100 , p63.png )

Well that’s certainly a different point of view. Chuck takes the plates and heads for Clementine first. Once he’s done with the office only the elf guard will be left.

The camel is hunched over a laptop, typing furiously. She has thick eyelashes and wiry, orange-red fur. Chuck is sure she’s a copper elemental.

“Thank you.” she says gruffly as Chuck places the plate on her desk.

What should Chuck do next?
A. Talk to Clementine to get a task
B. Go straight to Carbon
C. Wander the facility

Ask if she needs any help. otherwise, go feed Carbon.

Speak to Clementine, always keep busy!

dear camel
how do you type with hooves on your hands?

>>1017871
A.
What are her (potential)addictions?

Idea for pancake shape: make it shaped like his eye diamonds. Hexagonal.

A

Meanwhile, TBH, maybe modifying Carbon's pancakes isn't the best idea if his favorite shape is consistency. (If you must, then I suggest that maybe you can get away with it if you make them just slightly smaller circles. Seriously, though, why are you trying to pull this on your scariest superior, again?)

tippler 2021/12/20(Mon)09:27 No. 1017895 ID: eedbeb
File 164002122901.png - (148.53KB , 1000x1100 , p64.png )

>A
Addictions: None
Potential Addictions: Fast Wi-Fi, C++

“Do you need any help? I don’t know much about computers but if you need someone to run errands or share hot gossip with I’m your guy.”

Clementine snorts. Chuck notices her hands have two dark colored fingers instead of hooves. “Can you read, intern?”

“Er, yes?”

“We have automated scripts for most of our data processing, but someone needs to review the flagged conversation logs of the robots for quality control. You can’t always trust the neural nets to interpret the tone. It’s a time intensive task, so only do it if you’re willing to commit several hours.”

“I should finish delivering pancakes, but I’ll find you if I have the time.” Chuck says.

tippler 2021/12/20(Mon)09:27 No. 1017896 ID: eedbeb
File 164002125680.png - (260.52KB , 1000x1100 , p65.png )

The camel stops typing to summon a fork and knife from her shelf. She neatly cuts into the pancakes while Chuck stands there awkwardly.

“Do you know where I can find Carbon? I’m going to give him pancakes too.”

“Hm, he hasn’t had as much to do since we stopped production but he should be at the shipment station, follow the tunnel on the right at the back of the office and it should take you there.”

Chuck heads for the tunnel, taking a moment to cut the pancakes into hexagons like Carbon’s eyes. He devours the scraps and gains 1 unit of mana to bring him to a total of 7. He did a pretty good job keeping the shapes neat so he doesn’t think it’ll generate any suspicion.

The tunnel opens into a long cavern that resembles train station, with a slightly sunken track where Carbon is unloading slabs of metal from a grey cart onto a conveyor belt.

tippler 2021/12/20(Mon)09:27 No. 1017897 ID: eedbeb
File 164002126499.png - (243.96KB , 1000x1100 , p66.png )

Chuck clears his throat. “Gabriela wanted me to give you some pancakes, sir.”

Carbon pauses, sets down a barrel of oil, and walks toward Chuck on all fours. Chuck tries not to flinch as the ape takes the plate and examines the contents. After a delicate silence, Carbon puts the entire stack of cakes in his mouth.

“I appreciate the thought.” Carbon rumbles.

What should Chuck do next?
A. Ask Carbon about something (the sword, Silicon, those pesky interns, etc.)
B. Get a task from Carbon
C. Deliver the last pancakes to the elf

Carbon doesn't seem much of a conversationalist. Deliver to the elf. Make sure to get her name this time.

Ask Carbon about the sword and Silicon, mentioning that you were kinda kidnapped by him so you're out of the loop and things would probably go smoother if you knew what's going on here.

Carbon seems to have a distaste for the intern plan, but appreciated your gesture, so maybe ask a short one sentence answerable question like, why did silicon kidnap you instead of any other random egg in that dungeon you were from. Okay maybe it’s not that simple….

But I’m on team don’t get a task, you aren’t being paid and you had to get pancake scraps for food, so im on team find some chicken wangs

That's enough interaction for now. Find the elf.

tippler 2021/12/20(Mon)15:15 No. 1017919 ID: eedbeb
File 164004213778.png - (194.90KB , 1000x1100 , p67.png )

“I see you’re busy sir, I’ll be off soon. Could you tell me, if you know of course, why Silicon kidnapped me in particular?” Great, now Chuck’s talking like a little kiss ass, Rhine would kill him if he heard this.

Carbon doesn’t respond for a moment and Chuck starts edging away.

“Did Silicon not tell you?” Carbon finally says.

“Silicon told me a lot of things last night about your history without really explaining the current intern plan. I think me or Rhine are supposed to use the sword to, um, attack you maybe if you want? I don’t know why it’s us though. Rhine said he just showed up and was hired.” Chuck squeaks.

tippler 2021/12/20(Mon)15:15 No. 1017920 ID: eedbeb
File 164004214512.png - (229.51KB , 1000x1100 , p68.png )

Carbon huffs. Chuck can’t tell whether it’s a laugh or a sound of disgust. “You were taken because it is poetic. Two good, young brothers, rising up to defeat two old, evil ones. It helps that there is some past history between us and the mortals will not question such a convenient excuse.”

“Right. Very poetic. Good plot right there.”

Carbon bares his teeth and leans into Chuck’s face. “Of course, you are much too feeble to even hope to kill me, even with the sword.”

“YesofcoursesirI’mgoingnow.”Chuck flees back to the tunnel and doesn’t stop running until he reaches the cafeteria

tippler 2021/12/20(Mon)15:15 No. 1017921 ID: eedbeb
File 164004215795.png - (244.66KB , 1000x1100 , p69.png )

It looks like Gabriela stepped away, the last plate of pancakes is waiting for him on the counter, magical steam rising from the golden discs. Chuck takes it and hurries up the stairs to the guard outpost.

He’s stunned to see a field of tents stretching out before him. Rhine, in robot form, is pacing in the narrow bit of free stone left at the entrance while the elf is talking to a few heavily armored mortals.

“Hey, what’s happening?” Chuck asks Rhine, who eyes the pancakes with great longing.

“People started coming in last night, the mortals we scared away yesterday must have rallied an army to take on Silicon. Good for them and everything but it’s giving Delphine a headache dealing with all the garbage and noise.” Rhine grunts.

Give pancakes to the Elf while you talk more with Rhine, do NOT give them to Rhine if he says he'll take them to her.

Realize that they want the stage to be set like that, but that also other kin outside this place are staging their revolt.

You have a fairly good understanding that you do not have enough mana to take them on, even with a cool sword. Your objective should probably be to get sword and figure out who would be the best to wield it, though of course, then there's the problem of making sure they're addicted to you so they don't murder you immediately afterwards, and having the sword like the wielder.

Also, maybe you can sneak to see about bothering some of those invading mortals and find some chickem nuggies for that gobbo lady.

>>1017921
Wanna split some pancakes with me?

Let's eat the pancakes and flip off the army.

Deliver pancakes to complete your task. If the elf says she's too busy to accept delivery, then it's totally legit for you to eat them.

Deliver pancakes, but stare hungrily at them.

She's busy, so eat the pancakes while they're hot. You can get something for her later.

tippler 2021/12/20(Mon)19:54 No. 1017951 ID: eedbeb
File 164005886985.png - (299.39KB , 1000x1100 , p70.png )

>Deliver pancakes like a good boy

Chuck ignores his hunger and walks up to Delphine. She shoos the adventurers away and seizes the plate of food, chowing down immediately.

“Gabriela is a literal angel, I’m starved. Dealing with mortals is the worst, and at this point there are enough of them that they’re an actual threat, even if they just rushed the staircase. They could cause so much damage to company property.”

Another pod of adventurers, these ones wearing nun costumes, approaches Delphine. She shovels the rest of the pancakes into her mouth and turns to face them.

“Hom cn I hlp yu?” she asks.

tippler 2021/12/20(Mon)19:54 No. 1017952 ID: eedbeb
File 164005888812.png - (323.86KB , 1000x1100 , p71.png )

“Heya, we’re actually a freelance team hired to look for a missing person, not the usual dungeoning lot.” says a perky shark lady. “Have you seen a magic egg pass through here recently?”

Chuck freezes and Rhine stills as well. Is Ahpin looking for him?

Delph the elf swallows and opens her mouth, then catches sight of the eldritch lingering in fishnet stockings at the back. She hisses with disgust. “Get that out of here! I have to deal with enough mortal waste without one of them getting into mischief.”

The eldritch seems to wilt a bit, and its two teammates puff up with rage.

“There’s nothing wrong with Bob, don’t be fucking racist.” the chinchilla squeaks. Delphine’s gloved hands glow orange with magic as the women square off.

What should Chuck do?
A. Announce his presence and ask about Ahpin
B. Say nothing and see if a fight breaks out
C. Use the distraction to slip among the tents

A. Hey! We're both around here, somewhere. Don't worry about us yet. (Lie) We can fend for ourselves.

>>1017952
A. This closely aligns with our goals, because Chuck wants Ahpin to know he's ok. It could also get them to go away, which "helps" the guards because then there's less intruders.
Be sure to tell them you're very hungry for mana so if they could give you a magic item to drain that'd be great. It's not like Nunya has to obey Silcon's rules.

A

A. you want Aphin to know you are *relatively* safe and were kidnapped and are being made to work for no food and cannot leave until some stupid conditions are met.

A. But make sure they know you'll be staying for now cause you've got a pretty good chance of getting that weapon.

>>1017952
A (with a twist). I know where the guy your looking for is, but in order to disclose that info I'll need chicken wings and some hotsauce!

>>1017963
Ignore my previous statement, THIS is better

>>1017963
Oh that's fantastic.

>>1017952
A