That uh... that... wasn't a failure. Technically not a failure! The arkot was good as defeated without that gun, against those thicc phat thighs. You simply need to adjust the gun capturing behavior so that the kabot doesn't shoot themselves dead pawing at it.

...you may want to use one of your actions to clone a backup of the experimental kabot in case the next trial is also "technically not a failure."

A. We need another plan, which means a different mutation. If we don't get anything good we can just do extra training.

A. Get more mutations.

>>1064279
>you did not need to shoot it i could just have patched it up

>>1064279
C. Cuddle A1. Since we've got him separate from the others, it seems like we're not training him to fight, so we migjt as well treat him like a pet and cuddle with him!

>>1064279
A.

A. Let's do some more science. Gun safety is not currently in their repertoire.
As a plan B, you could also teach them to drop the item and come to you on command, preventing them from poking at the gun.

tippler 2023/05/21(Sun)19:07 No. 1064333 ID: 9ea24b
File 168472127941.png - (90.03KB , 500x500 , p26.png )

>You could have healed BC1 after the accidental first gunshot
You’d feel worse about that if BC1 was sentient or irreplaceable.

>Research, you need a new strategy
You discover the following three mutations:

12. Improved digestion (Kabots need less food to survive)
14. Flexible body
24. Friendly/Socialization (you think this could have the side effect of making the Kabots more intelligent!)

Mutation 24 looks very promising. You can also now trigger multiple mutations at the same time, if you’d like.

Which Kabot out of A1, BC2, and B2 do you mutate and clone, and with what?

Give B2 mutations 14 and 24. Let's try an alternate approach of dodging instead of disarming. Hopefully Butler1's a bad shot against moving targets.

>>1064333
Give BC2 mutation 24, start training it (and its clone) to dodge away if someone points a gun at it.

>>1064337
Seconded

tippler 2023/05/22(Mon)16:37 No. 1064366 ID: 9ea24b
File 168479867349.png - (99.76KB , 500x500 , p27.png )

>Mutate and clone B2 with 14 and 24
You name the resulting clone BDE1. It comes out of the biotank long and lanky, even with the strong legs mutation. BDE1 is prone to bursts of rapid movement and is better at running than hopping.

You notice that BDE1 rubs against your legs when you come into the terrarium to give food and pets. It chirps in response when you talk to the assembled B Kabots and you get the sense that it’s picking up simple words.

How would you like to interact with BDE1 for your last action?

>>1064366
Use a dart gun to train BDE 1 to avoid being shot.

Well, I was gonna suggest teaching it to zig-zag to a hostile, but the non-lethal gun thing is especially gud. Grab an arkot to fire at it - feed it once the arkot's gun is gone and it's subdued.

Teach him to dodge your shots and to tackle.

>>1064366
Poor A1 is feeling neglected back there. Go give him some attention!

>>1064366
If we have to use projectiles to help our new buddy dodge, make sure we use a nerf foam dart gun as a starter, and maybe throw in some incentives to make them dodge more often like snacks and play time.

tippler 2023/05/23(Tue)16:22 No. 1064425 ID: 9ea24b
File 168488417344.png - (110.59KB , 500x500 , p28.png )

>How’s A1 doing?
Still sad and isolated in an unfurnished cell. You haven’t had the time to spend an action on installing a heat lamp or running water.

>Use a foam dart gun to train BDE1 to avoid being shot
BDE1 is thrilled when you take it aside to play–er, train. It loves the Arkots you bring in for practice, often licking their pointy faces and vocalizing to imitate their clicks. You notice it imitating your stance and mannerisms, so you show it how to be evasive by zigzagging across the floor.

The hard part is getting BDE1 to attack the Arkots. You have to disguise it as more play and have the servants make happy clicks when you show BDE1 how to tackle them from behind.

tippler 2023/05/23(Tue)16:23 No. 1064426 ID: 9ea24b
File 168488420018.png - (92.00KB , 500x500 , p29.png )

Finally it’s time to retry the test. BDE1 starts talking in a mix of clicks and your language when it spots Butler1 in the arena. Butler1 seems less willing to shoot at the creature.

>Butler1 shoot check: Failure
Butler1 keeps the gun pointed at the ground as BDE1 wiggles towards him. It licks his cheek and looks up at you. You give the order to tackle and it takes Butler1 down and lays over him.

tippler 2023/05/23(Tue)16:23 No. 1064427 ID: 9ea24b
File 168488421551.png - (89.80KB , 500x500 , p30.png )

Your dad is very pleased with the improvement. The final test against Butler1 and Arkots in general will be a test of wits in the highly intellectual game of Tic-Tac-Toe. You have three more actions.

Honestly BDE1 could learn Tic-Tac-Toe in one action, which means you have two actions to improve your operation.

What would you like to do first? B2 will be renamed to BDE2 at the end of your first action.

>>1064427
Fix A1's enclosure. Install a heat lamp and running water!

>>1064428
Yup.

And for the second free action, more research.

Upgrade second enclosure. What else could improve our operation? Refinements to the mutation process, or maybe just sitting down and making an org chart to track which specimens have which traits.

UPGRADE 24 FOR ERRYBODY because D'AWWWWWW!

tippler 2023/05/24(Wed)17:12 No. 1064501 ID: 9ea24b
File 168497352381.png - (125.35KB , 500x500 , p31.png )

>Get another nice terrarium for A1
Your dad puts you in touch with the contracting company that does all the construction on the estate. The foreman in charge of the work on the first terrarium comes over to discuss payment and timeframe.

He’s a dingy brown Tobak with a bulky pair of cybernetic goggles fused to his face. Understandable, since it’d be hard to work above ground with only standard issue light protection.

tippler 2023/05/24(Wed)17:12 No. 1064502 ID: 9ea24b
File 168497353967.png - (64.57KB , 500x500 , p32.png )

You let BDE1 out of its cage to scamper after you during all sorts of activities, so it’s out in the open and listening while the foreman speaks. BDE1’s language skills are improving every day, at a rate that makes you worried and just a tiny bit jealous. It doesn’t show any interest in research or computers, so you’ll let it slide for now.

What would you like to do next?
A. Research more mutations
B. Mutate and clone BC2 with the friendly gene

B, social creatures need friends after all.

>>1064502
B. It'll be good to have some spares.

>>1064502
A.

>>1064502

Do you remember when you were improving your language skills? How do you know you didn't improve them even faster? No jealousy allowed, only science!

Pay the tobak in all the ice cream and steak he wants. (Don't tell him the steak came from BC1.)

>>1064501
>in regards to payment
Tobak's are really food oriented. Hook him up with some of the planet side fooderies you know of within his price range, and usual pay.

>>1064502
>just a tiny bit jealous
lmao just clone yourself one day and try to apply an intelligence booster to your clone before considering doing it to yourself. Two heads are better than one, and hey! You'd maybe finally, technically have a brother!

A. Research more mutations
The more the merrier.

>>1064515
Now, origianlly i thought paying him in only food, or mostly substituting his pay of mostly food was kind of a dick move, but then i more or less remembered that most Tobak's from their homeworld and in some corperations more or less only get payed in corperate currencies, as opposed to universal credits. So, paying him in food might work if his company doesn't have any food (or at least tasty stuff) that he can purchase for a reasonable price.

Wait no that still wouldnt work. Assuming that he does not own the company, then his bosses would still need to be payed in normal munies for the services they and their employees provide, so the better thing to do would be to pay him normally to satisfy his superiors, and then maybe offer to buy him foods stuffs his company cannot provide (ice cream, donuts, steaks, pies). Assuming his company job is as shit as i think it is.

tippler 2023/05/25(Thu)18:36 No. 1064556 ID: 9ea24b
File 168506496587.png - (55.76KB , 500x500 , p33.png )

>How fast did you learn to talk?
Slower than BDE1. Your dad has records on you and your siblings’ development.

>Don’t be jealous, just do science!
That’s right! The Kabots are your test subjects no matter how linguistically adept they are.

>Are you paying the Tobaks in food?
The servant Arkots may be trained, but definitely don’t have the dexterity to make a pie or other dessert. No, you’re paying the contracting company in zeny, with plenty under the table for the foreman so he actually does a good job. He’ll have to go to the restaurants in town if he wants something other than a fruit smoothie or your namesake.

tippler 2023/05/25(Thu)18:36 No. 1064557 ID: 9ea24b
File 168506497485.png - (86.59KB , 500x500 , p34.png )

>Split decision check: B
You now have the following Kabots:
A1, who’s much happier with its new private terrarium

BC2, who’s terribly confused why all of its other Kabot brethren are being so chummy with each other

BDE1, who’s teaching the other friendly Kabot how to talk

BDE2, the freshly minted friendly and long Kabot

And newborn BCE1, who has trouble talking with so much tongue in its mouth

tippler 2023/05/25(Thu)18:36 No. 1064558 ID: 9ea24b
File 168506498346.png - (127.65KB , 500x500 , p35.png )

For your last action you teach BDE1 Tic Tac Toe, which it masters easily and plays Butler1 to a draw in a best of three, chattering the whole time. Butler1 looks sad when he has to leave.

You’re startled when your dad brings in the Tobak foreman and explains that the next test will be against him. The chosen Kabot will have to race the Tobak to a cake on a pedestal and eat the first bite, violence allowed.

You have three actions. What would you like to do first?
A. Research (learn about 3 possible mutations)
B. Mutate and/or Clone
C. Interact (Kabots can be interacted with separately or together, you can also interact with family members and future opponents)

>>1064558
Firstly, mutate and clone BCE 1 into BCDE 1. Legs for speed, tongue for reach, and brains for intelligence will make it a fine cake stealing rapscallion.

C, teach BCE1 to talk around its speech impediment.
Hmm, we'll need to lengthen those legs for a race.

May need research for this. No tobak is going to give up the chance for cake without a fight.

A. Research.

I don't think we really need long tongue for the race. It's interfering with the smart gene too; we should avoid mutation conflicts when reasonable.

>>1064558
I just wondering if dad is really doing this to advance our capability for problem solving and working around odd research objectives in the future, or just wants to have a hoot of a time while we do research.

You know, dad never explicitly mentioned what this violence might entail. For all we know the Tobak forman might be allowed to use a nailgun to shoot one of the kabots. Maybe we can bribe/feed him a cupcake with laxatives inside so he bails out mid race.

I assume that we are as much of a test subject as the kabots are, but maybe I am reading too much into old salikai stereotypes.

>>1064612
Oh its called chores or a test you gice children a managable but challenging task so they learn things like responsibility, work ethic, criticall thinking

tippler 2023/05/26(Fri)18:43 No. 1064627 ID: 9ea24b
File 168515179688.png - (90.16KB , 500x500 , p36.png )

>Wait, is this whole thing some kind of experimental test on you?
Your dad always said fatherhood was the greatest science project of all. He’s probably studying how well you’re practicing responsibility, critical thinking, and work ethic.

>Is the foreman allowed weapons?
For this first test, no, he’ll be empty handed.

>Can you bribe the foreman?
Your father encourages this strategy, though it’ll take an action and become less effective after the first time.

tippler 2023/05/26(Fri)18:43 No. 1064628 ID: 9ea24b
File 168515180595.png - (107.63KB , 500x500 , p37.png )

>Can long tongue Kabots be taught to speak?
No, it seems like they’re physically unable to. They can learn to understand language though.

>A, research
You discover the following mutations:
5. Straight up intelligence boost without physical side effects
10. Sexual reproduction
19. Gills for breathing underwater

You found some super cool mutations this time. What’s your next action? BC2 has become BCE2 so all of the B Kabots are socializing and sharing information now.

Wait, your father gene modded them to be incapable of breeding? ...this is for the best until we get a good baseline minion. Intelligence boosts all around! No clones necessary.
Maybe we can teach our long tongued minion to trip the tobak instead. Save the bribery for a more complex trial.

Train the long-legged kabots to race.

Posit one. Don't have a high enough population for hot kabot sex to be more useful than induced mutation and cloning.
Posit two. You are a horny teenager.
Conclusion: hurr hurr

>>1064628
Maybe we should put off more intelligence boosts for now.

Mutate and clone BCE1 to have strong legs as well as tongue. Maybe when there are two they'll figure out sign language.

tippler 2023/05/26(Fri)20:37 No. 1064639 ID: 9ea24b
File 168515863110.png - (84.15KB , 500x500 , p38.png )

I can see the letter system for mutations is getting confusing, so everything is now summarized in the new wiki page here: https://questden.org/wiki/Kabot_Quest

Note that all of the B Kabots have the strong leg gene already.

>>1064629 This. Perhaps also place food near a faux-cake, give the food to the first to bite the prop.