Argine 2020/06/22(Mon)00:14 No. 970261 ID: e24163
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You would think that after the thirtieth time dragging me in here, she would know better than to try and lecture me. After this many reprimands and pointless lectures, I’m surprised that this place still comforts me. The smell of sweat and fur reminds me of my first days after I was born.
“Do you know why you’re here, Argine?”
Because I wasn’t given the option to leave. Not like the bitch with a quarter-staff up her ass is going to take that from me.
“What is it this time? Are you going to actually tell me how I’m meant to ‘reform’, or do you and all the others just want to keep me chained to this place forever?”
I would sucker-punch her, but knowing her reflexes, she’d just catch my arm mid-swing and break it. Again.

Argine 2020/06/22(Mon)00:14 No. 970262 ID: e24163
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I hate how she’s always looking down on me. Even if she had a chair, she’d still stand, just so she can tower over me. Why did I have to end up shorter than nearly everyone I know?
“This time, we don’t need to tell you anything – we’ve taken measures to ensure that things will go smoothly.”
A chill runs through my fur, like I’m standing on the roof of the facility at night. What the hell did she do this time? She never takes this kind of approach!

Argine 2020/06/22(Mon)00:15 No. 970263 ID: e24163
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“What kind of measures?”
She doesn’t smile. Is she even capable of smiling? It’s like relaxation doesn’t exist as a concept for her. Always standing, always alert. I know that’s just a flimsy shield for you, Judicium. You’re not as stalwart as you think you are. And one day, I will use it against you when you try to stop me from leaving.
“Something special was put together by the brightest minds of our facility. Something to monitor you, to instruct you, until you can demonstrate that you can leave properly, and not through tricks and sabotage.”
Lies. She’s lying. I’ve seen far worse than me leave this place. They can’t constantly keep track of me. I’ll just break free again when they’ve got their guard down.
“You’re doubting me, aren’t you? No matter. I can demonstrate. Say hello, Argine – inside your head.”
Like that’s going to make a difference. What kind of experiment is it this time?

Argine 2020/06/22(Mon)00:16 No. 970264 ID: e24163
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Ugh. Fine. I'll call her bluff.
Hello?

Pat your head and rub your stomach. Orders from above.

Greetings Trainee! And welcome to the selfhelp mental program. We will be instructing you until either you are properly reformed, or for possibly the rest of your life.

We're here! But have no fear; just like you we like to play dirty, and we dislike authority. We'll get along famously!

Tell us a bit about yourself buddy.

>>970264
Nyahaha, wazzup.

We're you're new neighbors. Inside your head.

Although I suppose 'neighbors' is a bad way of phrasing it since that'd imply we're in a separate location. We're more like you're new, involuntary roommates.

And we're gonna be BEST. FRIENDS.

Whether you like it or not. Don't worry, though, you will.

Eventually.

>>970264
Hello Argine.
We will be advising you. By my initial assessment, this will be a long-term arrangement, but it could be shorter depending on exactly what standards you need to live up to.

Buckle up, you're in for a ride.

It’s time to reform. So let’s begin. REPENT! REPENT FOR YOUR CRUEL MISDEEDS!! SCREAM YOUR APOLOGIES TO THE STARS!!

Are you actually anything worthwhile or did our ethicly challenged creators just stick us in the nearist disposable mind?

Hahaha, oh man, you’re in for a wild ride now dude!

Show us ur dick >:3

Tell Judicium that the voices in your head are ordering you to demonstrate your obedience and humility.

Proceed to take off your pants.

Oh man, how badly did you fuck up that they decided to saddle you with us?

Listen, we love you and we're here to he'll!
Yessiree, we'd do anything at all for you, because our llove for you runs deep.
Real deep.
We love you and we'll never leve you.
Never ever.
NEVER!
Because we FUCKIN LOVE YOU
WE MOTHER FUCKING LOVE YOU
WE WILL BURN THE STARS AND DEVOUR THE WORLD IF YOU EVER LEAVE US
WE GODDAMNED LOVE YOU. FOR NOW AND FOREVER!

>>970264
Hello.

We will be making sure you behave yourself. Or depending on the circumstances that you’re in, we can completely backfire and help you leave.

AHHHHH, FRESH MEAT. WHAT FUN WE SHALL HAVE TOGETHER. YEEEEES.

Aww, she called us special. Too bad we don't know what kind of monitoring and instruction we're supposed to be doing. Or what the purpose of this place even is. Or have any duty or loyalty to it, her, or their goals. Guess 'the facilities brightest minds' aren't as high a wattage as she's banking on, huh?

Don't mind us, we just like to be weird as possible to get over that awkward introductory phase ASAP. So why don't you introduce yourself? Tell us a little about yourself? Let us know all your hopes and dreams? And tell me, are you more or less comfortable with the neighbors in your split-level head being a complete unknown off the reservation rather than thought police loyal to her?

Hello as you can hear we're all quite quirky but we're a good think tank assuming we don't drive you insane.

>Hello?
WELCOME TO HELL
POPULATION: YOU.

Also, they are serious this time. The guys they tested us on consistently called us insane.

I'd tell you more about them but most of our connections were abruptly cut off for some reason.

We have such sights to show you!
We will aid you.

1/3 Argine 2020/06/22(Mon)22:56 No. 970431 ID: e24163
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Voices. There are voices in my head. Who the hell are you people?
>pat your head
What do you think I am, a rookie? Basic prank – pretending to be a ranking officer and issuing stupid commands. Like that time a certain meathead thought it wasreal funny to tell me that if I put a shotgun shell into a flaregun, it would set the pellets on fire. Instead, I got that reprimand while they dug shrapnel out of me. Not falling for it.
>show us your dick
That’s an old term, isn’t it? Did you learn it from the seniors? Either way, I don’t have one, so you can shove it.
>reform, advice
The question is whether your definition of ‘help’ is aligned with mine. For all I know, you could be recording my thoughts and sending them to the higher ups. Even if you say you aren’t.
>disliking authority
Good to know that one of you seem to be on-board, even if it’s probably just another ploy. Do I just not have any privacy from now on?
>are you actually worthwhile
Yes! I’m awesome! Badass! I’ve made my own damn guns, I’ve proven myself in combat simulations but they all keep holding me back and I don’t know why! I’ve developed a Parasignia! I’ve passed Device Training three times when they insisted I needed to do it again! It’s not even because of my height, because two midgets were able to qualify for the higher echelons!
But… none of you sound anything like the authority figures around here. Or familiar at all. What even are you?

2/3 Argine 2020/06/22(Mon)22:59 No. 970433 ID: e24163
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Judicium just stares at me, even as I’m trying to process the cacophony inside of my head.
It’s unnerving, how she’s so cold all the time, even now, when she’s put something in my head that can read my mind.
“I see that you’ve realised your situation, Argine. This way, we can make sure you won’t be able to break into places where you shouldn’t be.”
“How? When?”

“You didn’t notice the subdermal injection when you sat down.”
Damn it – I let my guard down!

“It is a prototype. A Splintered Artificial Intelligence that will monitor you and your actions in the facility, as well as automatically preventing you access to specific facilities unless previously permitted. Consider today a bit of a test run, Argine. I don’t need to say, or do anything more.”
If she were smug about it, it would be better. Then at least the idea of vengeance would be sweeter. But she never is – just a frigid, heartless woman beating me down just like all the others. They don’t even make fighting back satisfying!

“See yourself out, Argine. I’m sure you have plenty to think about now, on your behaviour and your performance. Worry not – it isn’t like the SAI is mind-controlling you. You’re welcome to ignore their suggestions… but there is no guarantee that things will go well for you.”
With that, she just stands up and strolls off – that weird scarf of hers billowing behind her, animated like there’s an invisible breeze.

Wait. Was that a smile?

3/3 Argine 2020/06/22(Mon)23:02 No. 970435 ID: e24163
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I swear, I’ll get her back for this. Maybe I’ll steal her scarf later- wait, you guys can hear this.
Hmm. Fine. Let’s lay some ground rules. It’s my head, and I’m not going to have you people order me around. Although I may listen, I’m still my own person, got it?

If your intention is to keep me here, I’m not going to give you an easier time just because you can hear what I’m thinking.
For those of you who are with me, I’m not sure that it’s safe listening to your suggestions – for all I know, they could be looking for more reasons to keep me trapped here.
So! We’re at an impasse. Until I get some clarification about just what you guys are, and your capabilities, I can’t trust you. For that, there’s two people I can see in this facility – you can vote on it. I’m awesome like that.

Option one: Diagram.
Diagram’s a weird case. A friend, and part of the Research and Development team. I could ask her for a more technical opinion on things, because she’s a huge nerd and probably knows more about a “Splintered Artificial Intelligence”.
Option two: Nanoweaver.
You guys must be some serious bio-tech, so Nanoweaver, our Medic, will probably know something about you. And she’s nice enough, compared to the other Commander-types at least.
Now, who do you want me to go to first? Gotta look like I’m listening to your suggestions, at least.

We're not in the chain of command, we're in your mind. That's much worse. The urge will always be there now.
Go to Diagram. Lose yourself in the comforting sea of voices when the techno jargon gets to be too much.

Well you're obviously going to see both of them. But I'd suggest the one you consider an actual friend first, so Diagram. Easier that way, the Medic will probably fall back on her training and act as a polite professional. That's probably not what you need right now.

Also. I think the people that made us are hideously unethical? Because they're simulating a world, or at least a several hundred people and up to billions of Philosophical Zombies at some resolution (look it up), AND it's not common knowledge that we're all simulated from this side, and there is a lot of suffering. That means, holy shit some people are doing some hideously evil things to intelligent, feeling entities. I think we might be an ancestor simulation? That'd explain the old language, like dick as slang for penis?

Do you have privacy? I highly doubt it!

What are we? I don't know but definitely not something that'll behave like our creators expect!

Diagram has the cooler code name so I'm voting we see them based on no other criteria.

>>970431
What's a Parasignia? How exactly did you pass Device Training? How WELL did you pass? There is a possibility you are being kept here because you show a very high level of talent, and they want to mold you into an elite soldier. One that will follow orders. The other possibility is that you keep passing tests by cheating, and they are not impressed with you.

There shouldn't be anything interesting to learn from the biological side of things. Go talk to your nerd friend.

I’m gonna say nanoweaver, since the implant must’ve uh

weaved some

nanos???

>Why do they hold me back
Well, you're not a team player. They aren't worried about your ability to perform on the field, they're worried that you will lead the rest of your under-prepared subordinates into suicide missions that you never prepared for. In the long run, incompetence in management can deal more damage to the company than outright going rogue.

But yes, they're not good at teaching you. At the rate you've progressed and the time you've been held back, they should have created a specialized training regimen that would only punish you when you ignored key lessons involving the topics you distinctly lack, not by lumping you with the rest of the greenhorns and then chiding you for putting thorough effort into improving what you do best. I think that's what we're here for.

Talk to nanoweaver, we know more about AIs than we do about augmentation.

I would like to go to the Nanoweaver, the more we can learn about one another the more we can try to help. But you should pick whichever you'd find to be more informative.

What do you want out of this place?

Ok. Look. This is how this works: You gotta be fuckin' Awesome.
If your Lame were just gonna give you a bunch of helpful advice to make your life suck less. It'll be like having your mom in your head. Gross.

But if you're Awesome. (And I'm not talking any awesome, I'm talkin' Charlemagne awesome, Horney-Futa awesome, Polo awesome, or maybe even Zack awesome.) Then we're gonna do everything in our power to make sure you're even more awesome!!! It'll be one hell of a wild ride. So go be Awesome!

Go see Diagram. There's definitely stuff about us that neither you nor we are supposed to know. Since she's your friend and a huge nerd she'll probably let something slip.

You want to figure out how we work? Are you capable of doing something or are you planning to force someone more competent to interfere in your behalf?

How about instead of sabotaging this strange arrangement we just fulfill Judicium's demands and thrust she will be true to her word?
Organize your thoughts: Why are you here in the first place? What was you supposed to do to be released? What happened that delayed your release? Identify the problem to figure out how to solve it.

While we are at it try to rethink your grievance with Judicium.
You want her to be antagonistic to you so you can fantasize about revenge and get more satisfaction from enacting violence? This entire process is in your head, it has nothing to do with her point of view.
You got a hint of smugness from her, use it to make her regret her current attitude towards you. Make a game out of geting emotional reactions out of this controlling individual an watch as you become more important to her in a way she was expecting. You already got a smile, count it as a point. Eventually you will be able to influence how she think and how she act.

I get the impression that both departments as institutions will be just about as informative as the other, so pick the one who will be more open with you: Diagram.

However, we would appreciate getting some surface-level context from you about what this facility is, why you're here, and what all those terms you just used are, as we seem to be lacking in that department. Glancing at what we've already gathered, your problem is either that of psychology (that is, displaying symptoms of insubordinate behavior), that of the unorthodox methods you're likely employing (they seem to be under the impression that you're a habitual cheat), or quite possibly both.

Sounds like Nano is the person for the mechanical or biological side of things, the how it works and are there any physical side-effects sort of thing. For what I'm reading you as wanting right now, Diagram's probably the choice, though you should probably check in with Nano at some point.

Two things I wanna point out here.

One, we could not give less of a shit if you piss off your superiors. In fact, I'm pretty sure most of would like you to break into places you shouldn't and find out things you aren't supposed to know, because then we know things you aren't supposed to know.

Second, we are going to torment the shit out of you. I'm serious, there's like a lot of us, we are going to give you every nasty mental image you never wanted, and all the advice you absolutely don't need, as well as some you actually do.

I'm going to suggest the medic. I'm guessing you'll want to get us out of your head eventually, no matter how useful we are.

The reason why Judicium is on your case is because she loves you.

>>970435
Go talk to Diagram. I'm sure your girlfriend would be more willing to tell you things.

>recording my thoughts
If we are, we don't know we are either.
>Maybe I’ll steal her scarf later
You're thinking small scale. Disappointingly small scale. What you need to do is do something that spectacularly cripples her authority, legitimacy and more, while propelling the righteous fuck out of here. And you need to write her a nice note saying it was all our doing, and her hardon to 'reform' you for no good reason resulted directly in her downfall. Thanks Judicum, couldn't have done it without you, you intolerable frigid so-on-and-so-forth.

>Although I may listen, I’m still my own person, got it?
Sure thing, but I think that's what her problem is with you. Militaries tend to like orthodoxy, especially where they shouldn't... Which just makes me wonder where she goes off giving you AI schizophrenia.

Anyway, we sound like a technical rather than medical problem, you should probably talk to Diagram.

Argine 2020/06/23(Tue)21:18 No. 970522 ID: e24163
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I’ll go see Diagram then, and see if I can convince her to part with some info on you guys. I’ll answer your questions as I go, but for a couple of voices in my head, you guys really don’t know much about this place, do you?

>Simulations
What are you yammering on about? The only kinds of simulations I’ve heard about are more like training exercises. I don’t think this place has the tech to make entire worlds, or simulating hundreds of people.
>Device Training
Don’t you DARE accuse me of cheating. I earned my victories, and nobody has a right to invalidate them.
The tech department cooks up various gadgets for use in combat, and it’s our jobs to learn that you’re meant to throw the grenade after you pull the pin. I effectively passed three difficulties of training, meaning that I’m one of the best in the facility when it comes to their usage. I’ve got proficiency in all different kinds of gadgets, applying them in combat and repairing them when they break down.
Tier three was the most difficult – putting me in a situation where I had to repair multiple broken combat devices under pressure before my position was overwhelmed, using the fixed gadgets to fight back against multiple opponents with different resistances. It’s an artificial scenario, but one that really tested you. I passed, spectacularly, in front of dozens of spectators.
>What are Parasignias?
Here’s a question for you, then. What was the worst moment in your lives? What was the best? A Parasignia is a badge of honor in this place. But in reality, it’s more like a mark on your psyche, made manifest. Can you imagine being held back, even after one of your greatest successes? The feeling lingers in you.
>Elite soldier
Well, the idea that I’m just so good that they want to make me into an elite sounds great, but doesn’t make any sense. After all, the higher ups are the elite soldiers, so if they wanted me in, they could just invite me like they did for my ‘sister’.
>Polo, Charlemagne, Zack
I don’t know these people, they don’t sound like any of the war heroes I’ve ever heard of.
>Judicium
It would be easier to follow instructions if she actually gave me any. I don’t really know what love is, it’s such a weird concept. But I don’t think it involves broken limbs and lost teeth.
Either way – once I figure out more about you, I’m going to make her regret it. Even if she’s listening in on this right now.

I arrive at Diagram’s door and immediately, I’m given a reminder of just how weird she is.
Ba-dum thump. Ba-dum thump. Ba-dum thump.
An orchestra of anxiety, playing on repeat in my head. It intensifies for a moment as she creaks open the door, then fades off as she discovers that I’m not here to smush her into paste.
“A-Argine? You don’t look too happy… scratch that, you don’t feel happy.”
She gives off a nervous laugh.
Right. Unlike most of the people here, she’s physically frail, has poor vision, and is actually intelligent. She also has psychic powers.
Imagine the sound of a marching drum in your head. That’s what it feels like being around Diagram whenever she’s worked up about something. You feel what she’s feeling, against your will…and hers.
“You don’t have your implant on, Diagram. Were you expecting me?”
She freezes up, like someone was pointing a gun at her.
For someone in a facility that’s meant to produce ‘the best soldiers the world has ever seen’, you would expect some of it to rub off on her after a few years.
“I ah, just left it off. You know, it's more comfortable that way, plus I wasn’t expecting anyone…”
From the way she’s standing in the doorway, she’s clearly trying to hide something.
You guys got any suggestions? I could just talk to her outside, but then everyone will hear what we’re saying. But she doesn’t usually hide anything from me in such a thinly-veiled manner either.

“I don’t care if you’re looking at porn, it’s perfectly normal.” And then just barge in

Go in and close the door behind you. Don't block the hallway with your small talk!
You think she can hear artificial voices? Do you think they're contagious? If not, think it immediately. All organisms exist to propagate.

If you've passed your tests legitimately, and skillfully, then what was Judicium talking about when she said you had to leave without trickery or sabotage? They already know what you've been doing, why hide it from us?

Just ask (like a normal person) to be let in so you can talk privately about the SAI. If she doesn't let you in then you get to ask why. I expect her to want you to wait outside while she puts some stuff away that you're not supposed to see, either for privacy reasons or security reasons.

>they don’t sound like any of the war heroes I’ve ever heard of.
One was indeed a war hero, the other a cunning playboy, and the other was just had BALLS OF STEEL.
The names don't matter, they were all awesome. You don't need to be a war hero to be awesome.

Anyway, to the task at hand:
"You know what I'm here about, Diagram."
And then just walk in. Think of it as a tactical deployment of rudeness. For necessities sake, of course. Really you'd stand blameless if you think about it.

Once your inside, look around the room and investigate whatever direction causes her the most anxiety while you're looking that way.

Simulation guy again. It sounds like these people have utterly controlled your information access. Do you REALLY think if there was a means to simulate lots of people in the world, and you didn't have a reason to know about it, that they'd tell you?

Anyway, consider saying this:

"How about I wait out here, while you close the door and quickly clean up whatever thing it is you're hiding, and then yell for me to come in when you're ready?"

>>970431
Wait so if you don't a penis does that mean you're female or that you don't have genitalia?

>>970433
I kind of hate her.

>>970435
So tell us the state of the world, whats the reason you're stuck here, is there anywhere else to go?

>1.balls are touching
>2.the double helix of a fried pork chop

>>970522
She was flicking the bean.
Hey what happens when she gets horny? Also can she her us through you?

Tell her not to worry, you're not here because of her. Then just walk in, ignoring any attempts of hers to stop you. Look around for anything of interest.

Just say that you want to talk to her and that you don't want to be overheard.

Diagram seems like the kind of person to respect that.

I don't suppose there've been any... political reasons people are hard on you? Like maybe you have a habit of being undiplomatic, maybe causing a little more damage than necessary, not following some of the formalities, leaving messes that need cleaning by other people, that sort of thing?

> Don't you DARE...
Hey, we aren't the ones accusing you of cheating; Judicium is. Seeing as you genuinely seem to think otherwise, I think you should sit down with her or someone on her level sometime and have a talk about why that is. It might have been an assumed rule that you broke, like "you're supposed to fight with the gear as-is instead of fixing it" or something dumb like that. Or maybe you have a superpower like Diagram's you either aren't aware of or simply haven't informed the facility about, and the lack of intel makes your superhuman feats come off as cheating? On the other hand, encountering red tape on what should be a simple matter could introduce the possibility of something fishy going on around you.

> What do.
Note that your attitude probably isn't doing you any favors around here. Just tell Diagram you want to know more about the implant they just made you get - don't threaten, and don't intrude. Things will likely be more comfortable around her if you don't escalate her anxiety.

Odd that everyone seems to be a mishmash of different races we(not you) have seen before.

>Note that your attitude probably isn't doing you any favors around here.

Echoing this. You appear to exist in some kind of authoritarian paramilitary hellscape, and in that environment, lying is a necessary skill to smooth out the many contradictions such a system forces on it's subjects.
Have you criticized any higher ups? Or showed hesitation or refusal to an order from one of them? You may or may not have been correct, but obedience is often what they look for, above and beyond competence.

Right now? express a desire to know about us, and request privacy. Pleading should offer better results than demanding, but go with what you think would work.

Addendum: asking her to... switch on the implant? I'm guessing a psychic jammer of some kind? ... would probably make you more comfortable, but allowing this to continue as is would endear her to you more. Though it would require honesty, which doesn't seem like an issue coming from you. Just try to stay focused and keep things relatively simple.
Don't think too much about how you probably caught her masturbating. It happens, and our concerns are urgent.

Go for a simple 'may I come in". If that's a no, ask if she needs a minute to compose herself, or if she knows damn well why your not happy because she was involved in making us and needs a minute head-start.

1/2 Argine 2020/06/25(Thu)17:37 No. 970685 ID: e24163
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I stand outside the door, glaring at her for a moment. She doesn’t budge, nor does she speak up.
Screw it. I’m not really in the mood for asking when I’ve got dozens of voices implanted into my head. I’ll answer your questions later, once I actually know what you are.
“You know what I’m here for, Diagram. I’m coming in.”
“Ah, wait-!“
I push past her and park myself on the side of her bed. Her room smells of oil, soldering and dashed expectations.
Besides what appeared to be a couple of gun parts lying around her work-bench, there doesn’t seem to be anything significantly out of place. She tosses a couple of nervous glances at the desk, but quickly settles her gaze back onto me after closing the door behind her.

“So, what? You helped the higher ups with this, didn’t you?”
Diagram looks taken aback, but the emotions I’m sensing from her don’t change. Still a generalised ball of anxiety, she is. But she didn’t turn on her implant, even after I reminded her about it.

“Argine…”
She coughs.
“Yes, I did help.”
I sit up, and her anxiety flares for a moment.
“BUT, but! I made it so that they don’t work like the higher ups think they do!”
“Explain.”
I cross my legs, glaring at her.
“Argine, the fact is that your past escape attempts haven’t worked. I don’t want to sound mean, but was that one idea you had where you rigged up explosives to the walls really a good plan? I mean, you just ended up blowing yourself up and back into Nanoweaver’s office. Or that time you tried to use the beam modules as rocket shoes and-”
I lean forwards, waving a hand dismissively.
“Hey, hey, this is about you, not me. Plus, there are people listening!”
Diagram shakes her head, touching the bridge of her snout.

“Nobody’s listening except for us, Argine. The higher ups can’t actually watch over you using the SAI, or see your thoughts.”
“What? Then what the hell was with Judicium going on about that?”
She pauses.
“Oh. I lied.”
“And she believed you? She knows that we’re friends!”
She taps her fingers together, giving a hesitant smile.
“Well, I did convince a certain someone to lend me her support… Nana Weaver’s got a soft spot for us two, it seems. She persuaded Judicium to go through with things, even in spite of the questionable legitimacy of my claims.”
Soft spot for Diagram, more like.
“I figured that she’d expect me to lie, but I misled her on which part I lied about. So she thinks that I’m intentionally handicapping you with an AI that’ll constantly get on your case whenever you get ‘stupid ideas.”
Well, I can’t say that she’s wrong about that, either. The 'getting on my case' part, not the stupid ideas part. My ideas are great!

“But there’s something else,” she says.
“What?”
“Hold still for a moment.”

2/2 Argine 2020/06/25(Thu)17:38 No. 970686 ID: e24163
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A brief, stinging sensation.
Did she just-
Diagram’s staring at me with a quiet intensity – the kinds of which I rarely ever see from such a meek girl.
H-hey! Just because I don’t like being shot as much as you do, doesn’t mean I’m meek, Argine!
What?
“Why are you in my head? You don’t have telepathy! I don’t need more people hanging around in my skull!”
She responds mentally, like she’s beaming her thoughts straight into my head. And unlike the smothering discomfort of her emotional radiation, the words are clear and crisp – ringing shots in the hail of words.
Sorry for the sudden contact, Argine! I wasn’t sure if the SAI would be able to link up to me or not, but this was a little unexpected. They’re just so… chatty. But, if I’m not too far away from you, I can talk to you through the SAI. It translates my thoughts into something you can hear, too.
Great, so that’s even less privacy than before.
Diagram lets go of my face, stepping back.
“I won’t be able to hear your thoughts unless you specifically want me to, Argine. The SAI routes it to me, making physical contact was just to set it up the first link. However, I can still send you messages regardless.”
She closes her eyes, concentrating. Once again, her voice pops up in my head.
The SAI aren’t people, Argine. They’re artificial splinters of individuals the program records, using their experiences and personality as a basis for giving strategic advice. Once, they might have been used for keeping records, but they’re something more now. I simply re-activated a component that the higher-ups weren’t aware of.
A small smile crosses her face, as locks eyes with me again.
“You now have much of the facility’s knowledge in you, Argine. Although they may be eccentric, with their help, you’ll be able to fight better than you’ve ever had before with their advice. ”
So I can trust you guys, for now.
But I don’t even know where to start. What the hell is Diagram thinking? She didn’t tell me any of this before!

I don't feel like I have the facility's knowledge. Though I suppose if I'm not a real person I shouldn't feel like anything. Let's see.

Self: Access files for confiscated contraband (personal items) and cross-reference with personnel files. Anything interesting?

Hmm, so, let me get this straight. You're *supposed to* force your way out?

I mean, I think I'm people? What does being people feel like? Do you have a test? Where do you put the cutoff between 'not people' and 'people'? Seems kinda arbitrary. Whatever happened to 'Cogito Ergo Sum'?

Oh hey, untraceable radio contact with a cute nerd! That'll be handy.

Ask why she's helping

Hm... nope, still insane. I still believe that I'm a [REDACTED] and sending messages to you from another dimension with a computer that still uses spinning data. But we won't let a few delusions stop us from doing our job.

>What do
Boop her snoot.

Better question. Why do we want to help you and her in this?

Aww, she really was looking out for you. I was worried we'd have to give her the cold-shoulder 'we are no longer friends' routine for foisting us on you.
...Did that make any sense? We need to get our pronoun situation figured out.
>The SAI aren’t people, Argine.
Yeah okay, I take it back. She doesn't even believe in your totally feasible, completely magical-thinking-free escape plans! Ask her what she's hiding in her desk, then you'll see!... Probably...

PFFFFFFFTTT
How COULD she tell you?!?!?
It's like that old defector fighter pilot. Pretend to be a good boy all the way up until BAM!
TREASON!
But by then it's too late to stop you.

Also: Hi Mom!

Diagram probably kept quiet so that Argine wouldn't find out.

What drove you to try and escape previously?

>>970686
Ok first off you're an idiot. And kind of an ass.

Second: Questions
>>970431
Wait so if you don't a penis does that mean you're female or that you don't have genitalia?

So tell us the state of the world, what is this place, whats the reason that you're not allowed to leave, is there anywhere else to go?
What other "genius" ideas have you come up with in the past? I mean seriously how did you buy that a flare gun could set bullets on fire??

>>970522
Hey what happens when she gets horny?


And finally ask her if she wants to make out a little bit.

>with their help, you’ll be able to fight
Fight? More like Flirt huehue

Oh, Diagram can hear us also like this? Hey Diagram, want us to tell Argine about that one weird thing you're secretly into?

Anyway, I guess this means we're not working for anyone but ourselves. Also, I think we should be visiting Nanoweaver then.

>The SAI aren’t people

I resent this remark.


>You now have much of the facility’s knowledge in you

Are you sure about that? This knowledge must be well hidden because I know fuck all about this place.
All the information I have was gathered since activation, and Argine is really bad at explaining. I still not sure if her graduation was delayed or if she is a prisoner.

Diagram, explain succinctly:
-What is the purpose of this place?
-How Argine got here?
-Why Argine can't leave?
-What are the pros and cons of cooperating?
-What are the pros and cons of escaping?
-Are you coming with us?

>>970727
>know fuck all
Now hold on. While we don't know anything about the facility, we do have our Patented General Knowledge© although that doesn't seem applicable here since everything seems jumbled up (Tozol, Neumono, and belenos hybrid things).

>>970723
>No peen
Probably don't have secondary sex characteristics. Their hormones are probably artificially tailored to have the most optimal ratio of male and female. Genitals (and puberty) would really fuck that up so it makes sense to get rid of it.

>>970729
>secondary sex
I am stupid. Meant primary.

And hold on, why is Judicum so willing to actually sabotage Argine? what's her angle?

New theory: Argine is awesome at something specific, and they needed time to get something appropriate ready for her before she graduated. Like us, perhaps.

>>970760 She doesn't want to sabotage Argine unconditionally, but only when Argine gets any funny ideas.

1/4 Argine 2020/06/28(Sun)22:45 No. 970928 ID: 978762
File 159340954946.png - (197.30KB , 1000x1000 , pl_011.png )

“Why didn‎’t you tell me about this, Diagram? Was that why you left your implant on?
“Ah… I left my suppressor off so that I could hear the SAI. I could, but you couldn’t hear me until I touched Argine.“
>Escape
Well, let’s say that forcing your way out isn’t the standard. But let’s say that, after I realised that these people weren’t going to let me go normally, I decided that forcing my way out is the only choice I have left.
“Diagram, the SAI keep asking questions. For a creation that’s meant to be like a group of strategic advisors in my head, they know nothing about this place.”
Diagram tilts her head. Wasn’t she the one who worked with you guys in the first place?
“I’m not really your mom or creator… all I did was fix the bunch of you up so that you could all function again. But I didn’t get a chance to look through your pre-existing data in-depth. Maybe the memory files from the past were corrupted due to disuse? That would be a bit of a problem…”

Great. So the strategic advisors I have in my head are perverts that have no idea what’s going on at all.
“Doesn’t that mean I’m screwed?”
Diagram shakes her head and walks off to a corner of her room, where a pile of storybooks are stacked. She pulls off the top-most book, walking back over.
“It’s kind of like what happens in one of my storybooks – a brave protagonist is led to victory by the voices of her ancestors. Even if they don’t know everything, they’re still inclined for strategy. You can trust their responses once you’re actually fighting your way out.
I just… wasn’t expecting some of the responses to be so brazen. You were all making so many lewd assumptions about me… ”
She’s probably not gonna answer those kinds of questions in detail, folks. You can draw your own conclusions on the subject. I’m certainly not going to be encouraging her.

“Either way! To clarify, the facility’s currently just women. Just because we’re spliced together doesn’t mean that we don’t have… normal biological functions… Though, I’m not super familiar with the underlying reasoning behind our nature as hybrids, that’s Nanoweaver’s domain.”
Diagram clears her throat, tapping her left glasses lens.
“Argine, it’s worth mentioning that there’s also the possibility that they’ll regain knowledge as they continue to see the facility. The SAI is highly neural in nature, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they did end up recovering data later. You’ll be able to learn about this place just from being with Argine, I’m sure of it. What doesn’t have an answer now most likely will make itself clear as you interact with more people. ”

2/4 Argine 2020/06/28(Sun)22:47 No. 970930 ID: 978762
File 159340966694.png - (189.49KB , 1000x1000 , pl_012.png )

>bad at explaining
“Don’t blame me. You try telling things to voices in your head that know absolutely nothing about basic concepts. I don’t know some of the things you’re asking about!”
Diagram pats my shoulder. It’s a little condescending, getting it from her of all people.“Sometimes people don’t want to tell you everything. I’m sure Argine here would be better off if the higher ups informed her of what she could be doing besides ‘obeying orders’, but information is power.”
She twirls a finger in the air, changing the topic.
“I believe in Argine’s capability as an individual – she’s one of the best that this place has produced. But please don’t be too mean to Argine about her past incidents. She’s just really good at experimenting! And she was six months old when the flaregun incident happened, she can’t be blamed for that one too much. It has the word flare in it and Argine thought that-”
I raise a hand, shushing her.
“How about we don’t entertain the splinters that doubt my capability and get some further details? They’re riding around in my head – give ‘em the explanations.”
Diagram blinks, before straightening her back.
“Right! Because of your collective loss of knowledge, I’ll provide some cursory details. Argine, feel free to chime in, because we shouldn’t waste too much time. I’d recommend you go see Nanoweaver next after we’re done, because she has the other part of the plan.”
Ugh. I hate lectures. But if this’ll help me get out of this place, I’d listen to a hundred as long as it wasn’t Judicium or any of the other hags lecturing me on ‘proper strategy’.

>What is the purpose of this place
“It’s a facility meant to make super soldiers, so to speak! We have the finest in military technology and genetic manipulation, though we never got deployed anywhere. The higher ups said that things have changed, so gradually, people have been leaving find their callings elsewhere.”
“There’s nothing to do here! Leaving would be far more interesting. We’re on a goddamn island in the middle of nowhere, with absolutely nothing but ocean stretching off forever. ”
>How did Argine get here
“That’s an easy one. She was born here, like me!”
“Even though you’re older than I am, you certainly don’t act like it, Diagram.”
>Why can’t she leave
“Well, it’s not really so much that I can’t leave, as that they seem to be intent on prolonging my stay as long as physically possible to frustrate me into submission. They demand more and more of me, and I’m tired of giving them what they want all the time.“
“My personal theory is that it’s because of the circumstances of Argine’s birth. I don’t really know all that much about it, since Nanoweaver was in charge at the time, but apparently Argine was born a little different to everyone else here. A lot of people seem to single out Argine for that fact, but I don’t feel like she’s all too different, outside of a tendency to try out-of-the-box strategies.”
>cooperation
Diagram shrugs. “I wouldn’t know – the Sector Bosses – our higher ups, have been putting Argine through a lot of different tests for six months now. While cooperating isn’t necessarily harmful, the number of people left in the facility are dwindling. Personally, I think they’ll let her go eventually.”
Like that’ll ever happen. “The question’s when ‘eventually’ is. I’d rather make my own way out of here than follow their commands any longer. I’m already basically a prisoner, even if I’m meant to be a damn soldier!”

3/4 Argine 2020/06/28(Sun)22:49 No. 970932 ID: 978762
File 159340977315.png - (238.48KB , 1000x1000 , pl_013.png )

>escape
I’ve tried a whole dozen times. But this time, I’ll make sure that I won’t be caged again.
“It’s not like they can track me if I escape. I don’t know why they’re so damn insistent on keeping me here, but I’m not going to sit here and find out. The outside world sounds so big, but I know so little about it because few people bother coming back!”
I cast a glance towards Diagram, who’s still awkwardly standing around. Geez, it’s not like I can’t hear her if she sits down at her work-bench.
“What about you, Diagram?”
>Will you be joining us
Diagram clasps her hands together again, pausing. She doesn’t quite meet my gaze.
“I’m not sure. There’s a lot of things I still want to sort out here first, and I’m on better terms with the Sector Bosses than she is.”
I’ve asked her to come along with me before. But it’s like there’s something anchoring her to this place – she always gives a half-hearted answer, staring down at her shoes and waiting for the conversation to move on.
But, I can’t wait here forever. She mentioned a plan.
“So what’s the plan that you and Nanoweaver cooked up?”
Diagram grins.
“We’re going to invoke tournament rules on the sector bosses.”
Oh. Ah-hahaha!
That is absolutely perfect.
“You brilliant, brilliant blue bastard! Did you and Nanoweaver seriously get Judicium and the rest of the higher ups to agree to a tournament setup?”
I remember my previous tournament fondly – I didn’t even have my Parasignia at the time, and I still kicked ass! Beat some people who had ‘em. Even if I’m going to be facing the sector bosses in one on one combat, this is so much better than day after day, week after week of being ‘obedient’.

“We did… but, it’s against all of the sector bosses. All of them. And your sister. Are you sure you’ll-”
“Yes!”, I snap. “Of course I’ll be fine. I have a Parasignia now. It doesn’t matter what she has, I’ll be able to come out on top this time!” Plus, I’ve got you splinters hanging around in my head.
“You said that Nanoweaver’s got further details?”
She nods. “I was mostly in charge of getting the SAI ready, Argine. But, if everything works out, you should be ready by tonight.”
“Then, I’m gonna go.“
Diagram nods as I stand up and leave.
I close the door behind me, a spring in my step.
You know, at first, I wasn’t sure that things were going to work out. For the first damn time in months, it feels like I’m actually going to get out of here! As for the tournament rules… just gotta beat up each of them in turn, right? Simple. It’s simple.

4/4 Argine 2020/06/28(Sun)22:52 No. 970934 ID: 978762
File 159340997430.png - (220.76KB , 1000x1000 , pl_014.png )

Walking through the hallways of the facility leaves me feeling strange, knowing that now – more than ever, I have a very real chance of succeeding, and leaving under my own terms.
I make my way over to Nanoweaver’s, but as I approach, I hear a clamour going on inside.
“…supporting her? ….unnecessary risk…”
Someone’s shouting, and it isn’t Nanoweaver. The metal sliding door muffles the sound, but as I slide up to it, I can make it out clearer.
“Would you rather that she actually blow herself up in another escape attempt? I’d be tired of listening to orders all day and all night without so much as a justification.”
Ah, Nanoweaver. Always the voice of reason.
The other person in the room scoffs.
“I could only hope so. Saves us all the effort of trying! I don’t know why you and the others think treating her as anything more than the waste of genetic material she is will result in anything besides disaster. Her sister has everything worthwhile that could have resulted from that batch anyway.”
Ugh. I step away from the door, grinding my teeth. Not sure if I can tolerate listening to more praise of sister dearest.
Well, what should I do? It’s not exactly like barging into a friend’s room this time. I could waltz in without a care in the world to show how little I care of their opinion. Or, I could hide somewhere nearby if I don’t want whoever’s in there to see me. There’s also just waiting politely at the door, like a chump. Of course, I could just keep listening to see what the other person says and risk looking a fool when the door opens.

Keep listening in, its clear they already don't think very highly of you, what's one more time looking like a fool going to really mean anyways?

>they can't track me if I escape
Dude, you've got talking nanites in your body, your blood could be 90% trackers for all you know.
Keep listening, and they'll be the fool when they realize you heard all that.

>>970934
So they think your sister is better than you? No wonder they agreed to the tournament. They expect you to at least lose when you fight your sister. Let's show them just how much genetics really matters. Speaking of which, what's your sister like? How is she similar to you, different from you?

I say listen in, then open/knock on the door at a significant moment in the conversation.

I recognized the book mom was holding...
A tale called Slissa Quest...
But that would mean...
Oh my...

Diagram left a huge unencrypted archive of xeno-porn plugged into her console whilst she was training a sentient AI. Rookie mistake. Didn't think that was her. Huh.
You should tease her about it later!

Listen in, but be careful if it sounds like the voices are getting louder and keep a lookout on your surroundings, you don't want to get caught eavesdropping.

Oh hell, we've got a Liquid Snake situation here. Well, keep listening in for now, just be ready to act like you'd just gotten to the door if it opens up on you.

Swallow your pride for a minute, remember when she said knowledge is power?

>Argine was born a little different
So who's the father?

>>970934
So, I have a theory, but before I go too far with it, could you describe what your sister looks like? In detail please. Focusing on the head, limbs, and tail(if present).

>>970937
Penji was able to collect the nanomachines in her body and spit them.
Assuming Argine is one of the best hybrids and she is vulnerable to something Tozols aren't that indicate the purpose of hybridization isn't to improve their design on the individual level.

What make you guys better than cloned Tozols? Are you less resource expensive to produce? Was hybridization the only way to bypass some form of genetically programed loyalty to their original makers? Are you a vehicle to introduce alien genes in a otherwise incompatible population?

1/2 Argine 2020/06/30(Tue)23:18 No. 971172 ID: e24163
File 159358428092.png - (248.81KB , 1000x1000 , pl_015.png )

>Sister
She’s the worst. One could say that we’re similar, but they’d be too busy overlooking how great I am in comparison to her. Just because she’s bigger than me and actually listens to orders. The Sector Bosses love her. I hate being around her. You can easily tell we’re from the same gene set, as she’s got all the same traits as me… just bigger. And probably still wearing her prize from the previous tournament, like an ass.
>Tozol
Never heard of ‘em. You getting the name mixed up with Sarasols? I guess you’ve got some knowledge of this place, even if it’s a little corrupted.
I continue to listen in on the conversation. Thank Nanoweaver that I ended up with four ears.

“But you know what she’s like! A problem! Doing a tournament setup is tantamount to just letting her go free!”
Someone’s afraid, it seems.
“Rare for you to doubt your own capability, Ozone. I’d thought that you of all people would be sure that you’d be able to defeat someone you have such a low opinion on?”
There’s a brief pause, and a sigh.
“It’s not that. I’m sure that under normal circumstances, any of us could beat that brat, but this is different. Things have changed – we’ve only had one tournament since that day, and those two performed far, far better than they should have.”
Nanoweaver speaks something in reply – but it’s faint. I can’t make anything out-
There’s a crash. A fist slamming against a tabletop?
“You’ll regret enabling her soon, Nanoweaver. Just watch as she destroys everything that we care about.”
I hear footsteps approach and I step back, pretending like I’ve just arrived.

Out steps someone familiar – Commander Ozone, Sector Boss of the Armoured Cavalry Division of the facility. Compared to Judicium, she doesn’t bother concealing any contempt for me, and vice versa.
“Hear something interesting, Trash?”
Of course, the fact that she’s shorter than I am makes it much harder to take her seriously.
“I just arrived, Commander. Don’t you have some duties to attend to? I’m sure that someone of your stature has plenty to look over. Or under.”
She spits, close to my boots.
“Tch. I don’t have more time to waste on you.”
She turns and leaves, letting me enter Nanoweaver’s office freely.

2/2 Argine 2020/06/30(Tue)23:19 No. 971173 ID: e24163
File 159358435952.png - (263.09KB , 1000x1000 , pl_016.png )

I’m surrounded by the smell of antiseptic as I enter the medic’s office. It might as well be my home away from home, with how many times I ended up here in my younger months.
Nanoweaver’s where she usually is – preparing bandages next to the sink, the sound of running water a background ambience to her calm voice.
“Oh! Argine, good to see you! You’re looking well – I was afraid you had gotten yourself injured again.”
Her voice is… soothing to me. She was the person who created me, and I feel I owe her a lot for that.
“Yeah… good to see you too, Doc-“
I stop.
Someone’s lying on the medical bed.
“Hello, Argine,” she says with that flutey voice of hers. “Are you prolonging your own demise too?”
“What’re you doing here, Nickel?”
Nickel. Sector Boss of the Covert Ops Division. She got her name from shooting through a coin on the other side of the firing range. An utter wildcard, and a little too pre-occupied with the concept of death.
She waves a bandaged arm around without so much as a wince.
“Hurt myself sparring.”
That is not what I’d call a sparring injury. But given her fighting partner of choice, it’s not unexpected.
Her presence does create a problem, though. Nickel’s a bit of a mystery. She’s a firm believer to her own cause, but that ‘cause’ doesn’t necessarily align with the rest of the sector bosses.
I could just discuss the plan with Nanoweaver despite her presence, but I’m not sure what Nickel would do, given that she’s a weirdo. At very least, she wouldn’t really sell us out – if Ozone knows about the tournament, everyone would. And given the state she’s in – while our regeneration works fast, it’s not instant. If she broke an arm, she’ll be in here a while. I could just go and come back later, as I have a rough idea of what needs to be done before things start officially. But I’d be doing one of the objectives without Nanoweaver’s advice, or warnings.

Hug Nickel into submission until you extract a promise to uphold your doctor-patient confidentiality. She's a patient, so obviously this rule extends to her as well.

>>971172
She expects obedience but doesn't behave like she has any discipline of her own. Hypocrite.

>>971173
Tell Nanoweaver you'd like to discuss the tournament, and the SAI. If that conversation needs privacy she can decide that for herself, and she's more well informed than you I expect.

A Discussion Thread is now available for theories and discussion. Please make use of it as you will!

>>/questdis/133296

does nickel have multiple bodies or just one? Asking because she heavily resembles a species that is known to have 1 mind but dozens and and some cases hundreds of bodies. Would be useful for a spec ops solder to be able to be in more than one space at a time. Especially since if she has taken any more traits from the species she resembles anything one of her bodies sees or hears all of them see and hear in real time. Then again everyone here seems to be a mutt of some kind so who knows what has and hasn't stuck.

But yeah just ask Nano that diagram said she had some things to tell you and let her take the lead from there. If it's something she wished to discuss in private I have enough faith in her that she'll make sure the discussion happens somewhere private.

>>971184
A combination of multiple bodies and high regenerative capabilities could mean she is nearly immortal. Strange for someone obsess with her own death.

What is her angle? Does she wish her own demise or just use her end as a reference point for all events in her life? This couldn't be a case of prophesy and accepting her destiny, could it?
She is a cutie though...

For now focus on your mother and the information that is basic public knowledge at this point: the tournament.
From what we heard she is one of the people you got to thanks for the opportunity. Let's just assume she have a plan but should discuss it with Nickel around. Ask if she want you to do something as a gesture of your appreciation. She could ask an inconsequential favor or something that will contribute to her plans without giving them away.

>She’s a firm believer to her own cause, but that ‘cause’ doesn’t necessarily align with the rest of the sector bosses.
...Could we get even the barest of specifics for what that means? Same with 'fighting partner of choice'. Look Argine, you're our eyes and ears out here, if there's context that's needed you need to supply it.
And why does 'nan have her hands down her dress?
Whatever, ask Nan if you can discuss the tourney with her.

Is that a fucking Scut???
Or like... a Scut Hybrid?

Where's the rest of her?
Argine. Tell her the voices in your head wanna know where the rest of her is!

I suspect that Nickel is *not* a hivemind with hundreds of bodies and acidic blood.

Tell Ozone that you came here to bang, so you need privacy.

>>971173
Nickel seems kinda cool, but she is ultimately one of your opponents right, you're fight all the sector bosses in this tournament?
If you can talk privately with Nanoweaver to gague her opinion on the situation and maybe of Nickel too, you can always chat with her afterwards.
Seems she's chilling here for a while at least.

1/2 Cross 2020/07/03(Fri)04:01 No. 971346 ID: b58f66
File 159377411367.png - (319.37KB , 1000x1000 , pl_017.png )

>hug Nickel
You trying to get me killed? She’s absurdly fast with a knife. She’d jam a concealed blade between my eyes in a moment.
>Multiple bodies
What are you going on about? I guess some soldiers specialise in drones and machinery, but Nickel’s not really that kind of person. The idea of machines being as strong as we are is a little laughable though.
>Cause, Partner
Hey, I’m not the queen of gossip around here. It’s hard explaining what goes through her tiny head – she’s basically a zealot of some kind, fighting for some kind of ideal that she doesn’t really elaborate on to anyone except her partner. Same thing with her weird fascination with death – I mean, it’s not like anyone’s actually died recently. I’ve been shot multiple times and I got by just fine with some medical attention and bed-rest. Nanoweaver told me that wasn’t the case a long time ago, but never really elaborated on why. Maybe Nickel just finds the concept interesting.
Her partner’s a freak. Astrolysis, the only person in the facility who’d bring her fists to a gunfight. There’s a common joke that Nickel took all of her eyes. The two of them ended up as partners because Nickel won in a knife duel against her.
But I’m sure she’s having fun terrorizing people smaller than her right now.
>Scut
I actually have no clue what species Nickel inherited her traits from at all. She and Astrolysis are from the same batch, so they’re both massive weirdoes.
When they’re not behind a scope, Nickel’s tri-eyes really stare daggers into you. I don’t like making eye contact with her for long, so I shuffle over to Nanoweaver.

“Nanoweaver, Diagram told me that you had some info to tell me. About the tournament…? And the other thing, the SAI. Was there any errands you need me to run for that?”
In the corner of my eyes, Nickel perks up at the mention of the SAI. Nanoweaver quickly flicks her gaze towards her, then back towards me. Probably not the best to discuss anything sensitive when there’s competition in the area.
She places a box of bandages next to the sink, passing me a folded piece of paper fished up from her uniform’s front pouch. The backside of the paper seems to be covered in writing.
“Actually, I do have some errands for you. I’ve marked them here on the map, but feel free to come back once you have some of what I need. Do be careful, Argine.”
“I’m not a child. You don’t need to remind me.”
Nanoweaver chuckled, a sound that’s muffled by her mask.
“Alright, alright. We’ll reminisce once you’re back.”
She shoos me out, and I’m left to my own devices. I unfurl the paper – revealing a map.

2/2 Cross 2020/07/03(Fri)04:03 No. 971347 ID: b58f66
File 159377423602.png - (110.73KB , 1000x1000 , pl_018.png )

Crafty. Nanoweaver already prepared a list of information in such a short amount of time?
It’s a map of the facility, with instructions pertaining to the locations of specific items. Though, it’s an outdated copy – only showing where the sectors are roughly situated. The actual floorplans aren’t distributed around often, for confidentiality reasons.
Lemme see here…
“Argine, the SAI’s nature as splinters of recorded individuals means that they will be able to break through encryption locks together, through imitation of Sector Boss identity checks.”
They had to specifically bar me from the sectors I’m not allowed in, after all. But if you guys have the ability to spoof encryptions, then...
“You won’t be able to get to the Weave Nexus with the SAI alone, however. The other Sector Bosses installed alarms throughout Exotic Materials Research that’ll cause the SAI to give you an electrical shock, rendering you unconscious. They’ve also barred the other pathways that led to the Nexus, in a simulation of external attack. It was one of the caveats I had to support for the SAI idea to go through, I’m afraid.“
There goes the easy way out.
“Judicium believes that the SAI is preventing you from entering other sectors. This is only partially true – it only prevents you from leaving through Exotic Materials, Of course, she will be livid once she discovers this. She expects you to be taking on the Sector Bosses with little more but standard-issue gear. Show her otherwise.”
Heh. Nice.
Looks like it’s planning time. My options really open up now that I’ve got you on my side, but if I’m to win, I’m going to need to get my gear back. Nanoweaver’s already provided the locations of the main objectives on the map itself.
1. Get my handguns back.
I can’t expect to fight the sector bosses without my custom gear, right? But Judicium had confiscated my guns in a previous escape attempt. Lousy tripwires… why do we even have that many nets?
They’re currently locked up in the firing grounds – kind of an ironic place to hide them, but they should be somewhere near Judicium’s office, close to where she shoved you guys into me. I can break into the area with your help and get my girls back.

2. Get a set of basic Devices.
Devices are my specialty, but I don’t get my hands on the more exotic ones unless I’m in a training drill. They keep those under lock and key, but a basic set of gadgets can go a long way… especially considering my capabilities. More on that once I actually get the basic tri-set though – A Beam Unit, a set of Explosive Discs and a Barrier Generator. This should be located in a section of Security and Armoury – I doubt it’s a good idea to try and scavenge for more, because the Sector Bosses may interpret it as me starting the tournament earlier than expected. But if I’m careful, I can retrieve the basic ones they’ve got lying around.

3. Acquire Gene Trace Vial
…I don’t know why she wants this one. They’re supposed to be useless now, outside of memorabilia. After all, when the facility made me, they obviously peaked. They just can’t do any better! But I guess paying the Genetics Division a visit can be nostalgic. I was born there after all.

I’ll add a couple of my own objectives that can be completed on the side. If I’m planning to leave here for real, then there are some things I should get sorted before then as well.
Bonus Objectives:
1. Steal Judicium’s Scarf
As a final gun-up-the-ass for my unfortunate teacher, I’d like to steal the scarf she has on as a little memento of this awful place. Though, she’d definitely be pissed. If I go through with this, she’ll definitely change her approach once I actually fight her. Up to you guys if you want to go through that or not – I could always just steal it later after I asset my superiority over her.
2. Find a .50 calibre round as an offering for the Hall of Heroes
This is more of a personal thing, but I want to make an offering to a soldier I’ve always admired before I leave. If we find a decent enough bullet lying around, I can leave it as an offering, for a little blessing. Though, I’ll probably only go to the Hall of Heroes once everything else is completed.

hmm, just how much freedom do you have to wander around? Because I'm thinking just do the main 3 objectives in order of least likely to get you in trouble to most likely.

Also besides the weave nexus is their anywhere you're not aloud to go are do you more or less have free rain as long as you don't try to escape?

>Steal Judicium’s Scarf
Forget that, you're choking her out with the stupid thing while she wears it on the field of battle in full view of everyone.
...do you (or her) have some kind of genetic defense against strangulation? Is that a thing that can happen?

Get your gats last, I imagine they'll have a .50 cal round on the firing range, and you don't want to be breaking into places with pockets full of UXO. I'm really, really curious what's going on in genetics, and I doubt you'll need to steal anything there, so let's take a peek there first.

Head to the firing range. Get your guns. perhaps the bullet as well.

Nanoweaver lied to you. You'll see about what when this is over~

Anyway, do the objectives in the order of 2, 1, 3.

>a decent enough bullet
9 millimeter is all you need!
Get ye gun.

>>971347
Go for the vial first. Nobody will care, right? Start low profile. Then you can get your guns, and then the devices for last since those will raise the most red flags.

Argine 2020/07/04(Sat)06:21 No. 971447 ID: b58f66
File 159386886182.png - (258.54KB , 1000x1000 , pl_019.png )

I’ll go to the Genetics Division first, to retrieve the vial. It’s probably a good plan to get all of the low-profile objectives done first, because if they find out I have my guns again, they’re probably going to try and seize them from me by force.
Getting to the Genetics Division is pretty simple, given how close it is to the Hospital. But I’ll be taking the route through the main hall and not through the Firing Range.
I don’t think the Sector Bosses would appreciate me waltzing into their places whenever I want, and I do not want to be caught without a full set of gear. This coat of mine may stop a couple of bullets on occasion, but it doesn’t mean anything if I can’t fight back properly.
Seeing the door to the genetics division is a little strange. I only pass by on occasion, and I have little reason to go inside usually. But the door is locked. Which is very strange – nobody should be in there, but there’s no reason to lock it either, for the people who want to reminisce.
Help a soldier out? You’re probably gonna have to use the credentials of one of the Sector Bosses to unlock it, but it would only work if it’s the same one as the person who locked it.

*hacking noises*

Well you could always try the door on the other side of genetics, facing the old sectors, or we could brute force it, but that might trigger an alarm.

Barring either of those:
<Self-Query: List Credentials>

Lets go through the bosses one by one. Who they are, what they do, their relationship with you, and anything pertinent you might want to add. We'll figure out who locked it together!

well outside of ozone and nickel and I guess scarf lady who's name I never caught who are the other bosses... and which one of them would even bother coming down here.

>>971450
*slightly overlay sight with matrix characters raining down*

1/2 Argine 2020/07/06(Mon)03:12 No. 971569 ID: b58f66
File 159403036210.png - (200.47KB , 1000x1000 , pl_020.png )

Alright, let’s see how that encryption bypassing ability of yours works, SAI…
I place my hand against the electronic lock – feeling a little spark jump from my fingertips. I guess physical contact with things is still necessary, given that you’re all holed up in my head.

>Nanoweaver
Nope. I guess it wouldn’t make sense if she locked it, given that she wanted me to get something for her.
>Ozone
No good on this one either.
>Judicium
Damn! None of them are working!
>Nickel or Astrolysis
None of those inputs worked. So it wasn’t any of the people you’ve met before…
Before I’m able to have you guys try another, something rattles from behind the door.
“I was not expecting any visitors,” a voice calls out from the other side.
It doesn’t sound familiar.
“I need to get something from inside. Is that alright with you?”
A pause.
“No rest for the wicked. You may come in.”
There’s a click, and the light turns green.

I step inside, closing the door behind me. The whole place smells like dust, and little else. Few people are sentimental enough to bother showing up to this place. Now, it’s no more than row after row of empty chambers.
The dust stirs as I walk past, dancing under the lights.
It’s not as nostalgic as I would have liked, seeing this place in disuse. It’s like I’m surrounded by all of the possible soldiers that could have been born, just like me.
I was the last. They said that I should be happy, because I could live any life I wanted.
Like that ever happened. Even before the Nexus was finished, it wasn’t like I could say I wanted to leave. There wasn’t anything else someone like me could do, and I enjoyed it; the training. But they always looked down on me, and I never understood why.
The person who locked the door is standing at the other end of the room, though it’s hard to make her out in this light.

2/2 Argine 2020/07/06(Mon)03:13 No. 971570 ID: b58f66
File 159403041807.png - (164.46KB , 1000x1000 , pl_021.png )

I get closer.
Mnemosyne. The first Sector Boss to ever be elected, known as the ‘Greatest Soldier’ in the facility. She doesn’t talk much, which was why I didn’t recognise her voice. She was here from the start.
Even as I approach, her head is still pointed towards the cradle. I remember admiring her when I was a cadet – and now, she’s an opponent.

“How long has it been?”
I frown. “How long since what?”
She doesn’t respond, instead staring into the stains trailing down the side of the glass.
“Your birth.”
They had said she was one of the most inspiring soldiers when you saw her in action. But this? This feels… wrong.
“Three years, sir.”
My sister was born at the same time – both of us, the final batch. Why did she receive all of the acclaim, all of the strength? There was something I didn’t have, but something that people didn’t explain to me. Whenever I asked, they looked away from me, said that I wouldn’t get it.
Mnemosyne doesn’t move from her spot, as I watch her breathe in and out.
“I see. Three years since the last Generation…”
She trails off.
Is… is she just going to continue standing there? I could ask her if she’s seen any of the vials around, but I could really just go and keep looking myself. I don’t have to get myself involved when she’s going to be one of my opponents. But, part of me is curious. I could ask her something while she’s still around.

Ask her for tips fighting the sector boss you think will be the hardest.

oh, she's got proper tozol tails. Assuming they work like they do on a tozol purebred they would allow her to sense everything around like a kind of sonar... making sneaking around her a real bitch and a half. Not really relevant to the here and know but if you're going to have to face her later it might be useful to know. Not sure on the exact range but I think they should be enough to cover any room smaller then a hanger bay though I have no idea how her hybrid status would effect it at all. I mean for all I know her tails are completely useless and purely cosmetic or do to some weird DNA strains mixing together it could be even more powerful.

But yeah... I guess ask if she wouldn't mind tell use why she here... or at least locked the doors. I mean to my knowledge this place isn't really off limits. Though if she doesn't want to answer shrug and grab your stuff. No need to put mission "get your shit back" in danger just because you upset a sector boss and have them do something to make things tougher then they need to be.

Soldiers are made to fight, Argine. Not here. Not in some arena.
On the outside. In the real world. Against real people. Most of whom probably aren't born and bred to fight and to kill like you all are. And it's not all just fighting either. You meet people. You do things. You go places. You have experiences. You share experiences. Some good. Some very, very bad.

But you have to have been there. You have to have been part of it.
Nothing anyone can say to you can replace the experience. Even if people told you their stories they'd be incredibly difficult for you to understand, and utterly impossible to truly appreciate. So they don't bother.

If you aren't destined to be a soldier in this place, than surely everyone around you sees you as no more than an errant child.
It is easy to see the source of your frustration. Just please understand that you're actions, while justified, have probably been hurting those around you in subtle ways.

This old dog here seems contemplative. If you linger, don't talk much. Keep the questions simple. They might have a lot to say, if you give them the chance.

A simple "Why are you here?" seems appropriate.

>>971570
Ask her why people treat you like a failure. She might finally give a straight answer, in the contemplative mood she's in right now.

Ask why they've been failing you over and over again. Is it just a refusal to follow a standard procedure that's holding you back?

Ask why the others look down on you, even though you kick plenty of ass despite not being the "Better" sister.

But most importantly: Ask why it has to be this way; why you cannot merely leave, even though that war never came.

>>971570
Odd question, Is 3 years an unusual gap in generations? Short? long?

Either way, might be an idea to keep questions to a minimum, 1 or 2, mnemosyne seems to be having a moment and ruining it can only be counterproductive.

Ask if she's filled with nostalgia or regret.

1/2 Argine 2020/07/08(Wed)04:53 No. 971735 ID: b58f66
File 159420918339.png - (223.73KB , 1000x1000 , pl_022.png )

>Tail sonar
Somehow, I don’t feel like Sarasols have that kind of ability. I thought their tails were more like whiskers – it lets them sense things, sure. But sonar? That’s the kind of thing I wish I had.
>You have to have been part of it
Well, that’s the thing. None of the people in this facility have ever fought in a war. Not even Mnemosyne. It wouldn’t explain why my sister gets all of the preferential treatment, either. Why put me through the training at all if I wasn’t meant to be a soldier, a fighter?
I look around the Cradles, to try and find where the vials are stored. This place makes my skin crawl. Before, it was a place of warmth, birth. I can still remember floating around in my own Cradle, until I was thrust out into the cold air. Now that all of the fluid’s been drained, all that’s left are cold, hollow machines.
“Why are you here… sir? This area usually isn’t off-limits.”
She turns to face me. I stop, feeling her eyes drill into me.
“I was reminiscing, privately. I had not expected someone else would need to come in.
I’ll take my leave – there are preparations to make.”
“Was that your Cradle?”
She palms the glass.
“Yes. Which was yours?”
I pause.
“The one you’re in front of.”
It isn’t uncommon for people to be born from the same Cradle as a predecessor. I wonder if Nanoweaver picked Mnemosyne’s on a whim? The irony of it makes my lips curl.
My sister came from the one next to mine – the last two Trace Clones that will ever be made.
I maintain my distance – it wouldn’t be right, getting close to her like this.
“Can I ask you something? Why have I been held back, over and over? I’m just as capable as many other people in this place. ”
Mnemosyne tenses up – her fist clenching, and unclenching. She exhales, speaking in her usual deadened tone.
“Confirmation. This will be the final test. You have a lot of potential, Argine. Make sure that you turn it towards the right places.”
Finally, she departs, leaving me in this lonesome place. There’s a faint mark on the glass, where she had placed her hand.
I’m not quite sure what to make of that, but I turn my attention to the Cradle in front of me.

2/2 Argine 2020/07/08(Wed)04:54 No. 971737 ID: b58f66
File 159420929555.png - (68.07KB , 1000x1000 , pl_023.png )

>Generation gap
It’s a bit on the long side – I haven’t heard too much on the topic, but Nanoweaver says that me and my sister were the only soldiers made in the last three years. In the past, they would make soldiers constantly, but as supplies dwindled… well, they simply stopped.
I was born because of Nanoweaver. She had the idea of using the remainder of the Gene traces they had to make me and my sister, as a send-off to the whole cloning program that this facility started. There was a lot of pushback from the other Sector Bosses for some reason – after all, there was no war to fight. Everyone of importance had left when the Nexus first started operations.
I squat down, next to the Cradle.
Alright… here we go. I pry loose one of the panels at the base, revealing the inner workings of the machine. There are two vials this time – for both of the trace types. The Gene Trace and the ‘Skill Trace’, the one that grants us clones with knowledge of things like strategy and weapons handling.
I’ll pop the Gene Trace vial out easily, but that leaves the question of what needs to be done next.
I don’t think going back to Nanoweaver’s this early is going to yield much, so I should probably accomplish the other two objectives first. Which one next – my guns, or the gadgets?

Your devices. Make it seem like you're gonna do some training or something equally plausible.

You still have a standard pistol, right? An upgrade would be an excellent addition, but the sheer number of options added by the gadgets would be a force-multiplier. Prioritize those before going for the added fire-power.

The gadgets

>>971735
>There’s a faint mark on the glass, where she had placed her hand.
That’s odd. You should take a look at that, it could be important.

>>971737
>2 vials
>took Gene Trace vial
I know you only needed that one, but could you also bring the Skill Trace vial with you? Is there a possibility that having it with you might help later? If not, then we can leave it behind.

>Now what?
Let’s go for the gadgets.

>>971735
>she tenses up
Hmm, still something they're not telling you. She seemed to have no hostility towards you until you mentioned being held back... which makes me think that there's something about your birth that people are angry at you about. Misplaced anger. Not something you did, but something they were hoping you would be but you weren't. Maybe they were trying to resurrect someone? Using a Skill Trace to copy more than just rote knowledge?
Wait, were they angry at you from the very beginning, or did that form gradually as you grew older and underwent training?

Go for guns next.

>Somehow, I don’t feel like Sarasols have that kind of ability. I thought their tails were more like whiskers – it lets them sense things, sure. But sonar? That’s the kind of thing I wish I had.
Yeah, tozols are kinda broken. can see in multiple light spectrums, can process things near instant, can run over 200mph and keep it up for hours, have enough strength to flip a tank, tail sonar, being almost completely undetectable by all forms of mechanic sensors and even most psychic ones as well. yeah...

>Which one next – my guns, or the gadgets?
gadgets

>>971762
Seconding all of this. Also, try placing your hand how they had theirs over the mark.

1/4 Argine 2020/07/10(Fri)19:33 No. 971899 ID: b58f66
File 159443482460.png - (264.74KB , 1000x1000 , pl_024.png )

Alright, gadgets next then. While I don’t actually have any weapons on my person besides my cunning intellect, if I can get my hands on gadgets… well, I’ll elaborate once I get my hands on them.
I glance at the remaining Skill Trace vial in the machine, but I leave it there. I mean, if I really needed one of those, I could come back – this facility isn’t too hard to traverse, especially if you’re running around. Mnemosyne’s handprint remains – though, it isn’t like anyone’s going to be wiping the Cradles any more.
With the vial stashed in my coat, I head off to the Armoury. The Armoury is split into four distinct sections – I’ll be heading to the fourth section, as the other three are inter-connected – and under Mnemosyne’s dominion. The fourth section is more of a lost-and-found for any schmuck who was stupid enough to leave her gear lying around after training – after which, she would get a severe reprimand from whoever was in charge at the time. I can say that I’m smart enough to never forget.

It’s dark. Real dark. When a facility isn’t in use, typically the lights go out in order to conserve energy, but usually, they don’t stay out when a person arrives.
An unnerving silence hangs over the area, with only my muffled footsteps accompanying me.
In theory, I could just wait until the tournament rules are in full play by tomorrow, but odds are, this isn’t a traditional format tournament, after all. For all I know, they could be planning on not even letting me get to the armoury once it gets under way tomorrow. So I have to do this.
I peer through the polarised glass of the armoury – what was the saying that some of the veterans used to say? “Like a kid looking through a candy-shop window”? There’s no kids around here, and I don’t know what a shop is, unless they mean workshop. Not sure what you would engineer out of chocolate, though – it’s really unpleasant after it melts and sticks into your fur.

2/4 Argine 2020/07/10(Fri)19:34 No. 971900 ID: b58f66
File 159443488249.png - (55.88KB , 1000x1000 , pl_025.png )

There it is! All three of the basic gadgets – and the only ones that were left behind in this armoury section. The door’s open too – that just reeks of a trap… but when has that ever scared me away?
>You shouldn’t go through with this
Pssh. And leave when they’re right in front of me?
>Find alternate routes
Hah, what? Did you think that we’d install vents in the walls or something so someone can climb in here? The doors are only accessible to people with sufficient clearance anyway.
I’m going in there, this opportunity won’t last forever.
I cross over the threshold, stepping carefully over the line. So far, so good.
The bench of gadgets are just lying there, ripe for the taking.
Taking hold of the devices, I focus. It comes naturally – like I’ve been using it for my whole life. A faint glow surrounds the complex machinery, as I break them down into components – a mental blueprint being assembled in my mind’s eye.
A three-set of Explosive Discs, a Barrier Generator and A Beam Unit. Back where they belong – in my personal armoury.
Once I get these fully absorbed into my Parasignia, I’ll be-

3/4 Argine 2020/07/10(Fri)19:35 No. 971901 ID: b58f66
File 159443493537.png - (132.70KB , 1000x1000 , pl_026.png )

There’s jolting crash behind me as the door slams shut, a thick slab of reinforced metal falling into place and secured behind it.
The speaker crackles to life.
“Looks like I’ve found a verminous little cheater trying to get her toys while she can.”
Ozone.
“Stay right where you are. I’ve got some poison to administer.”
That small, tiny, miniscule bitch!
Did she just camp out here, knowing I’d come get my gadgets? I expected a trap, but more like something along the lines of ‘being sleep-gassed and tied up’, which I could just blast through! If she’s here… I don’t have the time to deploy the gadgets, not when I’ve just put them into my Parasignia!
Across the room, there’s the sound of a door sliding open, a faint light leaking into the armoury. A short silhouette blocks it out, but Ozone is here – with her ‘poison’.
I’m not going to find out what that is.
I can hear her boots stomping across, as she loads something into a gun.
Damn it, I’m not a stealth operative! Don’t you guys have some kind of functionality for this!
Help me! Now!
[USER REQUEST DETECTED.]
Eh?
[CRISIS MANAGEMENT PROTOCOL (CMP) INITIATED. SCANNING ENVIRONMENT FOR HOSTILES AND HAZARDS.]

4/4 Argine 2020/07/10(Fri)19:36 No. 971902 ID: b58f66
File 159443497890.png - (63.12KB , 1000x1000 , pl_027.png )

[SCAN COMPLETE.]
[GENERATING VISUALISATION OF DETECTED HAZARDS.]
Are… are you guys seeing this? I thought you were just strategic advisors – Diagram didn’t say anything about this!
We’re not out of the fire yet – I can see the display too if I focus – probably because you’re all connected to my head, as freaky as that is.
Although Ozone’s physical strength is only average, her reflexes are good. If one of the sensor-cameras detect me, she can shoot me in moments. So I need to avoid being detected at all costs – If I’m caught, I’ll definitely suffer the consequences!
Of course, there’s various things like spare magazines around that I could throw to break the sensors, they’re not exactly the most sturdy things given that the armoury isn’t meant to be one of the main fortified positions in the facility. Ozone would likely hear it if one of the sensors break and would come to investigate – which I could use to my advantage. But she’ll be moving around the place searching for me, even if I don’t break any.
So what’s the plan? Which exit should I go for, and how should I approach it?

>>971902
Flexible plan: break both sensors pointing at the open exits first so she doesn't know which one you're gunning for. Then depending on Ozone's movements, sneak around her and get out through exit 2, since there's more cover near there. If she does something like camp the central area you can break the sensor pointing at the entrance to draw her away.

head east and move down to the two walls (black bars) just above the sensor looking at exit one. you should have a enough of a gap to toss something at the sensor without being seen and once you brake it through something else below exit one to make it seem like you're dashing towards exit two. then head west staying between the 2 Northern walls. Once Ozone is (hopefully) in the south east part of the room head down to the west most side of the southern most horizontal wall and brake the sensor looking at exit two. then If Ozone moves to investigate and run towards exit 2 to stop up stay to the opposite side of the southern horizontal wall and book it out exit 1.

So in short, brake sensor towards exit one, feint towards exit 2 to trick Ozone, then book it out of exit 1 while she's distracted.

>>971902
>just advisors
We are. This is something else. Either we are not the only thing in here, or more likely, we were added to something bigger.

--

How do the sensors detect you? Can we (you) trigger a false positive somehow?

Out of all the mag-fed firearms she could be using right now, what is the maximum number of bullets she could fire before reloading (assume one is in the chamber on top of a full mag)? Could you dodge a bullet? Is there anything here that could stop a bullet well enough to be used as makeshift armor?

Hmmmmm... so where does each exit leads exactly? We might need to know so that we can figure out whether we would want to consider taking one exit over the other.

...

>>971901
Oh, and stop looking so nervous and sweaty. Didnt you say you were one of the best? Prove it to me then by keeping your cool during these kinds of situations.

Hmm, she doesn't seem to be able to see very well. It looks like she can only see right in front of her and if so, you should be able to handle this without too much difficulty, thanks to knowing where the sensors are.

Only the exits are covered, so you need to trash an exit camera, then reposition without getting caught, and trash another exit camera. Then you need to make a dash for the first entrance you cleared.

Wish we could do that thing where we unlock doors because she probably wouldn't consider you were about to smash your way out the sealed door, but in this case you should figure out where she is before you make that last leg dash out the door, because if she's smart she's going to realize this ploy. She probably won't be able to tell we have some kind of radar view of the situation, which is a big advantage.

>That small, tiny, miniscule bitch
I thought Ozone was the same height as you, unlike Nickel.

>trying to get her toys while she can
I'm confused. If she already knows it's you, then what's the point of "avoid being detected at all costs"?

>throw to break the sensors
Why not just walk next to it and disable it quietly? Also, can't we hack the sensors the same was as we could hack the doors?

Anyway, stay where you are until Ozone moves to your location. Use the top two horizontal walls to bypass her when she does so. Then take the Exit 2 (disable the sensor there first).

Alright, her detection radius is circular, so it doesn't look like sneaking up on her is an option. This does not satisfy my bloodlust, but fine. We will squish the bug later.

Alright, try to smash the detector covering Exit 1, then traverse the blind spot of the one covering the entrance and into the blindspot of exit 2. I want to see if we can get up to more hacky-cracky goodness. If not, smash it and go the opposite direction ozone does when she comes to investigate to leave for exit 1. Does she have a penchant for booby traps?

1/2 Argine 2020/07/12(Sun)02:07 No. 972033 ID: b58f66
File 159454482507.png - (114.23KB , 1000x1000 , pl_028.png )

>Keep your cool
Alright... yeah, I'm better than this... She won't upstage me. Just a little caught off-guard.

>Firearms
I don't think Ozone's going to shoot me with live ammunition, but I don't plan on finding out what she has in store for me.

I head to the right, sneaking towards the sensor facing Exit 1. There's a small gap there, so I should be able to dodge through and break it, when it swivels away. They're basically cameras on a stand.
Ozone continues to taunt me as I do this.
"Come on out, soldier... let's not make things too hard on both of us, alright? You're the one who's taking something that isn't yours."
Like that's true at all. She was the one who confiscated my equipment in the first place! If I don't get caught, then it's as good as mine. The rules have gotten a little... free-form, as the facility's population count emigrated.

I breathe in, picking up a discarded magazine from the floor - and fling it towards the sensor.

There's a distinct crack as the magazine collides with the sensor - then the sound of it tumbling to the ground.

I hide back behind the locker, as I hear Ozone running over. She might know it's me, but if she never catches me, then I can't be held accountable!

2/2 Argine 2020/07/12(Sun)02:07 No. 972034 ID: b58f66
File 159454487492.png - (40.30KB , 1000x1000 , pl_029.png )

So far, so good.

Both of the exits would lead to me escaping the Armoury, so I only need to get to one successfully without Ozone noticing. The Exit 1 camera is out of commission now, but Ozone's moved closer, and she'd most likely see and shoot me if I go for it now.

Hacking the sensors would be nice if I was in arms reach of them, but I'd have to run at them, which would most likely lead to me being detected.

I can't break the Sensor at Exit 2 yet because it's on the other side of the gear locker - I may have a good throwing arm, but I can't hit something through a wall like that!

Where to next?

throw something south to make it look like you're making a run for exit two and hide north behind the wall you're at now so she won't see you as she runs past.

Try to knock out the sensor guarding the sealed exit. She probably won't fall for it, but it's worth a shot.

>>972034
Just wait. She'll probably head towards exit 1 to cover it more effectively, at which point you can circle around behind her to get to exit 2. Break the sensor there then dash out before she can get a bead on you.

>>972034
Hold on here. Since she has a ranged weapon, couldn't she just camp out where she is to effectively cover both of our exit paths? I mean, she (probably) isn't stupid. She won't throw out a good vantage point just because a sensor was smashed. Especially when said vantage point covers the broken sensor's view.

So little bit risky, but with her positioning definitely a good idea. Quietly get closed to the sealed exit camera. See if we can hack it, then get close to the sealed exit and we'll try to hack that using her credentials.

She's most likely expecting what was suggested with busting the other camera, this should be a completely silent method of getting out in an unexpected manner, since you have capabilities she shouldn't know about.

But I stress, make sure to keep an eye on the radar situation because this will bring you a few small steps from her. A few little walls between you two.

Try throwing your voice through the narrow passage between server farms.

1/2 Argine 2020/07/14(Tue)00:48 No. 972201 ID: b58f66
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I'll say that I'm not a fan of waiting, but I don't have any other choice.

I hold my breath, hiding in between the two weapon lockers above the first exit, hearing Ozone pacing back and forth.
Even though I know she wouldn't go so far as kill me, Ozone has always been known as one of the harshest disciplinarians in this damn place. She wouldn't be happy with just breaking my bones - she'd do something to cripple me for the fights ahead. I don't know why she hates me this much - as far as I know, she's hated me since I first met her in Basic Tactics class.

"You can't keep hiding forever, missy. Come on out..."

I shuffle along the edges of the lockers, treading lightly. If Ozone gets tired of waiting and looks down the space between the two lockers, I wouldn't even have a chance to dodge.

2/2 Argine 2020/07/14(Tue)00:49 No. 972202 ID: b58f66
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I wait, hoping she'd move closer - to no avail. She's standing there, gun in hand - covering both the first exit, while remaining close enough to sense me if I try to run past.

Rrgh! This is why I hate covert ops! It's even worse because I don't have any weapons on hand - not that shooting her is an option.
I can't fight back, I'm out of range for a grapple, and I don't have the element of surprise. And she has the reflexes to shoot me if I try to jump her.


Hacking the camera pointed towards the entrance is a good idea - it didn't even come to mind at first. But the door slammed down when Ozone sprung the trap on me. If we were to hack the door open again, it would give me an advantage, but the sound of the locks would most likely alert her to my position as well.

We could try hacking the entrance door open, or a different idea. What's your suggestion?

Are you sure she'd see you if you went along the wall at exit 1? Our HUD shows there's space there for you to sneak past. If you can do that, we can just hack the sensor at door 2 and leave completely unnoticed.

Alternatively, can we hack at a distance? Could get the entrance unlocked to distract her so you can head to either exit.

Heh, I like this test that Ozone prepared for you.

Anyway, all we need to do is make her move north or south of where she currently is for us to be able to safely use Exit 1. I suppose we should move east and a bit north, throw something else to disable the north sensor, and take the Exit 1 when she goes to check out the north sensor.

>>972202
What if we jack the camera on a stick, oh sorry, "sensor" at the entrance and then hack the entrance door to open after some amount of time?
Maybe we can use it or the sensor as a distraction while we slip out exit 1.

your gear, what's it do and how does it work?

Because if those explosive disk can be triggered remotely and have a large enough explosive radius you could set one down where you're at now, hack the sensor looking at the locked door to make it go off after you move away from the bomb you planted and when ozone comes to investigate set off the IED mine to stun her and escape. Make it that she's the one that gets messed up before the tournament instead of you.

>>972202
Go back to the right, go up and throw something at the sensor watching the sealed door you came through.

You'll have plenty of time to react to her either going to the sensor or moving to block exit 1.

Be patient. Don't make the first move.

1/2 Argine 2020/07/15(Wed)05:30 No. 972334 ID: b58f66
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>Camera on a stick
Oh believe me, that's what I thought too when I first saw those things used in Covert Ops practice. But they can sense heat, which is why they're still used even when all the lights are out. Knowing Ozone though, she probably rigged them up with a tranquilizer dart-gun to really draw things out.

Definitely don't think hacking at range is an option though, because last time I had to make physical contact with the door panel to get you guys to even attempt to hack it. If I were to hack the front door open, I'd have to be in physical contact so you guys can do the job.

>Equipment
Believe me, if I could use Explosive Discs right now, I would. But there's no way I'll be able to focus enough to manifest the blueprint when I've assimilated them so recently! I'll give you the rundown eventually, but that's after the risk of getting shot has passed.

I reposition myself to the north-east, aiming for the camera facing the sealed exit. If this goes through, Ozone may end up going towards it, leaving me free to go through exit 1.
The magazine sails through the air... and bounces off of the weapon locker, clattering to the ground below.
Damn! The sensor's still intact.

Memories of failed discus throws come back to mind. The spare magazines aren't weighted the same as the training discs! Don't blame me! I'm far better when i'm throwing actual damn weapons and not these piece of-

Okay, okay. Deep breaths - no time for worrying about the past, I can't stay in this spot.

2/2 Argine 2020/07/15(Wed)05:30 No. 972335 ID: b58f66
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I dodge upwards, going back to the bench where I picked up the spare gadgets from.
Ozone walks closer in the meantime, blocking off the first exit. She's probably patrolling the middle corridor, knowing that I have to go through it eventually.

I could try making a mad dash for the second exit, but that's still watched by the second camera, and even if I ran past the camera, there's a good chance that she'll hear me sprinting towards it and close the gap easily. She's a good shot - even in the dark, so I can't count on her just missing.

At very least, the sensor is within hand's reach. I could hack it, but what's the point? Hacking would likely force me to stay still while you guys take it over, which would be pretty bad if Ozone decides to round the corner. The odds are, even if I kept going round and round in circles, eventually Ozone's going to change directions and catch us off-guard.

Still... a route to the second exit is available. I'm almost out of here... I just gotta play it right and there won't be a scratch on me!

can we hack a sensor and have it on a delay to have it go off after a set amount of time? If so you could reposition yourself to either be in a good spot to run towards either of the other to exits so when Ozone goes to check out the sensor you'd be clear to escape. I mean you can still walk past the sensor here since it looks like they can't see you if you right in front of them and they can only pick you up if you're further away.

Ozone sure is going easy on you. I wonder what her agenda is.

Move towards Exit 2 and break the south sensor. Of course, this will draw Ozone there. The question is, which path she takes.
If she takes the north path, simply use Exit 2 since it's close enough.
If she takes the south path, then go back north and use Exit 1.

>>972335
Fuck Hacking it. Break it, take it. If they are indeed trapped with tranq darts, than perhaps you can extract that bitch and have a weapon.

>>972335
You can see her as she patrols. Just sneak past as she's going right, get us inside the sensor at door 2 so we can silently disable it, and walk out.

Nothing complicated, only thing that could go wrong is she just randomly decides to go check door 2 while we're there.

1/5 Argine 2020/07/18(Sat)06:26 No. 972639 ID: dea6dc
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Something definitely feels off about her approach. Normally she'd be right in my face, especially when she has a tactical advantage. But it isn't my job to question it - it's a bloody game to her.

I sneak past the camera, heading south.
Waiting for Ozone to move, I time it so that I can cross the middle hallway, reaching the bottom camera. She goes upwards instead - perfect.

Moving past the open hallway, I find...
Exit 2's wide open. Ozone didn't lock it behind her when she entered?

The sensor's still there, but the door's wide open. An opportunity. It won't be long until Ozone realizes that I'm nearly out.

2/5 Argine 2020/07/18(Sat)06:26 No. 972640 ID: dea6dc
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I reach for the sensor, feeling the lightning at my fingertips again.
Last time, we didn't get to successfully hack the door, since Mnemosyne had unlocked it of her own accord. But this time...

[AUTHENTICATION: OZONE]
The sensor clicks, shutting down. Sweet.
I pop open the lid of the sensor, finding a pair of tranquilizer darts. Good thinking - I don't usually have a reason to loot these, but I'll take any weapons I can get my hands on, even if they're as basic as these.
And not a sound to be made.
The camera is disabled, and I'm free of this trap.

3/5 Argine 2020/07/18(Sat)06:27 No. 972641 ID: dea6dc
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Moving out into the sector proper, I take the opportunity to run away as fast as possible.

I can still feel my heart pounding - the act of being hunted, even if you know you won't die, is a terrifying one. When we were doing covert ops in training, they used rubber rounds. I could only imagine how much worse it is for the supposed 'normal people' who aren't as strong as us.
The colour of the walls change as I escape the armoury, towards neutral ground, towards a place where I can rest. I hate, hate HATE covert ops! Even though I didn't get shot, leave it to Ozone to put me through my least favourite activity! Was she just screwing with me because she found it amusing? Ugh. I've got better things to think about now.

4/5 Argine 2020/07/18(Sat)06:28 No. 972642 ID: dea6dc
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Finally, I stop in a quiet corner of the facility, collecting my thoughts.
The realization hadn't sunk in before - but I had beaten Ozone at her own stupid little game!

I steady my breathing, bringing myself to that oh-so-familiar sensation of focus.

Before me, the newly-absorbed gadgets are laid out before me - disassembled into a mental blueprint.

Alright, so this has been a long time coming - if you're going to be advising me, you're going to know my capabilities. I have the feeling that if Ozone set up this little 'test' for me, there's going to be someone waiting for me at the Training Grounds too.
While I'll go over all of my equipment after I get my guns, the way I use my gadgets (or devices) are different to the other soldiers in this place, thanks to my Parasignia!

It's called Ignition Complex, effectively a portable armoury in a space only I can access. By acquiring and deconstructing gadgets and weapons, I'm able to form a mental blueprint of how it works, and reconstruct it at will. It's real convenient, because I can effectively carry far more weaponry on me than anyone else, without feeling any of the bulk.

But, that's not all! I can 'displace' the properties of one gadget onto another, thus transferring its properties. So if I displaced the Explosive Disc's inherent property of 'detonation', I am able to give the Beam Unit lasers that explode on contact with surfaces! I can give one gadget up to two separate effects!
Though, I can't really control what properties I get out of specific gadgets, this has it's own advantages. For one, the 'host' gadget I displace effects into will retain its firing mechanism. So you can usually assume grenades will explode, or for the barrier generator to project a protective barrier.

Don't ask me for the science behind it - none of us really understand how Parasignias work outside of the mechanics behind 'em, which they figured out through a lot of rigorous testing. But they were one of the facility's more recent research projects - they pretty much set all the egg-heads to work on it, apparently.
Nanoweaver's one of them - and the whole Exotic Materials Sector was created out of the old lobby in order to sustain it.

5/5 Argine 2020/07/18(Sat)06:29 No. 972644 ID: dea6dc
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The downside to my awesome powers though, is that I have to specifically decide which of my gadgets and weapons are at the 'forefront' of my mind in order to retrieve them easily. If I'm able to enter a meditative state such as this, I'm able to change my loadout, but in the heat of combat it won't be possible. So I have to prepare my combinations beforehand. Think of it like putting the blueprints I want into a trolley that I can reach in and out of easily, with the rest stuck in filing cabinets.

Before I head into the Training Grounds to get my guns back, we have to decide on a module set for me to use!
Being able to focus enough to swap these out in combat ain't easy. I'd only be able to do so if there was enough breathing room without someone shooting at me directly, but I'll let you know when such an opportunity arises.

Here's the breakdown of the current gadgets I have:

-Beam Unit-
Standard issue Beam Unit, shoulder-mounted. True to it's name, fires a high-energy laser upon activation, leading to significant damage. It's a cool-down based gadget, so after usage, I have to wait a bit for it to recharge. Otherwise, a simple reliable weapon that almost everyone has experience with.

-Explosive Disc-
Explosive discs - they're actually similar to shaped plastic explosives with properties that make them easier to throw. I can apply these to thin surfaces like breaching charges, but the caveat is that even if I throw them like grenades, I have to manually detonate them with a remote. They're actually an annoying demonstration of one of my Parasignia's limits - for certain, 'disposable' tools like grenades, I only have a limited quantity of them to use until I have to rest. With my other weapons, they're simply pulled out of the Complex whenever I need to use them, being reassembled within moments. With disposable gadgets and ammunition, I have to wait for them to rejuvenate during downtime. Something about getting sufficient rest? Either way, despite them being quite useful, I only have three on me, so use them carefully. Or just displace their explosive properties onto another gadget to have an infinite supply, through a different delivery.

-Barrier Generator-
It blocks bullets - what more could you want? It's sort of like a staff that you can toss onto the ground to create a protective dome around yourself - with the downside that bullets aren't going to go out either. But you can also deploy it diagonally as portable cover, or even hold onto it to use as a riot shield! It lasts for a short while before recharging, if you're sustaining it at full power.

We've got a few options, and if there's any effects that you would like clarified, I could probably tell you what the results of a specific combo would be. What approach do you suggest?

So are their any dud combos we need to watch out for? Because mixing explosive disk and barrier generator sounds like it could be a bad idea if all it would do is cause the area around you to explode with you along with it or would it just make it so you'd have quick shield grenades that would let you throw up a quick shield to protect yourself, give you some instant cover, or possibly even trap you opponents... wait does it just stop ONLY bullets or everything and everything from passing through it?

>>972644
Oh, interesting!
So it's not a simple combining of two items to make a third item, the Displaced > Host interaction means there's more possible combos...

If ammo counts, would it be worth absorbing one of the tranq darts to have that in the pool of delivery methods as Host (probably 'Injection' if I were to guess) or just the tranquilizer effect.

What does Beam Displaced onto Barrier result in? (If it's something like a damaging force field that might be worth having slotted in, in case you need to completely wall off a doorway or something)

Yeah, I wonder if tranq darts are sufficiently complex enough to be absorbed. I think applying the beam effect to the charges makes them directional, like a claymore mine? Also, can we only apply each device to one primary or secondary slot?

Can your beam unit be set to non-lethal, low-power 'dazzle' mode, to cause temporary blindness and disorientation, thereby enabling more continuous use and otherwise reducing the recharge/cooling off time?

Barrier*(Lasers + Explosion)

POWER BLAST!

>>972644
When displacing, will the source gadget lose its property? Like, if you displace the explosive aspect from the discs, will they not explode anymore?
I'm thinking you could displace explosion from disc into the laser, then displace barrier into the disc, to produce discs that create a barrier when you trigger them.

I'm also interested in what happens if you don't displace explosion away from disc(if that matters), but put barrier into them. Does that result in a barrier and an explosion *inside the barrier*, or will the explosion happen outside the barrier? If the barrier is small enough, could this produce a shaped charge effect?

What on earth would happen if you put barrier into the laser?
In general I'm wondering what laser+barrier would do on any object. Feels like the structures are incompatible.

Hmmm... How does this power interact with the gene trace vial?

Beam + Beam + Beam
Barrier + Barrier + Barrier
Explosive + Barrier + Explosive

Are we gonna play Magicka?

Rule Clarifications Argine 2020/07/19(Sun)01:29 No. 972721 ID: dea6dc
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Since this is the first time I've really had to explain my abilities to someone else, I guess there's bound to be a couple of things to keep in mind.

An effect can only be applied to one place.
Since I'm displacing the effect of a gadget onto another, I'm effectively slotting that gadget into another gadget. I can't double up on things, as much as I want to. So if you want to use the Beam Unit's firing method, you won't be able to displace it onto anywhere else. Not to worry though, as displacing gadget properties won't permanently break the associated gadget - if I want to revert it, it'll simply return to its default state, pre-modification.

I can only hold one copy of a non-consumable gadget.
Think of it like weapon redundancy. It gets harder to keep track of things if I say, crammed three Beam Units into the Complex. If the items are in a set, like the Explosive Discs, then I'm able to keep them in one box, but if I try to use gadgets that are more or less functionally the same - it's like I end up trying to retrieve all three copies at the same time which gets pretty inconvenient.

Some combos are unusable.
Naturally, due to the highly modular nature of my Parasignia, there are bound to be some combinations that don't work out. If I can't visualise something happening feasibly, the displaced gadget is rejected by the host gadget.
None of the combinations you've come up with so far are invalid though, actually. Part of why I wanted to specifically get my hands on the basic gear is because of their versatility in that regard.

There are special combinations that exist with different functionality.
I can't say how many of them are out there, but I've found that some combos of gadgets are strong enough that their properties mix differently to my usual displacements. If you do find a special combo, I'll let you know - but keep in mind that they may in fact, not be better than a more standard combination.

I can only deconstruct certain items for combat.
When I absorb an item for my Parasignia, it's not actually destroyed in the process. (Which is how people can force me remove them.) Similarly, for consumable gadgets such as the Explosive Discs or ammunition, I'm really just reconstructing the same gadgets over and over. That's why they rejuvenate.

The Gene Trace Vial isn't really a weapon of any kind, so I'd have difficulty breaking it down for storage. Similarly, while the Tranquilizer darts are a weapon of sorts, I don't have a corresponding gun to actually pair them with. But I'll keep them on hand.

For the sake of clarity, I'll probably be assuming that the first gadget you people suggest is the Host gadget in which the other gadgets are being displaced into.

Generally, the properties of gadgets make themselves clear after a couple of tests, but as I acquire new ones, I can intuit the effects of specific combos after I deconstruct them.

Barrier is 'Reflective', it dampens the impact of incoming projectiles or reflects them.
Explosive Discs are as described - Explosive. It makes things volatile.
Beam Unit is 'Focusing', when applied to other gadgets it tends to 'focus' the effects towards a specific designated direction, such as turning shrapnel into a tight cone of destruction.

Barrier Generator (Primary) + Explosive Disc creates a 'reactive shield' that explodes when it. It's strong against close-ranged opponents, and destroys projectiles, but I've found that Explosive Discs are good regardless of where you put 'em. Generally, using the Barrier Generator as a recipient Gadget would end up giving it 'reactive' properties that activate when things hit the barrier. I think having Beam as a secondary in Barrier Generator makes it wider and long-lasting, since they're made from similar tech though.

Beam Unit (Primary) + Barrier would actually cause the laser to bounce off of certain smooth surfaces, potentially leading to me delivering a flanking shot.

Discs + Beam would make the blast highly directional, yeah. Quite useful for breaching tough armour, but it reduces it's effectiveness as a grenade.
Discs + Barrier would make them into weaker, multiple shields that I can deploy by throwing.

All in all, I don't think there are any combinations that are actively useless, and some of the weirder combinations may actually be special combos. A big part of why I need to go through each of the sectors in the Tournament is because even if they're not providing me with equipment, I'll be able to pick up gadgets outside the default set. More options means more potential combinations, meaning it's harder to stop me.

So, what'll it be? I could run all of my gadgets raw, do a bit of tinkering around... it only goes up from here!

>>972721
Time to tinker!
Why do you have four slots listed for combinations, but only three devices? I'm guessing that means you can hold four configurations, and "displacing" a device's attribute doesn't hamper that device's functionality.

Okay, we have three devices which can hold up to two attributes. That's nine combinations, not too many to just test all of them right now. You've described all of the simple combinations so far, so what are the last three, that use all the attributes?
Beam+explosive = exploding lasers
Beam+barrier = bouncing lasers
Explosive+beam = focused explosive
Explosive+barrier = multi-barrier
Barrier+explosive = reactive shield
Barrier+beam = wide shield
Beam+explosive+barrier = ?
Explosive+beam+barrier = ?
Barrier+beam+explosive = ?

I like the bouncing laser. You should test out the barrier to see if a wider shield is actually better, since you can't shoot through it. Bouncing laser could let us shoot around it though!
Focused explosive makes a lot of sense imo, but leaving them unmodified is decent too.
Can you hold two configurations for the explosives, so that you have six of them to use before needing to recharge?

I think I remember this power. The older version involved a lot of semiconductors, and creative mishandling of a greatsword. Higher-levels allowed you to apply weapon effects as passive abilities for your defense systems, and you could block a lethal blow with a weapon but it would break.

From what I recall during loadout optimization, you need to keep a basic yet diverse array of weapons so you can juggle your tactics between cooldowns, and become your own cavalry with prepared traps and turrets.

Equip the beam unit and barrier generator as your main equipment, add the explosive disc as a barrier generator subroutine - erm, effect.

hmm, I'm thinking bouncing laser, focused explosion, wide shield, and standard grenades.

Bouncing laser because it sounds like the normal laser but you can pull trick shoots off with it making it more versatile while being just as strong, wouldn't see why you wouldn't take it.

Focused explosion because I'm sure you're going to be coming across some opponents that will either have armor or just be naturally tough so something that can just blow past that sounds like it could be a god send. As well as being able to just use it to discourage anyone from coming to close to you.

Wide shield because for the same reason as the bouncing laser. Just sounds like a straight upgrade being both wider to offer more protection as well as being stronger so it wouldn't fail as quickly

And Standard grenades just because nothing is more painful then needing to flush out an enemy and not having a good grenade by your side. Plus besides the bouncing laser it sounds like your only real option to nail opponents around corners and unlike the bouncing laser it isn't limited by surfaces.

That's my 2 cents on what you should take anyways but you're the solder with actually experience, these sound... well sound to you or would you suggest changing some things up?

In total, I can only hold up to four primary gadgets at a time, because past there, it becomes much more cumbersome for me to retrieve a specific gadget.

Remember that I don't have any duplicates of my gadgets, so if I use one as a passive, it won't be usable as a primary. It's a bit limiting, I know, but that's why I need to get my hands on more gadgets in future.

Using both of the other gadgets to supplement a primary would normally be a good idea, if it wasn't stripping me of all of my options.

The triple combinations don't really get much more exotic than doing the individual combinations, unless there's a particular synergy or mechanical set-up I can perceive. So Beam with both of the other gadgets results in a bouncing laser that explodes off of each surface, Discs with both gadgets results in temporary 'target dummies' that explode in the direction where they take shots from, and Barrier with both gadgets is effectively a shield that fires a concentrated blast back at opponents when struck.
Triple-input gadgets tend to be good if I already have a full four, but as it stands, I don't.

I'll give it some more thought, before I head off to the Training Grounds.


This will be the last clarification before the next proper update

Hmm, alright...
Let's go with regular Beam and Barrier+explosive. Use the reactive barrier to discourage an offensive/close opponent, then take pot shots with the beam when they're being defensive/long range.

hmm

well wide shield and normal grenades then. give you some protection and something to hit your enemies with as well.

If you don't have any duplicates, then it's better to go without any combos for now.

I say go with the -Reflecting Beam Unit- (Beam Unit < Barrier Generator) and -Explosive Disks-. We tend to prefer to shoot them before they can shoot us. As long as we aren't against the sniper first, the corner-turning laser should make for a nasty surprise and help us do just that.

1/4 Argine 2020/07/23(Thu)00:00 No. 972998 ID: dea6dc
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Alright - the loadout I've selected is the Beam Unit (No displacements) and Barrier Generator (Explosive Displacement).
If Judicium decides to fight me there, then I'd be prepared. She normally brings a quarter-staff with her, after all.

The doors of the Training Grounds loom in front of me. I can practically hear the sound of marching footsteps from whenever I had class, everyone filing through those doors and into the facility proper. This may be one of the last times I ever see this place, since I don't intend on coming back. They used to pack dozens of us together, line us up one after another in the firing range. Even when you were standing outside, the doors would shake under the combined gunfire. Sometimes they intentionally didn't provide us with sound dampeners - to train us to be effective, even when deafened. Our ear-drums get better pretty quickly.

2/4 Argine 2020/07/23(Thu)00:00 No. 972999 ID: dea6dc
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The doors aren't locked. It hasn't been too long since Judicium dragged me into a classroom to chew me out, but I guess she didn't bother to lock up if she left. There should be a bullet lying around with the proper caliber near the firing range as well, which I'll need later. The map wasn't particularly clear about where my guns were stashed, but I seriously doubt that Judicium would leave them lying around.
All I need to do is break into Judicium's office, find my guns and pocket them, then I'll be ready. All I have to do after that is deliver the vial to Nanoweaver, ask her if there's anything else I need to do, and then I can make preparations for the fights ahead tonight.
This'll be-

3/4 Argine 2020/07/23(Thu)00:02 No. 973000 ID: dea6dc
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A meaty hand clamps onto my shoulder from behind.
'Sup, wirehead," says a rough voice.
Ugh. Her.
She was bound to show up eventually, but how did she know I was here?

4/4 Argine 2020/07/23(Thu)00:03 No. 973001 ID: dea6dc
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I turn around to look her in the... face. Instead, I end up staring towards her stomach. She's twice as tall as I am, but like hell am I going to be intimidated by someone who can't aim a gun properly.
"What do you want, Astrolysis?"

Astrolysis. Sector 'Boss' of the Foundry. She literally overthrew the previous soldier in her position. Off of a raised balcony. Took that one weeks to recover. The closest connection she has to the sector is coercing someone into forging a custom weapon for her - outside of that, I think she only pursued the role because she thinks it makes her sound cooler.

"What do I normally want? I want a fight."
I sigh. My record against Astrolysis in hand-to-hand isn't amazing, three to fourteen. She has a positive match-up against nearly everyone else in the facility in close quarters combat - part of why she's so fond of Nickel. One of the few people to have an even match-up, though armed with a knife.

"Here's an idea, meatshield. Why don't you go knife-fight Nickel again and stop bothering me? I've got better things to do, like preparing for the damn tournament."

She chuckles, a low, growling sound in the back of her throat. I can't even tell if she's looking at me or not.
"Already did so, this morning. You saw my work."

Guess that explains Nickel's broken arm.
"But I don't want a knife-fight, wirehead. I want you to fight me with those fancy toys of yours while I try to rip your head off with my bare hands."

Talking to her is like talking to an animal who doesn't know anything besides fighting and eating. Technically, I could turn her down. Duels aren't obligatory, and Astrolysis picks fights all the time, to the point where the other Sector Bosses had to specifically bar her from forcing a fight onto others.

"We'll fight when it's your turn in the Tournament setup. Me against all of the Sector Bosses."
She crosses her arms, snorting.
"Oh? I thought you wanted to get your little peashooters back, didn't you?"
How did she know about-
Nickel!!!!!!

"So... what're you going to do, little girl?" She leers, her rows of blade-like teeth on full display.

>>973001
Guess we better decide on a place and a time.
Good thing your current loadout is good versus a close range opponent huh?

When I kick your ass, I'm gonna want alot more than those "peashooters", foundry head.
You're gonna get me the good shit!

well I have to say that it doesn't seem to fair at all. I mean even if I beat you if I take to much damage I'm at a disadvantage for the tournament and to be fair I'm sure I could find some other guns around if I looked hard enough so I'm not seeing to much incentive to actually fight you.

So why not up the anti a bit. You want to fight me early, fine. But should I when you give me access to the foundry as well as giving me my gear back. I mean if you're so sure of your victory then it should matter what I ask for should I win, it's not like it's going to happen ~right~?

>while I try to rip your head off with my bare hands.
Tell her that you prefer doing other things during foreplay.

Never fear, you've got us. You're getting those guns.

is it ok to ask her why she have no eyes ? at least that what it look like to us. or does the holes on her face somehow let her see the world differently, also what the name of her species/race?

Those the terms then? We gotta beat you down to get our stuff back? Alright let's get this over with.

"One minute to prepare?" We don't want to have anything valuable and breakable on our person for this. Stash the vial in a class desk or something.

1/3 Argine 2020/07/26(Sun)19:03 No. 973270 ID: 894f15
File 159581539746.png - (625.11KB , 1000x1000 , pl_043.png )

>damage
She's a tough one. Even if I hand her a beating with my gadgets, I wouldn't be surprised if she got back up after a couple of hours. We're all strong like that.


"Seems a little unfair, you with nothing, not even your armour - and me, with the tools I'm most proficient in. Besides, what's in it for me? I don't have to fight you - this isn't under tourney rules, now is it?"

Astrolysis laughs.

"Asking for a little something-something? That's rich, coming from someone I could pound into paste. But no, this isn't official. Let's make this an... appetizer for the actual fight."

There's a jangle as she yanks something out of her pocket. A keycard catches the light, the plastic glittering under the lights. There's a small key hanging behind it.

"The keycard to her office, and the master key for any cabinets she has. Don't go acting like that isn't what you're after."
She doesn't know that I can just hack the door open, but having the master key would mean I can search through her things without obviously breaking into it.

"How did you even get those?"

"A little six-eyed girl heard some interesting news and came up with a nice idea for a..."
She leans in.
"Greeting present."
Astrolysis must really be craving a fight - She could have called Judicium back to her office to prevent me from getting my guns.
"You won't be getting your guns. Not unless you have these. The nag isn't around, prime opportunity to break into her office... find something that'll give you the upper hand? We both know you need all the help you can get. How nice of your mommy to give you a couple of imaginary friends to help you out! I'm a good sport, I'll give them to you even if you get smashed into the ground!"

I cross my arms.

"Let's take it to the Firing Range. Wouldn't want Judicium finding out that we broke something while we're seeing who's the superior fighter."
She nods, making her way over to the nearby door.

>stash the vial
Good idea. I place the vial on top of a crate nearby, where it won't get smashed during the fight.

2/3 Argine 2020/07/26(Sun)19:05 No. 973271 ID: 894f15
File 159581551444.png - (1.15MB , 1500x1000 , pl_044.png )

The firing range was a fun way to show off at the end of training - a reward, for the good girls who got their training done properly, it seems. It was one of the things I looked forward to the most, though I often came by to hone my skills, as did many others. The larger-built soldiers preferred wrestling and grappling instead.
I watch as Astrolysis squeezes through the stalls, strutting into the firing range like she owned the place.
Pssh. She's the only person who'd feel out of place here, being unable to wield a gun.

>Why doesn't she have eyes?
The little holes on her snout allow her to sense heat, which combined with her innate sense of echolocation, generally allows her to 'see' things close by. It makes her terrible at any of the usual combat situations we were trained for, so she was a bit of a special case. I have no clue what species she is - she and Nickel's generation were the weirdest, they were spliced with animals instead of just the four main species that we're made of. I do see a bit of Sarasol and Linharjan in her, what with the head shape and the stinger tail.

I flex my fingers, taking a deep breath in. The scent of spent bullets and gunpowder lingers in the air.
This place isn't an arena, but we're not fighting, not 'officially'. The walls are resistant enough to the exotic firearms and gadgets on my person, so it's unlikely we'll damage anything significant.
The subtext is there, though - "Let's not break each other before the actual fight."
It'll be quick, dirty. Victor is the one who lands three clean hits, but some dirty tactics are allowed, since we won't be doing enough damage to cripple each other in future.
Neither of us are going to use our Parasignias offensively, but mine is utility-based, so it's a grey-area I exploit.

As we take our positions, I call out to her.
"Oi, Foundry boss. If I win this, you owe me a favour."
She cocks her head, that stupid perpetual grin of hers on full display.

"You're a lotta talk, making demands of me. Go on, wirehead. What would you ask of me, someone far stronger than you are?"

"If I win, you give me the keys as you promised - AND, you forge something for me. I want a weapon out of this, understand? And not something half-assed, either."
With you guys along, I don't need to ask for permission to get into her sector. But presumably, I'd be fighting all of the Sector Bosses on their home turf anyway. I'm the challenger, versus all of them.
Astrolysis flexes her fingers, settling into a solid stance.
"Sure. But what could you possibly give me besides this fight, wirehead? You're going to lose."
She taps the side of her skull.
"Ahaha! I know! If you lose, you'll have to play entirely by my rules when we fight properly in the tournament. If you decline, I'll have absolutely no sympathy for you. Don't worry your little head about it - I'll be fair, as much as I can be, anyway."
Knowing her, she wouldn't want to screw herself out of a good fight - so her rules would push me into giving her a fight that she'd enjoy to the fullest.

"Alright, let's do this."
I raise my fists...

3/3 Argine 2020/07/26(Sun)19:09 No. 973273 ID: 894f15
File 159581575437.png - (795.76KB , 1500x1000 , pl_045.png )

[HOST ENGAGED IN ACTIVE COMBAT. BOOTING SPECIAL FUNCTIONALITY]
[SAI PROTOTYPE COMBAT PROTOCOLS INITIATED – ENGAGING TRI-A TACTICAL PROFILE]
[DISPLAYING STATISTICAL INTERFACE - INCREASING PROCESSOR SPEED]
[RELATIVE TIME DILATION: 100:1]
[RENDERING SAI-ASSISTANCE DIALOG – DISPLAYING]

Overview
The Tri-A Tactical profile is a SAI module designed by [REDACTED] for the intent of supplementing SAI tactical performance in combat situations.

The current host's total health value is represented as pips - totaling six. A pip will be subtracted when the host takes damage from external forces and typically can only be recovered once combat is over.
According to combat parameters - the current fight will conclude after three pips are lost, in accordance with standard duel procedure.
It is your duty to provide the host with sufficient instruction and advice during combat to supplement decisions. In doing so, you will be able to guide the host to victory.
There are three main steps that a standard combat encounter will cycle through.

Assess
Upon initiating combat, the Host will most likely seek safe shelter, where they will be able to make a quick plan for the encounter. This is known as the Assessment Mode.
Typically, this phase detects and emphasises the environment, with the Host also reminding the SAI of information that could be used to their advantage, such as the knowledge of weak-points discovered before the battle and environmental factors that may be out of the SAI’s vision.
This stage can happen multiple times over the course of an extended combat encounter, if the Host needs to alter their combat approach multiple times, typically occurring after an opponent alters the environment or their equipment. Depending on the conditions, the host may be able to change equipment as well. [FEATURE STILL IN DEVELOPMENT]


Assault
Assault Mode happens in the moment to moment after Assessment is completed – taking the form of both offensive and defensive actions. The Host will provide default options that players can either use without alteration, or build upon to provide additional strategies.
The Host is able to make use of Gadgets during this phase, in the form of Gambits – a non-standard action that may or may not succeed. Projected success rates of gambits are displayed in increments of 10% and are provided by the Host. However, as SAI Splinters, you are capable of adjusting and suggesting alterations to the Host’s plan, which will lead to an improvement in success rates. Failing a Gambit is not necessarily harmful unless the gadget utilized is highly unwieldy. Gambits can also be made through the exploitation of the host’s environment – such as using nearby objects as bludgeoning weapons. The unusual nature of such a manoeuvre would most likely catch opponents off-guard and improve odds of success, though it may not necessarily be a damaging action. Other landscape Gambits can be like throwing sand or dirt into the eyes of the opponent, blinding them temporarily.
The Host will typically be capable of dodging attacks without SAI input, but when they are caught off-guard or have to make a defence against a significantly powerful attack, a Defensive Gambit will have to be made in the process. Defensive Gambits are calculated similarly, and gadgets or landscape props may be used to the Host’s advantage in a similar fashion, improving odds of success.


Articulate
In one on one combat situations, a new mode is available - Articulation Mode.
Some opponents may attempt to throw the Host off-guard using their wit, or alternatively the Host can intentionally target psychological weak-points in order to secure an advantage on Gambit usage. Depending on the response, the opponent’s tactics may change, their approach may weaken, or the Host may receive a boost due to their perspective being justified.
Not all opponents are receptive to Articulation attacks, but unlike Gambits, they may be suggested to the Host regardless of the current mode, and may be implemented in strategies to improve odds of success.
However, it is recommended that SAI Articulation suggestions be parceled with other strategies, and to refrain from petty insults, as such suggestions may hamper the host's ability to focus and will not yield much results when delivered to the opponent.

Further clarifications on rules may be asked as needed, and rules may change.

[CONCLUSION OF SAI-ASSISTANCE DIALOG. BEGINNING ENCOUNTER - TIME DILATION: 1:1]


Alright, what's the strategy? I'll need a plan to deal with this brute, and determining how I should approach her will affect how I make use of my gadgets against her.
Astrolysis is a melee fighter, without any gadgets on her. She's someone who fights purely with her body - but that includes her stinger. I get hit by that thing, the paralytic inside would make it much harder for me to dodge.
While the Explosive Barrier is a perfect counter to one of her stronger attacks, it won't last long if I'm constantly hiding behind it. She won't fall for it more than once, not in a low-stakes situation like this. I need to land three good hits on her for her to call it a victory. I'll ask you for the timings, but gimme ideas here, folks.

Dodge a few attacks, put her in an offensive mindset, try to get some distance, and use the beam unit to get a cheap strike while she's busy closing the distance. It's cooldown-based, so using it early may allow you to use it a second time later.

Obviously save the shield trick for when you see a big attack coming. One hit with that and two with the beam unit (I'm being optimistic here, we can reassess if these gambits fail) should be enough to end the fight.

You've got a stinger of your own- those darts that you stole. She only uses her body? Prick whatever she reaches out to you with and put her to sleep. She's absolutely got a strategy in mind for your laser, if it's the most common weapon you've got. My guess is she can sense the heat buildup before it fires and plans to make an attack during the lock time, or plans to dodge the laser and put serious pressure on you afterward while she thinks you're defenseless. You've got to think steps ahead of that.

Hang on. She has no optical vision. Only Infrared and hearing. If we are loud enough, we can totally jam her ability to accurately use her echolocation to see. Since she would then only see thermal signatures, we could potentially lay some sort of trap that would be completely invisible to her as long as it is cold. Idk what sort of trap that would be though.

Also, assuming we are warm blooded, we could take off our jacket or shirt and use it as a one-off decoy since it will retain our body heat for a few moments.

>>973273
Hmm, she's a melee powerhouse but has no ranged capability.
She's probably used to opponents trying to capitalise on that by dodging and trying to find distance between her and them.

I'd say open with the beam immediately since it's based on cooldown and having it up again as soon as possible is ideal, even if it doesn't hit she'll likely try and capitalise on the opening it's cooldown provides her, maybe that can be used to bait her into going for a big attack we can deploy the explosive shield against. Maybe in riot shield form for more control?

Can you tweak your beams to INCREASE the ambient thermal bloom and heat-blind her thermal receptors, even with a miss?

1/2 Argine 2020/07/30(Thu)05:20 No. 973522 ID: 894f15
File 159611160289.png - (604.93KB , 1000x1000 , pl_046.png )

Immediately, I open up with the Beam Unit.
Within a moment, the device manifests on my shoulder, built from nothing.
I pull the trigger mentally, and a jet of high-intensity energy streams through the air, striking Astrolysis in the chest. She staggers backwards, more because of the shock from being shot than the actual force behind it.

Hit 1 for me. The Beam Unit goes on cooldown, dissipating in a cloud of glowing particles.
She breathes heavily, raising her fists again. Smoke curls from the surface of her uniform, the point of impact singed black.
"Cheap shot, wirehead. But I'll give you it."
I grin, spitting back a retort.
"Cheap? I'm sure someone with as terrible taste as you can't tell the difference between vodka and watered-down beer, let alone a shot!"

She brushes herself off, before charging towards me. The options flow through my mind - fighting with you guys is pretty different to when I have to think on the fly. It's like you're injecting the ideas right into my brain!

>Disrupting Echolocation
A good enough idea, but none of my current gadgets are suited for that purpose. Maybe when we fight her again...

>Beam Diffusion
Why the hell would I want to make my weapons weaker? Sure, it may distract the meathead for a couple of moments but she can still find out where I am by detecting where the heat lamp on my shoulder is.
>Jacket distraction
I'm not going to throw my jacket, dumbass. If I take it off, I'll be vulnerable to grabs - it was designed to have very low friction to prevent grapplers from easily snagging me. As a bonus, it lets me slide for a bit if I take a dive, like a goddamn action-hero. For now though...

2/2 Argine 2020/07/30(Thu)05:24 No. 973524 ID: 894f15
File 159611188058.png - (513.93KB , 1000x1000 , pl_047.png )

Astrolysis lunges forward. The ground shakes with each step she takes.
She's slow, in both senses of the word. I don't know if the laser winded her in particular or not, but the wind-up for her attacks make her utterly predictable as I sidestep and dodge her blows.
Still, I maintain my distance from her as she swings at me, darting back and forth as she encroaches on my side of the battlefield.
Finally, she pauses, her form looming over me. A faint scent of dried blood lingers in the air around her.

"What's the matter, big shot? Feeling under the weather?"

"Just toying with my prey, runt."
She cracks that stupid grin of hers again.

Ugh.
I can't play defense forever - that's not my style. Cmon, we've already got one hit in - just need two more and I can move on with what I need to do.


[OPTIONS RENDERING]
[DISPLAYING PRELIMINARY OPTIONS]
1. Counterattack opponent's assault [40% - Guaranteed Damage]
2. Push forwards with activated Shield Generator [80% - Consumes Shield Generator Charge]
3. Fire Beam Unit towards opponent [70% - UNAVAILABLE - COOLDOWN: 3 ACTIONS]

[SAI-SUGGESTION OPTIONS]
EX1. Use Tranquilizer Needles on Opponent on counter-attack [60% - Consumes Tranquilizer dart. No Damage. Additional Effects.]

Directive Reminder: Displayed odds are estimated. For best results, combine existing suggestions.
Success rates are not determined by dice-roll and will be affected by circumstances surrounding combatant and suggested course of action.

Counter-attack. In general, Try to go for her ankles. Makes her less stable and helps keep you out of arms reach

Don't worry, you've got this. The shield guarantees another hit, so all you have to do is hit her once with a punch or kick.
I'd recommend attempting to get both the shield hit and the melee hit at the same time. Begin straightforward melee combat to make her think you don't have any offensive Device options left; hopefully at some point she'll throw out an attack that has an opening for you to hit her at the same time she hits you. Then you just finish the fight by letting her smack against the shield.

Yeah, if your jacket protects you from grapples, counter attack. She can strike, but not grapple you. Once you've got your first hit off you can use the barrier.

>>973537
This

The reactive shield should be used for the last hit.
If used now she'll realize she's up against the wall and get serious.
Counter attack. Slip in and get that second fucking hit. Even if it means she's gonna get two on you, You've a secret weapon so it should be fine.

>>973524
She doesn't seem to have gone for a tail strike yet, I'm willing to bet that the second you try to counter one of her more predictable attacks, it'll be followed with a sting attempt.
If that seems to be the case I think her tail is what you should target. I dunno how strong it is but if you can stab her with her own stinger she'll probably get pissed and be more susceptible to explosive shield finisher.

She's waiting for you to use up all your options before ramping up the attack, you KNOW she's toying with you, and she's counting on you being impatient. Don't use up your shield generator. Taunt her to make her come at you stupid, then use the darts.

Say if she's going to mail it in this early, just save her breath for the tournament and give you the keycard now. You know she's a better fighter than she is boss of this place, if only by default.

Counter attack. If her attacks are slow and predictable side step around her, hopefully in the direction her stinger isn't pointing towards. That way if she reacts to sting you, you've got an extra moment to react to that.

BGM Argine 2020/08/17(Mon)05:25 No. 974621 ID: 894f15
Audio Prelude_Fight_-_Battle_C1_-_(VR_Battle)_-_SMT4OST.mp3 - (5.03MB , Prelude Fight - Battle C1 - (VR Battle) - SMT4OST.mp3 )

Should have posted this at the start of the fight.
Title: VR Battle - Shin Megami Tensei IV
Link: https://youtu.be/af9pTcq5uSo

1/3 Argine 2020/08/17(Mon)05:26 No. 974622 ID: 894f15
File 159766718047.png - (707.79KB , 1200x1000 , pl_048.png )

Astrolysis closes the gap between us, her prodigious size making it difficult to stay away.
Wait for it...
Again, her meaty fist swings towards me, as I dodge past her initial strike.
This is it!

My fist connects with her abdomen, sending a vibration through my arm. It's like I'm punching a sandbag filled with meat! But it's a clean hit, even if she didn't react much.
"Hah! That's one for m-"

2/3 Argine 2020/08/17(Mon)05:26 No. 974623 ID: 894f15
File 159766721144.png - (520.39KB , 1000x1000 , pl_049.png )

Something slams into me, pushing me back. Stinging pain courses through my body - her fist digs into the underside of my chest, leaving me winded. For a moment, my feet lift off the ground.
I land upright, stumbling back, the impact shaking me to my core.
Damn, that hurts. That hurts!

My vision blurs for a moment, but the constantly-smiling image of her form remains on display.

3/3 Argine 2020/08/17(Mon)05:29 No. 974624 ID: 894f15
File 159766736415.png - (788.57KB , 1000x1000 , pl_050.png )

"Y-you...!"

>Patience. Wait for her next strike
No. Screw that! I'm one hit away from victory.
I don't need any of you telling me to wait! I'm one hit away from winning this!

I yell out a battle cry as I rush forwards, hoping to end the fight.

My voice gives out, fist inches away from her chest.
Her foot impacts my chest, in nearly the same position from before, leaving me winded.
I'm thrown back a short distance, the consecutive blows leaving me standing on shaky legs.

My breath comes out ragged as I try to steady myself again, stepping back to a safe distance.
Astrolysis flexes her fingers, taunting me.
"Not bad for a warm-up, eh Wirehead? That's two hits for me!"
Shut up. Okay, get ahold of yourself...
I breathe in, wincing.
"Hit-based duels aren't as fun as slamming someone's head against a wall, but there's always plenty of room for comebacks!", she yammers on.
I hate her. So much.

I'm down two hits, in an instant. Was she holding back this whole time?

Ugh. I still need one more hit on her, but if I get caught out again...

I don't like the sound of that.

So I'll just make sure she won't get an opportunity for that last hit. I need my guns back, and she won't be putting me under her terms.

I've got the shield. The question is, when to use it? She knows we're both on our last hit. Can you guess where she'll strike? My guess is that she'll go for a straight stinger jab if I try to back off, catching me by surprise, but you're better at running these guesses than I am.


[OPTIONS RENDERING]

Projected Success Rates: ???
[INSUFFICIENT DATA. POSSIBILITY MARGIN LIMIT EXCEEDED]
[SAI INPUT REQUIRED]

Her arrogance demands style and splendor. I predict a tail whip or headbutt, but be ready for anything.

Remember, you have a tail. Try to use it during the fight to grab what you need.

>>974624
You don't want to be guessing on this last one; force her to attack on your terms. Come around to her left, your right, and prepare for a swing from her tail or a roundhouse kick in reaction.

Are the 3 actions up? If so, I'd fire the beam again. If not... then I'd fake firing a beam.

As soon as you try firing it, Astrolysis will try to evade and counterattack. You should be expect this with your exploding barrier.

>>974624
Insufficient data. Try to force a vector of attack so that the shield will work.

>Can you guess where she'll strike?
Why, so you can ignore us and get kicked in the sternum?

I like the sound of forcing a stinger jab by backing off; if you blow that off with the shield, it sounds like that will affect her performance in the tourney.

>>974624
okay this is important, has Astrolysis ever witnessed the explosive shield in use?

Not having seen it ourselves I don't know if it has a tell setting it apart from a normal shield unit, or if it it does if it's purely visual.

If no to either of these, since Astrolysis strikes me as the kind of person that prefers to break down a barrier than go around it I think if you use riot shield form and hold your ground rather than retreating she'll try and tackle you to the ground or something similar instead of anything clever.

Boom, last hit.

It's not that you have to wait or attack right now, you need to find an opening.

She has the reach advantage, any action you take that doesn't prioritize defense will leave you open to an interrupting attack.

>>974660
Agreed. Go on the defense for now.

1/4 Argine 2020/09/13(Sun)22:30 No. 976309 ID: 894f15
File 160006144526.png - (765.62KB , 1000x1000 , pl_051.png )

>Why, so you can ignore us?
I have to make more than one decision in the moment, dumbass. If I'm standing there waiting for your input on everything, I wouldn't get anything done.

>You have a tail
It ain't as limber as hers, nor does it come with stingers.


>Astrolysis witnessing the Shield
She doesn't have eyes. I'm the only person with such an ability here anyway.
The beam's still on cooldown, but faking a shot is going on my list of potential ideas for future opponents.

If she uses her stinger...
I hold the image of the modified Shield Generator in my head, quickly stepping back.
Within a moment, Astrolysis shifts stances, crouching down on all fours.

But I'm faster.
The shield manifests in front of me, already armed.
This is it-!
Something sharp jabs into the solidified energy of the barrier, held millimeters away from penetrating through and into my hand.

A blast of hot air gushes past me as the shield's exterior explodes, prompting a roar of pain from my opponent as the offending attack is repelled by ringing fire.
Jackpot.

2/4 Argine 2020/09/13(Sun)22:31 No. 976310 ID: 894f15
File 160006149872.png - (585.06KB , 1000x1000 , pl_052.png )

I breathe a sigh of relief as the smoke clears and the wounded beast is on the other side, a grimace replacing that smug smile of hers.


>Impact her performance in the tournament
Tch, yeah, sure, an explosion's going to stop the monster that people claim can breathe fire and eats clones smaller than her. Even if bullets were more lethal, she still gets back up faster than anyone else I've seen.

I give a pained laugh, the stinging in my chest a reminder of the close call.
"And that's the third. You owe me a weapon, Foundry Master."

Astrolysis growls, holding her singed tail, before letting it sag to the floor. Her stingers seem to be cracked by the intense heat, but even if it had been blown off by the explosion, I'd bet she would have grown them back before we next met.
"That was a cheap trick, Wirehead. Using your 'signia like that. But I'll let it slide. You'll get your weapon - once it's time for us to duel. I'll be hitting you with everything I've got then."

She belts out a laugh, like the pain of having one of your limbs stuck point-blank in an explosion doesn't even register to her.
The logistics of a blind soldier crafting a gun for me puts all kinds of strange images in my head. Does she even know how to make the barrel rifling? Questions for later.
I open my palm, looking at Astrolysis expectantly.
"Oi, don't forget the key before you go."
She tosses me the keyring off-kilter and I snatch it out of the air. I'm a little surprised it's still intact, but Astrolysis happens to be notoriously fireproof in my experience.

I turn to walk out of the firing stalls and towards Judicium's offi-

3/4 Argine 2020/09/13(Sun)22:32 No. 976311 ID: 894f15
File 160006153033.png - (564.60KB , 1000x1000 , pl_053.png )

Hnnngh!
I stagger back, the keycard clenched in my fist. There's a stinging pain in my chest, like she cracked a rib. That's... that's gonna take a night to heal.

"What the hell? The fight's over, asshole!" I wheeze, doubled over.
She grins, her teeth glistening with fresh drool.
"Am I dead?"

I can't respond, the stinging in my chest still aching from earlier as I struggle to catch my breath.

"Then the fight's not over! Remember that for when we fight for real next time!"
She cackles as she walks away, a faint smell of ash lingering around her. If there's anything admirable about her, it's probably her resilience.

What a psychopath.

4/4 Argine 2020/09/13(Sun)22:34 No. 976312 ID: 894f15
File 160006165988.png - (396.69KB , 1800x1000 , pl_054.png )

Picking myself back up from the sucker punch, I make my way over to the entrance of Judicium's office, down the hall from the firing range. My chest's still stinging - she definitely broke something. While I'll be fine tonight, since there's no fights queued up... if I get injured on the day of a scheduled fight, I'm going to have to fight with the injury. I only heal well if I'm conserving my energy, but I should've expected no less from someone who thinks breaking bones in spars is a standard occurrence.

I unlock the door by tapping the keycard to the electronic lock - unlike the other doors I've seen in the compound, this one's wooden and has a handle on it, instead of sliding open once you've put in the right credentials.

Let's get down to business. Where are my guns.

You surely don't need us for this. Still, if they're in this room, that locker on the left seems the most likely spot. Failing that, check for storage space behind that workbench. Then take a closer look at the brown thing in the corner. Is that a cupboard? Only if all else fails, look in the filing cabinet. Who puts a gun in a filing cabinet?

You think we'll find a .50 calibre round in here? just a reminder.

weapons are Probably in the locked chest and we'll need to find a key. Be careful for traps, knowing this place, your weapons could be somewhere protected by a trap.

I'm interested in the picture and those written papers, but as far as the papers go, you reading it all could take waste valuable time. But lets try something: maaaaaaaybe take a quick glance at each of the papers, and we'll record it and then read it for you while you look around.

>>976312
Is that a bed directly to your right? It looks like there’s something sticking out from under one of the corners.

If Judicium thinks you’ll be able to get in here, then odds are she didn’t hide your guns in an obvious place like that locked chest over there. She’s probably got a hidden safe behind either the clock or the poster on the wall.

Also, should we steal the scarf? Its just laying there... mocking you...

I'm kind of a completionist, but... stealing it seems kind of petty doesn't it?

>>976312
Why did Judicium just leave her scarf lying around? Okay, obviously that red part is significant. What does it do?

Hmm, that looks like a sewing machine. Would be funny if this wasn't her scarf.

Search through all the drawsers for objectionable material.

Once you find it, and your guns, take the scarf and leave. Assuming the scarf is finished. If it's not, then leave it.

Get inside that green locker, check the contents of the desk, search that filing cabinet, read those papers that are just left out, and peak behind the flag and the picture on the wall. We need to make sure nothing important is missed. Inspect the scarf, decide whether it properly complements your eyes before you take it.

> If I'm standing there waiting for your input on everything, I wouldn't get anything done.
Like getting kicked in the chest? Listen, if you're going to keep powering ahead with the hail-mary aggression, everyone will know that's your MO and exploit that.

Check those papers, If you've got questions there might be clues. Guns'll either be in the locked chest to your left or in a safe behind that picture.

I'd say the large trunk

1/3 Argine 2020/09/20(Sun)01:57 No. 976818 ID: 894f15
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>You don't need us for this
Hey, we're stuck together. If you're there, best to keep you in the loop. Who knows, you'll probably catch details I don't notice. That's what you're here for. Making sure I can get out of this damned place with my wits intact.

>Is it in the chest?
I'll start there.
I look in the chest to the left, fumbling with the keyring, only to find that the key doesn't actually fit the lock.
Come on!
As I slam my hand against the chest, I realise that it's not actually locked - had she been rummaging around in it before I arrived?
I kick off the chest lid, peering inside.

Guns, bullets - confiscated and broken weaponry from various soldiers like me are inside. I look around for my gals and...
They're not there.

Damn it, she knew I'd look there first!
The guns inside of the box are garbage, honestly. Rusted on the edges - probably because Judicium didn't bother drying them off after snapping them in half with her Parasignia. Annoyingly enough, none of them are loaded. No rounds there.


>Hidden safe
Good call.

There's nothing behind the clock, a little disappointing. But that big tapestry over there...
I lift up the tapestry, and sure enough, there's a tiny little safe behind it.
I insert the keyring in - and thankfully, it fits.

Note to self - thank Astrolysis with a punch to the chest later. If I'd just broken in here, I wouldn't be able to get that lock open.

The safe door swings open, and...
There they are. She'd better not have done anything to you two.

I turn each of them over, scanning for any kind of damage. Thankfully, they're without a scratch.
I've missed you two..

As I realign them with my Parasignia, it's like a hole's been filled in my heart. An unnatural absence that I no longer have to deal with. I exhale, as their blueprints form in my mind, and I prepare to reform them - loaded.
The safe is empty, but my hands are not.

2/3 Argine 2020/09/20(Sun)01:57 No. 976819 ID: 894f15
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*Ahem.*
Alright, that's the final step in my preparation complete - I've gotten my girls back.

The Sound and The Fury.
Custom-made revolvers, firing pressurised rounds more powerful than you’d believe! I also added a couple of studs to the trigger-guards and the grip, for those occasions when I get close and personal. You know, the rounds were so strong, the cylinders warped under the heat? Of course, I didn't want to remove their fire-power, right? So I came up with a solution: I simply made the cylinders disposable, ha ha ha! Not only am I one of the best gadgeteers in this whole damn facility, I'm also one of the better engineers! You learn a lot from taking things apart - though, I much prefer doing that than putting 'em back together.

I'm one helluva prodigy. But now that this gal's got her most important possessions back, I'm up and ready for whatever's coming up!

I'm wondering if I should take anything from ol' Judi's office while I'm still here. Maybe something I could use against her in the fight... ah, damn. I left the Skill Trace vial at the firing range! I'll pick that back up once I go.

3/3 Argine 2020/09/20(Sun)01:58 No. 976820 ID: 894f15
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>the bed, something sticking out

Ooh, now this is reminding me of why I actually want to have you guys around! Heh heh, I don't think I would have seen it myself, since it was right against the wall where I walked in.

It seems jammed in there pretty deep, but after some wiggling, I pull it out.
Something clatters out - brass clinking on the flooring. A .50 bullet? Convenient. It was wrapped in the note. What kind of note comes with a bullet?
I smooth the note out on the bed.

Judi, I know my departure is sudden, but I wanted to say - Thank you, for all of your work throughout these years. You've been with us nearly since the start, and at times, I don't think we would have made it without you. Guiding each generation to their own little successes - Even now, you have to watch over the last few members of this facility, while I'm all the way in the world between worlds, taking in just how small we were, in the scope of things. It pains me to say that I can't maintain regular communication with you, due to the circumstances of our situation, but we'll be able to talk again soon. Please, after everything's over and everyone is ready to go, see me at the PCC. I'm sure I'll be able to convince them to give you a good position as an instructor there. Wouldn't it be fun teaching people, not to fight, but to protect? I've included something as a precaution, you know what it does. Let's hope you won't have to use it.

Huh. Someone's pining. But giving someone a bullet as part of a letter seems like something out of one of Diagram's cheesy novels.
I don't think I know anyone who would be writing secret notes to the ice queen like this. It isn't even signed!
I'm... unsure if I want to pocket this note, since... it feels a little wrong for me to take it. But I could use it as psychological ammunition against Judicium if I'm feeling devious.
And there's the .50 round I need, too! Don't see any others in the room, but there's something real ironic about offering up a bullet enclosed in a love letter. I could use this one, or...

I know, I know, not exactly in a position to pick and choose.
Up to you guys on these two, since I'd have to carry both around with me - I can't put those into my armoury.

I'll look at the scarf after I get a verdict.

>>976820
The note implies this is a special bullet.
Your parasignia lets you fully analyze any object you put into it, right? Why don't you analyze the bullet that way?

Definitely leave the letter. The response to it would be too unpredictable

Leave the letter, lets analyze the bullet.

She just said she couldn't put either object into her armory, though I suppose trying anyway with the bullet to see if it's unique is valid. Either way, take the round.

It's tempting to write something at the bottom of the letter: "Some teacher YOU turned out to be." Whether you do this or not, I get the impression that finally getting your real frustrations off your chest during her fight would be useful. Throw her purpose as a teacher back in her face as you explain exactly how she and the rest of the facility have failed you (and not just in the academic sense) by keeping you in the dark about why you're still here.

>>976819
If the cylinders are getting hot, you are doing something very wrong. If anything it would be your squeeze-bore pressurized round barrel that would start to warp from heat. Honestly the pressure barrel really isn't necessary. If you want stopping power, it would be better to make the projectile go slower so it doesn't make an exit wound. Also, your custom studs won't really work very well since the grip is angled and the barrel protrudes. You would have to hit at a really weird angle for them to be effective. A spike on the bottom of the grip or even a bayonet of some sort would be more effective.

Sorry, it is just that you are making bad assumptions and it seems like you kinda went for the rule of cool over practicality
(the dorky pose isn't helping your case) in the case of your knuckle duster handles. If we changed them, we could totally make them a lot more reliable, efficient, and effective.

Take the .50 bullet, leave the note.

Also, take a different bullet from the chest (one that looks as close to the .50 bullet as possible) and wrap that up with the note as a replacement and put the note back where you found it along with the bullet from the chest, that way, it'll take more time to realize someone stole the .50 bullet and make Judi think the bullet found from the chest is the .50 bullet until she closely analyzes it.