5/11 Coil 2022/10/31(Mon)00:52 No. 1047984 ID: 481e64
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"Isn't this... The Forlorn hope?"
>"That's right. Thousands of loyal Sect soldiers, ready to follow orders without question and at a moment's notice. Fully mindless, fully disposable. They fight not for money or country. Ready to die for whatever we say. The perfect soldiers."
"What kind of equipment are you giving them? It hardly looks advanced enough for a modern firefight."
>"Summit replicator produced weaponry. Tried and tested designs from the past. Lightweight, effective, cheap and quick to produce."
"Effective? Can bullets even penetrate force fields? Or advanced armor?"
>"The goal isn't to penetrate. It's to overwhelm and strain our enemy's resources. If we produce soldiers faster than our enemy and wear them to the point of resource exhaustion, we can make our hard push. It's called a war of attrition. You are welcome to question this method, but my track record speaks for itself."
"How many will die?"
>"As many as it takes."
"The queen doesn't have a problem with this?
>"Why would I? They're disposable. This is their purpose."

6/11 Coil 2022/10/31(Mon)00:53 No. 1047985 ID: 481e64
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"Is this all of us?"
"For the moment. Mister Jade, Mister Crimson and Mister Amber. You three will have to do."
"Don't forget about yourself, Mister Tan. What happened to Mister Teal? Weren't you just speaking with him?"
"I was. I've sent him to go check on Mister Peach and Mister Olive."
"They're dead, aren't they?"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
>"It was that creepy-ass goat, wasn't it? The one that carries around the shotgun that shoots nails. Why didn't we try getting him on our side?"
"We thought of doing that at first, but I could tell he would try betraying us. I don't think he wants money, I think it's more likely he has a personal interest in the drives."
"What about Mister Snow, Silver and Gold?"
"Snow and Gold haven't replied to my inquiries. We'll assume them to be dead for the time being. I spoke With Mister Silver, he is driving the artillery truck elsewhere. I've asked him to get whatever reinforcements he can in the form of mercenaries that work locally."
"Where did this all go so wrong? This plan was supposed to go smoothly."
"We haven't failed yet. The drive is still close by. And why care if the others have failed? This only means we all get a bigger cut."
"Yeah? well now we have to deal with these companies moving in the area. They're probably trying to get to the drive as well."
"Follow my lead and toe the line, and we'll be just fine."
>"Why are we following your orders all of a sudden?
"You want to get paid, don't you? I had to pull a lot of strings with our contact to land this job you know. If you want to go back to being space pirates, you're all welcome. But I'm telling you, if we accomplish what we set out to do, we don't have to worry about cash again."
"And if someone gets in the way?"
"Is that even a question? We'll kill them."

7/11 Coil 2022/10/31(Mon)00:53 No. 1047986 ID: 481e64
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>"You bastard... You have no idea who you're screwing with..."

...

>"Why are you quiet all of a sudden? C'mon, carve more off my ears! I'll show you what high pain tolerance looks like. Why don't you go back to the thing where you filed my teeth down? Not like they'll grow back or anything!"

...

>"When the others get to you, they'll do worse. They'll do a lot worse. I'm keeping note of everything you've done here, and we're doing it to you times ten. Remember when you put my head in a vice? I hope you have fun when it's your turn."

..

>"Do you tobaks have teeth? I wonder if you enjoy having holes drilled through them..."

...

>"Are those... footsteps? Who's there?"

8/11 Coil 2022/10/31(Mon)00:54 No. 1047987 ID: 481e64
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"What did you think of my stories? Pretty creepy, right?"
>"Your ghost stories were very entertaining, even if I don't entertain the existence of the supernatural. What do you think this place is?"
"The sign looks like it says 'Eden Point.' I'm sorry but it doesn't really ring any bells. Watch out though! looks like someone drew headsplitter symbols all over it."
>"Headsplitters?"
"Yeah! Big hideous monsters which are super territorial! They can control you through magnetism! They'll tear your shiny metal arm off..."
>"I see. Perhaps I should sit this one out then."

9/11 Coil 2022/10/31(Mon)00:54 No. 1047988 ID: 481e64
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>"Anyways, thanks again for reattaching my head."
"Don't mention it! I'm used to doing odd jobs. Not... that I do this kind of thing every day."
>"Right. I think you should head back. Things are probably going to get dangerous from here on out. And I'd hate for you to get hurt, Axyl."
"Fair enough. I should head back to my bike, I sort of left it out in the open, so I hope nobody took it by now."
>"I'll recommend you for future work if you'd like. You've done well."
"Thanks! Hey, just one more thing. Well... a few things actually."
>"Is the first thing about my arm?"
"...Maybe."
>"Nothing happened to it. I never had an arm there to begin with."
"You were born without it?"
>"I wouldn't say 'born.' I'm not exactly naturally made. I was ordered to be made by our senior programmer as his bodyguard."
"So the arm doesn't grow back or anything?"
>"No."
"And another thing, is the white fur normal? I've never seen a neumono with full white fur."
>"That would be an attribute of my albinism."
"Ah. Ok then. Also, what's your name supposed to mean?"
>"Mark Zero? It's the designation of the stage of prototype progression that our scientists typically use."
"So you're like... the patient zero?"
>"Sure. I'm certain they could've done better if they ever decided to make more beyond me."
"How can you see in the dark? Are you going by vibrations or sound?"
>"Bionic implants."
"Ah. Is your gun also named Mark?"
>"This is a Mark Three Anti-Material rifle. I'm also wearing Mark Two Bio Armor. No relation to actual Bio Armor, which is functionally different."
"Fancy! I should buy myself a pair some day! anyways, I should head off for now."
>"Hold on. I had a question for you."
[color=78574A]"About ghosts?" [/color]
>"No. Did you happen to catch the name of a tobak that was carrying around a jammer? His fur was yellowish, and his horns were brown."
"Oh hey! I know who that is! Yep, that'd be Dowser. We took down a group of raiders together. He's a pretty crazy guy! Why?"
>"Did you catch his contact information?"
"Oh- sure! Why? Did you meet him?"
>"I saw him when I stepped off the elevator. He was carrying a neumono on his back."
"Really?"
>"Mhm. I picked up the empathy that neumono was giving off... I can't really describe it as anything other than... pure happiness. "
"Huh. they must've hit it off!"
>"Yeah. I suppose I'm just curious is all. Just one thing I should warn you about when you head back."
"Huh?"

10/11 Coil 2022/10/31(Mon)00:55 No. 1047989 ID: 481e64
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>"Don't get in the way of the tourist."
"I've never heard of him. Or her. Why the name?"
>"He has been off world. I expect him to be around here, looking for the same thing we are."
"I guess he isn't on your side then."
>"That is uncertain, He works exclusively for money. He'll do just about anything for anyone if the price is right."
"What does he look like? So I can avoid him."
>"Hard to tell. He changes his name, personality, and appearance frequently. The only identifying features are that he is a male tobak with two tails."
"Does he have the same beeping tracking device that you do?"
>"I doubt it. He is very distrustful of technology. He is likely tracking with more traditional methods."
"Is he dangerous?"
>"Extremely."

Tobak Quest - Thread 3 END Coil 2022/10/31(Mon)00:55 No. 1047990 ID: 481e64
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Whatever it takes.

I don't care who or what gets in my way. I'm going to save Bry and Ashley, and I'm going to get that case back to Fletcher. I'm not Making excuses. I'm going to do right by everyone, even if it kills me. Even if I have to be the person I’ve always been afraid to be.

Whoops, looks like my fringe got blown aside... let me just... put that back.

Choose a protagonist to follow for thread 4
-Continue with Coil and finish intermission.
-Continue Dowser's story.
-Pick other (tobak) protagonist.

>Choose a protagonist
First vote's for Coil, though if i had to pick an Other...
Either following Bry or Fletcher i think.

Let's go back to Dowser for now.

1) Ashley
2) Dowser

I would like to see Bry point of view some time, but I wouldn't want to miss Coil perspective during his rescue.
This moment seem to be happening during Dowser's somnambulism. This hole situation will be resolved long before his spy mission one week from now, so if we finish things here any consequences would interact better with Dowser story.
I say we continue with Coil until we reach a conclusion.

I vote to continue the intermission and follow one of the tobaks who are there.
Either Fletcher or Coils, I can't decide. Coils is in the middle of his escape plan, but I'm really curious about what's happening with Fletcher...

>>1047986
HEY, LISTEN

>>1047990
Lak

>>1047990
I vote Bry

Fletch for the tactical stuff.
Feels like buildup so far but with what is about to explode?
Very Korean War with Summit as the PLA forces. Still, without officers the sect will have serious initiative issues. She'll probably either lead a group or have a specialized force to get Summit's HVTs.
Other options look as though they'd avoid obstacles set up to impede. Would like to blow through 'em for once.

Clover quest.

>>1047990
Not only are they hearts, but they're pink and sparkle. No WONDER Coil never shows his face. Imagine if Fletcher knew? She'd take SUCH sweet revenge.

There are quite a few Tobak perspectives I'd love to follow here - any one of the female Tobaks ranks pretty high - but it might be best to return to a couple red threads and alternate between them. Dowser and Coil are pretty centrally positioned in this drama anyway.

So back to Dowser! Besides, I wanna know how excited our headbud is about the prospect of meeting a new species in the upcoming clandestine mission.

A vote for Bry!

Voting for Coil or Bry

Holy shit Coil is hot as hell!

I pick Dowser. He is my main guy!

>>1047990

Coil. Let's finish the intermission for now~ ❤

I'm very curious about Fletcher, Coil and Bry, but was totally convinced that Dowser was the novice pilot that was killed so I want to see that.
I vote for Dowser

>>1047990
I want to pick Fletcher. Let's see if we can help her rescue Coil.

>>1048018
>Dowser is the novice pilot that was shot down
The novice pilot that got shot down was a miklik. Last time I checked, Dowser was a tobak. It's safe to assume that Dowser was not the novice pilot that got shot down in that plane.

Carry on, Coil. Things are about to get very interesting...

>>1047990
Oh no....HE'S HOT!

>>1047990
Picking Dowser. I wanna hang out with our green friend.

I mean, I know Ashley is a Sect but...
My vote's for Ashley.

>>1047990
Wait on a second
>OP picked the Leon S Kennedy jacket
LETS GOOOOO!

>>1047990
Does Coil's intermission happen before, current, or after the events of what Dowser is currently doing?

>>1047990
Heart eyes mothafucka

There are a lot of interesting things to do or look into in the Dowser side of the story, but for the overall plot the big thing for Dowser does seem to be his upcoming mission. So finishing this action intermezzo with Coil instead of leaving it on a cliffhanger feels like the best focus for next thread.

>>1047990
Voting Coil because i want to see Bry in that maid outfit, and i at least want to see them kiss a little. You know on accident.

>>1048040
Low-key I'm expecting Clay to pick up (or to have already picked up) green boy, the sneaky fuck.

>>1047990
Even if I suspected a heartshaped pupil, I didn't imagine it to be soo cool.

I wanted to point that I love how he looks. It remember me of a cartoon or something with a character with a cute theme (pink hearts, sparckles, etc) that was a total badass. I suppose Jojo apply in that description too?

>>1048123
Clay dating the green boy we saved? I am 10p% backing this.

I'd go with Dowser to give both stories more room to intertwine later on like it's infinity war.

That or Lk, because he is an intriguing lunatic.

Thread 4: Bry

My vote's for moving forward with Coil.

Wana see some more Dowser

coil

1/3 Bonus Update 2022/11/09(Wed)20:48 No. 1048901 ID: 481e64
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>"Hey Dowser. Kaddi here - Kind of. Not really. Let's just say I'm here on his behalf."

>"This is Kaddi's head friend speaking, manifesting just as yours did. Who I was supposed to be to him was some kind of physical manifestation of past trauma in the form of some crazed giant snow neumono he saw in a movie or video game or something. He freaked out at first, but I'm not as rough once you get to know me. That being said, he did get rid of me by downing all sorts of antipsychotics. He brought me back by handling the artifact again so we could work out a deal of sorts. I run the night shift in exchange for helping him with his mental issues. I tell ya, it’s a miracle he hasn't gone rogue yet."

>"I've been taking sleeping meds and smoking to keep myself awake so the other guy stays asleep, I imagine I'll be up for a while longer."

>"...Anyways, seems you're not around to pick up so I'll just have to leave a message instead. It's about the ore."

2/3 Bonus Update 2022/11/09(Wed)20:49 No. 1048902 ID: 481e64
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>"First off, it isn't an ore. Or a mineral. It isn't even an alloy either. It's something far, far more different. What that is, I can only speculate. What's important is one major takaway - This isn't natural. As a matter a fact, I'm convinced it's not even from this world. Or any world."

>"I've run a lot of tests on this thing, as many as our available equipment and resources allow. I've scanned, drilled holes, dissolved samples - most have been pretty useless, but some have turned up areas of interest. Namely, the presence of synthetic elements. Know what those are? Those are teeny tiny unstable atoms made in big expensive labs that decay in microseconds - But I'm looking at bits of the stuff right now, and it's not decaying. It's all on the inside and there isn't much of it, but it's definitely there. Oh, also some of this stuff is highly radioactive. Your fingers grow back too, right? Not to worry. All the radioactive elements are on the inside of protective layers."

>"I tried to do a scan of the inside, but I can't see much without a bunch of noise. I made printouts of what I could observe, and there's something inside. I can’t tell you much, but I'm observing what looks to be a long... metal... thingy. Could be nothing and I'd need to crack this thing open to know more."

>"After scrubbing off a bit of the surface, I've been able to make out some strange markings. I've circled them in marker because they are so easy to lose. I'm not sure what they are, but they were likely drawn in deliberately. Tribal tobak symbols maybe? I tried searching through a database but didn't find a convincing match."

>"I did find material which causes the intense magnetic signature. A presence of Neodymium, Iron and Boron with traces of Dysprosium and Praseodymium. I do not like sharing a vocabulary with a rock nerd. I didn't find out for certain what produces the psychotic inducing effects. Scans didn't show any presence of biological life. Obviously, carbon dating is out of the question."

>"Want my theory on what this is? It isn't natural, and it doesn't look like it was made with any purpose in mind. Judging by all the impurities, this must be waste of some kind. Very valuable waste. Whatever process or machine produced this waste is not known to the greater universe."

>"After hearing all that, you're probably wondering what it's worth, right? Because I can tell you that from a scientific point of view, Raw minerals aside, this is priceless for the value of study alone. Any scientist looking for universal recognition and fame would kill to make a discovery from something like this."

3/3 Bonus Update 2022/11/09(Wed)20:50 No. 1048903 ID: 481e64
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>"I'd put money on just about any egghead asking the same big question. 'Where did it come from?' I'm fairly curious myself."

>"I thought about the story you told me, about the dead guy you found it on. Gyro Clay of the Talion corporation. I did a bit of snooping in their mineral database, and I'm convinced that this artifact was a personal trinket rather than something which was supposed to be a part of some botched exchange. So where did Gyro get it from? Well, I dug deeper, and it appears he didn't have any family who could have gifted him the artifact. What he did have was hundreds of Rin-Reida who he would help feed and build orphanages for with all the funds his high position granted him. Seems like our friend Gyro was a bit of a saint."

>"Want to know my theory? I think it was a Rin-Reida who gave this to him. It might be a long shot, but I have a gut feeling. The Rin-Reida have lots of secrets, don't they? Some of the stories are pretty wild."

>"I'll go pay the Rin-Reida reservations in the glade a visit. They don't take kindly to aliens and won't come willingly, so I might have to get a little rough. I broke out my trusty old bio-armor and rifle from the war just in case. Once I get my hands on one who can provide the answers I want, I'll bring em' back here for a talk - as discrete as I can. You did a good job keeping this artifact a secret, so I'll do the same. Wish me happy hunting."

>>1048903
I have a bad feeling about this

Was hoping for science jargon but got lorem ipsum...
So uh... I guess we figured out what gave the Rin-Reida psychic powers...

So she (he?) will just kidnap a random rin-reida? What kind of plan is that?

It's strange that Dowser property rights are being respected with this report but someone else can be interrogated against their will. Maybe the rin-reidas have less rights than tobaks but we met one working as a carpet cleaner in the same city.
If they are around she (he?) could pick someone who live here alone, or at least in smaller numbers. If morality and rules aren't a concern Dowser could be misinformed in preparation to pay less for the thing or disappearing with it. Maybe the difference is if it's done in the city or outside, but the victim will still be brought back to the city.
There is a weird leap of logic here.

>>1048940
>It's strange that Dowser property rights are being respected with this report but someone else can be interrogated against their will
Corpo logic perhaps. Always respect a contract (even an oral one) to keep getting more contracts, but anyone who's not a customer/partner/etc. is fair game.

That's all pretty interesting.

>>1048940
Well, getting answers as to why you suddenly exist in somebody else's head might warrant a teeny bit of kidnapping, pending on your perspective.

And Kaddi did sound a little messed-up from past war-related traumas, so this headbud probably has their entire perspective painted by that. Violence to get their way might just be more acceptable overall! Dowser is way more chill and could probably just go ask in their place (and wouldn't have to deal with the hostility against aliens), but seeing as he's not responding, Kaddi-bud is taking their own initiative. Maybe Dowser can try to deal with this mess when he gets back from his mission.

To be fair, the Rin-Reida might be interested in whatever this thing is as well - recovering it and dealing with the fallout of losing their ally Clay - so if Kaddi-bud manages to shack up with someone who gets what's going on, this might become a net positive for them in some way.

>To be fair, the Rin-Reida might be interested in whatever this thing is as well - recovering it and dealing with the fallout of losing their ally Clay - so if Kaddi-bud manages to shack up with someone who gets what's going on, this might become a net positive for them in some way.
I think this might result in the Rin-Reida ransoming Kaddi for the stone.

I think a diplomatic aproach would be more reasonable. The Rin-Reida have been very approachable so far.