C, but in a more clandestine way, as has been suggested

tippler 2026/05/09(Sat)20:55 No. 1126536 ID: f1368b
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>A, with C influence
It feels weird to be talking to an unfamiliar reptile like this, out in the open. With Lucy I took weeks to feel brave enough to speak to her in the privacy of the house, I didn’t want to talk to Violet at all, and now I’m negotiating with a man who wants to kill me and my brothers like it’s a chat in the backyard.

Being treated like a person instead of meat, because I have something they want. The bitterness burns the back of my throat. Was it really this easy the whole time? Should I have told Violet to stop when she was touching me?

I want to confront her. I want to scream at all the carnivores that they’re eating people and that they’re monsters and should be ashamed of themselves. I’ll go down in a blaze of defiant glory.

I’m the only one who can do this. Lucy prepared me–it’s not something I can ask for from my brothers. For now, I need to stick with the plan of rescuing at least one doe so that they can have their dream and that means acting like I’m going along with the deal.

“Okay. Yeah. The life I had with Lucy was the best I’d ever had and I’d do anything to get it back. What do you want me to do?”

“Tell the other three to leave. If anyone sees them in town again, we’ll know you lied. Meet us in front of Green’s house tomorrow morning so we can verify the location of your burrow, and afterwards we’ll retrieve the snake. Wear your collar.”

That sounds like the perfect opportunity to lead Gustave and the chameleon to the trap. “Fine. I’ll be there.”

The chameleon nods and walks away, back to the street. I feel empty. What should I tell my brothers this evening? They might be suspicious if I give the full truth.

>>1126536
Keeping secrets just gives Gustave or the chameleon ammo to sow discord later during a critical confrontation.

The chameleon spotted us and he tried to cut a deal for a truce. We're going to use that to draw him out, maybe even Gustave. They need to know this, so they know where you're going and who you're going to be luring back, and that there might be more than one. They need to be ready with both the pit and the gun.

Anything about Plan C, they don't need to know. Beyond that point, it's not their problem anymore, it's our own personal mission.

>>1126536
...This isn't smart. We're made, frankly, we've essentially confirmed the rebellion exists AND agreed to show up to what will almost assuredly be some kind of ambush. And for what, bait? He now got to set terms. He's not biting.

All we have now is a chance to book it and re-establish ourselves elsewhere...

...or. or, we could raid the factory during the meeting time. I think forces will be divided enough for it to be a good time for a left hook. Bolster ranks, cause a stir, find SOME way to truly strike these genocidal pricks where it hurts.

>>1126547
Sounds about right.

tippler 2026/05/23(Sat)23:05 No. 1127106 ID: f1368b
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I’ll tell Root, Sky, and Grass everything I learned today and discuss the plan moving forward, except the part where I’m planning to stay behind. Even though Grass is an ass I think I’ve proved myself to him enough that he won’t question my loyalty.

I’m slow returning to the burrow as the adrenaline ebbs out of me. It’s still light out and hot and I stay in the shade as much as possible. My muscles hurt from working on the trap the past few days–the fresh forage doesn’t even taste sweet on my tongue as I mechanically fill my belly before ducking into the tunnel.

Everyone’s there resting in the cool darkness. I tell them my story.

“I’m not actually going to betray you guys.” I mutter into the barren silence.

“I didn’t say anything.” Grass sniffs. “I think this is great. We might even get that Gustave guy as our hostage.”

Sky raises his hand. “Should we try to raid the factory at the same time while they have their guard down?”

“No, we’ll need all of us here to use the gun and tie up a reptile.” Root says decisively. “Good job Rudger! Are you feeling any better?”

I shrug. I feel horrible. So what.

“And be really careful when you go to meet them tomorrow, we don’t want you to get ambushed. If you don’t see both of them out in the open I want you to run.” Root pats me on the shoulder. “How about you get some rest, we’ll make sure everything’s ready for tomorrow.”

I jerk and twitch every time I feel myself approaching sleep. I move to the corner of the nest so I don’t bother the others with my trouble.

>The next morning…
>Weather check (warm or wet): Wet
I leave the burrow early, in the dim damp dawn, eyelids aching. The leaf cloak keeps me dry as I go to Lucy’s house. There’s a damp bit of thick paper in the mouth of my burrow. As the sun rises behind the clouds, I get enough light to see an impression of Lucy, looking thin and scared behind metal bars.

A car rumbles down the street and stops in front of the house. A large crocodile and the chameleon emerge, both holding umbrellas.

>>1127106
The reptiles will be sluggish. Could be good, could be bad. They might not pursue if we try to lure them into a chase. But with our gang knowing what's up, we can bullshit these guys by pretending the other rabbits refused to give up on their plan. We can pretend-sell them out and offer to lead these two to the burrow to finish the job.

You don't even need to act to look despondent.

Stay on guard and let's see what they have to say.

You need to be ready. Gargill may be arrogant, but it's a corporation. They will have analysts and cubicle workers ready to analyze your every move.
You need to make the company trip on itself - figuratively and literally. Remind them that they're all in competition with each other.

>>1127106
The chameleon is bad enough, but something about that croc is just nasty.

Look flighty.
As if youll run should they get too close.

Got to use their assumptions about rabbits against them

And, find out more about lucy.
How're they gonna free her?
Hiw sre thry making the murder charge go away?
Then, timescales.
When?

tippler 2026/05/25(Mon)17:04 No. 1127169 ID: f1368b
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>The rain will make them sluggish
True, as I watch from my hole the crocodile gives an enormous yawn, revealing his huge pink maw.

I leave the photo and slowly emerge from the dripping shrub and the reptiles immediately hone in on me and the crocodile bounds forward uncomfortably close. I dash away to maintain distance and thankfully he stops pursuing.

“Hello there Rudger! It’s wonderful to finally meet you–I’m Gustave Gargill and I spoke with your Lucy a good deal before her unfortunate lapse. I heard from Dave here that you’re going to show us your friends’ hiding spot and we should be able to get Lucy out of jail on a self-defense deal in a day or two. How does that sound? I hope you don’t think too poorly of me already.”

I think the chameleon has his handgun on his belt under his rain coat, but Gustave seems unarmed apart from his raw physical strength. It’s tough to keep my eyes on both of them at once.

“Yes, that sounds okay, I told my brothers to clear out otherwise you’d find them. Don’t get too close to me and don’t you dare take that gun out. I don’t really trust either of you, frankly. I’m doing this for Lucy.”

“Of course, of course, lead the way…”

I want the reptiles to approach from the west side, since that’s where the trap is. I take them along the road until we reach the field and start cutting across the damp grass, which soaks my legs and belly. Every few seconds I check over my shoulder to make sure they’re following.

I recognize our favorite feeding spot, the trap, and the dense bushes where hopefully Root, Sky, and Grass are primed and waiting.

“We have a tunnel near here–the burrow is a lot deeper into the jungle and I don’t think you can reach it. Here, you can see droppings and things.” I step over the trap, which supports my weight, to point at the base of the bushes.

>Random reptile trap check (Gustave or Dave): Dave
I turn back in time to see the chameleon take a long stride onto the trap and crash through. Gustave hops back in alarm as Dave flails and falls deeper into the trench. I duck into the bushes and find my brothers waiting, confused.

“What do we do? There’s two of them!” Grass whispers. We have the gun, the gun stand, a collection of knives and shivs, and some rope.

Take aim at Gargill and fire!

We need Gustave alive. He's got info. Dunno about Dave. Would his absence be noticed? Oh and we could take his gun from his corpse. Lastly have Gargill write a letter to the cops/lawyers dropping Lucy's charges "thanks to Dave's snooping". She's useful. Dropoff at an unmanned postal box should be covert and easy to pull off.

Start by shooting Gustave. Aim for the gut, to minimize the chances of missing. Then rope him in a way that puts pressure on the wound while binding his arms.
The rest of the rabbits should jump attack Dave until he surrenders or stops moving.

After that, situation check.

>>1127169
We want Gustave alive preferably, he's a more valuable hostage.

You and Grass, jump on Dave in the hole with your shivs. He's not at a good angle for shooting, but you can get him in close quarters with blades, and his gun is in an awkward spot for him to reach right now.

The other two, get the gun trained on Gustave and get him to freeze.

>>1127182
yeah gut shot could work. It won't kill him right away but it puts pressure on him to make a deal with you so he can get to a hospital

Addendum on the chameleon: Go for his wrist and ankle tendons if you can. Without those he's pretty much unable to do anything.

>>1127182
>>1127196
In this time period's medicine, I'm pretty sure a gut shot is a death sentence.

tippler 2026/05/29(Fri)22:28 No. 1127333 ID: f1368b
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>Shoot Gustave, attack Dave
“Sky and Root, aim for the big guy while me and Grass try to kill the chameleon!” I grab a glass knife and jump out of my skin when a deafening BANG rips through the air and the gun jerks in Sky’s arms.

>1st time gun use aim check (base 30%+10% Gustave size bonus): Failure
Did they hit Gustave? The crocodile, after recovering from the shock from the sound of the gun, turns tail and begins to run, leaving Dave to fend for himself.

>2nd time gun use aim check (base 40%-10% moving target-10% Gustave further away): Failure
Sky shoots again but the beast doesn’t stop zig-zagging across the field, making the shot increasingly unfeasible.

“Hold fire!” I gasp. My heart is hammering in my chest and I drag Grass out of the bush so we can actually deal with Dave. Grass leaps onto the chameleon’s neck and clings to the thrashing, desperate lizard, all the while jabbing his shiv into the man’s vulnerable eyes. I launch myself forward and get slugged and fall on my side at the edge of the trench. My diaphragm struggles to move as the rain pours into my ears and open mouth.

>Gustave honor check: Success
Wait–wait–Gustave’s curving around and coming back! He’s down on all fours, headed for the bush where Sky and Root and the gun are. He’s huge and terrifying and fast, teeth and claws. I have to do something!

>>1127333
Mud in the eyes. Crocs can deal with murky water, but he ain't in the water, and mud'll stick where dirt'll get cleared out by his membranes.

>>1127333
Thump your leg so they know the direction of the danger,then distract gustav to give them a last shot.

Oh god, they don't know how to aim down sights! Do the mud-in-eyes thing, then take over and remember to line up the three pieces of metal sticking on top of the gun so they're all straight, without any holes, and the top is a flat surface right in front of Gustave's face!

tippler 2026/05/31(Sun)20:11 No. 1127394 ID: f1368b
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>They don’t know how to aim
We never had a chance to practice! With only eight bullets it’s not like we can waste shots–the noise is also way louder than I thought it would be, my ears are still ringing. I don’t blame Sky for missing.

>Throw mud in Gustave’s face
My ribs ache and I’m short of breath but I grab one of the loose clumps of grass with dirt still in the roots that was dislodged by the trap and fling it as hard as I can at the incoming crocodile, aiming for his beady eyes.

>Blinding check: Failure
He closes his eyes and ducks his head just in time so that my attack bounces off of him. I scream and thump the ground as hard as I can to try and warn Sky and Grass before he crashes into the bushes. Dave is yelling in pain behind me.

>Sky survival check: Success
>Root survival check: Failure
I get to my feet, fur cold and smeared with mud, and scramble after Gustave. If I can reach the gun I can try to shoot him myself! I have to stop him somehow–Grass and the trap are handling Dave, I’m pretty sure, the crocodile is the biggest threat.

Sky bursts out of the wet leaves, gun clutched to his chest. “He got Root! Rudger, the gun doesn’t work, we need to run now!”

A. Take the gun from Sky and stay
B. Prioritize survival

A. It’s do or die

A) "You put the safety on, idiot! Gimmie that!"

A) have to end this here

A.
Need to save root if theres any chance at all.

A. All in. Do or die.

tippler 2026/06/03(Wed)00:03 No. 1127549 ID: f1368b
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>A
“We have to end this Sky, give me the gun!”

He hesitates and I grab it from him roughly. I lift it so the top of the barrel is eye-level and aim for the shaking bushes. The faint tang of blood reaches my nose. The smell isn’t strong because of the heavy rain. Sky backs away from me but doesn’t run.

>Aim check: Failure
The moments slow down. My whole body is shaking from the stress and the cold and the nights of bad sleep and I can’t hold the gun steady. Through the leaves I see there’s crimson stained down Gustave’s shirt, black tie lost in the struggle. He’s coming.

The metal flinches in my hands as I squeeze the trigger and then I’m flung to the side as Sky pushes me out of the way of the charging crocodile. I’m gripping the gun so hard that it fires again at nothing as jaws snap shut and crush my brother’s skull.

>Four aim checks (20% success each): One Success
I scream and fire the remaining four shots from where I am on the ground. A red spot blooms on Gustave’s broad back, but he doesn’t flinch as he reaches to pull Dave out of the pit. Maybe he can’t tell he was shot with how much adrenaline he’s feeling.

Grass swipes at Gustave’s hand with his knife, caught in the battle frenzy…I can’t lose Grass too, can I?

Damnit.

Scream "Tell Lucy I love her," and then grab your remaining knife and stab Gustave right where you opened up his back. Twist and pull at the wound, over and over. Do NOT stop carving even if he stops moving.

You can't miss if you shoot him from right next to him. barrel in the eye. Or you're all dead.

At this point, mud clod in the eyes one more time and hope to god that Gustav can be blinded.

After that, slap Grass across the face to have him come to his senses. Beg, cry, scream, WHATEVER you can do to make him let this go.

Whether or not Grass can come to his senses, you need to RUN. GET OUT OF THERE, RUDGER.

>>1127549
For lucy, rudger.
Move the gun closer to gustaves blinded side.
Aim for the neck or head. It'll be still because hes helping dave.
Its sneaky, but its what your people are good at.
"Be cunning and full of tricks and your people will never be destroyed"

Tricks, rudger.
Theyre the only thing that have worked consistantly.
Which is why you tell the chameleon there and then, as cold as you can
"It looks like you brought your boss out into the woods and killed him.
No one will ever believe a bunch of bunnys shot him.
Free lucy, before our runner drops off the note with directions saying dave did something very bad here."

Keep yourself together prince with a thousand enemies.
Grieve later.
Anger later.
Right now, make this trick work for lucy and more.
Make it work and you have dave, blackmailed into helping.
That could free more of your people.
Including does.

Push Grass out of the way, sacrifice yourself for him to run away.

>>1127549
Seven shots. You have one left.

Yell at Grass to get out of reach, and use that last shot. Go for the leg. He's stocky, it's still a stout target. It'll limit his ability to run after you, to get to help, and to help Dave up. Best case scenario, Dave's weight yanks them both into the hole and you and Grass can get in there with your blades to finish the job.

Calm down. If you miss this next shot, you, Grass, and Lucy are dead.

This was Posted in discussion thread if anyone missed it: https://questden.org/kusaba/questdis/res/135483.html#145393

>>1127611
Having realised rudger is better at counting than i am...
This.
Get the lizard in the hole.
But were going to have to use a knife so, hamstring him. go for tendons.

Put a hold on the blackmail dave plan until it can be used.

>>1127631
>>1127648
Uh in that case, work with Grass and smack him in the face with the pistol? Try to get him in the hole? Bite him and scratch his eyes if it's too heavy?

Not sure, you're kinda fucked but if you don't win here then it'll all have been for nothing.

>>1127653
Right, yeah. If we're outta bullets, we slice his hamstrings.

tippler 2026/06/06(Sat)23:10 No. 1127712 ID: f1368b
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>It can’t have all been for nothing
I’m not going to run away and I know in my heart Grass doesn’t want to run either. In the end we’re united, body and soul, against our true enemy. The reptiles have to die. This trench can be our grave.

>Dave death check (95%): Success
>Gustave death check (75%): Success
>Grass survival check (25%): Failure
>Rudger survival check (25%): Failure
I drop the empty gun, pick up my glass knife, and leap onto Gustave’s shoulders. My weight is enough to unbalance him slightly, and he’s forced to let go of Dave to try and dislodge me.

The rain has made his thick greenish skin slippery and I use my free hand to anchor myself to his shirt collar as I dig my blade into whatever I can reach. The soft spots where his jaw meets his neck, the oozing bullet wound, his ear holes–Gustave can’t reach behind himself very well with his stubby arms and stout body, but eventually he gives a huge shake and flings me off.

I attack Gustave again and again until he’s soaked in blood, staggering. Grass joins me at some point and we drive the crocodile to his knees.

We can only evade for so long–any dying animal is dangerous and Grass eventually gets grabbed by the throat and slammed against the ground until his fragile spine snaps. I ignore his death throes and keep attacking, keep spilling red across my snout and fur until I too find myself in Gustave’s unsteady grasp.

For a split second we look at each other. I don’t hear Dave moving any more, just the rain against the leaves and my blood roaring in my ears.

The crocodile’s not going to make it. I think he knows. I can see he’s scared.

I don’t have breath in my lungs since Gustave is slowly crushing my ribs. I think of my dearest ones: Sky, Root, Grass, and Lucy. I love them. I loved them as much as I could. Together, we struck a blow against Gargill and between the pain and discomfort and terror, I die knowing some peace.

tippler 2026/06/06(Sat)23:10 No. 1127713 ID: f1368b
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Thank you for reading Soapbox Quest. It turned into quite the tragedy in the end, which is a dour note to end my foreseeable questing with, but I’m proud of the story and I’m grateful to everyone who participated.

How it goes. Thanks for questing Tippler, your quests were always enjoyable to read.

Bittersweet, that seems about the right note for you to end on

A sad ending and an uncertain future, but not one without hope. In fact, it could be the start of a much better future.

Nalthar's right. It's fitting.

Thanks for questing, Tippler!

it'll be sad to see ya go tippler

Its been absolutely wonderful.
Even to the end.

Thanks for the story.

Good luck and kick some ass, tippler.

Sometimes you gotta go out fighting. Godspeed, Tippler.

Bummer. Any Epilogue for Lucy? Her trial is probably going to get messier considering the only character witness for her victim was just shot with an officer's firearm.

Fuuuuck damn just checked back on this quest and it didn’t go so well

RIP to Soapbox Quest :(