>>483805
"Yes. That's why I'm having you stand still, mate!"
A long metal arm folds down from the thick cords and machinery above, wrapping a sort of steel collar around what might be called a neck.

It flickers and beeps on.
"That should keep us in contact, and also will serve as a tether to this particular reality. Now, on your way with you!"

There is a blinding flash of light, and the sensation of being stretched very long, then squished up very tight, until finally you pop back to normal about five feet in the air back where you started.

Archive is nowhere to be seen, however, and things look slightly different somehow. You can't put your finger on it, but it is making you slightly uneasy.

There are several tools and bits and bobs just scattered everywhere, and a large sliding metal door adorns the wall.

>What do you do?

Archivemod 2013/01/09(Wed)14:20 No. 483880 ID: 7787d1
File 135777002613.png - (1.49KB , 88x88 , Silc.png )

I drew a mockup of our good protaganist silc, for those of you who are interested in a visual marker of some sort. If I need to fix any details, do let me know!

Fall five feet.

>>483880

Looks good. :) Though I really wish it was larger than a thumbnail...

>>483835
>>483918

Well, let's try to land as carefully as possible and scan our surroundings for anything interesting, also check exactly what kind of tools and bits are laying around. Finally, look at the door and see if there's anything written on it or if it's openable...

>>483918
>>483946
You do so, rolling out of it with minimal damage to your hardy exterior.
A screen descends from the ceiling, the occasional burst of static interrupting the image of Archive recorded on the screen.

"Welcome, friend! This room is Quaran-KRSSH!
It would be wise to try t-FZZZRT, or possibly even stay there! If I am still alive, I will FZzzzzap!-scue you!"

The screen fades to black, folding back up into the ceiling.
The tools are varied, ranging from blowtorches to scalpels. There is a coil of firehose resting in a box hanging askew a few inches off the floor.
A satchel hangs from the wall, empty save for a hammer.

The door appears to be slightly ajar, sparking occasionally.

>>483946
Aye, I might be able to cook up a bigger version with some gratuitous abuse of the screenshot tool. Give me a few minutes to fix the wonky arm, though.

>>484021

Collect a varied amount of tools and stuff them into the satchel on the wall, which you will bring with you. Also, check if there is a toolbox, it would be a better container to carry the tools with.

Now, if ajar door has a slit or crack that we can see through, check it out. Otherwise, attempt to open or repair it, we have plenty of tools...

>>484591
The room is rather cluttered, and you are unable to find a toolbox amongst all the wreckage and cords and sheets of metal scattered around the room.

You fill the satchel with tools, adding an acetylene torch, a scalpel, one hammer, a crowbar, a flashlight and one rather odd-looking device consisting of a box with a button on the top and a cord ending in a usb dongle.

You are unable to find any more usable tools, save for a box of rope which you remove and wrap around your body.

What do you do now?

((Also, apologies about not getting the bigger-resolution rock dude done, as itturns out I can't soom in a picture on aseprite without a scrollwheel, which kinda ruins the entire process of enlargening sprites))

Well, if we've looted the room, I suggest checking behind the sparking door.

>>484894
((Aseprite is kind of cute, but it has all kinds of annoying practical limitations if you actually try to use it for anything. You could use faststone for resizing, or just switch to paint.net for your sprite making)).

>>484897

What he said, explore the door...

>>484897
((I use it BECAUSE it has limitations. It forces me to get things done, as opposed to worrying over every minute detail. I do use pdn for the titlecards, though.))

>>484909
>>484897
The sparking door slides away easily with a shove from your mighty crystal arms, screeching loudly as you push it open.

A darkened hallway looms beyond, small creatures seemingly formed out of the night itself skittering out of the light like frightened rabbits.

The hall stretches on in either direction, the faint pulse of your crystalline heart lighting the way.

The only question now is: Left or right?

To the left, you can hear machines thrumming and chugging away. To the right, you can see a dim yellow light.

Which way do you go?

Hmm. Working machinery seems like a sightly more solid lead than light, which could just be coming in from outdoors for all we know. Check left first.

>>484976
((Double checked, and it turns out you can do what you want to do with Aseprite. 123456 are the hotkeys for various zoom levels. Or go to sprite/sprite size if you actually want to scale it up for uploading)).

>>484992
You trundle down the long hallway to your left, the clanks and whirring of whatever machinery lays before you the only company you have during your short journey.

You reach a large steel door, and after quite a bit of effort manage shove it to the side.

The room before you is massive, stretching further than you can actually see.
Machinery clanks and whirrs away throughout, giant cogs and gears clicking and ticking away.

The neck-mounted device the man in the lab coat gave you lights green, a heavy layer of static distorting a very familiar voice.

"Ah, FINALLY! It seems we still have some interference, however... Now, where are you?"

Well, report in. You have found yourself in what appears to be an alternate version of Archive's lab. It appears damaged, and there was an automated message warning about some kind of quarantine.

Archivemod 2013/01/13(Sun)17:19 No. 485018 ID: b53faa
File 135812635003.png - (10.48KB , 703x588 , dildongle.png )

((bigger version
couldn't fix the arm, no mouse))

>>485002
thought up a better plotline.
"Damaged? Oh dear. Look, you need to avoid the shadows as best you can.
Shouldn't be an issue, what with the glowing. Anyhow, look around for a large switch. If you are where I think you are, yo'll need to find that as soon as possible."

The gears clank and tumble away, large pistons smashing into plates along the line. A machine walks by you, tromping off into the steel door you opened.
You hear gunfire a moment later, a crash, and then silence.

Carefully move to investigate the gunfire. (Is our crystalline lattice vulnerable to small arms fire? How brittle / hard are we?). Ask Archive if there should be automated turrets, or armed personnel here. If he answers in the negative, that means we've found an intruder or outsider of some kind (reserve judgement though- that doesn't necessarily mean they're bad).

>>485252
You would more than likely shatter like glass. You are made out of yellowed quartz, remember?

And the gunfire sounded like it came from the robotic drone that went in there.

You can't see far into the hall, your light only able to go so far. Maybe if you got yourself excited somehow...

>>485252
You try the radio-like device, but get nothing but static.
It appears you've lost contact with Archive.

((Bumping my own thread, hurrdedurr))

Well... let's cautiously investigate that gunfire. Peek around that door, and see what happened. Use a mirror or reflective surface to check, if possible.

Take a moment to survey the room you're in too- looking for the switch Archive mentioned.

>>486063
this

>>486063
There is a wall of knobs and levers set into the wall to your left. A large red electrical pull-switch catches your eye.
There is nothing reflective to check the tunnel with, and it is a bit of a moot point as said tunnel just got blocked off by a very thick-looking steel panel.

No going back now...

((discussion thread up and running!
http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/66232.html))

Okay, nothing left to do but pull the lever then. And hope this place doesn't follow DF logic and kill you horribly for throwing said unmarked switch.

>>486246
You yank the switch, and nothing short of full-on mayhem erupts around you.
Gears screech and grind to a halt, cables go taut, and every so often a tiny sprocket will whizz by you.

The roof finally just gives in, and a long stream of metallic debris tumbles into the void below. Enough of the rubble makes it onto the ledge to form a proper way up to the next area of the tower.

A large gear hurtles into the metal door blocking the way back, tearing a massive gash in the thick steel.

Finally, the destruction pulls to a halt, gears and girders hanging from the hole in the ceiling half-collapsed.
The ticking of cooling metal is all that you can hear now.

What do you do now?

Okay. So that was a DF switch. Thankfully not the lava kind though.

We have two possible exits from this chamber. The damaged door (if we can get it open) or climbing up the ledge.

Peer through the gash in the steel door. What's on the other side?

>>486819
On the other side of the door is a lot of darkness and the occasional hunk of burnt metal.
Presumably that's from the robot.

Alright, that doesn't sound particularly interesting. We have little use for a dead robot.

Let's try heading up to the ledge, instead.

>>487113
You scramble up the pile of rubble, grabbing on to the ledge and attempting to pull yourself up.
After a few false starts and one particularly nasty collapse, you finally make it up to the next floor.

Broken hunks of machinery litter the area, wires sparking and the occasional bit of machine making worrisome "clunk" sounds.

A small door with a window leads off to one side, and a crooked catwalk leads out over the void on the floor below to your right to some sort of suspended capsule, marked with "biocontainment unit 9."

Which route will you take?

(Just a quick reminder, your stats, abilities, and disadvantages are as follows:
*Low reflex speed
*Very high strength
*Odd method of vision, prevents you from using longer-range weaponry but is omniscient in a 20 foot radius from yourself.
*Hard crystalline body. Can be chipped, but otherwise is able to withstand greater impacts to the point where physical attacks would be rendered nigh-useless
*Low mobility, due to rock-based structure
*Stealth will never be an option, due to both your size and the fact you radiate light.

Keep these in mind when you make your choices, my friends!)

Well, on the one hand, as a crystalline creature I don't think we need worry much about conventional biological hazards. On the other hand, as a giant rock I'm not feeling particularly confident about navigating a flimsy, crooked catwalk above a void thank you very much.

Let's check what's beyond the small door, then.

>>487241
you stroll over to the door, and make an attempt at opening it. It appears to be locked, and you can hear muffled breathing inside the room.

You can either force open the door, or try the catwalk.

Hey, let's at least try looking through the window before we attempt the force the door. If we hear breathing, that means there's someone on the other side! They could be in need of help, at risk of injury if we force the door, and/or some kind of horrible monster we don't want to let out.

So peer through the window in the door, already. (How does our strange radius of omniscient vision work with things like walls and windows, anyways? Can we see past them?)

>>487385
The window is unfortunately one of those opaque security windows, meaning you can only make out blurry shapes beyond it's surface.
Whatever is in there is vaguely humanoid, though, as far as you can tell.

(no, Silc's vision is based on where the odd light his face emanates can land. In short, he can see everywhere the light touches, and nowhere else.)

Well, try communication. If the sound of breathing can get through, words probably can.

Hello? Is anyone there?

>>487393
HELLO? IS ANYONE IN THERE?
"Oh god oh god oh god oh GOD oh god"

Whoever it is continues like that for about five minutes after your attempt to communicate.

Well, he or she sounds more hysterical than dangerous.

Break on in, carefully, so as not to injure the occupant. Try to come across as the least terrifying giant rock monster you can.

>>487396
You do your best, pulling the door off it's hinges towards yourself as opposed to inwards.
You crouch down as best you can, waving to the odd fellow crouching in the corner.

HELLO THERE.

The man whimpers.

Well, whimpering. That doesn't help us much.

How's he look? Injured, afraid, insane...?

Are you all right? Please, I mean you no harm. What are you doing here? Who are you?

>>487525
I'M NOT HERE TO HURT YOU, SIR.
ARE YOU IN NEED OF MY ASSISTANCE?

The man still seems wary, but he is a bit relaxed by your assurances.

"Oh, dear god. I thought you were one of the experiments, but if that were the case you'd have killed me by now, I guess. I'm James, and yes you can help me. I have been trapped in here for two days by the... the THINGS that madman creates. They escaped containment, and are wandering the labs hunting whatever they can down."

He gestures to something resembling a lizard with fur and a pair of wings lying behind the door.

"That thing there nearly took off my arm before I managed to put it down!"

((Bumping to prevent death))

Ask the man how he got here in the first place, and explain you may have a way out.

Tell him also that you are currently searching for a means to counteract another escaped experiment- self replicating crystalline tower.

(Hmm. Are these the experiments of an alternate Archive? Or does the laboratory of one individual span multiple dimensions?)

>>488024
"The tower? Man, you must be pretty thick, no offense meant. Or pun intended, now that I think about it... Anyhow, this IS the tower. one hundred and eighty sixth floor. Don't know anything about it being crystalline, though."
The man grumbles, still eyeing the desecrated corpse of the feather lizard.
"Tell you what, I'll help you find whatever it is you are looking floor in exchange for your help taking care of the infestation. I have important work to be doing and these blasted creatures of the boss man are just making themselves a nuisance."

Accept his offer. It's not like we have any better leads right now.

>>488047
THE DEAL IS SEALED, I SHALL DISPOSE OF YOUR ENEMIES POSTHASTE

There is literally no possible way you could have worded that any worse, and the man is visibly shaken.
Regardless, you decide to set to work.

What is your battleplan for dealing with the beasties?
Are we going to RIP AND TEAR, or is there going to be a more peaceful solution to things?

Let's go for the gentle solution, first. Unintelligent lizard-birds aren't exactly made to hurt rock, you should be able to corral 'em with little risk to yourself. Save rip and tear as a backup plan.

>>488080
You do a bit of searching about, but generally only manage to hear flapping or catch a quick glimpse of them as they escape your grasp.

They appear used to avoiding things of your general size and structure, possibly having adapted to fending off and/or fleeing the mechanical drones that wander the structure.

Looks like you might have to rely on a trap of some sort, unless you are confident you can find a way to capture them in a more dynamic way.

Suddenly, miles above you, a rat chews on just the wrong cord.
There is a flash, and you find yourself completely encased in pink silicone.

If you were able to see the tower from outside, you'd see that the tower has decided to take on a rather amusing shape.
You are trapped inside the universe's largest schlock for the rest of eternity.

THE END