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File 139443722714.png - (15.17KB , 600x400 , dungeoneer_ch2.png )
565839 No. 565839 ID: 256d52

http://www.tgchan.org/wiki/Dungeoneer

I don't think I ever properly appreciated the difficulties inherent in prospecting around the mountains.

But... it's close.
734 posts omitted. Last 100 shown. Expand all images
>>
No. 751896 ID: 3abd97

>"I used a different method to get him."
>"Less dominating?" Hin says.
It turns out he really likes having his chin scratched.

>"Well it wouldn't have worked on someone like you, would it?"
>"You never know until you try."
Do you want to be shorter, Hin?

>It's lost a lot of its combat strength.
That's fine. You don't plan to use it as a primary combat unit at this point. Its main purpose is to harvest and process the mana you bleed out to useful ends. And it's much more of a force multiplier creating potions, processed mana, etc that be used to buff or otherwise increase the effectiveness of your other followers than as a combatant itself.

(Although this is a dungeon, almost everyone will likely get a turn to play with intruding adventurers at some point).

Collaborations with Alkaline might lead to some useful potion making opportunities, but such activities would have to be supervised. We can't afford it slipping the leash and snaking.

>what do
We should have Alkaline producing nourishing goo to treat Hin's and Reisarf's injuries. It's only low level healing, but it doesn't have any known side effects, and if their problems persist, we could probably feed some to the Gulper as the base for a more potent healing potion after it's recovered (this circumvents the problem where Alkaline can't make enough for the two of them, if she works with it).

If we have to prioritize between Hin and Reisarf, he probably goes first. The head injury is the more serious of the two, at least unless / until her respiratory problems escalate.

>potions or golem for security?
I think potion production should be aimed towards accelerated healing rather than producing buffs right now.

Make some combat-quality golems. You need to protect your people.

Advantage of golems is they're reusable. A golem strong and skilled enough to fight is still perfectly capable of carrying rocks.
>>
No. 751899 ID: 726a91

Probably for the best that Moriko wasn't there to witness Deem Dom directly. She might have been a little overwhelmed.
>>
No. 751903 ID: 3663d3

alkaline may be remembering she has curse healing power and is trying to help, you stuffed some of her ooze into that bear wound chak got before.
>>
No. 751922 ID: a107fd

Focus the slime healing on Reisarf, and do what you can to make sure he's not concealing any symptoms. If Hin's cough starts to get worse, that'll be a lot easier to notice.

Set up a combat golem ASAP in case any other monsters wander by, and take a day off from digging to rest, recover, and celebrate a hard-won victory. Do some after-action discussion of tactics, what worked and what didn't, particularly anything that should influence future training.
>>
No. 752100 ID: 8deaa7

We should get a name for or Cauldron Gulper. How about Sous Vide?
>>
No. 752174 ID: 37f049
File 147609728247.png - (30.35KB , 800x600 , funny_background_event.png )
752174

>Probably for the best that Moriko wasn't there to witness Deem Dom directly. She might have been a little overwhelmed.
I'm sure she doesn't think I'd order her around like that.

Reisarf asks me if I saw the fields of paradise before the sea drowned the raging earth so I send him to bed.

Dinner's a disaster. With Reisarf out of commission, Hin tries her best. Chakarchelou and Alkaline seem to enjoy the charred mess. This enemy is too strong for Hin it seems. I have never cooked before but I prepare to do battle.

Stargazer emerges from Reisarf's tent, looks at us and takes over.

Hin looks concerned. "Does she know anything about human food?"

I shrug.

"I don't think she even has a mouth..."

Halfway through Stargazer's attempt, I find Reisarf out of bed again. "Didn't I tell you to go to bed?"

"Hello Deem, I smelled something cooking."

He seems more lucid.

>Focus the slime healing on Reisarf, and do what you can to make sure he's not concealing any symptoms. If Hin's cough starts to get worse, that'll be a lot easier to notice.
> It's only low level healing, but it doesn't have any known side effects, and if their problems persist, we could probably feed some to the Gulper as the base for a more potent healing potion after it's recovered (this circumvents the problem where Alkaline can't make enough for the two of them, if she works with it).
"Then while we're waiting for dinner and you're both here, Alkaline's only going to be able to make enough slime milk to treat one person effectively, so I think I'll have to give it Reisarf."

"'s fair, head injuries are no joke." Hin says.

"If you're sure." Reisarf says.

"We can use the gulper to make healing potions too, but they tend to be a bit, ah, rough. Side effects. Probably something slimy, considering the ingredients. I'll keep back a little slime milk to see what we can brew, but we'll try just the slime milk first as I can't be sure of the quality. But if Hin's cough gets worse or someone gets hurt again, we'll have that option."

Reisarf raises a finger. "If you're worried about side effects on people who are ill, why don't you give Alkaline a potion so she can make more slime milk?"

I look at the gently swaying magus. "Huh, that's not a bad idea either. Good thinking."
>>
No. 752175 ID: 37f049
File 147609738587.png - (23.99KB , 500x800 , deem_duo_variant_1.png )
752175

>Do you want to be shorter, Hin?
After Reisarf's back in bed I revisit the subject of forceful methods and shrinking monsters with Hin.

She look at me, coughs and decides to brush it off. "Nah, I'm good." She pats me on the head.

I make various noises of displeasure. "Don't do that, it undermines my authority."

Hin raises an eyebrow at this and relents.

>It turns out he really likes having his chin scratched.
"As for Chakarchelou. It turns out he really likes getting his chin scratched." I tell Hin. I demonstrate. He makes various noises of happiness. "That's how I recruited him."

Hin eyes the gulper. "Ah, your new friend doesn't have a chin. I can see why you had trouble."

>Hmm... Make a warrior golem. You need to focus your efforts on protecting the team as they recover and finishing the matrix. Nobody else is available to excavate right now anyway. It's time to play team mom!
Right, I'll oversee their recovery! While they sleep, I put the first step into action; I spend a few hours creating a golem core to replace my two workers. I take the gulper with me to make sure it doesn't get up to anything. I don't know what emergency might happen next so I mostly reuse the agile construct I developed to use against Moriko.

>Advantage of golems is they're reusable. A golem strong and skilled enough to fight is still perfectly capable of carrying rocks.
It's more like a sprinter versus a marathon runner. A warrior golem burns out quickly. My method for this is to create a complex core that acts like a heart. I feed power to sustain it in a low activity state. When needed I can quicken the golem to full awareness. The downsides are I can only link to a limited number of golems at once - I have no dungeon structures for it - and it uses up some of my power.

Digging will slow to a crawl but everyone seems comfortable enough in the tents for now. I return to the camp around my Heart and listen to them sleep.
>>
No. 752176 ID: 37f049
File 147609758169.png - (26.42KB , 500x800 , well_watered_slime.png )
752176

The lynchpin of everyone's recovery is Alkaline so she's my first stop in the morning. I spend some time playing with her, making sure she's eating well and getting the first batch of slime milk ready.

>I wonder, if Alkaline's Clumsy Mime ability let her copy Stargazer's ability to swell up like a balloon and she also copied the Cauldron Gulper's Melting Pot and Slow Boil abilities, would that allow her to give her Slimy Secretions extra effects as well?
>Hopefully she doesn't copy the Gulper's Cauldron Anatomy, that'll make her resistant to your reinforcement magic if you need to reinforce her.
She can't mime anything relying on a vastly different anatomy, but it can't hurt to try those things. It'll help keep Stargazer busy instead of worrying about Reisarf too. So I ask the deep-spawn to move some water and I tell my royal jelly to try and copy her.

...

Alkaline got bigger again. She's improved her Hydro-Pump. She might have managed full aquatic adaptation at this point.

She waves. "Bleem! Hug?"

My royal jelly has done well so I let her hug me. She pats me on the head too. I'm not sure how I feel about this.

"I think she's trying to re-enact that spell you cast on her." Reisarf calls out, watching from the sidelines. "You might have created a hug monster, Deem!"

Perish the thought.

"Alkaline," I say. "I know I said you might grow up big and strong like Hin if you drink a lot of water, but you don't have to."

"Bleeeee!" She hugs me tighter.

>Frog licking
>Alkaline may be remembering she has curse healing power and is trying to help, you stuffed some of her ooze into that bear wound chak got before.
Oh, that fits. She really does have a generous nature. Or perhaps she just she likes licking toads.

>Collaborations with Alkaline might lead to some useful potion making opportunities, but such activities would have to be supervised. We can't afford it slipping the leash and snaking.
I have her watch me as I set to work with the cauldron gulper. So I need to decide: Do I want to make healing potions with possible side effects or to brew something up to get more slime milk out of Alkaline instead?

>We should get a name for the Cauldron Gulper. How about Sous Vide?
Oh, it does need a name too, doesn't it.
>>
No. 752177 ID: 3663d3

just dump in a bottle of milk and raw mana and see what it can come up with.
>>
No. 752178 ID: 69e244

> Hug monster
Another day, another motherhugger.

> Potions or Milk
Your new alchemist monster needs to be treated well at the beginning. Start off with basic potions and try to use slime milk as a healing reagent.
>>
No. 752179 ID: 71d443

Let's name it Doyle. Double, double, Doyle and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble!
>>
No. 752184 ID: 2a7417

Slime milk's a given healing property, and side effects can be appropriated by Alkaline, so I think a slime milk potion is best. On the other hand, it's hard to tell what slimy effects potions will have on a slime, given it's the norm for them... maybe potions made with human blood will have fewer side effects on humans!
>>
No. 752186 ID: 3663d3

>>752184
maybe, but human blood doesn't have healing powers in it's base state.
>>
No. 752193 ID: 3abd97

>Reisarf raises a finger. "If you're worried about side effects on people who are ill, why don't you give Alkaline a potion so she can make more slime milk?"
Huh. The gulper and the slime have really good synergy, when one isn't trying to eat the other.

>Do I want to make healing potions with possible side effects or to brew something up to get more slime milk out of Alkaline instead?
The second is probably safer, since Alkaline's astronomical luck stat and her ability to eat curses will more than likely protect her from any side effects of a production increase potion.

The only reason not to is if you thought such drugs might interfere with her long term development. Kids are sometimes sensitive to that kind of thing. If it's going to have a lasting deleterious effect on her, I'd make the mostly-humans suffer through side effects.

>Oh, it does need a name too, doesn't it.
I like this. >>752179
>>
No. 752369 ID: ea2bfa

Name it Belphegor! It's a giant, living, labor-saving device!
>>
No. 752371 ID: 2c1422

name for the cauldron: i'm voting Beelzebub
>>
No. 752374 ID: 398fe1

>>752369
That fits real well.

>>752176
The situation is not super urgent so try feeding the slime a potion to get more milk out of her.

How close is she to making slimes?
>>
No. 752376 ID: 0b4dd7

name the evil pot " Potjie von Blotchie " and only say it's name in singsong voices
>>
No. 752465 ID: 3e79eb

>>752369
Yeah, I like Belphegor.
>>
No. 752466 ID: 37f049
File 147619343529.png - (28.94KB , 500x800 , potion_time.png )
752466

>Name it Belphegor! It's a giant, living, labor-saving device!
Belphejar it is then. Belphe for short.

>The situation is not super urgent so try feeding the slime a potion to get more milk out of her.
>The second is probably safer, since Alkaline's astronomical luck stat and her ability to eat curses will more than likely protect her from any side effects of a production increase potion.
Right, the focus is going to be getting more slime milk out of Alkaline to heal the others then.

>The only reason not to is if you thought such drugs might interfere with her long term development
It shouldn't for short use like this.

>How close is she to making slimes?
Weeks probably.

I would like to teach Alkaline something of alchemy so I bring her with me into the now quiet, partially cleared cavern that is the future site of my Heart Chamber.

Belphe looks at Alkaline, I look at it. The gulper gives a sad little groan and slumps down onto its belly.

"Potion making is considered one of the subtle arts." I explain to Alkaline as we start. "It uses very little magical power from the user, instead relying on coaxing fuel and useful qualities out of the ingredients while the practitioner shapes it towards the desired result. Typically a potion maker will maintain her own garden - others handling the ingredients may taint them with their oils and auras and skew the result. Recipes need adaptation to a specific area and person."

"Of course, what we're doing would horrify your average herb witch." I say, picking up a jug of raw mana. "While it lacks refinement, with the raw power we have and Doyle to help control the reaction we can create potent potions from substandard ingredients. The trick lies in not amplifying undesired elements."

The potion we're going to make is intended to get Alkaline to produce more slime milk. I can think of three major approaches with the ingredients we have available. In all the cases we'll be making a batch of potions, not just one.

First is a potion of satiation. Alkaline needs to eat well to produce slime milk and if she uses up all her acid eating low quality food such as grass her output will be low. This gives the option of having her eat until she's full, then having her drink the potion for an extra burst of energy. It'll be the heaviest use of use slime milk as a base.

Second is a potion of digestion. This is an uncommon potion. It's usually used when travelling through harsh terrain as it lets a human eat and gain sustenance from food they normally couldn't digest. In Alkaline's case I think it should temporarily increase her acidity. However she's going to be dangerous to be around while she's acidic. It should last for several hours.

Finally I could brew a purging potion. Usually used to cleanse the body, it will force her to make a great deal of slime milk. It will weaken her temporarily though due to the strain on her body. The other advantage is it won't need any slime milk to create.

You may pick the side effect as well, but it may strengthen or weaken the primary effect based on side effect what you choose.
>>
No. 752467 ID: 1b358e

>>752466
I'll put my vote towards the purging potion, even if alkaline might dislike it.

For side effects, I'd propose either [Enhance Knockers] as the primary way of expressing it, or make it a pleasant process that makes her feel weakened from more of an afterglow.
>>
No. 752468 ID: 38685c

>>752466
Purging also functions as purification. While it will temporarily weaken her, it might be good for long-term growth.
Does it work like that, Deem?
>>
No. 752469 ID: 2dee8e

>>752467
please wait until slime child is an adult before lewding.

>>752466
i vote digestion, we have a lot of plant matter around that could do with clearing.
side effect she also becomes fizzy, as in, bubbles of reacting chemicals make bubbles form that fizz out of her.
>>
No. 752470 ID: 3d2d5f

Digestion!

>side effects
Heightened affection / desire for hugs. (Deem has to take acid hugs for the team).

Makes her drippy, droopy, and sleepy.

Changes her color temporarily to something florescent.

A different speech impediment.
>>
No. 752471 ID: 37f049
File 147619479282.png - (12.78KB , 400x400 , advice_potions.png )
752471

>Purging also functions as purification. While it will temporarily weaken her, it might be good for long-term growth. Does it work like that, Deem?
Well, yes? I did say mere moments ago that it's good for cleansing the body. What did you think I meant?
>>
No. 752472 ID: c441c1

>>752467
Explosive feel good tits.
>>
No. 752473 ID: 2dee8e

>>752471
i think the real question is if it will actually be good for long term growth. does she even have impurities that need purging? if not then it wouldn't actually help. and she wont be able to keep up her training as well while weakened.
>>
No. 752474 ID: 37f049
File 147619592910.png - (12.93KB , 400x400 , advice_potions_2.png )
752474

>I think the real question is if it will actually be good for long term growth. Does she even have impurities that need purging? If not then it wouldn't actually help. And she won't be able to keep up her training as well while weakened.
This is an impure world.

...

Alkaline would only be weakened for a day or two as her body recovered from the added stress.
>>
No. 752475 ID: 2a7417

>Doyle
>like boil
>Belphe
>like belch

...Purge potion. Side effect: Transparency. Try not to slip on a puddle of Alkaline.
>>
No. 752476 ID: 027559

Purge Potion
Side Effect: Pressure Lust - causes innate desire to feel intense pressure around entire body. Or in this case, pressure INSIDE.

We can expect her to balloon and pop a few times.
>>
No. 752477 ID: 2dee8e

>>752476
....
i still say digestion but i'm giving a less terrible purge side effect.
toxic slough, the toxins purged clump together and drop on the ground as little blobs of nasty.
>>
No. 752478 ID: 3d2d5f

>>752474
We're already down on manpower, with people shopping and two injured. I don't like the option that puts our slime on the "needs recovery" list too.
>>
No. 752479 ID: 7f917c

>>752474
Then I am in support of the purging potion, we keep her pure and innocent, if perhaps (un)intentionally slightly lewd from the side effects. keeping her pure might also reduce the rate at which she can lose the anti-curse effect from overuse.
>>
No. 752481 ID: 2a7417

>>752475
Wait, don't go with the purge potion, we deliberately fed her poisons for Toxic Shroud! That would conflict with existing training. Make satiation potions, more slime milk input means more slime milk output.

Side effect: Alkaline parrots whatever kome posts until the potions run out.
>>
No. 752482 ID: 2dee8e

>>752481
yeah good catch, purging her poisons would result in losing several abilities.
>>
No. 752484 ID: 91ee5f

>>752481
I agree with this. No purging potions. Give her satiation potions instead.

>Side effect: Alkaline parrots whatever kome posts until the potions run out.
Except for this. I don't agree with this side effect.

I think the side effect should be: She's unable to maintain her form, which will force her into being a puddle with a face.
>>
No. 752487 ID: a107fd

Satiation. As a side effect, it works by multiplying some quality of the existing food, so her toxic shroud gains a prickly layer of thorns.
>>
No. 752504 ID: 398fe1

I'm for Digestion. It will make her more acidic, which means she can start eating more interesting things. Also, training for acidic slimes.

She'd be more "dangerous" but honestly I think she's matured enough to follow orders like "don't touch anyone for a couple hours"
>>
No. 752575 ID: 71d443

I'd avoid the digestion potions because we don't want to discourage Alkaline's penchant for hugs. (Unless you're willing to take one for the team, Deem.) I'd avoid purging potions because of the Toxic shroud conflict, and because we don't want to encourage our slime queen to... well, actually we do want to encourage our slime queen to puke her guts out, just not any important ones. Therefore I'd go with the satiation potion because it involves both a healthy input and output.
>>
No. 752659 ID: 37f049
File 147627220446.png - (12.10KB , 400x400 , random_author_proxy.png )
752659

If I'm following the vote changes right that's four votes for satiation, four for purging and three for digestion.

That's great from the perspective that I made all the choices look interesting, but less so for establishing a clear winner. Currently I'm going to side with satiation as there's a fair few specifically anti-purging suggestions. Just thought I should give a heads up as it is very close.

For the side effect, it's good if it has some connection to the ingredients and/or the primary effect.
>>
No. 752660 ID: 343850

>>752659
purge purge purge
>>
No. 752661 ID: 813b2e

>>752659
Purge the unclean! Make the purest of slime!
>>
No. 752664 ID: 505f10

Picking satiation just to even it out.
>>
No. 752666 ID: 2dee8e

... changing to satiation.

how about side effect:
become heavy/sluggish. as in, she has to pull herself up harder to maintain human form.
>>
No. 752667 ID: ea1c62

Digestion. Growing our slime is the best investment we can make right now. The tradeoff, slower recovery for everyone else, is offset by having a more dangerous ooze for short term defense.
>>
No. 752680 ID: 71d443

Side effect for satiation (ingredients: slime milk + whatever Doyle's been eating - frogs?): Alkaline starts to croak!
>>
No. 752827 ID: 38685c

>>752659
PURGE THE UNCLEAN!
>>
No. 752838 ID: 2a7417

>>752827
But we're TRAINING her to be unclean, dammit!
>>
No. 752840 ID: 18c950

Let's satiate!
>>
No. 752874 ID: 398fe1

Alright since nobody's going with digestion I'll switch to Satiation, since that's better than losing toxicity from purging.

Hmm, side effect... bubbling? The slime equivalent of burping.
>>
No. 752908 ID: 6c25ef

Satiation 4 me, aight
>>
No. 753382 ID: 37f049
File 147670769911.png - (21.08KB , 800x600 , bippity_boopity_boo.png )
753382

>Doyle
>like boil
>Belphe
>like belch
Yes, the gulper's full name is Belphejar Doyle, that's what I said.

>Wait, don't go with the purge potion, we deliberately fed her poisons for Toxic Shroud! That would conflict with existing training.
I mean I could just curse her again if she ended up losing something like Toxic Shroud but OK.

>We're already down on manpower, with people shopping and two injured. I don't like the option that puts our slime on the "needs recovery" list too.
Hmm, yes, that is a valid point. Potions of satiation it is.

We add the slime milk and the raw mana then I let Alkaline chop up some of the ingredients to be added at periodic intervals. Simple, nutritious things to help keep the magic on track: we add some honey and nuts cow milk and mushrooms from the forest. With the gulper to look after the mix while it boils and occasionally sit in a fire when needed, the process is very simple.

In the end we have a nutritious and filling potion. After some consultation with the gulper and examining the colour, consistency and scent of this freshly made potion I determine its side effects. We're very lacking in a proper alchemical kit but thankfully this is a very simple potion. Consumption of this potion causes a pleasurable feeling. A sort of satisfied drowsiness, like the desire to sleep after a big meal.

Wait, what's this? This is... I don't want to build a reputation as some sort of shady potion vendor. I think it will cause some swelling of the bosom in women. Was it those mushrooms? Hrrrrm.
>>
No. 753383 ID: 37f049
File 147670774528.png - (19.44KB , 800x500 , what_a_shame.png )
753383

Oh well. Alkaline's still a child so that's not going to have any effect. We might as well forge ahead.

Acquired Milky Potions
>>
No. 753385 ID: 37f049
File 147670790402.png - (16.52KB , 600x800 , more_goo.png )
753385

The plan to produce more slime milk is very simple. I have Alkaline spread herself on the ground and roam around eating vegetation until she's neutralised all her acid and thus is full. Then I have her drink one of the potions.

"Bleeeeeee." My royal jelly immediately looks both happy and tired. Wobbly. I got to support her as she slumps. She's stopped holding extra water so she's no longer towering over me, thankfully.

"Bleeeeeeem." she mutters as I settle her down on the ground.

"Just rest, sleepy slime." I tell her. "You've stuffed yourself silly."

Alkalline giggles at the alliteration. I'll stay with her for a little while, she deserves a reward.

----------------------------------------
Temporary Abilities
----------------------------------------
Updated - Gluttonous Goo: Alkaline can quickly recover health by eating things. If she overeats, she'll start gaining additional mass in a clump at her base. As she gets bigger she gains a bonus to her slime and slimy secretion production but she suffers penalties to her agility. She can burn off the additional mass to heal herself or instantly create slimes.
----------------------------------------

I noticed Alkaline was looking less formed at her base so I decided I'd best scan her again. This is a common slime queen ability. I was wondering whether she might develop it. You might call it the ant queen strategy - the queen increases her reliance on her attendant slimes to build up her colony. Making use of it will interfere with the physical training I've had her do though.
>>
No. 753386 ID: 37f049
File 147670801389.png - (14.37KB , 800x500 , sickenhin.png )
753386

The increased quantity of slime milk has helped Reisarf bounce back fast. Stargazer's tail has regenerated too.

It's been two days and Hin's cough has gotten worse. It's not really responding to the slime milk. I think it might be because she's not resting properly. I'm not sure if she's eating properly either. She keeps pottering about the camp.

With Hin's help on the bulk work, I've finished the detail work on the Resurrection Matrix. The quality's not as good as it could be, but our safety net is finally in place.

I talk about Hin's cough with Reisarf, how I'm worrying it might be some sort of lingering curse.

"Slimes can combine together, right?" he says.

I look at him, checking for signs of concussion. "It's very common." I say. "I'm sure Alkaline could learn it if there were friendly slimes around."

"If I used a powerful Curse of Formlessness on her, couldn't she and Alkaline fuse together and Alkaline could eat the curse?"

I stare at him for what feels like several minutes. That's not out of the box thinking, that's lost in the wilderness. "I suppose that would... work?" I need to say something more. "But it would be a curse turning her into a slime so they couldn't stay fused long... I think?"

"What happens if they don't?"

"They should split up eventually on their own." I say.

He shrugs. "It might be worth a try."

As far as I see it, I have three options:

1) I can convince Hin to stay in bed. Perhaps I could threaten to sit on her to keep her there, or try to keep her entertained.
2) I can use the last of my stockpiled raw mana to brew a different batch of potions. My lack of ingredient variety doesn't give me many options though.
3) I can do what my wizard suggests. I don't know what the consequences might be, but I should be able to undo anything undesirable... eventually.
>>
No. 753387 ID: c441c1

Try one and two first. If we have to do the 3, only keep them together 3/4 of the time that the curse last.
>>
No. 753388 ID: 7f917c

>>753386
I really kinda want to say the third option because it seems really sciency, but I don't want to risk losing our smith or rendering her unable to work the forge because she's been turned into part-slime.

Can we ask Alkaline to hug her for a long time in order to figure out if there's any curse inside her? She might be able to feel it if any of it leaks out. And then if it is a curse of sorts, we can go ahead with Mad Wizard Reisarf's plan.
>>
No. 753389 ID: ba506f

...can we try option 3 with something OTHER then a person first? I mean if it works holy crap it works but that's a big damn if.

I say try option 1 first and see if that helps. Hell we can use the time to actually get an idea of what she'd like her forge to look like once we get that far. If she get's worse though... ask her about option 3 and we'll go from there.

I'd be lying though if I said I'm not interested in trying option 3 just to see what happens but I'm not sure thats the best way to brake in the resection matrix if things go wrong.
>>
No. 753393 ID: 2a7417

Even if it's not a curse, slimes are significantly less friendly environments for pathogens. Full speed ahead! ...With Hin's permission.
Willing victims are so much easier to handle.
>>
No. 753394 ID: 18c950

>>753389
I'd agree with this, if time allows. Merge something expendable into Alkaline first, to see if the plan's sound. Just need to find a good canary.
>>
No. 753446 ID: 3abd97

>I don't want to build a reputation as some sort of shady potion vendor. I think it will cause some swelling of the bosom in women.
Hey, cosmetic alchemy is a fine potential income stream! People will pay a lot for that, you know.

And enhancing the charisma of your agents could always come in handy in a negotiation. Or as a distraction. Don't turn your nose up at a tactical benefit.

And it's always fun to prank adventurers with healing potions that have amusing and/or embarrassing side effects.

>I've finished the detail work on the Resurrection Matrix.
...how do we know it works? I don't see anyone lining up for the axe to test it. Sacrificial frog?

>"If I used a powerful Curse of Formlessness on her, couldn't she and Alkaline fuse together and Alkaline could eat the curse?"
Well, the first problem is he'd need a critical success. So he'd have to either spam it until he gets lucky (how many of those can he cast before he's out of mana for the day?) and/or we'd have to treat Hin with something to reduce Hin's magic defense. Resorting to a curse for that would only make the curse mess messier- probably be best to resort to potions.

The second problem is we don't know if Alkaline can distinguish between curses. She might not eat the right one first, so Hin just ends up turning back early, without the cough lifting.

The third problem is what happens if the curse of formlessness wears off early and they're still merged. It won't quite be a tele-frag due to slime, but it would at the very least inconvenience Hin until fixed and likely cost Alkaline mass. (Absolute worst case is it kills one or more of them, and they're muddled together enough the rez matrix can't fix it). More realistically, this would be embarrassing and distressing for Hin, and interfere with our slime training program. Lingering personality overlap / influence would also be pretty weird. Not bad, per se, but we're not trying to mold Alkaline in Hin's image, or give our blacksmith a second childhood.

>1) I can convince Hin to stay in bed. Perhaps I could threaten to sit on her to keep her there, or try to keep her entertained.
Threatening to try Reisarf's cure if she doesn't get some proper rest might be more effective. "If you don't get some proper rest so you recover, Reisarf has this great plan where...".

Keeping her entertained / spending time with her at her bedside would go some ways towards mending broken fences, too.

One thing she might be able to do in bed is plan, if she has the proper drafting / drawing / sketching materials. It's not as if we have her forge up and working yet.

3 does make a reasonable plan B if she doesn't improve with rest, but this seems like an informed consent situation. She should have to agree to treatment before getting it, and should understand what the expected risks are.

>can we try option 3 with something OTHER then a person first?
Testing this on a frog or something you stick a curse on first probably would be prudent.
>>
No. 753450 ID: a107fd

Problems with Hin:
-Not eating enough
-Not resting enough
-respiratory issue (undiagnosed)

Potion effects:
-full stomach
-sleepy
-chest expansion

How is this any less than a perfect fit? Give Hin the leftover satiation potions, then use some reinforcement magic (playing off potion side effects and her nature as a half giant) to expand her whole ribcage, thus increasing lung capacity and allowing widened bronchial tubes to clear themselves of debris more easily.

Also, have you tried asking Belphejar Doyle what exactly Hin got hit with?
>>
No. 753459 ID: 398fe1

>>753386
She's been helping dig. Could be inhaling dust. Hey, if she turns into a slime then she'll be able to eat any foreign matter in her body, right?
>>
No. 753463 ID: 3663d3

>>753450
uhh, hmmm... that does make sense.
>>
No. 753467 ID: 91ee5f

>>753450
This makes sense. Let's do this!
>>
No. 753578 ID: 71d443

Dang, flawless medical logic wins out over untested scientific wizardry. You should also give Hin some support while she deals with the potions' side effects.
>>
No. 753579 ID: 594c18

>>753386
Yeah that science is tempting but save it for when we have a resurrection matrix. Just in case.
>>
No. 753580 ID: 71d443

>>753579
we... we just finished one.

And before it's brought up again, murder is not an appropriate method of remedying ills.
>>
No. 753581 ID: 7f917c

>>753450

That does seem like an awfully astute observation, doctor person, I shall change my suggestion to follow yours.

(Previously: >>753388 )
>>
No. 753584 ID: 398fe1

>>753446
>Testing this on a frog or something you stick a curse on first probably would be prudent.
This gives me an idea. Can Alkaline merge with a hostile slime? Like what if we landed the slimeify on an enemy?
>>
No. 753586 ID: 594c18

>>753580
Oh, missed that. Was expecting more fanfare.

Well... Still probably better not to actually. Who knows but it might end up with them fusing into one person, and interesting as that would be, it doesn't really help our goal.
>>
No. 753587 ID: a606da

I vote for option three.

Reisarf knows what he's doing. He's a wizard.

No precautions, no practice runs. Heck, don't even tell Hin what you're doing! The surprise alone might spook any curses right out of her, if we're lucky.
>>
No. 753588 ID: 343850

>>753386
>>753450
This plan receives a LimeBreaker seal of approval.
>>
No. 753617 ID: 12b116

>>753386
Try the third option, he should know what he's doing right?
>>
No. 753689 ID: 595d54

Yeah, just give her the milky potions until symptoms improve. We'll need to figure out the root cause, though. Also maybe find a new set of clothes. Someone mentioned dust inhalation?
>>
No. 753826 ID: 37f049
File 147687093660.png - (28.59KB , 800x600 , the_power_of_fusion.png )
753826

>>I've finished the detail work on the Resurrection Matrix.
>...how do we know it works? I don't see anyone lining up for the axe to test it. Sacrificial frog?
The matrix is complete, it is an intervention written into natural law. I don't need to fear it failing to work any more than I need to fear stepping outside and falling into the sky. And I don't want any frog minions. They're terrible.

>Was expecting more fanfare.
I was going to wait until Moriko and Merud were back and everyone was healthy to celebrate properly.

>Have you tried asking Belphejar Doyle what exactly Hin got hit with?
According to it, Belphe just panicked. It's like a skunk spraying a noxious mess at someone. Gulpers really don't like getting tipped over. It wants to know if I need another potion for Hin but no, that doesn't seem like the best solution.

>Can we ask Alkaline to hug her for a long time in order to figure out if there's any curse inside her? She might be able to feel it if any of it leaks out.
Alkaline can only eat curses that are affecting her. The devil bear's cursed wounds were a special case since it resides in the wound and is contagious. She'd be able to leech off contagious curses to help reduce their intensity but that's still not as good as her internal consumption.

>I really kinda want to say the third option because it seems really sciency, but I don't want to risk losing our smith or rendering her unable to work the forge because she's been turned into part-slime.
It's an intriguing idea but I must admit there is a lot of uncertainty. It should not be fatal and even if it is I have the Resurrection Matrix in place.

>Well... Still probably better not to actually. Who knows but it might end up with them fusing into one person, and interesting as that would be, it doesn't really help our goal.
The greatest uncertainty is what happens if the formlessness curse is eaten while they're combined. They should either immediately split or they'd be stuck together. I'd have a half-ogre that is also half slime. Fractions, awful. If they did get stuck, they should eventually split up. Putting two random souls in one body simply isn't going to be stable.

>Lingering personality overlap / influence would also be pretty weird. Not bad, per se, but we're not trying to mold Alkaline in Hin's image, or give our blacksmith a second childhood.
Cross-contamination is a possibility. It would take some trial and error to correct.

>We don't know if Alkaline can distinguish between curses. She might not eat the right one first, so Hin just ends up turning back early, without the cough lifting.
Something else to be determined. Perhaps I should conduct a test with cursing her twice to see if she can target just one or the other.

>Merge something expendable into Alkaline first, to see if the plan's sound. Just need to find a good canary.
Where am I going to find a canary? An actual bird or otherwise. The formlessness curse would just destroy one of my weak golems and I am not entirely sure what would happen to my warrior golem. I just made it, I don't want to have to spend the time and precious mana making a new one. Perhaps I should find and recruit a weak monster specifically for experimentation once Moriko and Merud return.

All this will simply have to be revised at a later date.

>Reisarf knows what he's doing. He's a wizard.
>No precautions, no practice runs. Heck, don't even tell Hin what you're doing! The surprise alone might spook any curses right out of her, if we're lucky.
Risk means progress but that is a little foolhardy even for me.
>>
No. 753827 ID: 37f049
File 147687106893.png - (18.64KB , 800x500 , possible_drinkhin_problem.png )
753827

>Problems with Hin:
>-Not eating enough
>-Not resting enough
>-respiratory issue (undiagnosed)

>Potion effects:
>-full stomach
>-sleepy
>-chest expansion

>How is this any less than a perfect fit? Give Hin the leftover satiation potions, then use some reinforcement magic (playing off potion side effects and her nature as a half giant) to expand her whole ribcage, thus increasing lung capacity and allowing widened bronchial tubes to clear themselves of debris more easily.
I'm astonished. That is an excellent plan. Except for that last part, which is total insanity. I get a dose of the milky potion and go to find Hin and confirm her problems.

She looks run down. Haggard. She's not even fully dressed - I think this is the first time I've seen her without a head covering. She does have ground down horns after all.

"You need to stay in bed or you won't get better." I say to her.

Hin coughs. "I'm no good at sitting around and I can't sleep while I'm hacking up a lung."

"Are you eating well at least? You're just picking at your food."

Her stomach loudly gurgles. She looks down in surprise at the traitor. "Kinda hurts to swallow." she says, avoiding eye contact.

I put my hands on my hips. "Hin Ivac! You're an adult, you should know to look after yourself better!"

She kicks at the dirt. "I know, I know." More coughs. Her eyes alight on the potion I'm holding. "Please tell me that's medicine."

I graciously allow this change of topic and hand it over. "It's some of the satiation potion I made for Alkaline. It's not perfect, it's got a few side effects, but it'll keep you fed and help you sleep-"

Hin pops the cork and chugs it.

"Hin." She's not stopping. "Hin!"

Hin wipes her lips. "Hoooo!"

"HIN! Are you sure you don't want to be an adventurer?! DON'T GO DRINKING RANDOM POTIONS BEFORE I TELL YOU WHAT THEY DO!"

She forces the empty bottle back into my hands and grabs me by the shoulders, a crazed look in her eyes. "I haven't slept for three days!" It turns into confusion and then she yawns. "Oh, yeah. That's nice." She yawns again, jaw cracking, and she sways. "Bed, I need my bed."

"It causes some swelling too!" I shout at her retreating back.
>>
No. 753828 ID: 37f049
File 147687117984.png - (25.57KB , 800x500 , hindenburgs.png )
753828

Hin didn't make it to her tent. I find her snoring outside the entrance. She's poorly cocooned in a tangle of pillows and blankets.

>Dang, flawless medical logic wins out over untested scientific wizardry. You should also give Hin some support while she deals with the potions' side effects.
I'm there just in time for the swelling to kick in. Some swelling, hah. There's some swelling and then some more and then her chest repeats this process past any reasonable level. I loosen Hin's clothes and try to make her comfortable. This had better subside soon, I don't want to have to explain this.

I settle in to watch over her in case there's any complications. After about a quarter of an hour my blacksmith's bloated breasts suddenly deflate to a more reasonable level. for the next few hours, I watch her toss and turn, snore, weakly cough and mutter to herself as she sleeps and the potion's side effects wear off. Just before Reisarf goes to bed, I explain to him that this never happened.

>Hey, cosmetic alchemy is a fine potential income stream! People will pay a lot for that, you know.
>And enhancing the charisma of your agents could always come in handy in a negotiation. Or as a distraction. Don't turn your nose up at a tactical benefit.
>And it's always fun to prank adventurers with healing potions that have amusing and/or embarrassing side effects.
nyaaaARRRRRGH!

Time to think about some other things for a while.

>Hey, if she turns into a slime then she'll be able to eat any foreign matter in her body, right?
The slime-like creatures created by Curse of Formlessness are not very good slimes.

>This gives me an idea. Can Alkaline merge with a hostile slime? Like what if we landed the slimeify on an enemy?
>Testing this on a frog or something you stick a curse on first probably would be prudent.
A forced combination would be a slightly different ability which would definitely be detrimental to the unwilling partner. It might be worth finding some wild slimes too.

A frog attacks in the early morning. Reisarf instantly annihilates it with a spell. When that boy hits something, it stays hit. It had two gold in its stomach.

Hin sleeps for fifteen hours.
>>
No. 753836 ID: 398fe1

>>753829
Since we have a couple extra fighters why don't we stir up some trouble? Also, IIRC, Reisarf/Stargazer and Chakarchelou were good at spotting hidden things out in the wilds. How about you send them out along with Hin (she might be able to identify valuable/useful mineral veins on the surface) to get some light exercise looking around, and maybe they can kill that bear too. Reisarf might be able to ride on Chakarchelou's back to keep him from getting tired too fast? Or get a ride on Hin's shoulders on occasion.

Belphejar can take up guard duty along with the warrior golem.

Stockpile the slime milk. Do consider giving Hin another satiation potion if she still has trouble eating. We... actually won't have much use for them aside from doing this.

You can take care of Alkaline while the camp is mostly empty. I wonder if it's possible to practice her Gluttonous Goo ability alongside physical training to get the globs to form in say, her upper body so as to allow her to attack with the extra mass?
>>
No. 753838 ID: 37f049
File 147687742439.png - (29.55KB , 800x500 , daily_reminder_hin_is_surrounded_by_midgets.png )
753838

A little later, Hin wakes up. She immediately coughs. It's shockingly subdued compared to than the determined attempts to excavate lungs she was making yesterday. She crawls into her tent and emerges a few minutes later looking much more like her normal self in all respects.

"Wow Deem, I feel great." she says. "Thanks for that potion." She waves at Belphe. "Good work, you pot you." It hides behind a tent. Hin reaches past me to grab Alkaline - when did she get behind me? - and gives her a hug too. "And good work too, Alky!"

Alkaline snuggles in. "Blin!"

"You must have needed the sleep." I say. "You look a lot better."

"So what is it today? You need more rocks moved? Should I go over your work on the matrix?" She has another fit of coughing.

>Keeping her entertained / spending time with her at her bedside would go some ways towards mending broken fences, too.
"Not that much better. You're resting today. Maybe some light duties around the camp. Nothing more. I'll keep you company if you like. Or I can sit on you to keep you in bed. Merud and Moriko should be only about a day or two away now. You don't have to work too hard."

She sighs. "If you don't want me underfoot, why don't I take another potion? Then I'll just nap through the day and not bother anyone."

I need an excuse. "One potion's over a day's worth of food." I tell her. "It's not good to use them too frequently."

"I'm a big girl, Deem. I need to eat a lot." She rubs her chest. "And the swelling isn't that bad."

I squint at her hand's motions. I don't see any difference. I don't want to explain it really is that bad. I don't know how she'll react. I need some light duties for her today and I need to keep her away from those wretched potions.

Where's Reisarf when I need him? I could do with a distraction. Between my warrior golem, Chakarchelou and Belphejar we're well equipped with guards. I should give him and Stargazer something to keep them busy too. Clearing the collapsed cavern perhaps. Physical training? If I'm serious about wanting hm to pursue that, perhaps I should start giving him satiation potions for extra nutrition. That will get rid of some of them.

Last I need to think about Alkaline. Using the potions, she was producing enough slime milk for both Hin and Reisarf. Perhaps I should stockpile it now the need has tapered off. Alternatively I can use her evolved Gluttonous Goo to add mass and increase her secretion production for later - she'll grow faster if she's not producing anything. It'll be a good way to dispose of some of those potions. As I previously said, it may interfere with her physical training though.
>>
No. 753840 ID: 3d2d5f

>>753827
Well, if nothing else, we have confirmation Hin trusts you.

>when did she get behind me?
She's your slimey shadow. When isn't she right behind you?

>"And the swelling isn't that bad."
It was worse.

Smile enigmaticly and refuse to give any further details when pressed. (When is trolling your minions not the right response).

Actually, joking aside, doesn't the giant heritage mean the growth aspect of the potion had more of an effect than it would have otherwise?

>If you don't want me underfoot, why don't I take another potion?
*Snort* I'm a dungeon. Having people underfoot is my comfort zone. Is my company really so terrible you'd rather be sedated?

>what have minions do
After being stressed by our training regime and then injured, I think you should let alien and alienist work together in a manner that's comfortable for them. Clearing the cave should work.

Stockpile potions, keep the slime on her training and teaching.
>>
No. 753842 ID: 7f917c

>>753838
Deem, try to make certain that Hin doesn't overwork herself for the next few days/weeks, we don't want to make overwork a way to get a hold of more of those potions.

And let's PT our slime until she has rock-hard abs somehow!
>>
No. 753843 ID: 2a7417

No need to be jealous Deem, I'm sure the potions still work on you. Not that you'd even need them! Besides, you shouldn't waste them willy-nilly. Potions are mana, and mana is precious.
Stockpile Alkaline's slime milk for later, even when the supply train returns it will be a useful potion ingredient and healthy food.

Have Reisarf and Stargazer work on clearing the cave, so you're able to squeeze in just a bit more excavation.

>light duties
Carrying Deem around. She's exhausted from lugging a pair of huge boulders out of the dungeon.
>>
No. 753861 ID: 594c18

>>753838
>give Reisarf satiation potions for bulking up
And his reaction to the side effect should be golden. (Except I guess it probably wouldn't take effect.)

>task for Hin
The thing my mind leaps to is smithing detail work. Is there any that needs to be done currently, though?
Or, I suppose, you could have her work on designs for loot. In the abstract, I mean.

>task for Reisarf/Stargazer
There's still water to be removed from the flooded passage, right?
>>
No. 753887 ID: 2dee8e

that should HELP with the physical training, if she is weighed down but still made to act like she isn't then she can get stronger. weighted training clothes are legit.
>>
No. 753903 ID: a107fd

Hin's very hands-on, has a hard time believing in anything she hasn't seen for herself. Let her have another potion and she'll see how bad the side effects really were. Extra calories will be easy enough to burn off once she's fully recovered.

As for Reisarf, have you had a chance to test Starlight Destroyer's utility in rock removal? Maybe run the first experiment outdoors and some distance away, just in case it exceeds expectations.
>>
No. 753912 ID: 71d443

Hmm. If only we already had some plan in mind involving Hin, Alkaline and Resiarf that would keep them busy today. For science.
>>
No. 753945 ID: 398fe1

...I wonder if Belphejar wants to eat the chopped-off Stargazer tail. We'd need permission from her first of course.
>>
No. 753997 ID: e95cec

Does the milk have an expiration date?
>>
No. 758606 ID: 45b631

Could Reisarf and Stargazer build a focus together, to help Reisarf cast while Stargazer is independent? Converting clothes is fine if you have time for a boss-challenge, but something permanent would help them use Independent Action both casually and when caught unprepared.

Or perhaps they could help Alkaline learn alchemy. Their perception should help in identifying ingredient and potion effects.

Alkaline could practise throwing. Between her stealth and mobility abilities, resistance to ailments, ability to carry things in her body, and the means to produce mild potions in the field she could eschew traditional slime-combat and be terrifying at potion-combat, but she would need a good throwing sling-tendril. Perhaps she could combine Stretchy Slime and Spit Shot to continuously accelerate a potion along a long tendril. We definitely want to maintain Stretchy Slime so that she can reproduce your stylish spider-leg-throne and sit like a proper queen. See if she can throw in a cape(for blinding/tangling/shielding) and a decadent crown(added head protection)...

You should reconsider saving those potions for challengers. Belphegar Doyle is a great source of obscure potion effects. Just these potions by themselves would make you look sleazy, but consider placing one in a chest early in the dungeon along with, say, a stealth potion that inverts the perception of light and darkness, a healing potion that causes a pallid complexion, A strength potion that affects a single random unfavoured limb, and a mental-focus potion that causes hair to fall out. Their intended effects would be clearly labelled, along with a warning of mysterious consequences, to encourage use. It just seems that a touch of the unfamiliar, combined with a risky boon, would add drama and ingenuity to the game and make you more memorable.

You could discuss theory with Hin. This would be an opportunity to clarify her role within you. As a boss for example she is still quite vague. Perhaps there are abilities that she has wanted that enchantments could provide? Also her appearance. What sort of uniform would add to her presence? Would it help to let her horns grow?

Could she run a dungeon-shop? Do such things exist? Selling the likes of healing potions, equipment maintenance, or even advice to their current obstacles at a high mark-up could renew the vigour of a faltering party, encourage them to recover their investment by pressing onward, add a voice to you for the challengers to remember, and provide some additional funds on the side. Just mind that they don't overspend and lose their revival fund... Will this whole revival talisman situation reduce the passion of the game? How did hero-revival work back in your old life?

Crafting is the obvious topic. Perhaps you could discuss dungeon aesthetics. You must be familiar with some dungeon themes and Hin probably has some specialities. Sorting out how best to adjust your appearance to match your own tastes and Hin's interests would be best done before it leads to frustrations. Imagine the awkwardness if Hin wanted dainty floral engravings on all the borders and you wanted to wear a "Depths of the Earth" theme and they were constantly clashing. Perhaps you could agree in advance on a forest region, or a "life fades as you descend" theme with the floral effects only in your early regions, or use floral effects on the chests to give them a refreshing air. It would be much better to plan something in advance than to get done with your "stone-work leading to jagged caverns" theme and then find that there are vigorous leaves and flower-bursts on all of the prominent features.

Do you want any aesthetic equipment for your bosses? Would some unobtrusive shoulder-spikes make Moriko more intimidating or just slow her down and add something to grab? Do appearances add much to the game? With her boss-size, Hin would probably fight best with some dangerous footwear. Can thrown rope/bola/ball-and-chain golems be effective? How is your spear coming along? Would it benefit from some engravings?

That weight-reducing talisman is curious. Would it be possible to make something similar that effects only one of weight and momentum? A weapon that is light to lift but heavy to stop could be interesting...

You also wanted to make some talismans to extend your revival range. Designing them with your own means would be a nice snub to the church.

Do curses persist after revival? It could be a quick, if unpleasant way to heal Hin... On that note, if curses can persist, what happens if someone revives at that disgusting sky-pool while under the effect of formlessness? Would they float as a scum on the surface? Roil around and drown?

It seems that your denizens don't fully appreciate that the golem and the dungeon are the same. They really aren't likely to recognise you as a person when they have the much more familiar(to them) form of a golem to interact with. It is natural for a dungeon to protect, guide, and nurture a slime princess, but playing patty-cake flies right into parental territory. Treating the golem as a mother is probably appropriate from her perspective... It is natural for a dungeon to have people living in it, giving them access to its most personal locations, having them participate constantly with its life and doing the same for them. Extreme intimacy is natural for a dungeon and its denizens. Intimacy on that level is largely impossible between denizens, very few of whom possess the means to safely access one another's heart-chambers. However your golem interacts as a denizen and its lack of concern over intimacy is seen very differently from that of you as a dungeon... If you were to interact more as a dungeon then it might aid in communicating your identity. Perhaps Hin and you could devise some communication devices? Bells that are sensitive to your influence? An acoustic device to refine and diversify the noises that your heart can produce? Rings that are sensitive to your intent and glow with more intensity as they approach a location upon which you are focused? Channels that direct sound from a central point to various parts of yourself, allowing your golem to act as a disembodied voice?

Perhaps she could construct a socket in a golem for your shard. With precise construction it might increase your shard's effective mana capacity. Also, it might be more comfortable to insert your shard into and extract it from Hin's socket than driving it into raw clay. Being able to easily transition between different designs of golem or rapidly transfer into a body in good condition would be an advantage?

If a hypothetical crystalline being had a crack in their surface, could Hin produce some sort of prosthetic to fill their crack? Do crystal-beings expand as their accumulate mana? Perhaps Hin could imbue the prosthetic with her own gigantic essence so that reinforcing the prosthetic's size would easily keep it as tight as possible and best increase its capacities... Perhaps mana conduits could extend through the prosthetic to restore flow to the exposed channels, they would normally lack the capacity to perform, but combined with a more focused version of the focus medallion to repel mana away from those sensitive channels... Add in some drainage channels to allow excess liquid mana to escape so that the pressure doesn't become too overwhelming.
Well, trying to make up for the inferior materials would be difficult, but between suppression and focused reproduction of the normal functions, Hin with a sophisticated prosthetic ought be a more satisfying way to fill a crack than whatever happened to be on hand when they first woke up.

Considering that you probably want to address your injury at some point. You might consider asking Reisarf and Stargazer to closely examine your crack and produce a detailed depiction of its magical presence.

Could you form a more direct bond with Stargazer as you have with Alkaline and Chakarchelou? Or are Farspawn not connected to The Earth-Pulse... What about Moriko with her Earth-Pulse sensitivity?
>>
No. 762739 ID: 7f917c

>>758606
I uh... got a TLDR of that?
>>
No. 762755 ID: 71d443

>>758606
Whew matey, planning in that detail is best done in /questdis/.
the lowdown:
1) build a focus for Reisarf's casting when Stargazer's using Independent Action
2) having them spend time teaching Alkaline alchemy instead of focus building
3) train Alkaline's Stretchy Slime and Spit Shot for thrown weapon combat & spiderlegs
4) making the potions dungeon loot
5) have a talk with Hin, discuss role in dungeon and terms of employment
6) have Hin run a shop in the dungeon, wonder how heroes revived themselves in the old days
7) Choosing dungeon decor - forest theme suggested
8) Weapons and hats for deem fortress 2 - mantreads for hin, bola golems, engraving Deem's spear
9) reproducing weight talisman effects on a weapon
10) copycat revival talismans
11) revival chamber to cure Hin, wondering about the effects of reviving someone who was undergoing formlessness
12) communicating with her minions as a disembodied voice in the dungeon instead of a golem
13) making a modular system for transferring the heart shard between golems (Deem's identity is too tightly entwined with this body to entertain this idea)
14) patching the hole in Deem's heart with a 'prosthetic'
15) Forming a mystic bond with Stargazer or Moriko
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No. 767718 ID: d092b9
File 148248067931.png - (25.17KB , 800x600 , i_refuse.png )
767718

>Do consider giving Hin another satiation potion if she still has trouble eating. We... actually won't have much use for them aside from doing this.
Did I not just describe the other possible uses for it?

>You shouldn't waste them willy-nilly. Potions are mana, and mana is precious.
Potions, like mana, are useless if not put to work.

>Well, if nothing else, we have confirmation Hin trusts you.
Right, she trusts me.

>No need to be jealous Deem, I'm sure the potions still work on you. Not that you'd even need them!
I am not jealous! And potions don't affect this body of mine. It isn't some sort of homunculus.

>Do curses persist after revival? It could be a quick, if unpleasant way to heal Hin... On that note, if curses can persist, what happens if someone revives at that disgusting sky-pool while under the effect of formlessness? Would they float as a scum on the surface? Roil around and drown?
The curse of formlessness would not persist. If a curse would last past a day, as a rule of thumb, resurrection is not able to remove it.

>Actually, joking aside, doesn't the giant heritage mean the growth aspect of the potion had more of an effect than it would have otherwise?
Mmm, I think you're right. That would be something of a relief.

>>"And the swelling isn't that bad."
>It was worse.
>Smile enigmatically and refuse to give any further details when pressed. (When is trolling your minions not the right response?)
That will just make her more curious!

>Hin's very hands-on, has a hard time believing in anything she hasn't seen for herself. Let her have another potion and she'll see how bad the side effects really were. Extra calories will be easy enough to burn off once she's fully recovered.
I don't care what she believes and I don't want my minions uselessly weighed down like that.

... She trusts me.

>You should reconsider saving those potions for challengers. Belphejar Doyle is a great source of obscure potion effects. It just seems that a touch of the unfamiliar, combined with a risky boon, would add drama and ingenuity to the game and make you more memorable.
I don't want to be remembered for that!

>Deem, try to make certain that Hin doesn't overwork herself for the next few days/weeks, we don't want to make overwork a way to get a hold of more of those potions.
Yes I don't want her coming up with some sort of pretext to get more. I don't want her to turn into some sort of potion addict.

... She trusts me.
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No. 767719 ID: d092b9
File 148248089426.png - (39.04KB , 800x600 , oh_look_its_everyone.png )
767719

"Is everything alright there, Deem?" Hin says.

"No!" I say. Alkaline twitches back from me in surprise. "I'm low on gold, low on mana, there's people missing, each major fight has gotten someone hurt and there's a hateful monster bear out there that I'm not sure we can actually repel with our current strength! The best I can do is brew up a handful of potions with ridiculous side effects! The swelling was worse! It was a lot worse! Your chest was twice the size of Moriko's! This is my big chance to make a new dungeon for myself, I have to get everything perfect!"

"Ooooof, calm down there Deem." Hin says. "OK so the situation's tricky at the moment but seriously, you're stressing out over the fact you've accidentally created a teen alchemist's wet dream."

"I want my dungeon to be taken seriously." I sniff.

She shakes her head. "Look, you don't need to get everything perfect. It's OK to muddle through on the small things."

Reisarf pops up from behind a tent. So now he turns up. "We only need to hold out another day or two and Merud and Moriko will be back with the supplies." He smiles. "And if anyone dies they'll come back now." Thanks, Reisarf.

Hin shuffles around next to me. "Yeah, it's all going to work out. You've managed to put together a team of talented and attractive people here."

"Thank you Hin." Reisarf says.

"Just calling it as I see it."

>>If you don't want me underfoot, why don't I take another potion?
>*Snort* I'm a dungeon. Having people underfoot is my comfort zone. Is my company really so terrible you'd rather be sedated?
"But what's so bad about my company that you'd rather sleep through it?" I say.

Hin looks uncomfortable. "Uh, no, look I just want to get better so the thing that lets me eat and rest properly is better than just some make-work, right?"

I feel like I'm not getting the whole story here but I don't want to push too hard. "It's not make-work!" I say. "There's a lot of important things to do like-"

>Carrying Deem around. She's exhausted from lugging a pair of huge boulders out of the dungeon.
NO.

>The thing my mind leaps to is smithing detail work. Is there any that needs to be done currently, though?
"-making the fixtures for the dungeon. We don't even have a boss key yet."

"So what are those like?"

I cup one hand around an eye. "Generally a kind of big eyeball or a skull." Then I crook two fingers are each side of my head. "With horns!"

"Stargazer likes the first one." Reisarf says.

"Well there you have it. Can you make one of those today?"

>Do you want any aesthetic equipment for your bosses?
It's helpful for improving the mana gain but basic functionality is going to have to come first.

>That weight-reducing talisman is curious. Would it be possible to make something similar that effects only one of weight and momentum? A weapon that is light to lift but heavy to stop could be interesting...
That's a stock enchantment.

"We need to plan for the future too. If we can cultivate a decent amount of mana, I would like to improve our equipment. That cursed bear's run off with my orichalcum sword, but I think Moriko's hammer would be able to sustain an enchantment. Could you engrave my spear so it'd be able to support something too? Or we might be better off working with your mace. It just changes size? What do you think you might add?"

Hin pulls it out of her belt and hands it over. "Yeah, it was my journeyman piece. Making it portable seemed like a good idea. Almost lost it a few times though." she says. "The easiest thing to add would be mucking around with its apparent weight - giving it more heft but keeping it light for the wielder."

As I said, a stock enchantment. I resize the mace to feel the weight of it; heavy. "You could probably strengthen the first enchantment too - make it enlarge as well."

"Oh I wouldn't want people to think I was trying to compensate for something."

She watches my face for a moment and then bursts out laughing.
>>
No. 767721 ID: d092b9
File 148248105994.png - (38.74KB , 600x800 , slime_olympics.png )
767721

>Alkaline's your slimey shadow. When isn't she right behind you?
I suppose that's true. I'll give Hin a little shadow time as well though - I ask her to coach Alkaline today. The two of them seem to get along well.

>And let's PT our slime until she has rock-hard abs somehow!
She's shown a good response to the physical training this far, so I see no reason to stop.

>Alkaline could practise throwing. Between her stealth and mobility abilities, resistance to ailments, ability to carry things in her body, and the means to produce mild potions in the field she could eschew traditional slime-combat and be terrifying at potion-combat, but she would need a good throwing sling-tendril. Perhaps she could combine Stretchy Slime and Spit Shot to continuously accelerate a potion along a long tendril.
My slime princess takes the request to practice throwing rocks and her bad eggs a little too literally. That sort of multiple fire could be useful though so I praise her for it. Flicking the tendrils like a whip to launch a projectile is working well for her. Potion practice is going to have to wait for my supplies to be restocked.

>Does the milk have an expiration date?
A week or longer if it's kept chilled. The idea is I build up a stockpile and then keep replenishing it while giving out the older milk to supplement my minions' diets. As long as the stockpile's of a size that a lower rate of production can keep it topped off, it should be fine.

>Stockpile Alkaline's slime milk for later, even when the supply train returns it will be a useful potion ingredient and healthy food.
Those are both good points so I'll keep Alkaline producing a surplus.

>I wonder if it's possible to practice her Gluttonous Goo ability alongside physical training to get the globs to form in say, her upper body so as to allow her to attack with the extra mass?
The extra mass isn't very responsive to a slime's ability to change shape. It generally accumulates in a glob at their base so their mobility's decreased - they have to slither around like a slug. She could probably learn to control its shape somewhat but it can get quite large! Some bigger slime queens sit on it like a throne or have it filling a small pool.

>That should HELP with the physical training, if she is weighed down but still made to act like she isn't then she can get stronger. Weighted training clothes are legit.
More having a puddle attached to legs is going to make it hard to run and so forth. Still, I suppose I'll compromise again by having her eat a lot to keep some additional mass and use the added bulk to weigh her down for this training. It'll mean a small increase in how much slime milk she can create too. I make sure to let her have a good sized portion at each main meals as well as clearing the vegetation.
>>
No. 767723 ID: d092b9
File 148248119383.png - (30.72KB , 800x500 , rock_moving.png )
767723

>After being stressed by our training regime and then injured, I think you should let alien and alienist work together in a manner that's comfortable for them. Clearing the cave should work.
I let the two of them know I don't want them working too hard. They'll be clearing the cave together at their own pace while I have golems work on hewing out the new area.

>As for Reisarf, have you had a chance to test Starlight Destroyer's utility in rock removal? Maybe run the first experiment outdoors and some distance away, just in case it exceeds expectations.
His more destructive spells are useful for breaking up rock initially but then the rubble has to be cleared. His Starlight Destroyer specifically is a spell that's more effective as a finisher since it resonates with expended mana to increase its power. Since this part of the cave already collapsed once I'm a little wary of using it here.

>Give Reisarf satiation potions for bulking up.
>And his reaction to the side effect should be golden. (Except I guess it probably wouldn't take effect.)
He wasn't a woman last time I checked. I'm giving him fairly light duties so I won't bother for now. Once Alkaline's done her exercise with Hin, I have her pitch in here while Hin goes back to her forge to work on the key.

Reisarf comes over to me when I drop Alkaline off. "Oh Deem, would those potions work on Stargazer?"

I look at him blankly. "She doesn't have breasts."

He blinks. "She could change her shape, but no, what I meant is would one of the potions keep her fed instead of needing to give her mana?"

"Oh. Oh!" I say. "How do her kind survive if they don't have a wizard?"

"Oh before she was my staff she was smaller, so feeding like she used to wouldn't be ideal."

Hmmph, vague. "Well we can give it a shot I suppose."

It turns out it makes her extremely drowsy. It might not be ideal.

>Could Reisarf and Stargazer build a focus together, to help Reisarf cast while Stargazer is independent?
"Come to think of it, since we have her using Independent Action more often, I'd like the two of you to work on building a casting focus. We can't keep stealing your shirt for it after all. Get Hin in on it if you need to."

>Could you form a more direct bond with Stargazer as you have with Alkaline and Chakarchelou? Or are Farspawn not connected to the Earth-Pulse... What about Moriko with her Earth-Pulse sensitivity?
I haven't had an alienist working for me before. Farspawn are largely unexplored territory. Stargazer isn't like other monsters. Perhaps if I had some far-tainted earth-pulse spawned monsters I might be able to learn how to bridge the gap.

Moriko, hmm, that might be something the two of us should explore together.
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No. 767725 ID: d092b9
File 148248134072.png - (29.90KB , 800x600 , who_are_these_people.png )
767725

The next few days are thankfully quiet by comparison. Moriko and Merud are running late but I refuse to fret over it. Alkaline is steadily developing and Chakarchelou has picked up a few simple voice commands. A touch of Hin's cough is clinging on persistently but she seems otherwise recovered. A few weak monsters attack and are easily driven off, so I'm emboldened enough to run a quick sweep through the surrounding forest. Food, potion supplies and some scraps of treasure are our rewards.

And then this time apart is over. We've made it, Merud and Moriko are coming up the hill. We have the barest start of a dungeon but now, reinforced with supplies from the town, we can really set to work.

END CHAPTER TWO
>>
No. 767726 ID: d092b9

The next one will have actual dungeon stuff in it I promise.
>>
No. 767733 ID: a107fd

>>767719
>each major fight has gotten someone hurt
You beat that frog with no casualties, so ipso facto it wasn't a major fight?
>>
No. 767759 ID: 9145ba

They're back! Deem! Hug minions.
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