>>919918
Quantity is a quality of it's own.

I agree with not annoying Deem with a subject that isn't relevant to the current situation.

>>919983
>>920011
>>920190
I will agree with these guys in that this is not the time, we probably won't be getting any more out of her for the time being, and the whole thing's getting annoying. That said:
>>919954
When she was strong she gave us absolutely nothing. I'm not sure what makes you think that'll change next time, but it won't; this time at least she let a couple things slip, we specifically directed the curse for her to do that; the reason why we should stop now is that she's on guard.

>>919820
Hmm. If I remember correctly, not too long ago you said that if you saw an exceptional imp you'd consider keeping it. Will the middle one do? Other than that... brace for IMPact. I'm not sorry.

>>920196
I'm not looking to the next time, or even the time after that. When Deem isn't worried about whether the next dungeon raid will be her last, then she can turn that lens inward and try to fix what's currently working.

>>920196
>she let a couple thing slip
No she didn't?

>>920224
>Also, there's a reason I'm spoilering this: I don't want her to know how much we can learn from her slip ups, or she'll clam up further.
Wasn't Deem able to read text hidden behind spoilers one time? Because if she can still do that, then you’ve already revealed to her what we know now.

>>920228
Hmm. Wasn't aware of that. Just in case, I'm gonna delete it from here and post it in the dis thread.

>>920228
>>920229

>>920228
She definitely can.

>>919820
Go right for them, try to stop them before they get too far. They're imps, if you let them get to where they can misplace anything important, you'll be sorry.

>>919891
Did... did the curse get to one of us? Could that happen, Deem? Or is this one just defective?

>>920228
>>920229
>>920264

>>920233
>>920344
Wouldn't work for very long texts like the one that was deleted. Also, a bunch of empty-looking posts would be annoying, better to just use the discussion thread.

If you can't lay sealing designations right now, have Hin, Alkaline, and the slimes guard the door leading to the bedroom and resurrection matrix. Imps sabotaging that could be *very* bad.

Let the wizards sleep. You don't need custom power armor and Starlight Destroyer just to deal with a pack of imps, and they DO need their rest. Notifying Moriko is a good idea, though. Say, for future reference, how hard would it be to set up a little single-purpose golem at the valley entrance that can wave a flag or ring a bell or something when there's trouble?

Grab Chakarchelou on your way through the forge, heading for the entrance to deal with this personally. If any imps get past the golem totem, try to bluff them into fleeing toward the thaumatorium, where Belphejar can eat them.

>>920384
We have an advanced warning system, it's called Deem.

..Though a series of bells or some other form of inter-dungeon noise that is atypical and singular wouldn't go amiss so that we can alert our entire dungeon staff that we're about to get raided.

>>920389
Deem is amazing. Doubting her detection ability is pure folly! Although... a musical introduction might help set the mood...

>>920394
Not for Deem, for everyone else. The only time the dungeon staff wasn't caught flatfooted by an incursion was when the mage and warrior duo arrived while everyone was having a meal.

1/3 Deem 2019/02/16(Sat)15:24 No. 921609 ID: c52d35
File 155035944968.png - (34.85KB , 800x600 , hudeem.png )

What are you all muttering to yourselves about?

>You know what would be really cool? If Deem grabbed that sword and went all spider queen on all the imps by herself.
Yes, well that'd be a little difficult to pull off at the moment.

That damnable bear still has my sword too.

>See if you can imprison them in your butt.
They wouldn't fit.

>>I haven't hurt my wrist?
>You most certainly have, just not your physical one.
Stop talking nonsense.

>>Reisarf stabs Stargazer.
>I'm always left in awe of how obedient he can be.
He's a good boy.

>You should ask Stargazer about injured dungeons.
She wouldn't know anything about them.

>Is it too soon to harvest some bombflowers?
I shouldn't overuse them before I properly replant them.

>I'm constantly surprised how you know these cultural human(oid) things but not, for example, what kissing someone means and/or implies. It's weird, like you're more human than you let on one moment and then completely alien the next.
I'm not used to interacting with people in these less formal settings. I'm not used to being a person.

>Also, egg Alkaline- with her luck she's the best for risky boons.
>Alkaline still has the Bad Egg ability right? AND she gives birth and magic tends to work of that kind of aligning attributes, so yeah, Alkaline would probably be the best bet. Or maybe use it as an reagent in her Club.
"I'll have to remember that as a possibility for later."

>Those don't look like the stock standard black imps we saw last time. Are you sure this isn't some curse hallucination?
I see them, the earth-pulse is stirring and one of my golems is currently fighting them. These have been living out in the wild for the last week or two, they would have adjusted a little.

>Uh... hey. There's a horned, be-haired and somewhat feminine imp. What is it? Some kind of leader type imp? (Moriko's lost shadow?)
It looks like an Imp Bully. A bigger, stronger imp whose main talent is bossing around other imps.

>I really wish Kallia was here to hear that conversation about your butt. The Merud teasing would last for days.
Just imps I'm afraid.

2/3 Deem 2019/02/16(Sat)15:25 No. 921610 ID: c52d35
File 155035950381.png - (41.78KB , 600x750 , brute_golem_catches_no_breaks.png )

>Was there no entrance sentry?
The imps are fighting it right now. It's not a good match-up for my brute golem though. My poor gollem's getting confused by all these small, fast, unpredictable targets. It's getting worn down fast.

>If you're combat ready this might be a good chance to give Alkaline some more hands on combat experience and maybe some more experience in commanding her slimes... leave red behind by the way.
>Leave Hin and Merud where they are. One is exhausted and the other should be sleeping soon and didn't sign on to have to fight anyway. (Though Alkaline should probably stash her off-sis in the bedroom for safety sake)
I wake up Alkaline and her slime, and have one of my homunculi hold on to the orange slime for safe-keeping. Imps are not a huge threat, but they cause messes and it's hard to predict what a plague of them is capable of.

I'm more worried about the repair work and them stealing or breaking things if they get too spread out.

Alkaline is looking at me, half asleep and confused about what's going on. "We have imps Alkaline, go grab your whupping stick."

She sheds the tattered remains of sleep with an excited vibration and runs to one of the tables.

>Let's try to capture one or two of the imps alive this time. At the very least they might make good test subjects, they're smarter then rats, and we have a lot of curses bouncing around these days.
I seem to recall experimentation on monsters being explicitly ruled out before. Make up your minds!

3/3 Deem 2019/02/16(Sat)15:26 No. 921611 ID: c52d35
File 155035956221.png - (27.64KB , 900x540 , people_positions.png )

>..Though a series of bells or some other form of inter-dungeon noise that is atypical and singular wouldn't go amiss so that we can alert our entire dungeon staff that we're about to get raided.
I think I have repeatedly complained about the crude state of my dungeon at this point. I have golems around the place but they're still quite basic. They aren't especially perceptive, good at taking initiative or as effective when unsupervised.

>Roll the Golem "Door" over to seal the other side of the forge to keep the imps from spreading. They'll need to cross the Thaumatorium to reach your denizens.
That golem's out the front at the moment.

>Alright, all nearby golems should converge on the imp mass. Gotta thin their numbers a bit.
I do have a few golems I could throw into the fray.

>See if you can't use a golem or two to trick the imp horde into chasing such easy targets into the thaumatorium. They'll likely make short work of the golems (and doyle), but the point is to buy precious time while we consolidate and regroup the other half of the dungeon.
I should have Moriko, Reisarf, Stargazer and more golems on the way soon. The question is where do I want to try to bottle the imps up?

I can hold the forge entrance - most of the loose equipment is stored past there, but that'll give the imps free reign in the Thaumatorium. Alternatively I can try to push forward to the hallway but there's a risk they'll be able to get past me, they're small and agile.

>>921609
Hold on, who is that? Did i miss something?

>Make up your minds!
We're quite capable of experimenting on our own mad science-mages, thank you. Capturing imps is no different from summoning them on purpose, and you've already expressed distaste in that.
The Thaumatorium is already imp-wracked, keep them at bay at the forge entrance. If they head for the thaumatorium (possibly expecting the imp pit to still be there), you can advance from the forge entrance and trap them inside the dungeon, to be cleansed thoroughly once more.

definitely keep them out of the forge and the loose stealable goods. Hopefully they'll break and run if you kill enough of them.

>>921615
That's Deem, disguised as a human.
>>921611
I wasn't aware we had anything important in the thaumatorium?

>>921611
I don't know too much about magic and curses, but would it be wise to group the imps up what with all of the cursey stuff already going around? Would divide & conquer (repel?) work better?

On another, but your current appearance would function pretty well as a human disguise for when you visit a settlement, could you somehow save it in your memory for when this curse shenanigans ends?

>>921611
Hold the forge entrance- Thaumatorium has less shit to steal. Like our shiny new hammer.

Hold the forge with your minions help, none shall pass!

>>921634
oh, so deem being human is part of the curse. Got it. Is this just visual or is it more or less complete?

You can track down stragglers, and you aren't going to give them time do serious harm, so just make sure your heart chamber is closed and push straight to the entrance and try to hold them there.

Also... is Reisarf being a girl right now?

Who's that girl?

Deem, how exactly would you go about throwing one of us off the mountain?

>>921674
She mentioned having humans on the brain.

>>921611
If they can drown? Water room, for sure. Imps are stupid and incompetent, so the small ones might manage to drown. The Golems are not impeded significantly by that body of water and can thus simply drag them to their doom.

hold the forge, I don't believe we have anything in the Thaumatorium. Also when you thin out some of the imps' numbers I suggest slowly moving up to make sure none get pass you and your minions and to make sure they can't barricade themselves in the Thaumatorium or something like that.

Also you did a really good job on your human form. Please tell me that you can return to any of this forms in the future. Because seeing how we have witches for a bit of a theme for our dungeon it could make for a cool effect to have some of out "witches" cast a "curse" on you turning you into a golem. In reality you're just casting boss magic on yourself to boast yourself to a proper boss but the with a bit more flare.

Can you order the two brute golems in the thaumatorium to haul Belphejar out into the hallway, then hold the door shut? That should take care of the other choke point, and put Belphejar within shouting distance of the forge.

>>921611
So uh. The brute golems are pretty large, right? If they just, like, wedged themselves into the thaumatorium's doorway and flexed, could they block the whole thing with their bodies?

Like some kinda seal?

Made of flexing?

'cause that might help slow the imps down a bit.

1/4 Deem 2019/03/10(Sun)19:04 No. 925328 ID: c52d35
File 155226984839.png - (21.90KB , 750x600 , hudeem_too.png )

>Hold on, who is that? Did I miss something?
It's me.

>Oh, so Deem being human is part of the curse. Got it. Is this just visual or is it more or less complete?
It's a poor and pale imitation.

>Also... is Reisarf being a girl right now?
No I made him change back before he went to bed.

>On another, but your current appearance would function pretty well as a human disguise for when you visit a settlement, could you somehow save it in your memory for when this curse shenanigans ends?
I need some of the supplies I used for making homunculi but it's not especially difficult.

>Also you did a really good job on your human form. Please tell me that you can return to any of this forms in the future. Because seeing how we have witches for a bit of a theme for our dungeon it could make for a cool effect to have some of out "witches" cast a "curse" on you turning you into a golem. In reality you're just casting boss magic on yourself to boast yourself to a proper boss but the with a bit more flair.
That's a little grim isn't it? Clay aspiring to be something more, that's endearing. But something that was once humam, that's just pitiful.

>Deem, how exactly would you go about throwing one of us off the mountain?
What part of this do you not understand? It seems like a very simple process to me.

>So uh. The brute golems are pretty large, right? If they just, like, wedged themselves into the thaumatorium's doorway and flexed, could they block the whole thing with their bodies?
Horizontally, yes, but they're short. They're not huge enough for this - the imps would climb right over them.

2/4 Deem 2019/03/10(Sun)19:05 No. 925330 ID: c52d35
File 155226991361.png - (36.26KB , 800x600 , who_wore_it_better.png )

>I wasn't aware we had anything important in the thaumatorium?
Nothing hugely important. Some pots for hauling water and whatever things my denizens might have left lying around. It is doubling as the bath at the moment after all.

>Hold the forge with your minions help, none shall pass!
>Hold the forge entrance- Thaumatorium has less shit to steal. Like our shiny new hammer.
Alkaline's budded slime will be acting as a pint sized barricade. Thankfully the imps are small too. I place a homunculus up front too, leaving my other one to guard the Heart Chamber entrance if anything gets past us. Chakarchelou's grumpy about intruders to his lair and Alkaline's eager to set to work.

The first imps to stick their heads in the forge are easily driven back once Chakarchelou's stoked his breath and Alkaline has her Bad Egg ready. But then it gets chaotic; imps have a talent for getting everywhere. Nothing broken but a bit of a mess. I feel as if we're waiting for the other shoe to drop. A plague of imps is irritating because they're always going to pull out at least one trick that catches you off guard.

3/4 Deem 2019/03/10(Sun)19:05 No. 925331 ID: c52d35
File 155226995637.png - (27.57KB , 600x750 , doyle_bravely_runs_away.png )

My other forces aren't going as well. I've lost the connection to the golem out in the hallway - the one modelled after Kallia. It may have been just swarmed under. They've toppled one of my brutes too, though not without casualties. Imps have an unpredictable mix of cowardice and suicidal overconfidence.

And -

...

Doyle you coward!

He's jumped in the pool and is paddling away!

>If they can drown? Water room, for sure. Imps are stupid and incompetent, so the small ones might manage to drown. The Golems are not impeded significantly by that body of water and can thus simply drag them to their doom.
My golems don't float and would struggle to reach imps on the surface from the bottom. My last golem's about to be overwhelmed though. I step back from the forge fight for a moment to concentrate and order it to jump in, flailing and screeching imps clinging to it.

4/4 Deem 2019/03/10(Sun)19:07 No. 925332 ID: c52d35
File 155227003579.png - (34.63KB , 800x600 , moriko_here.png )

>You can track down stragglers, and you aren't going to give them time do serious harm, so just make sure your heart chamber is closed and push straight to the entrance and try to hold them there.
I still haven't seen much of the imp bully. It probably wanted to drive other imps in ahead of itself to test the waters. They've pulled back for the moment.

I hear racing footsteps behind me. Morkiko comes to a sudden halt at the forge's door behind me, ready to attack and then looks closer. "Deem?" she says uncertainly. She's half dressed, it looks like she didn't do much more than grab her hammer and rush here.

"I thought I'd try out looking more like a golemeter than a golem." I smooth my new dress, suddenly self conscious. "Curse things." I add vaguely. I wouldn't normally do something like this. Maybe I should tell her exactly why!

>When you thin out some of the imps' numbers I suggest slowly moving up to make sure none get pass you and your minions and to make sure they can't barricade themselves in the Thaumatorium or something like that.
"We've got imps." I tell her. Is there anything else I should think about before we head over to the thaumatorium?

>>925332
Do you have secondary personnel covering your core and main areas?

>>925328
>simple process
Uh... you mean we have a physical component? I don't see any part of your heart that you could detach and throw, aside from the shard which you obviously wouldn't throw off the mountain. Is our physical component part of the golem body? Or can you throw us without us being physical at all?

>>925332
>Maybe I should tell her exactly why!
Sure.

Also Doyle may be acting out of cowardice but he might have a better tactical position out in the pool like that.
>other things to think about
Watch out for those fissures in the walls along the corridor. Imps could be hiding in them.

Yeah, tell Moriko. And prepare for ambushes along the way.

And to be fair to Doyle, he was being overrun, a retreat was probably called for.

What's with the marks on your arms and legs? Just differently-colored skin? Tribal tattoos? Manacle scars? Is the spear a spare weapon/something Hin made recently - or is it a self-crafted weapon being cursed to fit?

>>925332
>Maybe I should tell her exactly why!

Deal with the plague of imps first. Also, isn't it just that you didn't have a particular big need to take on different guises back in ye olde days? With your current situation I can see more of a call for it, but that's when dealing with strangers. Here among your frie - hem - minions a humanoid illusion feels more like putting on makeup. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

... is there anything wrong with that?

>wot else
Hm. Might want to turn your main force on the golem totem room - to quickly clear and secure it - so the imps don't get the opportunity to sneak by or flank you. If the main force of imps went towards the Thaumatorium, you'll have them trapped in there, and if they're waiting in the totem room, you've just avoided an ambush or letting them slip past you to the Heart Chamber

Leave Bud to figuratively and literally cover Chakarchelou's back Dragonriders of Deem to protect the forge while your heartguard stays where it is. You and the other Homunculous Go to the thaumatorium to ambush those imps from behind while Moriko Goes on dedicated Bully-hunting duty and Alkaline acts as support to keep Moriko from being swarmed.
It is a bit risky, but should strike a nice balance between catching off-guard the ones that are already committed, recovering your cowards casualties, and maintaining pressure on their reserves.

Tell Moriko all of the things.

...Is she the human you have on your mind?
Don't sweat the details. Ask her if she has the key ready - you shouldn't need it, but it's better to be prepared than to make a gamble you'll look cool.

You should think about what Doyle is doing. Does he have a plan to bombard the imps from range? Does he require more direct leadership in the future? Is he just sick of eating imp?

Correct yourself for Moriko's benefit. You've got a horde of imps being directed by an imp bully out in the hallways and thaumatorium.

Ask where Reisarif is. If we don't have the AOE mage on hand, pushing out with everyone is a foolish endeavor because of how tight the corridors are.

In fact... We might want to put something in front of forge's doorway. We've inflicted some losses but if the imps rush us all at once it'll get messy and we might not be able to hold them off.

>That's a little grim isn't it? Clay aspiring to be something more, that's endearing. But something that was once human, that's just pitiful.
No, no, that's fair. Just throwing ideas out since we still probably have a bit to go before we settle for any concrete theme. Really just tying to make something of these curses that could be helpful instead of just having them be a nuisance.

As for what to do next, Well I say move up slowly as to make it easier to spot any traps and ambushes that may have been set up by the imps and to allow the rest of your party/minions to catch up. I want to someone stay at the choke point so none of the imps can sneak past you and make sure to have someone looking over their shoulder as you move to clear out the Thaumatorium because I'm a little worried that once you move pass the entrance the imps might try a pincer attack and push from the entrance and the Thaumatorium with your party caught in the middle.

>>925344
Stone marks. Those are the spots where she had the black stones like the other homunculus has.

>>925331
Running away? Maybe, but he did just contaminate the water.

Why not just trap the imps? Just set up a big one-way trap to capture them all and deal with at your leisure.

Twistshock on a phone on a train 2019/03/11(Mon)08:10 No. 925368 ID: ee635e

>>925332
Well, given that imps look like they're going to be a semi frequent thing, how about considering ways to make use of them after they've been vanquished?
From simple currently available methods such as grinding them up and adding it to fertilizer for some of our plants or boiling off the liquids, to later on distilling any fluids they may contain after separating solids from liquids?

>>925368
What do you think happened to all of the imp corpses made when we re-took the dungeon?

>>922052
ahahahaha i see what you did there

>>925332
>>I wouldn't normally do something like this. Maybe I should tell her exactly why!
Sure, but tell her you can talk about it when youre not being invaded.

Say Deem, can you do any basic reinforcement magic at the moment? If so, you might want to try do some that will up your awareness so you dont have to worry about missing ny imps, and maybe a simple force spell to let you sweep the imps into one area.

>>925332
Also, is the Bud slime swelling like Alkaline does when she drinks water?

>>925777
hol up. There is a vague outline inside... did she EAT belphejar?

1/8 Deem 2019/04/23(Tue)05:44 No. 930845 ID: e8f59c
File 155602346494.png - (27.56KB , 800x600 , its_dangerous_to_go_alone_stay_here.png )

>Uh... you mean we have a physical component? I don't see any part of your heart that you could detach and throw, aside from the shard which you obviously wouldn't throw off the mountain. Is our physical component part of the golem body? Or can you throw us without us being physical at all?
Of course I can.

>Also, is the Bud slime swelling like Alkaline does when she drinks water?
She ate too much.

>Leave Bud to figuratively and literally cover Chakarchelou's back to protect the forge while your heart-guard stays where it is. You and the other homunculus go to the Thaumatorium to ambush those imps from behind while Moriko Goes on dedicated Bully-hunting duty and Alkaline acts as support to keep Moriko from being swarmed.
I suppose I'd best leave some defenders here in the forge in case anything slips past. Imps are very skilled at getting everywhere. The corridor isn't too wide so, I might leave the golem here as well though. Once Reisarf turns up, Moriko and I can handle the front line while he and Alkaline bring up the rear. Stargazer should be able to fill a gap in a pinch.

2/8 Deem 2019/04/23(Tue)05:45 No. 930846 ID: e8f59c
File 155602353265.png - (55.48KB , 800x600 , lets_do_it.png )

>Isn't it just that you didn't have a particular big need to take on different guises back in ye olde days? With your current situation I can see more of a call for it, but that's when dealing with strangers. Here among your frie - hem - minions a humanoid illusion feels more like putting on makeup. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
>... is there anything wrong with that?
Hah!

>Yeah, tell Moriko.
"So, this form," I say to Moriko. "Do you like it?"

She seems on guard. "It's unusual for you." she says.

"I don't like it!" I say, spurred by an irrational fear this is my only chance to say it. "It's not something I'd do. Giving in to curses and obsessions, because I didn't think anyone would see. Perhaps it was foolish of me to consider this curse harmless, just a chance to trace, encyst and excise it..." I shake my head. "I don't like the pretence. It reminds me how false I am. Cold and jealous and apart." I move closer. "I can barely stand it sometimes! You're so full of potential, so full of life. You can go wherever you want, do whatever you want, be whoever you want!"

3/8 Deem 2019/04/23(Tue)05:46 No. 930847 ID: e8f59c
File 155602356288.png - (13.79KB , 800x550 , turned_down.png )

"Oh Deem..." Moriko gently but firmly moves my hand off her shoulder. I don't like how she's looking at me. "How can you have lived so long and still be so naive?"

She pities me. I can't bear it. I start to turn away.

"People's choices are rarely their own." Moriko says quietly.

>...Is she the human you have on your mind?
No!

4/8 Deem 2019/04/23(Tue)05:47 No. 930848 ID: e8f59c
File 155602363368.png - (20.25KB , 640x750 , wake_up_rei.png )

>Ask where Reisarf is. If we don't have the AOE mage on hand, pushing out with everyone is a foolish endeavour because of how tight the corridors are.
He's hovering at the doorway.

"How long have you been here?" I snap.

"A little while." my alienist says dreamily.

"Where is your shirt?" Moriko says.

Reisarf thinks for a moment. "I don't know."

"Well don't blame me if you get clawed up by imps." I say.

Alkaline looks at me in shock.

"Alkaline, you're in charge of making sure that doesn't happen." I relent. She nods enthusiastically. Stargazer stares at her doubtfully.

Enough of this, we have imps to clear out.

5/8 Deem 2019/04/23(Tue)05:48 No. 930849 ID: e8f59c
File 155602368820.png - (18.24KB , 800x550 , imp_wants_to_fight.png )

>You should think about what Doyle is doing. Does he have a plan to bombard the imps from range? Does he require more direct leadership in the future? Is he just sick of eating imp?
Being a coward is what he's doing!

>Also Doyle may be acting out of cowardice but he might have a better tactical position out in the pool like that.
>And to be fair to Doyle, he was being overrun, a retreat was probably called for.
Ugh, I suppose. More might have been possible if he'd supported the brute golems at all though! Now one's destroyed and the other's underwater.

>Don't sweat the details. Ask her if she has the key ready - you shouldn't need it, but it's better to be prepared than to make a gamble you'll look cool.
Yes she has the key.

>Say Deem, can you do any basic reinforcement magic at the moment? If so, you might want to try do some that will up your awareness so you don't have to worry about missing ny imps, and maybe a simple force spell to let you sweep the imps into one area.
Basic and simple are the things I'm worst at. I am a sluggish caster of magic.

>Watch out for those fissures in the walls along the corridor. Imps could be hiding in them.
Looks like there's some hiding in there. They've cluttered up the hallway with dislodged stones too. If it's going to cause a mess, imps can do it faster than you'd believe is possible.

6/8 Deem 2019/04/23(Tue)05:48 No. 930850 ID: e8f59c
File 155602371976.png - (23.41KB , 800x550 , imp_uses_smug.png )

They're mostly skulking behind rocks but Reisarf might help clear out the -

Moriko rushes in.

"Die imps!"

Right, she really doesn't like demons.

The one standing in the open dances on the spot, trying to confuse her. Clearly one of the suicidally overconfident ones. One of the other imps tries to flee past Moriko and somehow gets tangled with a loose end of her leg wrapping. Imps! You'd think they do it on purpose!

I move forward to assist her.

7/8 Deem 2019/04/23(Tue)05:49 No. 930852 ID: e8f59c
File 155602375479.png - (35.05KB , 800x550 , possessed_golem_oh_no.png )

The homunculus modelled after Kallia suddenly gets to its feet and latches on to me. Agh no wonder I lost it so quickly, it got possessed! I knew there'd have to be at least one oddity in a imp swarm like this!

I hear Alkaline squeal excitedly behind me. She better not hit me with that whupping stick.

The imp-possessed golem attempts to cackle in my ear, choke me and fumbles at my spear.

8/8 Deem 2019/04/23(Tue)05:49 No. 930853 ID: e8f59c
File 155602379795.png - (27.08KB , 800x600 , imp_onslaught.png )

The door to the Thaumatorium opens and the imp bully drives a gang of imps out, to pelt us with rocks.

These imps are really getting on my nerves!

Wipe them out: I don't want to deal with this again, concentrate on eliminating them.
Avoid injuries: Perhaps conserving the strength of my denizens would be a better idea, even if it means more imps get away.

>>930853
Wipe them out.

>>930852
>choke
joke's on it, you don't need to breath.

Avoid injuries. i refuse to let our people get seriously injured over freaking imps.
non-serious injuries are fine though.

>>930845
I love how concerned Chakarchelou looks here to me while looking at the small slime
"little one are you ok" "little one you are swelling" "little, stop growing before you pop"

but yeah, this is starting to get ridiculous.
>Wipe them out

Hmm... on the one hand, horde of imps with rocks.

On the other hand... Reisarif is sleepy.

Let's avoid injuries. Friendly fire isn't friendly at all and the alienist fragging moriko is going to cause all sorts of problems.

Deem, don't do the thing. Whatever you're thinking of, don't do that, because you need to be explicitly told not to do the thing, with explicit wording, otherwise you will do it anyway. So whatever you do, don't.

Now, wipe them out. Leaking excess monster into the surrounding area is against dungeon health and safety code. Time to clean up the mess as a form of healthy coping.

Avoid Injuries
They seem to be getting tougher out there. Maybe next time they show up, one of them will be useful enough to subjugate.

Actually, Isolate that golem that thinks it's strangling you. A thing that can possess might be useful to have around.

>>930845
Chakarchelou's such a cutie patootie. Best guard drake.

>Imp annihilation or nunjuries
No injuries. You left behind a guard to deal with scampering sneaks who slipped past you - and if they leave, good riddance. As long as you don't let the Bully or most of the swarm pass, you should be good.

Tactic-wise... how do you deal with imp possession? Is there a non-destructive way to shake the possession? If you could clear it up, you'd have one more ally in the fight.

Mind that you want to get rid of the possessor imp so it can't do it to anyone else. The imp gang is pretty grouped up in the doorway, so Alkaline should probably Bad Egg them if she can, while Reisarf/Stargazer return bombardment, with a focus on the Bully. You could also have your big golem climb out of the water behind them. Unless you're lucky it won't be much of a sneak attack, but it could split their forces and Doyle might get his yellow-bell-y butt in gear if he sees your group having the upper hand.

We need to obtain some crossbows. This would be over already if we had a few repeaters to fend off wildlife.

>>930853
Priorities:
1, killing the strongest of them.
2, making sure the majority are killed.
3, keeping your minions healthy.

It doesn't matter if some of them escape, in the long run. If they ever come back either they'll be mostly harmless or they'll be supporting another invading monster force like the bear or something. Or maybe they'll multiply and return as another swarm? That's fine too, we'll get mana out of it!

Actually there is one concern. Will they bother the town? Or will they bother a merchant caravan, or your own caravan? Maybe it would be best to wipe them out in that case. Having them steal our stuff (or stuff we want to buy) would be really shitty.

>>930853
Prevent injuries. You're in no mind to be making tactical decisions. You're angry, frustrated and sad.

Wipe them out.

All of them.

>>930852
Wait. Is the possessing imp in the crowd, or does it merge with the possessed golem or something like that? Regardless of the answer: that one gets to stay.

>>930941
Let's not recruit imps.

>>930852
So, you wanna smash the possessed golem? That’ll kill the imp possessing it, right? You can always build a new golem later.

>>930853
Avoid injuries

>>930941
We’re not keeping that thing.

>How can you have lived so long and still be so naive?

Well your a dungeon. You haven't really gotten out much. You should go on a trip somewhere some time.

Suggest this to Moriko at a most inappropriate or inopportune moment.

Diplomacy. Let them eat cake!

>>930853

Wipe out the lot of them, we can't let this become a regular event or attract undue attention yet.

Though I've mixed feeling about the one that was 'smart' enough to hide inside the Kallialem, can it be removed without damaging the golem?

Minimize injuries. This is a defensive fight, and bleary Reisarf shooting into melee would be a recipe for disaster at the best of times. Tell Alkaline to focus on the big leader imp, but leave more specific tactics to her discretion.

You've still got access to your golemetry, and basic parallel spell processing, right? Try to reassert control over that possessed homunculus from multiple directions simultaneously, thereby outflanking the imp's mind.

>>930853
Avoid injuries

>>930846
make sure to remember this moment, you're gonna want to replay it in your head a few thousand times once this whole curse business is over and done with.

also; exterminate, but not at risk of friendly fire.

No more playing it safe, it's time to show them some power. Wipe this place clean of imps.

Avoid injuries. You can't afford to take any attrition.

Now that the spawning is gone their numbers are quite finite so any future attacks they do will be lesser in strength, particularly if we take out the boss imp. May as well keep our strength up; no real reason to risk injury or resurrection in our forces. Avoid injuries

>Avoid injuries: Perhaps conserving the strength of my denizens would be a better idea, even if it means more imps get away.
In the long run, your own strength, and the strength, safety and loyalty of your minions, is more important than any individual victory being complete and total.

Especially with the other disruptions and setbacks you've experienced recently, it behooves you to put your followers fist.

>>931157
It isn't quite as simple as long-term/short-term. If imps escape then she has an ongoing imp population. That could mean any number of a number of things: Imp raids, resources lost(frog pond becomes imp swamp), merchants driven off, quick snacks low-levelled invaders discouraged, massive imp rituals to the full moon that cause the dungeon's walls to bleed and make Deem irritated over ambient sky-worship, one-thing-leads-to-another there are half-imp-half-devil-bears clogging up the forests...

We really don't know what the long-term costs of escaped imps are.

>>931201
So far they have not seemed to be referred to as anything more than a nuisance that 'gets everywhere', steal things occasionally, and owning weapons-grade stupidity. Unless they can breed or something they pose little ongoing threat.
Shouldn't we be able to make a golem door with like a basic puzzle to open it and enter the dungeon proper and a notification, so repeat fails or brute force will give us warning that something is trying to enter.

>>931211
>Unless they can breed
Why would they not be able to breed? They're living creatures; unless otherwise stated ability to breed should be the default assumption.

>>931211
The dungeon is still lacking basic security measures. We haven't had enough free time to pursue simply making basic features such as the one you mentioned, simply because more important stuff keeps happening.

>>930853
Avoid injuries, you've had a shocking amount of things happen to your denizens in like, what, two weeks? They should conserve their strength in general.

Don't just wipe them out, one of the ones staring at you isn't throwing a rock right now. That's the one that is controlling your golem. Kill that one.

1/6 Deem 2019/05/18(Sat)22:34 No. 933320 ID: e8f59c
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>Joke's on it, you don't need to breathe.
It does make it hard to talk!

>Make sure to remember this moment, you're gonna want to replay it in your head a few thousand times once this whole curse business is over and done with.
I did say that, didn't I?

2/6 Deem 2019/05/18(Sat)22:35 No. 933321 ID: e8f59c
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I drop my spear, grab on to the rogue golem with both hands and throw it away from myself.

>So, you wanna smash the possessed golem? That’ll kill the imp possessing it, right? You can always build a new golem later.
No but some of the shock does carry over. I scramble to pick up my dropped spear and put this into practice.

3/6 Deem 2019/05/18(Sat)22:36 No. 933322 ID: e8f59c
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>Mind that you want to get rid of the possessor imp so it can't do it to anyone else.
The possessing imp seems to have been startled and lost its hold. It boils out of its golem host like an odious cloud. I disperse it.

I don't have time to reanimate the golem but that's one threat removed.

>Prevent injuries. You're in no mind to be making tactical decisions. You're angry, frustrated and sad.
I'd never be making any decisions if that was a factor.

>Diplomacy. Let them eat cake!
I'm not putting up with imps feeling overly energetic from sweet things.

4/6 Deem 2019/05/18(Sat)22:37 No. 933323 ID: e8f59c
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>In the long run, your own strength, and the strength, safety and loyalty of your minions, is more important than any individual victory being complete and total.
>Especially with the other disruptions and setbacks you've experienced recently, it behooves you to put your followers fist.
True, they're still not especially used to fighting together,
I attempt to speak, massage my throat and try again. "Reisarf, just use curses on the stronger looking imps for now. Alkaline, only throw eggs at the doorway!"

The rock throwers scream in outrage at Alkaline having the temerity to throw something back at them and intensify their barrage. They're not very good aims, but it's necessary to keep an eye for them.

>So far they have not seemed to be referred to as anything more than a nuisance that 'gets everywhere', steal things occasionally, and owning weapons-grade stupidity. Unless they can breed or something they pose little ongoing threat.
Breed? Not exactly. They can multiply, certainly. It's a matter of breaking up any nests we find until they're sufficiently dispersed.

>The dungeon is still lacking basic security measures. We haven't had enough free time to pursue simply making basic features such as the one you mentioned, simply because more important stuff keeps happening.
It could use some entry renovations but it's partially just my dungeon is still very small.

5/6 Deem 2019/05/18(Sat)22:38 No. 933324 ID: e8f59c
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Moriko's bogged down in melee, surrounded by darting imps. I try to move forward and help her. The Imp Bully's been using its subordinates as impish shields but she's gotten one or two hits in on it.

The bully seems to have lost its appetite for battle. Unfortunately Moriko's still being swarmed and I can't get over there fast enough. It and a gaggle of other imps flee into the Golem Totem and out into the night on the heels of the one that got tangled in Moriko's wrappings.

The rock throwers screech in victory. They don't seem to realise the other imps are using them as a distraction to make their getaway.

>You could also have your big golem climb out of the water behind them. Unless you're lucky it won't be much of a sneak attack, but it could split their forces and Doyle might get his yellow-bell-y butt in gear if he sees your group having the upper hand.
I have the brute pull itself out of the pool to put some pressure on the remaining imps. Doyle's still keeping his distance.

>They seem to be getting tougher out there. Maybe next time they show up, one of them will be useful enough to subjugate.
Perhaps. As I've said before, they do have troublesome temperaments.

6/6 Deem 2019/05/18(Sat)22:39 No. 933325 ID: e8f59c
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It isn't a complete victory, but we've won. The imps are driven off and we've killed a good number of them, even if we missed the ringleader. The imps haven't caused much damage aside from the golems that will need to be replaced and scattering some loose stones and personal items that were left out around the place.

>Chakarchelou's such a cutie patootie. Best guard drake.
Chakarchelou dealt with a few imps that managed to get past everyone but then ran the wrong way into the forge.

Moriko's dissatisfied that she didn't manage to get the bully, so I let her go out after it with Chakarchelou. I don't know if she'll catch any stragglers; imps are good at running away.

>Well you're a dungeon. You haven't really gotten out much. You should go on a trip somewhere some time.
>Suggest this to Moriko at a most inappropriate or inopportune moment.
I should scavenge that haunted forest ruin when I get a chance. Do you think she'd like that?

>I love how concerned Chakarchelou looks here to me while looking at the small slime
>"little one are you ok" "little one you are swelling" "little, stop growing before you pop"
Perhaps some more might be called for if I'm going to do anything with this new pile of imp corpses.

>Will they bother the town? Or will they bother a merchant caravan, or your own caravan? Maybe it would be best to wipe them out in that case. Having them steal our stuff (or stuff we want to buy) would be really shitty.
Monsters usually stay close to dungeons or other places where the earth-pulse is strong unless their numbers are high enough for the weaker ones to start getting displaced.

Still, it's the middle of the night. My denizens are yawning so I'd best send them to bed and sort through all this in the morning.

END CHAPTER 5

*intense feelings of giddy joy*

well that was fun, at least to some people in the party. And hey it did give Alkaline some good battle experience. Though rest does sound like it would do everyone's mood wonders and we can probably bump up making some traps for the dungeon's to do list to hopefully prevent things like this in the future.

>I should scavenge that haunted forest ruin when I get a chance. Do you think she'd like that?

Absolutely!