DELTA 1.

[OUTPUT: A B Y S S A L 8 O D D I T Y]
[OUTPUT: PLAY GAME / ACHIEVEMENTS / MODULES / MUSIC / CREDITS / QUIT]
[X] PLAY GAME
[OUTPUT: Is this your last saved game: http://pastebin.com/tfs27ekd]
>Yes.
[OUTPUT: Loading game file...]
[OUTPUT: Loading...]
[OUTPUT: Game loaded successfully. Please enter command.]
[OUTPUT: You're standing in your ship, upon the summit of the Lambda Manufactory.]
[OUTPUT: You have yet to decide where to go.]
[OUTPUT: You're in a single chamber with an ex-Ashen Plague afflicted, somebody who was once a power source for a death mecha, a robot that tried to kill you, and a hunk of fluorite in an arcane bubble.]
My vote is for Delta Sector.
[OUTPUT: You plot a course to the Delta Sector. By which you mean you just hook your ship into the Getenian Way voidspace current, and set the timer for twenty minutes.]
[OUTPUT: ETA: twenty minutes.]
>Thank gun god.
[OUTPUT: You mumble some praise to gun god under your breath.]
[OUTPUT: Cyan looks at you funny, and before you know it, you are excitedly talking about the hit 2015 game Nuclear Throne, which you apparently both played back in the day.]
[OUTPUT: Back in the day being like two years ago.]
>See if ship has computers capable of playing Nuclear Throne or computers that have the game installed already
[OUTPUT: You could probably just log into Steam on one of the secondary computers.]
oh okay, cool.
just do it whenever nothing's happening/you need to kill time, then
though I get the feeling we could do something more interesting
and/or plot relevant
[OUTPUT: You've got twenty minutes to spare, trapped in your ship.]
[OUTPUT: There isn't anything particularly plot relevant. You suppose you could organize your inventories, or something.]
check inventory.
[OUTPUT: AZURE INV: Medkit x7, Water Vial, Mercurial Water Vial, Undulating Water Vial, Welding Equipment, Cthk'aryvt's Blessing/Curse x7, Gem Fragment x3, Ylahrthuian Salt x11, Amalgam Interface, Flipside Elixir, Potion of the Nine, Draught of Tears, Duopen, Sniper Rifle, Ink Cartridge x2, Gluon Destabilizer x3, Ink Canister x2, Manufactory Key, Tenebrous Substance, Fluchwater, Brinewater, Bristewater, Frequency Resonator.]
[OUTPUT: CYAN INV: δ-ψ-φ-Bioschema, Medkit, Laser Pointer, Plasma Rifle, Medkit x7, Gluon Destabilizer x4, Limb Destabilizer Cannon.]
[OUTPUT: TOPAZ INV: Longsword, Medkit x8, Gluon Destabilizer x4.]
it would really help if I knew what all of these... were.
[OUTPUT: Probably. Ask about them, then.]
[OUTPUT: GSS EXSANGUINATOR INV: Hunk of Refined Infused Arcanium x5, Hunk of Vesperium x2, Pile of Metal Plates, Pile of Wiring, Pile of Core Mechanics, Psioglass Tube x8, Cyanic Mechanovitae Tube, Sonic Repulsor Engine, Psionic Filter (12/14), Psiofiber x5, Sheet of Corotite x1, Crystal Core Chassis, Sensor x3, Lapis Stone Shard x2, Cloth Wrappings x3, Witch-Doctor Disguise x2, Murder Cylinder x4, Irhvium Plate x3, Month's Supply of Food and Water x6.]
I take it you use the water vials for hydrokinesis, your main method of attack
[OUTPUT: Aye.]
but what are mercurial and undulating waters
[OUTPUT: Both just augmented water, with various extra things added in.]
Mercurial: Water with mercury. Undulating: Water with poison.
[OUTPUT: The Tenebrous Substance, Brine, Briste, and Fluchwaters are also just augmented water, with eldritch essences added in.]
okay.
Cthk'aryvt's Blessing/Curse?
[OUTPUT: That's one of the aforementioned eldritch essences.]
what about the gem fragments. whose... gem do they belong to :|
that's pretty creepy that you have a dead person in your inventory
[OUTPUT: They were gem fragments you extracted from the chests of some Centurion soldiers you killed. The robots were draining them for energy.]
[OUTPUT: You plan to give them a proper funeral when you return to Earth.]
;-;7
[OUTPUT: :-:7]
ylahrthuian salt, then.
[OUTPUT: More eldritch essence.]
amalgam interface? has to do with fusion?
[OUTPUT: That is the device that you use to initiate fusion, yes.]
flipside elixir?
[OUTPUT: Flipside Elixir: A draught that alters the passage of reality when consumed. You gotta turn it flipside, man.]
so, acid.
[OUTPUT: Hah. If you think of it like that, sure.]
potion of the nine is copyright infringement, but what about draught of tears
[OUTPUT: Draught of Tears: A corked vial of rose quartz, filled with some sort of unknown substance. You haven't any idea what this thing does. That which is dead can eternal lie, o'er altar grave and incensed sky.]
[OUTPUT: You've determined the fluid inside was either tears or saliva. You can't tell which.]
duopen is probably a pen/sword, gluon destabilizer is probably an offensive unglue-their-moleclues weapon, tenebrous substance is somekind of eldritch/ink thing?
Tenebrous substance is a water-weapon like the other waters we have.
[OUTPUT: Gluon Destabilizers are essentially grenades.]
oh ok.
[OUTPUT: Duopen: A pistol with two tubes of liquid ink affixed to the back. Fires a concentrated bolt of ink at a target, which pierces through armor plating, bricks, or any sort of nonorganic defense. Deals little damage, and must be reloaded after every shot with Ink Canisters.]
ooh wow
bioschema, then.
[OUTPUT: That's essentially a plasma multitool weapon in cube form.]
[OUTPUT: It will burn your hands off if you touch it yourself.]
I remember those fancy metal names. core mechanics, psioglass tube, cyanic mchanovitae tube, then.
[OUTPUT: Core mechanics, if you recall correctly, are just bits of the core computers of the Centurion soldier mechs. ]
[OUTPUT: Psioglass tubes are tubes composed of indestructible psioglass, of course. You got them from the inside of the storage pedestal at the end of the Mu Sector.]
[OUTPUT: Cyanic mechanovitae is the lifeblood of most machine beings. Those are essentially just robot veins.]
sonic repulsor engine's probably just the ship's engine, so what about the filters, psiofiber, core chassis, sensors, murder cylinders, and irhvium (unless that's just another metal).
[OUTPUT: The engine is actually just a spare repulsor engine the size of your fist.]
oh.
[OUTPUT: The filter is used to give ion cannons a major energy boost, but will break after fourteen uses.]
[OUTPUT: Psiofiber is essentially just wire, the core chassis is the device that held Cyan's gem in the Centurion Sorcerer, the sensors are just sensors, the murder cylinders are glass tubes filled with shattered gems you liberated from Aft'mathai the Horrible to bury later, and irhvium is another metal.]
ok.
final question:
what's food and water
[OUTPUT: Hah.]
what's food and water
[OUTPUT: Congratulations, your examining your inventory took fifteen minutes. Add that to your Nuclear Throne conversation, and you're here.]
fuck.
[OUTPUT: You can see a gigantic stone city floating in the Void before you, stretching as far as your eyes can see.]
whoa.
[OUTPUT: Neon lights and plasma generators dot the walls of the structure periodically.]
[OUTPUT: There's a single entrance in the side of the wall, that you can see.]
[OUTPUT: Please enter command.]
>enter
[OUTPUT: You dock on the side of the city, and open the hatch of the ship. Cyan and yourself jump down onto the platform without hesitation, but Topaz stays behind. She looks rather freaked out by this entire affair.]
tell topaz "you don't have to come with us if you don't want to, it's understandable."
[OUTPUT: You do so. "... Oh, okay. I... uh, I don't think this looks that safe. I'm going to just... organize the piles of shit you have in here, or something." She offers you a grateful smile.]
nod back. then go on your quest.
a quest... for what, exactly?
[OUTPUT: You nod back to her, along with a double thumbs up. Then, the two of you head into the chamber.]
[OUTPUT: You are looking for the remaining four VOID SHARDs, so that you will be permitted to return home to Earth.]
got it.
examine chamber.
[OUTPUT: Stepping down the musty hallway, you note that this place appears to have been abandoned for decades. Centuries, perhaps.]
[OUTPUT: The architecture does not seem particularly modern.]
[OUTPUT: Granted, it IS 2017, so this might just be a new trend in home-building.]
heh.
[OUTPUT: The hallway terminates in a single stone staircase leading directly upwards.]
go up stairs.
^
[OUTPUT: You head up the stairs. The room on the other end is incredibly long, though not particularly wide.]
[OUTPUT: You can see a door with the hand symbol emblazoned upon it, filled in with four navy hashes.]
[OUTPUT: There is a platform before that, with an oaken chair upon it. The thing is filled with some humanoid being or other.]
stay back and investigate humanoid being.
>Examine humanoid being.
[OUTPUT: The being appears to be a half-decayed corpse of some sort. The flesh around its eyeballs appears rather charred.]
[OUTPUT: ...]
[OUTPUT: You're pretty sure this being replaced its own eyes with orbs of magetear.]
is it sentient
[OUTPUT: You wave a hand in front of it.]
[OUTPUT: The thing stirs.]
S H I T
WH
whoops messed it up
[OUTPUT: With the creak of bones long past their time, the skeletal being rises from the chair. The magetear once more springs to life, dripping slightly onto the ridge of the creature's eye sockets.]
oh.
[OUTPUT: The starry pattern within the magetear flashes gold, then maroon, if only for a second.]
[OUTPUT: What do you do?]
say "are you okay?"
[OUTPUT: The being mumbles something to the effect of "IOUCOS NORS."]
[OUTPUT: You don't speak Drenovian, but you're pretty sure that's a no.]
because IOUCOS means I am, right?
[OUTPUT: Correct.]
I am not.
So NORS is 'not'.
^
[OUTPUT: Correct.]
hmmm...
if it doesnt try to attack us we dont have to attack it
are there any doors that arent the door with the hand symbol
[OUTPUT: No. The grinding of stone behind you alerts you to the fact that you are now sealed in.]
sweet.
go towards door with hand symbol. if Ioucos Nors (becuase that's a cool name) makes an act of aggression, jump backwards and initiate an attack.
[OUTPUT: You take a step forward. The instant you do, the being you have now christened Ioucos Nors points a finger at you.]
FUCK
U
C
K
[OUTPUT: A pattern of interlocking golden lines and symbols appears on both your chest, and Cyan's.]
FUUUCL
[OUTPUT: Within seconds, the two of you are blown back five feet, hitting the cold stone wall.]
[OUTPUT: That... wasn't that bad, actually. ]
[OUTPUT: You're actually pretty okay.]
[OUTPUT: Would you like to engage in combat?]
YOU FAILED
it's
Do you wish to engage in combat?
you must BE the holo-pearl
[OUTPUT: Hah.]
but uh, yes.
>Yes.
[OUTPUT: Do you wish to engage in combat, challenger?]
[OUTPUT: ASSAULT / UTILIZE / DEFEND / ABSCOND / OBSERVE]
>Observe, first off.
> OBSERVE
((if its real name ends up being Ioucos Nors I will be happy))
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc: 8/13 HP? NOTES: A decayed skeleton. The being's eye sockets appear to be empty, save for two large globules of dripping magetear. Lux ex tenebrae.]
...oh.
ah.
so it's already lost some HP. though... the ? next to HP makes me spooped.
I wonder if revive kills zombie applies here.
[OUTPUT: Only one way to find out.]
assault.
using a water vial
[OUTPUT: You're going to have to be a little more specific than that.]
oh okay.
make a water fist that slams the malpeiyc against the wall. return the favor.
[OUTPUT: Hah.]
[OUTPUT: And what shall Cyan do?]
fire her plasma rifle at the magetear to hopefully cause the malpeiyc to clutch its eyes in pain, distracting it
you know what, have cyan attack first so lapis' attack can have a better shot at working
[OUTPUT: She's currently only got one hand that's capable of holding a rifle, thanks to the whole limb enhancer thing.]
[OUTPUT: Would you like Cyan to use the limb destabilizer cannon built into the enhancer instead?]
oh, uh, yeah.
[OUTPUT: Very well.]
[OUTPUT: Cyan's peridotite fingers all move about. The thumb straightens up, heading to the center of the enhancer, while the others slant over slightly, constructing a sort of pyramidical shape. A green bubble of electricity glows to life on the end of the thing.]
[OUTPUT: She fires said bubble at Malpeiyc.]
[OUTPUT: The thing pounds into what appears to be an interlocked series of arcane symbols, all of a gold color, diffusing uselessly against the surface.]
[OUTPUT: You are little more successful, pounding a water fist against the barrier.]
[OUTPUT: ENEMY TURN.]
...damnit
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc effortlessly waves a hand, the barrier dissolving around him instantly. You can see a bone pop out of his right arm a considerable distance when he does so.]
[OUTPUT: Waves of pure energy arc from the form of the living corpse. The magetear within his eyes seems to flash past various scenes all the while, some too fast to be noted, others not so.]
[OUTPUT: Tendrils of pulsing light grab at your legs, unable to yet grab hold.]
[OUTPUT: YOUR TURN.]
[OUTPUT: ASSAULT / UTILIZE / DEFEND / ABSCOND / OBSERVE]
Hrm.
jump out of the way?
>Azure: Assault barrier with Bristewater. After she does so, >Cyan: Assault with limb destabilizer cannon.
Wait.
Nvm.
[OUTPUT: The barrier has dissipated, yes.]
[OUTPUT: And jumping out of the way is not really under a specific combat category.]
[OUTPUT: That's more for when you have a chance to react during an enemy attack.]
Ok, I say we use Tenebrous Substance with Azure and have Cyan defend with a plasma shield. Any other ideas?
We could also have Azure defend with Brinewater and have Cyan attack with the limb destabilizer cannon.
First, let's >Observe.
okay.
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc: 8/13 HP? NOTES: A decayed skeleton. The being's eye sockets appear to be empty, save for two large globules of dripping magetear. IO-GOHST WVERU GETEN. ]
I something something something.
[OUTPUT: Cyan Amaranthine: 8/10 HP.]
[OUTPUT: Azure Lapis: 13/15 HP.]
I say we have Azure defend with Brinewater and Cyan assault with the destabilizer cannon.
yeah.
Opinion, Twin?
Ah.
>Azure: Defend using Brinewater. Cyan: Assault using the limb destabilizer cannon.
[OUTPUT: Anywhere in particular on Malpeiyc Cyan should fire?]
Try the right arm, where that bone popped out, perhaps?
[OUTPUT: Very well.]
[OUTPUT: You pull up a bubble of pure Brinewater around yourself and Cyan, fully blocking out the tendrils of electricity.]
[OUTPUT: Cyan fires another shot with the limb enhancer. The bolt immediately tears Malypeiyc's right arm off from the elbow down.]
[OUTPUT: ENEMY TURN.]
HA.
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc hisses something incoherent, likely some sort of violent series of fucks in a language nobody understands.]
kek
[OUTPUT: Then, something begins to ooze from the stump of the arm.]
Don't tell me it's more magetear.
[OUTPUT: Foul drops of what appears to be liquid magetear drip down onto the ground, yes.]
Crap. This guy is full of the stuff.
what even IS magetear
[OUTPUT: The stuff slowly oozes out, forming what appears to be the shape of an arm, roughly.]
Incredibly potent liquid magical reagent and catalyst. I think. Erelye originated the idea, so he knows more than I.
oh god, whoa.
[OUTPUT: Anyhow, the fluid continues to ooze, until Malpeiyc's right arm is reconstructed, this time out of magetear. The being flexes his new limb a few times, chuckling.]
[OUTPUT: YOUR TURN.]
[OUTPUT: ASSAULT / UTILIZE / DEFEND / ABSCOND / OBSERVE]
>Observe, as always.
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc: 8/13 HP? NOTES: A decayed skeleton. The being's eye sockets appear to be empty, save for two large globules of dripping magetear. FALYS! FALYS! IAMOND.]
[OUTPUT: Azure Lapis: 13/15 HP.]
...
[OUTPUT: Cyan Amaranthine: 8/10 HP.]
[OUTPUT: You would be correct in assuming that he took no damage from losing an arm from the elbow down.]
...'FALYS!' wouldn't happen to be 'Fools!', would it?
[OUTPUT: It would not.]
Ah.
Damn, there's a bunch of meaning in here I'm sure we're missing.
yeah.
he hasnt even lost any HP
[OUTPUT: Perhaps you should try a different approach.]
throw a medkit at him.
[OUTPUT: The entire medkit, or just the syringe.]
I'm being serious. UC, what do you think
AO: whatever you use to actually heal with
Hrm.
^
[OUTPUT: That would be the syringe. Shall you do this?]
Sure.
[OUTPUT: You throw a medkit syringe at Malpeiyc.]
[OUTPUT: It bursts into flames before it even makes it halfway across the room.]
...what.
why??
[OUTPUT: The syringe melts into a heap of molten glass, medical fluid, and maroon flame on the floor.]
Wow.
[OUTPUT: ENEMY TURN.]
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc raises his new right arm slightly.]
Going.
[OUTPUT: The magetear writhes and pulses with various scenes of cities, libraries, and duels, elongating into what appears to be some sort of one-sided pickaxe of some sort.]
[OUTPUT: He swings his limb, the thing stretching the extra foot needed all the while. To simultaneously impale you in the chest and nail you to the wall, that is.]
[OUTPUT: Poof.]
[OUTPUT: YOUR TURN.]
[OUTPUT: ASSAULT / UTILIZE / DEFEND / ABSCOND / OBSERVE]
>Observe. I assume we're controlling Cyan now.
[OUTPUT: That would be correct.]
oh, so we just died in one fuckin shot.
[OUTPUT: Cyan grabs your gem first, to be safe.]
okay.
The magetear is fuel... Is it flammable or explosive, or is it 'fuel' only in the magical sense?
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc: 8/13 HP? NOTES: A decayed skeleton. The being's eye sockets appear to be empty, save for two large globules of dripping magetear. The elder light of the ancient mage expedites the process of rejuvenation, whether by intent or by accident.]
[OUTPUT: It is not explosive unless in the most extreme of situations. It is more drawn from as a reagent to provide massive amounts of energy.]
Hrm, we just have to stay alive then.
[OUTPUT: Cyan Amaranthine: 8/10 HP.]
>Cyan: Defend by forming a plasma shield with the Bioschema.
I assume that message after Malpeiyc's description means we revive much quicker than normal in this fight.
[OUTPUT: Cyan constructs a plasma shield between herself and Malpeiyc, who draws his arm from the wall, watching as it morphs back into a hand.]
[OUTPUT: You would be correct.]
[OUTPUT: ENEMY TURN.]
[OUTPUT: The magetear in Malpeiyc's eyes and limb stops on the image of what appears to be a figure robed in amethyst pointing a bronze rod at some throned entity shrouded in a vile gray aura. A maroon symbol burns itself into spacetime before Malpeiyc, pointing right at your shield.]
[OUTPUT: Within instants, a beam of pure golden energy unloads an unbearable amount of plasma into your shield, heating up the air around you/Cyan. Thankfully, the shield holds. Cyan feels your gem already growing warmer in her inventory.]
[OUTPUT: YOUR TURN.]
[OUTPUT: ASSAULT / UTILIZE / DEFEND / ABSCOND / OBSERVE]
Is the symbol still there?
[OUTPUT: It faded.]
Ah.
>Continue the defense, reinforce the shield!
[OUTPUT: Cyan reinforces the shield massively, with extra electrical energy from her limb enhancer, as well.]
[OUTPUT: ENEMY TURN.]
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc emits some sort of grumbling noise that could be loosely interpreted as a sigh.]
[OUTPUT: "IO VARDI VUL YOTHUL."]
I something something something.
Doesn't Azure naturally translate Drenovian for some reason?
[OUTPUT: The image in the magetear vanishes, and, in response, another symbol appears before your shield.]
huh.
[OUTPUT: Regardless, maroon symbols also appear on your sides, and behind you, as well.]
[OUTPUT: You have a second to react.]
DROP TO THE FLOOR. Reshape the shield to be somewhat of a pyramid shape in hopes of deflecting the beams to the ceiling, place it over you.
[OUTPUT: Will the shield be fully covering you?]
Yes.
[OUTPUT: That'll cook you alive, remember?]
Oh.
So, place it above you, and make the sides more curved to better deflect the beams upwards.
[OUTPUT: Very well.]
[OUTPUT: You drop to the floor, and reconstruct the shield to your specifications. Of course, the beams are just absorbed by the plasma shield, and do no damage to the environment.]
Oh.
Heh.
[OUTPUT: Your gem reaches human-levels of heat.]
Still works.
[OUTPUT: The thing floats out of Cyan's inventory, levitating in the air.]
So, will Azure auto-yes.
*auto-- yes.
[OUTPUT: You materialize once more, following the construction of a framework of your body out of pure blue energy.]
[OUTPUT: Euphoria rushes through your body once more.]
[OUTPUT: YOUR TURN.]
[OUTPUT: ASSAULT / UTILIZE / DEFEND / ABSCOND / OBSERVE]
Ok, let's see. >Cyan: Shield once again. >Azure: Assault, Fluchwater. Let's see what this water does. I have an inkling, though...
[OUTPUT: Cyan brings up another shield.]
[OUTPUT: You, on the other hand, prepare some fluchwater. Time to see this stuff in action.]
"Knowledge is but an eternal sea. Splintering the paddles on the boats of the seekers is by far more optimal than having to shatter boats themselves."
[OUTPUT: You hydrokinetically fire a bolt of the fluid at Malpeiyc. It strikes him in the face.]
YES
[OUTPUT: Suddenly, control of the liquid is wrested from you.]
Ah, crap.
[OUTPUT: The liquid twists and writhes, forming into what appears to be a miniature tentacular mass on Malpeiyc's face.]
SEY
[OUTPUT: The light of the magetear eyeballs burns through the infused water, fluchwater eyeballs appearing on the mass all the while.]
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc suddenly just drops, appearing to loose all muscular power.]
[OUTPUT: Collapsing onto the chair which you first saw him upon, Malpeiyc's magetear limb appears to phase back into his body?]
Woohoo. Paddles splintered.
[OUTPUT: The fluchwater spills to the floor.]
[OUTPUT: You appear to have won.]
Woo.
[OUTPUT: Please enter command.]
>Place hand on door, walk through.
>Or otherwise open navy-hash-mark-marked door, then proceed.
[OUTPUT: Are you sure you desire not to recollect your waters, and loot the enemy?]
Oh, right.
>Do that.
[OUTPUT: You recollect your brinewater and fluchwater, and then examine Malpeiyc's corpse.]
[OUTPUT: Looking into his magetear eyes, visions of storm-filled arcane lakes once more fill your vision. You feel a searing pain from Irhvi-Vardiveig Complex on your back, and begin to tip backward. The last thing you feel before everything goes black is Cyan's warm hands managing to catch you, pulling you close.]
(We Cyan now? Or Azure still?)
[OUTPUT: (The latter.)]
>Awake. If you can't wake, dream or something?
[OUTPUT: You awaken.]
>Look around?
[OUTPUT: As you open your eyes, a rather different world awaits you. You appear to be lying on the floor of the very same room you were in when you passed out, but... decades earlier? A figure sits on the arm of the oaken chair, rocking their feet back and forth.]
[OUTPUT: Cyan is not with you in any way whatsoever.]
Malpeiyc. Probably.
>"Hello?"
[OUTPUT: The figure looks over to you. They aren't exactly the emaciated corpse from before, being an actual humanoid being this time around, but the magetear eyes and general facial features give away that this is definitely Malpeiyc. In response, several neon lights in the wall turn maroon, and Malpeiyc rises from the arm of the chair, floating in midair.]
[OUTPUT: "Well, who do we have here? A visitor? A shark-person, come to devour me?"]
"Shark person? No, I'm just a person. I think. How did I even get here?"
[OUTPUT: "Hmm. Well, I'd say that you're one hundred percent person. I could smell that... humany reek off of you from a parsec away. Gross. You probably tried to look at my physical form's eyes. That's usually never a problem."]
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc chuckles somewhat. "But that might be because it usually melts their faces off! Hah."]
"Uh. So I guess this is your mind? Or something mental, at least."
[OUTPUT: "Shattered Mirror, this is the infinite plane of pure energy that is the mindscape. I'm the guy in charge here. Like some sort of office boss who subjects his demonic associates to writing reality with a shared... Algol Doc file, or something."]
[OUTPUT: "Do humans use Algol Docs, or is that a demon thing. I can't recall."]
"Google Doc?"
[OUTPUT: "No, not Google Docs. That's far too mainstream-lizard-council-controlling-the-government for me! Algol Docs. Algol, as in that cursed star of yours? That didn't blow up or anything yet, right."]
"Uh, I think it hasn't?"
[OUTPUT: "That's good enough for me. Now, what would you like to do in here, Shattered Mirror? You've got a limited amount of time before you wake up, you know!"]
"So, uh. Who are you, again? And why was your physical form attacking us?"
"Why did the Irhvi-Vardiveig Complex react when I looked at you?"
[OUTPUT: "I'm the ex-gem ex-meatsack current eternal demon of knowledge formerly known as Malpeiyc. My body was attacking you as a simple rite of passage. I kinda set it like a guard dog. A brainless guard dog."]
[OUTPUT: "That was probably the result of the link being formed between your brain and the mindscape!" Malpeiyc looks up at the ceiling for a moment, shouting something seemingly at nothing. "Don't be absurd, Greenman, you full well know what happened!"]
what
but I don't
?
uh... "Why are you calling me Shattered Mirror?"
[OUTPUT: He continues to yell at the ceiling. "You may profess you have no clue what that means, but you know how these rune connections work. You're probably not a brainless penguin."]
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc looks back to you. "Ask the purple one. He knows."]
[OUTPUT: There's nobody purple in the room.]
[OUTPUT: "Fine, fine. The Arcane Lake linked with the mindscape. Simple as that."]
The Irhvi-Vardiveig Complex lets you place Aklo words that we know (and by 'We', I mean 'Azure') for bonuses. One of those was Arcane Lake.
Well, more phrases than words.
oh, okay.
wait, if you know who I am then
what's my handle
[OUTPUT: "You, Greenman, are one transcribed guardian. Easy as that. Don't think I can't see it, you lizard."]
[OUTPUT: You're rather confused as to who he is shouting at.]
[OUTPUT: It looks like a wall.]
hey, whoa whoa whoa. I'M not the lizard here.
but anyway...
[OUTPUT: "Well, I'm sure not! For all I know, you are secretly a lizard."]
"Who are you, uh, talking to?"
[OUTPUT: "Oh, yeah. Sorry. I was just communicating with the gods. You wouldn't understand."]
[OUTPUT: "Hmm. While you're here, want to make a deal?"]
[OUTPUT: "You give me a favor to cash in later, I give you a powerful endgame artifact. Easy as that."]
DEAL WITH THE DEVIL ALERT
Oooh dear I am getting some Chet Rippo vibes here.
"...What's the favor?"
"What's the artifact."
Chet Rippo especially, but that's only because of an (unfortunately dead) MSPFA I read back in the day, Paper Mario and the EverClear Night.
[OUTPUT: "No idea. The favor will be determined when I need it. There are four possible things you could get off of me."]
At one point Chet Rippo basically broke the game for a moment to make a deal with the players directly.
but you've forgotten the axolotl.
((don't like this. don't like it one bit.))
You've gotta admit the dealing mindscape demon niche has been filled before.
((he makes up his half of the deal on the spot.))
"...What possible things?"
[OUTPUT: He shouts at the wall one last time, before turning back to you. "Fair, but you'll be hearing more things about me than that television character." Then, back to you. "I can show you them now, if you want."]
"Yes, please."
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc snaps his fingers, and a cardboard box appears, with three things inside. You can examine them without having to actually purchase them, this time around. Interesting.]
>Examine items.
[OUTPUT: Anathema Paradigm Shard: A small stone shard that appears to fit into something. Appears to have been inscribed with a variety of grooves. A curse is a shackle, often composed of water. Draw yourself under, and bear the weight of the sea.]
[OUTPUT: Cotangent: A sword composed entirely of some archaic infused pink crystal. The pommel is inscribed with a faded swirling pattern of some sort. "Ah, yes. A weapon befitting of a quartz."]
[OUTPUT: Fountain Pen: One of the many magetear-ink pens of Malpeiyc, hazel base polished and painted maroon, with lustrous gold bands fitted into place. Has the power to write reality, the lives of others, and existence itself, for those who can use it properly.]
Hrm. Cotangent is probably Rose's Sword, with likely extra powers.
Also, nice use of the A/O = COT joke.
The Fountain Pen is very interesting.
I agree
I don't know.
shard is lapis, cotangent is rose
hmmm
No idea what the Anathema Paradigm Shard is.
keep in mind the pen can only do as advertised if you "can use it properly"
how do we know we can
[OUTPUT: "I don't even know how I got that thing. That arm shouldn't even exist. It comes out of a forum game."]
Wait, is that a fucking MALACHITE TRANSFORMATION thing?
How Can We Be Real If Our Eyes Aren't Real.
Eugh, I feel filthy even writing that mockingly.
[OUTPUT: "Nope, don't be absurd. They're entirely fake. I know because I can say a link to one right here, right now."]
[OUTPUT: "So, what will it be?"]
Hrm.
Suppose we should wait for Twin to get back?
"Do you know what the arm does?"
[OUTPUT: "Not at all. That's the fun part. "]
"Does the sword do anything other than, well, be a sword?"
[OUTPUT: He snorts. "Obviously."]
"Any chance you can tell me what?"
[OUTPUT: "Nope!"]
"Hmm... Do I have the potential to use that pen properly?"
[OUTPUT: He considers it for a moment. "NYAROVIT ALOUS."]
[OUTPUT: "Tick tock. You haven't got all the time in the world, Shattered Mirror."]
I'm leaning toward the Pen.
Hm, both are interesting items with insane amounts of potential, and while learning about what powers lie within Erelye's Right Arm I think the Pen is the better, more flexible option.
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc shrugs nonchalantly. "I didn't say you couldn't have more than one thing, for double the favors, by the way."]
...
Would we be able to contact you again later, or is this the last chance?
let's do ıt, I say facetıously
(what's going on?)
[OUTPUT: "My corpse isn't going to evaporate when you wake up, y'know."]
"Of course I am only being facetious" - Some Egg, probably.
Dammit.
"Just to make sure, what form might these favors take?"
[OUTPUT: "That'd spoil the fun. Nothing fatal, though. We had to take those kinds of favors out after what happened to that one Ciryatur kid, or whatever his name was."]
[OUTPUT: Please enter command.]
Ok, Arm, Pen, or both for double the favors.
I am now considering the consequences of grafting the arm to somebody.
[OUTPUT: "I'm pretty sure that breaks a few human rights laws, bomb demon."]
That was in my thoughts as well, honestly.
(oe what is this thing?)
What? Since when have those been in place? That aside, unless we really decide to go for double favors to grab both I feel the Pen is the better option.
Yeah, only reason to go for double favors is to find out what the severed arm of an archmage could do.
I vote Pen, honestly.
[OUTPUT: Two votes for the pen. Anybody else got an opinion?]
[OUTPUT: No?]
[OUTPUT: Pen it is.]
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc hands you the pen. The cardboard box, and its other contents, all disappear.]
[OUTPUT: "Favor registered. We've got a few minutes left in here."]
[OUTPUT: Please enter command.]
Well, I have no ideas for anything meaningful to say. Crystal?
No idea as well.
[OUTPUT: Very well.]
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc turns to you once more, a devious grin upon his face. "Hey, Shattered Mirror. I want to cash in my favor."]
[OUTPUT: "Right now."]
[OUTPUT: Please enter command.]
"Alright, what'll it be."
[OUTPUT: He grabs your arm. "I've always wanted to do a puppet show."]
CRAP.
Oh well.
This has been Bill Cipher 2.0, Sock Opera edition.
Thank you for your time.
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc draws his hand back, laughing maniacally. "OH, MAN. You should've SEEN the look on your face! Hah! That was great."]
[OUTPUT: "I'm not going to take out your soul, and possess your body. Souls aren't even /real/."]
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc continues to laugh.]
*spits out drink*
Just kidding, souls probably just don't exist in this reality.
"Are we done here, then?"
[OUTPUT: "Nah, for real, though. Have a look at this." His magetear eyes show the scene of what appears to be the inside of a Grayholdian military vessel. A video chat of some sort showing a throned figure tapping a holographic screen on the other side floats before the deck.]
>Watch with interest.
[OUTPUT: "Uh, my Diamond?"]
[OUTPUT: "There appears to be a consistent emission of some sort of unrecognized energy from the ruins of Wveru Geten in Facet 9."]
[OUTPUT: The being on the other side of the film looks up from his screen in interest. **"*What sort of energy?*"**]
[OUTPUT: "It... we don't have the scanners necessary to pick it up, my Diamond."]
[OUTPUT: **"*I... see. Send someone.*"**]
[OUTPUT: "Uh, anything else, your Imminence?"]
[OUTPUT: **"*Do not let anyone flee.*"** The video chat ends.]
[OUTPUT: Malpeiyc's eyes flicker back to normal.]
Well. Crap.
[OUTPUT: "Wasn't that just a pleasant tape. Enjoy! You've got ten seconds before you wake up."]
[OUTPUT: Everything goes black once more.]
Whoa, some newbies are joining 0.
[OUTPUT: Please enter command.]
>Wake.
[OUTPUT: You open your eyes. The first thing you see is Cyan's concerned face, and the first thing you feel is her arms assuring your lack of falling on the floor.]
[OUTPUT: "Are... are you okay?"]
[OUTPUT: "What happened?"]
"In order? Looked into that body's eyes, blacked out, met the owner of that body, made a deal in which I got an item in return for a favor in the future, and learned something very unsettling."
>check pockets
[OUTPUT: "..."]
[OUTPUT: There's a Fountain Pen in your inventory now, yes.]
[OUTPUT: "Okay. I, um. I'm not going to pretend to understand that. Except maybe asking about the unsettling thing. Just, are you okay? I was pretty fucking worried about you."]
"The unsettling thing is that, apparently, due to some type of energy emission, the Kristalli Imperium is going to drop by to purge this whole facet. Nothing serious. And, yeah, I'm okay. Maybe a little in shock from learning that, but otherwise good."
((I assume that was what her Imminence meant when she said Imperium. If I'm wrong, feel free to edit the dialogue.))
[OUTPUT: "... Oh, god. Probably had something to do with you entering the corpse's mind? Glad to hear you're okay, though."]
[OUTPUT: Cyan momentarily pulls you into a bone-crushing hug, then rises, and pulls you up. "We should... probably get moving, then. If we're going to outrun them."]
"Yeah."
[OUTPUT: Now what?]
So, we have no idea of the ETA of the Imperium.
Where are the other four Void Shards? In Facet Nine, I presume.
[OUTPUT: They are all in Facet Nine somewhere. You don't know where.]
[OUTPUT: The entry door is still sealed.]
>Exit through the four-navy-hash door.
[OUTPUT: You open the four-hash door. Stepping through it, the two of you find yourselves upon an arcanium catwalk upon the side of a massive room.]
[OUTPUT: There is a massive tenebrite device at the bottom of the chamber, nearly the length and width of the entire room itself.]
[OUTPUT: Please enter command.]
>Examine surroundings and device.
[OUTPUT: The room itself is rather unremarkable. There is, however, a series of sealed corotite doors on the opposite wall.]
[OUTPUT: The device appears to be a mass of incomprehensible machinery, all focused around eight crystal storage mechanisms circling around a rather large ring of vesperium.]
[OUTPUT: Welcome to the Aeon Core.]
Ooh boy.
I need to do other things, sadly.
[OUTPUT: Want to save?]
>Y
[OUTPUT: Saving game...]
[OUTPUT: Saving...]
[OUTPUT: Game saved successfully. Would you like to quit?]
>Y
[OUTPUT: Autoquit initiated. Have a nice day.]