Does this quest have half-fae catboys in it?

File: 1357434794215.jpg-(176 KB, 800x600, 129656164498916301895_exd(...).jpg)

>>22419957
The speaking, cyclopean door swings open to reveal a lavishly decorated foyer illuminated by a glittering crystal chandelier (which, upon closer inspection, does not in fact appear to be attached to anything). As you enter, you note that either this Findlay fellow has a disproportionately large foyer, or the interior of his manor must have one of those enchantments that makes it bigger on the inside than it seems on the outside. Ami and Mami dash in after you, oohing and aahing over the lavish decor. Takane follows at a more composed pace, taking in the foyer with nonchalant interest.

As the door closes behind you, you hear a clattering noise approaching from the hallway to the right. Though you can't make out the source with the dim light, Takane apparently can, her brow furrowing in a puzzled frown as she squints down the hall. "Most peculiar..." she mutters.

"Peculiar", indeed. In a few moments, you can see that the source of the clattering is in fact a wooden chair, ambling down the hall on legs that bend and flex like soft clay, though their appearance and sound when they strike the marble floor is quite wooden. The top of the chair back bears a disturbingly fleshy-looking mouth and single bulging eye, much like the front door had.

The chair stops before you in the foyer, and speaks in the same wizened voice as the door. "Well, come on now, this way."

>Take the lead in following the chair down the hallway.
>Usher the girls on ahead of your and take up the rear.

>>22419971
No.

>>22419985
>Take the lead in following the chair down the hallway.
You don't want to look like a chump in front of the young adventurers, do you?

>>22419985
Take the lead.

>>22419985
>Take the lead in following the chair down the hallway.

We have to show a strong front.

>>22419985

>Take the lead

We are brave leaders to our girls, not cowards.

>>22419985
>>Usher the girls on ahead of your and take up the rear.

Better them than me.

Also, Takane confirmed for Cthulhu worshipper yet?

Oh by the way, what's the magic number for the day?

>>22419985
Take the lead like a proper escort of moon princess.

>>22420130
Ah, right, forgot about that.

Tonight's number is 1. The 1st post rolling 1d20 when I ask for a roll is the one that counts.

>>22420189
Oh, the rolls will go faster tonight. That's good.

>>22419985
>Take the lead in following the chair down the hallway.

File: 1357436174468.png-(44 KB, 185x240, 1318030757769.png)

>>22419985
"Alright girls, you heard the chair. Let's go!" You stride confidently after the chair, taking care not to betray any sign of the seething case of heebie-jeebies the thing is giving you, and Takane and the twins fall in behind you.

After a couple of minutes following the chair, you feel a tap on your shoulder. "Excuse me, Producer? It would appear Ami and Mami are no longer following us." Looking back, you see that Takane is right -- the twins are nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, hells," you mutter. "Where did they slip off to?"

No sooner do the words leave your mouth than your question is answered, in the form of a loud clatter of falling objects and tinkling of breaking glass echoing from a room not too far down the hall, accompanied by the startled voices of the twins shouting in alarm. You race back to the room in question, Takane following on your heels.

Looking into the room, you find Ami sprawled on the floor under a pile of strange contraptions that look to have fallen off the nearby table. Judging by the pungent fumes filling the room, there must have been some manner of potions or alchemical reagents contained in the various flasks and vials that now lay shattered on the floor around the fallen girl.

Mami, curiously enough seems hardly to notice your arrival, her eyes instead fixed in her sister's direction. "Ami, look out!"

It's then that you see a translucent gelatinous mass rise up, shuddering, behind Ami's prone form.

>Wat do?
>Also, roll.

>>22420378

Rush in and get Ami out of the way. Make Takane do something.

Rolled 12

>>22420378

Grab Ami immediatly and get her to safety

>>22420378
Try to pull Ami out from the contraption to safety, while telling Takane to do something to contain the gelatinous mass (we don't know if it's hostile yet, but we don't want it to get any closer and find out bad things happen).

Rolled 14

>>22420378
Grab the twins and powerwalk back toward the direction of the floating chair.

Rolled 11

>>22420378
Get Takane to get Ami while you Distract the creature

>>22420407
Well, shit.

Rolled 5

>>22420378
Protect twin!

>>d20 right?

Rolled 6

>>22420378
Damn those twins for ruining Producer's cool leader walk.

Takane magic missiles the slime and Producer gets Ami.

File: 1357436999390.jpg-(155 KB, 800x600, 126952909636716124936_rap(...).jpg)

>>22420378
Not wasting a second, you dash into the room, calling to Takane as you go to handle the quivering blobby mass.
As you sprint to Ami's side and begin pulling her out from under the mess, you hear Takane chanting:

"O stars who nightly 'pon us shine,
by thy light this foe I bind."

A flash of silvery light shoots over your head and swirls about the gelatinous creature looming over you. Not waiting to see what effect the spell might have, you haul Ami over your shoulder and run back to the door. Setting her down, you turn back to see that the blob's movement seems to be arrested by the shimmering strands wrapped around it like a net.

>What next?

Rolled 16

>>22420628
Stab Takane

Rolled 10

>>22420628

Examine what foul creature dare attack my idol. Ask Takane for advice if needed.

Rolled 12

>>22420628
Carve the gelatinous monster a new orifice.

>>22420657
Phew, that was close.

Rolled 12

>>22420628

Eliminate the blob, then examine the room.

>>22420628
Ask Takane if the blob's contained and if it's safe now. Call out for Mami, we don't know where she is, do we?

>>22420686
>Call out for Mami, we don't know where she is, do we?

She's there in the room. See >>22420378:
>Mami, curiously enough seems hardly to notice your arrival, her eyes instead fixed in her sister's direction.

>>22420717
OK, well as long as she's not in danger, that's fine.

>>22420678
I don't win the QuestM@STER?

Aww

>>22419957
Why is Chihaya pointing the harpoon gun at her own face?

Ooh, nice. Did you guys moved from /@/ or was that a separate thing?

File: 1357438443291.jpg-(1.17 MB, 900x1400, 1354772495574.jpg)

>>22420628
>>22420660
>>22420669
>>22420682
Peering cautiously at the slimy creature, you turn to the silver-haired young woman beside you. "Takane, what do you make of that thing?"

"I believe it must have been formed by the intermingling of the contents of the various containers that Ami knocked over, Producer. It is probably best not to touch it; it could be corrosive or toxic."

"I imagine it's probably not going to do much good to stick it with my sword, huh?"

"Most likely not. Would you like me to dispose of it?"

"Please do."

Taking a few steps forward into the room, Takane extends her arms out toward the gelatinous form, chanting another incantation:

"The sun's hot rays burn all by day,
But lunar glow is evil's bane.
Shine from my hand, o silv'ry light,
That I my foes might put to flight."

As she speaks, a pearly light begins to shine from her form, growing steadily brighter and finally moving to concentrate in her hands and finally shooting forth in a glimmering bolt from her palms. The beam pierces the slime squarely in the center of its bulk, burning away a large chunk of its mass.

Aren't I just terrible with trying to deliver the character sheet on time, i'm really sorry again. Things keep getting in the way.

Looking good with you though, GM. Nice to see this back.

>>22421007
As the remains of the slime collapse to the floor, seemingly inert now, the chair finally catches up to you. "Jumping junipers, what happened in here? Oh dear, what a mess, what a mess. I'll have to send a construct down to clean this up."

The chair turns to you, staring with its veiny, unblinking eye. "Well, no sense crying over spilt milk. Let's get a move on, not too much further to my study now, come on."

>[] Get moving.
>[] Wait, we're not quite done here. [specify something else you want to do in the room]

>>22421030
make the twins clean up the mess


could help with our image

>>22421030

>the chair

what

>>22421030
Talk to the chair.

>>22420894
Well, I use /@/ to announce when the next thread is planned and a number of the players are from there, but the quest itself has always been run on /tg/.

I'm gonna have to go with talking to the chair while moving.

And I wasn't trolling about stabbing Takane, Questm@ster. Just wanted to shake things up a bit. ;_;

>>22421030
Scoop up the remains of the slime in a vial in case it's properties are useful later.
Shiny silver shit is always useful in a fantasy setting.

>>22421061
Wizards. See >>22419985

>>22421030

First check to make sure Ami is alright. If so, then I second >>22421058

>>22421030
Check to see if everyone's alright, particularly Ami.

>>22421030

Offering to clean up would probably be a good idea

>>22421030
Struck by an idea, you ask the chair to wait for a moment as you rummage around in your pack. Producing an empty glass vial, you head over to the now-inert slime and scoop up some of it, stoppering it firmly before putting the vial back in the pack.

"Alright, let's go. Ami, Mami, keep in front where I can see you this time, ok?"

With resigned grumblings of assent, the twins head back out into the hallway, followed by yourself and Takane. You're relieved to note that Ami looks to be unharmed by the accident. As you walk, you decide to talk to the chair.

"So...am I right to assume this is Mr. Findlay talking to us through this chair?"

"What, you think chairs just talk on their own? 'Course it's me. Findlay's Furniture-based Awareness Projection Charm, took me ages to perfect it you know."

"Well, Mr. Findlay, I'm terribly sorry for the mess the girls caused back there. If you'd like, I could have them clean it up for you once we're done with your request. Free of charge, of course. It's the least we can do for messing up...uh, whatever that was that got messed up."

"Ah, don't worry, don't worry, it will be no trouble at all for my housekeeping constructs to take care of, and I don't even remember what was set up in that room myself anyway!"

The chair chortles hoarsely, its eye bouncing around madly. You suppress a shudder at the bizarre sight.

>>22421350
>"What, you think chairs just talk on their own?
Y-Ye-... No.

>that feel when sudden common sense appears in your fantasy quests

>>22421350
Shortly after it stops laughing, the chair -- or rather, Mr. Findlay -- says, "Ah! Here we are, this is the study!" The eye and mouth recede into the wood of the chair's back and disappear as the large double doors before you swing open to reveal a large room lined with bookshelves. Seated in a large armchair in front of the hearth is a bearded man in a robe. He turns from the crystal ball on the small table before him to wave at you, grinning broadly. "Come on now, have a seat over here and we'll talk about your quest!"

As you seat yourselves in the other chairs by the hearth, Findlay holds up a frosted glass jar. "Would you ladies like a peppermint stick while we talk? And the gentleman, of course!"

Ami and Mami jump at the offer, and Takane, though retaining a polite reservedness, also gratefully accepts. You also voice your acceptance, and Findlay unscrews the jar, shaking out four blue-white cylinders. As he hands them to you, you're astonished to find that rather than the hard candy you're used to calling "peppermint sticks", these appear to be sticks of curled woody material -- like cinnamon sticks, but bleached in color and smelling unmistakably of peppermint. Tentatively putting in your mouth, you find that the taste matches the smell. You faintly hear Takane mutter "most peculiar" as she sucks (surprisingly greedily) on her peppermint stick.

"So, Mr. Findlay, what exactly is this quest you have for us? The petition we got was pretty vague..."

Say GM, talking from a JRPG point of view, if you were to think of an existing song that could possibly be the (opening) theme to this entire thing, what would it be?

>>22421567

Anything but Chihaya's Arcadia is a wrong answer.

>>22421606

This.

>>22421562
>peppermint sticks

These are the caramels of this universe?

>>22421606
I was thinking of the cover song she did for NS05 as well but certainly I wasn't thinking of straying too far from Imai as the singer. Sadly not too familiar with her songs though. Apart from the other games she's sung openings for.

>>22421620

Caramals should be a narcotic trade in this universe. Like Skooma in the Elder Scrolls.

>>22421562
"Well, you see, I seem to have misplaced a certain book. A volume of my notes, to be precise, from some experiments I was working on some time ago and would like to take up again. It should be somewhere in my archival room, but alas my haphazard storage habits appear to have finally got the better of me! My constructs can't safely navigate them for the instability of the stacks, and where my constructs can't go there's certainly no chance these rickety legs of mine could do any better! So I figured I'd ask my old friend Takagi to send a few of his youngsters down to help!"

"I see..."

>[ ] Ask about how you might recognize this particular volume of notes
>[ ] Ask about why his quest petition mentioned a "treacherous realm fraught with danger" when it's just an archival room

>>22421688
>[X] Ask about how you might recognize this particular volume of notes

Well, both really, information is useful.

>>22421688
>>[ ] Ask about how you might recognize this particular volume of notes

>>22421567
Man, I don't have the foggiest clue. Arcadia sounds pretty reasonable though.

>>22421688

Both, but first

>[X] Ask about how you might recognize this particular volume of notes

>>22421688
>Ask about "realm full of danger"

Knowing this guy it might actually be in another dimension full of danger.

>>22421662
I'm thinking something akin to butterbeer in the Harry Potter series. That's just butterscotch juice.

>>22421688
[ ] Ask about how you might recognize this particular volume of notes

>>22421562
>surprisingly greedily
I see our Producer is still getting to know Takane. I wonder if there's ramen in this universe?
>>22421688
[ ] Ask about how you might recognize this particular volume of notes

>>22421688
"So, what exactly does these notes look like? Just trying to find a 'volume of notes' in a cluttered archival room sounds like a bit of a needle-in-a-haystack proposition."

"It should be a small book bound in soft brown leather, with a red ribbon sewn into the binding for a bookmark and the title of the project stamped on the binding and front cover. 'Applications of Arcana and Alchemy in the Creation of Unique Confectionaries', I believe it was. Yes, that's it. There's a desk near the back of the archives, right about in the middle, the notes should be somewhere around there."

"I see." You repeat the title of the volume of notes to yourself a few times to drill it into your memory.

"Do you have any other questions before I show you to the archives?"

"Yeah, there was something in the petition about a 'realm full of danger' or something like that. Why'd you say that if we're just searching an archive room?"

Findlay waves your question off with a grin. "Oh, I just like to spice up my petitions a bit. I know you folks don't get very much exciting work at 765Pro, so I try to do what I can to help out."
His expression grows a bit more serious as he leans in to whisper conspiratorially. "There is a grain of truth to it though. I've had several constructs get broken by falling books, and I think there's some manner of creature running around in there. You'd best be careful."

"I see. We'll watch our step then."

>Any other questions for Findlay before you go?

File: 1357442354733.jpg-(52 KB, 250x324, 1348661534528.jpg)

>>22421895
>'Applications of Arcana and Alchemy in the Creation of Unique Confectionaries'

Ask him about his housekeeping constructs. I'm interested.

>>22421895
> red ribbon sewn into the binding for a bookmark
>'Applications of Arcana and Alchemy in the Creation of Unique Confectionaries

No questions needed. We kill Haruka before she turns into the evil empress Harukaka.

>>22421894
This is in fact the first time Producer's actually had any significant direct contact with Takane.

And yes, there is ramen. Also onigiri for Miki. Because if I'm going to mix Western and Eastern naming conventions, why not also do the same for food, right?

Do I have to read all the previous threads to do this thing?
Also is there any Iori? I think she's pretty swell.

>>22421959

We must create the ultimate onigiri.

Ongiri stuffed with ongiri

Just to clarify, an answer in the negative to having any other questions is just as helpful to me as proposing a question to ask. If everyone just keeps quiet, I can't be sure if people just don't want to ask anything, or if there's simply nobody else here at all.

>>22421999
There's only 4 threads so far, but you can probably participate just fine without reading them anyway. Mostly it's just been getting a feel for the girls' personalities (which I'm trying to keep pretty close to canon) and capabilities. For the latter, I've written up brief profiles which you can read to get a crash course in what to expect from each girl.
http://www.mediafire.com/view/?82tb23ozrmbz384

And yes, Iori is in the quest, though she's not part of your party at the moment.

>>22421959
That should be interesting.
>Any other questions for Findlay before you go?
I say we've talked enough. Time to go retrieve this thing.

>>22421895
>and I think there's some manner of creature running around in there.

inb4 Puchi.

File: 1357443067459.jpg-(112 KB, 480x352, Yukiho and Tidal Wave.jpg)

>>22422101

Aw fuck.

>>22421895
>"What kind of creature, specifically?"

>>22422134
Well if it's Yukipo, it'd be OK. Some of the others though....

>>22421895

>Any other questions for Findlay before you go?

I think we're good to go, unless he has any ideas about what kind of creature would be running around his archives.

File: 1357443165209.jpg-(193 KB, 800x600, 1348885319779.jpg)

>>22422000
Oh god somebody post that comic. You know, the one with the secret ingredient in Miki's onigiri.

File: 1357443284113.jpg-(88 KB, 251x750, Miki's favorite onigiri.jpg)

>>22422170

File: 1357443303424.jpg-(82 KB, 364x340, 122.jpg)

>>22422151

Multiples?

Its gonna be Harukasans. Pural.

God help us if they've been eating. Perhaps we should have brought Yayoi. Shes the only one who could handle the horde.

>>22421895
One last thought crosses your mind. "Do you have any idea what sort of creature exactly might be living in your archives?"

"Haven't the foggiest!" He says this with an almost triumphant note in his voice, grinning like a fool. "Do let me know if you see it, I'd be very interested to know what it might be that could survive in there."

With your mission explained, Findlay points you to a door in the wall to the right of the one you walked in through. "The archives are just through there. Good luck!" Picking up the staff laying on the floor next to his chair, he waves it at the door, causing it to open at your approach.

Within, you see a veritable disaster zone. Mounds of books and loose paper, stacked higher than you are tall, fill the room, making it a large labyrinth. You note that some of the stacks look rather unsteady, and some have already collapsed into jumbled piles, some of which seem to have bits of wood and wire sticking out from underneath. The remains of Findlay's ill-fated constructs, most likely.

After cautiously making your way through the stacks for a ways, you come across a fork, two equally traversable-looking paths lying ahead of you. The path to the right seems to wind its way in the general direction of what looks like a hearth along that wall (judging by the mantel you see just above the level of the stacks). The path on the left looks to run alongside the bookshelves lining the opposite wall.

>Right or left?

>>22422369
Left for the bookshelves

>>22422369

Left hand on the (figurative) wall and head left.

>>22422369

Right. Maybe we can find a vantage point by the hearth or set up a meeting point before we split up for searching.

>>22422369
Always go left because I'm left handed.

>>22422369
Right makes might.

>>22422369
You and Takane can head left maybe. Might be best to split up too to make searching easier. Suppose the twins can handle themselves going the other way. The fork being the meeting point.

>>22422369
You decide to try the left-hand path. After a few more minutes of carefully navigating around the musty stacks, Mami pipes up.

"Hey, Nii-chan, I'm bored. Can't we go a little faster?"

"It wouldn't be safe, Mami. We don't want to accidentally knock over some books and get squished like Mr. Findlay's constructs did, right?"

She grumbles at this, but admits you have a point.

After a few minutes longer, you find the path come to a dead end, walled in on all sides by tall and precarious stacks, with one truly prodigious mountain of tomes directly ahead.

You turn around to look at the girls. "Well, crap. Guess we'll have to head back to that fork and take the other path. Let's go."

Oddly enough, their reaction to this seems to be one of shock and fear.

"Nii-chan, look out!"

Turning to look behind you, you see that the large stack that was blocking your way is teetering toward you. You have only a fraction of a second to register what's going on before the pile gives way in an avalanche of books!

>Roll twice -- once for Producer to jump out of the way, once for the girls to try to help. You can roll 2d20 in the same post for this.

>>22422473

Splitting up is a neat idea. But we might want to go with Mami and have Taka go with Ami since the twins are trouble together.

File: 1357445031355.png-(359 KB, 452x521, 1330152085014.png)

Rolled 17, 19 = 36

>>22422736

ROLLINGU

Rolled 3, 20 = 23

>>22422736

I TOLD YOU TO GO RIGHT BRO
I TOLD YOU DAWG

>>22422747
Would've liked that too actually, not a bad idea. Too late now though.

>>22422765

IT KEEPS HAPPENING!

>>22422765
>implying GM wouldn't have screwed us either way
Too naive.

Rolled 12, 7 = 19

>>22422755
Well, we're fucked.

>>22422755

Welp, looks like we're double boned.

Rolled 15, 10 = 25

>>22422736

>>22422765
Right is for pussies.

Is low good or high good?

>>22422854
Low's good. That's why we're boned.

wait how do you roll twice?

>>22422947

Jeezus kai it says in his post.

>>22422736
>>22422755
Before either you or the girls can react, the mountain of books descends upon you in a storm of leatherbound paper. Heavy tomes rain down on you, pummeling you like so many bricks. In less than a second, you find yourself knocked prone and pinned under the considerable weight of the books, your head spinning from numerous blows. Fortunately, you'd remembered to don your helm before entering, so you at least remained conscious.

From outside your paper tomb, you hear Takane and the twins yelling frantically, along with the sound of books being shuffled aside. After a moment, you spot a few gleams of silvery light filtering down from above you, and you feel the weight pinning you down lessen substantially. Shortly thereafter, the books enclosing your head and torso are cleared aside, and you see the faces of your companions peering down at you.

"Nii-chan! Nii-chan, are you okay?"

Extricating your lower half from the books, you ponder the question for a moment. Certainly rather bruised, but you seem to have managed to avoid any serious injury. "I'm fine, just give me a moment."

As you lay there catching your breath, a book lying open right in front of you catches your eye. In particular, a name written in it: Takagi.

Takagi...wasn't that the name of 765Pro's Chief, your new boss?

>[ ] Investigate the book.
>[ ] Leave it alone, personal property of a client that isn't related to the job you were hired to do is none of your business.

>>22423047
Well that's nice.

Now let's get to investigating that book.

>>22423047
take a glance at the pages that are open

>>22423047

[X] Investigate

>>22423047
[X] Investigate the book.

>>22423047
>[ ] Leave it alone, personal property of a cli

Fuck that. Investigate.

>>22423047
>anons in charge of respecting privacy
I get the feeling bad shit's gonna happen but our fate's sealed.

>>22423113

>Investigate

I say we deserve to know a bit about what our employers our up to.

>>22423047
Intrigued, you take a closer look at the book, taking care to conceal your perusal under the guise of recovering from the book-pummeling. It wouldn't do to set a bad example as far as respect for clients' privacy for the girls you're supposed to be mentoring, after all.

It appears to be a diary, the entry on the open pages dated some 10 years ago. Judging by the content of the open pages, at that time Findlay was an adventurer, working alongside Takagi, a man by the name of Joval, and another named Kuroi.

Kuroi...as in the Chief of 961 Professionals, Kuroi? It couldn't be...could it?

The diary entry describes them adding a new member to their adventuring party: A girl by the name of Murasaki. Apparently, she was a very skilled spellsinger and also quite handy with a glaive, and the group had high expectations for her contribution to the team.

Findlay's entry describes the girl (in somewhat unsettlingly gushing terms, given the age gap between the two) as a very attractive young lady, just recently of age, with long green hair, brown eyes, and a mole on the right side of her chin.

A curtain of lush silver hair drops into view as Takane crouches down next to you. "Producer, are you sure you are alright? We can take you back to the study to rest more comfortably if you need to."

You sit up, shaking your head. "No, it's okay, I'm fine. Let's go."

File: 1357447420132.jpg-(49 KB, 300x283, 1326926135440.jpg)

>>22423326


>Describing best girl.

>>22423326
Nice, a little love for Kotori.

>>22423326
The diary still intrigues you, and you ponder the prospect of taking it along for further reading. While it would be interesting to find out more about your boss's past, stealing from a client is quite another thing from examining his property while on the job. Plus you doubt your sleight-of-hand skills would be nearly good enough for you to be able to pocket the book without anyone noticing...and it would be terribly hypocritical of you given the chewing-out you gave the twins for cutting purses earlier today.

>Wat do?

>>22423352
yeah Kotori's mom would be pretty delicious

>>22423359
Mental note and move on

>>22423359
Is there some spell or enchantment that can create a copy of the diary or something?

I'm just talking out of my ass here.

>>22423359

Stash it aside in a corner.

The client doesn't clean up and we can always come back to say hi.

>>22423326
>Murasaki

(what)

>>22423359

Move on to the other path.

>>22423359
Don't do it, it's a bad idea to try to steal from a guy who can make chairs talk.

>>22423359
Leave book, complete quest, ask Kotori about it later.

>>22423359
Not like he'll remember what's in the damn place. Just take it.

>>22423359

Maybe try to skim a few pages and take note before leaving. But yeah no stealing. We are professionals.

>>22423386
If you were a wizard, maybe.

As it stands, Producer has no magical capabilities of his own. Takane might be able to do it (you don't really know for sure, but you hear she can do a lot of the oddball utility stuff wizards can), but you'd have to ask her.

>>22423447
Okay then.

Ask Takane if she can make a copy of the diary.

>>22423447

If that's the case then yeah ask Taka for a copy with her runes or something.

>>22423447
No, don't ask her. I doubt Takane would agree with the ethics of that plus it'd be impossible to hide your compromising of ethics in front of the twins. They'll never respect your opinion again if they see you stealing.

>>22423535
Shit, good point. Probably better off just making a mental note then.

>>22423359
After some deliberation, you decide to leave it be. You can always try coming back to ask about it later, or even just talk to Takagi himself sometime.

Or maybe Kotori. Sure, the name in the diary's different, but really, how many green-haired girls with moles on their chins can there be? The age seems to be in about the right area too, by your best estimates.

Along with the girls, you retrace your steps back to the fork you came to earlier and make to head down the other path. As you walk, you wonder if there might not be a better way to approach navigating this maze of books besides simply marching on ahead with your merry band in tow. After all, you certainly wouldn't be taking such an approach in a bona fide dungeon; you'd have someone to scout ahead for traps, monsters and other hazards. You didn't think such a strategy would be necessary given that it's just a messy archive, but after being stuck under a few hundred pounds of books you're starting to question that assumption.

>Wat do?

>>22423579
I guess have Takane and the twins work together to scout for traps. Takane for magic ones and the twins for everything else. This is what they're better suited for than we are.

>>22423579

I have an idea. Can Takane do any magic to like, detect the book via mental image or get a feel for the layout of the place?

>>22423579

Have Mami scout ahead. Keep her traced with Takanes magic if possible to make sure she's not in danger.

>>22423657
It's certainly worth asking! The full extent and limits of her powers are pretty much a mystery to you just yet.

>>22423657
I'll go with this. Sounds interesting.

And it sounds like that's something you want to explore Questm@ster.

>>22423657
>>22423686
I like both these ideas. Having Mami scout ahead while Takane traces her and her surroundings, like Mami as a conduit. She has some illusion magic to quickly escape too. Maybe th twins have some telepathic communication or some other and can sense each other.

File: 1357450008827.jpg-(267 KB, 640x480, 30064101.jpg)

>>22423579
>>22423657
Before setting off down the unexplored path, you call for a halt.

"You know, maybe we should take a bit more of a strategic approach to this. Takane, can you use your magic to find a safe path through these stacks to the book we're looking for, or maybe get a layout of the room or something?"

"I am afraid my conception of our objective is too limited to properly carry out a pathfinding spell, but I could attempt a scrying spell to get a better view of our surroundings."

That sounds like a good idea to you, so you ask Takane to try that. She asks you to step aside to give her space, and kneels down primly on the floor. Closing her eyes, she chants her incantation:

"O sun, by day thy burning orb
Looks down 'pon we who the adore.
And moon by night with argent glow
And winking gaze sees we below.
O eye of day and eye of night,
Grant me I pray thy sacred sight."

A soft silver glow limns her body throughout the chant, and when she looks up after its completion her eyes are covered with a soft shimmering haze, staring unfocused into the horizon. She blinks once, and the sheen is gone.

>>22424146

dis gon b gud

>>22424146
really liking her spell chants

"Well? What'd you see?"

"Allow me to show you." From a pouch on her belt, she takes out a vial of white sand, which she pours out on the floor in front of her. Murmuring words too soft for you to make out, she passes her hand over it, and the small pile of sand spreads out into a thin, even layer. Another pass of her hand, and the sand shifts to make a set of clear grooves in an even rectangle.

"This is a map of the clear paths I could see from an aerial view of the room. Here," she points to where one of the grooves breaks the edge of the rectangle, "is the door we came in by. We are here, at this fork. This path represents the way we have not yet explored. As you can see, there is one additional fork in this path. Either route will work, but the left side of that fork is the more direct route to the desk where Mr. Findlay said we would find his notes." She points to the far edge of the "map" from the door, where the two branches of the fork you would encounter down the unexplored path meet at a somewhat larger clear space.

That's...really good, actually. You weren't expecting that level of detail. Probably helps that the stacks don't quite reach the ceiling, you suppose.

>>22424370
"Alright, step two: I want you girls to scout ahead for danger, so none of us winds up buried under books again. Ami, Mami, you two probably have a better eye than me for stuff like unstable book piles, so you look for physical hazards like that. Takane, I want you to keep an eye out for any sort of magical hazards. It's possible that he might have stored some kind of magical gizmos or something in here that got unstable over the years, or maybe even have some kind of spell traps set up to keep thieves out. Wizards can be paranoid like that.
Sound good?"

The three voice their assent, the twins seeming to actually get a bit excited about it.
"Nfufu~ Nii-chan's getting fired up, isn't he Mami?"
"Yeah! It's almost like we're in a real dungeon, huh Ami?"
"Maybe we'll get to fight a dragon!"
"Yeah, a dragon!"

"Um, I'm pretty sure there isn't a dragon in here...at least I certainly hope not..."

The twins move ahead down the path, Takane following close behind, and you bringing up the rear. You pass the next fork, going left according to Takane's advice, and continue on a bit further before Mami holds up a hand to call for a halt.

"Did you hear that, Ami?"
"I think so. Something rustling around, right?"
"Yeah, yeah! I think it was in that direction..."

>>22424495
Oh boy here we go

>>22424495
>"Maybe we'll get to fight a dragon!"
>"Yeah, a dragon!"


They jinxed it, didn't they?!

File: 1357451403584.jpg-(130 KB, 826x505, 94.jpg)

>>22424552

Or a giant Harukasan.

Same thing really.

File: 1357451458837.jpg-(16 KB, 526x255, silverfish.jpg)

>>22424495
The two start peering off into the stacks on the left side of your path, then jump back suddenly, nearly upsetting the books opposite them.

"Ah! I saw something!"

No sooner do the words leave her mouth than you see something too: A silvery-gray creature, about the size of a small dog, springing out from the stacks. It lands on Mami, clinging to her face with spindly insect legs.

And it's not alone. Three more of the creatures burst out of the stacks, one more landing on Mami and the other two land on the floor in the middle of the clear path. Their emergence disturbs the books enough that the stacks on the left destabilize, knocking Takane down in their fall and pinning her leg. Fortunately, those stacks weren't nearly as big as the one that fell on you...

>Holy shit, what do you do?
>You'll probably want to roll for it, whatever it is.

>>22424552
Yeah.

Guess we won't be fighting any dragons any time soon...

>>22424608
Gah, silverfish. Annoying buggers.

Rolled 7

>>22424608

Kick the shit out of them.

>>22424608
Damn, not a puchi. Start knocking off the ones on Mami, then go help Takane. Takane has magic so she can probably fend for herself for a bit even if her leg's pinned.

Rolled 15

>>22424608
Try to free yourself and clear those creatures off of Mami.

>>22424652
Phew, thank god I'm a slow typer.

Rolled 10

>>22424608
>dog sized silverfish
Oh shit this is worse than a dragon...

MAKE TAKANE DO SOMETHING

>>22424652
The silverfish or Ami and Mami?

>>22424697
HELL YEAH

>>22424697

The bugs, probably.

>>22424697
And the silverfish, obviously.

File: 1357451856435.png-(52 KB, 336x327, takane says sure.png)

>>22424697

>>22424705
...that doesn't narrow it down.

File: 1357452217815.png-(48 KB, 273x128, 1344334724319.png)

>>22424774
You card you

>>22424608
Vaulting over Takane's prone form, you grab hold of the giant silverfish clamped onto Mami's face and pull it off with a mighty tug, followed by the second one latched onto her upper torso as you fling the first to the ground. The second silverfish tries to get a grip on your own arm, but you hurl it away before it can do so.

One of the other silverfish scurries toward you, and you lash out with a booted foot. Your blow connects solidly, but disturbingly the bug does not squish, simply back away and launch itself at you in the air. You manage to draw your sword quickly enough to slice at it as it approaches, producing a spray of foul-smelling ichor. The bug falls on its back, clicking and squealing.

You turn back toward the two you pulled off Mami, expecting them to have renewed the attack, but find them both pinned through with daggers. Judging by the fact that Mami is still standing there with a look of shock on her face, it would appear that Ami took care of them while you were dealing with the third.

A flash of silvery light and a sizzling crackle of seared chitin tell you that Takane has dealt with the last one. Mami looks to be fine -- just a few minor scratches, probably more from the sudden removal of the creatures than anything they themselves did -- so you turn to help Takane. You ask if her leg's okay, and she replies that she's fine.

File: 1357452721309.jpg-(49 KB, 286x299, 1333041372936.jpg)

>>22424975

Carry Takane for awhile.

Just incase.

File: 1357452884767.jpg-(116 KB, 1280x720, 1341247120987.jpg)

>>22425045
Good idea.

It is for Takane's own good, after all.

Rolled 8

>>22424975
Rolling for suaveness

File: 1357452944461.jpg-(88 KB, 340x346, 126.jpg)

>>22424975
You notice as you help Takane up that a large tuft of dust kicked up by the falling books got caught in her hair, just above and behind her ear. You reach to pick it out, but the moment your fingertips brush the hair near her ear, before you can even reach the dust, she slaps it away, blushing furiously.

"Um...there's a, uh, dust bunny in your hair, Takane."

"Oh. T-thank you..." she murmurs, pointedly avoiding eye contact. Her face is still beet red as she plucks the dust from her hair.

You wonder what that's all about...

>What now?
>[ ] Check on Mami
>[ ] Ask Takane about her reaction
>[ ] Press on
>[ ] Other (specify)

File: 1357453024725.jpg-(23 KB, 376x224, takane is troubled.jpg)

>>22425123
>>[xxxxx] Ask Takane about her reaction

>>22425123
>[ ] Ask Takane about her reaction

I want some hnnnnnnggg in this quest.

>>22425123
>[X] Ask Takane about her reaction
This should be funny.

>>22425123
[ ] Ask Takane about her reaction

>>22425123
Sensitive about her ears? She's an elf!

>>22425123
>Ask Takane about her reaction

If possible, afterwards,
>Check on Mami

>>22425123
Ask if Mami is alright, then press on.

>>22425123
Check on Mami and then press on.

Rolled 15

>>22425123
That was clearly a facehugger. As we speak an alien monstrosity is growing inside Mami. Her only hope is for us to remove it by whatever means necessary.

Rolling for surgery.

File: 1357453581351.jpg-(142 KB, 500x488, 1339829154214.jpg)

>>22425123
reaction

File: 1357453966402.jpg-(61 KB, 207x232, 1327406270184.jpg)

>>22425123
You're getting close to your goal in this quest, but Takane's reaction just now is too unusual to ignore.

"You know, uh, I've never had such a violent reaction to trying to pick some fuzz out of someone's hair before. What gives?"

Still averting her gaze and blushing like a fiend, she replies, "I-I just prefer my p-personal space, Producer. I would prefer that people not touch me without asking first."

You're not totally sure, but you think you hear her add "especially not there" under her breath.

Circling around on either side of you, Ami and Mami sidle up to flank Takane.
"Nfufu~ Does Ohime-chin have a crush on Nii-chan?"
"Well, do you Ohime-chin?"

"Of course not! That is preposterous! After all, we have only just met yesterday!"

"I dunno Ami, I think Ohime-chin is fibbing~"
"I think you're right Mami, why else would she get so flustered from Nii-chan touching her?"

Takane sniffs indignantly. "It is simply a matter of personal space. I would be flustered no matter who did it!"

Ami and Mami each twine an arm around one of Takane's and reach up to caress the hair by her ears.
"Hm?~ So if I stroked your hair like this..."
"Or if I did it like this..."

"Enough!" A burst of silvery light flares from Takane's body as she stamps her foot, causing the twins to jump back from their molestations. She strides forward, face even redder than before. "Let us go, P-Producer."

>>22425417
We may have pissed her off a bit.

Awesome.

Rolled 17

>>22425417
>She strides forward, face even redder than before.
Be careful! They sense heat! Our best defense is to cover ourselves in mud!

File: 1357454267669.jpg-(47 KB, 484x300, 1344148688747.jpg)

>>22425417
I think we found Takane's sweet spot.

>>22425417
Anyway, that's enough shenanigans for now. Let us proceed to the next shenanigan opportunity.

>>22425417
okay that was cute but let us not incur the wrath of a mage with moon magics

File: 1357454829390.jpg-(124 KB, 600x952, 1328313822847.jpg)

>>22425417
Takane heads onward down the path between the book piles, somehow managing to retain a prim and refined gait despite her turbulent emotional state. You and the twins follow. Just to be on the safe side, you ready your shield. Those silverfish weren't hard to deal with, but if there are more than you'd rather be prepared in case a large group pops up.

Finally, you arrive at a clearing in the stacks surrounding a writing desk. In addition to a fair number of books stacked on the desk, there's also a bookshelf along the wall. Between the desk and the bookshelf stands a large suit of armor, gauntlets crossed over the pommel of a sword planted upright in a stand on the floor. Ornamental, no doubt -- there's certainly no way Findlay could ever have been big enough to fit in it, even in his prime.

Takane immediately begins scanning the desk for the book you were sent to look for, still pointedly avoiding eye contact with you. You imagine it's probably best not to get too close to her right now, so you move toward the bookshelf.

As you scan the shelves, you hear warning shout from one of the twins. "Nii-chan! The armor!"

Turning to face it, you see that it has somehow managed to raise its sword in preparation to strike without making a single sound. As your adrenaline floodgates fling themselves wide open, it steps forward in a lunging thrust.

>Roll to defend, then suggest a followup course of action and roll for that.

Rolled 12, 3 = 15

>>22425652
Defend, then pass through and strike to the back of the knee.

Rolled 9

>>22425652

Have Takane scan for a weakness

>>22425652
Engage the armor in a fight, call out to Takane to do something to disable it.

>>22425652
>>22425679
Narrowly managing to deflect the thrust with your shield as you draw your sword, you step forward to the side of the armor as you draw your sword and pivot into a whirling slash to the back of the metal hulk's knee. While you don't seem to break anything, you do succeed in knocking its leg out from under it with the force of the blow, dropping it off balance.

As you swing, you call out, "Takane, gimme a hand!"

>Roll for Takane's spell

File: 1357455506653.jpg-(53 KB, 192x220, 7.jpg)

Rolled 5

>>22425851

Rolled 2

>>22425851

Melt that fucker with some kamehameha shit.

Rolled 6, 11 = 17

>>22425851
Pin. Thrust to the base of the skull.

>>22425870
>>22425886
It's roll two or one?

>>22425917

One. The two was only for that book stack.

>>22425870
Shit's gonna go down in flames.

Rolled 6

>>22425851
Moonlight Breaker

>>22425851
>>22425870
>>22425891
>>22425886
As Takane begins to chant, you slam yourself into the armored figure's back.

"O stars above, we seek thy heights,"

You plant a foot on the figure's ankle and maintain pressure with your shield on its back to keep it kneeling down.

"And yearn to grasp thy gleaming light."

Your opponent struggles against you, but you manage to keep it from regaining its feet.

"Yet still we stand, bound fast below,"

You draw your sword up to strike (hopefully) the finishing blow.

"So now I bind by thee my foe."

As shimmering cords spring forth to pull the armored form to the ground, you thrust your sword squarely into the gap between helm and gorget at the back of its neck.

Your fears are confirmed as the space beneath the helm offers no resistance at all to your strike, the blade passing through unimpeded to the other side of the helm. No flesh, no bone, no blood.

Gods, how you hate enemies that don't bleed...

>What next? Of course, roll for it.

Rolled 17

>>22426162

Takane scan for weakness

Rolled 2

>>22426162

Dismember.

Aim at straps and leather bindings of the armour.

Break it into the small bits, get Mami and Ami to throw them about.

Hopefully it doesn't reform.

Rolled 9

Grapple, arm bar. It's humaniform, so it's likely to be human in ability range. And without a body inside, it's at a serious disadvantage for weight.

>>22426211

Goddamn I am bad with dice.

>>22426211
Well shit.

>>22426211
>>22426273
The suit is devoid of weaknesses. Nay, more than that: it is an earthly god, given physical form. Grovel, and it may forgive your blasphemy.

If there was any way of binding, trapping or melting it, now would be the time.

Rolled 2

>>22426162
maybe bring down some books ontop of the bastard pinning him down

>>22426162
>>22426211
Stepping back and pulling your blade free, you shout to Takane. "Got any ideas how we can kill this thing?"

Takane wastes no time in voicing a reply, simply beginning another chant.

"O stars who fate and dest'ny guide,
O moon --"

Her chant is cut off with a shriek and the glow building around her dissipates instantly as the armor delivers her a slicing blow, somehow wrenching free of its gleaming restraints.

Takane staggers backward, a crimson band blossoming across her abdomen.

>Wat do?

Rolled 3

>>22426444
Heal her ass and defend her until she can start chanting again.

>>22426444
FUCK. Uh what are the twins doing. Surely they have something to distract or trap the thing while you go grab Takane.

Rolled 17

>>22426444
Mordhau. Targeting major joints.

File: 1357457547561.jpg-(142 KB, 906x709, feels bad geropa.jpg)

>>22426479

Phew. That was close.

>tfw my shitty roll hurt Taka bad

;_;

>>22426501
YOU KILL TAKANE YOU BASTARD

>>22426444
>>22426479
>>22426492
As you gape in astonishment at the metal hulk's sudden recovery, you hear the twins crying out.

"Nii-chan and Ohime-chin are in trouble!"
"Let's go, Mami!"

Moments later, faint translucent images flicker across your vision, filling the area. You can make out what looks to be doubles of yourself and the others in your party, flitting about. Though the images are faint enough for you to easily tune out, it would appear that the armor is fully fooled by them, swivelling about in baffled indecision.

"Good work, girls! Now's our chance! Cut the straps! Disassemble!"

You carve at the back of the thing's knee as the twins hurl themselves upon it, hacking away at joints with their daggers. In a few strokes, you manage to cleave the thing's left leg in half, and the twins pull the arms free at the shoulders as the thing pitches over. Though it seems to be harmless at this point, you proceed to systematically remove the rest of the left leg and all of the right just for good measure.

The immediate threat removed, you head swiftly over to Takane, who has slumped down at the side of the desk and is gasping shallowly, clutching her gut. Pulling a healing potion from your belt, you unstopper it and hand it to her.

"Here. Drink."

She reaches out with a trembling hand, but repeatedly fails to get a solid grip on the bottle. It seems that shock is setting in pretty badly.

>>22426679
guess we gotta invade personal space to help her drink it

>>22426679
Help her drink it. Don't go thinking thoughts now gentlemen.

>>22426679

Cradle her, put bottle to her lips.

>>22426679
Shifting closer to her, you slip a hand behind her head and bring the bottle to her lips. She gasps audibly as your hand brushes past the area behind her ear, and a small amount of color returns to her face for a moment. Tilting her head back, you pour the potion slowly into her mouth.

Almost immediately, the gash on her belly begins to shine faintly, closing itself before your eyes. Within a dozen or so seconds, the wound is reduced to a long, narrow scab, and Takane's breathing returns to a more normal pattern. She looks rather tired now, but she should be fine.

She moves to get up, but you gently push her back down. "You just rest here," you tell her. "We'll find Findlay's notes."

With you and the twins looking together, it doesn't take long to find it. "Applications of Arcana and Alchemy in the Creation of Unique Confectionaries", soft brown leather, red ribbon bookmark, just as described.

Now all that remains is getting back out. Takane insists she can walk, but you know from experience how draining it is to get healed from a wound of that severity. It's not likely that she'll make it out without help.

>[ ] Let her walk, but be ready to catch her the moment she stumbles.
>[ ] Have her lean on you the whole way.
>[ ] Carry her the whole way (specifiy: princess or fireman style)

>>22426835

[x] Carry. Piggyback. No need to embarrass her too much. Her head will do that for her.

>>22426835
Tempted to carry her bridal style, but leaning should be fine.

>>22426835

>[ ] Carry her the whole way (specifiy: princess or fireman style)

Princess-style for the Hime-chin.

File: 1357458973441.jpg-(257 KB, 1000x750, 1348497352784.jpg)

>>22426679
My poor moon princess...

I was the one who wanted her to get stabbed. I'm sorry. ;_;

>>22426835
>[x] Carry her the whole way (specifiy: princess or fireman style)

Princess style as it can't be helped.

>>22426835
[x] princess carry

>>22426835
She seems to have a problem with close contact, so I doubt if she'll let us carry her. Let's see if she'll lean on us.

>>22426835
Fireman style just seems best for practicality in this case

>>22426835
Lend her your arm. Gives her some support while still looking independent.

>>22426859

Fireman is unseemly for a princess.

Princess carry is a little too intimate for first time.

Go with >>22426845

>>22426859
>Carrying Lady Taka like a sack of wheat

Brian why

>>22426875
So you can feel her chest/heartbeat against your back?

>>22426835
Either have her lean on you or just support her. Carrying is too intimate at the moment.

>>22427030

Piggyback does that.

And her arms will be around producer's neck.

>>22427030
Well you're obviously not a gentleman.

>>22427039

B-but if there's one thing I've learned from animu is that being intimate right off the bat earns you tsundere affection.

>>22427065
But she's not tsundere....

>>22427065
Do we really need more than one tsundere on the team?

>>22427084

Well she's not A tsundere but she was pretty tsun when we touched her fluffy a hair.

>>22426835
You're tempted to carry her out, but you imagine she probably wouldn't appreciate that. But at any rate, you're not about to let her risk injury by walking by herself. Even if you keep ready to catch her if she stumbles, with so many unstable stacks of books around you might not be able to react fast enough to keep her from causing a dangerous avalanche.

Pulling Takane to her feat, you insist that she let you support her on the way out. She protests feebly at first, but soon relents. You can't help but notice that, ironically enough, although she has a figure a goddess could be jealous of, the most pleasant part of the experience is in fact her fragrant, shimmering hair draping over your shoulder.

You make it back to Findlay's study without further incident. He is visibly shocked to see Takane's condition, even starting to get to his feet, leaning laboriously on his staff, but you wave him off as you settle the silver-haired girl into a soft armchair. You hand the old wizard his notebook and explain the difficulties you encountered in getting it.

"Oh dear, I'm so terribly sorry for that. I knew there were some hazards in there, but I'd no idea it was anything that bad! I'll give you all a little extra for your trouble, and a jar of peppermint sticks especially for poor Takane. She seemed to enjoy the one earlier, yes?"

Takane smiles weakly and nods.

>>22427137

>lean, not carry.

Sad

File: 1357460115286.jpg-(45 KB, 500x400, takane stars.jpg)

>>22427137
>Today's Loot:
>jar of peppermint sticks

Fucking score!

>>22427137
Loot's worth it all.

>>22427137
I'd imagine we have none left for the rest on the way back. But she certainly earned it.

>>22427159
We're a cheap date.

>>22427137
>. You can't help but notice that, ironically enough, although she has a figure a goddess could be jealous of, the most pleasant part of the experience is in fact her fragrant, shimmering hair draping over your shoulder.

Questm@ster pls

>>22427137
Satisfied at this, Findlay pulls open the drawer on the small table in front of him and produces four leather pouches, adding a few coins to each one from a larger bag at his waist.

"There you are, 50 silver pieces each, as agreed, plus an extra five apiece as apology for your troubles. And for the lady..." He mutters some gobbledygook and waves his staff, causing a frosted glass jar to appear in midair above his lap, which he catches and hands to Takane. "I am really so sorry for your trouble. I must take better care to contain the residual energies of my construct animation spells, it would appear they are affecting unintended objects."

You're somewhat impressed by the generosity of his payment, but like any wise adventurer, you know better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. Findlay offers to animate Takane's armchair to carry her to the door, but she politely declines, opting instead to lean on you on the way out.

File: 1357460997499.jpg-(96 KB, 1280x720, [Chibiki]_THE_iDOLM@STER_(...).jpg)

And that's it for tonight. Hope you all enjoyed the rather longer-than-usual run; I'm really a night owl by nature, and having had the last couple weeks off for the holidays I've reset to that sort of a schedule.

As always, any feedback is greatly appreciated, and I'd be happy to answer questions if anyone has any.

>>22427337
I'd love to hear the jingling of those pouches.

>>22427378

Thanks for the session as always. When's the next one?

>>22427398
Hopefully next Friday, though I'm not 100% sure. I'm starting a rotation in a new lab this semester, so it'll take me a bit to get a feel for how my schedule's going to look.

>>22427378
This is getting quite fun. Again, lovely writing and very nice to visualize. I'd like to apologize for not having the character sheet finished in time (again).

When will the next one be this time? And will this be in a somewhat consistent schedule and time frame?

And to be fairly honest i'd just really love to sit down and illustrate bits of this great thing but I haven't the time and dedication for the moment. Also feel that my current abilities won't suffice but that's my issues.

>>22427448
>Also feel that my current abilities won't suffice

I like your artwork, Character sheet-anon. Also practice makes perfect, so cranking these out over time will probably improve your skills tremendously.

File: 1357461446738.jpg-(216 KB, 700x976, 19171582.jpg)

>>22427337
>Findlay offers to animate Takane's armchair to carry her to the door, but she politely declines, opting instead to lean on you on the way out.
hnnnnnnnnnnng

File: 1357461533291.jpg-(72 KB, 361x237, 45.jpg)

>>22427337
>Findlay offers to animate Takane's armchair to carry her to the door, but she politely declines, opting instead to lean on you on the way out.

>>22427435
Looking forward to it in any case. Excited to see how the next set of girls will fare and where it will go from here.

>>22427448
No worries about the art, I know that stuff takes time. I'm terrible at drawing myself, but I've given it enough of a shot in the past to know the kind of effort it takes and being in the right mood and all that.

And while I realize this probably won't have too deep an impact given the typical artist's tendency to be really hard on themselves, I think your work is quite good. A few rough edges here and there, sure, but still quite good, and it's only a matter of time and practice til you master those.

Once the chair showed up this story started taking some discworld vibes. Not that there's a problem with that.

>>22427378
Thank you, QuestM@STER-kun. It was fun.

>>22427525
To be honest (and much to my shame), I actually haven't read Discworld. Yet. It's on my list.

>>22427448

Does anyone have the latest version of the character sheet?

File: 1357461979062.jpg-(415 KB, 2893x1527, the [email protected])

>>22427482
>>22427515

Thank you. I'll find time to draw what I'd like when I can for the rest but i'll try to have the sheet done as soon as I can.

>>22427580
And uh here.

>>22427569
No shame at all, we can't all read everything. Terry Pratchett's work is an absolute blast to read. It takes him a few books to really get into stride but I wholly recommend Discworld. At least read the first book so you can experience his writing style, or the audio books if you're into those are excellent too.

>>22427604

Miki should have an onigiri shoulder patch.

File: 1357462299315.jpg-(66 KB, 176x344, 1333040819749.jpg)

>>22427604

That looks great.

File: 1357462361523.jpg-(301 KB, 955x626, quest.jpg)

>>22427604
I'd really much enjoy illustrating key parts of each session. Already had something in mind for the goo and the silverfish bits. Sadly can't crank them out at the speed and quality (I still have shoddy anatomy) i'd wish I could as well as having to draw other things (commissions, portfolio).

But i'll get there I suppose. I'll just pop in every now and then when I have something decent.

>>22427604

Thanks. The characters are coming along nicely. I wanna second that onigiri patch though.

I've actually got a couple questions for the players:

1) How'd you like it tonight with only the occasional story post having an attached image? In past threads I've tried to have an image with every post as much as I could to make them stick out, but since I tend to have trouble finding appropriate images for each post (partly due to lack of such images and partly to poor organization) and it takes (what feels to me like) a long time to pick one out, I decided to try cutting back to mostly just when I was pretty sure I had a good image to use.

2) Tangentially related to the first, how is my posting rate? It always feels to me like I'm taking forever to write up the next story post and everybody must be getting impatient, but I don't really know for sure how it feels on the other side.

>>22427632
>>22427710
Very well, i'll add that in.

As well, i've been thinking about the emblem but i'm drawing blanks apart from it being a standard shield shape with angel wings. If anyone's got any ideas i'd love to hear them.

>>22427741
Don't worry too much about having an image for the post, it's nice but not absolutely necessary.

Your posts tend to be fairly detailed so a slower posting rate is to be expected. Don't skimp on quality for quantity.

>>22427741
There's no true need for an image with every post especially if they don't really relate to the post.
I'd rather you keep a high standard of writing than a high posting rate, personally.

>>22427741
I'd say if you don't have a pic that's pretty easy to find off-hand, I wouldn't waste time to scrounge around for one. The pace is fine for me, since I do other things in the meantime.

>>22427741
I didn't mind less images really. I don't think you need to have one for each post. We're here for the story after all.

And your posting rate does get kind of slow after awhile but you are typing quite a bit on the fly so it's understandable.

Somewhat off-topic, but I just now realized I've been listening to Toui Machi Kara on a loop for the past hour because I forgot to turn off repeat when I switched from the battle music to my general iM@S playlist at the end of the boss fight.

Just figured I'd share that.

>>22427741
1) I'm not too bothered by having images or not and only having them at some bits. I understand there's not a lot of fantasy im@s art to go through as well so it might help to minimize use to only the bits where an image would be appropriate.

2) As for the pace I think it's pretty reasonable considering the quality you're writing in. I've been under GMs that have misspells and things forgotten because they rushed to get something up.

>>22427741

>1)

Images are nice, but I guess it's not a necessity. I don't mind if they're not always fantasy related so I suggest just using character reactions if you can't find a fantasy one.

>2)

The pace is alright. None of this is pre-written right? That's pretty good for improv.

The only problem I can see is that you seem to get burned out a bit by the end (understandable since it's late) and rush it a little. It's not bad, but I feel it a tiny bit. I suggest maybe coming out with an outline for the finishes earlier or something to make them flow a bit better.

Other than that you're doing great though, so thanks.

Critique on speed and quality has already been given, so I'd just like to say, thanks DM. You're doing swell and keep up the good work.

Also GM, if you're looking for more fantasy images to use well I suppose you can use this series.

http://www.pixiv.net/search.php?s_mode=s_tag_full&word=%E5%8D%93%E3%82%B2m%40ster
http://www.pixiv.net/search.php?s_mode=s_tag_full&word=%E5%B0%8F%E9%B3%A5%E3%81%95%E3%82%93%E3%81%AEGM%E5%A5%AE%E9%97%98%E8%A8%98R