The Shard Alchemist (Worm, OC)

[Vanbers]

[X] [Tinker] Construct the Analyser. (-3 Materials)

Upgrading things is less useful without at least the base-level of all the things IMO.

Going for analyser because knowing shit is always nice.

[] [Plan] If the Firebirds hate Skipper right now, it would be a perfect way to lure out their capes and ambush one.

I feel this isn't *great* without having a second cape, but like... this is *how* we get a second cape.
But on the other hand, this is, imo, a 'point of no return', if we do that, then they are OUT FOR BLOOD, even beyond 'Skipper stole important thing and some supplies'.

[] [Plan] See if you can recruit some old friends from the waterboys. None of them are capes, but with your power… they could be, eventually.

Recruitment isn't that useful until we have proof-of-concept imo. Mooks aren't super-useful until we get a bit of a base going. Need more than just Skipper before we start recruiting in earnest.

[X] [Plan] Sneak into Firebird territory, see if there are any imprisoned capes who would want to escape.

Now *this*, this has potential. It's annoying like the ambush option, but has the chance of having more people that hate the Firebirds, and getting us a second cape to help ambush the Firebird capes to start working on getting powers to fuck with.
Probably risky, but meh, fuck it. We don't even know if there *are* any capes in there, but then maybe they'll have Tyrant collars, who fuckin knows.
Here's hoping for a nat 100.

[] [Plan] It'll be a risk to go scavenging so soon again, but you need the materials.

No point in taking a risk when we don't *need* the materials yet, and only have a single cape to help us.

 

[thewhiteraven22]

[X] [Tinker] Construct the Analyser. (-3 Materials)
[X] [Plan] Sneak into Firebird territory, see if there are any imprisoned capes who would want to escape.

 

[TolarianPro]

[X] [Tinker] Construct the Analyser. (-3 Materials)
[X] [Plan] See if you can recruit some old friends from the waterboys. None of them are capes, but with your power… they could be, eventually.

The analyzer gets us more information, hopefully on our brothers' power and how hard it is to extract.
I'd like to have an idea of who I'm giving a power to before going power hunting.

 

[Langy]

[X] [Tinker] Construct the Analyser. (-3 Materials)
[X] [Plan] Sneak into Firebird territory, see if there are any imprisoned capes who would want to escape.

Yeah, this is the closest thing to a good idea.

We need to see if we can use our power to extract the abilities of the Broken; maybe enough of them together will make a power that's useful. Probably a while before we can actually do that, though - and building up to that level will be pretty dangerous.

 

[Zerrer]

Spoiler: Tally Results

Vote Tally : The Shard Alchemist (Worm, OC) | Questionable Questing [Posts: 29-34]
##### NetTally 3.1.4

Task: Tinker

[X][Tinker] Construct the Analyser. (-3 Materials)
No. of Votes: 6
[X] ompa60
[X] Langy
[X] Parzival95
[X] thewhiteraven22
[X] TolarianPro
[X] Vanbers

---

Task: Plan

[X][Plan] Sneak into Firebird territory, see if there are any imprisoned capes who would want to escape.
No. of Votes: 3
[X] Vanbers
[X] Langy
[X] thewhiteraven22

[X][Plan] See if you can recruit some old friends from the waterboys. None of them are capes, but with your power… they could be, eventually.
No. of Votes: 2
[X] Parzival95
[X] TolarianPro

[X][Plan] If the Firebirds hate Skipper right now, it would be a perfect way to lure out their capes and ambush one.
No. of Votes: 1
[X] ompa60


Total No. of Voters: 6

"Alright, here's the plan," You say. "What do you know about people the Firebirds keep as prisoners?"

"They're kept under the financial center." She says. "Barely given food or water. Usually left pretty close to Tyrant."

"Any kind of defenses? Tinker stuff?"

"Not that I noticed." She says. "There's always people moving in and out everywhere in the Firebird territory. They all rely on Tyrant's power. Probably too much. It's how I was able to hang out for a few weeks and get the lay of the place."

"Yeah, but you were wearing a collar. Just nobody knew you could take it off."

"True… So, what's the plan?"

"... I take your power." You say. "I won't be able to put it into myself- I don't think that stuff works on me. My own power is too rigid, But if I find someone else who wants to escape, if they're willing…"

"You give them my power, they skip out of Tyrant's power, and then follow you home. Wait. Can someone have two powers?"

You consider it for a moment, thinking about the idea, and.. No, you don't think that's possible.

"I think they'd… fuse, somehow."

"So you'd have to extract someone's power before you could give them mine," she says. "Or if you don't trust them… just take the power and leave."

"I guess," You say. "But if it's someone imprisoned by Tyrant, then they'll probably hate him as much as we do."

At that, she nods. "Alright then. Let's see how this thing works."

You pull out a small case that used to be a toolset, and pull it open to reveal your extractor. You assemble it in seconds, twisting an empty thumb-sized vial into the port in the back.

Katie's eyebrows raise at the sight of it. "You were way too ready to put that thing together," She says. "Does it have to look so sinister?"

You glance at it. "Sorry, do you have a thing against needles?"

"... No," She says. "Well, maybe a little. I'm a bit more disturbed about the idea of losing my power. What if something happens and I need to escape?"

"Just stay here," You say. "I'll be back before you know it."

"... Alright." She says, settling into the couch. "Alright. What do I do?"

"Just hold still," You say. She does. "Close your eyes, and relax."

She jumps a little when you hold her head in place, but eventually relaxes… and doesn't seem to feel the needle as you insert it into the base of her neck. A few moments later, almost a second, you pull the needle back out- and watch as the vial itself is quickly flooding with a vibrant, glowing fluid- shifting blues and reds, coiling and twisting like a lava lamp.

"Alright.," You say. "It's done."

"That's it?" She asks- Then, suddenly, the vial shudders- and a few objects start falling from the air around it. Clothing, ration bars, a few tools, a knife, a handgun with a few bullets- all falling to the ground.

"Welp. Shit." She says.

"... Was that all stuff you had in your otherspace?" You ask.

"Y-yeah." She responds. "Wait, that was it?"

"That was it," You say. "Now to get it back, you could either drink the contents of the vial, or I could inject it back into you."

She wrinkles her nose for a moment, focusing…

"Best wait until we don't need to do it again," she says.
"Yeah. Can't use my power," She says, and lets out a long breath. "Shit. This whole thing is real, isn't it."

"You didn't believe me?"

"I let you shove a needle in my brain," She says. "You know by now that I trust you. Just… go do what you need to do."

---

The building is like an anthill, with people coming in and out of all kinds. Hundreds of people hard at work. Throughout the parking lot, there are dozens of people working hard on piles of junk, carefully separating parts by materials, recycling them by hand. Others are wheeling around shopping carts full of supplies, bringing them in from other places- handing it to be split apart to various groups. Everyone's hard at work- and almost all of them have the blazing collars around their arms or neck.

You've got on what fits for a disguise. A baseball cap, sunglasses, and a resolution to shave your weeks-long beard after this. Tied around your neck is a blue handkerchief, a sign that you're with the waterboys.

You make your way toward the entrance to the center, only to get stopped by a guard with a glowing collar around his neck.

"Hey, buddy."

"Delivery from the waterboys." You say, hefting the luggage container you were wheeling, "Been a sunny few days, and we heard you guys were expanding. Peace gesture." You motion toward the wheeled luggage container you'd brought with you, and give it a shake. The gallons inside slosh with each movement. It's not full of clean water, but they don't need to know that- and they probably won't even check it. They never had before.

"Alright, I'll take it in," He says- and you raise a hand.

"No can do. I've also got a message for your boss himself," You say. "Gotta deliver it in person. Confidential stuff."

"... Shit. Alright, go on in," He says. It doesn't even occur to him that you might be lying, or a cape.

But that's because any capes or anybody stupid enough to lie about the waterboys would find themselves without any deliveries again. The one time MedCent risked their neutrality, they came back months later begging for supplies again- what was coming in from the drops wasn't enough for them. You'd heard people died.

To be honest, it's a risk for you, too. But you're not a large faction- the waterboys don't deliver to you anyway, and you're hoping to get out of here before any long-term problems arise.

You wheel the luggage inside, nodding to one of the guards as you do so, making your way down the hall. You'd memorized Katie's explanations of how the building was arranged, and make your way toward the stairs down, wheeling your luggage container with you, going nowhere near

You all but stumble into a guard standing next to a pair of locked doors. He eyes you up and down dispassionately.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"Water delivery," You say. "This the way?"

"Fucking idiot. No, it's the other side of the building."

"Sorry, I've been getting lost all fucking day. Can you just show me?" You ask, putting a whinge in your voice. He scoffs, and walks to lead you away.

You slip your hand into the luggage, and pull out the long, heavy homemade sap. Before he can react- and possibly alert Tyrant with his collar- you crack it against his temple. The guard goes down, unconscious. Possibly worse. You take his gun and stuff it into the luggage as well, and make for the door.

Only to find it's locked. Joy. You shuffle through the guard's belongings, finding the keys, and making your way inside.

The Firebird's prison used to be a large bathroom, full of cubicles. They'd welded chainlink fence over each of the cubicles, and cut thin holes in the doors, leaving the prisoners with nothing to do but sit on useless toilets and while away their days. You walk through the bathroom, looking at each of the cubicles, to find most of them empty. In fact, there's only one that is full- and inside is a thin, wiry man, with unnatural looking eyes and a whipping green tail. Thin spikes poke out of his shoulders and back. He doesn't say anything as he glares at you for a moment.

"Hey," You say.

"Fuck you, I still ain't joining up." He responds- and tenses, as if he's ready for the collar to shock him., When he doesn't, he gives you a wary glance.

"He's probably not even paying attention right now," You say. "I'm not from here."

He gives you a glance- and you respond by handing him the gun through the slit in the wall. You'd taken the magazine out, but he doesn't need to know that.

"Why the hell are you here? You with MedCent?" He asks. "Breaking me out? Fucking finally, it's been long enough."

"... Sorry, man. I'm indie. You were with MedCent?"

"Moreau did this to me, gave me powers," He says- and as a demonstration, he flickers, his skin changing colors. "Had me spying on these assholes when I got caught. Some tinkertech heat sensor."

"... They're probably not going to rescue you, you know." You say.

"Yeah? How are you so sure?"

You gesture toward the collar on his neck. "Not worth the risk. If Tyrant figures out you're missing, before they can… I don't know, detach your head and reattach it with Moreau's tinkertech, you're dead."

"Yeah. I know. Trust me, I've had a lot of time to think. So why are you here?"

"I'm indie. And I'm recruiting."

"Yeah? You have some way to handle this?" He asks, poking at the energy construct around his neck. "

"I might. If I did… Would you be in?"

"In on what? If you're indie, you're basically fucked, long term. Ain't gonna get supplies from the waterboys without trading, and you won't get a split of the dropoffs."

"We've got a plan. One I can tell you later, when we're not here anymore."

"A plan."

"I mean, you could stay in the shitter if you want, no skin off my back," You say.

He sighs. "Yeah. Fine. I'm in if you can get me out of here. Name's Devin. Chameleon. I can change color and climb walls."

---

Result: 84, Extraordinary Success
Materials: 5 (-3)
Supplies: 6
Tinkering: Analyser [IIIII-----] 50%

[] Release Chameleon, and get the hell out of there.
[] Take Chameleon's power, kill him so he can't out you, and get the hell out of there.
[] Something's off about this guy. You don't trust him. Just leave.
[] Something else? (Write-in)

 

[dizzydrizzy]

We should tell chameleon guy a bluff to stop him from just dipping with skipper's power

 

[KingMako]

So freeing people from Tyrant is a 3 step process.
1. Take out their power, put Skipper's power in.
2. They free themselves.
3. Take out Skipper's power, put their power back.

If they run away before step 3, the following is true:
1. You'd still have their power as collateral.
2. They'd be on the shitlist of someone who can permanently steal powers.
3. They'd be on the shitlist of someone who will inevitably have more access to loyal, sane, skilled, and/or ideologically aligned parahumans than anyone else.
4. They'd be on the shitlist of Tyrant for being free, inevitably dying if they're independent.
5. You can no longer free Tyrant's other slaves, meaning they'll actually try hard to hurt the one who fucked it up.

In this exact scenario...
1. Chameleon's power is weaker than Skipper's, so freeing him is actually a major risk that he'll run off with it.
2. Chameleon already has a faction and is suspicious of our ability to provide him a living, so chance of recruitment is low, with freeing him more likely to give us a favor with MedCent and Chameleon. The medicine might be good for tinkering or just in general.
3. We are actually on limited supplies, with limited ability to fix that, so there's a hard limit on how many people we can recruit unless they help secure supplies.
4. Chameleon's power is a weak, diluted variant, and is probably worth more fused than as is. This would result in at least 1 person permanently losing their power. So if we end up with multiple diluted parahumans, Chameleon isn't likely to be our most loyal, especially if we rescue unpowered people from poverty.

[X] Take Chameleon's power, kill him so he can't out you, and get the hell out of there.
[X] Something's off about this guy. You don't trust him. Just leave.

For everyone else, recruiting parahumans is always a "work with what asshole you're dealt" type of deal. It's kind of funny that Chameleon would be good enough for literally anyone else. But we can still do better.

 

[BreezyWheeze]

[X] Take Chameleon's power, kill him so he can't out you, and get the hell out of there.

 

[Vanbers]

[X] Take Chameleon's power, kill him so he can't out you, and get the hell out of there.
[X] Something's off about this guy. You don't trust him. Just leave.

For everyone else, recruiting parahumans is always a "work with what asshole you're dealt" type of deal. It's kind of funny that Chameleon would be good enough for literally anyone else. But we can still do better.

Click to shrink...

Shit man, I'm sold. Not 100% on board with outright murderising the fucker, but yeah, he would 100% backstab us and ditch, ESPECIALLY if he feels any loyalty to his old boss more than he does to us

 

[thewhiteraven22]

[X] Take Chameleon's power, kill him so he can't out you, and get the hell out of there.
[X] Something's off about this guy. You don't trust him. Just leave.

 

[dizzydrizzy]

[X] Take Chameleon's power, kill him so he can't out you, and get the hell out of there.

 

[Enorgalo]

[X] Take Chameleon's power, kill him so he can't out you, and get the hell out of there.

The best part of alchemist power is possibility of choice. He can give loyal minions powers, and don't need earn loyalty of cape. Also, he has flexibility - not all capes like their power. And we can fix this.

Of course there is a big mine - if capes will start dying and then our group has people with their power... Well, we can die very easy.

Also i think the best path is join cauldron. We just have right power for this.

 

[zagan]

[X] Take Chameleon's power, kill him so he can't out you, and get the hell out of there.
[X] Something's off about this guy. You don't trust him. Just leave.

 

[Breakdown_Brkdwn]

[X] Take Chameleon's power, kill him so he can't out you, and get the hell out of there.

​

 

[TolarianPro]

What's with the murder-boner?
[] Release Chameleon, and get the hell out of there.
You're supposed to wait till after the inevitable betrayal to kill him.

 

[OriginTrainer]

[X] Take Chameleon's power, kill him so he can't out you, and get the hell out of there.

 

[Irdiumstern]

[X] Something's off about this guy. You don't trust him. Just leave.

 

[Langy]

[X] Release Chameleon, and get the hell out of there.

I'm voting for this almost just to be contrarian.

 

[Zerrer]

Spoiler: Tally Results

Vote Tally : The Shard Alchemist (Worm, OC) | Page 2 | Questionable Questing [Posts: 37-48]
##### NetTally 3.1.4

[X] Take Chameleon's power, kill him so he can't out you, and get the hell out of there.
No. of Votes: 9
[X] KingMako
[X] Breakdown_Brkdwn
[X] BreezyWheeze
[X] dizzydrizzy
[X] Enorgalo
[X] OriginTrainer
[X] thewhiteraven22
[X] Vanbers
[X] zagan

[X] Something's off about this guy. You don't trust him. Just leave.
No. of Votes: 5
[X] KingMako
[X] Irdiumstern
[X] thewhiteraven22
[X] Vanbers
[X] zagan

[X] Release Chameleon, and get the hell out of there.
No. of Votes: 1
[X] Langy


Total No. of Voters: 11

AN: Haha, this is a good example of a time the players did something I didn't expect.

---

"Alright. Now, this'll be a bit finicky," You say, and pull out the needle. Devin leans back, eyebrows raised.

"The hell is that?"

"Tinkertech." You say. "I give you an injection, and you get power immunity for a short time. It won't last more than a few seconds, but it's enough that the collar will pop. Then we can get you out of here.

"Shit, you're a tinker? Hell yeah." He says. "Almost like I'm back at MedCent. Have to get used to giant needles there."

"Lean close, and close your eyes," You say. He does.

You twist an empty vial onto the back of the device, and plunge the tip of the needle into his ear. He flinches a little, his eyes shimmering colors- and then you extract his power.

His needles quiver, and his tail writhes for a moment- and as you watch, they begin retracting, turning to ash- and he hisses- ripping himself away from the needle.

"It f-fucking h-hurts," He writhes for a moment, fingers and hands seizing.

Then, he slumps on the toilet, arms and legs limp. Slowly, carefully, he opens his eyes.

"W-was that it?" He asks. He glances at his own neck. "Shit. The collar's still here."

"Yeah," You say. "There's another step."

He looks up- and doesn't have time to react as you plunge the sharpened end of the broomstick into his neck, through the hole in the door. Devin falls back, ripping at it, trying to scream. He rips it from his neck- and almost instantly loses consciousness, bleeding out in the bathroom stall he'd been trapped in.

You turn, and leave the bathroom behind. You'd been hoping for something more than a political prisoner- someone who wasn't loyal to any of the gangs.

It might be harder to find a cape like that than most…

But you glance down at the vial, before pocketing it.

You don't need a cape anymore.

---

Katie flickers through the room, picking up her various 'inventoried' items and vanishing them into her otherspace, more than happy to have her power back.

"A normal trigger situation would have the power reconfigure itself to fit you," You say. "But since I just put it into stasis, I've effectively tricked it into thinking that you pretty much… kinda went to sleep and woke up later."

"So someone else would have the same exact copy of my power as I did?" She asks.

"Yep," You say. "Unless it was fused with something, The power would even think that you were still the owner. Might even get confused about the new user was acting differently," You say, and finish hooking the wires up to the CRT monitor. It whines, and then you're looking at a mostly-black screen.

"Wait, powers can think?"

"Not sure," You shrug. "Anyway, come on in here."

She speeds up to a walk- and then flickers into your tinker workshop. "What is it?"

"This in your mouth, touching the top of your palate," You say, handing her a once-digital thermometer, connected to a long wire, and then a different scanner that used to be a camera. "Hold this against your left temple. Right there."

"O-okay?"

She asks, doing it exactly. You type a few words into your new device- your analyser- and then it runs, old harddrive clicking as it does, a mason jar crackling with red lightning as it draws information from her power.

The screen chirps, and then displays its results.

"Allows the user and inanimate objects they carry to temporarily shift into an alternate plane of existence with unusual interactions with the user's home dimension. While moving at significant speed, The user will reappear at a significantly further distance effectively teleporting. While stationary, the user can leave behind physical objects. Time does not pass in the alternate plane while stationary," You say. "Then there's some more details here. Raw numbers, I think they're the speeds it'll take you to travel certain distances, based on some factor I can't tell."

"... A hundred forty miles per hour to get out of here," She says, taking the scanner out of her mouth. "If I'm lucky and this 'factor' is high. And I'm fine getting out alone."

"If I work on it more, I'll get more details," You say. Then, carefully, you scan yourself. "What's it say?"

"Ineligible Target," Katie says. "Likely immunity to … Shard… Shardspace Spoofing and Intrusion? Do not attempt Power Extraction or Injection." She says. "The letters are all flickering."

"Yeah, like I thought." You say. "I had an impression that most of my stuff won't work on me, but.. Thought I'd try."

That said, you finally place the vial on the table, into a clamp designed for it- wires hanging from both ends of the clamp. The vial sparks for a moment.

"Grants low-level physical shapeshifting ability. Allows the user to perfectly blend into one's environment by altering exact color pigments of skin. Enhances the target with thermal vision, improved physical strength, improved physical agility, improved reaction times, a tail for improved balance, and inherent natural weapons." You say. "It says 'improved', but I'm not sure by how much. If I had more time and materials, I could make it a bit smarter and get some exact terms on it."

"... Wait." She says. "What about Michael?"

"Think we could convince him over here?" You ask. She frowns, and shakes her head.

"Yeah, I don't wanna force him…" She says.

"I'll grab some longer cables for the sensor," You say.

---

"Grants the user electrokinetic abilities from a limited pool of energy that slowly regrows. Absorbs various energy sources to recharge the limited pool. Also grants advanced sensory abilities." You say, walking out of your tinker room, to where Katie has the scanning devices carefully held against your brother's head. "That's it."

"That's it?" She asks. "Nothing about… you know?"

"A lot of it was garbage noise," You say. "But that's all I could gather. With this version of the machine, anyway."

"Well, fuck." She says.

Suddenly, there's a loud knock on the door. Katie all but throws herself behind the sofa, hiding behind it, despite the windows being similarly barricaded.

Carefully, you creep toward the front door, peeking out of the peephole. Your door had been reinforced years ago, as had the windows- the building clearly has been modified for someone to live here… And you relax.

"It's Dave." You whisper. She throws up a thumbs up, but then throws a blanket over herself, just in case.

You unbolt the door and open it up.

"Hey, Dave."

"Lucas." He says. "Sorry, but I've got some pretty bad news for you."

"What is it?"

"It sounds like you're losing your place as a carrier," He says. "You haven't been in in weeks, and there's all sorts of shit going on with Tyrant now. Garcia heard about that time I let you through a few days ago, and she's worried that might be one of the reasons why."

"What?" You ask. "What happened?"

"Someone from MedCent went into DFC disguised as one of us two days ago," He says. "Killed some people. Tyrant's on the warpath now. This might even reignite the gang war."

"Fuck," You say. That… might have been you. "Anything we can do?"

"No, just keep your head down." He says. "Oh! And even though she's pretty much firing you, I was able to talk her into giving you a bit more water. Severance pay, I guess."

He slides over a wagonfull of bleach containers- emptied and refilled with water, to keep them from growing shit for a while- and hands you two of them.

"Thanks," you say. "Anything else?"

"Just the typical warning. You know the stuff we have to keep secret- courier routes and the underground paths, mostly. If that stuff gets out, we'll know who, and then you won't even be able to trade for supplies."

"Yeah, I know." You say.

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news," Dave says. "But it sounds like you're busy with stuff anyway. This'll probably be for the best."

"Yeah. You be careful too, okay?" You ask. "And if something happens, hit me up."

He grins. "Yeah, I'll leave you to it." He claps a hand on your shoulder, and heads on out.

You shut and bar the door again, and turn back to Katie.

"What was that?"

"A pink slip," You say. "I'm not a waterboy anymore."

"Knew that was coming," She says, and you shrug.

"Alright. So we didn't get a new recruit. But we got a vial," She says. "What now? I … Might know a few people that might want out of the Firebirds, if we really need more people."

"Yeah, but they might be on high alert, after, you know," You shake the vial.

She frowns, but nods.

"... Hey, while we're lying low," She says. "You need a name."

"A name?"

"Yeah." She responds. "I'll need to call you something other than Lucas. Most people don't hide your identity, but it's best if you do. You'll need a proper cape name." She says. "Maybe something like Big Prick."

"What? Hey," You say.

"Because of the needle," She giggles. You roll your eyes.

---

Materials: 2
Supplies: 7 (3 weeks)
Tinkering: Nothing.

[] [Tinker] Upgrade the Injector (-6 Materials)
[] [Tinker] Upgrade the Workbench (-6 Materials)
[] [Tinker] Upgrade the Analyser. (-6 Materials)
[] [Tinker] Construct the Centrifuge. (-3 Materials)
[] [Tinker] Don't build anything.

[] [Plan] You know a few people from the waterboys who might want out, especially if the war's starting up again. Meet with them.
[] [Plan] You and Skipper go scavenging. With the two of you together, you can carry a lot more.
[] [Plan] It might be worth selling your services… Scout out the Highway and MedCent to see how they might react.
[] [Plan] Something else? (Write-in)

[] [Name] Alchemist. What? It fits.
[] [Name] Solomon.
[] [Name] … Prick.
[] [Name] Something else? (Write-in)

 

[Parzival95]

[X] [Tinker] Don't build anything.
[X] [Plan] You know a few people from the waterboys who might want out, especially if the war's starting up again. Meet with them.

Hey Zerrer, why'd you change over to QQ so much? I noticed you were way ahead in your ES story here compared to SB as well. You don't have nearly the voting base here, and might not build as big of one either because… it's QQ, no matter how good your quests are. And they are, you get pretty creative. Always a good ride.

[X] [Name] Thaumaturge

Going for powerful mystical names, I just think alchemist is a little too on the nose. I don't want people to immediately guess what we can do.

 

[Enorgalo]

[X] [Tinker] Construct the Centrifuge. (-3 Materials)

[X] [Plan] You and Skipper go scavenging. With the two of you together, you can carry a lot more.

More tinkertech is good.


[X] [Name] Thaumaturge

 

[Zerrer]

Hey Zerrer, why'd you change over to QQ so much? I noticed you were way ahead in your ES story here compared to SB as well. You don't have nearly the voting base here, and might not build as big of one either because… it's QQ, no matter how good your quests are. And they are, you get pretty creative. Always a good ride.

Click to shrink...

Honestly? After the third time a fic I enjoyed on SB was banned or wiped from existence without a word despite not being explicit or breaking any rules, I lost faith in SB's moderation.

 

[Vanbers]

[X] [Tinker] Don't build anything.

We... Kinda can't afford to build anything yet anyways?

[X] [Plan] You know a few people from the waterboys who might want out, especially if the war's starting up again. Meet with them.

This. So much this. Mainly because the basic bitch Stranger Power we just got would make for a FANTASTIC partner duo with Skipper for salvaging things for us. We also have little to no personal protection just yet.

So if we get a new minion to give it too, scavenging missions will be much easier imo.

Also with the gang war and tensions high, scavenging this moment is kinda risky.

[X] [Name] Alchemist. What? It fits.

 

[Langy]

[X] [Tinker] Don't build anything.
[X] [Plan] You know a few people from the waterboys who might want out, especially if the war's starting up again. Meet with them.
[X] [Name] Alchemist. What? It fits.

 

[KingMako]

AN: Haha, this is a good example of a time the players did something I didn't expect.

Click to shrink...

In your defense, you've always seen us play good guy. Theoretically, we could still be leaning that way, we'd just be willing to do unprovoked cold murder on an innocent in situations where our survival is not secured long-term.

Have you thought of making a Discord server dedicated to your projects? It could help you gain a following that'll stay with you across platforms.

[X] [Plan] You know a few people from the waterboys who might want out, especially if the war's starting up again. Meet with them.

We need people to put powers into. Deadly conflict is inevitable, so power collection is inevitable. Best we set up to take advantage of it immediately.

[X] [Name] Eden. Not like it's taken.
[X] [Name] Eve. Gave power to humanity.
[X] [Name] Grace. Goddess of nature, fertility, and human creativity.

You know that guy that can permanently steal people's powers? Yeah, that's actually a girl. Not us! And mythological names are reserved for S-classes. Which are super serious demons that totally don't have civilian identities! Just some guy? No way in hell that's her!

 

[mobip]

[X] [Name] Thaumaturge

 

[thewhiteraven22]

[X] [Name] Thaumaturge
[X] [Tinker] Don't build anything.
[X] [Plan] You know a few people from the waterboys who might want out, especially if the war's starting up again. Meet with them.

 

[zebes]

[X] [Plan] You and Skipper go scavenging. With the two of you together, you can carry a lot more.

So, a few things.
Since we killed the Source, all of his flesh has probably stopped making blood and eating part of him won't give powers anymore. Meaning that a gang war is probably going to start and it's going to be bad. On the plus side, more capes won't pop up at the same speed, so if we hide out or survive long enough, the city should settle down and they might even un-quarantine this place, although I wouldn't bet on it.

Also, the Firebirds are all affected by Tyrant's collars, meaning if we can cancel the effect, the gang will probably fall apart in short order. And while right now we can't reach him to remove his power or build something to let us mess with the collars themselves, powers fuse and the serum can grant powers via ingestion. So if we can slip a power serum in his food or drink somehow, he might lose his ability to make collars or have his power reset on him, removing the collars.

For this to work, it would be best if we knew if fusing powers causes alteration to the abilities granted by each power, and if gaining only part of a power has adverse effects like partial Cauldron serum or the Broken, especially when used on someone who already has powers.
We also want to find out if giving a Broken a working power will cause it to act similar to Balance, fixing the broken power they already have. Because if it does, we can grab a working power and use it to fix Michael by pouring it down his throat.

 

[Zerrer]

Spoiler: Tally Results

Vote Tally : The Shard Alchemist (Worm, OC) | Page 2 | Questionable Questing [Posts: 50-58]
##### NetTally 3.1.4

Task: Tinker

[X][Tinker] Don't build anything.
No. of Votes: 4
[X] Parzival95
[X] Langy
[X] thewhiteraven22
[X] Vanbers

[X][Tinker] Construct the Centrifuge. (-3 Materials)
No. of Votes: 1
[X] Enorgalo

---

Task: Plan

[X][Plan] You know a few people from the waterboys who might want out, especially if the war's starting up again. Meet with them.
No. of Votes: 5
[X] Parzival95
[X] KingMako
[X] Langy
[X] thewhiteraven22
[X] Vanbers

[X][Plan] You and Skipper go scavenging. With the two of you together, you can carry a lot more.
No. of Votes: 2
[X] Enorgalo
[X] zebes

---

Task: Name

[X][Name] Thaumaturge
No. of Votes: 4
[X] Parzival95
[X] Enorgalo
[X] mobip
[X] thewhiteraven22

[X][Name] Alchemist. What? It fits.
No. of Votes: 2
[X] Vanbers
[X] Langy

[X][Name] Eden. Not like it's taken.
No. of Votes: 1
[X] KingMako

[X][Name] Eve. Gave power to humanity.
No. of Votes: 1
[X] KingMako

[X][Name] Grace. Goddess of nature, fertility, and human creativity.
No. of Votes: 1
[X] KingMako


Total No. of Voters: 8

---

While Skipper collects what few materials she can find, you make your way toward the closest thing the Waterboys have to a central location. It's near the Highway, for sure, being on the northern side of town, but Heckton is probably the least caring of the gang leaders. As far as he's concerned, the Waterboy's 'charity' counts as their rent for the place.

The field outside the Flint Water Center is a truly interesting piece of human ingenuity. Large grassy fields have been torn up, ripped apart, and replaced- through nothing but shovels and a lot of tarps- into long, flowing systems meant to catch rainwater. The lakes aren't far off, and the fucking government couldn't stop the clouds with their wall even if they tried, so you still do have rain. It's not raining right now, so the solar panels are facing upward, rather than being rotated out of the way, keeping the building powered and running.

The water plant was full of chemicals and bareilly-used filtration systems, back when it had first been taken over during the quarantine. The water tower was worth its weight in gold, once people noticed that they weren't getting anything from Detroit anymore- that everything had been cut off. The rivers and lakes started running low, seeping into the groundwater. It was only a quick choice by the leader of the Waterboys at the time- a tunneling cape called Courier- that had him splitting it into the at-the-time six main gangs in town.

Now, it stands still as a symbol that despite being technically neutral, despite fulfilling all the city's needs that the airdrops don't, the Waterboys are still the wealthiest gang in the city. The rainwater is pumped into the filtration systems, cleaned and checked, and then later split up and delivered to various groups. That alone wouldn't supply the city, though, so the new leader is completely unknown- a cape known only as Waterfall, a matter creator that's able to produce pure, clean water. Supposedly. You've never seen it in action, but the numbers don't match up otherwise, so you kind of have to buy it.

You make your way into the main office, and see a bunch of fellow carriers, lounging and waiting for their next loads. Some of them leeching off the free power, keeping toys and gadgets charged.

"The hell are you doing back here, Lucas? You asking for your job back?" Comes a snide response from one of the guys. Trevor's always been an ass, so you ignore him.

"Hey, you guys see Ash?" You ask. "Or Neem?"

"... Dude. Neem joined the Highway last week." One of them respond. Caleb. He's a good guy, but you're not close enough with him. "Where have you been?"

"Busy," You respond. Damn. There goes one of your choices. You could probably go meet with him too, but knowing him, Neem joined Highway for the price of getting a power. He wouldn't leave for something that's a 'maybe'. Wasn't a gambling man, really.

"Ash has been in her room." Caleb folds his book. "Why do you ask."

"I owe her money," You respond, and he snorts. Money hasn't been useful since the government fucked you, so it's a common joke. "Mind getting her for me?"

"Eh, just go get her yourself. Just because Garcia has her panties in a twist doesn't mean you haven't been here for years," He says. You shrug, and walk past, into the many offices of the building- most of which having been repurposed into dorms.

You used to stay here- mostly due to the running power- until your little personal salvage-and-repair business started taking off, even before Michael came back with the Broken.

You make your way down the hall and knock on Ash's door. After a few minutes, she cracks itopen to give you a glare- then, immediately softens and opens it.

She's a short, mousy girl. Her hair's a tangled mess of black ringlets and her dark skin is a mass of tattoos along the arms, most of them homemade. You can notice a very notable change in the tattoos- ones she'd gotten before you made her a needle, and ones she'd gotten after. It's a small point of pride for you- and one she doesn't let you brag about.

On her walls are portraits of fantasy paintings, excerpts from old ripped books, album covers, the like. She's a big fan of bright, colorful things. She has a skillset… but it wasn't one that was useful for the heist against Tyrant, so you hadn't dragged her into it.

"Luke." She says. "What's…" Then she trails off, examining your expression. "... No. You asshole."

"What?"

"You fucking idiot." She snaps- but there's no real heat in it. "You and Katie pulled it off, didn't you?"

You sniff, casually brushing your nose- and give her a slow, languid smirk. She smacks you in the chest.

"Yeah. We pulled it off. The box is ours." You say. "... In fact, I'd say, uh, we did it a bit too well."

"What do you mean, a bit too well?" She asks, squinting at you- trying to read you.

"I can't say too much, obviously," you say. "Not here. But,m well… You know where my safehouse is, yeah?"

"Yeah. Dave asked me for it. Had a message from Garcia, but I didn't tell him the secret entrance." She responds. Then squints again. "Why?"

"Because it's my workshop." You say.

"I know," She says, rolling her eyes-

"My Workshop," You say, emphasizing the word. She pauses.

"No." She says. "What can you do?"

"Well… You know the box?"

"Yeah…" She trails off. She'd been part of the original discussion- the theorycrafting, at least, about the theoretical 'power creating device' you thought Tyrant had.

"I can make them." You say, voice low- making sure you aren't heard. "I just… have to take something from certain special someones."

"... No way."

"I might be able to fix my brother, with enough tools and materials." You say.

"You want me to help. " Ash says, flatly. "Just scavenging, or…"

"I can't use them on myself," You say. "And Katie already has a… box of her own. I'm confident we can get the hell out of this town."

".... Alright." She says, as if that tipped the scales. "Fuck it. I'm in. What do you need?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm still a waterboy," She says. "So I wanted to know if you wanted me to… steal a printer or something on my way out the office. So to speak."

---

Edit: I'm sorry, this quest has been canceled.

 

[heralding_bubble]

[x] Just herself. You don't want to piss off the Waterboys quite yet.