You converse a bit more with Six in the empty room you have taken refuge in, quietly messaging her.

>>"I am afraid I cannot share this information." Six signs back. "Except that we oppose the Burning Web, and most drow organizations, save the rebellious ones.

>>"Suffice to say my loyalties are still with my people, just a much more... Progressive faction."

"Save the rebellious ones, eh? What do you know about a group of Feudalists that are trying to repurpose the old Rosenkraft fortress?" You ask her.

She pauses before answering you. "We heard of them. We heard they had a run-in with your people. Nothing about the old Rosenkraft fortress near you, though. That place still holds far too much proximity to hell and the abyssal worlds for the liking of anyone save that family. No one else would be foolish enough to repurpose it."

"If you mean the fort they are renovating, I believe they may turn it into a castle, albeit a small one unless they mine into the cavern roof." She says, smiling. "See, I can tell you some things. Your people have a potential to change a great deal about drow society simply by your presence. As far as my father is concerned, we are allies, and I can give you information to that effect."

You raise an eyebrow. She seems sincere, but you still find yourself having difficulty trusting her. When the surfacers showed you the good aspects of humans and elves, you were hesitant at first there as well. They were even welcome to stay, despite eating quite a bit (And the chefs wasting food because they were worried the surfacers would starve to death after about six hours of not eating). Still, you've spent most of your adult life hating the drow, and with good reasons. Could it be time to change your opinion once again?

But what if she does end up deceiving you, or her father decides you need to be eliminated? You would betray your people, and everything you've worked for. That cannot happen. Your people are still so fragile compared to the other great nations. You must raise them up as best you can, however you can. So the trust, or complete trust, anyway, will have to wait.

"Can you tell me who your father is, Six?" You ask her.

"He is known as the Father of Shadows." She says. "It is an inherited title. The head of my clan. He is not my biological father, but all of our operatives swear allegiance and respect him as though he were.

"Long ago, drow society was ruled by men. My clan has survived since that time." She signs. "At one time, we were all that stood in the path of a revolution at the hands of the followers of the spider goddess, Ashnera. She was usurped by a demon princess named Arachne, who now gains power from her worshipers. We seek to dissolve drow society as it is now and return it to its former glory."

bump

bump

let's see if she has any idea where tayn i

>>14782177
is

"Can you think of anywhere Tayn might be?" You ask her.

"It depends if he's fighting back against the Burning Web scouts or hiding from them." She signs back. "In the primary case, he'll be out and about like us. In the latter, he'll likely be somewhere well-hidden."

You decide that you need to continue your search, stalking back out into the hallways.

You walk for about an hour, checking every corner of every room. You find another illusory trap of Tayn, which your scout disarms safely. You begin to feel a sense of doubt. Perhaps Tayn has already left this place, or been taken? The thought empties from your mind as you hear a soft, seemingly inquisitive, chirp from the ceiling of one of the massive halls.

You look up to see an almost blob-like, tentacled creature up on the ceiling. Its whitish-yellow eyes glisten across its smooth, elipsoid head as it regards you with curiosity.

The pale creature slides across the ceiling, chirping all the while, seemingly to no one. It is clearly one of the white creatures from earlier, but is acting much more docile.

"Careful." Six whispers. "If startled, it could call for backup."

The creature swings about on the ceiling, chirping in an almost playful manner.

Shit! I completely missed this!
Reading now...

>>14782470
Can we replicate the chirping?
Try doing so, and slowing moving beyond it.

>>14782582

You chirp back at the creature, in a similar tone. It seems to notice, but doesn't act in any sort of averse way. After a few tense moments, you move past the seemingly carefree counterpart of the pallid terrors you fought hours ago.

"Strange." Six says. "So docile, unlike the others."

You hear a roar from further down one hallway, high-pitched and piercing, like the cry of a large cat. The sound of arcing eletricity swiftly follows it, as does the sound of a low, hornlike call, perhaps of a water fowl. The docile creature perks up at this, sliding across the ceiling with frightening speed past you and down the hallway.

Let's follow it, but stealthily.
It could be Tayn or a Burning Web member.

Be ready to run in case another horde of those white abominations are attracted to the area.

You move quickly, the sounds of battle reaching your ears as you see the huge, snake-like creature from before spring back as a wave of acid flies at where it was standing, and it lets out a high-pitched roar as a flash of violet-blue lightning tears from its mouth, a great flash of light cascading off the hallway as a small number of the whitish creatures swamp the walls nearby it, and it rears up on its hind legs and tail, growling in a raspy tone as it stands off with them.

>>14782806
Get the fuck out of here. This fight is only going to draw more hordes and we don't want to fight them off.

bump

You get the fuck out of there, the snake-like creature seeming to notice your presence and yowling at you as you leave.

You lose the creatures in the curving hallways, catching your breath in a small, cramped room that might have been used for storage.

>>14782938
Catch our breath and get our bearings. Have our scout check the hallway to make sure the coast is clear, and Mynthar checks what's in the storage room. Maybe something useful in finding Tayne or keeping those abominations at bay.

>>14782981

You set your scout to the hallway and you check through the sparse room, finding only some partially chewed and dissolved crates. One of them has something curious inside. A black, four-legged creature with a canine head, but a body that appears plated with slender, diamond shaped protrusions where its rough skin shows. It has no smell to it, and is lying on its side, eyes open and a deep, translucent gray.

>>14783001
Ask Six if she's seen anything like it.

Oh, if only we had a Handy Haversack or a Bag of Holding with us. Examine it a little closer to see what it might be.

>>14783016

"Six." You say, pointing at the body. She sidles up next to you, looking in at the creature.

"What is it?" She asks.

"I was hoping you might have an idea." You say.

"If I did, I'd tell you." She says, examining the corpse. "Though it doesn't have a large wound on its body. I wonder how it died?"

You hear a yowl from down the hallway. Your scout runs over to you, pointing his gun at the door. "That snake-thing is coming this way. Sounds like it may be being pursued."

>>14783062
Shit, is there another way out of this room?

In no way do we want to get caught in a fight between that snake-thing and those white abominations.
If we can, we need to get out of this room and try to find a way to a lower level.

>>14783076

There is only the way you came in.

"Let's try and go deeper, this level is insecure." You say, making your way out into the hallway, quietly.

The snake-like creature careens into the hallway just a few feet ahead of you, its purplish-blue scales marred with the near-black color of blood. It yowls once again as it stops for a moment, looking you over with its yellow-green compound eyes.

>>14783182
Motion for Six and our scout to get going.
"GO!"
Back away from the snake-thing without breaking eye contact.
Ready a Fireball spell.

>>14783213

It stands still, its voice letting out an groaning, pained noise as it locks eyes with you. It raises its right forelimb, with twisted, indistinct black markings along the length of it, the hand-like claw stretched outward as though trying to touch you.

"GO!" You hiss, backing away from it as you bring your right hand into a closed fist, feeling the heat crackle along your metal fingers. The one thing you can feel just as good as your could before. The creature shies away from the flame, its lengthy body bunched up as it backs its angular head away, the antennae on its chin twitching backwards as it makes a quiet, grumbling whine.

>>14783254
I wish we could communicate with it.
Send that fireball back way behind it, towards the abominations that are chasing it. Far enough that the snake-thing won't get caught by the blast area of the fireball. Maybe that'll be enough for it to understand we don't want to fight it.

>>14783254
>>14783313
>wish we could communicate
>we're a sorceror
>Comprehend Languages
Cast that shit, and try to speak with it.
"We don't mean you harm. If you won't attack us, we'll help you get away from those things."

White starts to flow in from the hallway behind it, eerily silent despite teh sounds you heard earlier.

You fling the fireball back past its head, and it hisses, a chittering sound that rings ominously until it hears the squeal of one of the whitish creatures. It cranes its neck around for a moment before turning back to you and letting out a simple "Hmmm". It rushes to the other side of the hallway, its body bunched up and the chitinous spines arcing electricity.

You cast tongues as he creatures regroup, speaking to the serpentine creature as you ready another spell.

"We don't mean you harm. If you won't attack us, we'll help you get away from those things." You say, indicating your retreating allies as they fade down the hallway.

The creature seems to understand, then suddenly lets out a high-pitched cry, writhing in pain and curling its head around to gnaw at a spot between its wings, thrashing about in pain as it groans, rearing its head back to issue forth a blast of lightning into its body, then crawling over to a wall, its groaning cry becoming weaker as its body visibly spasms. The whitish creatures begin closing in.

>>14783348
Cast Comprehend Languages (I can't I forgot about that spell).
"I don't mean you harm. Do we have a truce until this is over?"

>>14783373
Put up another wall of force to keep the abominations at bay.
Then try to get a line-of-sight on whatever is gnawing at the snake thing's back. As soon as we see it, fire Magic Missiles into the abomination.

>>14783381

"I don't mean you harm. Do we have a truce until this is over?" You ask it. The creature groans, and you realize that it isn't actually saying anything.

>>14783405

You put up a wall of force, blocking off the passageway. The whitish creatures bump into the semi-transparent surface and mill about in confusion.

You go over to the thrashing creature, careful of its tail. You see the spot on its back, between its wings, that it was itching at, a spread of missiles ready at your fingertips.

You see a lengthy, deep scar, and a dim, luish light from beneath the creature's thick scales.

(Back in 30 from dinner)

>>14783587

Should be "bluish light".

>>14783587
Wait a minute...Is that similar to the implant that we saw on Tayne?
If so, we need to get this thing back to the others and have it operated on by Dalak immediately.
It might be Tayne in a polymorphed form, or it could be another specimen like him, and it might be willing to work with us if we remove the source of its pain.

>>14783625

>>Wait a minute...

That mark, the pained reaction.

"Tayn?" You say, surprised.

The creature doesn't indicate anything positively, but it does look at you for a few more moments, panting. You notice the blackish markings on its arm are in a vine-like grouping, much like a tattoo of some kind, though they are incredibly blurry.

"We have to get out of here." You say to him, reaching out and pulling at him. The creature hisses, pulling back from you as its pain visibly intensifies.

>>14784068
"Shit. Right, the implant."
Call back Six and the Scout.
"I think this is Tayn. I can't get close to him or the implant will activate. I need you two to help get him back to where Dalak is. I'll cover your backs."

Let's get moving.

>>14784146

"Shit. Right, the implant." You say.

Tayn groans in response.

"SIX! SCOUT!" You shout down the hall.

"I think this is Tayn. I can't get close to him or the implant will activate. I need you two to help get him back to where Dalak is. I'll cover your backs." You say, as the wall comes down.

The scout stalls back, looking over at you, as Six leads th huge snake-like creature back away. As the force wall comes down, he opens fire on the swarm of white, sliding to a stop in front of you. "Sorry, sir, but my priority is making sure you get out of here alive!" He quickly reloads his weapon, the empty clip hitting the ground.

>>14784244
"And I don't intend to leave a kobold behind. Let's go!"
Drop another Fireball to catch the front-most group of the abominations, and as soon as we launch it start running back.

>>14784265

"And I don't intend to leave a kobold behind. Let's go!" You say, a tiny red spark leaving your hand as you grab the kobold by the shoulder and begin running backwards, the huge blast of flames accompanied by squealing, the hissing of scorched flesh, and inhuman screams. The scout slings his gun over one shoulder, reaching into his pouch and pulling out a black fist-sized object. He hurls it, then sprints back towards you as a thunderous boom echoes through the area.

"That might attract them, but they'll be sorry!" He shouts.

"What do you mean? What was that?" You shout back to him.

You hear a roar, and the squealing sound of the creatures twisting into a horrified yell as one is audibly ripped apart.

"A distraction!"

>>14784307
Alright, let's catch up to Six and maybe-Tayn, and get them back to where the rest of the kobolds have made a preliminary base.
We need to get the implant removed, to see if it's Tayn or not.

>>14784320

You and the scout rush back up the levels, always a ways behind Six and what you assume is Tayn. The white creatures seem to grow in number as they chase you, only timely walls of force protecting you and the scout from danger. The two of you rush out the front, greeted by a large number of guns pointed at your position.

"This way!" Dalak yells, waving from behind one of the NAJA equipped with a mounted linegun. The two of you rush over behind it just as a tide of white breaks out of the door, and is greeted by a hail of snaps, metal death shredding their bodies as they exit the doorway.

The group is soon driven off, and you and the scout catch your breath.

"Glad to see you made it. We were worried until that drow woman came out with... Whatever that thing is." Dalak says, looking back over one shoulder to where the snake-bodied creature is lying down, panting.

Excuse me good sir, but I'm behind on this quest, and looking through the archives, Part 3 appears to be missing. Is it available somewhere else, or a mistake in numbering, or...?

>>14784405
"I think it might be Tayn, or at least, it has a control implant the same as the one that Tayn had.
"I need you to take a look at it, see if you can find out what the implant is, what it does, and if you can remove it.
"I'll help with securing the door."

>>14784422
A fool archived it under a completely unrelated thread. Instead of archiving their RPS Army thread, they archived Part 3.
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/14615734/

>>14784464
thanks

>>14784422

Mistake in numbering. Lemme get that for ya...

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/14615734/

Also: Need to comment and tell Lord Licoriche to fix that...

>>14784433

"I think it might be Tayn, or at least, it has a control implant the same as the one that Tayn had." You say, barely audible over the gunfire. "I need you to take a look at it, see if you can find out what the implant is, what it does, and if you can remove it."

"Will do." Dalak says, nodding.

"I'll help with securing the door." You say, launching a flurry of lightning bolts into the open door, scorching the creatures as they come inside.

The creatures are quickly driven back, one opening proving to be a bad environment for their attempt at killing you, especially one so full of bullets. You step back over to Dalak, who is looking at the creature as it groans, its head down on the ground, and its legs down limp against the ground.

Dalak walks over to the creature, which appears too exhausted to resist as he takes out a small needle and gently pricks it. The tired creature grumbles as it stretches out a bit, before falling into unconsciousness.

"Now, I can't get too close to him, or the implant will activate and cause him pain." You say. "Though that may not be the only trigger."

Dalak studies the scar in the creature's back. "Indeed, the site is glowing very faintly." He looks over towards you. "I may need to operate, sir. I need to look at the implant so I can tell what it's doing."

>>14784529
We are a 15th-level sorceror. Do we have the spell Mage's Magnificent Mansion in our spell list?
If so, I suggest casting it so that we can not only do the operation safely, but so we can rest and get our spell slots back.

>>14784580

You don't have it known offhand (sleeping in a house all the time makes it not as useful), but you do have a scroll of it packed along. You cast ti around the lot of you, and sit down, relaxing as the fatigue from the day starts to take ahold of you. "I think I'll be taking a nap, maybe sleeping for today." You say to Dalak.

"Alright then. I'll keep him under anesthesia until you wake up." Dalak says.

You swiftly fall unconscious, your body growing heavy as you lie down and begin to grow a bit cooler.

>>14784647
I hope that this gives Dalak enough time to figure out how to remove the implant.

Also, I suggest we begin investing to get a rod or wondrous item of Magnificent Mansion made. If we ever have to do any more adventuring, it'll come in real handy.

>>14784670

You awaken a while later, and hear the sound of light metal tools clanging into a small metal tray. You groggily stand, yawning as you look over to where Dalak is working on the serpent-like creature.

"So, any progress?" You ask him.

Dalak pauses, gesturing into the creature's body, where you see a bluish glow. The wing he was operating behind has been stretched back, and he is standing carefully on its scaled surface.

You walk up, and look at the object, gasping in surprise.

Dalak has cut open the creature's back, over where the scar was located. Within the creature's body is pinkish flesh, with a layer of a grayish-blue chitin behind the skin, and a skeletal mass of the same translucent material forms a skeleton on the inside. Twin whitish, veined organs pump as the creature slowly as it breathes, and a thick, wet black ball audibly pumps, slowly. This is all behind a thin metal frame clamped to a strange object

The glowing object appears to be a frame with a small, transparent scale, a bluish-purple color with a bright glow coming from it. The light intensifies as you come closer, and the creature groans in pain. The implant seems to be secured to its body, and a crystalline growth that you recognize seems to be growing off of it, around one of the arteries leading out of the heart.

"Is that..." You start, almost too astounded to say it.

"I believe so." Dalak says, his voice cold. "Ioun ore."

>>14784807
"This opens up a veritable flood of questions, however, the most important one right now is: Can you remove the implant, Dalak?"

Other questions we will need to ask are what level of complexity is this implant, and who else has access to this level of technology.

>>14784853

"This opens up a veritable flood of questions, however, the most important one right now is: Can you remove the implant, Dalak?"

Dalak pulls out a small metal probe, reaching into the open body of the creature and pushing at the artery. "The implant is secured mostly to the creature's endoskeleton, and that I could normally remove. This ioun growth attached to it, on the other hand..." He says, the probe failing to move the artery away from the crystal. "It appears to be grown in with the artery. We have healing here, but I doubt it would be able to reform the flesh quickly enough to prevent major blood loss, and as my medical team saw, this creature is resistant to magic."

Dalak looks over at you, sympathetic. "I'm afraid to move it because I might rupture the vessel. The possibilities are we try it anyway, and just drill it off, or we leave it in."

"Just those two options?" You ask him.

Dalak sighs. "There could be more, but I'm tired right now. There could be something obvious that's right in front of my nose and I wouldn't see it."

>>14784924
"Alright, close him up for now then. This sanctuary should last for another day, so get some rest and try to come up with some alternatives when you're rested."

Did we sleep long enough to get our spell slots back? If not, then I suggest we make sure that everyone else knows that we're safe for now within this sanctuary, and to get some rest.
Have the soldiers rotate in guard shifts on maybe-Tayn.
Then, get some more rest ourselves.

>>14784973

"Alright, close him up for now then. This sanctuary should last for another day, so get some rest and try to come up with some alternatives when you're rested." You say.

"Right, sorry I couldn't be of more help." Dalak says, stitching up the open wound and sealing it over with a healing mixture, patting the creature on the back. "I'll get off your wing now, whoever you are."

You notice the wing's construction for the first time. It has small scales, like that of a butterfly or dragonfly, but they are strong, and it has thick bones in them as well, with some flexibility.

You feel like you could use more sleep, so you put a rotation of guards on Tayn and get some more rest.

>>14785034
Okay, pretty much not much to do until Dalak can come up with a way to remove the implant, and puts it into action.

As for Six, talk about the Feudalists. If her organization will be assisting them in any way.
We can't rule out the possibility of open warfare between the CCCP and the Feudalist group.

>>14785065

You talk with Six about the feudalists once you wake up. Apparently, they are only being observed. Six remarks that you look cute when you're asleep, a sentiment you're not sure you wholly appreciate.

Dalak rushes over to you, looking flabbergasted. "I just got up, and I have to say, I was right. I am stupid when I'm tired, and the answer WAS right in front of me." Dalak looks at you putting a hand to his chest. "Tell me, who am I?"

>>14785107
Mynthar looks at Dalak quizzically.
"The philosophical question of 'Who Are You'? You're the one who brought ioun technology to the Crystal Cavern People, one of the greatest bringers of change.
"But aside from that, you're the son a scientist from the Alloyed Brotherhood, and a kobold."

>>14785130

"The philosophical question of 'Who Are You'? You're the one who brought ioun technology to the Crystal Cavern People, one of the greatest bringers of change." You say. Dalak nods at this.

"Close, getting warmer." He says.

"But aside from that, you're the son a scientist from the Alloyed Brotherhood, and a kobold." You say.

"And I made this!" He says, grabbing your right arm. "I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner. I could make an artificial artery for the heart!" He says, shaking your arm as he laughs, overjoyed. "That way, we can remove the ioun ore safely, without any danger to the patient."

"Why wouldn't you be able to remove it?" You ask, curious.

"Oh, that was another thing I didn't notice because I was exhausted. There's a strong chance that if we chip away at the ore a shard could fly into his bloodstream and kill him when it shreds along the side of an artery." Dalak says matter of factly.

>>14785191
"Do you have the equipment you need here? Or will you need to go back to your workshop in order to create it?
"Before we leave, we must have confirmation that this is Tayn we are taking."

>>14785277

"Do you have the equipment you need here? Or will you need to go back to your workshop in order to create it?" You say.

"I brought enough that I could make it here, but..." Dalak answers. tapping his chin. "If I need to manufacture a material, it would be harder here."

"Before we leave, we must have confirmation that this is Tayn we are taking." You say.

"Blood test would prove that." Dalak snaps his fingers. "I brought it with me just in case. Shall I proceed?"

Yes. Proceed with Caution my friend.

Minutes later, Dalak's portable centrifuge is spinning, the blood filtering out into a small remnant of darker blood.

"Same amount, same quantity of dragon's blood." He says, looking at the two. "And if that's not enough, there's remnants of tattoo ink in the skin on its right forearm, same we use for tattooing our sorcerers." He nods. "Sounds about right to me."

>>14785436
Right. Get operatin' and get the healing magics ready in case of accidental cases of Rip and Tearing.

Start operating here or back at the caverns?

>>14785623
I do not know enough about this quest to adequately say.

Whichever is safer and easier defended...but preferably here, who knows this implant could also be some sort of bomb/spy thingy.

>>14785682

Well suffice to say there is more stuff back at the caverns. Doing it here is inferior in every way except for the time expenditure.

You begin helping Dalak set up to invent an artificial artery. You tell Dalak of the strange dog-like body you found, and his first question is how you knew it was a creature.

You pause. Now that you mention it, the creature did appear to be made mostly from inorganic substances. Why was it so noticeably a living thing? You are afraid you can't answer that. It just seemed like it had once held life. Even the greatest sculptures cannot depict such things in that fashion.

By the end of a 6 hour work session involving a complex filtration system you help construct, he has created a prototype hose-like artery. With some synthetic flesh made from the nearby rocks (Flesh to stone has amazing medicinal benefits when used in certain ways). After a final test, he looks it over, sighing. "Perfect. Hypo-allergenic, durable, and should weave ever so nicely with the natural flesh. And it should resize after the polymorphing is complete." He looks over at you, intensely. "I won't lie, there's still some risk involved here. But this is enough that I think I have a good chance."

"Then do it. Just be careful." You say, looking off to one side at the creature's unconscious body.

"Mynthar." Dalak says, suddenly even more serious than he was before. "I'll tell you about how I made these things, someday. But I still have to look into a few things." He is quiet for a moment, looking at the artery in his hand. "I have to be sure." With that, he goes off to prep for surgery.

And that's all for now, unless anyone else is still awake.

We will be running this Wednesday, as I noticed the last quest has that as the scheduled date. BUT Gargoyle quest is the priority on that day currently and it will be Sundays at 18:00 from now on.

We'll see how good the surgery is at that time for a doctor who's been working six hours and is still on an adrenaline rush. Until then, comrades!

Argh, forgot mah pic.

>>14786053
VKO, you're probably already gone, but in case you see this: Around what time will you be starting on Wednesday? 21:00, server time?