>>25183063
>[] Turn back and try to find where you went the wrong way
>[] Search for signs that the tunnel may have been altered to close it off
>[] Have Yukiho do another scan to find the correct route
>[] Other (specify)


>When it comes time to roll some dice, the magic number for tonight is 6. The roll is 1d20, unless I specify otherwise, and the 6th post making the roll I ask for is the dice result I'll use.

>>25183071
>[X] Search for signs that the tunnel may have been altered to close it off

Rolled 6

>>25183071
Search for signs.

>>25183071
search for signs

maybe possibly jam something in the crevice

>>25183071
>[x] Search for signs that the tunnel may have been altered to close it off
Do you think maybe the battle alerted them to our presence?

>>25183071
[x] Search for signs that the tunnel may have been altered to close it off
Do a check of the area manually first before we have Yukiho more magic.
>>25183121
With how long the last battle took might jsut be a natural change.

>>25183121
Do you battle them our maybe alert presence to?

>>25183071
>[x] Other (grope Mami)

OP you labeled two threads as 14 so technically this would be the 16th session.

>>25183164
Ah, bollocks. My mistake.

>>25183071
"Alright girls, let's take a look around here and see if there's any sign of this dead end being artificial. Could be a cleverly-disguised door, or maybe the goblins closed off the tunnel with magic."

You set to work examining the wall, trying to shine the lantern through the crevice to see through to the other side. Ami and Mami jump in on either side of you, looking over the sides of the blocking wall.

>Roll to search

Rolled 2

>>25183262

Hopefully I don't get distracted by idol butts

Rolled 13

>>25183262

Rolled 15

>>25183262
Let the roll gods have mercy on us tonight.

Rolled 16

>>25183262
And I, I could have died last night,

But I heard the voice of a smaller god.

Rolled 12

>>25183262

Still need one more roll. Maybe I ought to start using a smaller die for this magic number stuff...

Rolled 5

>>25183262
lets see

>>25183396
Might just a bit slow right now. Maybe change it if it stalls out for a while later.

>>25183401
I'll be damned.

>>25183401
>5
Oooo, a good start.

>>25183262
>>25183401
On your left, Mami tugs excitedly on your sleeve. "Ah, Nii-chan, Nii-chan! Gimme the light here, I think I found something!"

As you move to hand her the lantern, you feel a tug on your other arm. "Nii-chan, I found something here too!"

"Alright Ami, just wait your turn, Mami asked first."

Taking the lantern from you, Mami peers intently at the spot where the wall curves to pass in front of you. "Yep! Right here, there's a seam! I think it's actually a door! You found the same on that side, right Ami?" Mami casually tosses the lantern behind your back to her twin.

"Hey! Don't throw the lantern like that! What if you broke it?"

"Don't worry, Nii-chan. I caught it, see?" Ami waggles the lantern, still intact and lit, in front of your face with a grin, then turns to the wall. "Yep, there's a seam over here too, Mami!"

You take a step back to give the twins room to keep examining the door. To think that goblins could actually make a door as well-disguised as this...or, well, given that it's stonework, it was probably kobolds that did it, but still. With the way goblinoids tend to act like dumb brutes operating on little more than an instinctive drive to kill humans, it's easy to forget that they are in fact frighteningly clever in some ways.

"Does it look like there's a way to open it from this side? Being made of stone, I'm sure Yukiho could do it, but I'd rather she save her mana if we can help it."

>>25183579
After a few moments, Mami calls back, "I found a lever here! It blends into the wall, but it's definitely a lever!"

Immediately, Ami chimes in, "There's one here on the right side too!"

As you ponder the two levers, Ami and Mami each press their ears to the wall, tapping with the hilts of their daggers. "So, what, do they each open one half? Or do they need to be pulled at the same time? Hm, or maybe one's a decoy..."

"Uh-oh," Mami says.

"Uh-oh?" You ask.

"Nii-chan, gimme a boost! I wanna check the ceiling!"

You shed your pack and drop your shield, then crouch down for Mami to climb onto your shoulders. Ami passes her sister the lantern, and you do your best to hold steady as Mami examines the ceiling, leaning this way and that to poke and prod and tap to figure out...something.

Suddenly, Mami lurches forward, nearly knocking you off balance. Draping herself over your head to dangle her face upside-down in front of yours, she says, "Nii-chan, I think the ceiling's rigged to collapse if we pull the wrong lever!"

"Is there anything you can do to disarm the trap?"

Her long ponytail wags back and forth as she shakes her head, still upside-down. "Not from here, Nii-chan."

>[] Well, let's go with the lever on the right.
>[] I have a good feeling about the one on the left.
>[] We probably need to pull both at once.
>[] Forget the levers, let's have Yukiho open it.
>[] Other (specify)

>Roll. Also, ideas for preparation in case of collapse are welcome.

>[] We probably need to pull both at once.

Rolled 5

>>25183930
I say both

as for contingecy plan...i guess

have You and Haruka have shields overhead of a twin and one other person bunched up under it too?

like
P,Mami,Yukiho under one and Haruka,Ami,Miki under the other

Rolled 11

>>25183930
>[x] We probably need to pull both at once.

How much force is needed to pull the levers? Can we not tie rope them and pull from a safe distance? Or rig some device to weigh down on them?

>>25183930

>Both at once.

Have Yukiho stand by to help deflect any falling rocks. If she can, have her see if she can disable the trap right now by reinforcing the ceiling.

Rolled 9

>>25184007
We do still have those ropes, don't we? You may be onto something. Get Yukiho prepped to hold back the ceiling just in case

>>25183930
Let's have everyone gather close to the wall, then pull both levers. That way we can all hurry through before the roof falls.

Rolled 3

>>25183930
[X] Forget the levers, let's have Yukiho open it.
Because we have a 50/50 shot at getting it right and the wrong will give us away and has the potential to injure someone and just relying on our luck is not a great plan.
Even if we were to pull both by tying rope to each lever and pulling them when we are in the tunnel away form the trap Yukiho would still have to clear the path through the rubble anyway and we would have given ourselves away.

Rolled 9

>>25184081

That's assuming Yukiho has a 100% chance of opening the tunnel herself though. If the QM gave us levers I'd go with trying levers.

Rolled 9

Will rope pulling work QM? I'd go with a combo of that and reinforcing the roof with Yukiho.

Rolled 6

>>25184127
She had no trouble opening and closing the wall of our camp I assume that going through another wall would be little difficulty. My thought was to not announce ourselves, as I would assume a collapsing tunnel would alert others of intruders, and to minimize the risk of injury.

Okay, so who won the roll then?

>>25184297
This guys I believe >>25184193 Not a bad roll. single digit at least.

>>25183930
>>25184193
Letting Mami off your back, you examine the disguised lever, gently applying a little pressure to gauge how much force you'd need to pull it.

"I suspect we'll need to pull both at once...but just to be on the safe side, what if we rigged up some rope to pull from a little ways down the tunnel? And as an extra layer of safety, Yukiho, be ready with some earth magic to protect us, ok?"

You set to work tying rope to the levers and threading it through pitons driven into the walls below to serve as makeshift pulleys. You back down to the last bend in the tunnel before the dead end, a distance of about 20 ft, and hand one of the ropes to Miki. You tell Haruka and the twins to go further back down the tunnel, and Yukiho to stay close behind to be ready to stop a cave-in if possible.

"Alright, Miki, we'll pull on three. One...

Two...

Three!"

As you tug on the ropes, the levers move down, and you hear the scraping of stone shifting against stone up ahead.

>>25184375

Ohhh boy....

>>25184375
and then we died

>>25184631
Nooooooo! We forgot to save it when we entered the tunnel, now we have to do it all over again.

>>25184375
To your relief, you see no signs of the ceiling caving in, only the wall ahead sliding away to the sides, revealing more tunnel winding away into the caverns. After waiting a bit to make sure the cave-in mechanism wasn't simply delayed, you cautiously move forward to retrieve your pitons and rope. The pitons are slightly deformed, but should be good for one more use, at least.

The stone door safely dealt with, you make your way onward toward the cult temple. Judging by how far you've progressed through Yukiho's list of directions, it shouldn't be too long now until you arrive...
--------------------------------------------------------

Sure enough, it's only a bit over an hour later that you come to the last fork noted in Yukiho's directions. Not too much longer, and you should be at your destination.

This particular fork is simply that -- a fork in the tunnels, no open chamber or anything. The tunnel continues onward ahead of you, but according to Yukiho's directions you want to take the fork heading to your left. There's also another fork leading right, just slightly offset from the one on the left, but according to Yukiho's scan that just winds off a short ways into a dead end. Just as you're stashing the notes away in your pack and starting to make your way down the tunnel to the left, you hear something from up ahead. Footsteps -- another goblin patrol. But you also hear a voice -- much deeper than a goblin's, guttural, and angry-sounding.

An orc.

>>25184777
Quickly shuttering the lantern in hopes that the patrol hadn't noticed its light yet, you consider your options. This close to your goal, it may be more prudent to avoid making a ruckus that might alert any nearby goblins...or cultists.

>[] Rush as quietly as possible toward your destination and hope the patrol heads the way you came.
>[] Hide in the dead end and wait for them to pass by.
>[] Hide in the dead end and wait to ambush them, take them out quickly and quietly.
>[] Meet them head-on.
>[] Other (specify)

>For either of the two "hide in the dead end" options, specify:
>>[] Have Yukiho shift the stone to conceal you
>>[] Have the twins use illusions to conceal you
>>[] Combine both of the above
>>[] Have the girls save their mana; just hide the old-fashioned way

>And gimme that 1d20

Rolled 8

>>25184783
>[x] Hide in the dead end and wait to ambush them, take them out quickly and quietly
>[x] Have the girls save their mana; just hide the old-fashioned way
We may need that mana if things start heading south. The less resistance we have to face, the better.

Rolled 7

>>25184783
>[] Hide in the dead end and wait to ambush them, take them out quickly and quietly.

Since I'm guessing this is roll dependent, I think this would be the safest option yet provide the best reward if we succeed.

>[] Have the twins use illusions to conceal you

I would save Yukiho's mana since its valuable resource, but AmiMami's magic seems specifically geared for these types of situations, more specifically assassinations.

Rolled 7

>>25184783
[X] Hide in the dead end and wait to ambush them, take them out quickly and quietly.
[X] Have the girls save their mana; just hide the old-fashioned way
Better to save mana for later more dire situations, a single enemy doesn't seem to warrant magic.

Rolled 5

>>25184783
Hide
Illusions

>>25184942
Sorry, I guess I was a little ambiguous with that last post. This isn't a single enemy -- it's a single ORC, but he's accompanying a squad of goblins. "Goblin patrol plus one orc", not just "one orc."

Rolled 1

>>25184783

[X] Hide in the dead end
[X] Twins use illusions

Rolled 10

>>25185079

Seconded.

>>25185070
Ah. Well then, revise >>25184942 to use illusions as others have suggested.

>>25185100
It's fair play.
I think.

>>25185079
>1
Oh so close, but instead a 10 from >>25185100. Our rolls seem to be going up slowly tonight, still not doing bad though.

>>25185100

Right in the middle. I guess that's a decent roll since P-San is supposedly a pretty good fighter.

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>>25185175

Much better than the string of 19, 20, 17 etc. that we usually run into. Knock on wood though.

Alright, so as for the vote, I have

>>25184828
>>25184867
>>25184942
Ambush

>>25184986
>>25185079
>>25185100
Hide

To clarify, are those "hide" votes specifically for the "hide and wait for them to pass" option? If at least one was intended to be "either wait or ambush, I don't care as long as it's one of those", then I can start writing up the next post, but if they were all specifically for "hide & wait" I'm going to need a tiebreaker.

Rolled 19

>>25185288
Hide and wait

>>25185288

I vote to ambush.

KILL EM ALL

>>25185343
>>25185363
ha ha
[x] ambush

>>25185363
>>25185343
Dammit guys, this solves nothing!

>>25185288

>>25185079 here Meant [X] Hide and ambush

>>25185363
Let's compromise

Ambush, then wait

>>25185228

Ambush. It would be safer

Rolled 10

>>25184783
>>[x] Hide in the dead end and wait to ambush them, take them out quickly and quietly.

>>25184783
>>25185100
You make for the dead end, moving as quietly as possible, and hiss for the girls to follow.
"Ami, Mami, cover us with an illusion. We'll ambush as they pass."

Tense moments pass as you wait in the pitch blackness, listening intently to the sound of approaching footsteps. You hear the pitter-pat of what sounds like somewhere around a half-dozen goblins on top of the heavier steps of the orc.

You carefully set the lantern on the ground, being sure not to make any noise, and crouch next to it, ready to flick open the shutter when you launch your attack.

The footsteps draw steadily closer, the orc's voice ringing loud and clear in the tunnel.

Quietly, you slip your sword from its sheath.

Any moment now...

"Go!" Sliding the lantern's shutter wide open, you charge ahead at the orcs, Miki close on your heels. Stone tendrils writhe up from the floor, limned in faint yellow light, to ensnare the orc and goblins as they stand, bewildered, swiping futilely at shadowy forms darting at them from all sides.

As you charge, you hear Haruka's voice behind you, stammering in surprise, and finally finding the coherency to shout, "Look out!" Just as you're about to reach the orc, you see a mote of brilliant white in your peripheral vision, careening about wildly like a drunken pixie before finally swerving directly into Miki's face. The mote bursts into a shower of sparkles, and Miki's swing goes wide of its mark, missing the goblin by scant inches.

>>25185820

dammit, haruka.

>>25185893
You expecting a smooth encounter? Too bad it's Haruka!

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>>25185820

Why, Haruka, why?

>>25185820
"Sorry, Miki!" Haruka shouts from the rear.

Not breaking your stride, you slam into the orc with your shield, at the same time driving your sword deep into its belly. You're not exactly a small man, but standing toe-to-toe with the orc you certainly feel like it. The brute stands nearly a full head taller than you, and must be easily half again your weight at least. Bellowing with rage and pain, the orc topples over, caught off-guard by your assault. A few more quick hacks and stabs from you, and its bellowing is reduced to wet gurgles, and its thrashing to feeble twitches.

You turn on the goblins, finding them still rooted to the ground and utterly disorganized. Miki seems to have recovered quickly from the blinding mote, and cuts down one of them just as you turn to look. Haruka is advancing, mace at the ready; the twins are still back by the lantern, maintaining the illusions keeping the goblins distracted, and Yukiho seems unsure just what to do.

Cleaning up is child's play. The ambush didn't go quite as cleanly as you would have hoped, and you're worried about how far that orc's shouting (brief though it was) may have carried in these tunnels, but on the whole you'd say it went well.

As Yukiho and the twins come forward to join you in the main tunnel, bringing the lantern with them, you spy something glimmering in its light. Strung from the orc's neck with crude twine is a skull, carved from obsidian against a flame-shaped backing of silver.

>>25186279
>That skull
We are getting closer.

>>25186279
Let's have Yukiho do a sounding. If we're close to the center, I don't want any surprises.

>>25186657

Sounds like a decent idea. We're getting close.

>>25186279
"That's not good," you mutter as you pocket the charm. "Not good at all."

Haruka tilts her head at you quizzically. "What's not good, Producer?"

"This orc has the same sort of skull charm we found on that goblin mage the other day. Goblins like shiny stuff -- they're happy to wear whatever jewelry they happen to loot from humans. But orcs, orcs are different. They don't give a damn about jewelry. The only sort of status symbol orcs value is trophies harvested from their kills. Bones, scalps, that sort of thing. The only time orcs ever wear jewelry is when they're working for a human master, and the master makes them wear it."

"So...the orc is taking orders from a human?"

"We'd be lucky if it's just 'A' human. One human would mean a lone madman -- a lunatic wizard or rogue witch. But it could be a whole demon cult.
And the goblins are taking orders from the orcs...you'd never be able to get goblins to directly follow a human, but orcs will learn human languages and take orders from humans they see as 'strong' -- in reality, people who are evil and cruel. And goblins will take orders from orcs.
Stay on your toes. We can probably expect company when we get to that temple room. Yukiho, give us another reading so we know just how far it is. I don't want to be stumbling into any surprises."

"R-right!"

After a few moments of concentration, she speaks up. "It's pretty close. M-maybe another half an hour?"

>>25186891

Oh boy. Boss room incoming?

>>25186959
We can hope.

>>25186891

QM, was that previous post a what do? Perhaps you might want to use a MGNQ style [?/?]

I was personally waiting since I though you might have been writing another post.

>>25186959
>>25186967

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV2tM3DO53I

>>25186891
Anything unusual about the room? How does the tunnel open up?

>>25186891

"Yukiho, any signs the room was occupied?"

Time to move, in any case.

>>25186976

I've come to assume if there's no '>wat do' at the end of the post it's a multi-parter.

Adding a [x/y] post numbering on muti-part posts would be a good idea actually.

>>25186891
You head out, moving as quickly and quietly as possible. If anyone did hear the noise of your ambush, it would be best to give them as little time as possible to mount a response. You also close the lantern shutter to the smallest slit, giving just enough light to see by in order to minimize your chances of being spotted.

Sure enough, true to Yukiho's information, after roughly a half hour of making your way through the tunnels, you come to what must unmistakably be your destination. For the first time since you entered these caverns, you see light from a source other than your own. Torchlight, flickering from up ahead. Immediately, you hold up your hand to call for a halt, and motion for Yukiho to close the lantern's shutter entirely.

Listening carefully, you faintly hear the sound of voices echoing from up ahead. Not goblins, nor orcs.

Humans. Several of them, in fact. It sounds like some sort of call-and-response chant, with a lone cantor being answered by a small group. It's difficult to tell, muddled as the sound is by echoing down the stone tunnels, but it sounds like there are at least five or six in the response group.

>What do?

>>25187119

Have AmiMami scout it out while cloaked. Be very ready on standby in case shit goes down.

>>25187046
>>25186976
I've been operating on the system of posts being implied multi-parters if I don't prompt for anything, but I could start including a more explicit indicator of multi-part posts. I just included the Yukiho scan there because it was a good idea and easy enough to work into what I was already writing up.

>>25187119
I don't think engaging them as a group would be a good idea. We've got a party of rookie adventurers who've probably never fought another human before, and the way things are headed it's all going to end in violence and possibly tentacles.
Let's see if we can get one alone to interrogate.

>>25187119

Listen for abit.

Is the call and response the same for all groups?

Move forward abit if we can't hear clearly, or send Ami/Mami up a little bit to eavesdrop.

If its the same and we can duplicate it, we can then ambush the fucks quickly, the send an all clear message to the response groups.

>>25187119

>>25187151 This, but tell them to be careful. No pranks or stealing; the Temple of Doom is no place for mischief.

>>25187119
sneak up with the twins and observe whats up

>>25187213
>>25187232
>>25187225

If we do send the twins in, let's have them avoid using magic of any sort, these people might detect it somehow.

>>25187328
We might already be exposed if they detected Yukiho's scanning magic, sending them in cloaked is probably the safest idea.

>>25187119
You beckon the twins close and whisper to them, "Get up there and see what's going on, then come back and let me know. Whatever it takes, do *not* be seen. Got it?"

The two nod vigorously.

"Good. Be careful."

The two stalk forward, melting from your sight as they move. As the seconds slip by, you grow more and more nervous. You hope that Ami and Mami can handle this...what if you just sent them to their deaths? If these are demon cultists, who knows what sort of strange witchcraft they might have. What if they can see right through the twins' invisibility glamer?

It occurs to you that, while you've taken the leadership role in quite a few quests before, this is the first time you've been solely responsible for a group of complete novices like this. Gods, the twins aren't even of age yet...and here you went and told them to scout out a suspected demon cult by themselves?

The chanting ceases. Your heart leaps into your throat as crushing silence descends.

A split second later it starts again, and you breathe a quiet sigh of relief. Just a pause in the ritual, that's all. Or was it?

You nearly jump out of your boots as Haruka grabs your hand. "Producer, are you alright?" she whispers. "Your hand is shaking."

>Words
>[] "Yeah, I'm fine."
>[] "Just...a little worried about the twins."
>Actions
>[] Pull your hand away. Gotta set a strong example.
>[] Let her hold your hand a little longer. It really helps soothe your nerves.

>>25187679

>[] "Just...a little worried about the twins."
>[] Pull your hand away. Gotta set a strong example.

>>25187679
Just to be a faggot:
>[x] "Yeah, I'm fine."
>[x] Let her hold your hand a little longer. It really helps soothe your nerves.

>>25187679

>"Just a little worried about the twins."
>Pull your hand away.

>[] "Just...a little worried about the twins."
>[] Let her hold your hand a little longer. It really helps soothe your nerves.
LEWD AS FUCK

[x] "Just...a little worried about the twins."
[x] Let her hold your hand a little longer. It really helps soothe your nerves.

>>25187679
>[] "Just...a little worried about the twins."
>[] Let her hold your hand a little longer. It really helps soothe your nerves.

I mean, it's Haruka. She likes to comfort people. I don't feel the need to pretend to be all Slab Beefpecks around her.

>>25187679
Words
>[X] "Just...a little worried about the twins."
Action
>[X] Pull your hand away. Gotta set a strong example.
Can't seem too worried and make everyone uneasy.

>>25187679
>[X] "Just...a little worried about the twins."
>[X] Pull your hand away. Gotta set a strong example.

>4 votes for pull away
>4 votes for hold hands

Dammit guys. Quit with the 50/50 splits, would ya?
Can I get a tiebreaker in here?

>>25188050
Hold hands

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>>25188050
HAND HOLDING

>>25188050
Hold hands

>>25188050

Anon is a sensitive yet manly man. I vote lewd hand hugs though.

>>25188111
>>25188108
>>25188100
>>25188067
No hugging no hand holding only butt pats.

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>>25188050
>holding hands

It may be scandalous, but I can't resist.

>>25188165
Not really an appropriate situation for it.

Maybe when we get back to the guild hall.

>>25188165
only if we all get out of this alive

>>25188202
>Butt pat
>Inappropriate situation
No such thing.

>>25188202

You know kotori would love it.

>>25188165
I agree.
Haruka, pat p-san's butt.

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>>25188165

Do butt pats....and have a scream in surprise give our position away in the Temple of Doom?!

>>25188050

[X] Hold hands.

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>>25187679
"Just...a little worried about the twins," you whisper back. You make no effort to extract your hand from hers, and she likewise keeps hold of your hand. You're glad for that. Even with two layers of gauntlet in between, it does wonders for your rattled nerves.

After what feels like an eternity, but must surely have been only a minute or two, you see the twins materialize in front of you, prompting Haruka to hastily drop your hand. The twins take note of this, smirking.

"What's the situation?"

"Well, around the bend is a big open arch," Ami says.
"And there's guards there," Mami adds.
"Orcs, but with nasty claws,"
"And tusks!"
"And they're all like argharghgllg." Ami contorts her face into a bizarre grimace, tongue lolling out, with her hands held up in front of her like deformed claws. You presume this means they're some sort of grotesque mutant orcs, perhaps like the bats from earlier.

"And inside the arch?"

"A bunch of guys with creepy black robes!"
"Six of 'em!"
"And one more with fancier robes."
"And they got masks, like black skulls,"
"And the fancy one has a girl tied up on this weird altar!"
"He keeps cutting her with this weird knife!"
"But you can't hear her scream unless you're inside the room!"

Fantastic. Not only did you find a demon cult, you found them in the middle of a human sacrifice ritual.

But if you act fast, you might be able to save the girl.

>Wat do?
>Might wanna roll for it.

>>25188343
And for good measure Yukiho must be included as first or last to increase the surprise or dread respectively.

Rolled 6

>>25188516
Twins distract orcs.
Miki, Yukiho hit the humans with magic, P-san follows up with sord and bord
Haruka, save the girl.
Can Miki cast Silence? If so do that AFTER nuking the humans.

Rolled 11

>>25188516
Priority right now is to take down the cult leader ASAP before he kills the girl.

Also:
>Ami contorts her face into a bizarre grimace, tongue lolling out, with her hands held up in front of her like deformed claws.
Someone needs to draw this.

>>25188516

Time to charge in.

We go in and attack. Mami and Ami inflitrate while they're distracted. If we get the black robes away from the room, they are to rescue the girl.

Yukiho should stay behind us and use her magic to spear and attack the opponents who are not us.

The rest of us charge in.

Rolled 18

>>25188665

Bleh, forgot a roll.

Rolled 17

>>25188516
Agree with distraction of the orcs with the twins, if they are tainted like the bats we would be hard pressed to deal with them and mages, perhaps lead them off and have Yukiho trap them in a dead end somewhere with a earth wall. P-san should confront the fancy robe. Haruka and Miki should confront the squishies, I mean mages with pole-axe and hammer.

Rolled 8

>>25188516
>>25188665
>>25188593

Rolling~

Perhaps a combination of these but we really have our combat formations worked out at this point.

Rolled 8

>>25188516

KILL CHARGE

>>25188863
...it just might work.

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>>25188863
This better work

>"And they're all like argharghgllg." Ami contorts her face into a bizarre grimace, tongue lolling out, with her hands held up in front of her like deformed claws.
oh ami you so silly

>>25188863
well NO ONE expects an actual frontal assault...

Rolled 4

>>25188607
It is so easy to imagine it too I really want to see it done. On a similar did that one drawfag ever do more than Chihaya and Yukiho?

>>25188516

This >>25188593

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV2tM3DO53I

I'd completely forgotten this was going on today. Best enjoy this and get ideas before my long trip.

This is quite exciting at the moment.

>>25188516
>>25188863
"Alright, here's the plan..."

Ami and Mami have the opening role. As they join hands and scrunch up their faces in concentration, you hear the bellowing of the orcs guarding the door. A moment later, you hear the crashing of claws against stone, and in another moment two ghostly figures flit into view -- doppelgangers of the twins, leaping nimbly back down the passageway, luring the orcs away from the arch. You see the orcs barrel into view, charging after the illusory twins. They're even bigger than normal orcs, though their height is mitigated somewhat by their hunchbacked posture. Their hands are enormous, brutal claws, disproportionately large and wickedly sharp. Their jaws jut out, with razor-sharp tusks the size of swords jutting upward. They wear little more than loincloths, and their skin is criss-crossed with bulging, pulsating veins.

As the tainted orcs come into view, they suddenly lurch forward, bellowing in surprise as they fall to the ground for no apparent reason. You blink, puzzled for a moment as they writhe, wailing and clawing at the air, then realize that below them is the faint outline of an illusory pit trap -- faint to you, that is, but all too real to them.

In a moment, their entrapment becomes significantly more real as the stone below them lurches downward, a sheet of it rolling over them like a winter blanket to pin them to the floor.

Stepping over the door guards, you charge in, Haruka and Miki right behind you.

[cont]

>>25189511
You hurtle around the bend and through the archway. As you pass through the arch, suddenly a new sound fills your ears -- the sobbing and screaming of the girl in the white (or, well, formerly white -- by now mostly red) dress lying bound on the black stone altar in the middle of the room. You see blood trickling down grooves on the side of the altar and flowing along channels in the dais floor to fill a larger circular channel ringing the altar. Surrounding the dais are fourteen statues -- images of the Fourteen Gods, all of them broken, blood-smeared, and otherwise defaced.

Another sensation is suddenly apparent to you as you pass through the archway -- the stench of blood, mostly old and fouled, but with the metallic tang of the fresh stuff overtop.

Standing at the altar is a man in elaborate, hooded black robes embroidered with red and silver in the shape of a flame, wearing a black mask styled in the shape of a skull, covering his face above the mouth. Standing in a semicircle between you and the altar are six more men in similar, though less extravagant costume. The leader seems fixated on the girl, chanting in a strange tongue as he stands over her with a bloody ceremonial knife. The others, however, though they continue to chant their part in the ritual, are looking your way, drawn daggers in hand. As you charge, the six extend their hands over the ring-shaped blood channel and slice their own palms, drawing a trickle of blood.

[cont]

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Rolled 2

>>25189887

>>25189887
As the first drops of the cultists' blood splash into the channel, silvery flames leap upward, following the trickle of blood until they come to rest in the cultists' palms.

As the eerie flames spring into being, the stench of blood seems to grow stronger.

It's at about this time that you impact their ranks. You'd been angling a bit to the right, in order to circle around the altar and catch the leader on your shield side. Miki pulls ahead of you, making the first strike against the cultist to your right. The silver flames lick out from the cultist's hand to shield the blow, but Miki still manages a decent cut with her axe, charging it with lightning that arcs off to the next cultist down, the rightmost one in the semicircle.
A split-second later, Haruka breaks against the cultist to your left, the one closest to the center of the semicircle on this half. This one likewise uses the silver flame to protect against the attack, but Haruka's momentum alone is enough to send him staggering back, clearing your way to circle around to the leader. He seems to pay no heed to your approach, simply raising his knife above his head in a two-handed grip. In a split second he'll plunge it downward, killing the girl and completing the ritual.

>Will you make it in time?
>Roll 2d20

Rolled 1, 2 = 3

>>25190145
Let's get dangerous.

Rolled 13, 9 = 22

>>25190145
Let's save the girl!
If worst comes to worst, throw whatever's in your hands at him!

Rolled 12, 13 = 25

>>25190145
>leaving this to a diceroll
HA HA TIME FOR DESPAIR

Rolled 16, 4 = 20

>>25189887
oh god shes already been gutted

>>25190145
OR WILL SHE!?

Rolled 2, 12 = 14

>>25190145

FUUUUU

Ami, Mami!

DAGGER STORM

>>25190163
FUCK WHY DID I JUMP THE GUN

Rolled 2, 17 = 19

>>25190145
OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT

Rolled 14, 16 = 30

>>25190145

PROTECTILE WEAPONS

WIND MAGIC

>>25190237
>2, 17
I really hope that's 'p-san, cultist' and not the other way around...

>>25190237
The gods help us.

Rolled 16, 14 = 30

>>25190237
Aw crap.. Someone is going to die...

>>25190237
Oh dear, one good one bad.

>>25190257
I'm not sure. It might mean either P-san or the girl we're trying to save too.

I guess we are gonna take the knife instead?

>>25190286
Could be girls life, strength of blood magic. In the case of the roll, girl would live, but ritual is still super effective. Or our fight idols' fight, could be a few things, depends on what Quest M@ster was thinking.

>>25190145
>>25190237
Time seems to slow to a crawl as your combat instincts take over. You feel something stirring within you, a fire in your belly, a furious burning desire, straining to be unleashed like a dog against it's chain.

'Keep it leashed,' you think to yourself. 'Keep it leashed, but use it. Sister Flame, keep me pure. Hero, keep me strong!'

Letting out a yell, you feel a righteous fury welling up within you, and finding newfound strength you put on a burst of speed. You catch the cult leader in mid-thrust, giving voice at the top of your lungs to the passion within you as you crash into him, just barely spoiling his killing blow.

"BY THE FOURTEEN, YOU WILL NOT HARM HER!"

The cult leader collapses to the ground, and you hurl your remaining momentum into a downward slash. It's not a bad blow, landing squarely on the shoulder...but it doesn't bite as deeply as you would have hoped. The cult leader's flesh seems to resist your blade, preventing it from penetrating especially deep despite the considerable force behind it.

Furiously, you jab your sword downward to stab the prone man, but at the instant your blade would connect he is wreathed in silver flame and vanishes, your sword striking only the stone beneath.

Instinctively, you know where he went. He's right behind you. You can hear his breath, the faint rustling of his robes. You can smell him -- his breath, his sweat.

His blood.

[cont]

>>25190655
Oh shit.

>>25190655
OH FUCK

>>25190655
Better than expected, but still OH SHIT!

>>25190655
You whirl to meet him, but find your progress arrested by grasping tongues of shimmering fire. It feels like trying to swing your sword through molasses.

The cult leader narrows his eyes at you from behind the mask, lifting the ceremonial knife slowly. "Interlopers," he says softly, "will be punished."

With a fluid thrust, he deftly stabs the knife through a gap in your armor, embedding it to the hilt in your belly.

As he pulls it free, the scent of fresh blood -- your blood -- fills your nostrils.

Breaking free of the grasping fire, you leap against the leader, driving him to the ground with your shield and falling on top of him to pin him there. You find the altar only a few inches from your face, blood trickling down its sides in slow rivulets.

As you breathe deep, ragged breaths, trying to quell the aching pain in your gut, the heady scent of fresh blood fills your nostrils.

((The blessed nectar runs freely here.))
((Shall we partake?))

>>25190830
>((The blessed nectar runs freely here.))
>((Shall we partake?))
IGNORE EVIL VOICES FROM BEYOND

>>25190830
OH BOY HERE WE GO

>>25190830
This...can't be good.

And thus endeth the sixteenth (not fifteenth!) session of The iDOLM@STER Fantasy Quest.

Ran a little longer than I'd planned, but you know, sometimes I just get these ideas of how the characters would act in a certain situation, and I can't help but take the time to write it out. I guess that's a good thing?

Next session should probably be next Friday; I'll keep you updated. In case you missed it (like, if you're one of the folks who rarely/never visits /@/ and thus would be most in need of it), I now have a twitter for quest-related stuff. If you'd rather use that than the general threads, follow @iMaSFantasyQ.

>>25190830
Ah christ, we broke it.

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>>25190830
oh god we are summoning the blood god

>>25190913
Oh, and, yeah, questions and feedback and all that jazz, totally welcome if you've got it.

>>25190913
Oh. Okay.

Rolled 6, 18 = 24

>>25190913

Thanks QM!

Love it. Especially when /tg/ dice decides to throw us a bone.

And yes twitter is so much easier to follow.

>>25190972
How badly would everything have gone if the girl had got stabbed? SUDDENLY, TENTACLES bad?

>>25190913

GAAHHH! CLIFFHANGEEEEEEEERRR!!!!

Oh well. Makes for an exciting boss battle I guess. Especially since we're reaching the climax of this 4 month quest arc.

The twitter actually came in handy since I forgot what day this was on and then remembered I could check it.

>>25191018

Probably would've scarred the girls for life at least. Which would be pretty turrible.

So next week we will see our reward for this months long quest. What will it be, idol outfits, magic talking weapons, tomes of ancient magics, a new helmet or perhaps a puchi?

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>>25191074

It'll be TWO jars of peppermint sticks this time.

>>25190913
Nice job this week QM, not that there is ever really a poor week. Did you end up using the revised roll interpretation that you talked about last session?

Rolled 18, 6 = 24

>>25191068

More like dead

>>25191123
>TWO jars of peppermint
>Two
Let's try to at least be reasonable with our guesses here.

>>25191123
as if we are gonna find peppermint sticks in a goddamn BLOOD CAVE

>>25190986
You wanna talk about the dice throwing a bone, that last roll was literally perfect for my purposes. I didn't even need to do any railroading to get to the key plot point!

>>25191018
Not "tentacles", precisely, but yeah, pretty bad.

>>25191074
Yes.

>>25191138
Yeah, I was trying to stick more to that. The failure end of things didn't really come up this session (save for the very end), but I was trying to keep the successes more clearly successful.

>>25191200
Shows how much you know about demon cultists. You think they don't like peppermint sticks too?

>>25191200
>>25191192

They're obviously using the blood as a thickening agent for delicious candy treats. Y'alls are just assuming the worst of people just cause they wear dark robes and consort with wild goblinoids.

And we have archival.
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=iM%40S+Fantasy+Quest

>>25191248
BLOOD flavored peppermint sticks at best

>>25191274
I thought of a witty retort for that...but it would be spoilers.

Spoilers only for the immediate next session, and possibly something you could put together on your own from the foreshadowing I've already given, but spoilers nonetheless.

>>25191248

This session did feel like it had a much nicer flow with the more clear success/fail system. So stick to it, and it's nice to see improvements being implemented over the course of the quest.

>>25191271
I was assuming that a prize as grand as TWO jars of peppermint sticks is too grand a prize for such a low level dungeon.
Finding some peppermint sticks in the stash would make me very suspicious of a certain old wizard, or (banish the thought) a moon goddess.

>>25191327
The demon is now inside us, isn't it?

>>25191327
oh god there are gonna be blood flavored peppermint sticks....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaZGXHZ6ixI

>>25191500
>now

>>25191500
I think they're using the blood to corrupt the bats/orcs/etc.
>>25191533
>no P-san you are the demons
panic.gif

>>25191533
Stop it! I'll end up anticipating it so much that a delay will make me depressed.

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>>25191533
oh shit we are titans!

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>>25191533

'But then the cave fell and they were trapped and not able to kill. “No! I must kill the demons” P-San shouted.

The cultist said...

“No, P-San. You are the demons”

And then P-San was a Kakka.

Rolled 9, 19 = 28

>>25191684

Well maybe more head bashing will retard that.