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>>475556

>>470082
>>468839
You tell Nicotine you find her interrogation style bizarrely effective. She couldn't help but chuckle from your compliment.

>"Gee thanks, Wis."

You ask if she learned anything useful from her time with Hayley.

>"Well, for starters I got her phone. I got her to tell me tidbits about the other lackeys. Lastly, it looks like she's just a scrapper who loves socking people in the face. Maybe that's why Petroleum hired her, to be a gunsel who doesn't mind laying the smack on anyone."

>>468943
Nicotine huddles over to Hayley and shares a few shifty looks with her. You can't make out what they're mumbling, maybe she's trying to recruit her. They turn back to you after a bit.

>"Congratulations, this doll right here's gonna join us in our escapades."

The cheerleader looks incredibly sheepish right now, you wonder why.

>>468968
You ask the dame what exactly happened in the restroom. She glances around her as if checking her surroundings before beckoning you to move closer for some discreet chatter.

>"Remember Vector? What I didn't get to do to him I...yeah, I rolled in the hay with her. I even have the clips to prove it."

She presents you a smartphone, most likely Haley's, displaying a video recording of...a scandalous affair. The volume is muted, to avoid raising suspicion. Your cheeks turn volcanic. If you could blush through your helmet, you would.

>"Okay, that's enough of that. Wanna move?"

You turn to Aramid and Errai, the former tells you to go ahead of him.

>"You four go ahead before me, I need to take the time to gather resources."

You, Errai, Nicotine and Hayley depart from the police station to return to the Transportation District. Hopefully from the travel time you will take, Caffeine has already returned with Stoddard in tow. Upon arrival though you do see the waitress and she looks worse for wear, she even lost her apron.

(2/3)

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>>475559
>Ask Caffine what had happened to her

Caffeine tells you that she got lost inside the Maintenance District.

>"Vector managed to find an entrance but I had to go alone, he said he was also unfamiliar with the place. The was simply mind-boggling, I spent an entire week in there. If you don't mind I could definitely use a break. Sorry, but even I have limits."

Pefectly fine, you assure her, but what happened to her apron and arm?

>"I tore up my apron as a kind of trail marker so I wouldn't get lost, and I got cut because...I tripped. Yeah, let's go with that. On the bright side I did find him, he's over there."

She points at the trio of maintenance technicians standing near some supplies. One of them recognizes you and rants.

>"Oi! You're that stupid lass who blasted a hole in my floor yesterday, aren't ya!? You owe me a packet for that, you spineless bint! If it wasn't for that Petroleum fellow, I..."

He isn't gonna stop anytime soon, is he?

(3/3)

>>475660
Packet? Bint?
Does maintenance have it's own culture or something?

>>475660
Let Caffeine rest for a bit, and apologize to Stoddard for the damage.

>>475660
Apologize and say you'll compensate him someway.
Then recruit him.

>>475660
Wait, a week? You had only told Caffine to go find Stoddard only a few hours ago. Ask her for confirmation.

>>475972
It's probably her time dilatation power screwing with her sense of time or she went crazy

>>475988
>>475972
No, she very obviously used her time dilation for an extended period of time.
To her, she actually did experience a week in there.

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Excuse me, had to revise something.

>>475723
>>475797
You tell Caffeine that she did a very good job before turning to Stoddard. You decide to be upfront about the issue and formally apologize for the damages, mentioning that you'll offer whatever compensation is needed. He sighs at how sincere your apology is.

>"You look like a good kid, just misunderstood. Alright, maybe I got some work for ya once this is all over. Also, try not to do -that- again. It's horribly improper, ya know? I'm working 'round the clock here so pardon me for my manners."

It's likely that he's already recruited, considering that he mentioned Petroleum and Caffeine might've sweet-talked him into joining.

Caffeine stands up and, for the first time since you've seen her, walks away at normal speed. Maybe she got tired of dealing with a world in stasis.

>"Tell Aramid that I'm on my break once he gets back."

Speaking of Aramid, there's still some free time before he and his reinforcements arrives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>>475712 Hired from Earth

>>475972
>>475988
This man is correct >>476034

>>476044
I'm out of ideas, so let's comfort caffeine some more and then move on to attacking petroleum's home

>>476047
ask him what his special ability is

>>476047
Ponder how you plan on equipping Hayley with a weapon should the situation arise, because it would be quite foolish to trust her with the gun-tonfas outside of combat, and leaving her unarmed while possible is not allowing for the most amount of preparation. Even if the photos hold enough sway to blackmail her (and you are sure that is the case), she can easily destroy the phone and retract her obligation to help us, becoming more harmful than helpful, especially if she has the gun-tonfas. Maybe Stoddard can weld some pipes together for a makeshift weapon for Hayley, and you can take the phone with the photos so Hayley won't have an easy time getting to it.

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>>476049
Caffeine isn't going to fade away any time soon, so you catch up to her and pat her shoulder. You tell her that she shouldn't push herself too hard, especially since she literally has all the time in the universe.

>"Thanks a lot. You know, I kinda miss Dinertown sometimes but I need to rest, people need me after all."

You let her go and walk back to Stoddard.

>>476057
You ask him if he's got anything special like the other District Heads. For example, Caffeine has her watch, Saccharin can regenerate (and stay young) and Propane has a giant robot.

>"Well, I got this pocket here. It never runs out of useful things...ah...there, another roll of duct tape."

Woah, a hammerspace satchel? That's actually impressive. You say that you'll meet him later.

>>476071
Hayley would be pretty pissed at the whole, uh, scandal earlier. On the other hand, her overall motivation to join Petroleum's employ is simply an excuse to pick fights with people. She might not have any problems fighting her former colleagues. The only animosity she have would probably be to Nicotine on a personal level.

The cheerleader seems adept with relatively-simple weapons, maybe a pair of batons or a staff would be enough for her acrobatic fighting style. Although it wouldn't hurt to be more careful. You approach Nicotine and quietly ask for the smartphone, warning that she might try to take it back.

>"Good call, Wis. Here you go."

You pocket the gadget in your inventory, which is a limited, transdimensional pocket where there's literally no way Hayley can take it back. Unless she breaks your M.M. Unit, which is very unlikely.

--

Aramid and his subordinates from the Law Enforcement District (including the policeman from yesterday) have arrived.

>"Sorry I'm late, just gathering my resources."

Excuse me, I'm gonna play Avenue Flo: Special Delivery. It's quest research, trust me.

>>476402
Sounds like we're set and ready to roll, yeah?
Find out if maintainance runs under management at all. If it does, then we have an in that likely wont have cameras on it.
We can send vector to check out surveillance positions topside when we get to an appropriate position, so we can emerge and move outside of observation.

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Aramid's subordinate presents a large crate on wheels, containing various equipment ranging from body armor to nonlethal weapons. Concerns about Hayley earlier are alleviated for the time being as she is handed a pair of stun batons. She is also handed a comb, a tonic and a small bottle of perfume.

>>476414
You ask Stoddard if the maintenance underworks reach the Management District.

>"Yeah it does, but it's gonna be a jam if we're going to try and move all of us in there. However I'm pretty certain that there's a lift we can use straight to the pantries. Cat-lass here can just tunnel her way up into the room, although we don't know which one."

Vector shows up like he's been out of focus, questioning if stealth is still needed.

>"Half the District Heads have gathered here while a chunk of their men have either deserted or got captured. It's obvious that we're coming for them and they're going to prepare so hiding won't be of much use. The best we could do is split up from a set location and attack at different points simultaneously."

>"Who're you?"

>"Call me Vector, I've been to the location before. There are multiple elevators, a couple of staircases, hidden routes through maintenance and maybe Whirlpool can just penetrate the location."

Out for the night, will return in 12 or 13 hours.

>>476463
take a maint route.

>>476463
Is the Management District armed to the teeth with soldiers carrying lethal weapons?

>>476463
Everyone goes in full force directly to the Management District while you, Errai, Nicotine, and Vector sneak in by drilling a hole.

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>>477329
>"Actually, no. We don't have private grunts apart from Hamilton, and even then he only has a handful of hazmats. Instead, most of the people under Petroleum's employ is powerful on an individual level. They can be taken down with the right strategic decisions."

>>477321
>>477452
You suppose complete stealth is out of the option but you opt to do a little flanking routine. Aramid, after some off-hand discussion with Stoddard, reminds you of the limited space on each entrance.

>"As Stoddard mentioned earlier, we need to split up into groups of four. Since we're most likely going to encounter individuals, being outnumbered isn't going to be a concern anytime soon. I'll let you choose your partners for this operation. Do note that me and Stoddard brought our teams with us."

You choose your lover, your sister and Vector for tactical assistance.

Halon enlists Havelyn's help in keeping an eye on Saccharin and Hayley. The former for her...attitude and the latter for her safety.

Betelgeuse accompanies the rest of her people out of familiarity. She contributes her insight on the planned operation.

>"Stoddard's team is the only one familiar with navigating the Management District. The rest will have to arrive conventionally. I propose we disembark from a particular location somewhere below the aforementioned district. From the sheer scale of the establishment, I estimate that the travel time will allow further discussion and morale support."

Everyone then leaves the hangar. The group separates due to their size and resorts to sharing different elevators and traveling through different routes. Some time later, you all gather in a maintenance room somewhere above the Medical District. You bid each other various parting words and expressions before going your separate ways.

Choose Route:
>Whirlpool
>Betelgeuse
>Halon
>Stoddard
>Aramid

>>478718
>Whirlpool

>>478718
>Betelgeuse

>>478718
>CUSTOM ENTRY:
>HAVELYN
>ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?

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Rolled 3 (1d6)

I'd wait for a tiebreaker but player input seems to be scarce today. (and I'd rather not increase the tie)

Rolling to choose between Whirlpool's team (1-2), Betelgeuse's (3-4) and Halon's (through the perspective of Havelyn) (5-6)

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>>478763
>>478815
You are Betelgeuse, current leader of the settlement. You are feeling a small tinge of worry and fear but you steel yourself nevertheless, as you are fighting for a better tomorrow. Personal musings aside, three of your five subordinates are accompanying you. The remaining two are inside the Medical District, one is watching over the other who is currently being treated for bone fractures.

According to the intel provided by Stoddard, your entry point will be through the freight elevator used to restock goods. Recalling previous instructions, Decrux sets the destination accordingly. As the platform you're standing on ascends, you hear a brief rumbling sound, presumably Whirlpool excavating her way to the target location. Meanwhile Sirius reminds you to use the equipment loaned from Aramid.

>"I do not mean to be impolite, but I think it will be prudent to ensure your personal safety. We do not know what opponents we will combat."

Affirmative. With mild difficulty you equip the helmet. You consider equipping the ballistics vest as well but it proves to be a strained application, considering your VOLUPTUOUS SECONDARY CHARACTERISTICS. Rigel hands you a nonlethal firearm, presenting his own.

>"I wouldn't be needing that, I've been saving up for my revolver."

Whatever suits him, he is more...savvy compared to you when it comes to the contemporary.

The elevator halts and the doors open up. You and your group exit the platform to be greeted by a lone woman surrounded by shelves and boxes of various items.

>"So...it's you, looks like Hayley did at least one thing right. I'm Susan, let's get this over with."

She assumes a stance and prepares for combat. She doesn't seem to bear any external weapons but you remain weary of whatever anomalous properties the individual possesses.

I hope you enjoy verbose for the next few posts..

Also, new Discord link because I messed up https://discord.gg/jpqvKh6

>>479029
Open fire

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>>479036
Hahaha...no. You refuse to take immediate risks and entertain Susan's notion of individual combat. You, Sirius and Decrux brandish your nonlethal firearms and attack. Despite her attempts at using her martial prowess to deflect the projectiles, the electric darts are engineered to penetrate the sleeves of her clothing. She is promptly paralyzed and slumps onto the floor in a pseudo-seizure.

>"O-Oh c-c-come onnn!!"

This encounter proved largely anticlimactic. You presume that Petroleum's faction was expecting the assault to originate from the main entrances, which explains having an unarmed assailant guard this position. This indicates that the more lethal adversaries will be encountered by Aramid and Halon's team. How unfortunate, if only you could relay information—or at least report your status—to the others.

As Decrux and Rigel anticipate the electrified paralysis wearing off, loud noises can be heard somewhere outside the room. You assume it's from the actions of one of the other teams, but which one?

>Whirlpool's
>Halon's
>Aramid's
>Stoddard's

Alright, I guess that's it for the night. Will return in due time. And try not to cause any more ties. Maybe first to three-four?

>>479138
>Aramid's

>>479138
Pff, tactics win.
>Aramid's

>>479138
>Whirlpool's

>>479138
Aramid

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>>479290
>>479329
>>480324
The door is blown off its hinges from an explosion. Dust and debris pollute the air, mildly obscuring vision. You see Aramid and his team rush through the doorway.

>"...our chance! Fall back! FALL BACK!!"

His panicked voice sounds distorted, it's likely that his helmet's voice filter is damaged. Noticing your group standing idle, he commands you to take shelter.

>"Everyone scatter, she has a rocket launcher! You there, Betelgeuse! Hide, she'll kill you!"

You follow his immediate command, his panicked tone hinting at the potential lethality of his opponent. Decrux hauls Susan to a discreet corner while you and the others take cover behind the containers. You glance briefly at the ruined entrance and see another woman, dressed for war.

>"I can't believe it! Come on Aaron, you don't remember me, Karina? What happened to you after Arcturus? Show yourself or I'm gonna blast this place apart to remind you!"

>Wait and/or try to flee
>All-out retaliation
>[Aramid] Come clean and negotiate
>[Aramid] Remove helmet and roll to seduce
>[Rigel] Shoot her while she's waiting
>Write in

>>482164
>Aramid, stand up and move in to negotiate, but use hand signals to instruct everyone else to get into a good position for neutralizing her.

>While they talk: TAKE THE SHOT.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>482164
>[Aramid] Remove helmet and roll to seduce

>>482218
SHIIIIIIIIT

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>482164
Negotiate with her but you slyly lead the discussion into seduction while everyone else circles around her.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>482164
>[Aramid] Remove helmet and roll to seduce

>>482164
>[Aramid] Remove helmet and roll to seduce

>>482218
Oh shit we about to get it on

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>>482215 Welp, we have a winner
>>482247
>>482283
>"I don't even know you lady but fine! If you want me that badly..."

Aramid deliberately exposes himself, walking in full view of Karina. removes his helmet. Everyone is shocked by the revelation, including his own subordinates.

>"...here I am, what do you want?"

Aramid is actually female, which explains why her helmet has a voice-changing module installed. Karina is astounded, she can't believe her eyes.

>"It'd be a shame to blow apart a face as pretty as mine. Where is Aaron, you know, the real Aramid? Or did he chicken out and send a proxy in his place?"

The armored policewoman walks up to her and towers over. being substantially taller.

>"Aaron Midas retired a long time ago, I'm his only child: Ara Midas. Now hand over that rocket launcher or I'll have to break your spine."

The veteran considers her options carefully, then hands her weapon over to Aramid.

>"Fine, but I'm not doing this because I lost or anything."

>>482622
Knock her out with one good punch.
She shot ROCKETS at people. Might as well put her to sleep before she changes her mind and causes more trouble.

>>482622
Cute. Aramid got this, make her give up working for petroleum or help us. Then equip rocket launcher and continue ahead.

>>482622
Let Aramid handle Karina.

Continue the assault, but reserve the rocket launcher for more dangerous enemies.

>>482622
Go in for the kiss, then knock her out.

>>482622
Kiss her into submission

Rolled 3 (1d3)

Rolling between three distinct options (counting 2&3 as one input, counting 4&5 as "knockout via kissing")

>>482727
but that's a d3

>>482737
I know, I'm compressing choices

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Update will be delayed due to fatigue and planning. Sorry about that.

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Pardon the delay, had to run through several drafts

>>482691
>>482716
Aramid signals the all-clear and gestures everyone to be at ease.

>"This situation's under control, you can all exit cover. Also, apprehend the neutralized suspect."

She turns to Karina, tossing away the rocket launcher to make sure she can't reach it.

>"And you, we're currently in a police operation so either you turn yourself in to the authorities or you help us take action against your employers."

>"Only under one condition: You. You're charming, maybe even better than the most handsome lookers where I'm from. My heart skipped a beat when you took off your helmet, so how about a little kiss for my mercenary fee?"

It does not require a psychologist to recognize that she is completely infatuated with the armored policewoman. The latter seems to be expressing discomfort at the prospect of kissing someone of similar biological sex. Everyone else, including you, show gestures of moral support to assist her endeavor.

>"Fine, I guess I'll have to take one for the team. C̶̷r̶̷a̶̷z̶̷y̶̷ ̶̷w̶̷o̶̷m̶̷a̶̷n̶̷,̶̷ ̶̷p̶̷r̶̷o̶̷b̶̷a̶̷b̶̷l̶̷y̶̷ ̶̷h̶̷a̶̷s̶̷ ̶̷P̶̷T̶̷S̶̷D̶̷ ̶̷o̶̷r̶̷ ̶̷s̶̷o̶̷m̶̷e̶̷t̶̷h̶̷i̶̷n̶̷'̶̷.̶̷"

Rigel and two of Aramid's subordinates cheer at the romantic display. Karina faints out of bliss immediately afterwards. For a life-threatening encounter to end in such bizarre a manner, this instance warrants a scientific investigation. The statistics would probably amount to near-insanity, you bet.

Oh well. That's two individuals down, an indeterminate amount more to go.

Switch perspective to:
>Whirlpool
>Halon
>Stoddard

I need to relax for a while, no updates for the rest of the day. Will still hang out on Discord for casual chatter.

>>483126
>HAVELYN
>LET'S ROCK

>>483126
>Halon

>>483126
>Halon

>>483126
>Whirlpool

>>483126
>If you can't fuck the guy you're in love with fuck his daughter instead

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>>483282
>>483305
You are now Halon, head fireman of the Fire Control District. It's somewhat ironic that you're going through a fire exit to wreak havoc, maybe set a few things on fire if things go well. You're accompanied by a stone-clad knight from a different realm, a little girl who's been like that for the past decade and a renegade cheerleader with a -strong- penchant for hitting people. From your brief chat with Havelyn earlier, the plan is to get to where they keep his black crystal.

The hallway you arrive in is largely nondescript, typical for an office setting. Strangely enough, no one's around. Maybe no one thought it would be possible to use a fire exit as a fire -entrance-. What? They think it's impossible to open one from the other side? That's not a bad thing though, your older uniform isn't as armored as your usual one.

You ask the two turncoats for any directions from here, wouldn't want to reach a dead end after all.

>To the cafeteria
>To the recreation room
>To the offices
>Stay here for a moment

>>484839
>Stay here for a moment

>>484839
>Stay here for a moment
Make some loud noises and see who comes knocking. They'll point you in the right direction.

>>484839
>To the offices

>>484839
Offices

>>484839
In which we become the office

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>>484867
>>484881
>>484888 Wow, trips!
You decide to move over to the offices, the dreaded cubicles that serve as the ultimate dead end in life. It seems rather small, as if there's only a small handful of individuals working here. Then again, Petroleum's not managing a large corporation or anything, simply the logistics of a small region.

There's only one individual in this room: a young woman with a beret. She is spending her time with a decrepit laptop from a bygone era. She notices you and the others yet simply tells you to leave her be.

>"Please, don't mind me, I'm just here for the closest thing this place has for an internet. I'm making do on some old, old teenhood promises."

Saccharin is somehow annoying her with her mere presence alone, maybe she hates kids or something.

>>485066
Saccharin steals her beret and runs off from the group

>>485066
Havelyn: Ask for directions to where they're keeping your crystal. Petroleum would for sure never tell you, but she might know.

>>485066
Ask her what she's doing and move on

>>485066
Ask for information on this place and petroleum, promise to not harm her or cut the internet

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>>485091
>"That's a nice hat you got there, miss."

Oh god no, Saccharin's got that face again.

>"...Thanks. Who invited you here though?"

Havelyn vouches for your group.

>"I did, they're with me. We're on a journey to go against Petroleum, you'd understand."

Saccharin yanks her arm towards the woman's hat, but she grabs her wrist and tosses her aside. Busted.

>"Excuse me, I LIKE MY HAT. Someone get this kid out of here? Hayley?"

You oblige her request and drag the little girl away from her.

>>485100
Havelyn asks her about his black crystal.

>"I don't recall your name, but surely you know where my Black Separation Crystal is."

>"If it's not in the arms locker then it's definitely in Petroleum's office, y'know, where he always keeps his bullshit. Good luck actually entering it though."

>>485101
You politely ask her what exactly is she doing, it's unlikely she would get hired solely to stick around and eat bandwidth.

>"It's a funny story actually, but I'm sure you wouldn't understand."

You assure her that you'll do your best to accommodate, you're a fireman after all.

>"Let's just say that I'm just a nameless noob and then I got hired to be famous under the pretense of "public relations". In hindsight, I think I signed up here a little too early. So here I am, just slacking off and helping around the district when I'm not glued to my screen."

>>485102
You ask the woman for information of the place and knowledge of Petroleum's location, promising that you won't hurt her or her internet connection.

>"Of course you won't, I don't really have anything of worth to me aside from the old shit I have on my sentimental laptop. Anyways, if you want to look for Petroleum: top floor, very center. Easy."

Her cooperativeness is very startling. She stands up from her seat and offers you a proposition of her own.

>"At this point I don't really care for the state of the politics or your shenanigans, but I want something in return. You see, I've been living for so long that I've forgotten my real name. I had to get a new body and all, but I still haven't achieved my life's goal yet. Help me in return-"

Wait, a new body? Isn't that what Petroleum has?

>"Yeah, he was at the forefront. Although I've lived for almost two lifetimes, he's been at it since earlier. He really min-maxed his longevity prior to the first robot body, by the time the 'transfer' had started his real body is a shriveled old corpse like that House guy. I got lucky, born in time to experience sorta-organic bodies when I turned sixty. It was great."

Hayley butts into the conversation.

>"Oh yeah, you're actually a really old man in the body of a frustrated woman. All because you want to get famous on the internet, no wonder you're such a miserable closet nerd."

>"SHUT IT YOU- (ahem) Anyway, yeah, I was gonna ask you if you can help me gain stardom. Help assure my status and I'll do what I can to mess with Petroleum. No sucking dicks though, I'm not -that- desperate."

>>485261
Agree, make a note of it, and move to Petroleum's location

>>485261
Yeah, ok, we'll think of a way for that

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>485261
Sure thing, that is if we can live long enough to get around to that.

Rolling for Saccharin stealthily stealing the beret.

>>485261
Agree, but stay VERY cautious of this person.

For all we know, she might actually be petroleum who made up this story in case one of us found out she was in a robo-body. There's a definite possibility that this is petroleum who's just trying to undermine us from within.

But hey, still agree. There's always the chance that her story and intentions are legit.

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I'd post this earlier if the internet would just cooperate, both at home and at college!

>>485263
>>485268
>>485270
You agree to her wishes, even though you're a fireman, not a talent scout. The aspirant doesn't look that very capable in a fight but the more the merrier. She looks very ecstatic at the prospect of being famous.

>"Sweet goodie gumdrops, the grind finally ends! After all these years I..."

You turn to Hayley, who preemptively agrees with what you might say about her. You discreetly ask her if she's Petroleum and she shakes her head in response. She whispers that she's already seen what he looks like.

>"Oh right! Hey, uh, can you hang on for a bit? I just need to pack up my laptop, she's been with me since my old life."

>>485269
The aspirant turns off her laptop and places it in her traveling bag. As she turns towards the rest of you, Saccharin cheekily runs in front of her and swiftly nicks her beret, revealing her short, messing and somehow-graying hair. She can't react since her hands are full with holding her keepsake.

>"No! My hat! My precious hat!"

Hayley lambasts her for being capricious.

>"You can always just buy more hats!"

>"But it's important to me! It establishes who I am!"

>"You were never famous in the first place!"

>"WHY DO YOU SMELL LIKE BOOZE!!?"

You ask Havelyn if these two go at it frequently, unfortunately his shrug is inconclusive. Might as well move on, she does look cute when she's panicking.

--

You reach a large atrium or lobby, with a lounge and conversation pit. Even though this should be the smallest district in Resorcinol, it's still fairly large. Just how luxurious can this place get? Maybe enough to beat the Residential District, even with Caffeine's help. You're nowhere near the outer walls though, indicated by the lack of windows. There's only one individual residing, a strange cone-headed individual with a...wheel? He seems as peculiar as Havelyn, if not moreso.

I take solace in the fact that all of my players are in the western hemisphere, allowing me to rest at the afternoon.

Last post for the night, it seems all my effort dies out after lunch time followed by a long period of absence and one more update before settling for the night.

>>485644
Havelyn: Skelewheel ptsd flashbacks.

>>485644
Ask Havelyn who that person is. The fact that they look similar in a way could mean that they have the same capabilities, and what you heard from the others about Havelyn makes it scary at the thought of it. It'd be best if you let Havelyn do most of the work, as in he charges at the person right now to attack him.

>>485647
Backing

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>>485645
Havelyn looks like he's in deep thought. You wave your hand in front of his face a few times. Hey buddy, you alright?

>"No, we have a score to settle."

The stone-clad knight draws his two crossbows and runs towards the figure who, in return, stands up and prepares for battle. You can't hear exactly what they are arguing about but it looks like regardless of his turncoat status the two has their fair share of bad blood.

>>485647
>>485710
You notice Hayley and the eccentric aspirant quietly backing away from the fight.

>"I dunno chief, this 'Wheelseeker' fellow is a kinda scary guy. I like picking fights but I have exceptions."

>"Yeah, what she said. My body is ageless, not immortal. I'll do what I can but I can do nothing about this."

Saccharin seems indifferent, maybe she's even spectating.

>Stay and help Havelyn
>Disengage and move on
>Throw Saccharin into the fray (maybe literally)
>Write in

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>486861
Saccharin tries to disarm situation. Take that as you will

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>486868
Rolling for this

>>486861
>Stay and help Havelyn

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Havelyn slowly paces with his weapons drawn while his opponent darts about, swinging away like a prison inmate. Despite the weird weapon his opponent wields, he's surprisingly adept with it.

>>486915
Saccharin rudely intrudes on the duel, hopefully she can buy us some time. All she gets for even approaching the opponent is a wheel to the face. Luckily she can regenerate from that but the blow pissed her off.

>"YOUR WHEEL IS DUMB AND I'M TAKING IT RIGHT NOW!"

She tries to wrestle the wheel away from its wielder but it just nets her a beatdown, which keeps him occupied for Havelyn to fire another barrage of crossbow bolts. Sustaining a strong hit, he darts away again and the two duelists resume their confrontation.

You ask the eccentric aspirant, hiding behind a bench, who this 'Wheelseeker' is.

>"Oh yeah, his name's Hestan, he's crazy like that and also hails from another world like Havelyn."

>>486944
The only thing you have with you is your trusty fire axe and an older model of a Cryofield Emitter attached to your suit. Well, if Hayley and the Aspirant can't fight, then you might as well have to. You move in to support your medieval friend, but he switches targets and focuses on you!

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>487286
>Chill out.
If we slow him down with ice, he's bound to be an easier target for havelyn. And everyone else can, you know avoid him easier.

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>487286
Overload the Cryofield Emitter and stick it onto Hestan, then go about chopping the wheel into pieces.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>487286
Rolling for axe throw

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>>487296
You activate your Cryofield Emitter, this handy device is your forefront against raging infernos by dropping nearby temperatures below freezing and snuffing out one side of the Fire Triangle. You hope it would work against the fires of bloodlust but you guess it's useless on a murderous heart that's already frozen, figuratively speaking. You close in and try to grapple Hestan but you just end up eating a wheel to the mask before he slinks away.

>>487301
Plan B, this man is extremely dangerous so all the better to eliminate him ASAP. Your C.E. is easier to overload, being an older model and all, but has a lot less "leeway time" than you hoped. You override its security measures but he catches you off guard and it explodes immediately with a strong bash. The cryogenic energies refrigerate the surrounding air and blanket the surfaces with a thin sheet of frost. Your suit's insulation is partly busted and you can feel the cold. The catastrophic explosion was enough to knock the everyone off their feet.

>>487312
Is a fireman getting his butt whooped by ice considered ironic? Maybe, you can feel yourself shivering so you're going to save personal musings for later. The eccentric aspirant is clutching her laptop bag dearly, Hayley's still in the sidelines and Saccharin...is going to be perfectly fine. You still have your frosty fire axe and the wheelseeker's disarmed, his favorite weapon is shattered into tiny fragments. You're starting to feel weak and your suit's insulation is partially compromised. Still, you give it the ol' college try and shakily stand up, trembling meekly, before tossing your hunk of door-busting steel at him. He reaches for something in his pocket but you nail him in the knee before anything else. He doesn't die from the axe hit but he does from another barrage of Havelyn's crossbow bolts.

>"Git rekt, scrub. Who's the casul now?"

Hestan's corpse slowly dissipates in a haze of glimmering mist, raising a defiant middle finger before fading completely. You ask if he's not gonna come back and the stone-clad knight nods in confirmation. Good to know, you follow up why doesn't he just die and return to his world instead.

>"My world doesn't work that way, I need my crystal to sever my existence."

Huh, weird. You wonder how Petroleum can keep getting all these people, yanked from various lives and worlds. No one man can possible abduct these many people. You wonder how the others are faring, particularly...

>Whirlpool
>Stoddard

>>487673
Stoddard

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>>487697
You are now Stoddard, head of the Maintenance District. You're traveling through an unfamiliar part of the underworks, trying to find a way into the Management District. Unfortunately you and your mates have encountered a giant robot mucking about. Bloody hell, how the hell did you not see this when you were scouring the area? That Petroleum tosser has some weird tastes, you say.

>"Hello Stoddard, we meet again."

OH FOR FUCKS SAKE, IT'S THAT INSUFFERABLE PRICK: FELIX ENGELBART.

>"For all the efforts they took to keep themselves hidden, the Etesians of Arcturus still managed to lose one of their precious toys to me. Amazing, innit?"

Oh how fanciful, now this fuckward has a new toy up his sleeve. At least you have an excuse for Aramid why you had to act in "self-defense".

You're not sure what you have on you that'll help. Near-unlimited Duct Tape and WD-40? Some spare nuts and bolts? Maybe a handful of tools and scrap metal? A mobile phone? Crap, not even a gun would help you once that giant tin can powers up. You turn to your friends and colleauges, they're good people who're very dependable, but they're only humans.

Epoxy is the dependable repairwoman with the dark skin. She's good at making structural fixes and has a belt-mounted grappling mechanism for quickly flying from wall to wall. She packs a wallop with her wrench, too.

Solder is your resident welder, helping patch pieces together and sculpt a brighter future. Obviously, he has a powerful blowtorch and a good understanding of mechanical engineering. His suit is fairly hardy too, for workshop use.

Acetylene is Solder's protege and resident greasemonkey. The bright lass shows a lot of potential but she needs to focus herself sometimes. Still, if she grows up well, she can be both Epoxy and Solder at the same time, skill-wise.

Better get creative here, you don't want to perish in your workplace like an embarrassment. Maybe they have things on their persons that can help.

One more update before I sleep

>>487927
By which I mean I'll do one more update

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>487927
The idiot didn't even bother to start inside the mech. Rush him down and beat the cap out of him.

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>>487939
You call him out for being such a bloody idiot, what's the point of a robot if you're not riding it?

>"Ah but therein lies the genius, this marvel doesn't re-"

And his face therein lies a nice boot. Nice going, Epoxy! That pinhead couldn't help but boast about his hubris. You gang up on the unlucky sod and prepare to haul him off.

>"Ha! I get the last laugh! The Megalodon is AI CONTROLLED! Get bent!"

So that's why he was so confident, the cruddy bastard. Oh bollocks, and you bet it's going to wake up before you can interrupt its startup sequence or something.

Last update for the night, see ya'll tomorrow.

>>487948
Search him for a remote control of sorts, then bolt out of there while carrying him.

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>487948
Rolling for using the welder to melt through the Megalodon limbs

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>487948
He doesn't seem strong, use him as a meat shield and force him to turn the thing off.
Or run past the robot before it's fully on.

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>>487963
Try as you might, frisking Felix yields nothing apart from the usual crap people carry in their everyday lives.

>"What? You expect a military-grade war machine to have an off switch? I had this placed here because I knew SOMEONE will end up here one way or another."

>>488509
Solder tries approaching one of the robot's limbs but backs away in a jiffy. He was -this- close to getting halved by an energy blade sprouting from the middle of its arm.

>>488755
>"I'm not afraid! I changed its programming to protect me and members of the Management District. Prepar-"

You tell him to shut it with a nice piece of Duct Tape on his mouth. This situation's turning out to be an arse. You and Solder lift him up and haul ass outta here.

>>490030
Human meatshield time, eh? Regroup with your heavyhitting teams, like aramid!

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>490030
Keep running for a while, then do the ol' trip the giant thing using Epoxy's grappling hook

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>490240
This is how you roll senpai

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>490116

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>490030

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>>490116
>>490308
So long as you stick behind Felix, the Megalodon won't turn you into tiny giblets...hopefully. Still, it won't hurt to put some good distance between you and the shark. Time to scurry off and contact the others, but they might be busy with their own scuffles. This place is still fairly big, and you haven't found any exit points yet.

>>490240
>>490277
Epoxy, what are you doing!?

>"Go on ahead, I have an idea that will slow it down!"

She runs off in the opposite direction and zooms away with her grappling hook. Bless her heart, she's always been a maverick like that. You hold confidence in her and her grappling reel, which has saved her in more than a couple occasions. Turning a few corners, you're starting to get knackered from fleeing. Unfortunately things are going balls-up when you hear Epoxy yelling for dear life. You turn around and see her being tossed around like a helpless ragdoll.

>"I'M SOOORYY!! I WAASS WRROOOONNGG!!"

>>490374
Fantastic, absolutely fan-fucking-tastic. Just when this day couldn't get any more gutted, you're at horrible risk of losing one or all of your friends.

>Keep running for the exit
>Stop and help Epoxy
>[Epoxy] Roll to Dodge
>Write in

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>490463
>[Epoxy] Roll to Dodge

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>490463
Fucking Epoxy

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>490463
Stop to help. Have the others run distraction. In the meanwhile...
It's risky, and it might just screw everyone over more, but there's a CHANCE that it could work. In this line of business, you learn what does and does not attract monsters. Do some of things or pull out the substances that attract monsters.
With any hope, they will attack the robot, and the robot will attack them.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>490463
>>[Epoxy] Roll to Dodge

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>>490487
>>490495
>>490561
Epoxy narrowly avoids the Megalodon cutting her into fruit chunks, instead the robot's energy blade severs her belt's grappling reel. She still hits the floor with such a wallop that you hear an horrifying crack. You hope that was her leg or arm, not as tricky to heal compared to a broken spine or skull. The impact also knocks her out mercifully, which is good because she would be in agony otherwise.

>>490496
You direly order Solder and Acetylene to keep the robot busy before it can deliver the Coup de Grâce. Soldier tries to draw attention by showcasing his blowtorch while Acetylene...does -something- as she wont to do.

You try to rummage through your near-bottomless inventory for SOMETHING that can be useful. Whenever you're patching holes in the infrastructure or digging for a new floor, it's very likely that you encounter a sampling of the native wildlife. Although most of the action is in the lower levels, closer to the ground, you hope one or more creature managed to evade your sweep and somehow climb up here.

You don't normally keep random monster bait but it tends to be useful in certain situations like right now. But it's not needed since all this commotion is riling up the closest thing you'll ever see to a dragon: a Cymbian Altowyvern

These large flyers are normally content to browse the Cymbian skies but every now and then they come here to roost quietly. Dealing with these creatures is a pretty peaceful affair as long as you're not working with heavy machinery or anything they might mistake for a threat, at which they will violently lash out especially in defense of its brood. You worry that it might not be enough for a large machine actually built for war.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>490923
Altowyvern: TRY TO RIP THIS LOUD SON OF A BITCH'S HEAD OFF

Everyone else: Try to get Epoxy and amscray before the situation resolves!

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>490923
Take away Epoxy and watch a movie in the making.

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>>490936
With the furious Altowyvern keeping the Megalodon at bay, you and Acetylene whisk Epoxy from the jaws of (possibly literal) death while Solder hauls the sorry tosser with you.

>>491001
You decide to watch the unfolding spectacle with everyone except for Felix, he's going to stare at the wall because he's a cheeky prick. This would be an amazing birthday present for Epoxy, or anyone really. Although the creature's doing a number on the machine, the latter's energy blade's dealing a lot more damage. Eventually it emerges victorious and begins searching for its "owner". At least it didn't win unscathed.

>"There's an exit nearby, this could lead into a lesser hallway that might take us right into the Management District."

You thank Solder and say that this is a great time to leave the area. It's not like the robot can chase us, right?

--

You are Whirlpool and you are accompanied by Errai, Nicotine and Vector. You've been drilling through the walls for quite a while now. Eventually you think you've hit paydirt as you break a small opening through the wall.

>"Whirlpool, what are your observations from the minor breach?"

Peeking through the hole, you tell Errai that you see...

>...long tables like the ones in her settlement's dining hall.
>...the vendor from earlier, talking to someone.
>...a few inviduals wearing hazmat suits.
>...several lockers and some beds.
>...someone putting on clothes.

I'll do one more update before calling it quits for the day.

>>491080
>...several lockers and some beds.

None of the ones with people present would make much sense, since drilling is a very noisy affair, and they'd stop doing what they were doing instantly to investigate.

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>>491084
With a little tinkering and help from Vector, you blow a much larger whole that leads you into normal living space again.

Ah, open space at last, you say out loud. Examining your surroundings you see a bunch of various, slightly-personalized lockers and even a treasure chest. There's also various beds nearby, a bulletin board on the wall, a large wall closet and a weapons display rack. This must be some kind of dorm room where some of Petroleum's lackeys turn in for the night. Errai ponders why no one is around and says some of her thoughts about the room.

>"I presume all of the residents are currently engaging our allies in different locations. This room is strange though, is it probable that Cassie and the others would agree to these conditions? From their varied individualism, there will be those who prefer sleeping in more customized conditions. Perhaps this is for personnel placed lower on the hierarchy."

Last update for the day, and no updates tomorrow because inevitably I'll be out for the obligatory Sunday outing. This is also the last update of the thread, next thread will be on Monday. Thanks for playing, and do hang out in the Discord whenever possible. I'll answer quest-related questions and have some casual chit-chat with the others as well.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>491099
Snoop around.
Break into lockers, open the chests, check the beds for hidden items, look behind the bulletin board, open up that closet, and lastly take shit from the weapon display rack.

Might be some good loot, who knows?

>>491099
Have Vector take a peek outside the door while he is invisible while everyone else searches the room.

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>>496503
>>496503
>>496503
NEW THREAD GET IN HERE