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  1. - Top - End - #31
    Orc in the Playground
     
    Felandria's Avatar

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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Feltok flails around angrily and flamingly, swinging at Ash and attempting to swat him down, stumbling ever closer to Magtok and Asaigh.

    Raaargh!!!!!

    Help! Mommy!!

    Pony Felandria by Dirtytabs, OOTS Avvie by Purple Eagle, Doll by Recaiden
    FelandriaDeadra Blackfyre

  2. - Top - End - #32
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    "Ifrit! Orviq!" Though that first word may be familiar, but the second was in a long-dead language that didn't get translated by the natural Babel atmosphere of the Nexus.

    The creature, apparently named Ifrit, moves back to dodge Feltok's swipes, though it doesn't move to attack.

    "You got anything to put out that fire? I'd rather it be intact if I'm going to study it."

  3. - Top - End - #33
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    "You want it to survive? When it's acting like this? Fine," Magtok grumbles, before holding up his gun, pointing it past Feltok, and firing it...at the octopus tank? Well okay, I guess a massive torrent of dirty aquarium water could put out the fire, but that just gives us a new problem. How are we going to patch up that hole before the whole room gets flooded?! If only there was a small army of waterproof children's dolls nearby, who were obsessed with helping people and fixing things.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
    Unhooded Magtok avvie by urodivoi

  4. - Top - End - #34
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    Felandria's Avatar

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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Magtok View Post
    "You want it to survive? When it's acting like this? Fine," Magtok grumbles, before holding up his gun, pointing it past Feltok, and firing it...at the octopus tank? Well okay, I guess a massive torrent of dirty aquarium water could put out the fire, but that just gives us a new problem. How are we going to patch up that hole before the whole room gets flooded?! If only there was a small army of waterproof children's dolls nearby, who were obsessed with helping people and fixing things.
    As the water pours down, the fire on Feltok is smuffed and she slumps dejectedly to the ground.

    Meanwhile, the tiny Fel dolls reappear from behind Magtok and indeed begin to try and fix the hole in the Tank.

    Help.
    Help.
    Help.

    Pony Felandria by Dirtytabs, OOTS Avvie by Purple Eagle, Doll by Recaiden
    FelandriaDeadra Blackfyre

  5. - Top - End - #35
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    "I want it intact! Ifrit doesn't normally light things on fire that easily." Automatons building themselves? Asaigh had to see how something like that came to be. Her quill glows alight with red energy, which she blasts at Feltok's head. The aether acts akin to a blast from a shotgun, though with the added benefits of being pure magical energy. Ifrit stays back, per Asaigh's earlier instructions.

  6. - Top - End - #36
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    "That's a pretty lousy reason, honestly. If I had someone suddenly catch fire from being in my presence, I'd just assume they probably deserved it and let them be," the cyborg explains, in between grabbing handfuls of the smaller Felandria dolls and chucking them towards the hole in the aquarium tank. If enough of them stuff themselves in the cavity, that should keep it from leaking long enough for the octopus himself or one of the smarter dolls to patch up the glass themselves, surely.

    "Probably a very reasonable explanation for what happened that isn't worth all this fuss, anyway. Maybe the robot just took a bath in gasoline earlier or something, I dunno." Nor does Magtok particularly care. Failed experiments like this aren't worth revisiting. Dwelling on such negativity isn't healthy, and learning from your mistakes is overrated. Better to just bury the past in a tomb of concrete and move on to something better.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
    Unhooded Magtok avvie by urodivoi

  7. - Top - End - #37
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    The dolls are already hard at work fixing the tank, forming a tiny wall as they approach so they don’t get knocked over, and a couple of the dolls crawl through the hole so they can work on it from both sides.

    Help.
    Help.
    Help.


    Meanwhile, Feltok continues to lay on the ground, sobbing.

    Why?
    What?
    Am?
    I?

    Pony Felandria by Dirtytabs, OOTS Avvie by Purple Eagle, Doll by Recaiden
    FelandriaDeadra Blackfyre

  8. - Top - End - #38
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    "That's what I'm asking," Asaigh murmurs. She approaches Feltok as she lays on the floor, ordering Ifrit to keep it's distance. "Gotta be an easy way too..." She tries to find a way to deactivate the creation without damaging too much of its internal workings. She'd rather study her than outright destroy her.

  9. - Top - End - #39
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Magtok loudly sighs in exasperation. This is a waste of time. That generator still needs to get turned back on. Our fallen empire isn't getting back up on its own, after all. "Look, it's just a robot. We've still got two more floors to go, and I don't want to stick around long enough for some other monster to show up on this floor. I've got plenty of other robots that know how to build robots, we-"

    Hey Magtok, you remember what happened with all of those other robots, right? The Magbots that used to populate this place? You gave Sunny control of the MagCave before you left, and she set them all free. They've since scattered across the Nexus. Absolutely none of them stayed here. You ever think about why that might be? How your most loyal and dedicated workforce happily took the first opportunity they could to vanish away where you couldn't get to them, and how none of them even tried to get back in touch when you made your official return to the Nexus? As crazy as it might sound, I don't think the Magbots ever actually liked you, Magtok. Do you have any idea why that might be?

    "...Alright fine, let's do this," he sighs again, kneeling in the dirty octopus tank water, looking over the Feltok thing, trying to figure out exactly what the dolls did to make the big Felandria-stein Monster in the first place. The parts involved look pretty familiar up close, which is hardly a surprise, given they're Magtok's own cyborg bits and pieces. It shouldn't be too hard to power down the whole thing if we rip out the right battery, but Asaigh wanted it intact, didn't she? That also means we can't just leave it here to be torn up by the first spooky techno-organic horde of rats that strolls in looking for spare parts. It needs to stay safe, and it needs to stay here.

    "Listen. Hey, FelBot. Mommy has to go downstairs and turn the lights back on, alright? She needs you to stay here with your sisters where it's safe until she gets back. Just switch to sleep mode, take a quick nap, but keep an eye out for trouble, and I'll be back in less than twenty minutes, okay? Then we'll clean you off, fix up your parts, and everything will be okay. I'm sorry the fire thing hurt you, but you're safe now, and we're going to help you. Everything's going to make a lot more sense in a few minutes, when we've all calmed down and can talk about it," Magtok promises in an uncharacteristically soft, gentle whisper. He's still recoiling in disgust on the inside, but he tries his best not to let it show. Robots have feelings too sometimes, even the really stupid ones.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
    Unhooded Magtok avvie by urodivoi

  10. - Top - End - #40
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Magtok View Post
    Magtok loudly sighs in exasperation. This is a waste of time. That generator still needs to get turned back on. Our fallen empire isn't getting back up on its own, after all. "Look, it's just a robot. We've still got two more floors to go, and I don't want to stick around long enough for some other monster to show up on this floor. I've got plenty of other robots that know how to build robots, we-"

    Hey Magtok, you remember what happened with all of those other robots, right? The Magbots that used to populate this place? You gave Sunny control of the MagCave before you left, and she set them all free. They've since scattered across the Nexus. Absolutely none of them stayed here. You ever think about why that might be? How your most loyal and dedicated workforce happily took the first opportunity they could to vanish away where you couldn't get to them, and how none of them even tried to get back in touch when you made your official return to the Nexus? As crazy as it might sound, I don't think the Magbots ever actually liked you, Magtok. Do you have any idea why that might be?

    "...Alright fine, let's do this," he sighs again, kneeling in the dirty octopus tank water, looking over the Feltok thing, trying to figure out exactly what the dolls did to make the big Felandria-stein Monster in the first place. The parts involved look pretty familiar up close, which is hardly a surprise, given they're Magtok's own cyborg bits and pieces. It shouldn't be too hard to power down the whole thing if we rip out the right battery, but Asaigh wanted it intact, didn't she? That also means we can't just leave it here to be torn up by the first spooky techno-organic horde of rats that strolls in looking for spare parts. It needs to stay safe, and it needs to stay here.

    "Listen. Hey, FelBot. Mommy has to go downstairs and turn the lights back on, alright? She needs you to stay here with your sisters where it's safe until she gets back. Just switch to sleep mode, take a quick nap, but keep an eye out for trouble, and I'll be back in less than twenty minutes, okay? Then we'll clean you off, fix up your parts, and everything will be okay. I'm sorry the fire thing hurt you, but you're safe now, and we're going to help you. Everything's going to make a lot more sense in a few minutes, when we've all calmed down and can talk about it," Magtok promises in an uncharacteristically soft, gentle whisper. He's still recoiling in disgust on the inside, but he tries his best not to let it show. Robots have feelings too sometimes, even the really stupid ones.
    Feltok looks morose yet compliant.

    Yes, Mommy.

    Bwooooooop.

    And she slumps fully to the ground, like she just dozed off.

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  11. - Top - End - #41
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Asaigh sighs as Feltok goes into sleep mode, and dusts her knees off as she stands. "That's that, then. I'll study this further when we've got a stable source of power." She had little to say about that little display. Whatever got the obstacles out of the way, right?

    "Two more floors to this generator of yours, right? Assuming it still works, anyway." Asaigh waves a hand at Ifrit, who fades away as fast as he appeared. "Guess we shouldn't stick around longer than we need too."

  12. - Top - End - #42
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    "It'll work. Unlike most of the stuff here, they were built to last," Magtok insists, picking himself up out of the water. He's glad he didn't waste one of his precious purple robes on this adventure; dealing with the hem getting soaked and dragging along behind him the whole journey would've easily been the worst part of this whole stupid sidequest.

    "So how are we going to do this thing once we get the power back on, anyway? Are you going to want an interview, going to take pictures, grab a shiny-looking golden idol and run out the door? I think it's only fair that I help out a little bit. Now, obviously I'm going to need to keep some things secret, I've done some dark stuff in the past, but there's some things down here I wouldn't really mind the public finding out," the cyborg explains, leading the way forward once again.

    "For example, a few floors down, past the generator we're looking for, I had this entire apocalypse shelter thing set up. Thankfully I never actually needed it, but on the off-chance the stars were ever right, or if the skies turned red with blood and demons came pouring out of hellportals to eat up all the cities, or if the sun just set one day and never came back up again, I had everything figured out. I'd invite over everyone I want to preserve Nexus civilization with, lock the front door up and bomb the first few floors to pieces, and then we'd all have this quiet little underground commune with fake sunlight from a miniature star, big grassy fields, and enough guns to outfit an entire army if the shoggoths got to us. I dunno, it might make for a halfway decent thing to study, now that the apocalypse era is long behind us."

    Okay, now from here, if Magtok's memory serves, we just need to cut across the subway station (which definitely doesn't go anywhere you need to know about), tiptoe past the goose pond (which is entirely devoid of geese, but occupied by one sleepy, distressingly sedan-sized brown toad Magtok doesn't want to deal with), and briskly walk around The Giant Disembodied Eye In the Wall What The Hell Is That Thing And Why Is It Built Into The Wall, before finally reaching the Akira reference elevator. Now, there's no power for the elevator, as has already been established, but fortunately for at least one of the two here, gravity isn't really a big problem. As for Asaigh, maybe she can just slide down or something, I dunno. She's a big girl, she can survive a simple little matter like getting down the giant weaboo elevator, thing right?
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
    Unhooded Magtok avvie by urodivoi

  13. - Top - End - #43
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    The descent in the giant weaboo elevator will not be a long one. As soon as they start making their way down, Magtok and Asaigh will find themselves assaulted by the stench of rot and decay. A searching gaze downwards will reveal the source to be a colossal fungal colony that seems to have grown into the base of the elevator shaft.

    Oh, and it's swarming with rats. Lots and lots and lots of rats. Scurrying, squabbling, swarming rats. Probably best not to get too close to that.

    While no doubt repulsive, the fungus-pile perhaps isn't all that odd. The rats might be, but any abandoned building is likely to get 'shrooms and spores somewhere. The fact that there's light faintly filtering through from somewhere on the next floor is perhaps a little more peculiar. Isn't the power meant to be off?

    How very strange.
    Before you criticise someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticise them, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  14. - Top - End - #44
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    "I'll study what I can, and anything you can give me will help," Asaigh says. "I already told you, but I expected this place to be long abandoned, and for the owner to be, well, actually dead and not... however you and your clones experience death. Vegetation and wildlife moving in usually imply that." Though she's a very experienced archaeologist, she clearly hasn't been in the Nexus long.

    "Oh, you guys had apocalypse eras too? See, in the legends we have 'calamities.' Times where everyone says 'the gods got angry and made us humble again' or some crap like that. She rolls her eyes. "But then you go looking for the actual stories and usually someone got to be too greedy and messed around with forces they didn't understand. Most recent one was the Empire trying to pull down one of the moons like that wasn't gonna backfire hard.

    Interestingly enough, Asaigh doesn't have any notable reactions to any of the strange sights littering the facility. Maybe she's seen similar before. While she can't hover down the elevator shaft, it isn't a problem sliding down, even as the horrid stenches start to hit her nose. She coughs a couple of times as she makes it to the floor, first noticing the swarm of rats. "Cripes, cleanup's gonna be a damned nightmare." She glances around, and sees the flickers of light, letting out a sigh. "And I'm sure that's a great sign."

  15. - Top - End - #45
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    "I wish we could blame something halfway poetic or sensible like government greed on ours. No, it all started with this stupid demon lich, and his awful little pet talking cat. Demon does some stuff, gets his butt kicked while I'm off in my corner doing villain things, so I don't really know too much about what was going on then. Anyway, this leaves the cat here in the Nexus, stranded on his own. Cat gets really weepy and depressed and stupid, decides to end existence to put an end to human suffering. Well, not human, sapient beings, but whatever. He and this necromancer girl get together in an impenetrable magical glass fortress and decide to have a cursed apocalypse child to achieve that goal, because of course they do. That's just the thing you do when you're a bunch of suicidal idiots, I guess," Magtok shrugs, doing his level best to ignore the fungi and rodents, hovering off the ground to keep his distance and covered his mouth and nose with his hand when he passes near the worst of it. I wonder what it'd cost to hire an entire army of pest control specialists to march down here to their deaths? Fumigating the entire building probably isn't viable, but maybe we could do something with a whole lot of fire, if the air filtration systems aren't too damaged.

    "So this gross baby child ushers in the Egyptian plagues. Water into blood. Frogs, lice, wild animals, a thunderstorm of hail and fire, locusts, and so on. It goes on for a while, with people screaming in fury from outside the Glass Citadel, myself included. Finally I bring the necromancer woman's niece to their doorstep, trying to make a point about what they're destroying. She's instantly struck dead by the monstrous demon child, via the death of the firstborn plague, and that's what finally convinces everyone to be rid of the apocalypse baby. I stew in guilt for my part in Melody's death, but the world is saved, life goes on. That's the first of the four apocalypse-level crises I got personally involved in. The last two weren't as eventful, but the second is a doozy. We-" Oh, a light. We should probably shut up for a little while, then. Y'know, make sure the coast is clear and there's no spooky monster waiting in the dark, listening in. The cyborg unslings his rifle again, cursing his miserable luck. You know, I bet Affidavit never had to go to war with his own house.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
    Unhooded Magtok avvie by urodivoi

  16. - Top - End - #46
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    A brief look through the doorway leading out of the elevator reveals a corridor that is almost but not quite wide enough for two Magtoks to pass comfortably. Somebody must've got their measurements off slightly, and no doubt it led to plenty of awkward moments with Mags and Bots shoving awkwardly past each other, accidentally letting off the occasional blast from a lasgoose and so on.

    The corridor is also, of course, full of twists and turns. The light is coming from somewhere down there, though. Investigate away down the slightly-awkwardly-narrow hallway if you dare!

    Or Mag and Asaigh might get distracted by something a bit closer as three rats run off from the colossal fungus-pile, darting in front of them and dashing down the corridor, squeaking wildly as they go.

    The lead rat is entirely flesh-y. The second rat seems to have gone through a Magtok-esque transition in which half of it is chrome-plated cyborg robot-y goodness. The third rat, which appears to be chasing the other two while squeaking in a decidedly more robotic tone, has gone one stage further and is entirely metallic, with not a scrap of flesh upon it.

    <Magrat> "Help! Get away from me, you crazy metal freaks! I just wanted to eat some delicious fungus!"

    <Rattok> "What? No, I'm not trying to chase you. Run faster, you idiot, before the Tokrat gets us!"

    <Tokrat> "MEATBAGS. CEASE YOUR FLEEING. YOUR ARE TO BE ROBOTICISED BY ORDER OF OUR LORD AND MASTER TOKTOK."

    <Magrat> "You're crazy! You're both crazy!"

    <Rattok> "Alright, you know what? Fudge this. You're twice the sinner I am in his eyes. He's all yours, buddy!"

    In a frenzy of squeaks, the Rattok bites the Magrat's back leg, causing it to tumble. The Rattok scampers off to safety while the Tokrat descends upon his victim, biting down on the scruff of his prey's neck and starting to drag him away. "YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED. YOUR MEATBAG FLESH SHALL BE REPLACED WITH SUPERIOR ROBOTIC PARTS."

    This would all probably be very enlightening if either of them speak rat.
    Before you criticise someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticise them, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  17. - Top - End - #47
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Asaigh has no problem walking behind Magtok through the twisted corridors - it was his house, after all. But before she can get started, she is quite distracted by the squeaking and fighting of the rats, completely unaware of the resistance against the machine-rat assimilation. Instead, she just looks over to Magtok. "Another one of your bright ideas, I take it?" It's a joke, though he'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise with Asaigh's completely deadpan delivery.

    Rather than try to deal with whatever that was, Asaigh makes her way into the corridor to figure out just what that light was, with her book in her hand.

  18. - Top - End - #48
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    "Nah. This place just has a way of falling to chaos in spectacularly implausible ways," Magtok answers, missing the joke as he tries to avoid stepping on any of the three squeaky lab rats zipping past him. The fact that something is turning animals into machines bodes poorly for us and the immediate future, but I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle. Just have to keep that hunting rifle pointed into the gloom and doom, and hope the next psychotic menace is vulnerable to bullets or Asaigh's fire golem thing. "I always hated this hallway, by the way. We kept talking about expanding it, but apparently it'd cause some problems with the foundation and risk some sort of quake or something. Should've just exploded the whole thing and started over from scratch," the cyborg grumbles.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
    Unhooded Magtok avvie by urodivoi

  19. - Top - End - #49
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    No immediate horrors await Asaigh and Magtok as they make their way along the hallway. Well, it depends if they consider a frantic squeaking rat being dragged along by a half-chrome-half-brass robo-rat to be horrible or not, as it scampers away ahead of them with its victim helpless to escape.

    They could probably save the rat, if they want to. But why would they? It's a rat!

    The hallway eventually leads to an open doorway, opening up into a vast warehouse-like space, the ceiling high above them, illuminating the room with row upon row of lights. Tangles of wiring extend down to the floor, connecting to:

    Well, at first it might look a bit matrix-esque, as row upon row of slightly sinister black shelving lines the room. Except the shelves are squeaking. And whirring.

    And actually the shelves are full of a neatly arranged series of containers, inside each of which is a half-chrome-half-brass rat scampering furiously away on a tiny treadmill.

    A rough guess based on the size of the room, the number of shelves, the height of the shelving, we're probably talking about thousands of Tokrats here.

    As they enter the room, Magtok and Asaigh are greeted by a questioning honk, as a decidedly un-fleshy goose with glowing robotic eyes that had been patrolling back and forth in front of the shelving turns to look at them, the eyes gradually growing brighter as it steps towards them.
    Before you criticise someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticise them, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  20. - Top - End - #50
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    "Well, I guess the day's not over. Just let me get some stuff out first. If this place and some of the rumors I've heard are any indication, I could build a whole museum here." Asaigh enters the doorway and glances at the strange containers that line the walls. Were those metal rats, like the one she'd seen earlier? "Cripes and I thought the Allagans did some weird experiments..."

    Then the... bird? Catches her attention. It certainly wasn't a chocobo, or any other bird she'd ever seen. And what was with its eyes? "Hey, you know any birds that honk like that?" She asks with, frankly, not nearly as much fear as she should be feeling staring down a goose of any kind.

  21. - Top - End - #51
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Magtok wishes he had remembered to explain to Asaigh what a lasgoose was, how to keep them calm and happy, and most importantly, what to do in the case of a lasgoose attack. Unfortunately, he didn't. So we'll just have to settle for lunging towards her and trying to wrest her away from the goose as fast as possible, and get one of those shelves of robo-rats between them and the glowing red eyes of death before her entire face is melted off.

    "Laser eyes! Get to cover, now!" he shouts, not that he's feeling very inclined towards giving her a choice in the matter. No, it's more of an explanation for his actions, a pre-emptive apology for grabbing her and tossing them both behind a row of treadmill-running vermin. She'll understand, I'm sure. Better to be quick and rude and alive, than slow and polite and a smoking corpse.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
    Unhooded Magtok avvie by urodivoi

  22. - Top - End - #52
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Unfortunately for Magtok, the normal methods of lasgoose-pacification may not be enough this time, what with it being a robo-lasgoose and all. The eyes brighten, there's a faint whine in the air as the goose charges up and-

    BZZZZZOOOOOW!

    The resulting laser blast appears to be quiiite a lot more powerful than that of your typical lasgoose. The rat-shelf-shelter is blaster to smithereens, bits of robo-rat going flying everywhere and sending a shower of plastic shards down upon Magtok and Asaigh. As the smoke clears, the malevolent metallic miscreant's eyes still have a dangerous glow to them. It lets out another angry "HONK!" and advances towards them, its gaze sweeping back and forth as it tries to get a clear view on them again.
    Before you criticise someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticise them, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  23. - Top - End - #53
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    "Son of a-" Is all Asaigh manages to blurt out before her hastily - gained cover is blasted to bits, and she's quick to start running. Not away from the whatever-this-damned-bird-is, but around it to get a better vatage point that still had some cover. She holds her grimoire in front of her, and is starts to glow with a white-blue energy, before pulsing out into a field in front of her.

    "Alright you damned hellsbird, I'm gonna need you to stop whatever this is!" Why Asaigh thinks reasoning with a metal goose with laser eyes is a mystery. She mutters a few more words as the pages of her book glow alight with green energy.

  24. - Top - End - #54
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    If Asaigh wants to run around the bird, well...her funeral. Magtok is going to get the hell away from that bird as fast as he can, floating up to the top of one of those massive shelves, so he can load his rifle in relative peace, and try to set up a shot from his lofty perch. That's going to take a while, though. He's not the best shooter in the Nexus, with no formal training with firearms at all. It's good that we have the lizard lady acting as a distraction for now, otherwise this strategy wouldn't be even remotely feasible for our tin man.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Asaigh called the goose out! Well, sort of. It seems that roboticising a goose didn't do much good for its intelligence in the process as it completely fails to recognise her attempts at negotiation. It lets out an angry, static-y hiss as it leaps at her, metal wings a'flapping furiously to keep it in the air long enough for it to stand a chance of delivering a solid double-webbed-foot kick to her face. It's kind of pathetic, really. Taking a couple of steps backwards would probably be enough to make it drop to the floor instead.

    The faint whine starts to kick in again as its eyes begin to charge up for another blast, but it's not ready to fire just yet.

    Magtok's new vantage point will give him an excellent view of the rest of the room. He'll be able to see that at seemingly randomly placed locations between the lines of shelving are several more robo-lasgeese as well as couple of cyberwolves that appear to have been given a similar flesh-removing upgrades, transforming them into fully cyberwolves. As of yet, none of them have been attracted by the sounds of lasgoose-fire. In fact from this height it seems almost patheticallly easy to plot a course that would seem them through without bumping into any more of these "guards".

    At the far end of the room the wires trail on through another doorway which, at least previously, led to a workshop of some sort.
    Before you criticise someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticise them, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Asaigh takes more than a couple steps backwards, in fact. As the goose flaps wildly into the air, she throws three different kinds of energy at the cyber-goose - red, blue, and green. Should they connect, it may suddenly find itself succumbing to the ravages of time far faster than it should - memory degrading, parts rusting, wires corroding. The spell was originally meant to work only on organic targets, but Asaigh has tweaked it after encountering far too many robotic threats in her previous digs.

  27. - Top - End - #57
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Magtok sits and waits...and then realizes exactly what he's doing. He's trying to snipe a goose. He's trying to camp up here with a gun like a common Reinholdt. Really, Magtok? C'mon now, forget this nonsense; let's get moving and help Asaigh before she dies horribly. Not by actually rushing in to help her with the goose, because that would be silly. Our gun is far too loud; shooting the goose would get everyone's attention and just kill the lizard lady that much faster. That workshop looks important, though. Why don't we head inside and look for a master control lever or something? Some sort of switch that will turn all of these stupid robots off, or at least give us a fighting chance against them.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Asaigh's spell connects and the ravages of time swiftly take effect on the goose. It hits the floor with a heavy clang, kicking up a cloud of rust dust in the process. On creaky, rusted wings it shakily pulls itself up onto one leg as the other falls away entirely. Its eyes flicker and buzz, the high-pitched whining cutting in and out intermittently. With one last defiant honk, it aims roughly in Asaigh's direction (seems it can't really see very well any more) and lets out one more blast.

    Bzzzzt

    Not quite as impressive this time. Afterwards it just sort of falls over to the side, gasping pathetically. It's probably not a threat any more.

    Magtok has successfully found another safe route - going along the top of the shelves instead of at ground level! Good thing none of the wolves or geese were instructed to look up! His route safely carries him through to the entryway to the next room. Peeking inside, well for someone with the level of referential awareness Magtok possess, it probably conjures up cartoonish images featuring this particular piece of music as the wires feed into several long automated production lines...and then the cartoonish nature of it fades as the purpose becomes clear: At the end nearest to him, in goes a live, writhing, helpless rat. Over the course of the line, machine after machine slowly carves it up, stripping away the fleshy parts and replacing them piece-by-piece with robotic components. At the far end, off comes a fully roboticised Tokrat that promptly scurries away to find fresh fuel for the hellish production line.

    One more cluster of wires leads on further back to a particularly ghastly throne of rat bones upon which sits...Magtok? No, no, wait, there's not a scrap of flesh left on this particular incarnation of everyone's favourite cyborg. Watching over the production lines with a bored expression, this half-chrome/half-brass creation is a fully robotic interpretation of Mags. He hasn't noticed our half-biological intruder...yet.
    Before you criticise someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticise them, you'll be a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Asaigh grumbles to herself a little as the thing finally falls over. That spell took more effort to cast than it look, and it would take time to prepare the energies to cast it again. She really hopes it'll take less to bring down another one.

    "Right, this is getting dumb," she mutters. She flips a few more pages of her book, before pulling her quill from its place to write a few more words. "Alright, Garuda, you'd better actually listen to me this time..."

  30. - Top - End - #60
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    "Turning everyone into robots like yourself? Really? Only a machine could be so lacking in creativity and vision," Magtok scoffs, calling out the robot in front of him as he points his rifle at the machine man's head and waits for it to turn around. He really ought to just pull the trigger and take the android down, but...honestly, part of him really wants to hear the robot's response first. Give Robotok a chance; let him do a speech on his evil intentions and whatnot, maybe even an origin story explaining where the heck it came from. Then we shoot it. That's only fair, right? I mean, if it's going to put all of this nonsense together, it'd just be rude to blow our robotic double's hard drive out its skull without so much as a hello. Magtok knows he himself wouldn't appreciate it if some adventurers bumbled into his lair and just killed him without a word.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
    Magtok's the best
    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
    -Daniel H. Wilson
    Unhooded Magtok avvie by urodivoi

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