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  1. - Top - End - #91
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Arkhosia's Avatar

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

    Thanksmas Eve - Magtok Movers, Mighty Muscles Manage the Most Mammoth of Miscellanies!

    Caelynn smirks as the drones deliver their first package, planting Magtok in bed with the utmost care. "You're always thinking about the most advantageous way to do things, aren't you?" She jests. It was the sort of cleverness that made her like the cyborg so much, though she was curious how deeply he considered what her response to it might have been. While the drones didn't bother her much, it was nice to actually do stuff together, even if it was a chore like moving. Did he think about that and realize it wouldn't be an issue, or not think about it at all?

    Either way, the trio will presumably go about moving in, giving Magtok just enough time to dream and can be handwaved unless a perfectly-timed attempt to wake the cyborg up is called for!

    Thanksmas Eve - Even Dead Gods Can Be Festive?

    Caelynn nods in understanding on the MagBot issue. She knew how Magtok felt about slaves, and it was nice to see these were principles he cared about, rather than just an act of some sort.

    Before she can mention something though, Needs makes his appearance in a rather disconcerting and eclectic manner! The doctor blinks in confusion as her mind processes the incongruity of what just occurred, weakening the otherwise perfectly firm and average handshake she responds with.

    "Er, nice seeing you again, Needs." It's not the best greeting, but it'll do. Not like they really met each other in the first place, it was more just witnessing a brief nonverbal debate before he blinked out of existence to do more Needsy things or something. But still, it's the thought that counts. "I, uh, did remember to get you something. I don't really know much about what you like, so I hope it will do?" She apologizes as she fetches an orange-wrapped package, the contents of which are a few very minor eldrich ritual components you could buy off the street with little searching. The occult is not Caelynn's forte, and she didn't have the coin to actually get something significantly amazing - much less the competency with such artifacts to handle them in a way that definitely wouldn't backfire spectacularly, which was the more significant factor for her.
    "Are we living a life that is safe from harm? Of course not, we never are. But that's not the right question. The question is: are we living a life that is worth the harm?"
    ~Welcome to Night Vale

    Spoiler: Quotes from Friends <3
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    Quote Originally Posted by SliiArhem
    Arkh I may be slightly delirious but I don't think that would make sense even if I was coherent.

    Interested in the Nexus FFRP setting? Try joining our Discord server!

  2. - Top - End - #92
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Thanksmas Morning

    Renee gives a solemn nod as she sips her coffee before Needs arrives. "Maybe if I send out a call over the PA or put out an ad as well we may get a bite. I always loved the 'Bots, but I don't want to enslave them again or anything." She reasons before blinking at Needs' escapades. When offered the hug, she stands up and hugs him tightly with a grin. "And yes, I missed you too. I missed all of you. Let me know if you see Haz or anyone, okay?" She asks before taking her seat again with a much relieved and happy sigh. "I'll go over the hand thing sometime soon, dad. Promise. For now though, I would at least like to point out that there's four drumsticks on that roast bird that are waiting for us and that Junior here slaved away all morning over the baked sweet potatoes. Wish I could have found a bird with six, but the stores were all sold out and it was short notice." She says, reaching down to pat the grub appreciatively.

    "Merry Thanksmas, everyone. Truly."

  3. - Top - End - #93
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    Lord Magtok's Avatar

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

    Thanksmas Eve - Dream Drop Distance

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    Quote Originally Posted by Arkhosia View Post
    Thanksmas Eve - Magtok Movers, Mighty Muscles Manage the Most Mammoth of Miscellanies!

    Caelynn smirks as the drones deliver their first package, planting Magtok in bed with the utmost care. "You're always thinking about the most advantageous way to do things, aren't you?" She jests. It was the sort of cleverness that made her like the cyborg so much, though she was curious how deeply he considered what her response to it might have been. While the drones didn't bother her much, it was nice to actually do stuff together, even if it was a chore like moving. Did he think about that and realize it wouldn't be an issue, or not think about it at all?

    Either way, the trio will presumably go about moving in, giving Magtok just enough time to dream and can be handwaved unless a perfectly-timed attempt to wake the cyborg up is called for!
    Quote Originally Posted by Gnrlshrimp View Post
    [Once upon a MagNight Dreary]

    What a convenient time for you to fall asleep, little cyborg, dozing merrily away while part of you controls your MagDrones working away for you.

    Affy's cube has been waiting a while to go to work, snaking its way into the unconscious part of Magtok's mind and inducing a dream or two.

    Music plays

    The world of Magtok's dream rotates in a slow and lazy manner as a pane of glass shatters into hundreds of identical circular mirrors, drifting into space around an invisible central point, slowly circling around it as each mirror starts to spin in a similarly relaxed pace.

    Within each mirror, a little scene playing out, Magtok's "training" in swordsmanship, broken down into hundreds of bitesize chunks.

    Magtok's "training" broken down into watching his death at the hands of hundreds of masters of the sword, over and over again.

    See in this mirror as a peculiar hologram-like female figure shouts "PARRY! PARRY THRUST!" over and over before expertly skewering our hapless cyborg straight through the heart in a single motion.

    See in that mirror, as a scottish swordsman declares that "There can be only one!" before swiftly overpowering the cyborg and finishing by decapitating him with terrifying ease.

    Over there, Wenomir demonstrating the skills of the Nexus' swordsman in a particularly painful manner.

    And over there, Jezebel introducing Magtok to the business-end of eviscerator. A somewhat more unorthodox style of combat, but undeniably effective.

    Overall, it's certainly quite an "Affidavit" method of teaching, isn't it? Look, over there he's even done a little self-insert, aping a certain Spaniard as he draws a sword from his cane and assumes a fencer's stance, lunging forward to carve an "A" into Magtok's chest, much to the poor cyborg's dismay.

    Oh, speaking of Affy, he seems to have appeared in the centre of this madness at some point. With a wolfish smile, he turns to look directly at Magtok, arms raised in gesture to all the mirrors dancing around him. "Pleasant dreams, Magtok?"


    Dreamtok sticks a finger in one of the wounds, before lifting his hand up to flick droplets of blood at Affidavit. Y'know, a middle finger would've sufficed, Mag. You don't have to go sprinkling imaginary blood to make a point. I suppose there's a lot of aspects of this dream that are wholly unnecessary, though. This training upload probably didn't require so much imaginary death and torment and cruelty.

    "I'm reminded of what happened the last time we worked together, Aff. It's a terrible shame you don't have a body anymore; I can only imagine how satisfying it'd be to stab you in the back myself this time around," Magtok grumbles, waiting for him to respond with yet another vicious, gruesome dream-death. Tons of knife-fighters and swordsmen are always going on about how intimate and satisfying it is to kill someone with a blade, how pointing a gun and firing just doesn't have the same thrill that burying a blade in someone's chest all the way up to the hilt does. Maybe they're just weird degenerates, but if there's even an ounce of truth to their words, maybe Magtok should've killed Affidavit himself all those years ago. It would've made everything that came after the killing that much more tolerable, probably.


    Thanksmas Morning

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    Quote Originally Posted by Arkhosia View Post
    Thanksmas Eve - Even Dead Gods Can Be Festive?

    Caelynn nods in understanding on the MagBot issue. She knew how Magtok felt about slaves, and it was nice to see these were principles he cared about, rather than just an act of some sort.

    Before she can mention something though, Needs makes his appearance in a rather disconcerting and eclectic manner! The doctor blinks in confusion as her mind processes the incongruity of what just occurred, weakening the otherwise perfectly firm and average handshake she responds with.

    "Er, nice seeing you again, Needs." It's not the best greeting, but it'll do. Not like they really met each other in the first place, it was more just witnessing a brief nonverbal debate before he blinked out of existence to do more Needsy things or something. But still, it's the thought that counts. "I, uh, did remember to get you something. I don't really know much about what you like, so I hope it will do?" She apologizes as she fetches an orange-wrapped package, the contents of which are a few very minor eldrich ritual components you could buy off the street with little searching. The occult is not Caelynn's forte, and she didn't have the coin to actually get something significantly amazing - much less the competency with such artifacts to handle them in a way that definitely wouldn't backfire spectacularly, which was the more significant factor for her.
    Quote Originally Posted by UncleWolf View Post
    Thanksmas Morning

    Renee gives a solemn nod as she sips her coffee before Needs arrives. "Maybe if I send out a call over the PA or put out an ad as well we may get a bite. I always loved the 'Bots, but I don't want to enslave them again or anything." She reasons before blinking at Needs' escapades. When offered the hug, she stands up and hugs him tightly with a grin. "And yes, I missed you too. I missed all of you. Let me know if you see Haz or anyone, okay?" She asks before taking her seat again with a much relieved and happy sigh. "I'll go over the hand thing sometime soon, dad. Promise. For now though, I would at least like to point out that there's four drumsticks on that roast bird that are waiting for us and that Junior here slaved away all morning over the baked sweet potatoes. Wish I could have found a bird with six, but the stores were all sold out and it was short notice." She says, reaching down to pat the grub appreciatively.

    "Merry Thanksmas, everyone. Truly."


    "Merry Thanksmas," Magtok agrees, before lightly bapping Caelynn with the WD-40 can she got him, and affixing the shiny new black watch to his wrist. Needs mumbles something about pagan history and that you're all doing his winter solstice rituals wrong, but nobody mind him. He always gets like this when the overwhelming presence of Thanksmas Spirit everywhere makes focusing on any other school of magic damn near impossible.

    Thankmas food stuff happens, albeit very belatedly because I got the worst case of writer's block and ennui for a while. I imagine we can reasonably handwave and timeskip ahead a bit, or maybe even call the scene here. Magtok wraps an arm around Caelynn and leads her towards the feast Renee and Junior prepared, Needs pulls back and grumbles about muggles just out of the catgirl's earshot but near enough to Renee that she can hear and possibly commiserate about his brother's taste in companions, and the Gävle Goat goes up in flames, as it was always meant to.
    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 - #94
    Halfling in the Playground
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    [Do MagClones dream of Electric Sheep?]

    Affy shrugs, twirling his hand and sending the mirrors hurtling upwards into a slowly circling ceiling of death-by-sword. But it is still a training program. With every death, Magtok should gradually be learning how to become a master swordsman.

    "Oh please, we're just having a little fun here, aren't we? You'd get bored and find some way to fall asleep in your sleep if I didn't make the learning engaging. Perhaps you should take some comfort that you're not feeling every death, hmm?" He could probably do that you know, Magtok. This could've been much, much worse.

    "Anyway, it's been a while and I notice you seem to have made very little progress towards our end goal. Meanwhile, I've been busy talking to Miss Libitina, confirming that Feia will ultimately fail in her goal, and finding a way to reach her. What say you, hmm? With our dear mutual friend, Krammy, a victim of deadtime, have you figured out some alternate method to kill her?"
    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.

  5. - Top - End - #95
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Lord Magtok's Avatar

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

    To Sleep, Perchance to Scheme

    "I've been juggling a few options in my head. A Project Versace, sororicide, fratricide, matricide, a smash and grab, giant robot attack, working on my parries so I can git gud, asserting direct control over the narrative...that last one was my brother's idea, actually," The cyborg chuckles at the audacity of that final idea, not putting much stock in the idea himself, really. Magtok barely knows how any of this actually works, what deadtime really is. How's he going to hijack the very story itself without failing miserably with drastic repercussions for everyone around him?

    "My wizardly clone brother seems to think that if I just play the role of knightly hero right, swinging my sword and saying all the right heroic lines, events will just bend in favor of the 'heroic knight slays the dragon and rescues the princess' narrative. Feia will be compelled to ham it up more, cackling and gloating like a classic evil witch, and when I'm on the brink of death, struggling to pull myself back up, I'll say 'since I'm going to die anyway, care to enlighten me as to the true nature of your sinister plot?' and it's while she's trapped monologuing that my sorcerer brother shoot a lightning bolt through the back of her head, giving the play that one little subversive element the Nexus always demands in its stories," he rolls his eye and shakes his head. He knows none of that would ever work. He knows it so well, it's the one plan he's actually willing to discuss in its entirety with Affidavit. Everyone knows your tricks don't work if you explain what they are before you ever use them. The tricks that take the opponent and the audience by surprise, those are the ones that work. That's just common dramatic sense!

    "On a more serious note, Draken Frosthand had this one spell back in the day. It was the cryohydra's favorite little magic trick, which should say a lot if you know anything at all about that sadistic lizard. I'm not sure you would; I don't think you interacted with him much, but he was a hell of a monster, even by the darker, edgier standards of the time. Needs tells me we can probably make it work, provided all the components are lined up and we have access to Libby before pulling the trigger." Now this idea, this is the one Magtok's hyped up about. He's grinning from ear to ear just thinking about stealing from Frosthand's old playbook, twirling a longsword bathed in negative energy and fire as he contemplates using that rotten little trick to bring Feia's devious plot crashing down on her.
    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

  6. - Top - End - #96
    Halfling in the Playground
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    [Dream a little dream of Affy]

    "Draken you say?" Affy remarks with a genuine note of surprise. "We are drawing on some old knowledge there, aren't me? I wonder if perhaps there might be a spell or two in the arsenal of the likes of Destro that could be of use as well then, if you're willing to dredge it up. More options are certainly useful. Though, of course, I should remind you that magic doesn't really exist." Please, Affidavit, we've all heard this one before. Spare us the usual monologue about all the awfulness of magic and why everything is terrible and only science can-

    "Knowledge comes in many forms. Magic only exists because you accept the rules of this world."

    Well, that's a little different.

    "So, you see, it's it's not any sort of leg-up, no cheat, no trickery. Just...blind adherance to the rules of this world, instead of trying to understand them. You know, Needs could have been every bit as sane as you are, if only you understood- if only any of you understood- what you were doing."

    Affy gives Magtok a sadly disappointed look. If only he understood. If only any of them understood. If only- "Ah, but of course if Feia understood, she'd already know she can't succeed. Still, she's incredibly dangerous and for all our preparation we may still be underequipped for the challenge we face. I'm, mm, working on something else- its success or failure is out of our hands- but I have to wonder why we're ignoring such an obvious resource so far. Why is there only one of you here, Magtok? The rest of your collective may be trying to pretend they can avoid this, but they already have a stake in this. In fact they have no choice. Put me through to them. They need to understand the true nature of the threat we face, and why they can't avoid being part of it."
    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.

  7. - Top - End - #97
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Do Cyborgs Dream of Electric Creeps?

    "Listen, a ball of fire is a ball of fire, Affy. If it's cheaper to build a flamethrower, I'll build a flamethrower. If I can get that same ball of fire just by asking Needs to harness some chakras, I'm not going to worry about what's real and what isn't, I'm going tell my brother to harness some ****ing chakras," Magtok rolls his eyes. Yes, both of them. It's a dream; he can do that sort of thing here.

    "The Nexus is a world of interdimensional immigrants, Affy, we both know this. Not just the people, but the places, the planes, the stories and the metaphysical laws that govern them. Reality here is a social construct, a consensus-driven narrative. When I jump, the only reason my feet return to the ground is because most of us are from worlds where gravity exists. Worlds with exactly the same gravitational pull as each other, in fact. There's probably a deeper meaning behind all of that, and maybe you've cracked the code and know something I don't, in which case, congrats, but I have a world to save and I don't have the time or budget to go back to philosophizing bull****, " claims the cyborg who's already devoted two paragraphs of this post to his own utilitarian philosophy's superiority over Affidavit's weird phobia of magic.

    "Also, I already tried talking to the fleet. They said VIGIL would take care of any apocalypses, that my job was to keep my head down, stay out of the way, and get this MagCave operational for our grand and glorious return to form," he explains, his bitter tone speaking volumes about what he thinks of VIGIL's ability to get things done, as well as this 'grand and glorious return' nonsense.
    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

  8. - Top - End - #98
    Halfling in the Playground
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    [The World According to Sleep]

    Affy looks disappointed. Poor narrow-minded Magtok. So much grandstanding, yet somehow so little ambition. Why be content to just rely on Needs?

    ...actually, why risk relying on that crazy mage at all?

    Well, if we're being reasonable, there's a lot of things that Magtok does that Affidavit finds rather questionable. For example: trusting Affy at all. He really should have seen something like this coming.

    "I could try to explain it all to you, but if I'm being completely honest - which I usually am, before you try and be a smartass, I am still putting the pieces together. But...let me put it this way. None of us are immigrants. Gravity doesn't have to work on you. And your MagCollective, thinking they're off somewhere far away? They never truly left the Nexus. Everything you know is wrong."

    But that doesn't really matter. That's not going to get the collective to play ball.

    The mirrors swirl to form an impossible wall behind the Prof, extending to such absurd distances as could only be possible in a dream. Magtok after Magtok populates the wall of mirrors behind him.

    "You've tried to talk them into taking part, and failed. But you're not very good at negotiating with yourself. I, on the other hand, got a free pass straight into your mind. So for starters I stand a much better chance of getting somewhere with them. Now, beyond that, I have access to knowledge you don't."

    The mirrors fill. An image of Feia, smugly, arrogantly waving a hand appears. The mirrors shatter and cascade over Magtok and Affy in an endless torrent of broken pieces of MagClone.

    "I won't explain it to you. I refuse. I want to see it on their faces when I make it clear to them that for all their efforts, for all their confidence, they are not safe. They can't escape. This is an apocalypse they can't simply ignore. So if you want to understand, to truly understand what Feia is capable of, you'll put me through."
    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.

  9. - Top - End - #99
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Interstellar War Fleet

    "You really think you're going to win them over with this secretive drama queen nonsense when I already tried to-" Magtok stops for a moment, sighs in exasperation, and acknowledges a very humbling truth about himself and how easily manipulated he is by outside forces. Affidavit literally got in his head and convinced Mag to devote the last few months of his time to this insane crusade, all without any physical evidence Feia even existed anymore; how much harder could persuading the Lord-Captain be?

    "Fine. Fine, we'll go say hi. While you were figuring out a way past all the rules that govern what is, was, and shall be, did you find a way to teleport? I can just call them, but I'm only supposed to do that once the lair is functional and the cloning tanks are working, so they'd beam down immediately and then I'd have to explain the messy lair, the Affidavit in my brain, and the catgirl in my bed, which would take all day and put them in a foul, uncooperative mood for whatever you've got to say. Easier for us if I just read you some coordinates and you bounce us across time and space."
    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 - #100
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    [In Ur Hedz, Stealin' Ur Dreamz]

    "So glad you're seeing things my way, Magtok. Things go so much more smoothly when you do." It's true! No one's stabbed the other in the back yet!

    Sure, Affy seems to be going out of his way to try and embed some traumatic images in Magtok's mind - ooh, that mirror's showing a particularly gruesome way to die by sword - but other than that, they're being perfectly nice to each other!

    Besides, trying to mess with people's minds is just the Prof's way of saying hello. Things are different where he comes from. You've got to be understanding and tolerant of his customs.

    "Teleporting is...unnecessary now. You'll see. Or, rather, you won't. I'm going to take my leave, you're going to wake up and I'll be standing beside you. Take my hand, keep your eyes closed and don't think about how I'll do it, but I'll get us there. Oh, and no need to read out the coordinates-" There's an audible sound of a lock being picked and a door being opened and shut. "I already have them." Affy leans over to tap dream-Magtok right on the temple. "I'm always here now, Magtok. And you invited me in. Now, wake up."

    And dream-Affidavit, mirrors and all, vanish in an instant. But hey, the pain of countless deaths-by sword means Magtok should be an expert swordsman now! So that's something!
    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.

  11. - Top - End - #101
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Nightmares and Dreamscapes => The MCSS Fullbladder

    "I want you to know I'm only holding your hand because I have to, Affidavit. Don't read anything into this; my one true love is still Dipsnig Razortooth," Magtok warns the professor, even as he becomes increasingly more concerned about this malignant tumor sitting in the back of his skull. The only reason Mag allowed Affidavit to upload himself into the cyborg's head is because he assumed this instance of Affidavit would be trapped there, that it'd have no contact with the outside world and its influence over us could be curtailed in an instant just by deleting all the foreign data, taking a hatchet to all these superfluous memory files and aggressively purging anything and everything that isn't Magtok.

    Now he can come and go as he pleases? He can meet with Libby in some realm beyond time and space, come back here, and then harness the very Narrative itself to teleport Magtok thousands of miles away? That is a big problem. Affidavit better be right on the front lines for this conflict; we'd better make sure his casualties are greater than anyone else's by the battle's end, or the death of one maniacal, reality-bending fiend will do little more than herald the ascension of another, even more frustrating maniacal, reality-bending fiend.

    That said, perhaps Magtok should be less worried about that, and more concerned with surviving the next five minutes. Provided Affidavit's wrinkle in space-time goes more or less as planned, they should find themselves onboard the bridge of the MagFleet's capitol ship, where every single MagClone on the bridge has a personal sidearm, and each and every single one of them are pointed at the unexpected disturbance. Between the ray guns, those blue and green uniforms everyone's wearing, and all this fancy tech everywhere, it's something like a Star Trek convention gone completely awry. At least, until the clone wearing the crisp white uniform obviously modeled after Rogue One's villain steps forward, gesturing for everyone to holster their firearms.

    "I do hope you have a good explanation for this, Fool," the Lord-Admiral scowls, patting his own holstered sidearm as he addresses our Magtok by his official rank in the MagCollective hierarchy. Yikes, someone's just itching for an excuse to shoot a hole in our Magtok, aren't they? Maybe that has something to do with the fact that he made contact last time by asking an alien to bounce a laser off the MagFleet's shields. Perhaps it has something to do with Magtok claiming involvement in preventing an apocalypse, in clear violation of his non-interventionist orders. It's also possible the Lord-Admiral has just gotten sick of being cooped up on this space ship for years, and is dying for an excuse to beat the stuffing out of our cyborg. Either way, this meeting's off to a bad start (and it's hardly even begun!)
    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

  12. - Top - End - #102
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    [MCSS Fullbladder - Admiral Magtok, I presume?]

    "I wonder, have I encountered any of you Magtoks before? Is one of you perhaps the one who had me killed?" Old times. Good times. He wouldn't mind killing that one Magtok though. For the benefit of the Magtoks with their fancy tech - Affy is a hard light hologram, a tiny device emitting light within his form and warping the area around it to contain the light and emit it at a carefully measured place.

    The cane in his hand is not a hologram.

    For Magtok the Fool as he is apparently known, it might well have felt quite weird holding the Prof's hand. The outline becomes a little blurry on contact - it's like his hand sank into the Professor's slightly. A pleasant experience, I'm sure.

    "Anyway, you're addressing the wrong person here if you want an explanation for this, as you really ought to know, so kindly don't bother with any grandstanding. It's not going to work on me, as I'm sure you well know, and it's not going to achieve much on him since we're already here now." Affy remarks with a smile, clearly enjoying every second of this. Look at all these Magtoks, all so confident in their own safety. "I'll keep it short. You're all cowards and fools thinking you can hide away here. Because you're all going to die."

    Pause.

    Wait a few seconds to see if they laugh at him, get angry at him, maybe move to shoot him or their punchbag-Magtok.

    "Feia has a spell that can wipe out every single Magtok in an instant. It doesn't matter where you are. It doesn't matter how you hide. It doesn't matter what you protect yourself with, if you are all "Magtoks" then you will all die - if she ever decides it's necessary to cast it. All of this-" He pauses and gestures at the big awesome bridge on the big awesome battleship or whatever they're on- "Does absolutely nothing to protect you from one magical dragon. And yet you insist on leaving this little Magtok all alone in the big scary Nexus? He has her attention, you can be sure of that. After all, she has his girlfriend. Well, one of his girlfriends. I'm surprised you Magtoks haven't invested some time into creating a catgirl whorehouse for yourselves to satiate your incorrigible lust for catgirls. It's pathetic really."

    Do you think Affidavit is having fun right now? I think he's having fun. Look at that grin on his face, look at the barely surpressed laughter, look at the utter glee in his eyes. Oh, it's satisfying enough taking one Magtok down a peg, but all of them?

    "And since I'm sure you're going to ask- think about it. Really think about it. Would I be enjoying myself anywhere near this much if this was all just a tired bluff that would come crashing down around me a few moments from now? No, I'm just delighting in telling you all about this potential catastrophe you've created for yourselves - a product entirely of your own foolishness - because I want you to understand just how helpless and incompetent you all are."
    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.

  13. - Top - End - #103
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    The MCSS Fullbladder - Gunboat Diplomacy

    The Admiral stands with his hands clasped together behind his back, giving both the irksome hologram and the idiotic clone that brought it here his coldest, most unforgiving scowl. This is the second time now The Fool has tried to talk them into getting involved in this Feia apocalypse business, and after being told to stay the hell away from it all, it sounds like The Fool has openly defied him and only gotten more entangled in problems he was never qualified nor instructed to deal with. This is exactly the sort of situation that would've gotten The Fool shot in the face a few years back, back when all the cloning machines were operational and bodies were more expendable. Still, we can only be so lenient. Even in these trying times, order must be upheld, lest infighting, squabbling, and selfish pet projects like this apocalypse prevent us from looking to the bigger picture, and restoring our immortality before there's no Magtok left in the universe at all.

    "First, let's ignore for a moment that you've gone against orders and continued to meddle in this apocalypse business instead of leaving it for VIGIL. Next, let's also ignore that you're working with Affidavit, one of our oldest adversaries, who almost definitely has an ulterior motive and is playing you like a puppet on a string. Finally, let's assume, no matter what those things I'm choosing to ignore suggest to the contrary, that everything the two of you are saying is true. Let's say Feia is really out there sitting on a genocide spell, waiting for an excuse to wipe out each and every Magtok from existence," the Admiral starts, radiating skepticism and contempt towards the professor and his stupid pet, and outright ignoring Affidavit as much as he can. He has earned himself a violent end, but we'll get to that later, after the negotiations. The solid-light hologram will be expunged from his bridge in due time, don't you worry.

    "With all of that in mind, why shouldn't I just end this apocalypse business here and now? Just shoot you in the head, wash our hands of it? Libithina would probably die, yes, but that's the price of doing business in this world sometimes. With you out of the picture, Affidavit can will just have to nag VIGIL to do the job instead, Feia won't have any reason to target us, and we'll just send some other clone to restore the MagCave to what it was." Hm, he's got a few good points there, doesn't he? Our Magtok frowns, but quickly jumps in, certain that Affidavit would only make things worse if he was allowed to answer first.

    "Well for starters, you'd be a gutless coward killing one of our own to appease the new Reinholdt," Fool retorts, taking care to color his language with imagery that's sure to get a reaction out of the Lord-Admiral and the bridge crew watching in silence. "Second, relying on VIGIL to save the day would be stupid, because they never fully recovered from that demonic invasion, and they've already got their hands full containing the skinwalker outbreak in Inside. But more important than any of that-" Magtok takes a deep breath, and wonders if there's a special place in hell for people who tell lies on such a grand scale as the one he's about to tell. More importantly, what if it doesn't work, what if the admiral sees right through his deception? These are his brothers, his family, his species. They know how Magtoks lie. They've got a better shot at seeing through his subterfuge than anyone else in the Nexus.

    "You can't shoot me, because Caelynn is pregnant again, and no, it's not Rein's. I'm going to be a dad," Magtok speaks in a voice scarcely above a whisper, choking on shame and terror for his audacity. That's fine, though. To the other clones, it'll probably look like he's ashamed of having knocked up the catgirl, which I imagine he would be, if that were actually the case. That's fine, though. The important thing is that they believe him, that the lie will work (at least for the next few months).

    The admiral, for his part, just glares. No sarcastic congratulations, no lectures about getting involved with her again, just glaring in silence. His fingertips touch the grip of his holstered, but never do they dare actually draw the weapon. Oh gods does he want to, though. Were he not such a finely crafted fusion of flesh and steel, his heart rate would be rocketing up to the heavens right now; his blood boiling in its veins. This clone has done everything he can to defy and dismember the Collective, hasn't he? Impregnating that worthless cow, aligning himself with our enemies, putting us all in jeopardy by picking a fight with someone who can cast a clone genocide spell, and now he comes here to brag about it and demand our aid. Sickening, idiotic, and outright treasonous though it might be, the worst part of it all is that this pattern of utter stupidity is easily the most Magtok thing he's ever heard of. If we fight him on this, we will not win. The tide will turn against us, and a new admiral will be appointed to replace the one who refused to let Magtoks be Magtoks.
    Last edited by Lord Magtok; 2019-02-19 at 03:52 AM.
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
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    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
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  14. - Top - End - #104
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    [MCSS Fullbladder - Battlestar Magactica]

    Professor Affidavit is content to watch as the two Magtok's verbally spar with each other, a wide smile firmly plastered on his face the whole time as he delights in taking a front-row seat in watching Magtok diplomacy in action. It's fascinating, in a sort of slightly pathetic way. Still, it probably wouldn't be too different if there were two Affidavits at odds with each other, although the outcome would likely be a lot more violent than this one seems to be. Who knows though? The Admiral may still decide to pull the trigger. He's clearly tempted. Why, what if he were to give the high commander just a little bit of a push-

    No.

    As tempting as that is, that'd be a little too self-defeating a course of action to engage in right now. So instead, Affidavit slowly walks round and places a hand on Magtok the Fool's shoulder, leaning in and gripping his favoured clone possessively. Huh, was he always taller than Magtok? No, no, he definitely wasn't that much taller a moment ago. There's definitely some hologram shenanigans at work here.

    "Admiral. Please. Think before you start talking. You don't have a choice about getting involved in this apocalypse business because I'm not giving you one. All that needs to happen for Feia to actually use her spell is for her to be convinced there is sufficient need to do so. So the absolute worst thing you could do is to try and shoot this particular Magtok because he's become a valuable asset to me. Because I won't let you harm him. Because I will point Feia straight at you and wipe every single Magtok out except this one. I think there'd be something quite poetic about it, don't you? The great Magtok Empire brough down by its glorious leader's single cowardly act, trying to shoot the problem to make it go away instead of helping." The Prof chuckles, turning his head to lock eyes with the Admiral and gauge his reaction.

    Isn't this fun? Isn't this just a delight? Ah, but what if they think that he's lying? Surely if Feia is so great and powerful, she could never be manipulated into doing something like that? Well, maybe not. He reckons he has a shot at it, but it's by no means a certainty. However, "why wait at all, though?" The hard light hologram whistles quietly as he very deliberately strokes the jewel at the top of his cane with one hand. "If you don't start listening and commit to throwing every resource at your disposal into helping this Magtok, I'll reduce your battleship to a smouldering wreck right now and walk away just as easily as I strolled in here- don't you see?- with him safe and sound by my side- don't you see how this world really works?- while the rest of you die in flames- you can't just leave the Nexus. You never left the Nexus!- or choke to death in the vacuum of space. You see, if you're not willing to help- Open your eyes! Stop embracing the lies!- then I don't need you. So I'll just get rid of you and be on my way. After all, we never really needed more than one Magtok in the Nexus, did we? And it might be good for you! It'd make you aware of your own mortality, and just how poor your solution to that problem is, compared to mine."

    This was probably a terrible idea. These are Magtoks. These are angry, angry Magtoks and the Prof is doing his damnedest to push every single button they have! There's no chance they're actually going to listen to these threats!

    "And this is all your fault, you know. You could have done this properly and retaken the MagCave in force, and then you wouldn't have one sad, lonely, easy-to-manipulate Magtok blundering into these situations and getting you all into this mess." Affy pauses for a second, his eyes narrowing as he puts his arm right round Magtok the Fool and leans foward, leering at the Admiral, "Whatever retaliation you may have planned right now to get rid of me, consider the following: I actually very rarely lie in all my dealings with people. I'm quite an honest person - not perfect perhaps, but a damn sight more trustworthy than any of you. So believe me when I say this. I am inside his head. Your lonely, desperate Magtok let me in, and it's very easy to find the other entrance points from the inside, so now none of you will ever be safe from me no matter what you do because you let me in. So I urge you, give us a hand here. Help us out if you value your lives even slightly. Your own actions have given me the keys to destroy you utterly and completely from the inside out, and you should know that I won't be afraid to use them if you disobey." The Professor smirks. He's definitely enjoying this.
    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.

  15. - Top - End - #105
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    MCSS Fullbladder - The Clone Wars

    The Admiral turns his eyes on The Fool again, assaulting him with yet another cold glare. He continues to snub Affidavit as he did in the last two posts, refusing to acknowledge the thing in the room as a part of this conversation.

    "He's exaggerating. I'm quarantined, I don't have access the MagNet anymore, and if you've gone through even one software patch or hardware upgrade since you sent me down to the Nexus, we're fine. I only know the things you needed me to know for the mission; all of our best hardware and weapons technology is on a network he doesn't have access to," Magtok pleads, trying to do damage control on everything Affy's been saying, to minimize the threats and impending doom implied in his smug prattling. Gods, why did he thinking letting Affidavit come here was a good idea? Some of what the professor had to say helped, sure, but now all the Admiral's going to be thinking about is how to exterminate every last trace of Affidavit from the Nexus. It's going to be priority one before Feia's body has even begun to cool, and our Magtok can't even blame him for it, because who wouldn't think an Affidavit purge is absolutely necessary after a gloating speech like that?

    The Admiral's shoulders sink a barely perceptible fraction of an inch in relief, but his glare isn't going anywhere. He reaches out towards the Fool, gripping his chin and turning it upwards so that he might stare fiercely into the other clone's ruby-red eye. He studies the eye closely, as if expecting to find some visible contamination or cackling virus floating about in his sclera. Man, I don't know what he was expecting to find there, but he seems to accept The Fool's answer once he's done, and releases our Magtok's face as he takes a step back.

    "Feia's going to kill you," he declares solemnly, a faint note of concern creeping into the edge of his voice as he states what must be the most blatantly obvious fact in the world. MagClones aren't designed to survive battles. Their whole combat philosophy is built around suicidal gambits conventional warriors wouldn't dare gamble on, enduring wounds that mere mortals never could. Obviously The Fool isn't going to try to get himself killed; he's going to fight as hard as he can and deviate from the usual playbook where he can to preserve his own life and that of all Magkind, but even so, Feia is a dragon. Dragons are apex predators, designed to crush, kill, and obliterate mere pondscum such as us. There are going to be casualties, and the Fool's story will soon come to a close.

    "I know that. Listen, I just need a few fabricators, beacons, and holograms. I don't need you guys to actually do much, I'm just-"

    "You're going into battle with the Mechalomania," the Admiral cuts in sternly, speaking of the very same mech suit that helped the Magtoks take down Gordon years ago. That's easily the most treasured and valuable weapon of war onboard this warship, discounting the broadside laser cannons, of course. You can't really loan those out to a single clone, though.

    "A-are you sure? Listen, I-"

    "Did I stutter, Hanged Man?" Oooooh, Hanged Man! That sounds like a promotion, doesn't it? I mean, I don't actually know how this system works at all, but I assume Hanged Man has to be higher on the totem pole than Fool, right? It's a higher numbered tarot card, after all. What would that make the Admiral, then? Emperor? Judgment? Za Warudo? "I am reassigning you to apocalypse prevention duty. The fleet is nominally under your command until this crisis is over or you prove yourself so thoroughly compromised by Affidavit that you can't be trusted with any kind of leadership role. Now leave, and take your disgusting brain parasite with you. We will contact you again shortly." Well, I guess that's that!
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
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    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
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  16. - Top - End - #106
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    [MCSS Fullbladder - The Last Magfighter]

    Software patches and hardware upgrades only cover half your mind, Magtok. Said the voice in his head. Tell me, how many software patches and hardware upgrades have the other half of your mind had? How out of date is the fleshy part of your brain? Where do you think your vulnerabilities really lie, hmm? If you actually want to get rid of me after this, you're probably going to have to kill yourself...after we've dealt with Feia, of course.

    "I'm glad you're seeing sense, Admiral. This all goes much more smoothly when people listen to me. It always does." The Prof chuckles and steps away from his chosen MagClone, offering Magtok his hand again. "Take my hand and we'll head on back. All in all a very successful trip, I think, don't you?"

    No doubt there's a lot of Magtoks in the room who would disagree with that assessment and would be very, very glad to never see him again. Well, maybe just once more if it was his corpse they were looking at. That'd probably be quite satisfying for them. And after some of the verbal punches he's thrown today, they're probably going to find a way to make exactly that happen, aren't they? It'd be the smart thing to do.

    "Oh, Admiral?" Oh dear. "I want you to think about your actions. Consider for me, very carefully, how this whole scenario has come about as a result of your commands. Your decisions have endangered every single Magtok here, and so much of it could've been avoided if you hadn't sent a single vulnerable Magtok in all alone." Affy turns his head to look at the rest of the bridge crew. "I wouldn't recommend trying anything until the present catastrophe is dealt with, for your own sakes. But after Feia has been slain, maybe you should all consider if this Magtok really deserves to be in charge after the mess he's put you all in. Goodbye gentlemen. Hanged Man? Close your eyes for a second."

    Assuming Magtok complies, Affy will take a step and bring them right back to the MagCave. What a fun adventure that was!
    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 - #107
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    MCSS Fullbladder

    The Hanged Man closes his eyes, and then he's gone. As soon as they've disappeared, the Admiral wordlessly turns towards his bridge crew. He give a curt, stiff nod to the assembled clones, they nod back, and then he returns to his command chair. Preparations begin at once. Nothing else needs to be said.

    Admiral cannot help but feel just an ounce of amusement, however, his mask of impassivity broken by the faintest upward turn at the corners of his mouth. The Hegemony, they called us. The Hegemony. He's forced to agree with Hanged Man, that is a much better name than the MagCollective, isn't it? We should take it, make it our own.

    Back to the MagCave

    "That went surprisingly well, all things considered. I mean, I'm still going to die horribly and you're going to be a huge **** the moment Feia isn't around to scare you into playing hero, killing gods only know how many people in a stupid, pointless conflict that could've been easily avoided if you just weren't such a dirty **** who gets off on the sound of his own voice, but that's still better than what I was expecting before," Magtok remarks, striding away from Affidavit and letting out a frustrated sigh he hadn't known he'd been holding in all this time. Gods, if he could just shoot himself in the head and destroy this copy of Affidavit right now, if only it wouldn't screw everything up...
    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

    [Return to the Return of the MagCave]

    As soon as Magtok starts talking, Affy launches himself over with terrifying speed to clamp a hand over Magtok's mouth.

    Silence, you fool! Think, don't talk!

    Presumably the rest of Mag's rant is thought out.

    It's bad enough that I have to be here physically at all. Remember, every conversation we've had has either been in a secure location because I'm actually thorough about this stuff, or on your friends' little spaceship. And if Feia tracked us going there at the drop of a hat, then we're in a lot more trouble than I thought.

    The hologram steps away and out to some other location, presumably, leaving Magtok with just the voice in his head.

    If she caught those few seconds when you woke up or when we got back, that might be the first time she's been able to confirm we're working together. An unfortunate risk, but the reward was the assistance of the rest of your stubborn kind. You're welcome by the way. I hope you put whatever awful contraption the mechalomania is to good use, and perhaps you'll refrain from doubting me about this again, hmm?
    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.

  19. - Top - End - #109
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    Silenced!

    "I have a wizard who lives here. The MagCave is warded. If she wants to scry us here, she's welcome to set her eyeballs on fire doing so," Magtok insists, thinking aloud instead of speaking, just to keep Affidavit from interrupting him again and making a huge fuss about probably nothing. He walks down the hall, glancing at his wrist to see if he's gotten any terrified text messages or screaming voicemails from Caelynn. He was only gone for a few minutes, I think, so hopefully she hasn't gotten too worried. The Thanksmas kidnapping probably took longer than this one, though, and she seemed mostly alright, especially compared to Magtok himself, so...

    "Anyway, is there anything else you feel like working on, or can I send you back to that dark, quiet little corner of my brain you usually sit quietly in when I'm dealing with Caelynn, Renee, or anyone else unrelated to this whole 'preservation of the very fabric of reality as we know it' business?"
    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

    [Silence in the MagCave]

    Forgive me if I lack the same confidence in Needs' abilities as you. He's not exactly the most, mmm, stable of minds, is he? Alas, one of the downsides to being a voice in Mag's head is that Affy is limited in his ability to grandstand needlessly.

    Oh well. A small price to pay for security. Perhaps Magtok can take some comfort in knowing that the Prof can't do any silly lightshows or float around or anything like this.

    What preparations have we left to make, Magtok? You have your weapons, you have your mage, you have passage to the blue city. What else do we wait for?
    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.

  21. - Top - End - #111
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Silence of the Mags

    "I know you get a perverse thrill out of needling me, at poking the caged animal with a stick until it roars in impotent fury. I know that if I snap at you, you'll just giggle and cheer, because it means you've found one of my buttons, that you've discovered a new means by which to irritate the cyborg. I know this, and for the time being, I'm willing to put up with it for the sake of saving the Nexus and Libitina," Magtok says aloud, rolling up his sleeve to reveal a holographic display hidden in his arm, to check on the status of the help wanted ad he'd beamed into the heads of every surviving Magbot left in the Nexus. Hm, a few more volunteers than he expected. Good. He should probably tell Renee about this at some point, though. It was her idea to try to recruit the bots again; she might not be too thrilled to hear that their first duty will be active military service against the impending undoing of all reality.

    "You belittle Needs like that ever again, however, and I will claim Feiadyne's ritual array as my own when this business has been settled. I will lie you down on that sacrificial altar, listening to you scream yourself hoarse inside my own skull, and smile proudly as my brother drives the ritual dagger through some crude doll crafted in your likeness, so that every last trace, every cowardly line of code that is Affidavit is gracefully and permanently purged from the Nexus," Magtok quietly informs the voice inside his head, explaining the consequences of further slights with the same casual tone reserved for matters as trivial and routine as describing plans for dinner this evening, or the number of cereal brands MagMart is going to have in stock when it reopens after this crisis. It would cost Magtok so very little, hardly anything, to see Affidavit scrubbed right out of existence like a stain on the carpet of reality.

    "We're almost ready. Needs is going to stack a few enchantments on the equipment the Fleet's providing, I'm going to set up a few minor contingencies, and someone's going to ask me why I'm not signing up a bunch of VIGIL goons to join us, running headlong into danger and also screwing up half my plans just by being in the same room as Feia." Magtok's still not entirely sure how he's going to answer that question. Should he say it's out of concern for their safety, because Feia is just that powerful? Insist that he can't involve others because this is personal? Claim that Libby's safety would be endangered if ignorant do-gooders were there with him? Maybe just ignore the question altogether?
    Quote Originally Posted by RabbitHoleLost View Post
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    "You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs."
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    [MERC Comes for Aid]

    As promised, MERC forces are arriving at the Magcave to protect the cyborg while he works for them. Besides a number of low-ranking members there is also a small number of more prominent representatives and license holders of the organization arriving.

    In peculiar a hooded woman with hooves and a tail that does not seem to be an actual member as she does not have the uniform, simply a badge. A small group of rats are following her and her clothes seem to have been patched up a lot. Though if the lower-ranking members are to be believed, she at least smells a lot better than she used to.

    Of course, will Magtok or any of his cronies be there to greet them?

  23. - Top - End - #113
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    [Silence is MaGolden]

    I suppose I can tell you this much, internally at least. I doubt you can actually carry through on that threat, but let's say that you could for a moment, hmm? The voice in Magtok's head pauses for dramatic effect. Destroy me, and the whole of Inside goes with me. For all your grandstanding, for all your supposedly great villainous deeds, for all your time spent in AMEN, did you ever even come close to death on that sort of scale?

    One can almost imagine the wolfish grin Affidavit would have while saying this.

    One has to wonder, can the Nexus function at all without that? Would you risk it? Would you save the Nexus from Feia only to risk destroying it in some petty act of vengeance against me because I happened to quite accurately point out that your brother is mentally unstable? Trust me, Magtok, I know. I've been on the very verge of irreparably shattering my mind more than once before. I can see just how close to the edge he is. If you trust him, so be it. If you say he can keep Feia's eyes from reaching you here, then fine. But if she cracks his mind like an egg on a whim, don't say I didn't warn you.

    Imagine what else Affy could do, why don't you? If he knew you were going to take the sprawling mass of Inside down with him, how many things that you care about could he put there? What sort of domino effects could he set up from there?

    How much devastation would you cause, Magtok?

    How much would you be willing to hurt yourself to be rid of him?

    VIGIL goons do sound like more of a liability than an asset. I can provide you an excuse there though. Every extra person we bring is another person who has to be convinced to not think about reality while I move us. They'll only get it wrong, and then who knows where they'll end up? Best that it's just you - who I can probably make stop thinking from the inside at this point, and Needs who I'm sure doesn't even need any assistance.
    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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    [MERC Comes for Aid]

    Among the arriving MERC license holders is a group of goblins wearing MERC's color scheme and badge on their heavy, protective clothing. They seem to have brought a great deal of gear that consists of explosives, guns, knives and mechanical bits. Behind them skitters an enormous beetle, large enough for a goblin to comfortably ride and steer it.
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Mutually Assured Genocide's Totally O.K.

    "If you want to scare me, you're pulling the wrong lever. Inside isn't my city," Magtok answers simply, striding towards the door. He should probably greet those MERC folk outside, welcome them in, let them set up camp in the foyer and give them the key to one of the slightly less priceless wine cabinets. That should be enough to buy their goodwill and keep them from asking too many questions, right? The booze will keep them busy, he'll scurry off to go investigate that GLoG lead before getting started on saving the world, and then we'll do that world-saving thing and everything will be right and good and okay in the Nexus again!

    "Hey folks. You're MERC, right? I don't have to shoot anyone for gathering a small warband in front of my door?" Those are clearly the only two options here. Either they're here with MERC, or they've got waaaaaay too many people and guns for Magtok to be comfortable with. The giant beetle was a little unexpected, but not too out there. MERC has always been run by dirty vermin; it only figures they'd use giant insects as beasts of burden, ri-

    No. Bad Magtok. No thinking such awful things about one of your only allies right now. So long as your money and influence is still worth something, MERC is good people. Say it with me now, 'MERC is good people.' Got it? Okay good, now let's do our best to treat this fine folks like the dependable security force they are, and not some bothersome liability here to ruin your day. Besides, you've had worse than rats living here before; it's not that big of a deal to let someone park a beetle outside, really.
    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

  26. - Top - End - #116
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Mutually Assured Genocide's Totally O.K.

    "We're all with, MERC. Ready to be at your service." The woman replies as she bows before Magtok. "And you must be the illustrious Lord Magtok. It's an honor to finally meet you. The stories I've heard, you are truly a amazing man." She sounds very genuine, even not using the word "illustrious" ironically.
    Last edited by Shadowcaller; 2019-03-13 at 07:18 PM.

  27. - Top - End - #117
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    [Mutually Assured Genocide's Totally O.K.]

    "Aye, yeah, we're from MERC. The boss sent us on account on our expertise in fighting underground. We ought to do fine dealing with whoever tries to attack a cave," says one of the goblins, wandering over next to the hooded woman and throwing back his own hood. His brown skin and pale red eyes resemble Dipsnig's, but it's a matter of ethnic rather than family resemblance... not that Magtok can tell, given how we'll consider it fortunate it he can tell all the goblins apart to start with. His dark grey hair is cut short in a military style and his nose looks to have been broken at some point. "You'll just have to tell us where it's okay to plant traps. And keep the beetle."
    Last edited by Morty; 2019-04-10 at 02:56 PM.
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  28. - Top - End - #118
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Magtok's Additional Guards Chatter About (the) Villain's Expectations

    "There's only two points of entry worth worrying about, since every room currently in use, barring Renee's and the guest engineer's, can be found on the ground floor. I'll provide a map later," Magtok explains. His tone seems to strongly imply that this is the first and last time he's ever mentioning a guest engineer, and if you dare bring up the subject again or try to meet this guest, you're getting thrown out. The cyborg's always been pretty cagey about what goes on in here, though. If that's the only secret Magtok intends to keep from MERC, I'll be very surprised.

    "Anyway, as I was saying, points of entry. The front door, which you're standing in front of now, and every stairway, elevator, and telepad connecting the ground floor to everything below. Now, in an ideal world, you'd only need to worry about the front door. An attack from below shouldn't be a major concern, unless someone intends to teleport into an unmapped cavern full of abandoned science projects and labyrinthine architecture, or sneak a whole lot of excavation equipment towards the base of the mountain and burrow their way here without anyone noticing. The former is entirely insane, given the risk of telefragging oneself, and the latter would involve a lot of cloaking and noise-dampening equipment to not go noticed right away. Unfortunately, I've always found it wise to never assume your enemies are ever sane, or lacking in ridiculous expensive specialist equipment, and now that I've mentioned the absurdity of someone coming in from below, any attack is almost guaranteed to come from that direction, our unwelcome guests trying to carve their way up here through all of that abandoned lab space," Magtok cynically concludes. He immediately whirls about and starts leading the way into the MagCave, jumping straight to business rather than openly acknowledge any of the things Rat Lady said and how terribly uncomfortable it feels to hear anyone say that sort of thing earnestly. We're supposed to be trying to get this whole gigantic ego thing under control, how dare you inflate it like that and stymie weeks and weeks of progress!

    "What isn't guarding the entrance foyer can be put on the floor below us, I think. I'll give you a place to set up, permit controlled demolitions to clear away a few walls obstructing line of sight, maybe recycle the rubble for use in defensive fortifications...hrm. We'll need to use the cargo elevator to move the beetle downstairs, or you could just leave him here as a big, menacing show of force. Oh, and you two have names, right?" We probably should've started with that question, honestly, but Magtok gets easily distracted when planning for war, I suppose.
    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

  29. - Top - End - #119
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    Magtok's Additional Guards Chatter About (the) Villain's Expectations

    "Jaahlyn, sir." No last name needed apparently. Members of MERC might know that she has herself written down as Jaahlyn Alexos in the register.
    "If it's alright with you, I will let my friends scout this abandoned labspace of yours to get a better sense of what it's like down there. We can likely block off some choke-point in case they really do decide to attack from below." Regarding who her friends are, that's probably the ra- yeah, she's gesturing at them right now. That's her friends.
    In fact, there are more rats following her but just out of sight. As if cat ladies weren't strange enough...
    Last edited by Shadowcaller; 2019-03-29 at 07:57 AM.

  30. - Top - End - #120
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    Default Re: What's Left of the MagCave II: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story

    [Magtok's Additional Guards Chatter About (the) Villain's Expectations]

    "Alzup Razortooth. Not from, uh, those Razortooths. It's a pretty common last name where the boss and I are from," the goblin says awkwardly, then barrels right past it. "We're going to make sure no one can tunnel in from below without us knowing. Then we'll create a proper defensive gauntlet around the entrance. The beetle can stay upstairs for now. It can be useful in clearing out lighter rubble, anyway. But if the cargo elevator's actually working, it'll be useful." The goblins are largely unbothered by the rats. To them it really isn't far from a crazy lady having a lot of cats.
    Last edited by Morty; 2019-03-28 at 06:42 PM.
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