Spider 2012/12/17(Mon)11:49 No. 479461 ID: d068e4
File 135577374177.jpg - (169.98KB , 891x685 , boot page 8.jpg )

"I got kicked out of the only place I know when I got sick. They didn't want it spreading...I'm pretty sure the monastery takes in sick people, but they're all the way across town and I can barely move. I was pretty happy to get into this alley and out of traffic yesterday, but since then...well, I keep dreaming, and it's starting to blur together with waking up. And I think I'm delirious, because, you know. Talking to myself in an alley..."

Okay there's someone standing right next to you so stop talking to us for a second before you're taken for crazy!

Spider 2012/12/17(Mon)12:23 No. 479471 ID: d068e4
File 135577578723.jpg - (230.99KB , 995x682 , BootPage9.jpg )

"Huh? What are you talking about? Nobody's gonna be out in a storm like-oh."

No we are not okay. Were sick, wet and delirious. But apparently we aren't the only crazy one around here? What are you doing outside in this weather blue man?

you've got no money, no home, not even legs to carry you out of the rain and to top it off you've got a fever that makes you confuse your dreams with reality. so yeah, I guess you could do better.

Spider 2012/12/17(Mon)14:02 No. 479487 ID: d068e4
File 135578176846.jpg - (274.10KB , 940x712 , Boot page 9.jpg )

"I've had better days, blue man. I'm wet, sick, starving, and I suspect more than a bit delirious, and embarrassed about getting caught talking to myself...but shit, maybe you're a hallucination too. What's a guy with fancy shoes like you doing out in a storm like this?"

Shit. I'm doing what the voices in my head tell me to do...this guy's not even blue, he just talks in blue...woah...bit dizzy...

Go with him, maybe ask him about the friend (since you'll be seeing him soon), maybe ask why he left here. Don't forget your bowl and 3/4 of a coin. Be sure to introduce self and say thanks at an appropriate time.

Score! Go along with him!

it's either death by fever or rape by amputee fetishist. your call.

Death is usually when things stop getting worse, if you want to risk them getting worse then go with the man that may be about to rescue from starvation and exposure.

I doubt he's a rapist because there just aren't that many amputee fetishists. Further, if people owe him favours he could probably do better than a homeless one too unless he gets off on killing them maybe... but sickos that freaky tend not to last long before someone does them in so that's also unlikely. Yeah, odds of this being a rape scenario are somewhere between nil and no reason to bother worrying about it.

....did he just say hes been offworld?

Spider 2012/12/18(Tue)13:54 No. 479681 ID: d068e4
File 135586764321.jpg - (232.90KB , 863x691 , Boot Page10.jpg )

So he's been offworld. Makes sense, all that jewelery and the fancy shoes. You don't see too many people with that kind of money from around here, unless they're offworlders or they work for the offworlders.

"Uh...The voices in my head say I should go with you...unless you're planning to rape me."

Spider 2012/12/18(Tue)14:27 No. 479686 ID: d068e4
File 135586963281.jpg - (181.82KB , 890x640 , Boot Pate 11.jpg )

"I've never met any aliens..."

"Sure you have. Where do you think the flu that's going around came from, kid?"

"...my bowl. Not the flu, I mean, they sai-I...I have a little money in it..."

"Huh? Oh, sure. But if you end up staying at the shrine for any length of time they'll probably take it. Vow of poverty for the Judicars, but it sure doesn't stop 'em from taking every bit they can grab for the shrine."

"...thank you. I'm Boot."

"Nice to meet you, kid. I'm Laughing Monkey. Oof. Let's grab that money for you..."

"They...I...thanks. For helping me."

Spider 2012/12/19(Wed)01:31 No. 479794 ID: d068e4
File 135590947383.jpg - (185.34KB , 911x635 , Boot Page 12.jpg )

"Okay, you've got your money. We ready to go?"

"Yes, I think so. How far do you have to carry-AHH!"

"Hup!"

Spider 2012/12/19(Wed)01:42 No. 479795 ID: d068e4
File 135591014796.jpg - (179.37KB , 920x843 , Boot Page 13.jpg )

"There we go. Piggy back rides never go out of style."

"...this is like the dream I was having."

"You were dreaming about getting a piggy back ride?"

"I was dreaming about riding an elephant with my father..."

"You're calling me fat, huh? Heh, I oughta find a manhole to drop you in. Tell me about your dream. What was your dad like?"

"...He was a mahout."

"Lots of elephant rides, then? You were a lucky kid, Boot."

"...I don't like elephants. Hey, Monkey? Tell me about this friend you're going to go visit. The voice that reminded me to get my money wants to know about him."

"Oh, man. You want me to talk about Owl? ...sure, okay. Stories are good when you're sick. He's the Magistrate for the local Justicars. Used to be in the Legions, but he got captured and tortured by the Lintha. Escaped, retired, full honors, nice pension. He teaches martial arts these days, mostly, takes a few cases if they're too sensitive for the younger Justicars. He's old-fashioned and an offworlder, so make sure you to be really respectful if you meet him, or he might throw you back out on the street. He's known for his fairness, not his kindness."

Thanks for the info. This guy seems really nice. Keep chatting, enjoy the ride.

Spider 2012/12/19(Wed)05:46 No. 479811 ID: d068e4
File 135592476182.jpg - (107.98KB , 1088x799 , Boot Page 14.jpg )

Thanks for reminding me about my coins...that's enough money for a small meal, two if I stretch it...but the market is really crowded and there are striders and elephants and wagons and things. I didn't want to get stepped on...

"Owl sounds really strict, even for a Justicar."

"He is, kid. I once saw the guy shut down an orphanage because they couldn't make their rent. He's a hard man."

"But...how come he's friends with you, then?"

"What do you mean?"

"...You give sick cripples piggy back rides, Monkey."

"I don't reserve 'em just for sick cripples, you know."

"No, I mean-"

"I know what you mean, kid...look, Owl and me...I got sent to the Shrine when I was a kid. Community service. He practically raised me. Taught me how to tell when people are lying, taught me how to protect myself, taught me how to feel good about working 'till my whole body ached. We fight a lot, because he is The. ost. Insufferable. Old. Bastard... but he's sorta like family, y'know?"

"Hmm...you have a really rumbly voice..."

"It's like, I know he's all cold on the outside, but I know on the inside it's all about the Justicars with him. He wants to make sure everyone's following the rules, because he really thinks that we'd all be safer and happier that way. Bit of a tyrant when you have to live with him, but I can't think of anyone I'd rather have...You okay up there?"

"Mmm? Yeah...tired. Blurry. Dizzum."

"...If you throw up on me, girl, I swear I will find a strider to feed you to."

Spider 2012/12/19(Wed)05:49 No. 479812 ID: d068e4
File 135592497726.jpg - (125.90KB , 1078x848 , Boot Page 16.jpg )

...

...

...


"...Boot? You're snoring a little."

"Vrzugm?"

"You're getting snot on my scalp."

...


...Poor kid. Golden Lord better listen to reason, for your sake..."

Spider 2012/12/19(Wed)05:57 No. 479814 ID: d068e4
File 135592546722.jpg - (37.10KB , 1029x783 , Boot Page 15.jpg )

...

Spider 2012/12/19(Wed)06:00 No. 479815 ID: d068e4
File 135592565833.jpg - (119.39KB , 963x620 , Boot Page 17.jpg )

"Here, hold her down. She keeps kicking."
"She doesn't have feet!
"Dammit, hold her still!"

>>479815
Ummm... I know the dream looks a bit scary/weird, but try to calm down.

Calm down. Everything will end well as long as we're with you.(though there may be a lot of trouble between now and then) Try to wake up.

Spider 2012/12/19(Wed)07:23 No. 479825 ID: d068e4
File 135593063372.jpg - (82.31KB , 993x704 , Boot Page 18.jpg )

"...she stopped thrashing. Okay, good. Let's slide her in...

"Look at her brain! I've never seen readings like this outside of a Steward...no wonder she's hearing voices! But...she's obviously just a human, the motonic activity is too faint for...how is she doing that?"

"If you suggest dissection I will kick you. Really hard. Probably in the-"

"Dammit she's thrashing again! Hand me that syringe, she's going to crack the scanner!"

Okay.... you're some kind of medical setting. They just put you in some kind of scanning device, like an MRI, or something. Hard to tell if these people mean well (honest to god free healthcare for the crippled homeless girl) or if this is a prelude to something worse (dissection! For science! ...although, in this case, vivisection would be more accurate). Worse, you're not exactly in a position to do anything, even if we knew what was going on.

At least blue dude sorta seems to be advocating for you?

>>479825
Shhh, calm down you're just seeing people that for some reason look like shadowy elephants to you.

If only we could banish the dream, so that you would calm down and the people you're hearing don't do anything stupid...

Spider 2012/12/19(Wed)07:33 No. 479828 ID: d068e4
File 135593121936.jpg - (84.63KB , 1029x783 , Boot Page 19 (2).jpg )

"...fever........temperature is.....no real....unfortunate you couldn't.......permanent damage.....Mistress won't be happy with.....I will NOT have you disturbing him!

Spider 2012/12/19(Wed)07:38 No. 479830 ID: d068e4
File 135593151185.jpg - (134.90KB , 998x774 , Boot Page 19.jpg )

COLD!

"F'nAAAH!"

"Hey, there...you're finally coming around, huh?

I know, I'm sorry, it's cold, but you need to stop wiggling. We need to cool you down...can you understand me?"

>>479830
"Yes?"

...is glasses there holding a purple dildo?

Yes. I understand. Why do you need mt to cool down? What's going on?

Try to bear it for a while. Answer her if you can.

aaaaaaaa he brought you onto his alien ship for anal probings

aaaaaaaaa kick some more

>>479830
Stop struggling. We don't know what's going on yet, but you obviously need medical attention.

Spider 2012/12/20(Thu)02:18 No. 479999 ID: d068e4
File 135599872488.jpg - (380.39KB , 1500x1500 , BootPage21.jpg )

"...I'll stop wiggling if you stop tryin' to probe me with your FREEZING PURPLE DILDO."

"This is a sponge."

"...oh. And you are...not...an evil alien needle-elephant, then, I'm guessing?"

"...no. Look, uh, Boot, right? Your temperature was getting dangerously high. Thus the cold sponge. That you can talk to me is good, it means the medication I gave you while you were asleep is working. Now, I understand you're probably still feeling pretty weak and shaky and confused, that's normal. But please let me know if you have any trouble breathing or if your chest starts to feel heavy, alright? Only happens in one of twenty patients, but if it does, it's serious."

"...okay..."

"Good. Before you ask, you've been unconscious since yesterday evening. It's almost lunchtime now. I'm sure you're a bit confused, so if you've got any questions for me, now is the time. I have to ditch you in a few minutes to help another patient."

>>479999
Well, tell her you were in and out of it for a bit there. Ask what the scan said about your brain that explained hearing voices. Something about a Steward?

Are you psychic?

nah it's cool, enjoy your sponge bath.

Are you at the Golden Lord's Shrine?
>lunchtime
Can you get some lunch?

...where am I, then?

Spider 2012/12/20(Thu)06:12 No. 480015 ID: d068e4
File 135601276157.jpg - (404.83KB , 1500x1500 , Boot Art.jpg )

"Okay, yeah. It would be kinda nice to know what's going on...uh, am I gonna die?"

"No. Well, not anytime soon, and not if I can help it. You're actually pretty lucky you're so malnourished, this virus causes a massive overreaction by the immune system. It's a nasty piece of work, mostly takes out young, strong, healthy people. Children, old people, and patients with compromised immune systems are getting pretty sick but they're mostly pulling through...especially the ones with access to expert medical treatment, which you now have."

"Okay, good...I don't wanna be rude, but when is lunch? Because I haven't eaten in...if it's tomorrow already, that's...three or four days? I still feel hungry but...not as much."

"We pumped your bloodstream full of vitamins and nutrients. Lunch will be in just a couple of minutes. Pretty sure it's rice and mushrooms today."

"Not gonna die, not gonna starve...thanks. Um. So, I heard some things, and I'm not really sure how much was you and how much was...me...but...is there something wrong with my brain? I remember you saying something about a Steward. I haven't...I haven't done anything wrong, have I? I've never even heard of anyone who's even MET a Steward, so I dunno why one would have messed with my brain, I'm just-"

"Oh, no no. You don't have to worry about that. I'm surprised you remember...no, I was saying your brain scan looks like a scan of a Steward I saw once. They've got the recorded memories and fragments of the personalities of their predecessors giving them advice all the time."

"You mean like the voices in my head? I'm not crazy? Because I didn't want to mention it because I didn't want you to think I'm crazy, but I don't feel delusional at all right now and they're STILL TALKING."

"I can say with confidence that you are not a Steward, Boot. No nanotech, no unusual energy signatures, and you didn't grow your legs back in your sleep. From what I can tell, you haven't suffered any brain damage. If it wasn't for your MEG readings, I'd hand you over to someone with an actual bedside manner for therapy...but your brain is acting like there are actual separate energy patterns in there with you. You don't have any nanotech augmentations, I...I really can't explain it. I'm sorry."

"So...I'm just gonna go with, 'not gonna die, not crazy' and call that cause for celebration, okay?"

"...heh. Okay, I guess that's fair."

"So...this is the Golden Lord's Shrine?"

"Yes, for this municipality anyway. Right now you're in our medical wing. Mostly I patch up Justicars who get hurt in training accidents and administer mandated treatment to convicted criminals...lately, though, it's mostly treating the fever. Most of our Justicars are young and healthy. They're getting hit pretty hard... Everyone who isn't sick is out keeping the peace. No riots or anything yet, because rioters are usually young healthy strong people...but the epidemic is just getting started."

give 'em a thank you, mkay? it's the polite thing to do.

Maybe ask about Laughing Monkey? Thank her, she's been very helpful.

>>480015
I wonder if it's any help that we can't remember much of anything? We have some basic knowledge about tech but nothing approaching nanotech. What year is it? This is Earth, right?

If there's nanotech here, why is that guy on that other cot apparently using a sword?

Because it's a magick-science sword.

You're clever enough to know that there's no discernible difference between MAGIC SCIENCE and SCIENCE MAGIC, and you mentally replace the latter with the former.

Seriously, Chi? That's fucking magic.

>>480045
This is an Exalted setting. Lintha, Steward confirms it.

>>480088
>there's no discernible difference between MAGIC SCIENCE and SCIENCE MAGIC
Whoah there, let's not be hasty. Magic Science: the treatment of magical phenomena as a science, essentially a new branch of physics; Science Magic: magic with a technological basis (Sufficiently Advanced Technology) but not necessarily users with understanding of the low level functionality.

Spider 2012/12/21(Fri)07:24 No. 480130 ID: d068e4
File 135610344079.jpg - (418.34KB , 1500x1500 , Boot Page22.jpg )

It's the year 767, why? And what do you mean 'this is Earth'? There isn't any earth around here, it's an infirmary, they keep it really clean...but good point about being polite. Mother would be glaring at me right now...

"Thank you. For helping me, and for taking the time to talk to me. Um...what's your name?"

"I'm Sunrise Opal. And you're quite welcome. It's nice to talk to someone from outside the order. I don't take many cases now I'm working the infirmary, and I must say you're a breath of fresh air...figuratively speaking. You need a bath, badly."

And while I'm at it? Thank you, mysterious nameless head-voices. Your advice so far has been really good, and you've helped...me...huh. You know, now that I'm thinking of it...

"Um, Opal? The guy back there...why does he have a sword in here?"

"That's Havesh. He's...a patient of mine. Keep your distance, okay? He's a wanted criminal on five worlds. He's the entire reason we've got this blasted epidemic going on...anyway, he has his sword because I'm not legally allowed to confiscate it, because he's a Prince of Urath and he's claimed political asylum here on Teng and he hasn't committed any crimes here. Yet, anyway."

"...interesting."

Okay, you voices obviously have no idea what the fuck is going on, you don't even know what year it is, but you can SEE BEHIND ME. I had no idea there was a guy with a sword back there! Oh, we are gonna cheat at SO MUCH POKER.

"...most people don't grin like an idiot when I tell them they're sharing a room with a notorious criminally minded Prince of Urath, Boot. Your voices telling you a joke?"

I have no jokes that work in this setting, just the observation that he's a wanted criminal being killed by a cold. I know the virus is worse than that, but a terrifying opponent being brought down by a malady that doesn't harm(kill) the weak seems kinda fitting. I don't know, maybe say that you're relieved to find the source of the virus?

We can see behind you, but we can't see everything. Our perspective changes seemingly at random. We don't even know what's in front of you. Speaking of what we don't know, what's a mahout? What is the name of the planet we are on?

Bad hospital joke time!

A badly injured man was brought to a hospital.
At the Emergency room a nurse was asking him some personal info.
- Are you married?
- No i was hit by a car.

So bad.

the swords just a mark of office right? or is this one of those weird worlds were melee combat is still a thing despite the otherwise high tech level?

Who cares about the potentially dangerous and untouchable guy with a sword? Things might be looking up for you here, in the first time in a long time!

>Oh, we are gonna cheat at SO MUCH POKER.
Well, we can't actually control our "camera angle", so to speak. We just see things. Meaning we may or may not be able to other player's cards when you're attempting to shake them down.

holy crap, girl! David Bowie doesn't have shit on that haircut!

>>480139

we should still play poker though. uh, we don't have any money anymore, right? maybe ask Opal about that. and afterwards go talk to the sword guy because someone told you not to do it.

>>480139
Well maybe we can control it.
[turn viewpoint so that we can see more of that other patient there to the right]

>>480130
Up to you if you want to let her in on it. They might like, do some more tests on you or something if they find out you have ESP. Maybe even pay you for it if we're lucky. Or if we're unlucky you'd become a lab rat for the rest of your life.

Hm. Actually, to be honest, Boot, some of us are curious as to how this all works, too. Given that we register motonically, but aren't part (to our knowledge at least) of any nanotech modification on you.

Question, Boot: do you remember about how long it's been since you got sick?

>>480144
As for that...if the guy on the table's as bad of news as I suspect, then talking to him is a very bad idea. Not saying to panic or anything, just probably should set him low on your list of people to mess with.

However, you probably should ask about your bits of coin.

Spider 2012/12/22(Sat)07:42 No. 480283 ID: d068e4
File 135619092439.jpg - (314.28KB , 1500x1500 , BootPage23.jpg )

A mahout is a person who trains elephants, and we're on the planet Teng. And I'm not gonna mention the seeing behind me thing, not yet. I wanna use it to cheat at something someday, and Justicars aren't usually too fond of cheating...and while food and shelter sounds great right about now, I'm not sure whether I want to devote my life to being a test subject.

Don't worry, I'm not about to mess with a Prince of Urath. The Exalted are way too powerful and dangerous, and anyway they're way beyond my station. We meet an Exalt, I expect you guys to help me with being as humble and polite and don't-speak-unless-you're-spoken-to as I can possibly get. Different laws apply to them, they're allowed to do stuff like kill you for impertinence if they really feel like it. And now that you mention it...

"Heh...it was kind of a stupid joke, but yes. Um. I thought the Exalted couldn't get sick?"

"He's not sick, he just crashed his ship into a mountainside. He's got some burns and broken bones and internal bleeding and a little bit of radiation poisoning. He didn't cause the epidemic by infecting everyone, the epidemic is here because House Ragara wants us to extradite him and the Golden Lord is refusing. They've got a warship in orbit, and disabling our weather satellites and rendering our entire adult population unable to work is apparently their idea of subtle political pressure...fucking Dynasts."

"...oh. Um. There's...not gonna be a war, is there?"

"No. The Crown Princes can overrule the Golden Lord, and I'm sure they will if they have to...it'll just be tense for a while."

"Good. Opal, I now feel incredibly shallow and selfish but there's no point focusing on stuff you can't do anything about, so, uh...where are my things?"

"...oh. I was hoping we wouldn't have to do this part until you were feeling better. Boot, could you please tell me how a beggar with less than a bit to her name came to have possession of a gold and silver ring set with three precious stones?"

SHIT.

"...It's mine. I got it from my father."

"Boot, that ring is of a unique make. It was reported stolen about a year ago."

Shit.

>>480283
I was wondering about that ring, but I thought it was your dad's. Why didn't you sell it then? Who did you take it from?

maybe if you tell us more about it we can help you make some shit up.

>It was reported stolen about a year ago.
...if I was a common thief, you don't think I would have sold it to keep myself from starving on the streets? It should be pretty obvious that's important to me.

...Did the ring belong to a Solar?
There's a Solar behind you.

Did the ring belong to a Lunar?
Lunars can grow people's legs back.

Tell the truth, whatever it is, and ask if you can apologize to the owner of the ring.

>>480301
That option might just add a tally against you in the "she's crazy" column.

If you did take it, can you just let us know why? Y'know, without saying so out loud for Opal to hear, that is.

Spider 2013/01/02(Wed)09:58 No. 481848 ID: d068e4
File 135714949670.jpg - (398.45KB , 1429x1515 , BootPage 29.jpg )

It belonged to my great-great grandfather on Mother's side. I don't know where he got it.

Spider 2013/01/02(Wed)10:05 No. 481850 ID: d068e4
File 135714994882.jpg - (167.31KB , 1358x1020 , Boot Page 30.jpg )

But it's been passed down through Mother's family ever since, it's like a...good luck charm, I guess? One of those family traditions. She gave it to Father when they got together. I'm guessing Grandmother reported it stolen after she disowned us. She really hated my Father.

It's...it's probably legally hers. But I am NOT giving it back to that bitch. And I'd rather get my hand cut of for stealing than APOLOGIZE to her.

>>481850
Oh this is interesting. We're seeing an image here. A woman giving a ring to a bowing man. The lady has red hair and forest green skin, with dark markings all over her, almost like circuitry... She's wearing a white dress and a silver circlet with a green gem in the center. The man has his hair tied back in a knob behind his head, and is wearing a goofy looking grey coat with light circuitry patterns in it. Also, very large buttons on the back. And boots.

An image of the past, perhaps? At any rate, considering you didn't sell the ring, your story of it being a family heirloom is pretty obviously true. Also, it not really being stolen is true.

>>481852
Actually, forest green is the wrong color. It's more like a grey-green. A very similar color to the man's coat.

hmmm, i think we might have found our anchor. its fairly common for the ability to talk with us to be tied to some sort of object, its looks like that's what the ring may do. or its completely unrelated, but if we are getting images the ring is probably important.

as for what you should say, stick to the truth as much as you can.
"its a family heirloom, originally from my mothers side. I guess grandmother reported it stolen when she disowned us."

>>481861
Yeah, the truth is probably the best response here. It doesn't make your situation any worse, and they may be sympathetic.

Worse case, they report you anyways. But it's not like anything else you could say would avoid that.

>>481865
And if they report you, and the justice system even bothered trying you in a planetwide emergency situation like this, any sane court of law would rule in your favor.

tell them the truth. except the "it's probably my grandma's legally" bit.

Spider 2013/01/30(Wed)21:03 No. 489013 ID: d068e4
File 135960862226.jpg - (232.24KB , 1500x1500 , Boot Page 30.jpg )

I think you're right. Best to just tell the truth and get it over with, it's not like they won't investigate and figure it out anyway.

"I'm not lying. The ring belonged to my father. Mom gave it to him. It was a family heirloom...but Grandmother disowned us. I'm guessing she's the one who reported it stolen. It's...I don't really have anything else to remember them by."

"...I'm sorry, Boot. I sorta guessed it might be something like that...look. We're not going to do anything now, not until you're much healthier and things are a lot less crazy around here, but if you want your ring back we're going to have to do it legally. That does mean we're going to have to contact your grandmother."

"Will it hurt my case if I scratch her eyes out?"

"Probably."

"She's kind of an evil old bitch, Opal. And sorta rich. Grandmother will probably hire a really good Advocate and argue for the maximum penalty."

"I'm pretty sure nobody's going to cut off your hand without a prior criminal history. Absolute worst case, you'll probably have to give the ring back and work a month or two to pay off a fine, Boot."

Well...that went about as well as could be expected. Um...you guys are seeing a lady handing a guy my ring? I don't see anything, but apparently sometimes you can see stuff I can't. What's the guy look like? Is he Tengese like me, or does he look like an Offworlder? The lady's gotta be an offworlder, green skin and red hair isn't exactly common around here. What's circuitry? Why would someone have buttons on the back of their clothes where they couldn't reach it?

Anyway, I'm guessing the ring probably isn't why I can hear you. Nobody else in the family ever started talking to themselves, and lots of people have owned that ring.

>What's he look like?
Yeah, I'd say he's Tengese. Same skin tone and hair color. He's got his hair back in a knot, thick eyebrows, a mustache, some wrinkles. Big nose, and ears too.

I'd guess we're getting an image of the ring's past? If that's not your father and mother, maybe that's when the ring first came to your family?

>What's circuitry?
Ah, a kind of thing in machines, or computers. Boards with patterns of metal lines across them- used to move information.

>Why would someone have buttons on the back of their clothes where they couldn't reach it?
Dunno. Style maybe? There are dresses do that button up the back, after all. Or maybe they're functional in some way. Maybe they aren't buttons, but access ports for the circuitry? Hard to say, really.

>The ring
Well, not much we can do about that now. We can either wait and deal with your grandmother, or just duck out early when you're feeling better. Or maybe something else will come up before then?

>>489013
Uh, circuitry patterns... think of straight lines bending and branching occasionally at 90 degree angles. It's like that. The buttons on his back are really BIG. Like, the size of your hand. Probably not buttons. They're discs with four holes near the center.

Anyway, ask how you would legally get the ring back. You don't exactly have funds to buy it, and she might not even want to sell it...

>>489027

She already said that the best that can happen legally is you lose the ring, and you have to do months of community service in apology. Afraid we're not going to be able to save the magic ring through legal means.

>>489033
That was 'the absolute worst case' not the best case, so I'm not sure where you are coming from.

Spider 2013/01/30(Wed)23:08 No. 489038 ID: d068e4
File 135961611409.jpg - (259.54KB , 1500x1500 , Boot Page31.jpg )

If I say the ring is mine and Grandmother says it's hers, the Justicars will have a hearing to determine who the ring really belongs to. If they decide in my favor, they'd give the ring back. If not...then I'm a thief and they'd decide what punishment I'd get. It's the same for any sort of criminal stuff on Teng. Accusation or conflict leads to a hearing, and an investigation if the facts aren't clear, and the Justicars appoint an impartial Magistrate to hear the case. Grandmother has a big advantage, though, because she can afford to hire an Advocate to speak on her behalf. I...probably can't.

I never knew it was called circuitry, but now that you explain it I've seen the sorts of lines you're talking about before, mostly at shrines and temples, or things made by the Offworlders. Still don't know anything interesting about big buttons, though.

"I don't know that I'm really much good for working a fine off through labor, Opal. I mean, I'm pretty good with sewing and weaving, but-"

"Hey, kiddo! You're awake! I brought you some lunch. Oh, and please allow me to introduce-"

Spider 2013/01/30(Wed)23:10 No. 489039 ID: d068e4
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"-my mentor, Magistrate Wise Owl. I-"

Spider 2013/01/30(Wed)23:11 No. 489040 ID: d068e4
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"-told you about him before when you when I carried you here, but-"

Spider 2013/01/30(Wed)23:17 No. 489042 ID: d068e4
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"-I don't know how much of that you remember. You were pretty out of it."

Spider 2013/01/30(Wed)23:19 No. 489043 ID: d068e4
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"Anyway, Master Owl, this is Boot."

Spider 2013/01/30(Wed)23:22 No. 489044 ID: d068e4
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"It is a pleasure to meet you, child. Based on the ring in our evidence locker and Monkey's description of your symptoms...I believe I knew your grandfather's father."

>>489044
We have more visions.

The same man from before now wears a helmet with a clear glass front, and some sort of high-tech suit. He is in stealth mode, which I assume means he can't be seen. He is looking at a prisoner being guarded by two grass-green skinned people with pointy ears and pointed skulls. One is male, one female. The female wears purple, the male is shirtless. They're both wearing golden accessories. The male is wielding a long staff identified as a Shock Pike, and labeled as Threat Level-Moderate. The prisoner is restrained by bulky high-tech looking oblong orbs covering his entire hands, lifted into the air by cables attached to the orbs. The orbs are identified as Motonic Suppressors. The prisoner is covered in bloody wounds.

The man in the suit fires a green beam from a gun attached to his wrist; I assume stealth mode has dropped at this point. The green beam hits the male greenskin and he is lit up in a neon green light, and his skeleton is visible in contrast to the glow. Like an electric shock in cartoons, kinda. At the same time, the man fires a handgun of some sort up at the cable holding the prisoner's right arm secure.

Next we see that the male greenskin has been reduced to ash, and the prisoner freed his arm to shove it through the female greenskin's chest past the elbow. His fist is covered in flames.

The man in the suit has finished freeing the prisoner, who admits shamefully that he told them everything. The man in the suit reassures him, saying it's okay, he's safe.


From what Master Owl says, I suspect the man in the suit is your great-grandfather. Master Owl should be a great font of information for you! And us. We'd like to know what we are exactly, and why we keep seeing these visions!

tell him it's an honor, or something.

oh, and he owes your poppop (great-poppop? the one with the handlebars.) his life, so that's good news. maybe he's even seen the ring before, and maybe he's inclined to help the offspring of his savior.

Ah. The shirt is a smaller part of some kind of high tech armor. The buttons aren't buttons at all- they're a place for other pieces to attach.

I'm pretty sure your grandfather's father saved this man's life- that's what we're seeing in our latest vision.

Hmm. Living long enough to see the great-grandchild of a friend, punching through people with fists of fire... does that make this man Exalted?

we cant tell if he is exalted or just has some other magical abilities, because we cant see his forehead, and he isnt producing an elemental aura. he may well be a fire aspect dragon-blooded, however.

Spider 2013/02/20(Wed)13:39 No. 494682 ID: d068e4
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Okay, yeah, I just saw that vision too. I was, uh...hoping the dreams would stop when my fever broke. Yeah, if Great Grandpa saved this man's life...and this man does look like the same guy...then that's good because it means he'll probably like me...but it means he's Exalted, and he's well within his rights to cut me in half if I offend him, and I have never been much good at manners. I want to know what's going on as much as anybody, but...some advice on how to ask him politely? What should I even ask him? I tend to get rude when I'm nervous. Actually, it's sorta quiet in here...Oh crap am I freezing up have I been quiet too long should I say somethi-

"Okay, Gramps, storytime can wait until Boot here gets some food in her belly...and for the lovely doctor as well..."

"Thank you, Monkey. Mushroom stew today?"

"Gramps?"

"I can think of no greater title by which to honor you than the one acknowledging the dynasty you've raised, Master Owl."

"Did I mention how much I've missed you, Monkey?"

Spider 2013/02/20(Wed)13:46 No. 494683 ID: d068e4
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"Everybody misses me. It's why I got no scars. Chopsticks, kiddo."

"Thank you, Laughing Monkey...thank all of you."

OH SWEET GODS FOOD.

"It is no trouble, young Boot. Any scion of Steel Tiger is welcome in my home."

...okay, I'm worrying too much. These are nice people. Uh...how do I really politely and gratefully demand to know what the fuck is going on with my brain?

>>494683
Something like "So what IS going on in with my brain?"

Or you could bring up a related topic- your great grandfather. As in, ask why your symptoms are related to him.

>Okay, yeah, I just saw that vision too.
Oh good, saves us the trouble of repeating them when they happen if you can see them.

>I was, uh...hoping the dreams would stop when my fever broke.
Sorry, girl. You don't have crazy fever dreams. You got true dreams. Visions of stuff that happened. Bit harder to escape something like that (and trying to isn't even necessarily a good idea).

>Not very good at polite
Well, we can pull that off! ...mostly. Just don't listen if one of us is trying to be funny by being obviously rude on purpose.

>how do I really politely and gratefully demand to know what the fuck is going on with my brain?
Maybe you could just ask him if he knows anything about visions? Or voices?

keep it to yourself.

Spider 2013/02/27(Wed)14:30 No. 496630 ID: d068e4
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"Thank you, Master Wise Owl. I would, uh, love to learn more about my great-grandfather. And, uh...what he has to do with me hearing voices."

Oh this smells so good!

"...so would I, Grandfather. I studied on Paragon for six years, and I've never heard of anything like this."

"That's because they've never seen anything like this on Paragon. The condition originated here on Teng, back during-"

"Ye gods, you two. You've gotten him started..."

Spider 2013/02/27(Wed)14:42 No. 496634 ID: d068e4
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"It began during the War."

"The long stories always do.

"So help me, Monkey, I will break your legs."

"You'd have to catch me first, you old cripple, and I'm stronger than I was when last we-"

"He's got the lights in this building hooked up to a voice control, Monkey."

"...oh. Honorable Magistrate, consider my insulting implication that you couldn't catch me to break my legs rescinded. Let me further add that you are a terrifying old bastard."

"Monkey? Shut up."

"Yessir."

...I like Laughing Monkey, but he doesn't seem that bright. Even if he did raise you from a kid, insulting a Magistrate is dumb. Insulting a Prince of the Earth is just crazy...nobody from Teng is that dumb. Guy has spent too many years with the offworlders...

"It began during the war. I was serving in the Legions then..."

Spider 2013/02/27(Wed)15:02 No. 496637 ID: d068e4
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"I was stationed here in the An system. After a few months serving aboard the Swan Dragon, I earned enough commendations that Queen Avanashi had me transferred to her command.

Avanashi was...brilliant. She was everything a Lunar commander ought to be: ancient and terrible and cunning. She took the form of a heavily armed scout ship, and everyone serving aboard her had nightmares as she hunted through our dreams in search of subtle enchantments left by the enemy. We loved her, though, because as far as she was concerned all the soldiers serving under her were her children, and she defended us like a Strider guarding her nest. Many of the men serving her were actually her decendants, though she gave them no special treatment.

I was an officer in her Gunzosha Talon. It was a high-risk, high-reward sort of service: Gunzosha suits gave even her mortal agents the power to go toe-to-toe with the enemy. Mortals like yourself would normally be defenseless against the Fair Ones, Boot, because you can't wield your Essence as a weapon against them. Even if you could, most of you can't muster a motonic field strong enough to flush a toilet. The Gunzosha suits fixed all that. They burned whole years off the wearers' lives for power. Your great-grandfather was younger than I was when I met him, and much, much older by the time he rescued me from a Lintha prison station.

It is because one of your ancestors was a Gunzosha that you are hearing voices now, child."

>Lunar
>taking the form of a goddamn interstellar warship
...that is a fantastically wonderful abuse of shape-shifting powers.

>that's why you hear voices
I'm sorry sir, but I don't quite understand. If the suit allowed my great-grandfather to burn through his life as a weapon, how does that result in voices? Were they a part of the suit?

Spider 2013/02/27(Wed)15:16 No. 496640 ID: d068e4
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"The Gunzosha were the greatest warriors we had, outside the Exalted. The suits were expensive, so only the best-trained and most loyal mortals were offered one. They were sent on critical missions. Infiltration, assassination, rescues, sabotage, taking on superior forces...all this meant they had a very high mortality rate. The ones the enemies didn't kill or drive mad usually succumbed within a few weeks to the terrible energies they were channeling. Many burned out the last years of their life to power last-ditch efforts on the battlefield. The rest, like Steel Tiger, retired from service before their suits could finish killing them.

This high mortality rate was a problem for Queen Avanashi. At the height of the war, her Gunzosha were dying faster than she could get a hold of elite warriors to pilot them. She was clever and desperate, and she needed better weapons. So she made them.

She used her own Exaltation for inspiration. One of the minor tricks of the Exaltation is that it stores the memories of its hosts, making their experience available to each inheritor of its power. She needed experienced fighters...and so she used her own power and some genetic material from one of her Teodozjia slaves to alter herself, and once she mastered the technique she applied it on her servants.

She gave them the power to pass on their memories to their descendants."

Spider 2013/02/27(Wed)15:25 No. 496645 ID: d068e4
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...yeah. Stewards are scary. Really really scary. Like, scarier than anything else I can think of off the top of my head...


"Each of Avanashi's warriors' children inherited the dormant memories of their ancestors, which conveniently including mastery of the Gunzosha suit and combat tactics. She just threw infants or children into the suits, and the tremendous physical shock of having their life-force suddenly drained activated the latent memories. They aged rapidly to fighting-age as they powered the things. Most of the children were hers, she could bring them to term with unnatural speed, though it took a toll on her...

When the war was over, Avanashi's children, the ones who survived, retired. The inherited memories are still there, and they grew every generation, but they would never come to the surface without a Gunzosha suit to shock them to the surface."

Spider 2013/02/27(Wed)15:40 No. 496648 ID: d068e4
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"Steel Tiger was one of Avanashi's sons. As a descendant of Queen Avanashi, you have inherited the memories that she planted generations ago, as well as the memories of each of your ancestors since. You shouldn't be able to access any of that knowledge or experience without putting on a Gunzosha suit...

I'd have to do some tests to be sure, but the fever that you have been suffering from was engineered by House Ragara to sap human vitality directly. It's likely that it caused enough of a shock to your system to be comparable to the sudden loss of a couple years of your life, enough to raise some of that latent experience to the surface. Most of Avanashi's subjects experienced vivid memories, visions, or the voices of their ancestors giving them advice.

You've inherited a great gift, young Boot. With the experience you've been given...with a little meditation and training, you probably know how to do just about anything you set your mind to.

Be careful about trying to go too far back, though. Avanashi didn't want her enemies learning all her secrets by interrogating her offspring. She's long dead, but the built in failsafes are probably still there. You'll want to avoid delving into her memories, they might drive you mad."

...so what he's saying is...you guys are my ancestors?

...I think that means I have to start treating you with a little more respect.

We're the descendants of an organic Lunar-spaceship who set about tamping with human genetics to make super-soldiers? That's even cooler! =D

>you guys are my ancestors?
>...I think that means I have to start treating you with a little more respect.
Nah, it's cool. We're just people, even if we came before you. And hell, we're family, right? That grants a certain degree of familiarity.

Plus, we're all dead anyways. We're all well past the point where it's too soon to speak badly of us.

>>496637
>>481848
>>496640
I think the woman that gave your Great-great-grandfather the ring was Avanashi. The only question is what it symbolized/does.

You don't have to treat us with much more respect; you've already been treating us well when you thought we were just voices in your head.

Tell him about the memory you saw of your grandfather saving him. Also, about the other vision, with the ring. This guy's legit.

That is some pretty awesome SCIENCE! there.

So... can you do anything special without the suit? I mean, we can give good advice but you're still... uh, not exactly powerful in any way as far as we know.

Oh, and bye the way- thanking him for telling you that would be polite.

Next we may want to ask what significance the ring held to your great-grandfather.

Become the first mortal to use exalted sorcery.