---*---

After a jeep trip to the outskirts of town, you arrived to the portal station - a large building that surrounded the spatial rift to the naturally-ocurring Otherworld portal. During the trip, Lana explained to you that she was a kusarigama and poison specialist, and that you should have it in mind.

You entered the station, finding a large metallic room in the middle, with contraption surrounding a glowing blue orb. That must be the "door".

"Rex, in front. Then me, then Mary. Newbie, you last!" Lana commanded.

---*---

The inside of this part of the Otherworld was stony and cavelike. The place was dimly lit by fungi on the roof, about four stories about you. In front was the tunnel, and then the beginning of the spiral upwards in a much larger opening in the cave.

"Squire!" Lana boomed. "What formation should we take to avoid any potential rouge Rocky Gabbers?"

You knew the Gabbers were often dormant, laying in the rock until somebody tripped on them, then slowly waking up to attack the person who did. Individually they weren't much of a threat, the real problem was when they started to call their pals with a characteristic "Gab" sound.

>Disperse, to inspect and observe the largest area possible, for Gabbers, and avoid them via preemptive detection.
>In a tight group. If we knock into a Gabber, we can eliminate it together, quickly.
>In a line of people, with the person in front being the most observant and checking the terrain for the rest to follow.

>Write in

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102 KB JPG

>>40392901
>This guy is still trying

How about at the very least you let your previous shitty thread die.
>>40385805

Twitter: Twitter.com/TurboTeddy

>>40392917
Changing >>40393346
>In a line of people, with the person in front being the most observant and checking the terrain for the rest to follow.

>>40392917
Slay the orc for an XP boost.

"In a line." you mention. You were the one who had studied Monsterology, so you were the most indicated to design the plan of action. Lana must've read your resume quite well. "The most observant in front - the rest follows in their tracks. That should assure us the cover for the group and minimize exposure risk to the Gabbers."

The snake nodded. "Reasonable. I'll go first then. Mary in the middle." the good old protect-the-healer routine, you guessed.

In a queue behind Lana, you walked through the tunnel at a respectable pace. It was fairly easy for her semireptilian senses to disect the enviroment in her senses in such a way as to avoid the Gabbers

"There's one." she'd say, pointing to a rock. "Another.", and point to the floor. She was really good at this for some reason.

Initial tunnel path, "line" formation.
>Roll 1d100, DC:50 moderate success, 25: Minor, best of first two.

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>40393571

Rolled 59 (1d100)

>>40393571
Guess I will roll again

>>40393622
>>40393602
Classy.

"You're very good at this, Lana" you point out. She doesn't turn back to speak to you, and instead gestures to move onwards.

"Shez used to be in da army too" Rex hushed in. "Commando. Itza in her blood, kid."

"Commando?" you wonder. You werent fully versed in military concepts, but from what you knew, that meant stealth and other covert operations.

You exitted the tunnel area, and reached the main opening in the cave - the one with the spiralled mountain in the middle, surrounded by stonevines. If this location really was an abandoned Gabber nest, there must've been a reason that has driven them away.

"There are... No more here." Lana points out, looking around in this area. "They're all just in the tunnel."

"Correct." you underline. "There is something here that didn't want them here. I just don't know what yet."

>Send in someone that can easily run away as a distraction up the spiral (Lana), to call forth whatever has driven the Gabbers away, and discover what it is.
>Go up in a formation. If anything appears, you'd beat it down, together.
>Take a Gabber, wrap his mouth and take him up the spiral blindfolded. Then release his mouth with Lana's kusari chain remotely, and let him yell his Gabber thing, to call forth the being.

>Write in

>>40393896
>Send in someone that can easily run away as a distraction up the spiral (Lana), to call forth whatever has driven the Gabbers away, and discover what it is.

"Lana. You're quick, aren't you?" you ask her.

"Correct." she said, with a sense of pride.

"Could you go up the mountain and try to discover what has sent them away?" you suggest. You then swallow.

"Me? Alone?" she replied. You felt stiff. "Alright." she added. "It seems best so - the rest of you aren't fit for an information-based operation as this needs to be."

She was quite formal about all of this. Perhaps she was a bit of a military-nut. Regardless, the rest of you stayed behind, at the opening's tunnel entrance. Rex was particularly in front of you and Mary.

"Lana, if youz get in trouble, just tell. I will getza there as fast as I fan." he told her.

"Don't worry, comrade." she replied. "I got this."

Lana's scouting.
>Roll 1d100s, best of first two, DC:80 Moderate Success, 50: Minor.

This is kind of sad. Don't you have a hug box or something?

Rolled 43 (1d100)

Rolled 9 (1d100)

>>40394153
Here goes

Bummers.

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Lana stepped into the upwards spiral carefully, looking back at you as she slowly rose up the stucture towards the egg. Things seemed to go well. She had gone half way up, and silently, you were gesturing cheers towards her. This was going to be pretty easy, right?

...Right?

A loud gurgutual groaning could be heard. A bright red light shone from somewhere behind the spiral structure and then became more intense until you could see from your angle that a Runepacter - a type of beast you had studied in Monsterology - emerged.

"WOMAN." it boomed. "I AM BOUND BY A PACT TO PROTECT THIS CHILD - CHOSEN AS HIER TO THE LEADERSHIP OF THE GABBERS HERE."

"LEAVE."

It must've not realized that the egg was dead, or his pact didn't cover premature deaths. Either way, this was a very powerful being, but bound to his own rules. It would remain peaceful for a while, but it was definitelt a serious obstacle in the mission.

"The egg is dead." Lana mentioned. "Let me continue."

"MY PACT HAS NOT ENDED. MY SERVICE MUST GO ON."

You have limited time before he would lose his patience. You needed to suggest to Lana the best way to deal with him.

>Look for the original pactmaker among the gabbers in the hall, and ask him to revoke the pact.
>Suggest to make a new pact with the being - a pact that would ensure the protection of the "child" while at the same time let you access the egg.
>Attack the Runepacter and try to defeat him.

>Write in

>>40394502
>Suggest to make a new pact with the being - a pact that would ensure the protection of the "child" while at the same time let you access the egg.

>>40394502
>>Suggest to make a new pact with the being - a pact that would ensure the protection of the "child" while at the same time let you access the egg.

"Lana, let me handle this!" you yell out. Immediately, the lawbound golem turned towards you. "LEAVE."

"Runepacter, sir." you start off. "I wish to make a new pact, that will reinforce your current one."

"YOUR TIME IS LIMITED." he replied, inching nearing. Oh boy.

"Just hear me out. I propose that in exchange for ten minutes of me protecting this area, you will grant me five minutes of time were you will leave us alone - but the child will suffer no harm whatsoever during that time. I'll even let you lay a hand on my shoulder during that time - if I as much as touch the child, you can crush me. That's what your pact is about, right, defending the child? What do you have to lose?" you propose.

"HUMAN." the golem boomed. "I ACCEPT."

Excellent. "Deal made then."

>During the time you're "protecting" the egg with the Rune-being, try to retrieve it and run away with it through the portal.
>Wait the "protection" time and then, when its you five minutes of "free time", take the empty egg and try to get out of the portal as quick as you can.
>Use the "free" time to propose another pact (write in)

>Write in

>>40394831
>Wait the "protection" time and then, when its you five minutes of "free time", take the empty egg and try to get out of the portal as quick as you can.

>Wait the "protection" time and then, when its you five minutes of "free time", take the empty egg and try to get out of the portal as quick as you can.

>>40394831
>During the time you're "protecting" the egg with the Rune-being, try to retrieve it and run away with it through the portal.

"PROTECT. NOW, HUMAN." it bellowed. Obediently, you walked up the spiral, to a location near the egg.

"NO, HUMAN." it protested. "THEM." it pointed to Mary, Rex and Lana who have since retreated to inside the tunnel. "PROTECT THE EGG FROM THEM."

You blink, look at the rest of your party, then to the Rune guy. "Uh, sure." you said, then looked towards the group. "I... banish! ...You! Leave!" you yelled. They looked at each other, confused.

"Guy, trust me on this." you told them. "Do it."

"But, Dav-" Lana hissed

"LEAVE, UNWELCOME VISITORS." the golem interrupted. Lana bit her lip, then grabbed the cowgirl and the orc, and left out the tunnel, leaving you alone with the golem.

You stood there, feeling an eternal few minutes crawl by, with the pactmaker floating besides you.

Sweat dropped down your cheek.

"HUMAN." It then said. "YOUR FIVE MINUTES START *NOW*."

You nodded. The golem then put his large stone hand on your shoulder. You could feel its cold, hard pressure against your body. Stiffly, you wandered to the egg, and took it. "See?" you explain. "I'm not touching any child."

It didn't reply. So far, you have been complying to the conditions.

Then you walked with it, and it followed. Alright. All good - you had five minutes. Hastily, you marched with the egg in your hands with the thing holding your shoulder, down the spiral and then into the tunnel. The Gabbers seemed to awaken and crawl away from you as you did - they were scared of the Runepacter.

You arrived at the portal. It was still holding your shoulder.

>Toss the egg out. Then let the time run out and his hand to remove to exit.
>Duck out of his grasp and jump in the portal.
>Make a pact (write in)

>Write in

>>40395420
>Toss the egg out. Then let the time run out and his hand to remove to exit.

Going to have to end it short today, sorry!

It has been fun though!

Twitter: twitter.com/TurboTeddy

>>40395579
Eh, ok. I guess.

>>40395579
Really? Alright...

>>40395695
>>40395831

I want to continue, but my block has been without power for the last hours (been having power issues since the Monmusu thread today) and my mobile's battery won't last until tomorrow morning to wake me up if I continue.

I apologize. Really. I wish I could stay more. Next thread will be better.

>>40395892
Good luck then.

>>40395892
Sorry for shitposting in your threads, I'll leave off. Everyone deserves their own chance and you didn't deserve some of that. Try reading a few writing guides to make things more interesting.

God, what a disappointment of a thread