mid game, pt 2 (cycles 18-26)
a reign of terror, the body count rises, new alliances are formed, and a team dispels the fog of mysterie
cycle 18
Troubadour1 makes a rare foray off the centre tiles, kills a Spambot that can't get through their armour, and then continues their D4 advertising campaign:
If you are cool come meet me at D4 |
Deep Vein Thrombosis are still on
Albatross's tail, and run into the Spambot she set behind her at the Filthy Lurker shop at C2. they dispatch it easily;
Drifting's Redirect Page combined with
Voltage's Doubleposter's Doublet is a very powerful combination for dealing with non-player encounters.
Drifting buys a Trojan Egg and a Broken Lock, and then uses two Trojan Eggs to plant Spambots on G1. i think these were planted blind, and just under the same principle as the Spambot planted on A1 to slow looters down, but it's a better target than perhaps they realised. before carrying on their pursuit, they look into their search lens to check H1...
... to find
ThatOneSpork, who has finally made it here.
ThatOneSpork tries the password prompt they picked up at H1, but no dice. they rest here to make another attempt, still not sure what they're looking for
just below them at H2 a slightly worse for wear
Brambane arrives. they'll sit here to rest up for exactly as long as
ThatOneSpork is above. i don't think either of them knows it
at G1
grape tylenol is at 9 HP, one rest away from being fully healed. just in time for the company she'll have next cycle
Albatross loots the treasure chest at D2 to claim its Blue Ink, and then checks ahead at E2. it's all clear, so she proceeds
BIG ASHLEY course-corrects, and begins heading up column E to meet her teammates
The Math Professors arrive at F7 to discover the Assassin and
chimp's corpse.
phoopes tries to talk to the Assassin, but he won't deal with moderator-aligned players:
"... I see. Those badges you wear... I know what they are. What you are.
"Errand boys for that poor fool. No, I'm afraid I haven't any interest in your kind."
with that,
phoopes memorialises
chimp, and then he and
Mathy rest
cycle 19
grape tylenol has guests—the Spambots
Drifting planted are here. she'll flee, but Deep Vein Thrombosis will use their Search Lens to check their handiwork before she does:
lololol ashley in shambles, this means spork is still solving the key shit btw
with this intel, they carry on South East in pursuit of
Albatross
goon squad make it to E5, where they encounter
CryoGyro, defiant in the face of superior numbers:
[Talk] well well well, if it isn't the Blowjob Brothers
they attack and take a chunk out of him, but are puzzled as their target appears to vanish into thin air before they can finish him off—@CryoGyro activates their Bookmark, returning to E4. it's just one tile away, but it won't incur any attacks on the way out
xzern successfully arrives back at the Editor, and dumps his scavenged into upgrading his Needle & Thread twice, buffing its damage spread from 0-4 to 2-4. personal quest complete!
cycle 20
as with cycle 10, the chests are refilled. players might have a sense, now, that this will happen every 10th cycle
grape tylenol arrives on F1, met by two Scrapers. she's just one tile away from
Albatross, now, on F2, with Deep Vein Thrombosis right behind
Deep Vein Thrombosis search H1 to confirm the key and
ThatOneSpork are still there. they've been talking about cutting
ThatOneSpork off when (if) they leave with the key, and now
Albatross is corralled up here, too. presumably feeling that isn't about to change any time soon, they resolve to double back for the treasure on their previous tile, D2
Albatross rings her bell and can see she has players in three directions—North West, North East, and South West. that's not as bad as it sounds, though, because she knows one of them is
grape tylenol. this time with her Search Lens she scouts for
grape tylenol, not for herself, and finds the much more appealing pool on E1:
grape tylenol heads toward it, and
Albatross doubles back, too, i think imagining that she will juke Deep Vein Thrombosis in the event they carry on South East to chase her
ThatOneSpork gives up on their key at H1, and carries on crawling the perimeter
xzern picks up the Static status on F3, just South West of
Albatross
Troubadour1 is searching farther afield now, stepping onto the Toxic Thread on C3, but they're immune thanks to their armour
The Math Professors step onto F6; while
Mathy is thawed out from Frozen,
phoopes is afflicted by Burned
to their North West,
BIG ASHLEY runs into a Flame Troll on E6, and resolves to keep running. the troll rolls max damage, however, and also sticks
BIG ASHLEY with a burn
CryoGyro rests up on E4 after their close shave with goon squad, who still lie in wait on e5...
cycle 21
Deep Vein Thrombosis loot a Sticky Note at D2, which will come in handy later. it prevents the target from fleeing the encounter it is used in. they search G1 to find out how their Spambot ambush resolved—the Spambots are both still there, but
grape tylenol is gone. in her place is
ThatOneSpork, who flees the encounter
Albatross scans H1 to confirm the key hasn't been looted yet. it's a bit dicey but she'll rest here for a turn to let
grape tylenol finally meet up with her
grape tylenol arrives at the healing pool on E1 and interacts with it, healing back up after scraping through the last two encounters. these pools fully restore HP as well as status to OK, with a cooldown period after for them to restore that power. these might have made sense as locations to Bookmark and/or Hyperlink to or from, but perhaps owing to their location out on the perimeter, they ultimately didn't see much use
xzern discovers a Sticky Note of their own in a treasure chest, at E3, and adds it to their growing arsenal of tools
Brambane starts working their way down column H, running into (and then from) a clutch of Daemons
BIG ASHLEY falls into goon squad's ambush at E5
Let's turn BIG ASHLEY into BIG ASHES
the strength of their combined attacks plus the nasty Burned status is too much:
It's another direct hit. You stagger a few more steps before collapsing.
Everything seems to spin and blur around you, passing in a flash and slowly at the same time—the masked figures, the key, Lady Salamence, the H5 statue. You are both still and falling, and for a brief moment you can see everything, nowhere: posts, likes, even the Posting Points themselves. There is a sensation like a would-be obvious discovery, a light coming on—of course! The meaning of it all...
But it is just too late to grasp it, the message of a dream moments after waking, the truth in the corner of your eye.
And then everything fades.
You have been defeated.
giggling thinking about how devious we are. i wonder if anyone else is killing in this game
goon squad are now in a pretty strong position; they have a wealth of Likes, their pick of a handful of other players' items, and they're posted up in a location other players with the default win condition will need to visit. perhaps most importantly, they now have a Mysterious Key, looted from
BIG ASHLEY's corpse. for now it is just a curious trinket to them
The Math Professors arrive at F5, and loot the Spam Mail
cycle 22
Deep Vein Thrombosis and
Albatross and
grape tylenol finally all run into one another on the same tile, E2. there's some confusion, though, about if
Albatross and
grape tylenol's alliance is secret, and the subterfuged is fumbled somewhat. there are too many people on one tile to merge parties, so Deep Vein Thrombosis are fishing for one of them to join up.
Albatross and
grape tylenol have already agreed to team up, but don't want this to be immediately obvious. it's pretty anti-climactic; everyone agrees to go home to their families... for now
CryoGyro runs in to
Mathy and
phoopes and a clutch of Daemons. there's a brief glimmer of hope, here, as they all seem to come to the unexpressed agreement that dealing with the Daemons comes first, and dispatch each of them, a team effort, in a single round of combat
[Talk] about time i saw someone else, what have you found
this might have been an opportunity for The Math Professors to gain their third party member; i get the impression that
CryoGyro would have gladly joined up, and they could have shared a lot of intel. but
Mathy had other ideas:
It's time to take him out
[Attack]
CryoGyro is forced to flee
xzern and
Troubadour1 just miss one another, crossing at D3—E3
ThatOneSpork comes across a treasure chest at G2, but the posts give him pause
BEWARE MIMIC REAL |
mimic deez nuts |
It's a trap! |
he opts to rest up before attempting to loot it since he's so low on health
goon squad realise they have the powerful Search Lens:
[Search] - Choose another location to view (ie, "G5")
Huh? Is that a thing we can do?
(you got it off chimp wayyyy back in cycle 9, and youve had that power ever since! not sure you've ever used it)
Lol I completely forgot about that
you grow numb to the death
and opt to use their Mysterious Key looted from
BIG ASHLEY on the lock where they are on E5. they're flying blind, though, without knowledge of the wider puzzle or what the key inscriptions refer to—they denote the lock each key is for, and they aren't in the right place
There is a flash of red from the cube, and suddenly a clutch of Daemons is crawling out from around it, squabbling and jabbering and pointing their little bidents at you!
the Daemons are no match for them, but they send the message loud and clear that fumbling around with keys and locks is not the way to go. they opt to combine uses of their Alert Bell and Search Lens to ping for any sign of nearby players, and then take a look at any finds, and they hit the motherlode:
You ring the Alert Bell...
| North West | North | North East |
| West | goon squad | Ping! |
| South West | South | South East |
You peer into the Search Lens...
This is
F4.
CryoGyro,
Mathy, and
phoopes are here. There is a clutch of
Daemons here.
It looks like they are fighting!
i'm not sure if what came next was intentional or an error, but in response to this information they discuss getting the drop on
CryoGyro, who they know to already be weak, and then head North East (away from them) instead of North West
either way, goon squad leave the incriminating corpse of
BIG ASHLEY behind and move on in search of more targets
cycle 23
Deep Vein Thrombosis carry on beelining South East with a view to catch
ThatOneSpork. they search H1 again and discover he didn't manage to leave with the key after all; it's still there
goon squad run into
Troubadour1, on E4:
Troubadour1 pleads with them to stop:
[Talk] ayy woah woah chill out :(
... but goon squad carry on until it is done. this is the fourth player they have slain
the very turn
Troubadour1 is slain,
xzern arrives at D4. reading the following post, they resolve to wait:
Hey if I'm not here I'll be back in a sec |
... but
Troubadour1 will never return
CryoGyro arrives at G4 having fled combat, but The Math Professors got lucky guessing the direction to give chase in, and they're right after him.
Brambane has also opted to veer in from the perimeter and come here. both players will flee from attacks, here, and the moderator-aligned players split their damage, but
Mathy had a pretty interesting rationale for not attempting to focus down
CryoGyro:
Do you want me to keep beating on CG or team up on Brambane?
Whomever you want, I just want to see if Bramb has any armor
Albatross and
grape tylenol are finally able to form a proper, formal party, the Ghostlight Gatekeep Girlbosses. they head down to E3, ostensibly to meet up with
BIG ASHLEY, who has decided to not reveal that they have died—and asked me to do the same. i'm not sure what the function of this gambit was, or where it interfaces with deadtalking rules... but perhaps it is funny? they scan E4, their destination:
ashelyDeluxe girlhandles Albatross's bell. It lets out a flat, unimpressed ring:
| North West | North | North East |
| Ping! | You | Ping! |
| Ping! | South | South East |
Then she peers into the Search Lens. The glass shifts and fogs...
This is
E4.
There is a strange device here...
Check1Two is here. There are two
masked figures in red robes here.
lol check is gonna get fucked
cycle 24
Deep Vein Thrombosis come across
ThatOneSpork resting at the chest, talk, decide whether to recruit or kill.
Drifting is pretty keen on killing spork and moving on, but voltage (perhaps rightly) suggests inviting him to team up. three-man parties are very powerful, and with
ThatOneSpork on the team, this is the game's first. with that resolved, the party are able to loot the treasure chest, to discover the Message of Mending, a very handy trinket that will allow them to designate a party member as a healer. all the more reason to have three people on board
the Ghostlight Gatekeep Girlbosses cross paths with goon squad and discover the corpse of
Troubadour1 at E4, and decide to try their hands at combat.
grape tylenol decides to name them John and Olgilvie, since they are only presented as "Masked Figure #" to players outwith their party.
Albatross is left very low, so they resolve to flee, but before they can :
As you turn to flee, Olgilvie does something rather strange: they stow their weapon.
Instead, they produce a Quote Bubble, and hold it aloft.
A second, ghostly Albatross appears:
Albatross is first to strike, launching herself at Olgilvie with a slash of her Scraper Knife!
Scraper Knife
1d2-3 = 3 - 1 (Defence bonus) = 2
... But instead of attacking Olgilvie, this Albatross attacks the first!
Before things can get any more horrifying, you escape.
Albatross is left with just 1 HP
xzern gives up on waiting for
Troubadour1 at D4 and moves over to E4
i waited 2 turns for your ass |
he'll pass goon squad as he does
Brambane arrives at the Editor and decides to rest up
The Math Professors loot G4 for the Hot Pepper trinket, which grants an Attack Bonus and the chance for attacks to inflict the Burned status. both of their quarries have evaded them
cycle 25
the Ghostlight Girlkeep Gatebosses finally discover
BIG ASHLEY's corpse, and are gutted not only that she is dead, but that her key is gone. they ring the Alert Bell and discover that
xzern is on E4. conscious that he might have the key (and that they are now a party member down), they ponder inviting him in. they are once again in a precarious position, and the will need to stay put to heal
Albatross, who is still clinging to life with 1 HP
the goon squad carry on prowling for targets, narrowly missing
xzern as they pass one another
The Math Professors catch up with Brambane, but the Editor forbids combat.
Mathy takes the opportunity to upgrade both he and
phoopes' weapons, and cures the latter's Burned status, for a total of 20 Likes. we could all use a friend like
Mathy
CryoGyro discovers
monkfish's corpse, but it has already been looted by
xzern. they will continue roaming on the outskirts of the game, now
Deep Vein Thrombosis arrive at H2. they are just one move from claiming a second key
cycle 26
Brambane returns to G4, the scene of their earlier skirmish, only to find the chest there has already been looted
xzern arrives on E5 with the Ghostlight Gatekeep Girlbosses, and is formally inducted into their order. they share information, and they're now shored up pretty nicely with a mix of items.
xzern's upgraded weapon in particular draws attention, and he reveals the existence of the Editor, on G3
The Math Professors arrive at G2, and ring their Alert Bell, which shows one party to their East
that party is Deep Vein Thrombosis, who have finally arrived at H1.
Drifting enters the password, while
Voltage explains how they determined this to
ThatOneSpork.
ThatOneSpork has taken up the mantle of team healer, and heals
Drifting with their Message of Mending
Drifting steps up to the terminal to enter the phrase "hehehe"...
There's a delay, a few soft bloops, and then the quiet hum of something whirring up...
Before you know it, the key you had seen suspended in the tube disappears. In the same moment, Drifting is conscious that they now hold two mysterious keys!
You gained an item:
[Mysterious Key]
It bears an inscription:
"ST-TDC"
with the last key on the board claimed, change is coming. while Deep Vein Thrombosis ponder their next move, the fog around the key inscriptions and their significance seems to clear:
that sounds like a lot of work hmmmmm...
anyway I think this is referring to the Smogon Tour subforum (or Spanish Translations but i doubt we're getting toddy en espanol).
Let me look through to see what I can find
ohhhh TDC could be Trou Du Cul also... very interesting toddey...
wait, for B101-FDL, FDL is Firebot Development Lab, another closed forum like Trou Du Cul... I may be cooking
Voltage
You're absolutely cooking hold up
Well ok I've figured out what the words mean but how does that even help
Battling 101 - Firebot Development Lab
Smogon Tour - Trou Du Cul
do you think it has something to do with the ID of each of the forums?
B101 (42)
FDL (38)
ST (49)
TDC (46)
If there's a way to convert the pairs on the keys from these letters to a coordinate square, then I think we're golden
Since it looks like none of us have actually been in the center and we've all gone along the perimeter or one in, let's start making our way towards E4, I think E4, E5, D4, and D5 all have the blocks. I confirmed E5 has one, so
I'll [SCAN] D4 to see if this pattern holds and it is the middle ones, and
ThatOneSpork should scan either E4 or D5
You peer into the Search Lens...
This is
D4.
There is a strange device here.
Holy shit I just figured it out while playing smash.
The "-" on the keys isn't a hyphen; it's a minus
B101-FDL = 42 - 38 = 4
ST-TDC = 49 - 46 = 3
This means we have keys 3 and 4, and the ones we need will be 1 and 2. We have to put each key in the associated slot.
Do NOT tell anyone this information, this is a gamechanger
next time: the game is changed
The whole key puzzle seems like something I would have had a lot of fun with, but oh well.
