Quest A Sword Through the Multiverse: Stabbing Space Whales[A FSN/Worm quest]

[Martenzo]

[x] - Approach the owner in costume with a request that he build some exercise machines to your specifications.
[x] - Purchase the Run-Down Townhouse, accepting the warts for the increased living space.

 

[LordsFire]

[x] - Approach the owner in costume with a request that he build some exercise machines to your specifications.
[x] - Purchase the Run-Down Townhouse, accepting the warts for the increased living space.

Approaching the owner in costume will also give the opportunity to demonstrate that not only are there heroic 'parahumans' around already, but they know where he's working. Without needing to imply, infer, or suggest anything, this will be likely to help keep him mindful of the costs of going villain.

 

[mwkillkenny84]

[x] - Approach the owner in costume with a request that he build some exercise machines to your specifications.
[x] - Purchase the Run-Down Townhouse, accepting the warts for the increased living space.

 

[SilentMech]

[x] - Approach the owner in costume with a request that he build some exercise machines to your specifications.
[x] - Purchase the Run-Down Townhouse, accepting the warts for the increased living space.

Welcome back Speaker.

 

[tri2]

[x] - Approach the owner in costume with a request that he build some exercise machines to your specifications.
[x] - Purchase the Run-Down Townhouse, accepting the warts for the increased living space.

 

[Blasterbot]

[X] - Approach the owner in costume with a request that he build some exercise machines to your specifications.
[X] - Purchase the Run-Down Townhouse, accepting the warts for the increased living space.

we will have the space for our own machines.

 

[ConfusedCanadian]

Woo it's back! Glad to have you back Speaker keep up the great work!

[X] - Approach the owner in costume with a request that he build some exercise machines to your specifications.
[X] - Purchase the Run-Down Townhouse, accepting the warts for the increased living space.

 

[Prodigal Knight]

[X] - Become a member of the second gym.
[X] - Purchase the Run-Down Townhouse, accepting the warts for the increased living space.

 

[Sadao25]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Don your armor!
-[X] Armor up, then peek inside.
--[X] Depending on if it's an attack or someone trying out "odd" abilities should decide any further action.
---[X] If it is an attack, disable the attacker as quickly as possible with the help of Arturia.
---[X] If it's not an attack pull back and stop using the armor then knock once Arturia looks normal.

A Brave New World 8​

With a bare moment’s focus, you Traced your own armor and helmet, blue and black contrasting with Saber’s blue and white.

You inched the door open a touch, wary of a bell or other noisemaker on it.

“-tch! That should have worked! Did I calculate the tension wrong? Maybe-”

Not that it would have mattered. The man on the far side sounded thoroughly distracted, so you opened the door a touch more. He was standing in front of a machine tha-

Your instinctive Structural Analysis made your eyes all but cross in your head. How the hell had he managed to create that memory alloy with a welding torch and a hand hammer? That made no sense at all! The Silver Millennium had used stelar forges in zero gravity to prevent crystallization, and somehow this guy had made half a kilogram of it with hand tools inside a gravity well.

You inched the door back shut and turned back to your wife.

“Apparently people are now using superpowers to invent better exercise machines, though that one seems to be a work in progress,” you said, releasing your traced equipment. Once Arturia released her own armor, you opened the door.

“Everyone all right in here? I thought I heard an explosion,” you said as you stepped through into the gym proper, Arturia right behind you.

Immediately, the man spun around to stare at you, a mix of surprise and embarrassment on his face.

“Ah, uh, yes, everything’s fine,” he said, then seemed to realize he was still holding the broken memory metal resistance arm and tucked it behind his back. “I’m working on an invention, building a better mousetrap as it were. I thought I had all the bugs worked out, but …” he trailed off.

“As good a thing as any to keep you busy when things are slow,” you agreed casually. A look around revealed more or less what you’d been expecting. The machines were in better shape than the building, and the owner hadn’t spent the money to have cameras installed.

The place gave you the feeling that it didn’t see much use. If business was poor, that might also explain why the owner was trying to invent more sophisticated exercise equipment, though what mattered for the moment was that here you could afford to max out the machines without being recorded.

The downside was, of course, that the owner must have had some sort of superpowered bullshit to be making sophisticated memory metals, however flawed, with such basic tools. Did you want to risk going to a gym where the owner might wake up one day and decide to put on a costume and start robbing banks or abducting people in order to force them to get fit?
On the other hand, he might be able to design something that would let you and Arturia really push your limits, though there were certainly risks to that approach as well.

ASTtM​

Your search for a gym with attached dojo fails. It seems like you’re looking for a Unicorn there. If you want one, you’re going to have to build it yourself. Since the first gym was effectively unusable, you’re stuck with two options. You can either:

[ ] - Become a member of the second gym.
[ ] - Approach the owner in costume with a request that he build some exercise machines to your specifications.
[ ] - Something else. (Write-in. Subject to GM approval)

ASTtM​

Before the weekend rush hit and swallowed you whole, you had wanted to take Arturia out on another date. You remembered touring Buckingham Palace with Rin when you’d first come to London, but in this instance, your memory had betrayed you.
“I can’t believe I forgot,” you muttered to yourself as the two of you walked past the building. “It must have been in ‘93 that they opened it up for tours, not ‘83.”

Saber, though, didn’t seem to mind. It was an uncommonly cold, blustery day for the fifth month, and she simply leaned into you for a bit of extra warmth, even bundled up as she was in a coat.

“It’s fine,” she said, taking in the architecture. “Not at all what I expected,” she admitted after an intense study, “but beautiful nonetheless.”

“Very different from Camelot?” you asked, half curious and half amused. For all that you’d lived the Dream Cycle during the war, you didn’t know that you’d ever seen Arturia’s castle.

“Very,” she agreed. For a long moment, she was quiet. Just before you were ready to prompt her, she continued.

“Camelot was the … I suppose the prototype for the concept of a ‘castle,’” she explained. “Up until that point, the Britons’ most impressive fortifications had been hill forts, but I wanted something grander. A symbol to rally the people around and a structure that could see off the most ferocious foes. I looked to the ruins of the Roman forts along the Wall and had Agravain, Merlin, and my other advisors ... scale them up a bit.”

That made you blink and turn to look down at the top of your wife’s head.

“Wait, you built the first castle? Ever?”

She nodded.

“The first of what could be considered true castles, meant to see off armies of other humans, rather than both humans and Phantasmal Beasts,” she agreed. “Can you imagine trying to build something like that with gryphons or wyverns around? They’d move in to claim the new ‘mountain’ in weeks. It would have been nothing but trouble in the Age of the Gods.”
You just looked at her for a long moment. She seemed to feel your eyes on her, and turned to look up at you, meeting your eyes.

“What?” she asked, a cute, confused expression on her face.

“Every time I think I know how amazing you are, you find some way to surprise me,” you said.

She blushed and leaned back into you. Your arm wrapped around her shoulder as you left Buckingham behind.

It was definitely hot chocolate weather, and you’d expected to be spending an hour or two on a tour that didn’t exist yet. With nowhere pressing to be, you decided to keep your eyes open for a likely looking cafe.

ASTtM​

By the end of the week, word is starting to spread about a hot new dish on the menu at the Ritz, and the phrase ‘fusion cuisine’ has appeared in the nation’s vernacular. For the first time in years, The Ritz Restaurant is booked for the dinner service each day before the doors open. Your bosses have taken notice and are pleased with the upturn in business.

Spoiler: Rolls

Didn’t even bother to roll the Perception test. You’d probably have been able to hear what was going on through the door with Reinforcement, but that isn’t what won the vote.

You have options on two townhouses. You and Arturia choose to-

[ ] - Purchase the Run-Down Townhouse, accepting the warts for the increased living space.
[ ] - Purchase the Move-In-Ready Townhouse. Convenience now is worth the risk of needing to move again later.
[ ] - Buy neither. They aren’t quite what you’re looking for.

There is also the gym vote, as above.

So, I never expected this to be on hiatus for so long. I really do apologize, but my limited free time last semester ended up being devoured by the second arc of Welcome to the Jungle. The up side is that I am now finished with my second degree and will be down to just working full time instead of working full time and taking 12-15 credit hours of classes as well. I plan to leave this vote open for about six days so that people have a chance to get discover that it has updated again, and remember what the hell was going on. I will attempt to keep to an 'every Sunday' update schedule and churn out some content now that I've got the free time.

Bribes to my muse in the form of omakes are always appreciated, and active discussion makes me happy. Thanks to Seraviel for beta work.

Welcome back!

 

[Inverted Fallecy]

IT LIVES!

Okay, now that I've got that out of my system, glad see you back, Speaker. I hope everything is going, if not well then, fine for while the pandemic is still flying about.

I'm glad that we didn't have to resort to violence in this update, and its cool to learn that Arturia built the first castle. It would be best to give the gym owner another source of revenue since his business is struggling. It would also give the guy a link to people who would be willing to help him, especially with Shirou's disposition. Buying the fixer-upper would give us the excuse to make our new home a fortress to the esoteric, whether it's magical or not.

[x] - Approach the owner in costume with a request that he build some exercise machines to your specifications.
[x] - Purchase the Run-Down Townhouse, accepting the warts for the increased living space.

 

[Arlos]

I am just waiting for more Arthuria/Shirou fluffy moments, it is just so oddly satisfying to read.

 

[Marduk]

This looks like an escalating derail and a flaming mess.
Everyone should consider themselves politely requested to chill out and take the COVID-19 discussion to the most appropriate thread.

Update: After further consultation off-topic posts were moved there.

https://www.the-sietch.com/index.php?threads/wuhan-virus-pandemic.1763

 

[EternitynChaos]

[X] - Become a member of the second gym.
[X] - Purchase the Run-Down Townhouse, accepting the warts for the increased living space.

 

[Speaker4thesilent]

And with that last vote sneaking in under the wire, polls are closed.

Winning vote is:
[x] - Approach the owner in costume with a request that he build some exercise machines to your specifications.

[x] - Purchase the Run-Down Townhouse, accepting the warts for the increased living space.

 

[Speaker4thesilent]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[x] - Approach the owner in costume with a request that he build some exercise machines to your specifications.
[x] - Purchase the Run-Down Townhouse, accepting the warts for the increased living space.

A Brave New World 9​

The meeting with the bank was more nerve wracking than expected. You’d been expecting Arturia to be able to carry most of the load, but she appeared to have forgotten most of what little applicable knowledge the Grail had supplied her with. Instead, you’d had to work together to convince the manager that you talked to that you were a good credit risk.

It seemed to come down to the fact that you’d done your homework on the history of the property and knew how to use the right jargon. When you were able to point out to the representative that the bank stood to make a profit even in the case of a repossession due to the larger than average size of the property, you finally started getting some positive reactions to your proposal.

You left the bank with a real sense of accomplishment at navigating your way through the financial bureaucracy. By the end of the week, you’d have taken possession of your new home! You could hardly wait.

ASTtM​

You secure a mortgage to the Run-Down Townhouse. Barely. Despite having very little credit history and Arturia’s rolls being literal shit. Gain 1 exp for pulling out a clutch save.

ASTtM​

After beginning the process of moving out of your current apartment and into your new home, working a long shift at your job, and making dinner for you and your spouse, most people would be happy to fall into bed and consider the day’s work done.

Instead, you went for a late walk, stepped into an alley, and then Guardian appeared, running the rooftops back to the unimaginatively named Jimmy’s Gym.

You’d been expecting to leave a letter for Jimmy with a message for him to meet you at a later time. Instead, when you arrived, you found that the lights in the gym were still on. Trying the front door, you found that it was unlocked.

As you stepped inside, you only barely remembered to reach up and grab the bell above the front door before it started to ring. A quick glance through the inner doors revealed the owner of the establishment once again absorbed with working on an advanced version of a weight machine.

You stepped through the door and nearly tripped over a discarded welding torch.

Maybe you should have done this when you were more fresh, after all?

You shook the impulse off. You were here now; better to just do it and be done.

So you walked up behind the man and cleared your throat.

“Jesus Christ!” the startled inventor yelped and surged to his feet, then nearly tripped over them. Possibly from a cramp. He appeared to have been working bent over for quite some time.

“Apologies for startling you,” you said, hands remaining casually at your sides. Or apparently casually, anyway. From that position, you could either trace a weapon and move to attack or defend yourself with ease, though you didn’t seem to need to.

“This is an interesting alloy you’ve developed,” you remarked instead. “I’m surprised you were able to create it inside a gravity well. Crystallization would normally be a serious barrier to terrestrial construction. I don’t suppose you could explain how you managed to bypass the issue?” you asked.

For a long moment, ‘Jimmy’ just stood there dumbly before his brain managed to switch gears.

“Uh, I just ran it through several cycles of heating and cooling and eventually it … felt right?” he explained without explaining. “Uh, how did you get in here?”

“You left the front door unlocked,” you said calmly, and the man flinched. “I was planning on simply leaving a letter for you, but I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“Ah, yeah, I’m fine, just got caught up working on this. I swear I got up to close the door at one point …” he trailed off, noticing the welder abandoned over by the entrance. “Oh, I guess I never made it out front to lock up.”

You chuckled.

“I’ve had friends like that before. Keeping one of them from maiming anyone who messed with her coffee was very nearly a full-time job.” Ami always had been particular about that espresso machine. You shook the thought aside.

“In any case, I’m known as Guardian, and I’m here to inquire about your prici-” you began.

“Wait, you’re the guy that caught David Martin?” Jimmy interrupted, “I … that is … can I shake your hand?” he asked.

You chuckled a bit and raised a hand, as requested, and got the sort of firm handshake you’d expected from someone with Jimmy’s muscles in return.

“Glad to have a murderer like that off the streets,” he said, “but what can I do for you?” he inquired.

“I still need to exercise to build and maintain my strength,” you explained, laying out the problem, “and a regular gym simply isn’t going to suffice.

“On the other hand, this metal seems to indicate that you’ve got the ability to create things far ahead of their time. Could you make a machine or machines capable of giving me a serious workout?”

ASTtM​

The short answer was yes. The longer answer was that it was complicated. Also, Jimmy or James Port had been up for twenty hours working on his invention without the benefit of a superhuman physique. As soon as the adrenaline rush started to fade, he started to fall asleep standing up.

You made sure he made it to a cot in the back room and locked his doors for him. In return, you got his private number and a promise to meet you whenever it was convenient for a detailed work-up, so that he could build custom machines for your specific needs. You also got the impression that he was deeply relieved to have a potential source of income forthcoming.

ASTtM​

Positive contact made with James Port, Tinker of unknown specialty, but capable of working with advanced metallurgy. Follow-up action unlocked.

Spoiler: Rolls

Intelligence+Bureaucracy=4d10. 3 successes

Saber’s Intelligence+Bureaucracy=8d10. Still 3 successes. Rerolls twice, getting 2 successes and then 1 success. Apparently she really can’t into mortgages. Maybe this is why she had to tear a village down for supplies every time she went off to war …

Wits+Linguistics=9d10. 6 successes. Shirou manages to Fast Talk his way out of the mess.

Dexterity+Stealth=8d10. 2 successes. Good thing he’s only trying to sneak up on a tinkering Tinker.

Charisma+Socialize+Appearance bonus: 6d10=2 successes. That’s enough to avoid panic long enough for you to introduce yourself.

???+???=???. ??? ???.

Finally, I’m adjusting things a bit and moving towards monthly turns instead of weekly. As such, this vote will represent what you do for the remainder of May.

After the needs of your job and your current commitments, you have 3 AP. What do?

[X] - Hold down your job. You need to get paid, so this is sort of a requirement. Cost: 4 AP. Results: You do the minimum required to get paid. Your bosses are happy with the improvement you’ve made in the restaurant for the moment, so you could afford to cut back a touch. Continued improvement likely, but not guaranteed.

[ ] - Innovative Cuisine. Now that you’ve got access to the proper grade and scope of ingredients, you can turn your attention to the fine details of tweaking the Ritz’s current recipes. As they are, they’re solid, but uninspired, with one notable exception. Cost: 1 AP. Results: Continued development of Fusion Cuisine.

[X] - Pleasing the Eye. Your original plans about plating went in an entirely unexpected direction, but if you want to have chefs other than yourself capable of the sort of casual excellence you envision, you’re going to need to put in the hours to train them up. Cost: 1 AP. Results: Chefs trained to cook well and look good doing it. Eventual synergy with restaurant update.

[ ] - Socialize with Arturia. Weekends are for dates, right? Cost: 1 AP. Results: Fluff, WAFF, happy Arturia.

[ ] - Search around for crime to stop. Clearly, as an Ally of Justice, you should be patrolling the neighborhood looking for wrongs to right. That drug den/brothel is wearing away at your conscience. Cost: 1 AP. Results: Crimes thwarted? Justice upheld? Maybe just an annoyed Arturia.

[ ] - Investigate the disturbance. Rumor has it that something happened at the PM’s residence. You’ll definitely have to move on to contacting the government directly if you want to help.Cost: 1 AP. Results: ???

[ ] - A patent pending. Your patent lawyer recommended that you contact Sony to license your patents to them. In order to do that, you’re going to need to demonstrate that they work. That means building examples, which means time and money. Cost: 2 AP. A 2-dot expense. Results: Working examples of your inventions. Probably annoyed neighbors, given your current living arrangements. You may want to find a home with a workshop first.

[X] - Home Improvement. (Locked in due to purchase of the Run-Down Townhouse) You own a home now, or the bank owns it and you’re paying them interest for the pleasure of living in it, anyway. The problem is that it’s going to need to be a construction site for a while as you reopen the closed half of the house and reconfigure everything for your needs. Cost: 1 AP. Results: Access to and renovations and furnishing for the full floorplan of your new house. Home Equity.

[ ] - Gym Building. You’ve made contact with the super-inventor that runs a failing local gym. Now you just need to decide how much you’re willing to spend to have a home gym that will allow you and Arturia to get some exercise and training in.
Cost: 1 AP. Variable amounts of money. Results: Gain a home gym/practice area in your basement. Training time for physical skills and attributes accumulates. Coordination penalties mitigated.

[ ] - Write in. Subject to QM approval.

You have 5 exp. Do you spend any?

[ ] - Write in.

Short update again, but I'm getting back into the swing of writing this. Vote will again be open until sometime Friday evening.

 

[LordsFire]

[x] - Innovative Cuisine.
[x] - Socialize with Arturia.
[x] - Investigate the disturbance.

Reasoning for all of this is as follows:

1. We want to keep driving home the point of how good we are with the bosses, and have our cover identity very well-established. Once our mark is thoroughly made, we can ease off on this some more, but we're not at that point just yet.
2. This should be a more or less permanent fixture.
3. Opportunity strikes on this now, and unlike some of the other interesting options, if we don't take it now, we're probably not going to see it again any time soon.

None of the other options are outright bad, but they don't have the same time-pressure on them.

 

[Shador]

[x] - Innovative Cuisine.
[x] - Socialize with Arturia.
[x] - Investigate the disturbance.

 

[Arlos]

Our Heroes almost defeated by bureaucracy, truly it is the worst of all evil.

[x] - Innovative Cuisine.
[x] - Socialize with Arturia.
[x] - Investigate the disturbance.

Definitely need to look into what happen in the PM house, that’s serious business.
Though I really wanted to do Gym building, since the guy apparently needed the money, and it’s good to keep positive contact going, we don’t have the AP for it unfortunately.

 

[mwkillkenny84]

[x] - Innovative Cuisine.
[x] - Socialize with Arturia.
[x] - Investigate the disturbance.

 

[Speaker4thesilent]

Though I really wanted to do Gym building, since the guy apparently needed the money, and it’s good to keep positive contact going, we don’t have the AP for it unfortunately.

Welcome to AP hell.