Tentacle Souls

[AngelEater]

Re: Tentacle Souls

Yell to necromancer to run, then do B

 

[MrMe]

Re: Tentacle Souls

I still have no idea what the clues were.


Anyway...
B. Quick-evolve aura sense 2.55, to sense traps better, then move as quick as possible to Blue

C sounds bad, isn't that where the dragons body is?

 

[CatPaws]

Re: Tentacle Souls

Let us recap.

Spoiler

We still have hostages chained somewhere in the room.

A blue tentacle threat that at the moment looks like he is very defenseless.

A really REALLY pissed dragon in the room.

We along with our allies are trapped in said room with said dragon.

Nothing can be done about the hostages at the moment. So I say we tell the blue boy "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? HURRY UP AND GET THROUGH THE GATE!"*While we tell the necromancer that we're jumping down the hole. In other words we use the blue boy as bait while we run the other way. We wait for things to clear up top then sneak back up and release the hostages... Or at least look for the body parts to bury.

My reasoning is going under some assumptions. The dragon is more interested in getting free than eating. While the blue boy looks like he might be easy pickings right now I can only imagine that the dragon is VERY pissed at our dear friend Blue who trapped him and being anywhere NEAR him would probably get us killed. The dragon isn't going to go back to the room he was held chained. Once killing blue he'll more and likely fly off (hopefully). I'm assuming that the room below us had only the dragon because... Honestly who'd keep other things with a dragon? Doesn't seem like the other things would last long if you know what I mean.

Also, Blue might be a bastard but I can no longer hate him. He kept a dragon under his living room floor because 'it sounded like a good idea at the time.'

Pretty much C2 with some things added to it.

*It should be mentioned that right at this moment Blue is looking very lost and if we snap something at him he'll probably react to it with out thought.

I find it odd that while the dragon saw us it didn't kill us but a gargoyle that was near by. Could this dragon be... Friendly? Can we talk to dragons? If worse comes to worse we might try to explain that we in fact freed it (on purpose no less!).

 

[TentanariX]

Re: Tentacle Souls

I feel like A1 or B is best bet. Id say quick evolving Scale Armor II or Body Shock II for defense purposes.

 

[Nirakei]

Re: Tentacle Souls

I'm going B with this one, although perhaps with alerting Blue to that plan as well. Way I see it, he'll want to survive in some capacity, hence his eagerness to run. At least in this way, we might be able to piss off a dragon for 5 minutes instead of 5 seconds.

 

[ArchAngelGundam]

Re: Tentacle Souls

B, we still need to free the hostages afterall.

 

[maxentius-septimus]

Re: Tentacle Souls

Let us recap.

Spoiler

We still have hostages chained somewhere in the room.

A blue tentacle threat that at the moment looks like he is very defenseless.

A really REALLY pissed dragon in the room.

We along with our allies are trapped in said room with said dragon.

Nothing can be done about the hostages at the moment. So I say we tell the blue boy "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? HURRY UP AND GET THROUGH THE GATE!"*While we tell the necromancer that we're jumping down the hole. In other words we use the blue boy as bait while we run the other way. We wait for things to clear up top then sneak back up and release the hostages... Or at least look for the body parts to bury.

My reasoning is going under some assumptions. The dragon is more interested in getting free than eating. While the blue boy looks like he might be easy pickings right now I can only imagine that the dragon is VERY pissed at our dear friend Blue who trapped him and being anywhere NEAR him would probably get us killed. The dragon isn't going to go back to the room he was held chained. Once killing blue he'll more and likely fly off (hopefully). I'm assuming that the room below us had only the dragon because... Honestly who'd keep other things with a dragon? Doesn't seem like the other things would last long if you know what I mean.

Also, Blue might be a bastard but I can no longer hate him. He kept a dragon under his living room floor because 'it sounded like a good idea at the time.'

Pretty much C2 with some things added to it.

*It should be mentioned that right at this moment Blue is looking very lost and if we snap something at him he'll probably react to it with out thought.

I find it odd that while the dragon saw us it didn't kill us but a gargoyle that was near by. Could this dragon be... Friendly? Can we talk to dragons? If worse comes to worse we might try to explain that we in fact freed it (on purpose no less!).

I agree with most of this C2 We should tell the necromancer to take cover either way. But I don't agree with using blue as bait, since bonding with should be our biggest level up yet, thats too good to let him die. We should try to get him as close as possible while in a panic. Also stealth 2 would help a lot right now with getting close to blue.

B would be my second choice in that case, we should still tell the necromancer to hide, and stealth would be even more important especially if we become a target after merging.

 

[Genius700]

Re: Tentacle Souls

I vote B, unless dropping down and infesting the dragon through the rear entry is a valid choice...

 

[neegak]

Re: Tentacle Souls

B

 

[Zephyrion]

Re: Tentacle Souls

C2.

 

[Caramoor]

Re: Tentacle Souls

Would it be possible to offer blue a more suitable deal to make him come to us? Say, a lees intense binding that won't completely take him over? Mayhap it could be reflected in an altered alignment penalty or something? Make it some sort of B, then C2 combo deal.

 

[Shadow]

Re: Tentacle Souls

I still have no idea what the clues were.

- Deep rumbling noise that nothing visible was providing.
- The sound of clanking chains when nothing was visibly chained up (the prisoners had invisible magic bonds around them'.
- Saying the Spidercrab was unusually scared (it could sense the Dragon, btw).
- Smoke/steam rising from cracks in the floor.
- The Necromancer said they were 'thermal vents', because stuff was rising and they were warm. Big mis-assumption.

It was a very fine line between making it stupidly obvious and saying so little that people would be going 'where the fuck did that come from?' when revealed.

 

[CatPaws]

Re: Tentacle Souls

I'd noticed that with the crab but I just assumed that he was afraid because we just entered the boss room. Figured he was getting cold feet.

Do you think this would have gone differently if we'd have asked Blue what all the rumbling and chain rattling was? Or would he have just said "Oh, nothing... Just, don't step right over there." But honestly... That probably would have had all of us running to that place to step on it a couple dozen times.

 

[MrMe]

Re: Tentacle Souls

I figured the spider crab was either scared of us or of blue.
The clanking sound I thought was from the chained prisoners
I thought the thermal vents were just thermal vents, the rumbling being magma.
The dragon was a complete surprise because I don't anyone really expected there to be a dragon chained up in a tentacle lords basement.


I don't think we would've found out about the dragon unless we used my option B, which was to charge through room using the vents as cover.

 

[The Alpacalypse]

Re: Tentacle Souls

Frankly, I'm not sure what good knowing there was a dragon chained beneath the floor would have done us. What kind of dragon is it? All we know so far is that it's big and can breathe fire; is it intelligent? Is it magical? Or is it just a big, stupid lizard that happens to shoot flames from its mouth?

At any rate, voting for B. Merging with Blue should be our number one priority; far ahead of saving the spidercrab, even ahead of the hostages and the Necromancer. Can probably try to use the spidercrab as a distraction, while we absorb our fine squishy friend, then use our new-found phenomenal cosmic power to "persuade" the beast to go elsewhere. Hopefully, only the crab needs be sacrificed.

 

[Shadow]

Re: Tentacle Souls

Apologies guys, wrote the update yesterday but then my internet died. Infuriating isn't the word.

Frankly, I'm not sure what good knowing there was a dragon chained beneath the floor would have done us.

Knowing a dragon was under the floor would have told you not to take Blue's deal; knowing what a sneaky bastard he is, he'd probably have 'accidentally' released on his way out.

Anyyyyway,

B / C2 combination is the basic gist of the responses, as far as I can tell.

Spoiler

Perfect pick

----​

There are times to panic, and then there are times like this.

"RUN!" you roar at the Necromancer, who's become rooted to the spot in fear. Shaking herself, she comes to her senses, ducks under the scything claws of a Gargoyle Bat, and looks around frantically for the Spidercrab. It's cowering in the far corner of the room, spindly legs shaking and eyes flicking up and down in fear.

As she rushes over to it, you call out to her: "I'll cover Blue!". She doesn't turn, but she sticks out her left arm and gives a thumbs up, so you know she heard.

Right. Where is Blue? Ah, he's still on the floor, racing around and behind the Dragon's scaled neck to the fog gate.

Oh no you don't, mate, you mutter, and slither across the tiled floor yourself. Being unable to use magic is infuriating; you can't stun him with a magical bolt or even cripple him with something more obscure, like a Lust III spell. Pah.
A pillar of flame erupts behind you, disrupting your thoughts and incinerating another unfortunate Gargoyle. There's further smashing sounds as one of the Dragon's forelimbs punches through the floor - at this rate it won't be long before the entire room disintegrates.
As if reading your mind, the whole ground rumbles and dust and rubble comes crumbling down from ceiling. The Dragon roars - again - shaking the room, and you slide as fast as you can over to Blue. He glances across at you at the last possible minute, notices how close you've gotten, and swerves to avoid you - but too late.

You skin brushes against his, and that's all it takes - the two fuse, blue and purple blood mixing at the point of contact.
"NO!" Blue screams, thrashing wildly - but he only attaches himself tighter to you, his body contorting into an awkward position as he struggles to break free.

Until, with a gelatinous pop, Blue is absorbed into you entirely. Your consciousness sparks, like two lightning bolts colliding into one, before you black out.

****​

When you awake, all that remains of Blue's central lair is a blackened, smoking wreck. You stir groggily, trying to get a feel for yourself. Inside your mind you feel Blue - his essence, personality, thoughts and experiences, but buried deep, and you can't hear his voice at all.
Much to your surprise, considering the scorched shell in which you're coiled, you feel great - completely energised and renewed. You suspect you may also have several new powers, and you itch to try them out.

But wait, where's the Necromancer? And the two humanoid prisoners? Did they make it out in -
Oh shit. You look up, and see open sky above you - that certainly wasn't there before. Vibrant green trees press against the clouds, but of most concern is the gigantic Dragon's head gazing down at you.

There's no point even trying to flee. You're grown larger with the fusion - you now have a central core, and four distinct, 6-foot tentacles branch out, two purple and two blue - but you're still a measly worm compared to this beast.

"Thank you."

You look up, surprised you're not currently aflame. Besides the Dragon's trunk-like, muscular front legs (god, they don't even reach the knees) stand the Necromancer, Spidercrab, man and insect-woman. They all look scared shitless (especially the crab) but oddly none of them seem to have been reduced to smoldering piles of ash.

"I am reliably informed that it was you who orchestrated my escape from the gaol," utters the Dragon. His voice is incredibly rich and deep, a reverberating baritone that dances in the ears. And even down in this pit, you feel the heat radiating off his titanic form in waves.

"I also see that thanks to you the deranged Blue Tentacle is no more." With this the Dragon dips his head towards you. You flinch automatically - but it seems it was no more than an expression of thanks.

"But you should know that it was not he who imprisoned me. I was tricked and subdued by one far greater than he; that cowardly slug merely wandered in when my captor was... on leave. That particular menace will return, and you would be well advised take all precaution with him. Or it."

The Dragon chuckles ruefully, the sound hanging in the air. He turns, his long serpentine tail whipping across the open top of your smoking crater. With a sound even more deafening than his roar, gigantic blood-red wings unfurl, fluttering like sails. He beats them, preparing to fly, and you see several small trees in the surrounding forest fly off.

With a single bound, the Dragon leaps into the air, buffeting his wings. He gains height rapidly, soaring off into the distance, scraping against the forest canopy. The trio of people watch him leave, protected from his windstorm by a sphere of glimmering magic.

"Until we meet again, Purple One." calls the crimson titan, and one final roar shakes the entire forest to its roots.

Right. OK then.

----​

Option A) Go back through the Archcrystal with the whole gang, rest up, then go somewhere else (the untried Grey one, perhaps?).

Option B) Send the man and insect-woman back through to safety, but you and Necromancer should go explore the jungle, you've hardly seen any of it.

Option C) All three of you should band together and explore the Jungle. And test out any new powers you might have.

Status:

Spoiler

HP: 150/150
Energy: 200/200
Morality: 9/100

Evolutions:

Spoiler

- Levitate I (allows you to glide across narrow gaps).
- Thunder Bolt I (Like Fire Bolt, Thunder element).
- Water Bolt I (...ditto).
- Ovipositor I (Allows you to lay eggs within the orifice of a host. At low levels, these eggs are weak and may not hatch properly. Further upgrades reduces this risk. Each egg costs 10 energy to plant, but the hatched tentacle is autonomous and commanded by you).
- Dread I (Releases pheromones that make organisms more afraid. The higher the level, the stronger the effect it has, and the better it works on people (lower levels are effective mostly against animals).
- Teleport I (allows you transport small, inanimate things back to the Dimensional Nexus, or wherever you set up a lair in the future. Further upgrades allow you to move bigger, and eventually alive things. NOTE: This spell will never be usable on yourself).
- Confusion I (Launch a magical blast that can disrupt the brain-waves of a foe. Useful against well-armored creatures that aren't very vulnerable to normal attacks).

- Firebolt II (Like Magic Sting II, but Fire Element).
- Scale Armor II (tougher scales, reduce damage taken).
- (Lust) Slime Ooze II (your slime induces lust in those that contact it).
- (Sleep) Slime Ooze II (your slime makes those that touch it sleepy. Very... sleepy).
- Perception II (20 Energy. Use body language and other subtle, chemical clues to put together a general hint of what someone is feeling at any given time. Is that a molecule of sweat? They're nervous. Are their fingers tapping? Clearly impatient.)
- Aura Detect 2.55 (20 energy. Your sense of auras is refined, and you can see them from a great distance and judge their power levels more accurately. Also allows you to faintly detect Cursed auras).
- Stealth II (20 energy required. Become even sneakier).
- Swim II (20 energy required. Can you guess what this evolution does?)
- Body Shock II (20 Energy required. A powerful wave of magical energy runs over your skin. Akin to picking up a live electrical wire. Obviously limited to close-range combat, though).
- Tentacle Arts II (20 Energy required. Recover HP through sex).

- Magic Shield III (30 energy cost. Lasts longer and tougher to break than Level II).
- Magic Sting III (30 Energy required. Costs 5 energy to use, but a direct hit will send most foes flying off their feet).

- Entrapment III (30 cost). Small tentacles appear from the ground around your enemy and bind them to it. The tentacles are strong but not unbreakable.

You've unlocked 'Holy Beam' due to your ultra-low morality score! A precise bolt of yellow, Holy light is fired at a target, and it does more damage the more immoral the target that it strikes.
Also unlocked 'Final Rest' - you can fire this stream of golden particles at anything that has been raised from the dead (skeleton, zombie, etc). It will fall to the ground and cannot be raised again.

There will be a difficulty spike from now on. More challenging monsters and a lot less reluctance from me to just kill you and send you back to the Archcrystal. Though hopefully it'll still be narratively satisfying. And I promise to try and work in more sex.

Also, the Dragon is now our friend and will aid us should we meet again. He just didn't want to admit as much.

 

[TentanariX]

Re: Tentacle Souls

I say either A or C. Also i think we should invest some of our newfound energy into either more scale armor, teleport, dread or stealth.

EDIT: BTW how much energy is required to evolve sclaes, teleport and or dread? I know stealth takes 20.

 

[Bloodshifter]

Re: Tentacle Souls

A-let's see if there is more sub-quests!

Evolutions
-10 Levitate I
-10 Teleport I
-20 Scale Armor II
-30 Entrapment III
-30 Magic Shield III
Total
-100 Energy
Mostly a Defensive build seeing as we will be infesting larger and larger creatures if we can find a Loyal yet dumb pet type then that would be excellent!

 

[AngelEater]

Re: Tentacle Souls

C
Evolve Confusion I, Ovipositor I and Stealth II

 

[Shadow]

Re: Tentacle Souls

I say either A or C. Also i think we should invest some of our newfound energy into either more scale armor, teleport, dread or stealth.

EDIT: BTW how much energy is required to evolve sclaes, teleport and or dread? I know stealth takes 20.

Unless I've contradicted myself anywhere, the rule I tried to stick to was Level I spells cost 10 energy, Level II cost 20, Level III cost 30, and so on.