Once everything is sorted with G.D., Henri walks to the door. He says, "Gay Deceiver, I will check in with the boss first, but I will be talking to the engineers shortly after so we can talk about preparing you for our next mission. Raise me on comms if anyone tries to come aboard. Lock down until I return. Be back soon."
Gay Deceiver does as Henri asks.
Mr. Wonderful joins the group as they walk from the landing pad to HQ. When the group enters the building, Mr. Wonderful undergoes a transformation. He suddenly becomes less wonderful. The second he steps inside, he gains a little weight, loses a lot of muscle, his teeth yellow, his hair thins, his glow dims, he bumps into a railing. Mr. Less Wonderful turns to you and shrugs, "My powers are sunlight activated. The lab is looking for a solution. It sucks on partially cloudy days."
Down near the Flight Deck, Phade sits at the same desk in the same office L.C. sat and which Greer sat at before her. Zellgato has insisted on some security improvements since then, but it looks much the same. She is ending a holo-call when you arrive. She looks annoyed and stressed. She's barely old enough to legally drink but she is in command of Boston Theoretical. She's a superhero and has earned her place, but she does look a bit over her head.
Theo soon learns that during the days before the tournament pretty much everyone selling swords, selling armour, selling magic sword oil, selling services as a page, etc, will be down near the 'Old Arena near the Wall of Five Gates'. Many of the schools are around there.
After another intense workout, Theo showers off in TAROT Headquarters then travels to the Old Arena to look around.
"How curious," Unity comment to 'Mr. Wonderful' as he comes inside. "What are you doing about it yourself?"
Unity all nod at Phade as they enter her office. "We're sorry we haven't been able to be around much," they say. "We're getting very close to tracking down our creator, and then..."
They trail off, not quite certain what that 'and then' is really going to be. "What can we do for you while we're here? We were hoping to get some work done on our ship before we go flying into danger, so we should be here and able to support you for at least as long as that takes. Preferably longer."
Henri raises his eyebrows at the transformation. "That's very interesting. Have they been able to determine if it's the actual photons from the sun or some other component of the light? That would be a fascinating project to assist with - who's leading the investigation?"
In the office, "Hello, ma'am. I'm not sure how to address you in your new role. I do want to work with the engineers on the ship, but how can we be of assistance? You have the look of someone that could benefit from some task delegation."
Raises a hand in hello "Phade. You keeping up with the vitamins, and healthy eating to mitigate the stress of your position?.. and considering an admin assistant search? There's probably a Zellgato or two looking for retirement I could hunt down."
Theo soon learns that during the days before the tournament pretty much everyone selling swords, selling armour, selling magic sword oil, selling services as a page, etc, will be down near the 'Old Arena near the Wall of Five Gates'. Many of the schools are around there.After another intense workout, Theo showers off in TAROT Headquarters then travels to the Old Arena to look around.
[dice=Diplomacy]1d20 + 17
L.C. looks at Theo across her desk, fingers folded together, very slight smirk. "So, you've entered the sword-fighting contest that I told you not to enter and now are looking for money for a sword? You do know that to place as a 7 or higher means fights to the death. Magical healing isn't guaranteed. You could die and stay dead!"
She started off wanting to give Theo a hard time but now she's legit worried.
Something occurs to her. "I'm still an outsider. If you want some local knowledge, why don't you talk to Unity's friend, the King of Coins. He seems helpful. He was asking about you the other day. You still have a Coin, don't you?"
"How curious," Unity comment to 'Mr. Wonderful' as he comes inside. "What are you doing about it yourself?"
"Well, I've proposed moving the team to the Florida archipelago, but they young lady in charge, I mean, Director Phade, quite rightly pointed out transdimensional threats aren't limited to sunny places. I think the Bermuda Triangle gate cluster is worth having one of us stationed there permanently, and Phade seemed to agree that ...."
He drones on about how willing Phade seemed to be to post him somewhere sunny, nowhere near Boston. He then gets distracted giving advice to Phade's very qualified assistant and does not enter Phade's office with you.
Unity all nod at Phade as they enter her office. "We're sorry we haven't been able to be around much," they say. "We're getting very close to tracking down our creator, and then..."
"You know," says Phade thoughtfully. "Once I got the power dampener, I tried to get my parents to see me ... really see me ... remember me ... but, it turns out, it wasn't really about me. Whatever you find when you meet your parental unit, remember, it's not about you. You're about you. They're traumatised in ways you'll never understand, but still have to live with."
They trail off, not quite certain what that 'and then' is really going to be. "What can we do for you while we're here? We were hoping to get some work done on our ship before we go flying into danger, so we should be here and able to support you for at least as long as that takes. Preferably longer."
"You could fly Captain Wonderful to Moonbase Floyd where the sun never shines and let him find his own way home."
She grins. She's still a kid.
"You don't want to relax? What would you like to do? Train some recruits? Most of the transdimensional threats we face are ghostly manifestations and temporal anomalies. We had a couple of cryptid sightings last week we couldn't send anyone on. Wanna head out to B.C. and look for Bigfoot?"
Henri raises his eyebrows at the transformation. "That's very interesting. Have they been able to determine if it's the actual photons from the sun or some other component of the light? That would be a fascinating project to assist with - who's leading the investigation?"
"My body is just exceptionally good at using the sun's energy as the result of a mutation and environmental conditions. ... By environmental conditions, I mean, I spent most of my teenage years in my basement drinking energy drinks and playing Hero Universe. The team thinks somehow the games, the lack of sunlight, the still unidentified ingredients in the drinks somehow resulted in ..." he passes through a well-lit lobby and is transformed from a dull, flabby, basement dwelling nerd into Mr. Wonderful again. People turn and smile as he walks by. Charisma radiates from him, as does Strength, Wisdom, and Intelligence. "Those conditions resulted in this ... part-time access to the person I was meant to be all the time with part-timee powers that I'd spent years learning to use in simulated environments."
In the office, "Hello, ma'am. I'm not sure how to address you in your new role. I do want to work with the engineers on the ship, but how can we be of assistance? You have the look of someone that could benefit from some task delegation."
"Call me Phade or I'll Call you Dr. Patineur. I'm glad you're all back. Thanks for the offer. You should work on the ship. I can manage," she says with the self-denial of someone who can manage but shouldn't have to.
Raises a hand in hello "Phade. You keeping up with the vitamins, and healthy eating to mitigate the stress of your position?.. and considering an admin assistant search? There's probably a Zellgato or two looking for retirement I could hunt down."
She starts to object to the third person in a row suggesting she needs help but then she says, "Actually, a Zellgato could come in useful. The instructor teaching the course on temporal paradoxes went insane again. And, Zellgatoes are temporal paradoxes ... paradox-i? Paradox-ees? Paradocises? Whatever. Gotta cousin handy who is good at explaining things?"
Henri grins. With a slight but respectful tilt of his head, he says, "We cannot have that, Phade. If you really need someone to pursue cryptids, it might be a good exercise to test our scanners in the ship after we've spent some time tuning them."
"But I'd rather there were some secrets in the world too, so I think I'd rather let Bigfoot be an unsolved mystery if he's not a threat. It keeps some folks busy that would otherwise be a problem, I imagine."
"Who should I report in to regarding working on the ship?"
"You know," says Phade thoughtfully. "Once I got the power dampener, I tried to get my parents to see me ... really see me ... remember me ... but, it turns out, it wasn't really about me. Whatever you find when you meet your parental unit, remember, it's not about you. You're about you. They're traumatised in ways you'll never understand, but still have to live with."
Unity are silent for a long moment after Phade says this, before uttering a quiet, sincere, "Thank you."
"You could fly Captain Wonderful to Moonbase Floyd where the sun never shines and let him find his own way home."
She grins. She's still a kid.
"You don't want to relax? What would you like to do? Train some recruits? Most of the transdimensional threats we face are ghostly manifestations and temporal anomalies. We had a couple of cryptid sightings last week we couldn't send anyone on. Wanna head out to B.C. and look for Bigfoot?"
They grin back. "Sometimes hunting *is* relaxing for us."
Their grin fades and they add, "We don't think we'll be able to relax until we're done with this. A problem we can get our paws around and *solve* would be a welcome distraction for a few days."
L.C. looks at Theo across her desk, fingers folded together, very slight smirk. "So, you've entered the sword-fighting contest that I told you not to enter and now are looking for money for a sword? You do know that to place as a 7 or higher means fights to the death. Magical healing isn't guaranteed. You could die and stay dead!"
"Yes. Yes. Yes." The Olympian agreed sarcastically. "So, this tournament obviously means a great deal to me! In ways I can't talk about yet."
Theo's looks to the side wall of the office. "And listen, Phade. I've killed before, okay. I'm sure it's in some file of yours. I've been elbow-deep in gorgon blood. And Death is a daily occurrence for Godlings. I'll be fine."She started off wanting to give Theo a hard time but now she's legit worried.
Something occurs to her. "I'm still an outsider. If you want some local knowledge, why don't you talk to Unity's friend, the King of Coins. He seems helpful. He was asking about you the other day. You still have a Coin, don't you?"
"Oh really? I bet he wants to place a bet on me to win the tournament", The Olympian surmises. "Yeah, I got the Coin..but how do I use it?"
She starts to object to the third person in a row suggesting she needs help but then she says, "Actually, a Zellgato could come in useful. The instructor teaching the course on temporal paradoxes went insane again. And, Zellgatoes are temporal paradoxes ... paradox-i? Paradox-ees? Paradocises? Whatever. Gotta cousin handy who is good at explaining things?"
"I can think of a few possibilities. That said, if there isn't one up to standards. There will be soon enough. Handy being a paradoxical existance. Except for sometimes things tasting like that purple children's medicine at the strangest times. " Pausing a moment, "They didn't go insane because of that whole 'Zellgato who has a grandchild-who-is-a version of a Zellgato' thing did he? We'd feel bad about that...
I'll throw a few feelers out. Additionally, we're all pretty good at handling insanity..I think."
Henri grins. With a slight but respectful tilt of his head, he says, "We cannot have that, Phade. If you really need someone to pursue cryptids, it might be a good exercise to test our scanners in the ship after we've spent some time tuning them."
"But I'd rather there were some secrets in the world too, so I think I'd rather let Bigfoot be an unsolved mystery if he's not a threat. It keeps some folks busy that would otherwise be a problem, I imagine."
"Who should I report in to regarding working on the ship?"
"Verve!" says Phade. "They're in charge of the Atlantean Integration project. They've got a lab in D-Section."
"You know," says Phade thoughtfully. "Once I got the power dampener, I tried to get my parents to see me ... really see me ... remember me ... but, it turns out, it wasn't really about me. Whatever you find when you meet your parental unit, remember, it's not about you. You're about you. They're traumatised in ways you'll never understand, but still have to live with."Unity are silent for a long moment after Phade says this, before uttering a quiet, sincere, "Thank you."
"You could fly Captain Wonderful to Moonbase Floyd where the sun never shines and let him find his own way home."
She grins. She's still a kid.
"You don't want to relax? What would you like to do? Train some recruits? Most of the transdimensional threats we face are ghostly manifestations and temporal anomalies. We had a couple of cryptid sightings last week we couldn't send anyone on. Wanna head out to B.C. and look for Bigfoot?"
They grin back. "Sometimes hunting *is* relaxing for us."
Their grin fades and they add, "We don't think we'll be able to relax until we're done with this. A problem we can get our paws around and *solve* would be a welcome distraction for a few days."
"Well, we've got a Bigfoot sighting and a report of Chupacabras, and since Bigfoot's leave T-Radiation in their footprints, we suspect they are visiting. Chupacabras are a known invasive transdimensional species and Tarokh's advice was to eliminate them before the settle in. Both were spotted on the west coast."
L.C. looks at Theo across her desk, fingers folded together, very slight smirk. "So, you've entered the sword-fighting contest that I told you not to enter and now are looking for money for a sword? You do know that to place as a 7 or higher means fights to the death. Magical healing isn't guaranteed. You could die and stay dead!""Yes. Yes. Yes." The Olympian agreed sarcastically. "So, this tournament obviously means a great deal to me! In ways I can't talk about yet."
Theo's looks to the side wall of the office. "And listen, Phade. I've killed before, okay. I'm sure it's in some file of yours. I've been elbow-deep in gorgon blood. And Death is a daily occurrence for Godlings. I'll be fine."
"Oh really? I bet he wants to place a bet on me to win the tournament", The Olympian surmises. "Yeah, I got the Coin..but how do I use it?"She started off wanting to give Theo a hard time but now she's legit worried.
Something occurs to her. "I'm still an outsider. If you want some local knowledge, why don't you talk to Unity's friend, the King of Coins. He seems helpful. He was asking about you the other day. You still have a Coin, don't you?"
"I don't know," says L.C., "But the King of Coins asked me about it at some soirée last week. He was very informed and very interested. He said he is always home, if you want to talk to him."
She starts to object to the third person in a row suggesting she needs help but then she says, "Actually, a Zellgato could come in useful. The instructor teaching the course on temporal paradoxes went insane again. And, Zellgatoes are temporal paradoxes ... paradox-i? Paradox-ees? Paradocises? Whatever. Gotta cousin handy who is good at explaining things?""I can think of a few possibilities. That said, if there isn't one up to standards. There will be soon enough. Handy being a paradoxical existance. Except for sometimes things tasting like that purple children's medicine at the strangest times. " Pausing a moment, "They didn't go insane because of that whole 'Zellgato who has a grandchild-who-is-a version of a Zellgato' thing did he? We'd feel bad about that...
I'll throw a few feelers out. Additionally, we're all pretty good at handling insanity..I think."
"Thanks!" says Phade. "So, what are you going to do while you are here? Henri is working on the ship and Unity is hunting a cryptid."
"Well, we've got a Bigfoot sighting and a report of Chupacabras, and since Bigfoot's leave T-Radiation in their footprints, we suspect they are visiting. Chupacabras are a known invasive transdimensional species and Tarokh's advice was to eliminate them before the settle in. Both were spotted on the west coast."
"The chupacabras," Unity respond. "Any word on how they taste?" They ask with a grin. "Stopping an invasive species would feel good."
"I don't know," says L.C., "But the King of Coins asked me about it at some soirée last week. He was very informed and very interested. He said he is always home, if you want to talk to him."
Theo sighed. "Fine. Can you at least direct me to the King of Coin's dwelling?"
"Verve!" says Phade. "They're in charge of the Atlantean Integration project. They've got a lab in D-Section."Henri grins. With a slight but respectful tilt of his head, he says, "We cannot have that, Phade. If you really need someone to pursue cryptids, it might be a good exercise to test our scanners in the ship after we've spent some time tuning them."
"But I'd rather there were some secrets in the world too, so I think I'd rather let Bigfoot be an unsolved mystery if he's not a threat. It keeps some folks busy that would otherwise be a problem, I imagine."
"Who should I report in to regarding working on the ship?"
"Excellent, I will check in with them directly."
"Oh, another question. Do we have anyone on staff familiar with the effects of nanites on the human anatomy? Capabilities? Ways to test such capabilities?" After the briefest of pauses, he adds, "Asking for a close friend."
"Well, we've got a Bigfoot sighting and a report of Chupacabras, and since Bigfoot's leave T-Radiation in their footprints, we suspect they are visiting. Chupacabras are a known invasive transdimensional species and Tarokh's advice was to eliminate them before the settle in. Both were spotted on the west coast.""The chupacabras," Unity respond. "Any word on how they taste?" They ask with a grin. "Stopping an invasive species would feel good."
"Taste!?" says Phade, momentarily shocked before looking embarrassed. "Sorry. I didn't really have to hide my emotions before because no one noticed them. Ummm ..."
She blushes and looks through the data on her screen. She reaches up and absentmindedly touches the button on the side of the little band of metal that dampens her power, but doesn't press it. Spending most of her life invisible obviously left her a little broken but only a little.
"No, nothing about taste, but they are a carbon-based lifeform if that helps."
"I don't know," says L.C., "But the King of Coins asked me about it at some soirée last week. He was very informed and very interested. He said he is always home, if you want to talk to him."Theo sighed. "Fine. Can you at least direct me to the King of Coin's dwelling?"
She does so. It is castle built into one of the city walls, with one dark tower, larger than the others, looking over the Bay of Tarokh. It's an hour walk across the city to get there or a 20-minute carriage ride on the high road that connects most of the important places directly with fewer commoners in the way.
"Verve!" says Phade. "They're in charge of the Atlantean Integration project. They've got a lab in D-Section."Henri grins. With a slight but respectful tilt of his head, he says, "We cannot have that, Phade. If you really need someone to pursue cryptids, it might be a good exercise to test our scanners in the ship after we've spent some time tuning them."
"But I'd rather there were some secrets in the world too, so I think I'd rather let Bigfoot be an unsolved mystery if he's not a threat. It keeps some folks busy that would otherwise be a problem, I imagine."
"Who should I report in to regarding working on the ship?"
"Excellent, I will check in with them directly."
"Oh, another question. Do we have anyone on staff familiar with the effects of nanites on the human anatomy? Capabilities? Ways to test such capabilities?" After the briefest of pauses, he adds, "Asking for a close friend."
"Oh, another question. Do we have anyone on staff familiar with the effects of nanites on the human anatomy? Capabilities? Ways to test such capabilities?" After the briefest of pauses, he adds, "Asking for a close friend."
"Verve would know. We had that girl-hero in the training program whose father had replaced her every cell with nanites but ... oh, that was awful, what did they call it?" Phade taps at her pad and reads. "Ummm.... 'Corporeal decomposition.' She just turned into a puddle one day. They took what was left of her out of the classroom in jars. Just so sad. But, yeah, ask Verve."
She does so. It is castle built into one of the city walls, with one dark tower, larger than the others, looking over the Bay of Tarokh. It's an hour walk across the city to get there or a 20-minute carriage ride on the high road that connects most of the important places directly with fewer commoners in the way.
Theo takes the carriage ride. It's another way for the godling to see the massive city, with little chance of getting lost.
"Taste!?" says Phade, momentarily shocked before looking embarrassed. "Sorry. I didn't really have to hide my emotions before because no one noticed them. Ummm ..."
She blushes and looks through the data on her screen. She reaches up and absentmindedly touches the button on the side of the little band of metal that dampens her power, but doesn't press it. Spending most of her life invisible obviously left her a little broken but only a little.
"No, nothing about taste, but they are a carbon-based lifeform if that helps."
Unity laugh. "Nothing to apologize for, given we were deliberately trying to get a reaction," they state, grinning at Phade.
"So, given the ship is staying here, what do we have for transport options?" they ask, trying to seem serious even while they're grinning.
Tunning back to Phade. "I've got no specific plans, Did something need doing around here I am equipped for? At worst, I can help with paperwork for a few days." gesturing aruond.
"Otherwise, if Unity is worried about any lingering programming, PHDs, or visits from outside the shuffle. I can follow along, rent an RV and sleep out in the area for rapid response back up for you. As well as a nice camping trip to catch up on my romance novels."
"Unity, if you bag a chupa. I've got a running bet on what they taste like. Can you bring me back some?" Zellgato pleads.
"Verve would know. We had that girl-hero in the training program whose father had replaced her every cell with nanites but ... oh, that was awful, what did they call it?" Phade taps at her pad and reads. "Ummm.... 'Corporeal decomposition.' She just turned into a puddle one day. They took what was left of her out of the classroom in jars. Just so sad. But, yeah, ask Verve."
"Oh, another question. Do we have anyone on staff familiar with the effects of nanites on the human anatomy? Capabilities? Ways to test such capabilities?" After the briefest of pauses, he adds, "Asking for a close friend."
Henri's eyes grow wide in horror. "That's so terrible! I'll, ah, go find Verve. Thanks!"
She does so. It is castle built into one of the city walls, with one dark tower, larger than the others, looking over the Bay of Tarokh. It's an hour walk across the city to get there or a 20-minute carriage ride on the high road that connects most of the important places directly with fewer commoners in the way.Theo takes the carriage ride. It's another way for the godling to see the massive city, with little chance of getting lost.
Theo's ride along the high road takes him past the towers and castle of half a dozen Kings or Queens. He sees knights training. Pages carrying orders. He sees very few of the farmers, fishers, hunters, peddlers, sailors, merchants, beggars, etc. that he has seen when he travels downhill into the city.
After a time he is allowed in by a Page of Coins to see the King of Coins. This dark-haired man with a salt and pepper beard smiles widely when Theo is allowed in. "A friend of Unity's is a friend of mine! Welcome. I've been hoping to meet you. So, tell me, what can I do for you?"
"So, given the ship is staying here, what do we have for transport options?" they ask, trying to seem serious even while they're grinning.
Phade grins a goofy grin. "Oh, now that's the fun part. Grab your gear and head down to the garage on the west side. Tell Johann you'll be taking the cruiser. And remember to buckle your seat belts.hheheh."
Tunning back to Phade. "I've got no specific plans, Did something need doing around here I am equipped for? At worst, I can help with paperwork for a few days." gesturing aruond.
"Otherwise, if Unity is worried about any lingering programming, PHDs, or visits from outside the shuffle. I can follow along, rent an RV and sleep out in the area for rapid response back up for you. As well as a nice camping trip to catch up on my romance novels."
"Unity, if you bag a chupa. I've got a running bet on what they taste like. Can you bring me back some?" Zellgato pleads.
As Zellgato leaves Phade's office with no specific plans when a young man Zellgato doesn't know who is hugging a datapad with a badge that says 'Student Intern' spots him and says, "Doctor Z? You're back? We met when you guest lectured. Any chance you have time to see my project? ... You seemed a little interested before."
Zellgato has never met this man before, but apparently a Zellgato has when one of them lectured here. TAROT Interdimensional--the larger network of TAROTs--has 21 Zellgatoes employed in some capacity. At some point, a debate broke on whether the plural of Zellgato was 'Zellgatoes' or 'Zellgatos'.
Henri's eyes grow wide in horror. "That's so terrible! I'll, ah, go find Verve. Thanks!""Verve would know. We had that girl-hero in the training program whose father had replaced her every cell with nanites but ... oh, that was awful, what did they call it?" Phade taps at her pad and reads. "Ummm.... 'Corporeal decomposition.' She just turned into a puddle one day. They took what was left of her out of the classroom in jars. Just so sad. But, yeah, ask Verve."
"Oh, another question. Do we have anyone on staff familiar with the effects of nanites on the human anatomy? Capabilities? Ways to test such capabilities?" After the briefest of pauses, he adds, "Asking for a close friend."
Henri doesn't find Verve at their desk. Henri doesn't find Verve in the meeting rooms. Henri finds Verve upside down in the leg of a 30-foot tall heavily armoured red mecha. Several slightly bored assistants stand around while she explains something they can't see in a voice so muffled by the armour that they can't hear. They're taking notes uncertainly.
Phade grins a goofy grin. "Oh, now that's the fun part. Grab your gear and head down to the garage on the west side. Tell Johann you'll be taking the cruiser. And remember to buckle your seat belts.hheheh."
Unity tilt a head curiously. "You're not doing a particularly good job at hiding your anticipation of our reaction," they say with a grin.
They trot down to the garage, wondering what's so crazy about this 'cruiser'.
Henri walks up to the mecha limb and places a hand against it. Closing his eyes, he focuses on the nanites to focus on and enhance Verve’s voice in his ears and begins to repeat what they are saying.
As Zellgato leaves Phade's office with no specific plans when a young man Zellgato doesn't know who is hugging a datapad with a badge that says 'Student Intern' spots him and says, "Doctor Z? You're back? We met when you guest lectured. Any chance you have time to see my project? ... You seemed a little interested before."
Zellgato has never met this man before, but apparently a Zellgato has when one of them lectured here. TAROT Interdimensional--the larger network of TAROTs--has 21 Zellgatoes employed in some capacity. At some point, a debate broke on whether the plural of Zellgato was 'Zellgatoes' or 'Zellgatos'.
Zellgato holds up his finger "One moment please, I don't want to loose my train of thought. " Pulling his comms up, texting Kevin a quick "Photo/ID of current interns please." before palming his phone and turning to the intern. "My apologies for the brevity."
"Sure. Experiments are interesting. When was the last lecture? The last topic?" While the intern answers, Zellgato will pull a datapad acting as if he's looking at a calendar or looking up a topic.
Zellgato takes a moment to scan the intern- "Never to old to be paranoid." he thinks to his self,
After a time he is allowed in by a Page of Coins to see the King of Coins. This dark-haired man with a salt and pepper beard smiles widely when Theo is allowed in. "A friend of Unity's is a friend of mine! Welcome. I've been hoping to meet you. So, tell me, what can I do for you?"
"Thank you for meeting me, Your Majesty." Theo bows with respect.
"I will be participating on The Queen of Sword's latest tournament." Theo carefully unsheaths The Angel Sword and presents it to the monarch."This is The Angel Blade. It's the name I gave it when a winged defender from another universe defended mine from invasion. He sadly fell, and the sword has been in my possession ever since. It has helped me in many missions to save the TAROT worlds. But many people who seem to be 'in the know' claim this weapon would not fare well in the tournament. It is still a very good blade. A literal 'Good' blade. But perhaps it is time I find something more powerful. Something to help me place well in the tournament. Unity recognizes your wise council. Do have any recommendations?"
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Phade grins a goofy grin. "Oh, now that's the fun part. Grab your gear and head down to the garage on the west side. Tell Johann you'll be taking the cruiser. And remember to buckle your seat belts.hheheh."Unity tilt a head curiously. "You're not doing a particularly good job at hiding your anticipation of our reaction," they say with a grin.
They trot down to the garage, wondering what's so crazy about this 'cruiser'.
When Unity arrives at the garage--an enormous structure with dozens of bays for vehicles--everyone is standing around watching. They aren't watching due to curiousity about Unity though. They want to see what happens next.
Johann leads Unity to a sleek Atlantean ship, quite similar to the one TAROT found Prince Fishdicks in. It's on a launchpad already.
Johann talks in a firm voice while leading Unity towards the cruiser. "No breaking the sound barrier over cities. We don't know her top speed yet, but we don't need you to find out. All in good time. She's fully submersible but her underwater speed is slower than you'd think. We only have one. Don't break it."
Henri walks up to the mecha limb and places a hand against it. Closing his eyes, he focuses on the nanites to focus on and enhance Verve’s voice in his ears and begins to repeat what they are saying.
Verve seems angry when they pop their head out of the mecha and see Henri helping, but soon lightens up.
"Dr. Patineur, I presume?" they say leaving the mecha repair to the assistants and leading Henri over to an empty repair bay with whatever parts Henri had sent over. "This should be fun. What can we help you with?"
As Zellgato leaves Phade's office with no specific plans when a young man Zellgato doesn't know who is hugging a datapad with a badge that says 'Student Intern' spots him and says, "Doctor Z? You're back? We met when you guest lectured. Any chance you have time to see my project? ... You seemed a little interested before."
Zellgato has never met this man before, but apparently a Zellgato has when one of them lectured here. TAROT Interdimensional--the larger network of TAROTs--has 21 Zellgatoes employed in some capacity. At some point, a debate broke on whether the plural of Zellgato was 'Zellgatoes' or 'Zellgatos'.
Zellgato holds up his finger "One moment please, I don't want to loose my train of thought. " Pulling his comms up, texting Kevin a quick "Photo/ID of current interns please." before palming his phone and turning to the intern. "My apologies for the brevity."
"Sure. Experiments are interesting. When was the last lecture? The last topic?" While the intern answers, Zellgato will pull a datapad acting as if he's looking at a calendar or looking up a topic.
Zellgato takes a moment to scan the intern- "Never to old to be paranoid." he thinks to his self,
Kevin gets back to you with some helpful information. This intern is new and has never met you before. They probably are mistaking you for another Zellgato.
Your scan reveals the intern is human, slightly underweight, and poorly nourished.
The intern's name is Leopold.
After a time he is allowed in by a Page of Coins to see the King of Coins. This dark-haired man with a salt and pepper beard smiles widely when Theo is allowed in. "A friend of Unity's is a friend of mine! Welcome. I've been hoping to meet you. So, tell me, what can I do for you?""Thank you for meeting me, Your Majesty." Theo bows with respect. [dice=Diplomacy]1d20 + 17
"I will be participating on The Queen of Sword's latest tournament." Theo carefully unsheaths The Angel Sword and presents it to the monarch.
"This is The Angel Blade. It's the name I gave it when a winged defender from another universe defended mine from invasion. He sadly fell, and the sword has been in my possession ever since. It has helped me in many missions to save the TAROT worlds. But many people who seem to be 'in the know' claim this weapon would not fare well in the tournament. It is still a very good blade. A literal 'Good' blade. But perhaps it is time I find something more powerful. Something to help me place well in the tournament. Unity recognizes your wise council. Do have any recommendations?"
The King of Coins says he will consider Theo's question, and then peppers Theo with other questions. They seem partly relevant to Theo's question but circle back to the Queen of Swords. He suspects something is up, but he also appears interested in helping Theo.
"Tarokh is the City of a Thousand Gates--a thousand doors to one thousand places. I made my fortune robbing those places. I do know of a few places we might find a sword. There is, for example, one treasure horde I dared not go after myself."
He gets up and pours a drink for Theo and pours one for himself, something red and sweet.
"How'd you like to slay a dragon? Or, at least, keep it off my back long enough that I can find you a sword in its treasure horde?"
"Hmm. We godlings often have a talent for being where we shouldn't. I think I can keep a dragon off your back." Theo smiles, toasting his host.
Verve seems angry when they pop their head out of the mecha and see Henri helping, but soon lightens up.
"Dr. Patineur, I presume?" they say leaving the mecha repair to the assistants and leading Henri over to an empty repair bay with whatever parts Henri had sent over. "This should be fun. What can we help you with?"
"Oof, Henri is sufficient. May I call you Verve or do you prefer an honorific? Sorry if you thought I was having fun at your expense, but you really couldn't be heard while you were down in that thing's limb. And I'm trying to test my capabilities."
"The director, ah, Phade, said you were the person for the job - actually, two. Our team has a Poseidon Industries time ship, first and only of its class. Or so we've been told. As transportation, it's amazing. However, we have already been in situations where armor and armaments would have been welcome additions and we are about to go into another. You should have received some weaponry that I'm hoping you can assist me in installing. It is a unique ship and I've sought to keep some of its more unusual features secret because we have resourceful enemies - the less they know about us and our capabilities, the better. Can your assistants all be trusted?"
"The second job, well, request, is much more personal. Phade said you would be most familiar with the effects of nanites on the human anatomy. I am harboring a nanite colony and I'm still learning what it allows me to do. And I have no idea of the long-term ramifications."
Kevin gets back to you with some helpful information. This intern is new and has never met you before. They probably are mistaking you for another Zellgato.
Your scan reveals the intern is human, slightly underweight, and poorly nourished....
Zellgato shoots an emoji of a beer to Kevin as thanks,
"Young Leopold, I'll be happy to come listen. Although you are mistaking me for a different professoinal, it isn't uncommon however. So please start your project presentation from the initial.", flipping out a protien bar and dropping it into their hand as he ushers them forward.
When Unity arrives at the garage--an enormous structure with dozens of bays for vehicles--everyone is standing around watching. They aren't watching due to curiousity about Unity though. They want to see what happens next.
Johann leads Unity to a sleek Atlantean ship, quite similar to the one TAROT found Prince Fishdicks in. It's on a launchpad already.
Johann talks in a firm voice while leading Unity towards the cruiser. "No breaking the sound barrier over cities. We don't know her top speed yet, but we don't need you to find out. All in good time. She's fully submersible but her underwater speed is slower than you'd think. We only have one. Don't break it."
Unity switch forms to their bipedal form--people usually don't make seat-belts that work for large hexapods.
"We shouldn't need to go underwater, and we're not going to be trying to set new speed records," they reassure Johann. Though they're not at all reassured. "How... standard are the controls? Phade seemed to think there was something funny about having us use this."
[dice=Sense Motive]1d20 + 6
"Hmm. We godlings often have a talent for being where we shouldn't. I think I can keep a dragon off your back." Theo smiles, toasting his host.
"Excellent," says the King of Coins smiling. He strokes his salt and pepper beard and ponders for a moment then stands with a clap to summon a servant."Have a fortifying meal prepared and take Lord Theo to the stables. We ride through 'The Gate of No Return' at dusk."
He seems excited and is already grabbing his daggers.
"Don't worry," says the King. "It's just a name. About half the people who go through it return. It should be called 'The Gate of 50-50 Chances' but that's less, you know, cool."
"Oof, Henri is sufficient. May I call you Verve or do you prefer an honorific? Sorry if you thought I was having fun at your expense, but you really couldn't be heard while you were down in that thing's limb. And I'm trying to test my capabilities."
"It's fine. I just didn't know who you were at first. This is a secure area and some of the young recruits ... Never mind."
"The director, ah, Phade, said you were the person for the job - actually, two. Our team has a Poseidon Industries time ship, first and only of its class. Or so we've been told. As transportation, it's amazing. However, we have already been in situations where armor and armaments would have been welcome additions and we are about to go into another. You should have received some weaponry that I'm hoping you can assist me in installing. It is a unique ship and I've sought to keep some of its more unusual features secret because we have resourceful enemies - the less they know about us and our capabilities, the better. Can your assistants all be trusted?"
"Okay, first of all, if you've got a time-ship, you should probably AVOID combat. Do not get shot at in one-of-a-kind time-ship. Second of all, I'll have to study the ship before I can tell you if I can help. I've never armed a time-ship before. Third of all, yes, all MY staff can be trusted, but too many people have been getting into the garage these days."
"The second job, well, request, is much more personal. Phade said you would be most familiar with the effects of nanites on the human anatomy. I am harboring a nanite colony and I'm still learning what it allows me to do. And I have no idea of the long-term ramifications."
"Nanites? Like the kind from around here or ... you mean something you picked up on Utopia? Oh, my! I've heard about those on Atlantis, but I've never studied them."
Kevin gets back to you with some helpful information. This intern is new and has never met you before. They probably are mistaking you for another Zellgato.
Your scan reveals the intern is human, slightly underweight, and poorly nourished....
Zellgato shoots an emoji of a beer to Kevin as thanks,
"Young Leopold, I'll be happy to come listen. Although you are mistaking me for a different professoinal, it isn't uncommon however. So please start your project presentation from the initial.", flipping out a protien bar and dropping it into their hand as he ushers them forward."Oh! You're not Dr. Zell... I mean, you're a different Zellgato ..." He looks confused and delighted. "Last time it took me half an hour to explain it. Come with me to the lab and see it. It will be so much easier"
When Unity arrives at the garage--an enormous structure with dozens of bays for vehicles--everyone is standing around watching. They aren't watching due to curiousity about Unity though. They want to see what happens next.
Johann leads Unity to a sleek Atlantean ship, quite similar to the one TAROT found Prince Fishdicks in. It's on a launchpad already.
Johann talks in a firm voice while leading Unity towards the cruiser. "No breaking the sound barrier over cities. We don't know her top speed yet, but we don't need you to find out. All in good time. She's fully submersible but her underwater speed is slower than you'd think. We only have one. Don't break it."
Unity switch forms to their bipedal form--people usually don't make seat-belts that work for large hexapods.
"We shouldn't need to go underwater, and we're not going to be trying to set new speed records," they reassure Johann. Though they're not at all reassured. "How... standard are the controls? Phade seemed to think there was something funny about having us use this."
"Everyone wants to use this. It's just so very, very fast."
"Don't worry," says the King. "It's just a name. About half the people who go through it return. It should be called 'The Gate of 50-50 Chances' but that's less, you know, cool."
Theo chuckles sightly. "I see why Unity likes you." The godling said, following the servant to the stables.