[LP CYOA] Epic

[Tigranes]

Rei is Animu to the max.

Are we even capable of running, then? And our ability to 'cut him up' is not affected by the loss of tendrils?

Looks like even the Messenger did not matter so much in the greater scheme of things if Shulgi is willing to have it pulverized. I'm kind of finding it tough to keep up with the cast and all the various threads, but it seems hard to imagine we would beat Shulgi...

 

[Smashing Axe]

Remember however what treave said about mechs. Only Ean, Marduk and a couple of others were capable of taking one on. Shulgi may have new capabilities, and I don't think we can beat him necessarily. I think however we can at the very least delay him for our new BFF to escape or at least do something useful.

B

Also I think we've definitely confirmed that Shulgi has regressed.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

C - The Gieloth and I duck back into the compound and activate the rod. Failing that, B. Shulgi is strong, but our ability negates strength if we can get one good cut.

edit: And btw. We lost our tentacles.

 

[Jester]

Damn messy. Hmm Yua still is connected to us, so do we have some record of what happened? Some eye too video or smt proof of Shulgi relation to cult could open option or two. Can we use geiloth tentacles to control more than one frame with Yua/our ability by psy link with her they did belong to us so hack interface should still be there? And how much can we tp with that wand frame is doable? Best scenario for us would be to somehow get geiloth and Rei from here (mby wand). Getting Rei sounds much more damaging.

For now i vote A grab frame and run like wind, Shulgi don't wish to kill Rei what we cant say about us and our state is bad. B mby could work if we would take Erec frame and use him to stop White Fangs from interfering still doubt it.

Changed to B its not worth to sacrifice geiloth.

 

[Kipeci]

Will A have us leave the Gieloth to be destroyed?

 

[TOME]

Remember however what treave said about mechs. Only Ean, Marduk and a couple of others were capable of taking one on. Shulgi may have new capabilities, and I don't think we can beat him necessarily.

Shulgi has had 3000 years to improve his abilities. I think it is safe to say that he can take mech one on one. Even if we could take Shulgi down I don't know if should. We don't have a clue what is going on in a big picture and killing him might be a bad move Masterwise.

A.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Bros, seriously. We just gave up our tentacles to save this thing. Let's defend our investment ffs. I'd rather activate the rod and help it escape and failing that, we've got to fight Shulgi. Worst case, bad end. Best case we defeat him. Either way, we need to keep this thing from being vaporized so we can at least stand a chance at getting our tentacles back.

And even if we can't activate the rod (@treave?), we have power - our newfound ability to shatter an entire body at once. Even an immortal can't withstand that, I'd wager. In a frame we'll have even more power. Not to mention Rei's powers should allow her to to turn her frame's beam weapons into "fuckhuge beams" according to treave. That means that with our help she may be able to hold him off. Plus, this Gieloth isn't powerless itself. With our upgrades, there's a chance it's tentacles could hack one of the frames or even Shulgi should we provide a sufficient distraction.

 

[TOME]

I can go with C if treave makes it an option, but otherwise A. We made a bad choice and now it is time to cut losses, not go all in. Shulgi still has entire Dunamis on his back should we be able to last more than 10 seconds against him.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

The Dunamis are pushovers in a mech compared to Rei or Senya. We held them of in Anhur when we were still a noob. Rei and Senya together should be able to whomp 'em easy. Shulgi will be the real handful though. Still, I'd rather go all in on this than sit back and do nothing.

 

[treave]

You can't activate it, not any more. The child could, but it requires some time to figure it out. If you make a dash for it with the child in tow you'll likely be shot dead by the White Fangs. You can't outrun the frames on foot, you're not Rei. Option A only works out for you if you split up from the Messenger and go separate directions.

Edit: You may have an option C where you duck back into the compound to buy time for the rod's activation. The Dunamis will come after you on foot if you do that.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Edit: You may have an option C where you duck back into the compound to buy time for the rod's activation. The Dunamis will come after you on foot if you do that.

Then that's my vote. Divide and conquer. We'll at least separate the Dunamis from Shulgi. Rei may not be able to defeat him on her own (though who knows...), but she was going to lose without our help anyway. At least she will be buying us time to escape. The Dunamis may be able to take Senya on foot, but I think the Gieloth might pack a punch of her own.

 

[treave]

Well, there's a reason I didn't offer the choice in the first place and didn't have Senya rely on it as the linchpin of his plan, but better for you to see first-hand some of the effects of the first reload. Using the rod is risky, since you guys didn't make any of the choices that involved examining it more.

I'll say this for C though: it won't be a bad end.

The Dunamis won't be involving themselves in the fight with Rei as per Shulgi's order. She'll be taking him in one on one. Two on one, if you join in.

 

[Kayerts]

Here's what treave had to say about Shulgi before the start of Senya's adventures:

Even then, his powers are slowly fading away, as mentioned in the updates, and after his constant failures he's kinda had enough. Remember, while Ean was asleep or getting tortured in a timeless prison, Shulgi was active for more than 3000 years... it is not strange for him to get tired. Even for a seeker of knowledge like him, there is only so many things he wants to know, and he already knows almost as much as any Master - he just lacks the power now, and that is something he fears to seek.

Diogenes reminded him of his old self, and seeing how close things were to ending because of that man actually frightened him. With the knowledge he wields, gaining the power to fully use it could turn him into something even more terrible. He doesn't trust himself with that much responsibility, and besides there is no great threat that would need him to do so anyway.

He'll just guide the world that Ean left behind until it can take care of itself, and then he'll retire and wander around.

Peak Shulgi was just before his defeat, and he would've been able to defeat Super Marduk with the equivalent of maybe a vigorous thirty minute workout.

And later:

No Earth immortal back in the old Empire era could have taken a CF head on except Shulgi and Tree Ean. Just not powerful enough.

--

Seems like Honourblade Rei + Senya in frames stand a decent chance against Shulgi on foot. I doubt we're just gonna be able to sneak up and backstab him for 5x damage, but the benefits of the fight going well seem to justify the risks.

B

 

[Kipeci]

B, I guess.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Well, there's a reason I didn't offer the choice in the first place and didn't have Senya rely on it as the linchpin of his plan, but better for you to see first-hand some of the effects of the first reload. Using the rod is risky, since you guys didn't make any of the choices that involved examining it more.

I'll say this for C though: it won't be a bad end.

The Dunamis won't be involving themselves in the fight with Rei as per Shulgi's order. She'll be taking him in one on one. Two on one, if you join in.

Crap. Well, let me guess: Reloading did something to the other world...or reloading causes the rod to send us to yet another dimension...or reloading causes more of those statue things to be after us "in perceiving I am perceived"? B for now then. I'd rather face Shulgi in an all out fight than get lost/killed/get the gieloth killed in a parallel world.


edit: Then again, if we get killed by Shulgi, that would make C that much harder on the reload. I still may flop back to C if it get's enough votes...

 

[m4davis]

B

 

[Stygian Lurker]

B

 

[Jester]

I wonder if we did not tell Anzo about attack would we still encounter Shulgi and WF.

 

[Esquilax]

I wonder if we did not tell Anzo about attack would we still encounter Shulgi and WF.

Indeed, this is a good point.

As for the choice itself, I have a feeling that Rei is trying to buy us time:

“I don't like it any more than you do, but I don't have a choice.” Rei bites her lower lip, an expression of guilt on her face.

“You have a choice. I chose my own path, didn't I?” I still don't remember what happened, but I'm pretty sure a vague statement like that would mean something to her.

“Yes, you did.” she nods. “But you're strong. I'm not like you.”

I think she's chosen to sacrifice herself so that we could free ourselves and the Messenger. I really don't like our chances with B; remember, it's not just Shulgi that we'd be fighting, it's Shulgi and the ten remaining Onuris mechs piloted by the Dunamis that are with him. If it were either one or the other, B would seem okay, but both at the same time seems like suicide.

Voting A

 

[Storyfag]

D - have the Gieloth draw the Dunamis into the temple complex (and optimally have Rei shoot them while they exit their frames).

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Storyfag, that's pointless because we'd be wasting our time with people who won't even be involved in the battle:

I think she's chosen to sacrifice herself so that we could free ourselves and the Messenger. I really don't like our chances with B; remember, it's not just Shulgi that we'd be fighting, it's Shulgi and the ten remaining Onuris mechs piloted by the Dunamis that are with him. If it were either one or the other, B would seem okay, but both at the same time seems like suicide.

Nope. Treave's already said that A only has us saving ourselves - not the messenger (in that we'll be leaving her to run on her own) - and that the Dunamis will stay out of our fight with Shulgi.

Option A only works out for you if you split up from the Messenger and go separate directions.

The Dunamis won't be involving themselves in the fight with Rei as per Shulgi's order. She'll be taking him in one on one. Two on one, if you join in.

 

[Zwist]

Now, this is our position. We lost our Gieloth power. We relied rather heavily on that for everything. Shaterpoint, piloting a frame, mindcontrol, all of this gone. At least if we don't use the Gieloth as medium. And we are physicaly crippled on top of that. I do not see how we could be of much use. And Keiko lost her Gieloth part too. I have no idea how she does what she does.
On the other hand Shulgis power is fading. But it is fadig from "Oh Fuck, oh fuck, God please don't kill me". And he most certainly has control, while Keiko runs on instinct. And he designed the frames. If we were at our peak I would say "kill the fucker", but as things are now? Nope.
C. is risky because we still now shit about the other world. And that thing we met? I seem to remember a certain game with a fortress and some rather grumpy shadows waiting for a certain unnamed protagonist.
B. has the Gieloth run away on itself. I think it is more capable to do that than we are. It is the finding it again afterwards that troubles me. But now we have the "link"...

So, I'm going to be Boooring.

 

[TOME]

Shulgi's power was fading. He could have established the link between him and the Masters anytime he wanted and start gaining power. I think it was confirmed somewhere that Masters are coming back? If they have found Earth, then there is no reason for Shulgi to not use the connection. Or maybe they found Earth because of Shulgi?

 

[Jester]

“I have it here. What are you going to do with it?” I ask as I hand the drive containing the copy to him.
“My friends might be interested. By the way, did you keep a copy for yourself?”

They were allied with Relius and giving data was charm full.

“Long time no see, Erika.” I mutter. “Do you know what you are doing?”
“I'm carrying out what Uncle wishes. Perhaps you should leave.”

Still i am quite confused with relation of Shulgi and Eric... before i thought that Soulgi wanted us to interfere to prevent destabilization of Neo Arcadia Shinar before war in order to cause lasting conflict (give time at start so they can power research frames to catch us to Shulgiland and Indus and after colony drop prevent them from steam rolling them), his relation to cult seams as a proof that he could be aware long before of their plans and incorporate them in his own rather than finding late and adapting.

“They are real. The First Emperor is a true god, he fought true monsters... and his power yet lives on... within me.”
“We of the Dunamis clan are the descendants of Ean's Successors. We have inherited his blood. We have inherited his powers. We have inherited his will. None of these have been diluted by time , unlike the impurities that now occupy the throne. Now, we have returned to claim our birthright, as it should be. The Empire is ours to rule.”

I don't see reason why would Eric decide to follow him based on act 1... Shulgi could see him as valuable to control his clan but Eric looks like someone with megalomania. Shulgi did plot to prevent hit on president (Erick probably knows that Erika was involved that mean Shulgi to).
Did Shulgi manipulate him into believing that aiding him will help to archive his goals?


Like Zwist
I am not sure but i think if we choose B we will give Lili the Gielgoth ample time to get out of there we should be able to order her to run through link and later use it to track her. It look like strategic choice and our influence on Lili did catch Shulgi off guard at least partly (damn shame that he find out) mby we can use that.

“But, Minister Azo, we're talking about trying to assassinate him. Even though this unit has been rebuilt with the best technology humanity has to offer, that monster is not human.”

“It doesn't matter. If we fail, we are all goners anyway, and the Earth together with us. Shulgi must die.”

I always assumed that information given to Anzo are given to Shulgi to so i was in favor of keeping as much as we can to us... and here 2nd major problem how this situation influence our situation in Higashi. We got job by Shulgi recommendation, if we wish to continue there record of Shulgi involvement with cult could sway Anzo to us judging from reload info. He probably still don't know that Shulgi is something more than human.
Will see after we survive this situation.

Hmm btw judging from Rei short fight with frame some of our abilities are inborn (or permanent mutation after Gielgothification and long exposure to its power) probably int/nervo boost and shatterpoint guess we will see in battle don't have any proof.

PS I forgotten to ask what you think about Shulgi relation to cult?
PPS Mby will write about some other issues later.

 

[Azira]

The loss of the tentacles seems to mean that our mind-machine interface is gone. As is the other type of utility we got from having tentacles. What seems to not be lost is our ice powers, much as Rei's fire powers remain.

Unfortunately, the ice powers are much less flashy than the fire ones. Senya's not going to be conjuring a force sword out of thin air, to cut a hole into a frame. We could immerse in ice, use the shatterpoint power, then possibly take over a CF.
What makes me cautious about this is that it was Shulgi himself that taught us how to use the shatterpoint thing. It's quite possible that he can do the same, or has some sort of counter.

Remember our encounter with him before we decided to dick around "Kyrie's" corpse, and then choosing to work for Azo? His telekinesis alone was strong enough to utterly immobilise Senya and he most likely could've killed him then and there.
Trying to resist Shulgi here might very well lead to a Bad End. It might also show us as ballsy, but is that what Shulgi is hoping for?
I doubt it.

I say we scram. Since we decided to free the Gieloth (stupid choice), we probably want to try and keep it safe. So running into the temple while Rei buys us time, then activate the rod thingie. That's probably our best bet.

C