Namco High: The Chuubo's Game

Meowkie (Offering You Comfort)

Meowkie points: "Oh no!" She shouts, "Horns! Those haven't been allowed as accessories since 1997!" Her head snaps back to the others, still pointing. "Look out guys, it's crazy!"

Then, she turns back to the robot, badge held up. "Halt! Hall Monitor here!"

5/8 Will
3/3 Miraculous Will
5/5 MP

edited 10th Aug '14 6:08:32 PM by Inari2600

Al B. Tross (Facepalm)

Hm, that rivet job didn't look like the kind of care Al would have expected from Tomari, who'd reminded him strongly of those Agency techies who were always getting annoyed at agents not paying enough attention to the gadget briefing. That probably meant it wasn't as harmless as Tomari, either. Well, if this robot didn't respect the authority of the hall monitor, the Law had stronger fists, and they were at the end of Al's arms.

Well, some of the time. He couldn't very well go around with his hands clenched into fists of justice. Fists of justice were not very good at recording observations or manipulating doorknobs.

Secret Agent 3 + Will 2 to protect civilians from rampaging robot, in the likely event of it rampaging.

6/8 Will
3/3 Miraculous Will
5/5 MP

edited 11th Aug '14 1:34:47 PM by rikalous

Nidia (Facepalm)

"R-Robot! Must be one of Evil Namco High machinations sent to stop us from stopping them from conquering the world!" With a swift motion, she took the amulet from Terezi's hand and hid it in her own person. "Now, foul creature, prepare yourself to face the dragon's ire!" Nidia yelled out loud, taking a single step towards the robot and then waiting.

Waiting.

Still waiting.

And... Nothing. This robot is clearly not putting the entire world on edge by itself, not right now. Awkwardly, Nidia started flipping through the entire book of prophecy like a madwoman, searching for a prophecy that allows her to become a dragon right now.

1 Will for Intention "Take the amulet from Terezi's hand and hide it.", and also 0 Will + Notebook User 1 for Intention "Search for a prophecy that allows Nidia to unleash her strenght." I don't actually want her to become a dragon, but since it's in-character for her to try I'm doing that as an Intention.

7/8 Will
5/5 MP

The third page Nidia flicks to has a passage about "the horned knight with eyes of fire" and how the Champion must face it with only her native skill.

The robot's flat red gaze travels across the Club Day booths. It's clearly not seeing what it's looking for...until it gets to Meowkie, Al and Nidia. It makes a "ding" noise.

"HOSTILES LOCATED. ELIMINATE."

It steps forward, trips on a rock and disappears into the Merchandise Club booth, then emerges with a Namco High fridge magnet stuck to the side of its head in a tidal wave of mirrored Namco High wrestleball team saucepan lids and statues of Principal Dig Dug. (Merchandise Club is weird sometimes.) Its eyes fixate on Meowkie's badge.

"RECOVER AMULET. <FZZT, CLICK-CLICK> AMULET LOCATED. ERROR. AMULET SHAPE CORRUPTED. AMENDING. ERROR. ERROR. DATA CORRUPTION. RECOVER AMULET."

It seems to have concluded that it has been sent to take Meowkie's badge instead!

It begins firing its eye beams - but it doesn't seem to be very good at aiming them, blasting a hole through the Robotics Club booth and reflecting high into the air. You can dimly hear Tomari complaining about the damage it's done to his robot.

Al B. Tross (Facepalm)

As one of Al's combat teachers had always said, go for the eyes, Boo. Al had never been certain why that particular teacher kept calling people Boo, but he leapt for the robot head to follow that advice anyway. He'd feel a lot more comfortable with those destruction-dealing eyes ripped out and in his hands.

Well, unless they were red-hot or something. That wouldn't be very comfortable.

Maintaining Intention.

6/8 Will\\ 3/3 Miraculous Will
5/5 MP

Meowkie (Offering You Comfort)

"H-Hold on!" Meowkie dodges out of the way of an errant laser beam! "Is, is this what you're looking for?" Her fingers point frantically at the badge on her chest. "My badge?"

Another shot flies by her— this time, her fur is slightly singed from the shot. Looking down at herself and at her badge, she puts on an angry scowl and faces the robot head on. "I'm sorry, but this badge is for regulation, officially Dig Dug approved hall monitors that've sworn in, taken their oaths, an' given their duty to the school! And if ya wanna come here an' tear up the halls and break regulation, and then ask me for my badge, I'm sorry, but this behavior is unacceptable!"

She leaps! "Al! I'm gonna try an' bring this robot to justice!" She gets into position to lunge... She strikes!

Hall Moniter 3 + 2 Miraculous Will for Intention 5: "In the name of the school, I will punish you!" Also, I'm not sure if I should reap the XP for The Object just yet.

5/8 Will
1/3 Miraculous Will
5/5 MP

edited 11th Aug '14 2:37:36 PM by Inari2600

Nidia (Facepalm)

After taking some insight from her prophecy book, Nidia sighed and put it back on her person. "Very well," she said, with noticeably annoyed tone. "If it must be this way..." She jolted forwards, in the direction of the towering golem, and of one of his fulminating rays. It wasn't hard for her to turn a charge into an evasion, and then in a single motion jump over a booth for cover.

Once she had stopped, she blinked conscentiously. "What am I doing? I am the Dragon, not a mindless barbarian." The prophecy forbids her from using anything but her native skill, and for her knowledge, friendship - or at least teamwork - is a native skill, even if, perhaps, it is magical.

The robot made it clear it was looking for the amulet. It was also clear the robot displayed no care or exactitude on perfoming said task.

Nidia stood up from behind her cover, and standing as tall and heroically as she could try to, began assigning orders with a thundering voice. "Terezi! Hiromi! Get outta here and ring the fire alarm in your way out, we can't risk harming innocent students and teachers. Meowkie! Since it seems to want you, take it somewhere we are unlikely to destroy more school property and meet escaping people who will hear the fire alarm! Al!"

She cracked her knuckles and smirked. "Leave some of it for me, I want his RAM, CPU and HDD intact." Thanking Mr. Tentomon's class, Nidia walked forwards as slowly as the oncoming storm.

Warrior 3 + 2 Will hopefully + 2 from Property "You need help to solve your problems" for Intention 7: Lead these students in battle against the rampaging robot!

6/8 Will
5/5 MP

I'm assessing the robot's Intention at level 4. Thus, all of you beat it.

Al

Your bare hands aren't quite enough to tear out its laser beam eyes, but some of the scattered statues and statuettes of Principal Dig Dug are quite solid, rather pointy, and small enough to carry in one hand. The conclusion is obvious, and the results quite predictable.

Meowkie

Sparks fly as you sever some external wiring, and then its right knee locks up. Since it was ungainly to begin with, this makes the situation even more chaotic than it already was.

Nidia

Upon hearing your instructions, Hiromi guns the engine and tears down the aisle, Terezi clinging to the front in a death grip, waving a very pointy cane and SW34R1NG PROFUS3LY. Moments afterwards, the fire alarm starts, and they come thundering back in, Terezi holding her cane out like a lance. The joust does not go well; while the cane sticks in its back and causes another spray of sparks, it twangs up to a ridiculous angle and Terezi is left dangling from the cane trying to massage feeling back into her arms without letting go with either of them. Then the fire alarm in the building on the other side starts, and the exodus begins.

So: the situation is chaotic. You have a blinded, half-lame robot flailing around randomly. You have a tide of students trying to flee in every direction at once. You have a demonic-looking girl trapped ten feet off the ground dangling from her own sword-cane. This could get very awkward, very quickly, especially if a teacher turns up.

Al B. Tross (Facepalm)

A student in trouble? Priority number one. Al went to grab the exchange student and assist her from her precarious grip to the safety of on top of the rampaging, extra-ungainly giant robot.

Some might suggest that it would be better to assist her to the ground, but those people clearly don't grasp how far away the ground can look from on top of a robot.

Maintaining my intention, if that comes up.

6/8 Will
3/3 Miraculous Will
5/5 MP

edited 13th Aug '14 12:48:11 AM by rikalous

Meowkie (Offering You Comfort)

"Roger, Boss!" She tells Nidia.

Then, her eye turns to the robot as she readies for a chase. She readies... and tears ahead!

"Here's a list of some of the infractions ya made today!" She shouts, as she gallops across the school, the robot chasing afterwards. "One! Flagrant destruction of school property!" She scrapes through a corner. "Two! Violence on school campus!" Through the halls, duck under someone's school project. "Three! Attemptin' to take a hall monitor's badge!" Up the stairs, down the stairs, across the stairs. "And, and four!" Her voice goes low now, serious, and says: "Violating dress code."

That's an Obsessive Action I'm taking now. Changing intention to, "Bring the robot away from where it can do harm!" 5 (Hall Monitor 3 + 2 Miraculous Will again.)

5/8 Will
1/3 Miraculous Will
5/5 MP

Nidia (Facepalm)

With her strategy in motion, Nidia assessed how had step 1 gone. The only backslashes were Terezi tackling the robot for a horrible result, and the oncoming mass of panicked students. Al was taking care of the former, which meant the latter was left under her care.

She walked past the rampaging golem, and stared at... them. So many students, so much of them! "Calm down Nidia, this isn't the time to feel stage fright." Glancing around, there were no other people besides her, not even a hall monitor or another autorithy figure to direct those students to a safe place. How useful.

She kept staring at the people coming, thinking how to direct those students somewhere else. She was no authority figure, and even if she were she didn't think they would listen to her while panicking. There was a battle going on, and she wasn't going to let any civilian casualty happen.

"What could possibly change the path of panicked people running away from danger?" Nidia thought for a few seconds, before reaching an answer: danger. Fear is such a primary emotion-no, instinct, that it's one of the easiest ways to send through a message this quick.

The girl closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Then, the dragon within roared ten thousand thunders.

Warrior 3 + 1 Will for Intention 4: Lead those students away from the battle against the rampaging robot!

Also the last sentence was metaphorical, as writing just "She yelled." would be more boring, so it counts as her native skill

6/8 Will
5/5 MP

Al

Terezi seems bewildered as to how you could possibly think this was a good idea. Still, she takes it in her stride, pulling out the cane and beginning to use it for stabbin'.

Meowkie

You spot an area where the tents have already collapsed, and with difficulty you steer the robot's wounded-bull flailing over that way.

Nidia

As the echoes of your yell die away, the overall direction of the crowd moves from "going everywhere" to "going everywhere but here". While a few of them may be in the midst of being trampled, at least they're doing so at a safe distance from the robot.

The robot is in very bad shape. It shouldn't be too hard to take down with a little bit of effort.

Al B. Tross (Facepalm)

Al strikes the robot again and again with the Dig Dug statue, smiting it like the majestic eagle swooping down to kill and carry off the harmless mama bunny rabbit in front of her children.

6/8 Will
3/3 Miraculous Will
5/5 MP

Meowkie (Offering You Comfort)

Meowkie's eyes go wide, then relax as Al smashes it to death.

"Hah..." she breathes, in and out, in and out, "Thanks... Al..." She breathes in and out, in and out. Her heart beats at the center of her chest, lungs aching with each pulse. "I mean... just..." She takes one great breath in. "Thanks."

5/8 Will
2/3 Miraculous Will
5/5 MP

Terezi takes a look at the robot.

"1T'S JUST 4S 1 THOUGHT. 1 KNOW TH3 GUY WHO BU1LT TH1S ROBOT. H3'S...K1ND OF CR33PY."

Perhaps fortunately, she is prevented from elaborating on this by the arrival of Principal Dig Dug. Anyone who's familiar with his moods can tell this is #29, So Angry He Goes Through Fury And Out The Other Side.

"Would anyone care to explain why our club day was interrupted by a giant marauding robot?"

Al B. Tross (Facepalm)

"It appeared to be after a hall monitor badge for reasons that are totally and completely not our fault in any fashion."

6/8 Will
3/3 Miraculous Will
5/5 MP

edited 23rd Aug '14 2:41:40 PM by rikalous

"I see. Question two: is there any reason I should not expel all of you right this second?!"

Al B. Tross (Facepalm)

"I can't answer that without knowing what we'd be expelled for. Did something happen while I was distracted by our heroic efforts to protect our fellow students from a rampaging robot at great personal risk of life and limb when it would be far easier to save ourselves at the expense of less able bystanders?

"Sir."

6/8 Will
3/3 Miraculous Will
5/5 MP

He glares at you. "I'm going to need some corroborating statements. Nidia! Hall monitor Meowkie! Exchange student whose name I can't remember right now! Speak up!"

Meowkie (Offering You Comfort)

"P-Principal Dig Dug!" Meowkie shouts, snapping into a salute! "Sir! W-What Al said... It's totally true! A robot went around, committin' at least a #67954, a #4720, and two 88206's!! It went after my officer's badge, even! We had to stop it!"

Hall Monitor 3 to form intention, "Can I please convince him and not get in detention this time?" Though she probably won't succeed.

Nidia (Facepalm)

Nidia took one moment to think before speaking, deciding that she trusted Principal Dig Dug. "It's true. Yesterday me and Al followed a runaway from detention trying to smuggle this amulet," - which she conveniently took out and showed it to all - "very suspiciously. Today I was searching for information on its true owner with help of Criminal Justice Club Leader Terezi and Hall Monitor Meowkie when a robot appeared in search of it, but acted aggressively before we could react. We - I mean, I have reasons to believe the robot was sent by Evil Namco High."

Her hand reached out to Principal Dig Dug. "Here is the amulet if you want to take the subject in your own hands. Uh... No pun intended." She finished with an awkward smirk. It was only partially intended.

6/8 Will
5/5 MP

Principal Dig Dug's expression stabilises at #13, Storm Warning.

"Triple detention to all of you for fomenting chaos! Now. The amulet should probably stay with you; I'm assigning all three of you to figure out what it is and why Evil Namco High is involved. Now get some brooms and clean this mess up!"

Detention today is not going to be fun.

Scene 4: Detention-Deficit Disorder

You were right. Detention today is not fun. Not even slightly. The entire group is spread out around the quadrangle, cleaning up robot parts and trampled booths. You are still expected to talk during this, because DETENTION LEVEL π is still in place.

Those of you of a mind to recognise such people can see that Tat, Leorina, and a short figure in a white hood have been added to the roster of students trapped in DETENTION LEVEL π.

At the end of this scene, I'm going to declare the first chapter done. Thus, I advise cramming in whatever XP Actions you can. Also, Nidia gains back 1 Will due to the relatively minor inconvenience caused by her Affliction.

edited 30th Aug '14 12:26:35 PM by CountDorku

Al B. Tross (Facepalm)

New faces. New suspects. New threats. An agent's work was never done.

Al knew the least about the newcomer in the white hood (not even their name), so he sidled up and said "Hey. What are you in for."

6/8 Will
3/3 Miraculous Will
5/5 MP

edited 3rd Sep '14 12:11:00 AM by rikalous

"sUspected trUancy. i keep missing days for...Um...medical reasons."

Al B Tross (Facepalm)

"Ah yes. 'Medical reasons.' I know that scene. You ever need any help getting 'medicine,' you can come right to me, you follow?"

6/8 Will
3/3 Miraculous Will
5/5 MP