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Tree branch: check. Assorted lightweight seed-bearing fruits and nuts: check. Other seeds: check. Water bottle, for when she has to veer away from the river: check.
Better not linger in her starting place too much longer. Yellow's faster than her and may have already come home to a wreck. Thorn might have a habit of checking up on the place, even, just in case. She's invisible, inaudible, unsmellable - that won't help if he sends someone thorough. Or comes in person.
She sets out.
She's been flying for about thirty minutes after her shopping trip when she falls through a tear and squeaks inaudibly and lands in the middle of -
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imeanforever
wormcan
Bonesaw answers that one. "No, silly. Tinkers! Someone else could try, but even if they did everything the same there'd inevitably be something that only works at exactly that temperature, or what the light was like in a spectrum people can't even see, or that phase of the moon, so no one except the tinker can do it again. If you needed it for something we're probably all doomed!" She grins and gets back to work.
Some of the people getting injured more are also the trickiest to heal. Lung's body is never the same twice, and Acidbath's is completely unrecognizable. After a brighter than usual blast from Scion, both go down. Lung gets up, but doesn't charge back in immediately. The defensive capes are protecting the others, but nobody is effectively hurting him. Scion recreates this body as necessary like it's nothing.
Some of the people getting injured more are also the trickiest to heal. Lung's body is never the same twice, and Acidbath's is completely unrecognizable. After a brighter than usual blast from Scion, both go down. Lung gets up, but doesn't charge back in immediately. The defensive capes are protecting the others, but nobody is effectively hurting him. Scion recreates this body as necessary like it's nothing.
wormcan
"No, not really. Their power fills it in. Like right now. I'm rearranging the organs of a species that didn't exist until just now, this wouldn't even make sense to anyone else. The moon phase and stuff just means that there's more stuff that might matter than anyone could possibly keep track of, and tinkers don't have to worry about it."
This probably isn't the place for this conversation, but Bonesaw's not concerned.
This probably isn't the place for this conversation, but Bonesaw's not concerned.
imeanforever
"Let me explain you something and see if you think it'll -" Ouch. Promise heals Eidolon again. "- it'll dovetail like I think it might. Sorcery is all about knowing what you're working with. The best sorcerer in the world," is that a touch of dreaminess in Promise's voice? "not only has the ideal sorcerous temperament, which would only make him fantastic, not head and shoulders above anyone else, but he can also see harmonics -" Alexandria's arm is dead, long live Alexandria's arm. "But you can get a lot of mileage with just knowing things like temperature and light conditions. And it doesn't have to be active attention; you don't need to harmonically map a place to know it enough to cast well there..." Promise can't actually tell if that one hit Legend or not but it probably did and healing him won't hurt anyway. "...does it sound like tinker powers would work nicely with that?"
wormcan
"Not really...
I don't know the temperature or light conditions, not better than I could anyway, that is. I just know that if connecting these two nerves depended on the exact electrical resistance of the muscle next to it, then I would have acted as if I knew the number. I definitely couldn't use that information for anything else than tinkering."
The creature runs off to join the fray. It makes about as much difference as a marginal cape would, which is effectively none.
I don't know the temperature or light conditions, not better than I could anyway, that is. I just know that if connecting these two nerves depended on the exact electrical resistance of the muscle next to it, then I would have acted as if I knew the number. I definitely couldn't use that information for anything else than tinkering."
The creature runs off to join the fray. It makes about as much difference as a marginal cape would, which is effectively none.
wormcan
The Doctor and Contessa walk through a suddenly-appearing door.
"We're not quite out of backup plans," the Doctor says, "but it's a Hail Mary. I need orders amended so we can find enough recipients for certain vials that will probably result in extreme mutation or painful death but might give powers that can hurt Scion."
"We're not quite out of backup plans," the Doctor says, "but it's a Hail Mary. I need orders amended so we can find enough recipients for certain vials that will probably result in extreme mutation or painful death but might give powers that can hurt Scion."
imeanforever
"I assume Contessa can track down would-be informed volunteers who want to save the world. And she may. ...It's possible I should take one."
wormcan
Contessa disappears.
"I suppose painful death isn't as much of a risk for you. You might be incapacitated in some other way, though, and you are still valuable for other reasons. Any conceivable physical change is on the table, especially since what would normally result in a dead subject just means worse side effects."
"I suppose painful death isn't as much of a risk for you. You might be incapacitated in some other way, though, and you are still valuable for other reasons. Any conceivable physical change is on the table, especially since what would normally result in a dead subject just means worse side effects."
imeanforever
"I can go get Perish again but if experiments were reliable here you'd already have weeded out every undesirable side effect. If I'm incapacitated somehow you - well, not you, but someone - can try disintegrating me and see if that helps. How well can you aim powers? Synergy with sorcery...?"
wormcan
"We did weed out the side effects, that one in particular. But we couldn't do it to these vials without potentially decreasing their value against Scion." A golden bullet launches itself from Scion, and drills through Alexandria's head while she charges. "We have very few effective powers.
We can aim for a general subject, but not implementation. If it were about sorcery I'd look for vials that usually improve perception, or maybe speed while hoping for mental instead of physical speed."
We can aim for a general subject, but not implementation. If it were about sorcery I'd look for vials that usually improve perception, or maybe speed while hoping for mental instead of physical speed."
imeanforever
"Perception. Definitely. Doing what I can already do faster won't make a dent. ...I have a guess about tinker powers synergizing but Bonesaw thinks it wouldn't work, but if there's a way to lean that way..."
wormcan
"There is, if you want to try for that at the expense of the thinker power. It's all about probabilities, unfortunately.
And these powers are different, often more dangerous, but not necessarily stronger. It would be astronomically unlikely for you to be the next Eidolon or Contessa."
And these powers are different, often more dangerous, but not necessarily stronger. It would be astronomically unlikely for you to be the next Eidolon or Contessa."
imeanforever
"Well, give me something nobody else has drunk so I can go kill it if I don't like it. Maybe I can do this a dozen times, who knows."
wormcan
If the fight goes on long enough for that it would mean...that Scion is probably never going to reach most worlds. But time still matters.
"No more than three. Otherwise giving you a preferred power might on average come at the expense of giving someone else a useful one. Door to Cauldron."
The door opens to racks of vials, each of which the Doctor walks right past.
"No more than three. Otherwise giving you a preferred power might on average come at the expense of giving someone else a useful one. Door to Cauldron."
The door opens to racks of vials, each of which the Doctor walks right past.
imeanforever
Promise follows her. "I can find other fairies who want to try it, too, if immortal subjects are useful and it doesn't manage to totally incapacitate me."
wormcan
"Want to try it and would be willing to fight Scion? A fairy subject would be worth four human ones, that being the death rate."
These vials are darker, almost black. Otherwise they look the same. Several slots are empty, where vials have been brought to other recipients. "No point in diluting it, under the circumstances. Your preference for the theme of the power?"
These vials are darker, almost black. Otherwise they look the same. Several slots are empty, where vials have been brought to other recipients. "No point in diluting it, under the circumstances. Your preference for the theme of the power?"
imeanforever
"Willing to fight Scion in exchange for a power, more like, but I can find subjects. What are my options?"
wormcan
"In testing, the ones that most reliably gave tinker powers also had specialties that wouldn't be immediately useful. Defensive personal armor was typical of that one. Rube Goldberg machines, ambulatory plants." She points to three of the vials in a section. "But for your purposes any tinker power would do. If Bonesaw is right it would probably fail, but this is a time for Hail Marys.
On the thinker front, this one is likely best. Area perception. Two extra senses for one person, uninterrupted full spherical range of ordinary ones for another. A chance of a shaker power, comparatively useless for you. This other one has always been informational as far as we can tell, but often more single-target than environmental. The speed one I referenced earlier was this..." she lists off a few more powers.
On the thinker front, this one is likely best. Area perception. Two extra senses for one person, uninterrupted full spherical range of ordinary ones for another. A chance of a shaker power, comparatively useless for you. This other one has always been informational as far as we can tell, but often more single-target than environmental. The speed one I referenced earlier was this..." she lists off a few more powers.
imeanforever
"...Plants might go nicely with my tree but this is not the time to worry about that. I'll take extra senses."
wormcan
The Doctor sets the vial in a centrifuge, because what evil secret lab is complete without centrifuges. It doesn't have to stay in for long.
"Ordinarily I'd recommend drinking it as quickly as possible; this can decrease the chances of unwanted physical changes. Under the circumstances those are near certain anyway. It is also likely to hurt; this will last at most two minutes."
They door to a room containing fewer vitally important breakable objects and a chair that would probably be very comfortable for someone without wings. "Try to stay seated, or at least as still as possible, until it finishes. It is also likely to destroy your clothes, if you'd rather change into something more expendable." (The expendable things they have on hand are plain gray bodysuits that were even less designed for winged people.) "And if you experience a transformation, would you prefer to turn yourself back or have someone destroy you thoroughly enough that you reappear?"
"Ordinarily I'd recommend drinking it as quickly as possible; this can decrease the chances of unwanted physical changes. Under the circumstances those are near certain anyway. It is also likely to hurt; this will last at most two minutes."
They door to a room containing fewer vitally important breakable objects and a chair that would probably be very comfortable for someone without wings. "Try to stay seated, or at least as still as possible, until it finishes. It is also likely to destroy your clothes, if you'd rather change into something more expendable." (The expendable things they have on hand are plain gray bodysuits that were even less designed for winged people.) "And if you experience a transformation, would you prefer to turn yourself back or have someone destroy you thoroughly enough that you reappear?"
imeanforever
"Well, give me fifteen minutes in case I figure it out or manage to activate my self-destruct, then find someone who isn't my vassal and have them vaporize me." Promise eyes the suits dubiously, and finally tears the back off one and changes into it.
wormcan
"All right." The Doctor leaves in case Promise cares about privacy, and notifies Contessa and the Number Man that Promise is taking one of the dark vials.
wormcan
It does indeed hurt. For what seems like longer than two minutes, but it will eventually be over and she'll have a new power and/or monstrous form.
imeanforever
The first thing Promise notices is that she can still move. It feels weird - well, it feels less, mostly, her range of motion is completely bizarre and she has no vestibular feedback, no proprioception, no sense of pressure, just how far each bit of her can move before it stops.
...It feels like moving her tree. It feels rather a lot like moving her tree.
Well, that's easy, she knows how to operate a tree. She can't change the total amount of wood unless she wants to try growing herself, and she can't make tree eyes to get a good look at her treefulness, but she can pull her roots up and wrap her branches around themselves until she's a fairly simple cylindrical shape that she can figure out entirely by range of motion.
And then, well. She knows wood. She can cast on wood.
She turns herself back into a leaflet. She puts her dress back on. She is not sure where her self-dest- oh, there it is. It seems to have popped out, and then she supposed it couldn't detect her in her original composition to destroy. She puts it back where it belongs and heals herself.
"I'm okay!" she calls. "I was just briefly turned into a tree!"