ARCADE SESSION: REBOOTED

[knux400]

>GIVE BLANKET PILE, PILLOW FORT

Tamaru jumps as the blankets and pillows appear next to him.

Wha- Where did those come from?!
Oh, Trinket must've made them for us to play with. Thanks, Trinket!
 

You smile a bit at that, but your mind is still on more serious matters. Not knowing much about the other players, there's not too much point in panicking right now, besides, everyone looks like they could use a bit of a break now that Topaz is back. However, there's no real reason you couldn't make some things to get ready...

>CREATE: SECURITY CAMERAS, LONG-RANGE MOTION SENSOR, HEAT VISION GOGGLES

The security cameras and motion sensor are automatically hooked up to the TV upstairs. A dial also appears on the TV, allowing the user to switch between security feeds- or the game console. Not having someone to operate the controls for you, you have no idea how well any of these things are actually working, but there's time for that later.

Echo, Tamaru, and Opal burst into the upstairs rooms, with Echo leading. 

So this is the entertainment room, in here I've got a TV with a game console hooked up to it-
A what?

Echo begins explaining what the heck a TV is to Tamaru, and after a while the two of them are playing SUPER ACTION FIGHTER. Echo is winning most of the matches, but Tamaru is learning surprisingly quickly for someone who just picked up a controller for the first time in his life about fifteen minutes ago.

You watch contentedly. At least there's nothing bad happening right now, everyone probably needs a bit of time to relax after-
 

 

The golem suddenly goes into attack mode out of nowhere and runs off the screen to the NORTH with surprising speed. No one inside seems to have noticed.

 

...What now?

[cosmo]

oh gosh okay i think we need to go check this out. im mostly concerned that someone friendly might be being attacked by the golem because it wandered into range. we should tell echo that something activated the golem and while we have no idea of what activated it was actually dangerous or not, we need to make sure it isn’t attacking someone totally innocent who just wandered into our territory... she should bring her weapons/gear just in case though.

[victorianflorist]

Echo has to pause that game and check those cameras.

[1011686]

Maybe we should made something a bit less defensively pre-emptive than that golem. Oh well.
We can't really ignore it, so Echo should go check it out, although we should tell her calmly. Man, it would be really convenient if there was a way to look at locations without needing to have our tcp in the same screen as them, hmm...

[knux400]

Hey Echo, I don't mean to interrupt, but something just set off the golem. Would you mind switching the TV over to the camera feed and checking it out?
The what?
I added a few things while you two were playing. There should be a dial on the side of the TV.
Oh, this thing! Hang on a sec, Tamaru, we need to pause for a bit.
Oh, okay!

Tamaru pauses the game, and the two fighters freeze in midair. Echo turns the dial, and a feed of the inside of the base is shown. After turning it a few more clicks, you can see the golem standing at the north edge of your base, back in its idle state.
 

What's that?
It's called a security camera, I made it while you two were playing. You use it to watch things happening far away.
It's called a security camera, Trinket made it while we were playing. You use it to watch things happening far away.
Oh, cool! So what's happening now?
It looks like the golem saw something, but it went away...?
I think you can rewind the feed. Try using the controller.
Right. Let me just...

After some fiddling, Echo manages to rewind the feed a minute or so. Sure enough, the golem ran straight at the north wall, only to stop just at the edge. Echo rewinds it again and switches to a view just outside the base. Something flew towards the north wall, hovered there for a moment, and left again.
 

Uhh... Trinket, did you make that?
...No. I don't even know what that is.
Is there any way to get a better look at it?
I think you should be able to zoom in a bit, but the resolution won't get any better.
The what?
...Nevermind.

Echo freezes the footage and zooms in on the creature, and before long she's able to get a fairly decent image of it.
 

...Now what?

[victorianflorist]

CREATE: Cross Bow Turrets

[1011686]

Uhhh that's a bit pre-emptive and would look pretty hostile to observers. It would also probably freak out Echo a bit. If you're going to make something like that, make it hidden, or at least more innocuous-looking.
What about:
>Create sign at entrances to our base, politely asking newcomers to not enter until they tell us who they are (does the camera pick up sound, idk).

[Dzib 9001]

>Create intercom so people can tell us who they are.

[knux400]

>CREATE: CROSS BOW TURRETS

A large, mounted crossbow turret appears at either end of your base. They seem to be manually driven- that is, a TCP would have to get behind there and operate it themselves. It occurs to you that these turrets aren't innocuous in the slightest. In an effort to try and make things seem a little nicer, you create some more things to go with them.

>CREATE: INTERCOM, WELCOME NOTE

There. That should make things a bit better.
 

Echo switches back to the current feed of the inside of the base, and does a bit of a double take. While she doesn't know what the crossbow turrets you just made are exactly, she does know enough about sharp pointy things to realize they probably aren't good.

Oookay. I think it's about time we took you home now, Tamaru.
...Are those spears?
Kind of! I think! Anyway, it was really nice playing with you, and I'm glad you had a good time-
Why did Trinket make spears?
I will discuss that with them once you're home safe.
Echo, are you worried about something?
Nope! I just think it'd be a great idea for you to head home as quickly as possible, and Trinket and I are going to come with you to make sure you're safe.
Wait, Echo, I never agreed to-
AND TRINKET AND I WILL GO WITH YOU TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE SAFE.
...Something's going on, isn't it?
 

[Dzib 9001]

we saw... something...
we don't know what it was and just in case it's dangerous, we're prepping to defend our base.
also there not spear's, that's a crossbow.

[1011686]

Sorry Echo I don't know what I'm doing all that well. We did see something scary-looking approach and then leave though.
um. Are there any modifications to the base you think we should make? I should ask for your input more when doing stuff, sorry about that.

[knux400]

Sorry about that, I saw something kind of scary-looking approach and leave.
I saw the same thing you did, and honestly I don't disagree with your choice to make sharp pointy things! It's just that this isn't a good place for Tamaru to be in.
...What are you talking about?
Sorry, I should be asking for your input more often... Is there anything you think we should make, Echo?
Uhhh... I dunno! Right now we need to get Tamaru back home as soon as we can.
Are you talking to Trinket?
Also, those are crossbows. Not spears.
Crossbows?
What?
It's a thing that shoots pointy sticks. The string pulls back on the limbs, which stores potential energy in order to-
You can explain it to me later. Come on, Tamaru.
...Okay???
 

Echo continues escorting Tamaru out of the base... Well, half escorting and half shoving, really. She's heading for the SOUTH GATE fast, with or without your permission. If you want to do something while you're still in the base, you've only got a few moments- or you could try telling Echo to slow down a bit.

[Dzib 9001]

honestly we should extend the railroad to the kobold house, make it easier for transportation to and from the base. maybe a communicator so they can contact us if they get in trouble so we can rush over asap. that and a bunker they can hide in if things get to dangerous... what do you think Echo?

[Dzib 9001]

also we should let Tamaru know something's happening.

[1011686]

i kind of want to make some kind of helpful pet guardian thing to go with them.
>Create: friendly and protective bat
actually with all these animals i feel like teaching Echo some animal related skill would be a good idea. She doesn't have any, does she? I don't remember what skills she has, so
>Teach Echo: animal care
>Check Echo

[knux400]

>CREATE: GUARDIAN BAT
>TEACH ECHO: ANIMAL CARE
 

Tamaru startles at the bat popping into existence next to him, and Echo has a moment of existential crisis before shrugging it off. She quickly wriggles her way out of the PROSTHETIC ARMS, their battery now fully depleted, and goes back to hustling Tamaru out the door. As the two exit the base, you propose the idea of creating some fortifications for the kobolds. Echo says she'd have to ask the kobolds about that first, and right now whatever's outside is the more pressing matter. You also suggest maybe filling Tamaru in on recent events- the poor kobold is growing increasingly confused and distressed.

...Yeah, I guess I should.
Should what?
What's going on is there's something weird flying outside our base for some reason. Trinket and I are concerned it might be bad.
...Like the gemstealer?

Gemstealer? You realize the kobolds must have given the knocker a name of their own, since they have no clue what it actually is. Echo seems to go through a similar thought process before responding.

...Kind of like that, yeah. It's hard to expl-
Could you please just try? You're scaring me.
...Sorry. I just didn't want you to get hurt, and it's faster to just get you home rather than try and talk my way through everything-
Forget it. You're just like Orkahm.

Tamaru punches in the code and begins walking south without Echo. He figured out how the door works and remembered the code just by watching Echo do it? He catches on quick, you think to yourself.

Wait! What do you mean by that?
Orkahm always treats me like I'm a baby. He never wants to tell me anything because he's afraid I'll get scared or something. And I do get scared! I get scared a lot. But it's even scarier not knowing, and getting shoved around like I'm some delicate little flower that has to be hidden and protected and-

Tamaru sighs, collecting himself.

...Sorry. You probably have no idea what I'm rambling about.
No, I get it.
You do?
Trinket treated me the same way for a while. We had just gotten back from an adventure and found our stuff ransacked, and Trinket sort of panicked. She kept making me all these nice things inside the house, and then making all these protective things outside, and it all just felt wrong.
What did you do?
I did basically the same thing you're doing right now. I told Trinket to stop it, and I explained why, and she did. And then we went and rescued Topaz together, but that's a different story. What I'm saying is, we worked it out. And I think if you tell Orkahm what he's doing the same way you told me, you'll be able to work things out with him.
...Maybe with a bit less shouting, though.

Tamaru chuckles at that.

...Yeah. Anyway, um...
Right, sorry. So you know that thing we saw on the camera?
Yeah?
Trinket and I are worried it might have come from another group like us.
...Like you?
Yeah. One person like me running around, and one invisible voice thingy that can create anything.
...And if Trinket can make sharp pointy things and metal monsters, then so could the other voice.
Right. And we don't know how many of them are out there-
...There's five total, I think.
-Trinket says there's five, including her.
That's a lot.
It is. So we need to get you home and safe before anything else shows up.

...That went a lot better than you expected. You thought for sure you would have to step in, but Echo handled it great. The two of them are still talking as they walk briskly towards the kobold village, but you're confident all the important stuff is out of the way.
 

>CHECK ECHO
 

Echo is a BAT TYPE TCP. She is currently feeling bad that she treated Tamaru like she did, but she is mostly just relieved that she is no longer doing so. She is also experiencing a strong sense of urgency to return Tamaru to his home. Echo's health is currently at its maximum of GREAT.

You type /skills, and you're met with this string of text:

Echo's current skills are: speech, kindness, morality, spelunking, reading, writing, mining, mining safety, train use, train care, prosthetic use, appraisal, knock knock jokes, puns, echolocation, cartography, geology, investigation, stealth tactics, stun gun use, teaching, breathing exercises, tracking, animal care

It seems like the two are making good time towards the kobold village. Is there anything else you want to say or do before they get there, or should you wait? Remember, you can no longer CREATE or TEACH now that you've left the base.

[skinstealer]

make sure to thank tamaru for his hospitality towards echo- if she's okay with passing it on, that is

[Dzib 9001]

echo, keep an eye out for ANYTHING weird or off and Let us know rightway if you do. we'll be sure to do the same. oh, and be sure to thank tamaru for coming over when we get him back to the village!

[knux400]

You tell Echo to thank Tamaru for his hospitality. Echo is confused by your phrasing, but repeats for you anyway.

Oh! You're welcome.
Um. What am I supposed to look at when I'm talking to Trinket?
I don't know. Up, I guess?
Oookay?
You're welcome, Trinket. Echo's a good person to talk to, and I'm glad she's here. She seems really patient with me not knowing anything about her world.
 

The two of them arrive back at the village, and Tamaru knocks on the door.

Oh, you're back. Did you have a good time-
OH TAMARU YOU'RE BACK!!! TELL ME ALL ABOUT IT!!
Taipu, calm down, you're going to overwhelm him.
Oh, okay. So were there more eggs? Because I remember something about Trinket making the egg, or was it the thing that had the egg? Or am I misremembering, because...

Taipu continues chattering like this in the background, but you focus on Orkahm instead.

Sorry. Did you have a good time, Tamaru?
Yeah! Yeah, I did. I actually wanted to talk to you about something.
Oh?
Yeah, it was, um...
Do you need some help, Tamaru?

Tamaru looks down for a moment before replying to Echo.

No. No, I don't. Thank you. You should head back and figure out what's going on with the flying thing.
Flying thing?
I'll explain later. See you around Echo, and thank you.
Uh... Okay. See you.

Echo turns to go, turning back to look at Tamaru for a moment. You can tell she doesn't want to leave him, but Tamaru seems much more confident now than when you first met him. He'll be fine.
 

Now that she no longer has anyone to escort, Echo flies straight back to the base, coming in for a slightly hasty landing in front of the padlock. Echo punches in the code and steps inside the base.

Alright, so the flying thing came from that direction, so we should probably gear up with whatever you feel is appropriate and go investigate. The prosthetic arms are at... Okay, they might need a little longer to charge, but I'll be fine without them for now. I'll go check the security camera to see if anything else happened while we were away.
 

Does that sound good to you, Trinket?

[Dzib 9001]

should be fine.