*vessel and Claire head to the terrarium.*
Vessel: I could use some target practice.
Claire: there's more to life than just swords and guns you know?
English
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[i]You enter the terrarium where you find Alignment staring at a big egg.[/i] [b]Alignment:[/b] “Hey, buds. How’s the world out there?”
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Vessel: current events have been relatively peaceful. Almost too peaceful... possible enemy strategy to lower our guard. Claire: again with the war talk? At least unwind for a moment, staying on alert for so long can't be healthy.
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[b]Alignment:[/b] “Peaceful? That’s not what I heard. I’ve been hearing that people have been banished left and right by the people from above. What were they called again...”
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Vessel: a lot that's for sure. Perhaps whatever new enemy is coming is waiting for our best to die off. Regardless, anything going on your end? Anything that needs a few rounds put in it?
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[b]Alignment:[/b] “Thankfully, I don’t have any giant fleets waiting to attack me. Everything’s been going quite well. The base of the Academy is pretty much finished and I’ve been making progress on learning about what we found in the last assignment.”
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Vessel: what intel did you uncover regarding those things?
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Editado por HiddenAlignment: 3/22/2021 6:55:33 PM[b]Alignment:[/b] “The students that made it further out found some black and red mushrooms. It turns out that they were an extreme form of cordyceps, which is just a fancy word for parasitic mushrooms. The spores they produce grow on the head of the host until it takes over its mind and becomes a fully grown mushroom. Moreover, they’re also bioluminescent and give off a red glow. For this kind of mushroom in particular, that’s a dangerous self defense mechanism for two reasons. One reason is that the red glow is able to attract hosts that have been infected. The larger the mushroom, the larger the horde. The second reason is that in order for something to be bioluminescent, they need a chemical called luciferin. Luciferin uses oxygen to produce light. Knowing how extreme these things are, the mushrooms can also use oxygen from the surrounding area to create a brighter glow, making it harder to breath and it attracts more hosts. It’s truly a dangerous thing.”
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Claire: and here I thought mushrooms controlling ants was disturbing. Vessel: guess that also means fire won't be as effective with the lack of oxygen.
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[b]Alignment:[/b] “Sadly, yes. I’m not sure if we can reduce the mushrooms to a safe level. The best option for the village is to relocate.”
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Vessel: what if that infestation spreads beyond there? Wouldn't be very long before they have to move again. Not to mention carriers.
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[b]Alignment:[/b] “If it grows into an extremely dangerous mass that threatens the very ecosystem, I’ll step in and do something... drastic. But we don’t have to worry about that right now.”
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Vessel: but what if some of the villagers got infected but don't know it? It'll start the whole thing over again.
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[b]Alignment:[/b] “That’s not possible. People that become infected get taken over immediately. It might be possible to save those that have only been infected recently, but that window is pretty small. What happens to the infected all depends on the villagers.”
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Vessel: I guess that's good to know. I don't see any reason not to start an evac there.
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[b]Alignment:[/b] “Let’s just hope they end up somewhere safer. But enough about that. Was there any stat you wanted to work on, or did you just want to check up on your good ol’ professor?”
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Vessel: I need to work on improving close quarters engagements. Got anything for that? Claire: I'm fine for now, I can watch and make sure something doesn't go wrong.
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[b]Alignment:[/b] “If by close quarters, you mean stuff like fisticuffs or swordplay, you’ll either want to train Strength for the power of your attacks, or Dexterity for dodging or actually striking.”
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Vessel: Strength works.
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[b]Alignment:[/b] “And how tough do you want this task to be on a scale of 1-3?”
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Vessel: let's go with 3. A soldiers has to test their skills.
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[b]Alignment:[/b] “Oh boy, let’s hope you’re up to it. If you want to see it through, go meet Emphasis around the Training Hall. He says he’s been bored. He’ll train you, but his methods are straightforward and rather... harsh, to say the least.”
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*it readies its sword.*
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[b]Alignment:[/b] “Uh, do be careful. I don’t want any severed limbs or building debris littering the place.”
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Vessel: I'll try to be careful.
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[b]Alignment:[/b] “Please do. Now go to the Training Hall. Em is not a patient man.”