Getting a start

[NPA]

*~She shook her head in response.~*

Nope. That little thing has enough for more than a year of use without getting recharged, and I get enough compatible charging styli for another year within a week just from monster drops. I just grab 'em, point, and click to refuel. Hehe. I'm a "can't have too many weapons" kind of girl, but yeah, control options are easy to add. Here, watch:

*~Celle easily peeled some of the square plates off the sides of the 3DMG, below which was another layer of the same. She fanned them out between Keyfie's and her face as though demonstrating a card trick, then threw them at Kenizz like shuriken.~*

(‾)Kenizz let the plates stick into his skin and clothes. Barely bloody, he pulled a thermos of lemonade out of his shadow pocket and poured himself a cup.(‾)

*~She then peeled some plates off the top and bottom and threw them one-by-one. As they were about to hit Kenizz, they broke apart into four segments apiece, which spread out and channeled what looked like white lightning in a ring. Each was a containment field. As the rings formed, they went in different directions: horizontal with the ring facing up and down, vertical with the ring facing sideways, vertically facing front and back, then the vertical diagonals, and finally the horizontal. Two more entered as horizontal rings that elevated and dropped, further trapping vertical mobility.~*

Oh, no. I am trapped physically, and her magic has disabled most or all of my methods of teleportation. My strength and magic are crippled. What ever shall I do?

(‾)Kenizz lamented with so much sincerity. He took another sip of lemonade.(‾)

And the neuro-

Yes, and the neuropulse disruption factor is addling my mind, impairing my capacity to think my way out of this and disrupting my concentration on my ongoing abilities! Oh, woe is me!

(‾)Kenizz burped and asked,(‾)

By the way, did Jayden get a hold of you?

Yup. Is something like that what you had in mind?

[Keyfie]

"Er. . . Actually, yes. How much did that 3DMG cost you and could you make me one like it? Of course with a different paint job if possible?" Keyfie asks hopefully, his eyes shining. "And perhaps an instruction manual to go with it?"

[NPA]

*~The containment fields disbanded, and the plate segments fell to the ground in clusters of four.~*

This one's out of your price range. I've spent thousands on putting extra effects into the weaponry, and a culfruub crystal of this quality is not easy to come by, though it was necessary for the effects that I want. My main model is far superior, but-

Let's not get into that.

Right. By the way, those aren't just stabby traps; they go boom, too.

*~Celle looked at the plates on the ground, which then reformed and flew back to take their rightful places on the 3DMG.~*

But here's what I'm getting at: Of the features that you now know of, what do you prioritize the most? I know that you want it to be a long-term investment, so durability is key, but what I'm trying to get is how you want to budget your initial choices.

[Keyfie]

"Well, obviously the speed and pinpoint maneuverability for long extremely long distances is top priority. Especially if its easy to refill and can't easily be dispelled. Maybe a way to completely render enemies helpless if not knocked unconscious. That would be the absolute two top priorities I would have." Keyfie replies while stopping and facing towards Celle. "That is assuming that the durability and protections are being included." He adds.

[NPA]

Hmm . . . So, your priorities are durability, then maneuverability, then an incapacitating weapon system, in order of magnitude?

*~Celle put her model back into the recliner and leaned back in it, stroking her chin in thought.~*

(‾)Kenizz replaced the thermos with another one, which contained minestrone soup. I wish that I could do that. I'm a lot hungrier than he is.(‾)

And in the maneuverability department, you want reliability, speed, and efficiency.

He said earlier that he'd like a compact model, too.

Oh! I use a lot of belt-area objects, so I make sure that all of my models work with just the silos, but is a rear-mounted propulsion canister going to be an issue for you?

[Keyfie]

"Would the rear-mounted propulsion be needed if we could do the magic rings that pull and stop you?" Keyfie asks raising an eyebrow. "And, yes, that is the order of priority I would like."

[NPA]

No, it'd be like mine. My culfruub crystal is a bit out of your budget, but there are cheaper alternatives.

He was intrigued by the various oozes and crystals that have been used. We weren't sure what to suggest from those.

Ah, yes. You know, if you're not quite so concerned about the subtlety just yet, there is a recent development that will interest you.

*~She drew a jar of some jelly. Its coloration was horizontal stripes of blue and black, and it was splotchy.~*

It turns out that a mixture of jelly from Jerry's mutated blue and black flans has all the right properties when mixed with the usual cocktail of reactants; it'll pull you like a magnet line, rearm and reform itself quickly enough and work in small enough chunks that you can go from movement to movement fluidly, soften landings, and leave no mess.

(‾)Kenizz had an awkward smile and half-squint face with one hand turned upward, the ring finger and pinky bent. The symbol for "What the Hell . . .?" is, evidently, literally universal.(‾)

Yes. The black . . . and the blue.

Why . . .? How . . .?

Right?! I have no clue, but he figured it out, and he's the flan mutater.

I guess . . .

(‾)He stared downward, trapped in his thoughts. Heh, a lot worse than he was trapped by Celle's devices, ey?! Eh? Okay, cheese aside, this was seriously a novelty to him.(‾)

[Keyfie]

"Subtlety could mean the difference between life and death. So, in that regard, I am really favoring the attraction and repulsion feature. It also would make it so I won't have to worry about propulsion canisters or anything. Is there not a way to make it so I can have that feature, albeit a lesser variant, that could reach out to a max distance of two hundred to three hundred feet per silo? Maybe also put in some power source that I could easily and cheaply , mana-wise, recharge?" Keyfie inquires.

[NPA]

*~Celle tapped her chin, then stared at the jar. She gazed upward for a bit, then back to the jar, then back to Keyfie.~*

I think that I get what you want, now. That brings me down to two questions: I'm going to hold your arm and take a whack at it to get some of your blood. Is that going to be a problem? Second, do you want to go on a submarine ride or just go to bed and come back tomorrow?

(‾)Kenizz' eyes turned upward-rightward as he thought about what she was referring to, then he nodded to himself as it clicked.(‾)

[Keyfie]

"Well, first explain why you're needing a sample of my blood. If it's a good reason then maybe 'taking a whack at it' is a bit excessive?" Keyfie chuckles to himself. "As for the submarine ride, I guess I could go along. Its not as if I have anything better planned."

[NPA]

Oh, I just need a good enough sample of your blood to use an inexpensive, but effective mental modulator. It's not like you can't heal it right afterward.

*~Celle casually drew a strip of some yellow metal and a green machete from her buttpack.~*

[Keyfie]

Keyfie eyes the items Celle pulls out and hesitantly offers up his arm. "Well as long as you don't amputate anything I should be able to."

[NPA]

Why would that stop you from healing up?

*~Celle took Keyfie's wrist in the hand that held the yellow strip and put his hand on the arm of the nearest chair, then slashed diagonally downward, perpendicularly to the angle of his arm. She was faster than Keyfie; he didn't even have the chance to wimp out if the inclination struck him. The machete dug clear into him and stopped only at the bone. Novel to Keyfie, though, it was actually painless. If any pain was involved, it was purely psychosomatic. The blade slid out immediately, but blood didn't gush and spurt; it flowed through the air in an arc and infused into the yellow strip that Celle was now holding up, which caused it to turn dark blue.~*

Mend.

(‾)A light mote traveled from Kenizz' right hand to Keyfie, whereupon it infused him with a brief glow and repaired his tissue damage.(‾)

See? Easy. Let's go get some greater charybdian clam deep pearls.

*~Celle put the blue strip into her buttpack, walked to the door, and held it open for the guys.~*

I'll go do that job for Zacharias, then take a nap. Full night planned, you know?

(‾)Kenizz followed and departed.(‾)

Right. Take it easy, Kenizz.

[Keyfie]

Keyfie marveled at the area in which the. . . Uh Incision?. . . Was made. It was flawless and he was bewildered at the fact that there was no pain. "Yes, I can repair tissue damage. But, I can't make new tissue. What exactly are we off to get?” Keyfie says as he made his way to the door after making sure he had all of his things.

[NPA]

Heh, I don't need to burn your whole arm. This is just faintly magical hydrogen-rhodokeklium, not anything too serious.

*~Once outside, she stopped to perform more hand motions, resealing her house. She then led Keyfie down the Village Broadway.~*

Not too far into the Abyssal Sea, there is a nest of greater charybdian clams. They have a powerful move called the Vortex Swallow, which allows them to draw prey in from a good distance very strongly. Their regular pearls are not especially valuable, but they also form pearls in their auxillary livers, just beneath their third stomachs. We need some of those.