Joy Ride Budget Tournament Mech Design Spirit - Vulcan Offense 3 Defense 3 Mobility 3 Utility 1 What happens when a tournament buys up a giant inventory of liquidated budget mech parts? (Which no one is buying because the parts are for last-last gen models localized by Journeyman and Seniors... who don't have Red Ocean PP!) Well, normally you get a barely functional Frankenstein mech held together by the contestant's own design seed. Unless... the person in question is Ves! This is a tournament style popular for Novice/Apprentice levels. Not normally for talented Journeyman and/or Seniors! But the challenge of using "dead" parts is a good showcase of global design seed types. Perhaps this is a showcase of an assembly/repair tool system? Anyway - Ves is capable of doing what no one else can. "Waking up" as many dead parts as he wants! And not just the normal limit of 5 different dp... but as many different systems as there are parts in his mech. Armor, engines, sensors, muscles - even minor parts like fuel lines and connectors! All of it Frankensteined together with a bit of Ves's "metal" spiritual power. And all of them working in harmony the way only a Rational mech designer can usually make happen. This design is far too outdated for real world applications. But even the earliest mech models still see use in VR. Licensing fees are a nightmare to untangle, but not impossible. Expecially when all the Masters/Seniors/Journeyman in question want to get their name attached to this record-breaking collaboration. And when the novelty of piloting a LIVING mech (even in VR) sells so very many advertisements... every company even vaguely associated with this mech snap up a virtual license. This mech will make Ves famous! PS - Exlor, I know you've seen this mech in several previous contests. Hopefully this iteration scores better then the rest.

Wooh Hoo! I was worried because my entry wasn't scored this whole time. (Turned out I was Shadowbanned)

Curiosity Tiger training mech Design Spirit - Goldie Offense 1 Defense 4 Mobility 3 Utility 2 This is a training version of the tiger mech added to the Larkinson roster. And it looks like a smaller, kitten version of the adult one. Not a fluffy, wobbly kitten like the ones in calenders, oh no! This is an adolescent *tiger* kitten with the hint of menace in its eyes. Cute enough for the girls, cool enough for the boys! Because it is intended for graduates of Chiron, this mech does not baby its pilots, nor specifically adapt to them. Instead it's a lesson in how to adapt *yourself* to a mech. And not just any old humanoid mech - but a quadrupedal beast mech with the flexibility and agility of a cat! It's Goldie tho, so a familiar and friendly cat. Even tho this cat has more then enough speed and power to get itself in trouble, it's also EXCESSIVELY durable. In fact the "fluffy" decorative fur is really a shock absorbing armor. Curiosity can get you into trouble... but skill and youthful confidence will get out.

Huh - I wonder which ship the Larkinsons will focus on capturing. My vote is "The Nest" so all their pilots can have mechs. Doubt they will focus on the standard combat carriers. Or.. are they going for all three?

You know... jumping to the Gate now when they don't have a full set of capital ships OR mech designs is pretty premature. (Or even enough merits) And the idea that they could simply buy the right ships "on the way" is clearly a thought everyone else had too! They really need to wait at least until the entire Larkinson clan has LMC mechs. Glory Seekers too. And the ships to put them in!

And... regardless of who walks away from this battle, the winner of the war is already decided. The MTA have lured all the troublesome dwarves into one location, let them rile up ALL of their neighbors into trigger happy paranoia.... then dropped the wall. The Dwarven Empire is going to be wiped from the map. And the MTA gets to keep their hands clean. Unless.... Ves steps in again like he did with the Hexxers.

Good thing he decided to head back to the village!

"Ligeia - The Siren" Aquatic Alien (Or just the main ingredient) Intelligence 1/10 Adaptability 2/10 Ability Diversity 3/10 Ability Power 4/10 Ves has never really branched out into Aquatic Mechs before, so he could use a specialized design spirit. Just like space - you can usually see your opponents well before you enter combat range. UNLIKE space - weapon are greatly restricted underwater. (Expecially if you are being careful not to destroy the local ecology) Sound travels far underwater, so sonic weapons are particularly useful. Focused sonic beams, sonic grenades, and even simply drowning the ocean in white noise to disrupt enemy sensors. (Although that last trick could kill lifeforms dependent on hearing, so be careful what kind of fish your planet has) Like the Sirens in the stories, Ligeia adds a psychic "sonic stun" component to her otherwise conventional weapons. She is powerful enough to lull weak minded pilots to sleep, or simply distract and tire them fighting her glow. Used as a quick burst of power, the stunning enhances grenades, and in guard mechs a subtle song lures potential ambushers into the open.

Well... all she really needs to do is threaten to hang out on Ves' design lab to take advantage of the glow.

"Dolos" Artificial Spirit Intelligence 5/10 Adaptability 3/10 Ability Diversity 1/10 Ability Power 1/10 This is personal design spirit for a customer in a State that has "honor duels" as a part of their legal code. Gloriana will make them a *perfectly* matched set of "dueling mechs" that is exactly in line with the local legal code. Any and all inspections will see the only advantage given is that the mechs are a custom fit for the customer and not the challenger. (Which is an approved way to "game" the system.) Ves's contribution is the design spirit. And... we all know Ves likes to cheat! Especially given the chance to design something expressly ment to be piloted by an ENEMY mech pilot! How could Ves pass this up! Dolos is named after the Greek God of deception and trickery. As such it is very careful to only cheat in ways that are absolutely undetectable to any Master Mech Designer or 5 Scroll Compact member in the audience. So no flashy glows or obviously partial spiritual influence. Fortunately the Honor Duel "legal code" is set up for duelists to be fairly close in skill level. (One sided stomping is too obviously a vulgar "blood sport" after all) And a close match is much easier to manipulate in the most subtle of ways. A few uncomfortably awkward moments here - a little extra information slipped to the pilot there... and presto! The customer always wins! (In the most convincingly narrow and desperate ways of course)

Don't insult the author's reading comprehension - that was illegible to me as well.

Well! Isn't that an appropriate chapter number! *giggle*

Surprised that didn't trigger a hero quest!

Take a vacation when you need it. As long as you set a time to come back... and then actually come back on that date - the readers will be perfectly ok with it!

Welp - Ves always had the advantage in the argument about "locked to the clan" or not. Interesting that it looks like the story is open for a Mk 2 version that is more commercial... I mean - after Ves (and the Golden Cat) figure out how to do teaching glows properly.

Not the movies - from the original myths.

Yep! That is exactly where the name came from.

Girl... have you ALREADY forgotten the assasonation attempt your boyfriend barely survived less then a year ago??

Eh - not so sure that the will of the spirit is unimportant. Nixie isn't allowed to be "main" and Zigria is used for his agression. Qilexano's glow is used for her peaceful protection. And the Ylavanian glows all HAD to make the prophet happy.

Did not see that coming! Thought for sure these cool "reaction chapters" would just be about the Doom Guard. But... BOOM! Forshadowing for new contest mech! (Anticiapation for mine increasing... *hehe*)