[Fortuna]: Luck depends on no one....right? (4/3)

[I didn't realize you were so eager to visit the center of the universe, Athena. My apologies. I suppose we could still sell the ship and take its AI.]

Yes that sounds like a good idea, but seeing as you have already ordered the ship let us see what the ship is and then decide on our actions. No matter what it is a free ship. If we use it that's fine, if we destroy it for a huge amount of scrap I'm all in as well.

[Hey, speaking of carrying over in the next Universe. Do any of you know of an item that would let you guys do that? Or maybe a way for you to temporarily gain dominion over the aspect of Death, which might allow you to carry over with your memories intact? Can't Mors just save a file of them or something?]

Co-player, just before the universe ends, the new universe is created. In this short amount of time both universes exist. Mors and any other space rippers are able to escape to the next universe, along with anyone who can sneak past, or are allowed through these holes. If you attempt to sneak in the others will try to kill you as you were suppose to die with the universe in the last game. If you ask enough or if you do a few favors you might be able to be allowed a free pass to the next universe, no murder involved.



But co-player, you must understand. For every god that gets through to the next universe, a god must die. The Hermes and Mors of the new universes are almost always killed because the Hermes and Mors of the last universe come in. There cannot be more then one of the same god as it causes major issues. The power that the god has compiles on the universe.



With two Helioses every star system would become a binary star. The amount of devastation that would happen due to twice as many stars in the universe would be unheard of.



And while we could all just kill our other selves to avoid the fallout due to two of us existing, is it right to do it? It is like murdering a newly born child so that an old man on his death bed could live. It becomes a sick ritual after awhile. The more you keep living, the less you care about life. Dying is horrible, but stagnating might just be worse. Only certain people can live for many universes and not go mad, and have you seen the few that don't like Mors? Mors wants to destroy the universe permanently to stop its constant reincarnation. If that doesn't tell you something then I don't know want to tell you.



A longer lifespan is a blessing. True immortality is a punishment.

[Oh... well moving topics, do you think there might still be a chance to find Hades and Persephone? I'm not exactly sure anyone's fond of Cronus being in charge right now... erm, right? How're things going over there anyway?]

I personally think Cronus is a fine ruler. He's brought a new golden age to the universe and has stabilized a lot of issues.



He is quite dedicated to his work and he tends to listen to our woes. I would say he's one of the best rulers we had other then the issues of the very obvious crimes he commits against those of younger blood.



Children are very special things in games. Normally you cannot kill them even if you tried. Cronus is one of the only beings able to break that rule.



Does the end justify the means? That is for you to decide, but I will tell you that Cronus doesn't seem to be working on saving the universe, just giving it a peaceful death in the hopes that you will do the right thing next universe and at least delete all your characters and achievements so that the plague does not follow you in to the next universe. I not sure giving Hades the stress of suddenly becoming leader and dealing with this is what he would want. Most of the gods have no hope in this universe.



As for finding Hades I don't think there is a way to find him. He had a certain set of powers that allowed him to blend in perfectly with just about any situation. If we find him it'll likely be by accident.



He's a master of disguise! There's a chance we've already met him. He's even been known to disguise himself as fashionable clothes. Unless you want to ask every hat you see if it's the great Hades I say we have no chance.

[Erm... a bit late on the ask but, should we be worried about the Echidna-Kelda situation? Like, the chance of a being like Kelda discovering the reality of this universe? Since the Echidna AI is... or was? A 1st Gen AI.]

I can't make heads or tails about that situation! I don't think I've ever heard of a case where living being and an AI are fused.



Well there is-



I was attempting to avoid talking about "them" Helios! They weren't quite fused anyway. They just are a living being that is labeled as a first gen. Now lets change subjects before "they" hear us and we get a few marks on our record.

[Oh and speaking of Limbo Gods, you were working on some plans for getting us to The Helper, right Athena? Sorry I haven't been focusing on that, you may have noticed I get distracted easily.]

It's fine, I do in fact have a plan.
Step 1. Survive till the 4th planet.
Step 2. Fly in to the middle of the universe.
Step 3. Land in the Helper's domain and confidently walk up to her.
Step 4. ??????



This is embarrassing but I never finished step 4. Everything I come up with isn't perfect. It has to be perfect but these are limbo god we're talking about! These gods could kill us in one touch. They could shatter reality if they willed it! The Helper is the nicest limbo god of them all and even she might kill us!



Instead of coming up with a plan, maybe you just need education so that you can figure out what to do when you get there. In fact, you need education on all the limbo gods. Granted, I don't know too much about them, but I can give you all the info me, Nike, and some other gods have been gathering. You know all the code names of the gods right?



The Neo, the Sleeper, the Singer, the Helper, the Mirage, the Dragon, the Creator, the Poet, and the Unknown. Are there any questions you have about any of these or the Limbo gods in general?

_____________

You can command on the in game situation now.

> Yeah. What all do you know about the Unknown?

Come on, it just has to be done. It's a good joke. Really, Athena has to have some sense of humor and... okay, maybe not.

Oh god with the spoilers.

SpoilerShow

The Neo, well, is there even a silver of a chance that that aligator is going to help us?

If the Helper is going to help by herself at any point, I imagine any other Limbo gods that aren't in for the sun god killing business are going to retalliate over their broken agreement?

SpoilerShow

The space rippers might know more about the Limbo gods, but they're not really cooperative on this front, are they?

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Didn't that Aftik eat a baby not too long ago? Or does that not count?

SpoilerShow

It'd still help if Hades was up and running so he could help against the greek Apollo, leadership position not required. Would he start trying to take power back from Mors or Cronus if he 'reappeared'?

SpoilerShow

If he wants us to delete everything next universe, I suppose Cronus isn't willing to help fight the Greek Apollo at the moment? Because "Hey, maybe if I buff up the tough unicorn guy I could win next time"

Thinking about only using the ships' AI shells, a Nike shell would be a decent option to cannibalize for Apollo because Nikes are quick; Apollo has high int and [Jack of trades], meaning he can do all kinds of jobs we want him to once he gets hands, and more agility means more jobs. Iris, Arke(Both messenger gods) and Tethys(Has wings on her head so she must be fast right?) would be good options for that as well, though they're titans and those ships don't get made too often. An Ares unit would also work, seeing as he focusses on physical attributes(he is rock dumb), but the Ares ship is horrible.

I wonder what's going to happen when Slate pokes around Cea's head. Is Sonny going to outright attack Slate or is Slate not going to find him? Can Slate tell the difference between an imaginary friend and Sonny?

And I don't remember, but have we talked to Athena or Helios anyone about the "You AI" dream? Or would it be detrimental by making them think we're crazy, which is totally not true of course.

Have we discussed the possibility that we may be, or represent, the Unknown Limbo God?


When we have a chance we should take a break from Fortuna and chat up that whatshisface that our friend introduced us to. Maybe in passing mention that weird dream we had about the You AI.

I wonder what's going to happen when Slate pokes around Cea's head. Is Sonny going to outright attack Slate or is Slate not going to find him? Can Slate tell the difference between an imaginary friend and Sonny?

And I don't remember, but have we talked to Athena or Helios anyone about the "You AI" dream? Or would it be detrimental by making them think we're crazy, which is totally not true of course.

Have we discussed the possibility that we may be, or represent, the Unknown Limbo God?


When we have a chance we should take a break from Fortuna and chat up that whatshisface that our friend introduced us to. Maybe in passing mention that weird dream we had about the You AI.

I don't think Sonny can attack Slate (physically at least) and he doesn't have much a reason to. If he does then that'd just convince everyone he's a bad thing and have them try to get rid of him.

I'm of the opinion that talking about the real world to the AI's isn't a good idea.

No.

Do we have any information we may want to trade with her?

I wonder what's going to happen when Slate pokes around Cea's head. Is Sonny going to outright attack Slate or is Slate not going to find him? Can Slate tell the difference between an imaginary friend and Sonny?

And I don't remember, but have we talked to Athena or Helios anyone about the "You AI" dream? Or would it be detrimental by making them think we're crazy, which is totally not true of course.

Have we discussed the possibility that we may be, or represent, the Unknown Limbo God?


When we have a chance we should take a break from Fortuna and chat up that whatshisface that our friend introduced us to. Maybe in passing mention that weird dream we had about the You AI.

I don't think Sonny can attack Slate (physically at least) and he doesn't have much a reason to. If he does then that'd just convince everyone he's a bad thing and have them try to get rid of him.

I'm of the opinion that talking about the real world to the AI's isn't a good idea.

No.

Do we have any information we may want to trade with her?

Hopefully Sonny doesn't attack then. I'm not entirely sure what will happen so it'll be interesting to see.

I think the AIs simply consider "the real world" to simply be another dimension or something that You lives in, not proof that their existence is a lie or something. To the AIs we kind of represent an enigma, and sharing information may help them better understand us (and increase our friend scores or something). Additionally we could maybe share some of the more useful Fortuna hints/cheats with Athena and Helios, which they may be able to use or have information that may improve their effectiveness. It might be good to discuss how a Sun God run is started, as it may be possible to find a way to save the universe. I'm not entirely sure if the Sun God can be defeated, but there may be a way to apologize and make amends to Apollo. I may be biased having only done the True Pacificst route in Undertale, but I'd like to believe there is a way to win this game without hurting Apollo anymore.

I consider it to be a possibility, but it's mostly due to Occam's razor on two unknowns. That dream has to mean something and the You chassis does seem to be a V1 gen, AKA a god. It would've been nice to chat with everybody and ask if any of them came across an AI matching the appearance of the You AI. The strangeness does seem to line up with what little we know of the Neo gods, and considering their relatively obscure existence maybe they branch out that way.

Honestly I'm just thinking the player needs a quick break from Fortuna to return to the physical world for a little while. I would like to find out more information, but that's because I kind of forgot that this is just a webcomic wrapped into a forum thread and the story and all details are being made on-the-fly.

I'd like to know more about the Singer and the Mirage.

Unrelated to the Limbo Gods but can the game make a shopkeeper immortal just for the sake of them being the obligatory recurring shopkeeper? Because if not there's a certain Noxis-Noverum that has not only gone 200-some years without any apparent aging but also has appeared in our achievement shop.

I'd like to know more about the Singer and the Mirage.

Unrelated to the Limbo Gods but can the game make a shopkeeper immortal just for the sake of them being the obligatory recurring shopkeeper? Because if not there's a certain Noxis-Noverum that has not only gone 200-some years without any apparent aging but also has appeared in our achievement shop.

I wonder if he's Hades in disguise.

I'm not entirely sure if the Sun God can be defeated, but there may be a way to apologize and make amends to Apollo.

"I" managed that once, after a lot of trial and error, and it cost her most of the gods. That's not a price worth paying.

I wonder if he's Hades in disguise.

He didn't know why his wife left him, huh? And then some kid kicked him out of the big place he owned?

> CJ: Give Slate the poster if you hadn't already.
(late.)

SpoilerShow

I'm so sorry for having suggested that. Facing mortality can be tough, and I don't like the idea of losing either of you eventually...
I think if the universe ends I'll probably have to take a break to mourn.

>Cleo holds belief in The Creator, so I think it's a good idea to learn a bit about him. Plus I swear we saw a statue of him last game.
>Oh and Phlodur has some sort of Friend too right? Didn't CJ tease her and call it The Mirage?
>And what happens if a Limbo God dies? Do they die at the end of the universe or do they just take the backdoor exit?

>Slate Charisma Check: Attempt small talk for once to put CJ at ease. This should make whatever's fucking around in his head more cooperative.

Has it been explained what exactly limbo gods are/do? I know they're really powerful entities but conservation of detail suggest they have a purpose.

You know, if we had any idea of where to look, we might be able to get Persephone out of the underworld via the tutorial.

I'm not entirely sure if the Sun God can be defeated, but there may be a way to apologize and make amends to Apollo.

"I" managed that once, after a lot of trial and error, and it cost her most of the gods. That's not a price worth paying.

She had the entire run geared towards taking down the Sun God besides the trial and error. We were halfway through the game before we realized it was doomed, and we aren't as cold as "I." Unless we find a trick, I don't think we can defeat the Sun God like "I" did.

I wonder if he's Hades in disguise.

He didn't know why his wife left him, huh? And then some kid kicked him out of the big place he owned?

Are you talking about Nicko (I think that's the shopkeeper in question's name)? I don't remember him mentioning that (I've been meaning to do a re-read, but the weekend was a loss).

No commands: >>>

[> Yeah. What all do you know about the Unknown?]

What do you think? Nearly nothing. I have gotten rumors that the Singer will lead you to the Unknown if you wish. I also heard that the Unknown has been weakened somehow. It's possible it was from a fight with the Neo. The Unknown and the Neo are enemies. Always fighting. The Unknown is the 2nd most powerful limbo god. At least before what ever weakened it.

[About the Neo, well, is there even a silver of a chance that that alligator is going to help us?]

Laughable!



The Neo lives to kill. The Neo might be able to destroy the Sun God by itself, but I don't see the Neo lifting a claw for this situation. We would need to almost kill it to get it to listen to us. Only one first gen has done that.



The first gen of flesh and blood. They did it by mistake when the Neo went up to them in its weakest form to spy upon some death. The first gen of flesh and blood, who at the time wasn't even a god! They snapped up the Neo and nearly killed it, but the Neo made a deal. The Neo gave them great power, the powers of the gods in turn for freedom. The deal was taken, and the Neo was freed.



The issue with killing the Neo is the fact that many stories point to needing to want the whole universe dead to kill the Neo. Every single atom, every single fiber, you must want it dead, for the Neo is the universe. It's said if you even want one thing in the universe to live you will hold back, and that's when the Neo will kill you.



Though I have heard an almost never told story about the Neo. That if one, truely loves, or at least believes in the betterment of everything in the universe, they will be able to kill the Neo and make the perfect universe. Of course, as anyone who knows the origin story of the limbo gods knows, the perfect universe is likely the worst idea ever. There should always be some conflict in the universe, a perfect universe cannot be one without conflict. It is impossible. If you don't know about the origin story, how about I tell you on our way to see the Helper? It seems like it'll be highly relevant at that time.

[Sure thing Athena, hey if the Helper is going to help by herself at any point, I imagine any other Limbo gods that aren't in for the sun god killing business are going to retaliate over their broken agreement?]

They don't have an agreement co-player. Limbo gods don't make deals, or more like, they don't keep deals. If you think you can make a limbo god follow a deal you created with it, you'd be wrong. They're the most powerful beings in the universe by a long shot. When you're like that you don't need any honor.

>Cleo holds belief in The Creator, so I think it's a good idea to learn a bit about him. Plus I swear we saw a statue of him last game.

[SIGNAL OUT OF RANGE]

........

......Athena? Helios?

[SIGNAL OUT OF RANGE]

........

Anyone......

[SIGNAL OUT OF RANGE]

........

Are you talking about Nicko (I think that's the shopkeeper in question's name)? I don't remember him mentioning that (I've been meaning to do a re-read, but the weekend was a loss).

Here's a link to the relevant part. Also see the next two pages.

Edit: AAAAAAA


If the sun god gets to do what it wants, Cea will be dead in a few hundred years, as will you.

>Slate: Check if you still have your inventory.

Can you give us any reason to play a different game?

Has it been explained what exactly limbo gods are/do? I know they're really powerful entities but conservation of detail suggest they have a purpose.

Well considering that the other gods are based on Earth Mythology (and Helios wiped part of his memory when he discovered something about himself) I'm taking a wild guess that the limbo gods created the universe, AIs, and possibly the interface with the player.

I keep on imagining that they are ALL players, and correspond to I, You, and the three or four other players You is aware of. Lack of details about the "real" world makes this plausible.

You know, if we had any idea of where to look, we might be able to get Persephone out of the underworld via the tutorial.

Were you referring to using Prometheus? Irregardless I now wonder if Prometheus is the "they" that Athena refuses to talk about. Athena did describe "they" as an "living being that is labeled as a first gen." Which may match that extral's description. I don't know how he would know when other people are talking about him; maybe he's Beetlejuice or maybe they're just scared of him.

Wow I missed a lot while typing this. I didn't refresh the page after typing the last thing.

Were you referring to using Prometheus? Irregardless I now wonder if Prometheus is the "they" that Athena refuses to talk about. Athena did describe "they" as an "living being that is labeled as a first gen."

I ment the rift he created and the time machine on the same planet. I think the first gen may be Heracles? He's a hero turned god.

Oh dear, this isn't going nicely.

Yes I am.
Ignore the Drakon, we have important matters to discuss.
Why did you have CJ start the fires?

>Slate Charisma Check: This is the one time you're willing to smile.

Were you referring to using Prometheus? Irregardless I now wonder if Prometheus is the "they" that Athena refuses to talk about. Athena did describe "they" as an "living being that is labeled as a first gen."

I ment the rift he created and the time machine on the same planet. I think the first gen may be Heracles? He's a hero turned god.

Heracles would either be a Hero or a Combination AI.
Heracles was born of a human mother and a god, but due to him being a mythologic hero it complicates things.
I have a feeling that Heracles is less powerful than this being.

>My apologies, it's nothing personal. I do that with anyone I can.

...I've never encountered someone who can cut off my communication, my abilities like this before. Who and what exactly are you?

>My apologies, it's nothing personal. I do that with anyone I can.

I think that's a bit too polite and coherent for Slate. And he's yet to asses the situation. This is the guy that intended to write a hostile email but wrote something... goopy instead.

I think he's going to instigate Sonny.

>My apologies, it's nothing personal. I do that with anyone I can.

I think that's a bit too polite and coherent for Slate. This is the guy that intended to write a hostile email but wrote something... goopy instead.

I wasn't speaking entirely for Slate.

Nevertless let's see what it is we pissed off.