No.717203[View All]
Last time on HolyQuest…
Threecoins' abandoned northeastern district had become a haven to a small and eclectic group of witches. No two witches were of the same race or kingdom, evidenced by the wide variety of clothing styles, skin tones and body types; they were a cross-section of witches from all regions of the known world. One of the few things they had in common was their immediate distrust of the party. All regarded our heroes with suspicion, and few would talk to them. As the party would learn, this was not without reason. The last outsider who had entered their territory had stolen the special white powder, called Dove's Incense, that the witches were using in a ritual in the city's temples to ward off the remaining demons. That outsider, as Shei learned, was almost assuredly a member of Ecclesia, as he wore an Ecclesian jacket, with a black septagram badge attached to the lapel. The Ecclesian Choir distinguished themselves with septagram necklaces, so this badge surely indicated that this thief was someone of high rank, and its black color meant that he was a member of the Morte Legionem prior to his allegiance with Ecclesia.
As all this unfolded, Flow met with three members of the Choir: Sir Ichimonji, former Governer of Merec, Metalweave, and former Accorsian Emperor, Direnus Tibault. After delivering his report on the battle with the Lich, they looked over the items that he recovered from the laboratory: a bag of white powder that caused minor hallucinations when inhaled, research notes entitled On the Construction of a Perfect Egregore, a mysterious scroll sealed by a magic binding, and a letter that accompanied all of it, reading only "Look into this," and signed by "E.I.K." The scroll contained an illustration of a monk sitting in meditation before a tree. Its seven branches each ended in a great flower's bloom, and its eight roots each ended in a serpentine dragon's head, adorned with a crown. A single word, in an ancient script, accompanied each of these seven flowers and eight dragons. Another inscription, written below the monk, was also in this script, but it could be read: Begin in Death.
Puzzled by this cryptic diagram, Ichimonji, Metalweave and Direnus advised Flow to subtly inquire about this to Sir Einmal ist Keinmal, another member of the Choir whose initials matched those upon the letter.
990 posts and 1 image reply omitted. Click reply to view. No.720979
>>720977>"Wow…"KP says in awe at hearing how well the spooks where trained.
He nods back at Ichimonji, giving a salute.
>"I won't let you down!"Once the two leave, KP turns back to the party.
>"We've done a ton for them. It's nice they recognize it."He says in agreement with Spitshine.
>"Yea, let's head back to Fantasia to see what we need to do next." No.720980
>>720978>>720974>>720976Volkama's spell falters as he crumbles, grasping his temple with a mix of confusion and strain. Pryce and Rus Tea thrash about in the empty room, making it difficult for either Pryce or Flaming to be able to concentrate on their magic. With pain and instinctual terror coursing through him, Pryce manages to force a healing power through, and the force of his body rapidly restoring itself manages to loosen her grip on his throat. With it now safe to remove her, Shei tries to pry her off. She grips onto Pryce's shoulders with her arms, but Shei eventually overpowers her.
After being knocked off, Rus circles around, and you notice that she seems to be moving toward the edge of the room. She puts herself between you and the door you just entered through, approaching slowly to try to push you toward the center of the room. Underneath her Ecclesian jacket, she seems to be wearing some kind of dancer's flashy two-piece outfit, a shawl and skirt made of snakeskin. Shei then darts in and puts his charm onto her wound, spreading a strong chill through her body. She grows limp, doubling over, but still seems to have fight in her. She flourishes one of her hands, and a current of magical glow appears, solidifying and turning into a mace.
Approaching slowly, she looks up and hisses, showing no signs of recognizing you.
No.720981
>>720977Flow looks back at the entorage with a smile.
“C’mon, let’s not dilly-dally,” he gestures for them to follow as he makes his way back to retrieve what Gegenschein has set up for the crew.
He takes periodic glances at Renee, but doesn’t say anything.
>Fantasia No.720982
>>720980>>720978>>720976Pryce struggles in their tussle, stumbling back and falling to his flanks after the snake is finally pried from his neck. He grabs t his throat, holding the wound as it still pulses in pain even after his healing magic.
"Th-That's Rus?…"
Pryce questions the others through a gasp as he catches his breath. He can't quite see it yet after that confrontation, but he'll trust on the other's sight. His horn glow as he tries to restore her mind as they did Volkama before, unweaving the illusion Regina put on her.
>Unweaving [1d10]Roll #1 7 = 7 No.720983
>>720980Flaming grunts as the chaotic battle rages all across the room, the buffalo dodging and weaving Rus-Tea's newfound tail and running away from her venomous bite. As Shei manages to pry her off, Flaming looking at her as she becomes more clear. "What did Regina do to her?! And… what is she wearing? Volkama was something like this in the story as well?"
She takes a deep breath, gathering her magic as she prepares to cast the unweaving spell again. "Good thinking Shei! That should hold 'er still…."
[1d10] Cast!
Roll #1 9 = 9 No.720984
>>720980With one of his arm's free Shei-Sher grabs a pre-made seal from his bag. The seal cuff on his palm, Shei-Sher grips Rus-Tea's mace conjuring arm by the wrist.
>GABBY'S SEAL: Turns a living enemy into an walking corpse. For all intents and purposes this target now counts as Undead and a corpse. This effect ends if someone removes the seal from their body.[1d10]
As Shei's eyes meet Rus-Tea's for a moment sensations of wobblyness fill both of them. As time distorts in their vicinity. Disabling Rus-Tea for her next turn.
Can I Borrow This?: Instant; Recharge 3; Ranged; On success, you steal 1 of the target's chances to act next turn, completely stunning them if they can only take 1 action per turn. Next turn, you can use this stolen action in addition to your normal ones.
[1d10]
Roll #1 6 = 6 /
Roll #2 1 = 1 No.720985
>>720983>>720982Shei-Sher turns his head back. "Erm.. shouldn't one of you be sucking the venom from Pryce's neck.. Because I'm not doing that."
No.720986
>>720985"I already cured the initial bite. I can cleanse the rest once she's back to normal."
No.720987
>>720979"I'm confident you won't," Ichimonji says, offering a wave without turning around.
>>720981>>720979Heading for the towering storehouses on the northern end of the fortress-cities, you and your allies pick up a few barrels of dried fruit and fish, and a few barrels of water to resupply the ship's storage. It's not a whole lot, and while the scribes wheel out the barrels on a cart, you are able to get a glimpse inside the city's great storehouses. They're about halfway empty, and there are many charts plastered on the walls and spread across the desks which detail strict policies on rationing and limits on distribution. You also notice extra guards posted all along the storehouses. It looks like what you heard about the strain on resources is true. Lilane may be a comfortable place for now, but one must wonder what will happen if supplies dwindle even more.
With that finally done, River conjures a Dark Corridor. Eligos, who has not seen one yet, tenses, but follows shortly after seeing everyone else go on in. "This doesn't seem like a power you should be relying on."
"Its source may be dreadful, but it hasn't bitten us so far," River says.
"So far," Eligos repeats.
…
Soon, the Dark Corridor deposits you just outside of Fantasia's fortified walls. Though it is not nearly as defended as Lilane is, it still seems to be secure and solid. The fortifications look more sturdy than before, and more guards are posted along the ramparts. Upon seeing you, the guards manning the gates clang a simple-sounding bell, and the gates slowly open. They wave you through, evidently recognizing you.
No.720988
>>720985>>720982>>720983>Volkama peeks up at Rus as Flaming calls out to him, and clenches his teeth. "No, there was nothing so… immodest… in the real account. If it wasn't enough to use me as her puppet, now she must defile a work of art, too…! Argh!"Naga-Rus raises her mace with a high and vicious hiss, evidently still full of vigor and battle even though her blood has been chilled. She slithers forward with a battlecry, brandishing her mace, but Pryce and Flaming are able to hit her with the unweaving spell. Now that you are more adept at it, it begins to have a distinct visual effect. A circle of colorless light radiates out from her, like an explosion, only with no impact force. It hangs around her, creating a sphere of clarity.
>She stops with a grimace, rubbing at her head for a moment like Volkama was just now. Then she blinks as though she were slowly waking up, and looks at you. "Mrpgh… Flaming, Shei, Pryce, Volkama! You're… giant!">Volkama stands, his headache apparently receding. "Relative to you, that is not inaccurate. Who wants to tell her?">"Tell me what?" Rus grunts. She looks down at her empty hand. "Where did my mace go?" She then looks down at her two-piece dancer's outfit which shows off quite a bit of her abs. "WHAT AM I WEARING!?" No.720989
>>720987>"Don't worry, we got a handle on this. A few of us use it all the time!"KP says, upbeat about the corridor in contrast to Eligos' wariness. KP helps carry some of the smaller barrels, following the party back to Fantasia.
As they return to the closest place they can call home, KP looks up at the walls and the wave through to enter. Already it feels much more welcoming than Lilane, and he trots on ahead with his supplies.
>>720988Pryce stands after their combined unweaving takes hold of Rus-Tea, glad they don't need to worry about another biting strike. Though, he stares down at her as she remains small, not an expected reaction.
"Did our magic not work all the way? It should've undid everything, right?"
And then noticing her outfit now that she's back to normal, Pryce looks away, pulling off his bracelet and attempting to conjure a more modest outfit for her.
>Hat Magic [Outfit [1d10]"So… how much do you remember Rus, before this?"
He asks, horn glowing white as he casts another cleanse on himself to be safe after Shei's comment.
>Mantra of Purity [1d10]Roll #1 6 = 6 /
Roll #2 5 = 5 No.720990
>>720988Flaming grins as she looks down at Rus Tea's somewhat diminished form, bouncing around, "IT WORKED! Hahaha, it worked it worked it worked!"
She stops, coming to a skid as she tramples around the room looking down at Rus, "You're back! I'm so glad we found you."
As she comments on her size, Flaming frowns, "Er… well, it's not so much we're giant, Rus… it's more like you're really small. It's a long story but, we're basically playing out roles in different stories and… well, you're a snake."
As Rus Tea looks down in astonishment at her outfit, Flaming looks between Volkama and Rus, raising her eyebrow. "'Immodest'…? What do you mean, I think it looks pretty." She says genuinely, looking down at the tacky two-piece dancer's outfit. "I like the sparkly parts, what's wrong with it?"
No.720991
>>720986>>720988>now she must defile a work of art, too…! Argh!""That Fiend! Regina! We must stop her before she blemishes the cultural zeitgeist with anymore of her.. Creative Liberties." Shei says the word as he were cussing. "Erm.. volkama? Are you feeling well?" Shei puts a hoof on his shoulder.
>>720988Shei-Sher takes the seal off her, tears it up and litters directly onto the ground. Deliberately disrespecting Regina's abode. He then picks it back up, as the samaritan programming hits him. Shei pockets the shredding paper. It's just not in him to litter.
In response to Rus-Teas objection to what she's wearing Shei says "I think it looks nice. Exotic."
No.720992
>>720987Flow rolls his shoulder as they approach the gate.
“Let’s hope things go smoother here,” he muses under his breath.
He stays next to Renee, and looks to her.
“Any ideas on what to do while we’re here?”
No.720993
>>720989>"As loathe as I am to praise her, Regina has demonstrated herself a powerful witch," Volkama says. "She has created this whole illusory world, even in spite of our best attempts to disrupt it, has she not? That's no easy feat. I doubt all her magic could be dispelled so easily."Rus takes the outfit that you conjure, but simply holds onto it, rather than change out of her current revealing garment. She doesn't even close up her Ecclesian jacket, now made of old, shed snakeskin.
>>720991>"I am fine now, but when I attempted to tap into my magic earlier to get her off of >>720990>>720990>>720991>"Look at how much it shows off of her stomach!" Volkama protests. "Even one as carnal as I know there is a time and place for such outfits. Donning them when not appropriate cheapens their libidinous potency.">Rus doesn't seem upset by the outfit at all. "It's perfect." She then listens to Flaming's explanation as well, and looks down at her lamia body. "To be more precise, I am a lamia, a desert-dwelling snake woman, revered among the nomadic goo pony and yagi tribes who call the deserts their home. A symbol of witchcraft, I am often depicted as a seductress and conqueror, or a malignant wise woman who brings a curse after I am wronged by someone young and foolish.">>720989>"I was having a pleasant dream about fighting monsters, and climbing a tower of sorts in the trees. My goal was to reach the top, and fight a snake god in exchange for great power. My ability to summon weapons from water vapor was coming to me much more easily than before, as if I had mastered it. I slew many in a glorious fight. I was somewhere in a heap of… giant trash… then I ventured up a grand flight of stairs until I reached an empty room."
>She then looks about this room, and tenses up, examining her injury. "And then I was caught by surprise when a dart hit me in the side…! So it was no dream after all, but an illusion, as you have said. Then be careful, all of you! This room is full of traps." No.720994
>>720989>>720992Once you're back within Fantasia's safety, a sense of exhaustion and hunger – thirst, in Flow's case – comes over you; the day's events have finally caught up with you, and your bodies protest the work they've been put through by demanding food and rest. By the looks on their faces, it seems your allies, minus Eligos, feel the same.
"Once we get something to eat and drink, we still need to put you through a few tests as the Ecclesians recommended," Renee says. "We need to figure out if you really did recover from the Overexposure or not; we can't have you entering Tartarus without your full power."
"Then we can catch up with everyone else," Spitshine says. "I wanted to see if that amusement park was still open, too."
No.720995
>>720993"Hmm, I guess we'll need to reach the end of the story, or close enough to restore Rus to normal size then. We were at roughly the end of your story when we first met you Volkama, so that must've been why you returned to normal so quickly after our unweaving."
Pryce looks down at Rus as she explains what she remembers, though his eyes stay avert to looking directly at her.
"It seems whoever we find in the story has their own life mixed with the characters. Do you remember anything before that? Anything from the library, or anything between then and now?"
He asks.
"…And, do you know if you're venomous? I could only partially cast a heal when you were biting on my neck."
>>720994>"It should be. I think a few of the rides or games might still be in one piece."KP answers Spitshine.
>"Let's eat first. I need a snack after all that herb gathering." No.720997
>>720994As the wave of fatigue washes over them, Flow nearly buckles but stays upright.
“Ugh… you’re right. Where should we go to get some food around here?”
He looks around their immediate surroundings for anything that piques his interest.
No.720998
>>720993"Her stomach? So?" Flaming reaches up to show off her tunic, holding it up a little to show off her stomach. "Buffalo fight without many clothes on in the first place, what's so immodest about it?"
As she says the outfit is perfect, Flaming smiles, "See? She agrees." As Rus-Tea goes into more detail about what she is, Flaming peers down at her. "Are all lamia so small? I had never seen or heard of one before now… at any rate, you look pretty cool, but I MUCH prefer you back to normal."
As she describes her dream, Flaming looks up at the ceiling, "I'm guessing your dream is the same story we're supposed to find our way through, and that means continuing to try and reach the top. I wonder if the snake god will be someone else we lost…" she droops her ears, "Regina took everyone, except for me, Pryce, and Shei. She's turning them into characters in these stories, I think we'll have to go through all of them to get them all back."
No.720999
>>720996"Well, if you do not sense there are any seals affixed to you it sounds rather temporary side effect of mental exhaustion. Rest your senses for now."
>>720993"Volkama that is sick!" Shei spits "Look at he-e-er! Rus-Tea is a two limbed reptilian. Flouncing a belly-dress on her is about as sexual as putting sweaters on puppies. Really, of all the depravity."
>>720993Shei-Sher turns back to "While we have you here, you should touch this."
>Black Threads; Spell; Ranged; Recharge 3(minus 1); Create a tether between two targets. What happens to one target (damage, status effects, intimidation, persuasion etc.) will also happen to the other. Killing one target does not kill the other.[1d10+1]
"It's our only recourse to keep Regina from stealing our allies from under us. Although, any harm taken by one of us shared between us all."
Roll #1 4 + 1 = 5 No.721000
>>720995>Rus opens her mouth and licks her new fangs. "Based on your screams just now, I must be. Venom burns much worse than the snakebite itself."
>To your other question, she shakes her head. "Very little. I recall a kind of darkness, and lots of thrashing and spinning. It was like a fever dream: Unpleasant while I experienced it, but strange, murky, without substance or coherence. I hardly remember it even now. From what Volkama said, it must have been whatever spell she used to keep me unconscious until loosing me into this story.">>720998>"You'll understand when you're older," Volkama says. "Actually, maybe not. Cultural differences in this world are so vast, after all."
>"No, most lamia are actually quite large, more or less my true size, in fact," she continues. "I will be little use of you in this form, but we may have to bear with it as long as we're in her grasp.">>720999>"As if a disciple of the renowned Aleister Crow-ley has any room to lecture anyone on what is and isn't lecherous and degenerate!" Volkama scoffs.>>720998>>720995>>720999>Rus Tea takes on the Black Thread binding, and starts to fume with measured determination upon hearing that all the others were taken by Regina to serve as her props in the stories. "Then we have no time to waste gawking at me and all my skin," she says, tapping her abs. She then conjures a broadsword in one hand and an axe in another. "Let us finish this story of hers, find where this two-bit trickster is hiding, and teach her why we have survived much more dangerous foes than she."
>She then gestures toward the door on the other end of the room, across the empty floor before you. "That's the way forward, but take heed: I was felled by a trap shortly before you came here. This floor may appear empty, but I believe every inch of it is rigged. Use caution and keep your eyes out, even those of you who can fly." No.721001
>>720997>>720995https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2gMCv0U5qUTogether, you wander about the streets for a time, and eventually find one inn that doesn't seem too packed. That's not saying much. With the late afternoon comes the wave of laborers who now populate Fantasia, and the tavern is still packed with workers, their faces and hooves marked by dirt and sweat, their arms scarred by many scrapes, cuts and bruises gained from the day's hard labor. Their presence almost makes you forget the threat of demons, at least for a moment, as they even seem to outnumber the demon hunters who sit at the bar, mulling over their drinks.
You manage to secure a table near the corner, having to steal a few chairs to make sure everyone can sit. Eligos, after nearly breaking a chair under his weight, decides to sit on the floor. A tired-looking barmaid comes your way, a small breezie with a frilly barmaid gown. She waits to take your orders. It looks like the menus are full of the standard regional fare: vegetable stews, various grilled hay dishes, borscht, and ales and meads. Plenty of meat too for the meat eaters.
No.721002
>>721000Flaming gives Volkama another weird look, shaking her head as she gives up on trying to understand this particular part of their culture. She looks to Rus again, "So you're the size of a regular snake like the one in the story, but the one in the story wasn't a lamia at all… Regina makes WEIRD changes to these, huh?"
"Don't worry about it Rus: I know you'll be able to help us, we're just glad to have you back."
She looks around the room as she points towards the door, looking around at the room trying to sense the directions of the traps. "So the whole place is trapped, huh… is it triggered by pressure?" She looks around for something expendable to throw out towards the door, seeing if she can forcibly trigger a trap with weight
[1d10] Tossing a stone or shrapnel towards the door
Roll #1 9 = 9 No.721003
>>721001Flow decides not to put up a huge hassle, and asks for water.
“Reminds me of some of the bars we used to hit back in the day,” the goo muses as he scans the patrons.
While the atmosphere is filled with dust and soot from the day laborers, Flow doesn’t mind them at all, and finds respite in the familiarity of it.
No.721004
>>721000Pryce is uneased as Rus licks her fangs.
"So there's no clues left of where any of you went before these stories."
Pryce says in disappointment.
He looks across the room to the far end, no sign of what traps lie where.
"We don't have time for that. I'll clear a path."
Pryce says with determination. He hums a short tune, conjuring a blazing serpent to wind around himself.
>The Scroll of Seneh, the Wildfire Aegis [Auto]"You all wait here, in case any of the traps have a wider range."
He instructs, walking out towards the next door.
>>721001KP sits in the wall sat of the booth, picking up his menu to look over until the breezie waitress shows up. He stares a little bit, though out of not having seen a breezie before aside from kind he met before the Rapture and the ones he called for business.
>"Can I get a grilled cheese, with some hay fried please? Oh, and do you have anything Hopper could eat?"He asks the waitress, holding up his pet frog.
No.721005
>>721000"Oh Yes! Join the rest of them. I and anyone else led under Crow-ley's tutelage is a leacherous hedonist. How do you think that is like? Your master's nocturnal activities being public information and urban legend to everyone a continent away. I would be too wracked with shame to let daylight cast on me if I wasn't so impressed by it all!"
No.721006
>>721003>>721004The breezie takes your table's orders, but while she seems friendly, she quickly has to buzz off when other patrons wave her down to order this and that. There's a brief wait after you make your orders, where you settle into the atmosphere of the bar. Faintly, Renee, River and Spitshine look around, nostalgically smiling, clearly remembering how things used to be, before the Rapture. Sugar sits with Pucchini in her lap, playing with its tail while it playfully nips her. Busta seems to be the only one ill at ease, looking down at his silverware with a distant look. Then, Katcher, Spitshine's pet, distracts him by climbing atop his head.
Eventually, the Breezie comes back, holding up a massive tray on her head as if it were nothing, comes back to your table, passing out the water, bowls of soup, trays of bread and fruit, fried salmon and cod, a grilled cheese and hay fries, and even a small cole slaw cup full of bugs for Hopper. Your allies then start to reach for the dishes, their tiredness quickly melting just from the sight of the food. They pass out the food to one another, idly chattering amid the sounds of clanking trays and bowls and silverware.
No.721008
>>721002You are suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling that you just don't get art, and that people like Regina are better off making all the creative decisions around here as they have an artistic vision. You realize that this is what Volkama was talking about earlier, and that such feelings are probably best listened to.
Rus Tea conjures you a small staff for you to throw, and you toss it out toward the floor. It sails through the air, until it comes to an abrupt start with a loud clattering. It seemed to stop in the middle of the air, but you then realize that it must have hit some kind of invisible wall. As the staff then falls to the ground, there is a pulse of magic, and the staff, without apparent cause, flies violently to the left, before smashing into the western wall and breaks.
>>721005>"Don't misunderstand; 'tis not to say that I didn't… admire some of his contributions to the field. Not all, mind you. But some.">>721004>>721005>>721002Pryce, holding aloft an exploding shield conjured by the scroll he got from the temple of Slipper, ventures forth onto the empty floor by himself. As he steps out, various floorboards creak under his steps, and darts shoot out from the walls. He's quick enough to turn in time to catch them on his shield, blocking each before they can hit him. The shield is partly banged up by the time he gets about one fourth of the way across the room, when suddenly, he steps on another creaking board. There is a pulse of magic, and then suddenly, like the staff was earlier, he is launched to the right. He slams into an invisible wall with a heavy and painful thud, and drops the shield in the process. It remains intact, however.
>Pryce loses 1 Wound No.721009
>>721008Volkama and Rus both wince and stagger once Pryce hits the invisible wall, and all of you feel a dull, echoing pain in your sides, mostly in the shoulder, as well. An obvious side effect to the Black Threads.
>You all lose 1 Wound No.721010
>>721006Flow sips on his water and closes his eyes, lost in thought.
As the refreshing cold water rushes into his system, he feels rejuvenated, and lets out a sigh of relief as he calms down.
He rests his head on Renee's shoulder.
"Thank you."
No.721011
>>721008Serpent, not a shield*
No.721012
>>721006KP takes his sandwich and fries, looking at the food eagerly after the day's work. He sets Hopper on the table, setting his cup of bugs in front of the frog. He starts in on his sandwich, enjoying the cheesy taste and stretching it out with each bite.
>>721008Pryce is caught off guard as he's suddenly blasted to the side, even moreso when he impacts a solid wall, hitting the round with a thud. He slowly stands, making sure not to move to any unnecessary ground.
"A wall? Is this a labyrinth too?"
He questions aloud as he shakes off the soreness. He lifts his flaming serpent in his telekinesis, horn glowing as it forms a barrier around himself to fend off further magic, while the serpent spits fire at the wall to see if it dissipates.
>Palisade [Self] [1d10]>Brushfire [Wall] [1d10+1]Roll #1 7 = 7 /
Roll #2 2 + 1 = 3 No.721013
>>721008Flaming shakes her head, folding her ears back as she gets that nagging feeling again, not entirely sure why she suddenly has less of an appreciation for art.
She looks at the staff as it hits the invisible wall, wincing as she sees it drop to the ground before SUDDENLY veering off to the left. "Okay, so there is some kind of barrier…"
>>721012>>721008>>721005As Pryce manages to get through most of the traps until he is thrown to the side, Flaming winces, looking to him as she shouts, "Are you alright Pryce? There is some kind of invisible wall there, anything that hits it is just thrown to the side."
She pauses, looking at the wall before turning to Shei, "Shei, you can move through solid objects now: can you see if you can go throw the wall if Pryce can get you close enough with his shield?"
No.721014
>>721010The water is clear and cool, with just the right amount of ice. Renee pecks your forehead. "After such a terrible ordeal, you certainly needed that, hmm?" she teases and sips her own water. "Certainly know I did."
She leans her head atop yours, idly playing with her hoof, saying little more now. Her expression is contemplative, her eyes resting on Sugar, who seems to be the most quiet of the group now. Sugar is playing with her spoon, stirring her soup with almost no energy.
>>721012Hopper noisily snacks on his bugs, croaking and squeaking every few bites. His mood certainly seems to have raised now that he has this before him. Every now and again, he steals one of the smaller fries from your tray, snatching up the small crumbs with his long tongue. Your own food is quite good, hot and fresh, with a balanced blend of crispy and soft.
"Hey, when's the full Pryce coming back?" Spitshine asks. "Guy's been gone with the rest of them all day."
No.721015
>>721013"Yea, I'm fine. The wall didn't toss me though. I must've triggered a trap that threw me. Can you try to see if the wall is magic that you can unweave?"
No.721016
>>721008"He writes at length about a personal philosophy derived from those 'contributions' Liber Vegis 777. I will lend you a copy some time if you promise to burn it afterward."
>>721012>>721013>>721008"I little consideration Pryce! We all share eachother's pains now." Shei holds his aching shoulder.
>"Shei, you can move through solid objects now"Sort of.. In a way. I have focus that spell for it to last for the day. However I released my focus when I was redirecting the EarthVein. I can still do it to some degree but with more difficulty. It would be safer if I just do this."
Shei-Sher begins expanding his aura to reveal the invisible wall and any other magic based traps.
>PHASE AURA: Your body sheds light in a small radius of 5 meters, in a color you choose when you learn this skill. All creatures in this range cannot turn invisible or become hidden, creatures already hidden or invisible are made clear, and incorporeal beings and lingering magical effects and wards manifest a visible shape.[1d10+1]
"Should have done that the first time.
Roll #1 8 + 1 = 9 No.721017
>>721015>>721008"Absolutely! Let me give it a try…" she says as she focuses on the wall with her unweaving spell
[1d10]
Roll #1 7 = 7 No.721018
>>721014KP chuckles as Hopper sneaks a fry now and then. He even sets aside one of the bigger ones for the frog to try.
Kp shrugs with a mouthfull of bread and cheese.
>"Iunno. He said he wouldn't take all day, maybe that city is super big." No.721019
>>721014Flow eyes Sugar as well, concern marked on his face. He looks up at Renee.
“Wanna ask what’s up?”
No.721020
>>721018In exchange for the bigger fry, Hopper nudges his cup of bugs toward you. He then helps himself to a little bit of your water, climbing up onto a bowl's edge so he can lean onto your cup and have a sip.
"I wanna spend some time training with him before we go into Tartarus," Spitshine says. "Can you tell him to hurry up or something?"
"H-he's not psychic," Busta says.
"Whaaaat? He's not? Though clones had some kind of magic connection or something," Spitshine says.
>>721019Renee starts to reach out, but then hesitates. "Something tells me you ought to. She always struck me as more of your admirer, what with her fixation on battle and violence. She may still be shaken by what she witnessed earlier in Lilane."
No.721021
>>721012Covering yourself (and the others, because of the Black Threads) with a protective anti-magic barrier, you set your serpent to attack the barrier with flame. You notice something as the flames hit the invisible wall: Some of the fire appears to turn back toward you, but doesn't reach you. It's hard to visualize at first, but you realize that you must have hit an invisible wall shaped like the corner of a room. In other words, it is not an invisible wall going all the way across the room, but rather a maze with invisible walls placed all across the floor.
>>721016>"Not another soul shall witness it, I swear it," Volkama says.>>721016>>721017>>721015Shei's aura is not large enough to reveal the whole area, but with some exertion, he can cover about half of the room. Indeed, confirming Pryce's realization, the aura reveals that there is a small maze of invisible walls all around the floor, making the trapped floorboards even more treacherous to navigate. Pryce also notices below him several tiles with magic-looking vector arrows etched onto him, made visible thanks to the aura. Presumably, it's what launched him earlier. Pryce can now avoid those safely.
Flaming's magic then dissipates the invisible walls before Pryce, as well as one of the nearby movement floorboards, confirming that they are indeed magic. It should be easier to clear a path toward the end now, but he's got about half of the way to go still.
No.721022
>>721020Flow nods, and looks over to Sugar.
"Oi oi. What're you thinking of, luv?"
He scoots next to her as well.
No.721023
>>721020KP chuckles.
>"Come on Hopper, I don't eat that stuff."Seeing him wanting some of the water, KP helps him up a little so he can be refreshed.
KP thinks on the comment a little bit.
>"I think there might be some kind of connection? I'd have to ask Mr Ruby about that though."
>H/W:10/5>>721021>>721017>>721016Pryce looks around him as the trio use their magic to reveal, and then dissipate a good portion of the maze.
"Good job guys! I should be able to clear out the rest of this in just a moment now."
Pryce says to the others. He walks forward to the next door, his anti-magic barrier giving him great confidence in ignoring the traps and triggers now, but he has his serpent-shield brace itself for any further darts and traps that may still fire.
>Hunker Down [Auto] No.721024
>>721018>>721016AS Pryce's flaming serpent bounces off the walls in a weird way, raising her eyebrow as Shei's phase aura and her unweaving magic reveals half of an invisible maze. "No way… it's not just one big wall, it's a whole maze?!"
As Pryce congratulates them, Flaming shakes her head, "Thanks, but we're not out of this yet. That only got half the maze and who knows how many worse traps might be in there."
Flaming works up the courage to head into the maze, intent on unweaving the second half as well now that it's been revealed. "Just a bit more to go, cover me…"
[1d10] Unweaving
Roll #1 1 = 1 No.721026
>>721021"Half of the book is thelematic schemas in relation to ceremonial magick and symbology. But the other half is the most sultry poetry one might ever read, loosely adapted his own anecdotes. Verily, burning it is absolutely necessary. It asks you in the first page to do so after reading. And Crow-ley having ascended he will know someone had read his literature and not burnt it afterward."
>>721021>>721023"Well I better go follow close by Pryce." Shei-Sher follows a few steps behind Pryce so his Aura can follow with him and illuminate any additional invisible walls.
No.721027
>>721025>>721023The movement tiles hold no threat to you, their magic pulsing but unable to move you, owing to your protective barrier. Your fire-serpent blocks the rest of the darts, sling-stones and even spearheads that launch out from hidden panels in the walls, and from below, and so forth. Enduring much abuse, the serpent-shield manages to last until you finally reach the other end of the room, before it finally starts to fall apart, glowing faintly yellow. From studying the scroll, you realize that it is about to explode. You can use it or simply dispel it at that point.
>>721026>"Don't spoil it! I want to go in with as little knowledge as possible!" Volkama says.>"Pfft. And you were scolding me for my libertine tastes in dress," Rus Tea mocks.>>721026>>721024>>721023Moving as a team, you and your allies follow behind Pryce as he slowly tanks his way through the traps. It's slow going, but between the shield, the aura, and the antimagic barriers, the room's traps hold no power over you, and you manage to make it through without any damage… or so you thought.
Along the way, as Flaming tries to help clear out some of the invisible walls, she ends up pouring too much of her Spirit into the spell, and she feels a dreadful sense of vertigo and dizziness as it starts to backlash against her. The Pallisade barrier contributes some to stopping the backlash's effects, however. All it results in is that all of her hair stands up on end, turning her into a puff ball.
Unfortunatey, the same happens to all of you too, as you are linked by the black threads. You are all turned into puff balls. Except Rus Tea, of course, as she is mostly scales at this point, aside from her hair. She quickly starts to comb it back down, stifling a derisive laugh at your plight.
>Paused No.721028
>>721023Smacking his lips after the sip, Hopper climbs back down, looking between you and the little bowl of bugs. He doesn't seem bothered by the fact that he can't share, and then devours the rest.
"Do you share emotions and all that?" Spitshine asks. "Or what about dreams? If one learns a skill, can the other use it too?"
>>721022Sugar stirs her bowl of borscht, looking into the small chunks of beetroot, carrots and potatoes swirling around in it. She seems lost in it for a moment before looking up at you. Her expression is grave, her eyes dull with some kind of quiet, rolling storm, a turmoil that cannot be expressed. "How… how long do we have to be with you?" she asks.
>Paused
