"For now?"

Also D: Rose.

State that you do at this time, though obviously it is just temporary.

Not much else to add, since we can not get to muddling the ear mutation until we get something demonically decent until we are away from most other people.

might want to point out that you don't offer "special services".

>>378747
Yes, this as well, thank you!

>>378745
Why temporarily? Sure, we can do other jobs, but this is a nice place to spend our downtime and make friends, and if we can get a salary for it on the side...

>>378747
Good point. Tell her you just help clean. Unless you want to do more.

Also, at some point you should practice some with that pistol of yours. It might not be your main "thing," but you should know it well enough to defend yourself effectively with it when it comes down to the metal.

"Yes, I - oh." I laugh nervously. "No, not like that." I manage. "Though, I'm, ah, flattered."

Ayda laughs. It sounds nice - a laugh without any restraint, one I almost never hear. Rose had a laugh like - why can't I stop thinking about her. Argh. "I haven't met you - I'm Sera."

"Ayda." she replies. "You new in town?"

"Been here a few days."

"Mmmn. Glad to meet you. How'd you come to work here, like that? Utah usually uses everyone for... everything."

"She ain' quite ready. I can respect that." Utah cuts in. "An' even if she's never ready, that's fine." he adds.

Ayda raises an eyebrow at this - but questions no further.
"So, Sera - where you from?"

"I'm, ah, from a Vault." I say sheepishly. "Just nearby."

Ayda smirks, looking over at Utah.

"Well, how do you feel about a little travel, Sera? The train to Tinsel could use a few more guards."

"To...?"

"Tinsel."

Well, I do have a lot of money to burn. Other than food or water, I've simply been amassing chip and taking it home. Home being a metal shack outside of town. Not enough to buy space in the station, but enough to be a small fortune.

About a thousand or so chip. Plus my ammo and gun (Both on me in satchels and holsters) and the like, and that's my entire holdings. I've heard stories about Tinsel - It's a bustling city of merchants and tradesman.

Suddenly Utah cuts in, looking me in the eye.
"You can go as a passenger, too - I need to arrange a shipment of whiskey, but I can't really leave town tonight. And I hear they have manuals and scrolls on magic - the trip could benefit us both. I'll even pay your way. I could hire someone else, but I trust you most, Sera." he adds.

Ayda nods.
"It's where I learned my stuff - Pyromancer's Manual." she says.

Should I go? And if I do, with what purpose?

Doo eet!

And you may as well hire on as a guard, since if it's getting attacked you'll likely have to get fight-y anyway.

yeah, if you sigh on as a guard your basically getting paid to go to a major market place. you could use better gear, and more chips can't hurt.

Guard duty sounds excellent, we would be obligated to defend ourselves on the trip anyway.

Tell them you would do both, getting paid to guard it on the way there, and arrange a shipment of booze for him.

PS. We feel something is missing, something was left in the vault of us and Sara. We really need to check it out some time. But later, now we got a pair of missions to do and some new magic to acquire.

Do 'em both, if you can. It's time to branch out our magic!

@@ Shot!H508X.HbJ6 2012/01/09(Mon)21:50 No. 378867 ID: d14d3e
File 132617465248.jpg - (276.72KB , 570x1000 , Dreanin.jpg )

"Sure - I'll do both." I say with a smile. Ayda grins as Utah nods, walking out from behind the counter - a limp I never noticed in his stride. He returns and hands me the order.

"Bring this to Jimmy Schure." he said. "You'll know him when you meet him." he adds, looking to Ayda, who produces a set of papers.

"Just sign these~!"

Utah cocks an eyebrow.
"They let you carry paper?"

She sticks out her tongue at him playfully, talons gripping the stool as she leans down and grabs the same edge with both hands, perching there as I sign the paper - this time in my real name. She takes it happily.
"Dreanin'll be happy to have some company."

"Dreanin?"

And that's when the doors swing open, and in walks the biggest storm of cliches I've ever seen. Wide-brimmed hat. Leather duster. Jeans. Revolver. Spurred boots. Stubble. Peircing eyes, and a simple aura of masculinity.

"Someone ask for me?" he asks, looking around the bar. Ayda laughs.

"Who'd ask for someone like you?" she jokes, and the tall man rolls his eyes. "Dreanin, this is Sera. She'll be joining up this trip. Both for us and Utah."

The man smiles and shakes my hand, confident, reassuring.
"Nice to meet ya. Yer doin' the work of... Well, Finagle and Utah, but you're protectin' and servin'." he says, smiling. "Care to tell me where yer skills lay?"

"I, uhm. I have good hands with simple constructions and machines - gears and the like. And I know good magic, er, not that it's 'good' but that I'm good at it." I clarify.

"You'll do just fine." Dreanin says. "You know how to use that?" he asks, nodding at the small pistol at my hip.

"I'm... not the best." I admit.

"Well, don't worry too much. Me and Ayda can handle a lot of stuff - with your help, we should be able to make the trip just fine."

"What about you guys? What are you good at?"

"I am a master of thermal-projection Red class magic." Ayda says. At my confusion, she laughs. "I light things on fire. And I make fire."

"I'm a damn fine shooter, and I know a little magic to help that along." Dreanin says. "Me and Big Iron 'ere can kill just about anything." he says, patting his holster.

"The train leaves in about five hours. If you want to do anything, get it done before then." Ayda says. "Or you can hang with us and listen to Dreanin tell his silly stories."

"They ain' silly. They actually happened."

"Mmmhm."

Go to your shack and muddle your ears until you either get working leather wings or succubus traits.

It should take some time, but I figure five hours is enough. Also, you need to go there anyway to collect your shit. Five hours on the other hand is not enough to visit the vault again.

smoke a cigar and hang out.

You know what, lets pick up white magic first before messing with our mutations.
Then we can get a few other awesome things too.

Pick up your stuff, take your chips with you (you need it to buy magic tomes). And then listen to stories.

>>378887
I agree with the notion of getting magic tomes, if there are any available in this town.

Sera should acquire some history books as well, if at all possible. A little background knowledge could go a long way.

I'm all in favor of brute-forcing mutations until we can fly (that is why we got that speciality, after all) but I don't think now is the time, and waiting till we pick up some white magic will certainly help too. Make friends with these people, they sound fun. Just be sure to get your chips before heading out.

>>378890
Well, I am just worried about the fact that we will probably mutate during the train ride, which will cause problems.
Better rack up enough taint for the next mutation before we head out, so it wont happen in combat, which it will if we do not.

>Worry over mutation during the ride
>Want to wait until getting white magic to muddle about

I think... I can compromise.

"I'll be right back. I need to retrieve my funds." I smile and exit, making my way to my place. I pick up the satchel containing my chips, strapping it on over my shoulder. I'd need to remove it to use the techniques Buster showed me about being a hard target in combat, but for now I sit on the ground, and take a deep breath.

And, without a spell in mind, I reach out and touch the Taint. An eerie sensation fills me - no sense in particular is attacked, instead, a feeling of dread rises in my belly. A deep, fearful dread. I can feel it growing - a fear that grips me almost physically. But I continue. I hold the taint, the feeling of dread and hate and malice, within my heart and belly...

And release it. Oh god. I feel it, like spikes lancing through my flesh. Great iron nails slammed deep within my thighs, my lower back, my tail, molten and filled with acid. It feels horrific, like someone has torn open my back and pulled out my spine, like someone is tearing off my skin.

I want to let go. I want to make it stop. I want to pull away from the pain, separate from it, become something else - I want it to stop, to go away! I want to leave!

No.
I can't.
She's going to be back. And I'll be waiting.

I come down from the terrible feeling, the pain leaves me like a tide going low. I take a deep breath, undress, and examine myself in the mirror.

Nothing has changed, it seems - except my tail. It is now a solid black, covered in scales, and ends with a wicked barb. A small sac at the base of the barb pulses slightly, ad intuitively, I know it to be a paralytic poison.

The tail is thicker - I widen the holes I need to widen. I get dressed again. The tail is longer than before - long enough to wrap around mt waist comfortably, long enough for the tip to rest against my head.

I'll never get used to this... I shake my head.

I return to the pub, and Ayda blinks at the new tail. Nothing is said about the transformation - a simple nod. And then I see Dreanin - and the little girl from before, who is riding on his back, wearing his hat. It's too big for her, so she has to hold it up to look around. She waves at me. I wave back as I sit next to Ayda.

"That close, huh?" she asks quietly.

I nod.

Any questions I should ask or conversation to strike up?

>>378899
That sort of compromise was, umm, rather stupid. But what is done is done, I guess.

Anyway, no idea what to talk about. Either ask about what is expected to happen on the trip or ask about the current political climate of the world.

well at least you can hide your tail by wrapping it around your waist now, though you might want to be very careful if your not immune to your own poison. before you leave you might want to leave a message with buster in case rose comes back while your gone.

>>378901
Yeah, probably should've let it happen in combat; it's not that disorienting, especially if we plan for it. Oh well, it's a pretty awesome/useful/aesthetically neutral one anyway.

>>378903
Definitely don't want to leave Rose wondering where we went. It'd be sufficient to just ask him to tell her, though a note might be a nice touch, especially as it lets us say something more personal.

>>378905
>If this venom is not painful or have long term sideeffects it can be used by the doc as anesthesia which will supplement your income.
GENIUS. Talk to the doctor about this as soon as you get back.

> Furthermore, it will make catching live victors for sacrifices much easier. And be useful in close combat.
To that effect, we should practice hitting targets with it. Get a feel for how much venom we have to work with, how long it takes to regenerate, and, most importantly, get good at aiming while in close combat maneuvers.

>>378899
>No. I can't. She's going to be back. And I'll be waiting.
Well this is interesting. Who is "she"? What was the nature of your past experience with her? How does exposing yourself to the taint prepare you?

Lets listen to some stories.

If this venom is not painful or have long term sideeffects it can be used by the doc as anesthesia which will supplement your income. (edit: It also needs to deaden the pain of the patient otherwise it wouldn't be an anesthesia; but if they don't have anything better it will do, or can be supplemented with booze)

This new poison will make catching live victims for sacrifices much easier. And be useful in close combat.

Finally, you forgot to check what books the store has.

>>378910
I would presume that the "she" in question is Rose.

>>378910
>GENIUS. Talk to the doctor about this as soon as you get back.
Better to provide him with a sample right now for him to research and test out on animals (and maybe volunteers later) and let you know if he thinks its useful. This kind of research takes time and the sooner he gets a sample the sooner he will complete the research.

If we want to use the stinger tail in close combat, we need to get over the the perk Cowardly. I don't think that will be any way easy to accomplish. But we might be able to use it to enhance the effects of Frightful Presence by appropriately threatening and unnerving movements.

>Black Magic: The magic of Demons. Harm, ailment-causing, and darkness-based spells.
Black Magic is the suffer domain and the stinger tail is a Black Magic mutation. The chances for deadening pain are pretty low. But lets offer the paralytic to the Doc anyway. Low doses or extracts might be helpful for other things than anesthetics.

>>378899
>No. I can't. She's going to be back. And I'll be waiting.
I think that's more connected with >>378145
>I still can't remember properly what happened in that vault. It feels strongly like I lost something important - but I can't place my finger on it.
>You, too, feel something was lost there - though you can feel it more like a missing limb.
I am not sure if Legion, Sera's first summoned demon, is really us. I think we are her book more than anything else. It could be that Legion is the she in >>378899.

I am also not quite sure what people think white magic will add to muddling our mutations. AFAIK Muddle can get us one randomly selected mutation out of the mutations of every discipline.

>Any questions I should ask or conversation to strike up?
What does Ayda know about improving the spells you have?
Suggestions for equipment as train guard.
Likely situations on the train, i.e. what/who could attack. Maybe in form of asking Dreanin for stories about train guard duty.

Ask if shes ever seen someone with bound demons and if so, did they seem sane?

>>378943

>I am also not quite sure what people think white magic will add to muddling our mutations. AFAIK Muddle can get us one randomly selected mutation out of the mutations of every discipline.
Unfortunately, this was changed - Muddle only rolls between magic tables that have been used.

"So what about these stories?" I ask, to start as I sit down. Dreanin chuckles as he does the same, gently getting the little girl down from his shoulders. She sits in a nearby chair, kicking her legs back and forth.

And I'm regaled of tales across the wastes, of fighting bandits, of saving people. Of manifold injuries that he works through. Of the many people who have helped him fight, have helped him live and who have lived or died beside him.

But most interesting is his tale of a place called the Salt Flats.

"Once, there was an ocean there. But during the Calamity, it all boiled up - what's left is a huge expanse of white. Angels love the salt. Don't ask me why, they just do. Place is more dangerous than Jamestown is now."

"but I thought angels..."

"Were nice?" Dreanin asks. He shakes his head. "Angels are - or were - good. But they see the evil in all of us. An' they can't fuckin' stand it. Had to kill quite a few just to survive out there. And then I met Alisa."

There's... an odd tone to his voice, as he describes an armored Husky. "I was just trying to get back to camp, when this massive golden beast attacked me. I thought I was dead. When out of nowhere, this giant of a woman steps in its way. Now, this beast, it was the size of a bus. She caught the claw swung at her and parried it, with this massive blue blade. She tole me to run."

He sighs.

"So I did. Left the Sands."

"Why were you there?" I ask.

"Some people say there might be a vault there, or some sort of treasure left in one of the great ships. But all that's there now is Blue Shield."

"Blue Shield?"

"Closest thing to the 'good guys' you'll find on the wastes." Dreanin explains. "They're remnants of the old world, as far as I know - they're trained in the tech and magic of the time, and even the squires are pretty good to have on your side." he says. "If you see someone wearing blue armor, more likely than not, they are there to help. Though, some outposts run low on supplies, and... things happen." he shrugs. "Just the way things are. Oh, one thing - If you run into guys in white armor, run the fuck away." he adds. "Whitewash isn't anyone's pal but Whitewash."

He looks at his watch.
"Well, shit. I damn well ate up those hours... Did you have anything you needed to do? I can hold the train for a few."

"No, that's fine." I say. "None of it's time-intensive... OH! Utah, if Rose drops by..."

"I'll tel her to stick around." he says with a chuckle. "Mind, you can't really tie a girl like that down."

I nod, and follow Ayda and Dreanin to the train. It's... big. We all clamber on and take seats - I find myself next to Ayda again.

"So... what can I expect?"

"Well, most times we don't carry much leaving Transit. So Bandits don't risk it. But we do pass a salt mine..."

Angels... my grip on the book tightens as the train lurches into motion and pulls out of the gate. "Piece of advice - don't go on the roof, if you can help it. It's easy to fall off."

She fixes Dreanin with an odd look, who averts his gaze and mumbles something about ice.

Had a feeling about angels in this setting.

I have a bad feeling about this salt mine...

do we know anything about the calamity? also how long ago was it?

oh and pice of advice, when we go quite for a while and then come back its more or less a guarantee that something "interesting" is going to happen soon. so i'd be surprised if we weren't attacked by angels as we passed the salt mine. so try and know when your approaching it and get ready for an attack when you do.

Ask if angels are more prone to going after people with demonic mutations, for obvious reasons, of course.

Otherwise, if this trip is as frequent as it seems, inquire how the angels usually attack and where you should go inside the train if it happens this time around.

COMBAT MODE ENTERED Shot!H508X.HbJ6 2012/01/10(Tue)15:51 No. 379017 ID: d14d3e
File 132623949912.jpg - (623.82KB , 900x900 , WhiteLegionCometh.jpg )

The train chugs along, clacking along the rails steadily.

"So... How does an attack usually go?"

"Depends." Ayda says, thinking. "Sometimes it's flyers, sometimes beasts - there's as many angels in the heavens as there are beasts on the earth and demons in the Bowels." she says. "Or... at least that's the saying. They usually attack as we approach or near the mines - rarely do they chase. No, the real danger is the White Cult."

"?"

"The White cult..." she searches for the appropriate term. "A group that idolizes white magic and the like. Think themselves holy, and they want to clean things up. They tend to hang around wherever there's angels. Sometimes the smarter Angels ally with them, but not often - most times they are 'purified' like anyone else. It's unnerving to see." she mutters, looking away from me, those glowing eyes downcast in rare dourness. "Anyway. We should be approaching soon..."


Dreanin stiffens up, then runs to the connector between cars. "EVERYONE IN THE STEEL CAR! NOW!" he roars, stomping back in. Ayda looks up at him curiously.

"It's him." he says, loading the long-barreled weapon in his hands, then snapping the chamber in and letting it spin for a bit. "Sera, you can sit this one out - "

"No, this is my job." I say, standing with the book clutched close.

"Attagirl." he says with a smile. "Now, you'll see him approaching if you look out the window.

I look.

A man in armor, old-fasioned armor, rides a horse in shining barding. Sword drawn, feld parralel to the ground as he rides forth at an angle to the train. An aura decorates the air behind him. "Shan! Throw it up now!" he calls.

"Shan?"

"He practically lives on the train - I'll introduce you later." Dreanin says as the prongs of the aura point forth with the sword being pointed at us - and launch, slamming into what looks like a soap bubble that erects itself around the train car. The prongs explode into long crosses, the points slamming through the bubble and into the car - though it bought us enough time to duck down as the energies flow through. As I get up, I expect smoke, or the smell of ozone. But...

Nothing. Where the crosspoints struck, things simply don't exist anymore. The glass that survived isn't even cracked. Somehow, that's even more frightening. The man rides up beside us, then leaps from the horse onto the car. We all back up as he slices through the roof, dropping down - and throwing a beheaded man before us in silvery robes, a book skidding to my feet from his arms.

"YOU WILL SURRENDER THE DEMONIC ARTEFACT, OR YOU WILL BE PURGED."

Time to get Bayonetta up in this bitch.

Shoot this motherfucker.

... Okay, just thought about that.

Uh.

Pain?

Summon demon maybe?

>>379024
In the middle of a populated train, as a first resort?

>>379025
Well when you phrase it like that it sounds bad,
I just really want to know what'll happen when Sera casts summon demon.

Demon might not be the worst it could be, there IS and angel nearby, it will likely target it first.... likely. On the other hand that makes Sera a target. More than anything else.

Plus, the book seems important. Take a quick look.

Well, it might be a good idea not to overshoot ourselves. As much as it might seem counterproductive to be restrained about summoning a demon, if we DO, let's try not to call something like a Balor. Just being caught in that kind of fight would probably destroy everything around it, if this guy's as strong as he looks - and if he isn't, we'll be next.

So yeah, if we DO summon a demon, shoot for something that's support at best, and that the entire gang can kill together when it's over.

NOT casting my vote for summoning a demon, just... Hoping Sera takes the advice if that's what she does.

>>379027
A hell-beast rampaging out of control after it has slaughtered everyone in the cabin it is in, of course.

Slip the book behind you with your feet, we can worry about that later.
Anyway, draw your gun, MAKING SURE NO PEOPLE ARE BEHIND HIM, and start shooting him, then cast Inflict Pain on him.

use Cause sickness, this guy seems to be the sort to be able to shrug off pain.

All three of us pull out our guns, and open fire.

Dreanin is the fastest - The man lifts his free hand, but the mass and speed of the bullets slam it, and the spell he was preparing is extinguished. Undaunted, Ayda's weapon (a short-barreled shotgun) roars out - A lance of heat and fire I wasn't expecting and evidently, he wasn't either. It washes over him, lighting him up. And Ayda grins, lifting her own hand. The fire brightens, and the man screams as the fire... tightens. I can't really say it any other way - as if the fire was being pushed in from all sides.

And then I fire.

Stance is good shoulders square round is chambered arms are set squeeeeeeze the trigger...

My first shot pings off his shoulder, my second, against his cheek, but the third, assisted by a sudden jolt to the train, knocks the aim into the centre of his chest, slamming through softened, heated armor, blood spraying out. He falls to his knees, supported by his blade.

I... What?!

"NO."

He roars, slamming his fist down as his helmet rolls off.

"HE'S TURNING!" Dreanin roars, grabbing my hand as he turns to run.

"Turning?"

"I'LL EXPLAIN IN A MINUTE! JUST MOVE!"

One. Two. Three cars. We stop, and then...

An earthshattering roar rocks the train as there is the scream of tortured metal.

"Finagle's gonna have our heads." he says softly as I look out the window, and see the roof of the car we exited moments before slam into the terrain beside the train. "Nice shot, though." he says. "Listen, there's a secure car, made f steel and the like, two cars down. Me and Ayda, we got this." he says as his partner runs in, pushing the book into my arms.

"Just go! You can't-"

And then a huge clawed arm tears off the roof of the train car we're in.

Looking up...

Wings. Wings, everywhere, white and feathery and beautiful, arrayed on a massive, muscular bulk of a titan. Where the wings are not hiding the flesh of the creature are eyes and maws.

[COWARD]

My body can't move. I can't move. I feel so incredibly small, so impotent. I turn to move to the armored car...

And see a man standing atop it. Dressed in a tan, flowing coat, a closed helmet with a gas mask, and loost clothing that flaps in the wind, he almost seems a spectre. He nods imperceptibly to me and takes aim with oh god that is the biggest rifle I've ever seen. And then he fires, the whole rifle and his body bucking under the recoil as the creature, barely balanced on the train, is actually knocked back, rearing. I can see its heart, pulsing and thumping, and the wound I dealt before - only now it's big enough to crawl into - as it is hit, blood spraying from the exposed organ.

And another shot rings out, the creature falling a few steps back, and a third - final - shot choruses through the wasteland, and it loses grip of the cars and falls off, rolling away, disintegrating into feathers.

We all fall to out knees in relief.

"Never a dull moment." Dreanin manages with a wry chuckle. I turn to thank our aid - and he's gone.

"Don't bother." Ayda says as I look around. "He doesn't stick around."

"What... Was that." I manage.

Dreanin sighs. "He turned. Crossed over. When someone touches the Taint enough - when they feel too much mutation, and the pain is too much and their emotions can't take it anymore..." he sighs. "He who makes a beast of himself... Gets rid of the pain of being a man." he says, as though quoting something.

that can happen?!

this is something we must look into, what makes it more likely, what makes it less likely, if you can tell how close you are and if all mages eventually end up that way. at least we learned about it relatively early in our career though.

Is he dead?
Who was it?
So, any mage can turn into a giant mutated monster at any moment by losing to the taint?
So he doesn't always turn into a giant monster but this is the first time?

That was a HOLY SHIT moment if there ever was one.

First off, ask more... Questions about... THAT.

Secondly, ask about the guy with the rifle that disappeared before we could say hi. Who the fuck was THAT douchebag?

btw: Good work just shooting him, he was obviously INSANE... do not mention the demonic artifact.
The worse possible things to have done would have been to summon a demon (brand us demon summoner, death sentence, go on run). Or to talk to him (have people figure out he is coherent this time and there is a demonic artifact, us, on board).

Oh yea and they obviously have met the guy before.

Wait a minute... could they have their own demonic artifact that it was after?

Oh yes, and ask about the obviously magical fire shooting shotgun, did she enchant it herself?

>>379076
He... He's dead. At the very least, he's not coming back. I allow my heart to slow before I begin to ask more.

"Who was that?"

"They called him the White Legion." he says gently, reloading his gun and holstering it. "So named because he could stand in for an entire Cult legion." he adds. "We only killed him by sheer god damned luck. Don't count on that, Sera."

I nod numbly. "Don't worry. That sorta thing only happens to those with a weak will. The stronger your will, the longer it takes - and that's if the sands don't take you first. Best not to think too hard on it too much, eh?"

"... Ayda, did you enchant that gun?"

"Enchant... No, these are special rounds. Dragonbreath." she says. "Not really meant for setting people on fire, but I can harness the fire and utilize it myself. Enchanting's difficult, out of my league. Maybe you or..." she pauses.

"We'll bury him at Tinsel, Ayda."

"Yeah." she says quietly, then looks at me. "Keep his tome - he would have wanted it in good hands."

I nod again. Everything is so strange...

"Who... with the Rifle?"

"Like I said." Dreanin said. "Don't look for him, don't ask about him. People that look too deeply into things that should stay secrets, well." he shrugs. "They tend to have runs of bad luck."

I stand up, and follow the rest to check on the safe car. It seems everyone's okay.

I take the time to sit down, and look through the book... There's five spells in here. I could memorize one on the way to Tinsel, or talk more with Ayda and Dreanin...

Memorizing a new spell sounds like a priority right now. What do we have available? Preferably something that can actually directly cause damage.

The guy was wearing silver. Is this a book of White Magic?

that spell that ate through the glass sounds handy. we could use a magical way to kill things.

>>379100
I think that one was White Legion, not the guy we took the book from.

Can you manually transcribe his tome into us? We hold infinte pages and I have a feeling that adding knowledge to us in such a manner would do interesting things. Maybe expand our ability to grant spells to new schools, maybe allow creation of hybrid school spells... who knows. You could memorize all the spells in it at leisure later.

Plus if you transcribe his tome into us you can probably trade his tome for another in the town we are going towards for double the magic gain.

>>379122
This is a good idea. It would also be better to have them on hand, just not in a second book you have to carry around. One is enough.

Otherwise, if you can still learn a spell, if there is one that would allow you to get your finger back, get that. Otherwise, some sort of healing spell, even if it is not as strong.

>>379122
I don't have a utensil, and that would take a very long time! There's at least 300 pages! So no. No transcription!

Nevertheless, I look through the tome and read - finding five distinct spells.
Vote on a spell in Questdis thread here: tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/357788

>>379099
Definitely white magic - and a decent start. If I take time, I could memorize another spell when I get home, or on the way!

I immerse myself in the book, learning.

White magic usually has an inherently lower cost, due to being highly efficient and studied. White spells are more regimented in purpose and application than many other schools, for the same reason. It's not a magic I like, looking through the book. Too... constricting. But I can respect the values inside. With some further work, I could apply similar magical theory to black magic - though it might not be the best idea. Magical experimentation isn't... the best of ideas.

The margins seem to have been used as a journal for the young man. But I'm not paying attention to them, at the moment. This looks like a real find: Pre-cataclysm magical theory!

I hear a gentle, quiet sob, and looking into the next car, I can see Ayda there, in Dreanin's arms. He's gently stroking her hair, his hat obscuring his face in shadow.

I... Don't want to sell this book. I really don't want to.

>>379140
Go over there and find out what the problem is. If it is about money and the fact that they need it, ask how much the pay for this thing would have been.
You have enough funds to possibly compensate if they require it, since you rarely have had a use for chips. Also, you got a tome and they end up broke, not very fair and you are obviously feeling a bit guilty.

That being said, later, when you get back, you can argue with the train dude about not paying, if he does not.

>>379144
The suggestion was more of a step by step plan. If at any point, the chain of assumptions and steps does not meet up with reality, the plan is scratched.

1st Go over and inquire what is wrong.
2nd If the first assumption is correct and it is about money, see how much money the problem is about.
3rd If the sum is small enough to be within our capabilities, provide what assistance we can(since chances are, it really is our fault, no matter the other possibility).

Since Sera thinks she might need to sell the book, I am pretty sure she also thinks it is about money.

>>379146
Ah yes, right you are that it is not truly our fault(if it really was our artifact he was after, which is very likely), but I never said anything about revealing that Sera has a demonic artifact. Really, can easily be played as a kind young woman seeing what the problem is and trying to fix it via available means.

>>379147
On a side note, due to revelations in IRC, most of my suggestions can be ignored quite thoroughly.

>Crying
>>379017
>Shan casts shield, attacker breaks shield, attacker throws the beheaded corpse of a man in white robes who had a book on white magic we currently hold.
Give them some space, they just lost a friend. Or if you must say something, say "I am sorry for your loss".

>>379140
Of course you are not gonna sell it. I said to sell it only AFTER you made a complete copy. As long as you haven't you should keep it, as it is invaluable. And in retrospect selling it might seem disrespectful to the friend they just lost.

And I am aware it will take a long time to transcribe but if it works it will be worth. This is a long term project though, not something we can do in a day naturally.

>Our fault
No it isn't. An insane guy attacked.
We might not be the only demonic item on board, there are passengers and there is cargo. If demonic artifacts are shunned and hunted suggesting it is our fault is admitting we have one and will get us killed. If it isn't then they might have others and even if not so what. Plus he was going around murdering people before he even asked the surrendering of any items.

The person at fault is the attacker (that guy) not his victims (us, poor shan, train owner & other passengers)

>>379145
Sera mentioned selling the book because one of us suggested it. Not because she believes raising funds is a desperate need of hers.

Ayda is obviously upset because she knew the guy who owned the tome. Who is now dead. With his head cut off.

I suggest the study of the spell be completed. After that maybe we can ask who the guy was, he sounds like he was pretty good at magic, if Ayda feels comfortable talking about it. Sera can assure Ayda that she'll take good care of the book.

>>379152
>Sera mentioned selling the book because one of us suggested it. Not because she believes raising funds is a desperate need of hers.
I am the only one who mentioned selling it and I explicitly said to do so only after we made a copy. A process which can take weeks

be sad. if you aren't, pretend to be. offer your condolences. hell, offer revenge.

don't sell the book. keep it forever. read the journals. memorize every single spell in it. and eventually, do experiment, because it's worth the risk.

You know since the White Book isn't quite just a book, how about an experiment. Get an old broadsheet, news paper page or wanted notice from one of the passengers or the waste baskets of the train. Then you open the White Book at an empty page and lay the found bit of paper on the empty White Book page in such a way that the text of the paper is covered by the White Book. Then say and think copy, read, learn and such very hard at the White Book.

Otherwise, perhaps you should look for Shan's head and put his corpse in order. Lay him out and cover him with a sheet, say a prayer. He will get buried or burned properly later, but thats no reason to let him just lay there. It will also help Ayda and Deinan if you do this and they don't have to.

Shan...

I stay where I am, watching them. Neither seems to spot me, and I return to learning the new spell.

Smite.

White magic is not necessarily known for powerful offensive spells. Most white magic heals or protects the caster. However, offensive white magic is incredibly effective against humans and humanoids. It isn't homing, but I can 'aim' it far better than any gun. As the train slows, I snap the book shut, confident I could cast the spell, even in a combat situation.

[Smite learned.]
[Smite has a New Spell School penalty, making it slightly less likely to work in combat.]

As for experimentation with you and transcription, I'll start that when I get back to Transit.

As we step off the bus, Finagle walks up to the three of us, Ayda looking much better than before, Dreanin's arm around her shoulders.

Finagle is round. Short and stout, with a great beard, he surveys the damage to the train with a sigh.

"Not good at all." he mutters. "I realized that y'ain't at fault - but payment may be delayed until I fix this shit." he says. "It may take a few weeks. Even then, I'm hesitant to run until I properly armor this thing."

Dreanin sighs.
"That's understandable. Can we get some writin' fer the deferred pay?"

"Coit'nly." the man says. "Let me go get my forms." he says.

Wait...

"You aren't running until this is repaired?"

"No ma'am. Not if I can help it."

I... oh.

Dreanin steps up and pats me on the back.
"Don't worry. I know a great place you can stay at while you're here." he says. "An' I can tell you a few more stories."

I nod.
"Hey, do you know where..." I look at my paper from Utah, "Jimmy Schure is?"

"Oh, the guy with the still and the hops and whatnot? Yeah. Hell, let me show you -"

Ayda looks up at him.

"Er, after the burial. Sorry, respects to pay an' all day. Shan was a good kid."

I nod, and watch as they bury the body outside. Dreanin pays a chip for a coffin and marker, and Ayda scorches his name onto the marker with care.
"Ain' no real religion anymore." Dreanin tells me as we watch her mourn from a distance. "People have faith in simple things, now. Friends. Guns. Magic." he sighs. "He was a fine kid. A bit of a perv, but hell, he was little more'n a teenager. Saved our hides more times than I care to count. Like a little brother to Ayda here. I bet you two woulda gotten along swell. Then again, I'm not sure if joinin' such forces woulda been wise - judgin' by the way yer look at Ayda, some times."

I blush, but shake my head.
"No, I... I'm pretty sure I'm committed."

"Mmm. Dangerous thing, committing to one person. What with how the world is."

"She's strong." I say.

"You'd best hope so." he says with a smile. "Oh! Reminds me. They run a bath'ouse here. I was thinkin' you an' Ayda might want to relax a spell, my treat. Whatcha say?"

>>379266
Ask Dreanin where the place you can stay at is first. Never know if you will suddenly require the information before another chance to find out arises.
Otherwise, if you think you can keep your hands to yourself, agree to the bathhouse thing.

sure, why not... accept it. But before that deliver the booze requisition list.

If the train is not running for a few weeks so getting the booze back is an issue. You could get a pack-beast but that would be slower and dangerous and extra expense... And that assumes you can grab one around here. We will have to think about it further but so far it seems like you are basically stuck here, you will need to arrange some living quarters and get to studying.

>>379272
>Keep hands to self
He knows we swing that way... he is setting up to go alone with his grieving friend... maybe he is hoping that we don't keep our hands to ourselves and that it will make her feel better.

>>379273
Kinda figured that, hence why this is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate self-control and restraint. You're not a nymphomaniac, are you Sera?

>>379275
well, we could probably cheer her up WITHOUT sex.

I suppose we should find out if there are any caravans going back to Transit Town, and the average time it takes for them to get there before we seek out Jimmy Schure, no use travelling alone with such a valuable supply item.

Shot!H508X.HbJ6 2012/01/11(Wed)19:01 No. 379312 ID: d14d3e
File 132633728830.png - (103.52KB , 790x550 , closecontact.png )

"Later tonight." I say simply.

"Sure. We got stuff to handle." he says with a smile.

"First thing, where we staying?"

"The Golden Rod." he says with a laugh. "Come on, I'll show you." he takes me through the town, which lives up to its name - the place is built well, and almost every surface is embossed or filigreed with a shiny metal - which makes the Golden Rod stand out as the single wooden building in town. We enter, and a woman looks up from the counter. Not an old woman, either - I estimate her to be about Rose's age. Though, she's not touched by mutation, and...

Well, she's stunning. Her face is sharp, but soft in places, a hint of smile wrinkles on her cheeks. Bright blue eyes fix on me, but only briefly. She has... quite the bosom. I tear my eyes away from it as Dreanin brings me forth.

"We'd like to order a few rooms for a coupla days."

"How many?"

"Two." he says. "For three days."

"Three? But..."

"Don't worry. I got a plan." he says.

"And, uh, only two rooms?"

"Ayda sleeps... well, we keep seperate tents, let's keep it at that, when we travel." he says. "So girls in one room, boy in the other."

I nod.

"Sally Carta." the woman introduces herself.

"Sera." I say with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Would you like a drink?"

"N-not right now, no. I have some things to attend to."

Next stop: Jimmy.

Utah was right. As soon as we enter the brewery (apparently a pre-cata one fixed up by the townsfolk) it's obvious that the enourmous bear that approaches is he. I mean literal bear, by the way. More beastly than Rose, he smiles.

"Another order by way of friend Utah, yes?" he asks, and I give him the paper. "Yes, yes. Good. I will send it out when it can go out - the unfortunate problem with train. I am sure he understand, he smart man." he says, nodding. "Here is promised courier pay." he hands me a small sack. "Fifty chip for message relayed." he nods. "Good day, fare the well."

We nod and leave - the sun is starting to set, slowly.

We stop by an open-air bar in the center of town, and pick up Ayda - who oddly had not been drinking. Something about vapors and her magic? and make our way to a small building.

"Here we are." he says, pulling out two black chips. He flips one to each of us. "Play nice, ladies. Have fun."

And then he's gone.

Ayda smiles at me and leads me inside, where a young woman looks up.

"Rate is fifty a person. You get it the whole night." she says, and we hand in out chips. "Changing room is behind me, past that is the stairs in."

We enter the changing room.

Okay, it's just like last time. Except last time someone saw me naked I was drunk. Well, buzzed. I fidget with the zipper uncertainly, staring at the lockers, when Ayda hugs me from behind - and I feel small breasts press into my back, making me blush.

"What's the matter?" she asks. "Bashful?" she asks, her hands resting gently on my belly, fingering the zipper.

"I... yes."

She giggles, pressing a little closer.
"You're adorable. Allow me, then." she says gently, unzipping the suit. Down my neck... Over my collarbone... Between my breasts... over my belly, to rest just beneath my navel. Gently, she peels away my suit, gathering it up with care and placing it in a locker. I feel my bra come undone, and she slips it off, down my arms, then, my underwear. She stuffs it in the locker with my boots and socks, locking it with a provided key. "And there we are."

We make out way out - it feels so strange to walk like this - down the stairs, into a cavern of pools. We're... alone. Before I can get a good look at her, she slides into one of the pools, and I follow, covering myself. Her eyes close, and her face reminds me of a relaxed cat.

...

N-now wh-what?

Heyyyy~

Remember you said you were committed to Rose, now.

Do what you came here for. Close your eyes and relax.
Don't try to start a conversation right away. Wait for the right time.

If you are committed to Rose as you said earlier, now is your chance to prove it.

On a side note, the bath is a great place to think. What was living in the vault like before, umm, leaving? Also, are you ready to muddle your ears to hell and back again once you get back to the place you are staying at? Chances are you will be pretty different once that is done.

That being said, do your eyes have slit pupils? Hmm, I thought you were completely human, other than the mutations.

>>379409
>do your eyes have slit pupils?
That must be our missing fifth mutation. 500 taint = 5 mutations.
Mutations are: Tail, Tail stinger, horns, extra ears, cat eyes.

@@ Shot!H508X.HbJ6 2012/01/12(Thu)00:45 No. 379416 ID: d14d3e
File 132635794664.jpg - (18.98KB , 504x299 , Smile_in_the_darkness.jpg )

I relax - or try to. The water is clear, and has stilled. Ayda's body is less voluptuous than Rose's, but... She has a sort of bearing about her. A feeling of simply not even caring. Her legs are scaly from the thighs down, shiny gossamer red, clean white talons stretching under the water. Her hips are narrow - yet wider than mine - and...

I never thought of shaving there...

"M'face is up here." says Ayda softly, a joke in her voice, and I quickly look up at her.

"So you and Rose, huh?"

"Huh?"

"The Lioness of Avalon. You and her. A couple?"

I blink. Well...

"N-no. Not... not yet, anyway."

"Mmmn." she turns to face me. Her breasts are only slightly larger than mine. "Up here..." she chuckles as I look up at her again. "Anyway. I know the looks you gave me. I know the thoughts you probably had." she moves closer.

"... But... me and Rose..."

"Hun, I don't love you 'cept as a friend. And your heart ain' gonna turn away from Rose, right? So what's a little... no, a lot of pleasure between friends?"

Mmmf... I...

"I'm sorry. I can't." I mumble. She blinks, then smiles, kissing my forehead and going back to her original position. "If I didn't know better, I'd think Dreanin's rotten luck had rubbed off on me."

"N-no... you're... pretty. In your way. The scales are shiny."

She laughs aloud, then rustles my hair. "Don't worry your cute little head. You'd have to try real hard to hurt my feelings. Still, the door's open, if you ever reconsider anytime. And I do mean, anytime, so long as we can get some privacy."

The thought makes me blush even harder, which amuses Ayda to no end.

I sink into the water, closing my eyes and relaxing.

---[DISCONTINUITY]---

I am in a cage, in a room of darkness and marble and onyx, in my bloody vault suit.

You stand apart, or rather, sit, at a table.

I look out and see a man of darkness with a grin and a golden suit sitting with a humanoid cluster of eyes.

Sera looks at you, frightened, for once, within the realm she normally controls.

"I must say." the guest says softly. "Her mental defenses were impeccable! It is no wonder she bound you so effortlessly, comrade. Since then, I've been trying to peirce the most meticulously crafted bounded space since the Cataclysm that I have ever personally encountered, to get to you."

The monster talks, holding a cigar of burning money. He takes a puff, and blows out. "We can talk, or you can dismiss me now and have a few hours of complete control over her. Majority rules, of course, but she'll do anything you like. Or we can discuss this offer between us that I'm about to present you."

Previously nascent voices whisper forth:
"What offer?"

"An offer of information - of restoration. Something is missing from you. I can put it back."

"No! Please, don't!" I scream.

Your master beckons you not to take the offer.

"Either way, a gift - control for a few hours, or my offer of completeness and information for a meager price. All I ask is that you find a specific book - and burn it for me. That's all. No other stings attached!"

The man smiles, teeth of gold glittering in the darkness. "After all. Mammon never goes back on his word. And this is between brothers, cousins, comrades."

We will not deal with you. We accept none of your offers, implicit or explicit.

My vote goes towards telling this douchebag to GTFO.

Not in the "take his deal for control" way, mind you. I just want him to GTFO our headspace.

I dun like the cut of his jib. Or his teeth.

Also he's probably gonna ask us to burn Shan's book.

Or maybe what we left behind in the vault is a book and it'll turn out he wants us to burn that? D:

...

Man fuck this guy.

Obviously, we shall not accept any offer from you.

Now, if at all possible, we need to relinquish control of Sera's body back to her. It should be possible, I figure, since I doubt Sera wants us to have control and it would not be prudent for us to keep it.

If it is not possible, we need to quickly leave the bath, get dressed, grab her stuff and head to the Golden Rod where we should stay until control reverts itself back to as it should be. It would not be wise for us to do anything while in her body. Such actions could reveal to others that she is not in control or has a demonic artifact. It would probably be pretty back if Ayda or Dreanin found out that we might have been the reason the ball of feathers attacked the train, even if it was not our fault. There is no way of knowing what their reaction might be.

No deal, Sera is adorable and she might get rid of us if we do and I don't want her getting rid of us until I find out if Rose licks herself clean like a cat does.

The creature of eyes seems to delegate amongst itself, until it rises.

"Mammon, prince of Greed. I have made my decision, and it is thus. I renounce you from this place."

"Certainly you can't be serious. This woman nearly destroyed you! And you're going to let her get away from that?"

"Perhaps you did not hear me, the first time. Mammon, Prince of Greed. I renounce you from this place. I renounce your deals, I renounce your presence."

"SHE TORE YOU IN HALF!"

The eyeball creature steps forth and - in a gesture I can barely see, pulls an obsidian key from the man's pocket.

"Clearly, I misspoke..."

And with that, the monster of eyes throws the the key into the lock of my cage, where it turns, the cage falling apart. I stand.

"We renounce you!"

Mammon's hand dives into his golden coat, but he draws the scroll out too slowly as I and Legion raise our arms and a blast throws Mammon against - and through the wall, shattering the space which is instantly repaired - and the rest reverts, to a single room with iron walls and a single bed.

Your master looks upon you with gentle adoration.

"Thank you." I say to my first friend.

[DISCONTINUITY]

And then I wake up. I'm back in the bath.

"Morning, sunshine." Ayda murmurs. "Pleasant dreams?"

"It... started bad. But then it became much nicer."

Ayda chuckles.
"Reconsider any? Remember what I said, before you dozed off."

"Ummm..."

She's coming on a bit hard there. Tell here there'll be plenty of time in the future for that when you're more comfortable with and sure of various things.

Tore us in half, eh? Perhaps the piece that was discarded was some really evil and vile shit. Do you perhaps remember something that happened in the vault relating to that?

Otherwise, go wander the town, check out their market or shops. See if you can acquire better light armour, I think. Also, find some books on history and find out what the hell happened during the Cataclysm and afterwards. My curiosity must be sated!

how would she separate the "Good" half from "bad" half? And why do you even consider us good? We are neither good nor evil, we are legion... Also it could have been an accident rather then accidental tearing, or mammon could have lied.

>>379427
>See if you can acquire better light armour

SOMETHING WITH A TRENCHCOAT.

>>379428
Neither of us are familiar with the workings of demonic books, so it is all just guesswork. I was thinking more along the lines of it being the pages or what ever that compels us to do evil things, as opposed to choosing what we want.


>>379429
Trench coat or robes! I still say mages need robes..

>>379430
But we do want to branch out from magery, so we can defend ourselves effectively when the time comes that we must save our remaining margin of safe taint for powering regen. A trenchcoat is multiclass!

the next time, we will command Sera to remember. we must know. but yes, it is wise to do so with our own means, and without indebting ourself to shady infernals.

>>379429

we are too small and fragile to rock a trenchcoat.

>>379430

robes are too confining to let us Dance properly.

I say we get some rocking black leather suit or something along those lines. or even better, explore our options of spending money for supplies other than weapons and armor.

>>379441
To be fair, I figure robes do not qualify as armour, so by the stats, they would not affect our ability to Dance at all. Though, I guess it would be better to just ask Shot in IRC.

I say avoid robes and tenchcoats (something for an enemy to grab) and stick to real light armor. Something you buy.

It's still late evening, early night and we have the whole night in the bath paid for. So lets stay in here before we go around town some more. Perhaps wash her back, but don't take her up on her sexual offers. Instead try to get her to talk about herself. Where she is from, her history, where she wants to be, her relationship with Deinan. A little talk about Tinsel and what there is to this town wouldn't hurt either.

When we leave the baths, first find what there is in this town. We know about the breewery, the Golden Rod and the baths, but Tinsel has a rep as a trading town. There should be more, especially more traders. So before we go buying, find the people who sell and get info about their reputations, preferable in a bar and from Ayda and Deinan.

>>379411
We have double horns. Given the pictures they probably stacked for larger horns. So our mutations are: Tail, Tail stinger, horns, horns, extra ears

>>379467
We had 4 mutations with 500 taint, shot miscounted. When I pointed it he said I was right and he is thinking on how to resolve this discrepancy. When I later suggested we make the slitted eyes a fifth mutation he said something to the extent of "sure why not, cat eyes it is"

>>tg/317809
Starting taint: 400+1d?
>>tg/317808
Rolling mutations: 10,10,6,3
First three are Black Magic, last is Mutation. Starting with one count from the top of the respective list, you get 10 = horns, 10 = horns, 6 = tail, 3 = extra row of teeth. Those are the starting mutations we've got.

>>tg/317809
Starting taint: 400+1d?
>>tg/317808
Rolling mutations: 10,10,6,3
First three are Black Magic, last is Mutation. Starting with one count from the top of the respective list, you get 10 = horns, 10 = horns, 6 = tail, 3 = extra row of teeth. Those are the starting mutations we've got.
I think you managed to muddle Shot.

The real issue is that you don't know what Rose's stance on open relationships is. She may have no problem with you sleeping around, or she may feel completely betrayed by it. More broadly, the state of your relationship with her is ill-defined.

Just say that you need to talk to Rose about your relationship before you'll feel comfortable making decisions about that sort of thing.

Which unfortunately means a couple of weeks, at least. Unless she shows up in this town all of a sudden.

now that was interesting, i'm really starting to wonder what happened in that vault. you flipping out and killing everyone doesn't add up, your good but not nearly that good(also you don't strike me as the mass murdering type). it also seems like whatever happened down there altered us on a fundamental level. if the prince of greed considers us at least a peer, changing us like that would be nearly impossible. this is starting to have "we are a pawn in a bigger game" all over it. but until we know more all we can really do is improve ourselves, and make allies. so for now lets get some good light armor. its all moot if some lucky asshole puts a bullet in you.

>>379472
This.

"Before... I do anything, I need to talk to Rose." I hear myself mumble. "I need to know things."

Ayda eyes me oddly, then nods, kissing my cheek.
"No matter what she says, Rose's a lucky lady." she says gently.

We wash. Not much happens - Ayda seems more thoughtful now, less in the mood to horse around. She compliments my smooth skin, but other than that... Things finish up uneventfully and we make our way back up.

Ayda yawns and stretches in the changing room, and it's hard for me to resist staring. She reaches up atop the lockers to find the key she hid there.

And then swears.

She ducks to look into the main lobby, and swears again.

"Uhm, Ayda?"

"The key for our locker. It's gone, and so are the attendants - they lock up the spares when they leave."

BWAHAHAHA.

The only thing you can do is look for where they lock up the spares, bust it open, and offer to pay the damages if they care.

you could just force the lock, in fact we did just learn a spell that makes holes in things. though we might want to find out how much they will ask us to pay for damaging there property first.

ask Ayda to melt the lock. or you can try to smelt it. or just have Ayda use those muscles to pry or punch the locker open- they usually aren't too sturdy.