[Burichan] [Futaba] [Nice] [Pony]  -  [WT]  [Home] [Manage]
[Catalog View] :: [Graveyard] :: [Rules] :: [Quests] :: [Discussions] :: [Wiki]

[Return] [Entire Thread] [Last 50 posts] [Last 100 posts]
Posting mode: Reply
Name (optional)
Email (optional, will be displayed)
Subject    (optional, usually best left blank)
Message
File []
Password  (for deleting posts, automatically generated)
  • How to format text
  • Supported file types are: GIF, JPG, PNG, SWF
  • Maximum file size allowed is 10000 KB.
  • Images greater than 250x250 pixels will be thumbnailed.

File 127697408946.png - (230.00KB , 1000x600 , titlevii.png )
195808 No. 195808 ID: 426169

Chapter VII
When the Student is Ready





This is the story of Tiffany Blake Kinsley.

After travelling to Bardsey Island, Tiffany met with the council of elders. After receiving a worrying prophecy from the clan Seer, the elders admitted Tiffany's kinship, and gave her full membership in the clan.
Now she must find a master willing to teach her.

It's time to begin.
Expand all images
>>
No. 195810 ID: 426169
File 127697425239.png - (29.31KB , 800x600 , 463.png )
195810

The following night, after everyone else was asleep, Mulder sat in his cage, murder in his mind.


This totally blows. Totally, totally blows. You make ONE mistake and the MAN takes you and locks you away. Fascists! Oh man, I'd totally have scored by now if it wasn't for this stupid cage.

>>
No. 195812 ID: 18a463

>>195810
yea with a dude. face it you havent hit on a non-dude since you died. you gay bro. you gay.
>>
No. 195814 ID: 426169
File 127697490014.png - (78.90KB , 800x600 , 464.png )
195814

No way, José. I'm a ladies man. I likes the ladies. No more guys for me.

I'd be all cool and smooth and totally have the best shineys so I'd get all the-

Whoa, what's that?

>>
No. 195815 ID: a594b9

>>195810
Worry at the bars with your beak. Pace about in frustration.

Wait, what did you do, Mulder? WHAT DID YOU DO
>>
No. 195818 ID: a594b9

>>195814
Huh. Someone's climbing up the walls. Squawk out an alarm, try to wake someone up!
>>
No. 195824 ID: 426169
File 127697568978.png - (129.77KB , 800x600 , 465.png )
195824

I DIDN'T DO NUFFIN!

"BOSS! HEY BOSS! WAKE UP!"

>"Hmmmh Mulder? What is it?"

"There's someone at the window!"

>"Mulder, go back to sleep. There's nothing there."
>>
No. 195825 ID: a594b9

>>195824
"Spirit Sight remember? There's a spirit at the window!"
>>
No. 195834 ID: 426169
File 12769767067.png - (76.44KB , 800x600 , 466.png )
195834

>"There's a spirit at the window! And now it's climbing inside!"

"You better not be joking, Mulder, or you're not getting anything to eat tomorrow."

>"Not kidding, boss."

"What does it look like? What's it doing?"

>"Dunno. White and whispy. Got a tail and clothes with bells in em. And a chain. It's just kinda standing there, looking around, like it's lost or something."

This is just great. A spirit I can't see, in my freakin bedroom at the dead of night. Had no idea there were pedo spirits.
>>
No. 195838 ID: a594b9

>>195834
Toss it something to write with, ask it who it is and what it wants.
>>
No. 195844 ID: c00244

>>195838
Might be able to just talk with it, though Mulder. Although Mulder has spirit sight, not spirit hearing... worth a shot, though. Keep apprised of what it's up to, regardless.

Attempting to somehow use our magic and see it is an option as well, although of course that's not incredibly likely to work. Still, we've had moderate luck with figuring things out blindly thus far.
>>
No. 195849 ID: 426169
File 12769788892.png - (97.67KB , 800x600 , 467.png )
195849

Tiffany places a piece of chalk in the middle of the floor.

"We can see you. Who are you, and what do you want?"

>"He's looking a bit funny. Like he's embarrassed or somethin, boss."

After a while the chalk stick begins to move by itself, making jittery strokes across the floor.

>He is sorry. He did not mean to intrude. He is the Jester. He was just lonely. He has not been spoken to in a long time.
>>
No. 195850 ID: c4c313

Yawn and ask him how he hasn't been spoken to if he keeps with this habit of waking people up at night. Not angrily, just casually. Wait for him to explain.
>>
No. 195852 ID: a594b9

>>195849
Ohh. Nifty. "Oh, you must've lived here a long time ago. Why haven't you passed on?"
>>
No. 195853 ID: 701a19

>>195849
You can spare the time to talk to him. Find out more about who he was, what he did, why he's bound here, what he's bound to, and somesuch.

Good thing you have something to do, because you probably won't be able to sleep since you just remembered that Thomas was the one who talked about the firstblood being the root of the Rothwald and Kinsley families, meaning that the prophesy was talking about you. You also might be the darkchild, but we can't be sure about that. Might want to tell Joyce and Duncan about that once you're done here.
Yea, don'cha just hate it when you wake up in the middle of the night and suddenly piece together something of massive importance that seizes your guts in an icy vice-like grip?
>>
No. 195854 ID: a594b9

>>195849
Oh, ask the Jester to tell you a joke.
>>
No. 195858 ID: 426169
File 127698000013.png - (88.60KB , 800x600 , 468.png )
195858

"How come people don't talk to you if you wake people up at night?"

>He does not often wake people up. People do not see or hear him.

"I guess I can spare the time. Are you a ghost or something? Why haven't you passed on?"

>He is not a ghost. He is an outsider. A phantasmal servant of the family. He is bound by old spellcraft. But master long dead. No-one remembers the Jester. Forgotten he is. But still he lingers. Poor Jester.
>>
No. 195859 ID: a594b9

>>195858
Ask it what kind of stuff it did for its masters.

This guy seems pretty harmless so far...
>>
No. 195861 ID: 701a19

>>195858
Ask his name, what he is bound to, and what job his master gave him.

We can look into this tomorrow.
>>
No. 195866 ID: c00244

>>195858
I'll remember you, Jester, if you want.

((We could get our very own spirit servant out of this, how fun.))
>>
No. 195869 ID: 426169
File 127698114587.png - (195.36KB , 800x600 , 469.png )
195869

"Who was your master? What did he bind you to?"

>His master was called Benezét the Summoner. He was bound to a standing stone. It is now a fallen stone, in the woods.

"What sort of things did your master have you do?"

>He was guard. Protector to clan. Then he was replaced by other spirits, other outsider phantasms and daemons. Bigger, meaner than him. Then he helped master with experiments. Sometimes he told jokes. Then he was forgotten, left to wander the island with no master.
>>
No. 195875 ID: c4c313

Alright I'll ask about you tomorrow. Sorry but the living really do need our sleep.
>>
No. 195876 ID: 426169
File 127698179617.png - (55.30KB , 800x600 , 470.png )
195876

"Ok, I'll ask someone about you tomorrow. But hey, the living need sleep, so..."

>Do not worry. He can be very quiet.

Err...
>>
No. 195880 ID: c00244

>>195876
Oh, whatever, Tiffany. Mulder's around when you're sleeping anyway; what's one more creepy magical critter watching you all night? Thank him for being quiet, and get some sleep.
>>
No. 195889 ID: 426169
File 127698272211.png - (53.46KB , 800x600 , 471.png )
195889

Yeah.... It's no different from having Mulder around. No different at all.
>>
No. 195900 ID: c00244

>>195889
Honestly! This guy can barely lift your chalk; he's not going to do anything dangerous. You're a necromancer. If spirits creep you out, that's a bit of a problem and you should really be trying to get over it.

If nothing else, Mulder will be watching him all night, just in case. Relax. Maybe thank your bird for keeping an eye out. Sleep.
>>
No. 195905 ID: a594b9

>>195889
Consider making a spirit-blocking circle around the bed.
>>
No. 195915 ID: 40cb26

>>195889
This can be a very nice ally to have, it's just going to take a bit of work to set up properly. You'll need to be able to see, communicate and control it, and that sounds like Summoning 101. That doesn't mean we should get that summoner for out teacher but it is a point in his favor. The bigger question is if we should tell him about out little friend or not...
>>
No. 195940 ID: c00244

>>195905
While I'm not going to say that wouldn't work, I feel compelled to point out that we're going to be dealing with this sort of thing quite often for the rest of our life. We're too old to start up a new security blanket/night light habit; we should really make an effort to become desensitized to this sort of thing.
>>
No. 195962 ID: c4c313

Give the kid a break she's 12
>>
No. 196137 ID: f95872

>>195905
We don't want to block our own spirit outside of where we are, though.

>>195940
Creating an actual useful protection while we sleep would not be a bad thing to habitually do.
>>
No. 196154 ID: c00244

>>196137
True. That said, I'd be more inclined to come up with a way to be protected at all times; some sort of warding, nondetection, or warning amulet might do the trick. Then we can just wear it while we sleep.

Or perhaps we could create a deployable magical circle, on cloth or another easily transportable substance, that we could carry around with us and lay out conveniently instead of needing to constantly make new protections.

We definitely need a greater knowledge of ritualism before attempting either of those or other regular protective measures, though.
>>
No. 196830 ID: 426169
File 127715032361.png - (93.58KB , 800x600 , 472.png )
196830

... not... gonna... fall.... aslee-

Huh?

>>
No. 196836 ID: c4c313

Whisper to Mulder "Is it still there?"

chances are no, it can only manifest at night, but just to be sure.
>>
No. 196839 ID: 426169
File 127715070942.png - (100.77KB , 800x600 , 473.png )
196839

"Psst... Is it still there?"

Silence.

Usually I can't get him to shut up.

Something's wrong.

>>
No. 196843 ID: a594b9

>>196839
Mulder is probably hanging with the Jester. The Jester was lonely, Mulder didn't like being in the cage, and he could see him.
>>
No. 196854 ID: 426169
File 127715200330.png - (117.92KB , 800x600 , 474.png )
196854

Yeah... I'm sure he's fine. I guess dad's already up. It's like half past ten or something.

So... What should I do today?

I've got to find myself a master soonish, maybe Gareth can help with that. Although I'm pretty worried about mom. Shouldn't there be some news by now? I mean, things have been a little too quiet. Should I be worried?

There's also the whole Seer nonesense. First blood... C'mon, Tiff, think.

>>
No. 196855 ID: a594b9

>>196854
Wait. Those are feathers stuck to the cage. That's not a willful escape.
>>
No. 196891 ID: c4c313

>>196855

Dammit Mulder you are a zombie you don't even molt.

More importantly this "Jester" has enough power to rip open a bird cage without using its door. TIME TO GET AN ADULT RIGHT NOW
>>
No. 196892 ID: c4c313

I have an idea for what first blood is. Uh... though technically it isn't blood, but... you remember in the movie theater?

Alternatively you might want to cut yourself and store the blood in a vial, just in case the first time you get wounded is something others could exploit.

The harrowing part was more obvious. The seer thinks Alexander is going to do whatever the hell he wants to do, and in doing so will break the compact and destroy the barrier between life and death. "The Harrowing" is something that creature mentioned, before the compact was made so "the dead will be harrowed" is a pretty natural conclusion if the compact is broken.
>>
No. 196903 ID: 701a19

>>196854
I've said this half a dozen times.
THOMAS SAID BOTH FAMILIES HAVE A COMMON ANCESTOR.
You are the first blood, and also possibly the dark child.
>>
No. 196906 ID: 40cb26

>>196903
This. Remember in animals purebreds are genetically weaker, mixing the bloodlines of both sides must be what made your mom and you so powerful. As far as "dark child" that probably means you as well, but what darkness means can be lots of things... simply that you started with necromancy, or that your arrival coincides with Alexander's return. But more likely it's about your involvement whatever with the prophesied events were. Which is a damn good reason to figure out what they mean.


Also, Mulder got out of his cage. Hopefully he just really had to go get his pimp on, but it could be trouble. Ask if Jester is there, have him grab a feather a move it indicate where Mulder went.
>>
No. 196914 ID: a594b9

...so anyway, go tell a powerful mage about the Jester and how it kidnapped your familiar. Or anyone, really.
>>
No. 196940 ID: 426169
File 127716241613.png - (161.98KB , 800x600 , 475.png )
196940

First blood... Maybe it's the original bloodline or something? I mean, me and mom have both Kinsley and Rothwald blood, maybe that's why we're special? No wait... Don't the haftsusha follow family lines? Shouldn't we have either a Kinsley or a Rothwald spirit? I've got to give this some more thought. Ok, where's that damn bird?

Damnit, there's no sign of Mulder. Just some feathers, broken cage, sans bird. Did Jester take him somewhere? Here's to hoping he's all right. I've got to tell someone about Jester. Who? Gareth? Duncan? Joyce? Dad?

Gareth and Dad were downstairs, Gareth was chilling, Dad was just leaving with some cleaning supplies.


"Morning."

>"Sup, Tiff."

>"Hey, sleepyhead. Me and the kid've been up for hours already. The house they're letting us live in is in a bit of a state, so I figured I'd give it a once-over before we brought our stuff over. Wanna come give me a hand?"

>"I was wondering if I could borrow Tiff for a bit, mister Blake. Give her a tour of the castle and take her to see some people, maybe show her around the island a bit."

>"Can it wait? It's a big house. If it's important, I guess I can handle it myself."
>>
No. 196946 ID: e3f578

>First blood... Maybe it's the original bloodline or something? I mean, me and mom have both Kinsley and Rothwald blood, maybe that's why we're special? No wait... Don't the haftsusha follow family lines? Shouldn't we have either a Kinsley or a Rothwald spirit? I've got to give this some more thought.

You're a muthafucking Blake, the best clan in history.
>>
No. 196947 ID: c4c313

>>196940

Yes, you don't want to leave Jester hanging like that. Go find Duncan he seems relatively nonviolent and knowledgeable. Ask him if he has heard of anyone named Benezét, and what he knows about the man. Depending on his reaction you can tell him about the Jester. Depending on his reaction then, you can tell him that Mulder is missing. If Duncan doesn't give any leads, at least tell Gareth that Mulder got birdnapped, though I doubt he'll know anything that specific about clan history. But quite possibly the Jester was lying about not having been active, and Gareth has heard about the miserable git.

Also awww dad's wearing a kerchief!
>>
No. 196949 ID: a594b9

>>196940
Yes, they follow family lines. The family line got split, and so the haftsushas got split too. What if there was a haftsusha that didn't want to get split, and only came back when the family tree was reunited? ...meh, seems a little far-fetched.

Hey, Grampa said that if something happened to your familiar you'd know. So, Mulder is still alive, but Jester is probably still holding him against his will so I doubt he's happy. He might not be getting any food.

I'd say... Just tell them both. Mulder's missing, and some spirit called Jester was in your room last night and was probably the one responsible for breaking his cage and carting him off.
>>
No. 202289 ID: afa95b
File 127810557435.png - (122.01KB , 800x600 , 476.png )
202289

"Look, Mulder's gone missing. There was this spirit in my room last night, called himself Jester. I think he had something to do with it."

>"Spirit huh? Doesn't ring any bells, but oughta be harmless as long as it was bound. It was bound, right?"

"Had a chain on him, so... Yeah?"

>"Yeah that'd be it. Hakun's your man when it comes to dealing with this sorta stuff. Don't know much meself."

>"Think we should go look for him?"

>"Well, I wouldn't know where to start looking. Any ideas, Tiff? or should we go see Hakun first?"
>>
No. 202326 ID: c4c313

Don't uh... unless you really want to do chores with dad, take Gareth up on his offer. He's kind of cute for a pasty white English boy. When you get a moment alone try and slip his hood off.
>>
No. 202329 ID: 701a19

>>202289
"Do you know anybody who has skill with scrying? They might be able to tell me where he is."
>>
No. 202331 ID: 49cab2

FEATHER! POSTCOG! SEE WHAT HE SAW!
>>
No. 202337 ID: 1e9d01

>>202331
Come to think of it we *should* probably just use postcog on a feather... Then we could tell if we need to actually worry about Mulder.
>>
No. 204064 ID: a513df

>>202331
>>202337

This is a good idea, either that or the cadge itself.
>>
No. 204173 ID: c00244

>>204064
Curse you for bringing me fleeting hope that this thread was actually alive again, a513df. Curse you.
>>
No. 206828 ID: 426169

Things have been a wee bit hectic for me, haven't really had a chance to settle down with a tablet since... forever.

I finally got home today, so hopefully I'll be able to update tonight (in, say, four hours from now). Right now we're experiencing the worst heat-wave since I can't even remember, and it's killing me. Hopefully I'll be re-hydrated by the promised deadline.

Sorry for being quiet for so long, be right back.
>>
No. 206831 ID: 5ba843

another vote for postcog
>>
No. 206876 ID: c4c313

>>206828

Good luck Tiffany I mean author.
>>
No. 206917 ID: 426169
File 127896991047.png - (98.34KB , 800x600 , 477.png )
206917

"Actually... I'm going to go and try to see what actually happened."

>"Aight. We'll wait here."

Tiffany returns to her room, picking up one the feathers. It feels smooth in her hand.

Tiffany attempts to pull back the curtains of time as she did before. Sounds. Voices. Strange smells and images flooded her mind, half-remembered conversations, people passing by, staying a night, sometimes two, quiet echoes from the past. Forgotten ghosts. Fragments of time long gone.

Tiffany feels confused and a little frightened. It wasn't like this before. It was easier, somehow. Suddenly she feels the gentle weight of the feather, and finds a trickle of memories from Mulder. So faint, so... wait. There's something else here. Something old. The smell of old parchment, of candles and brimstone, blood and incense, soil and old bones. It feels... dangerous.

Which trail should I follow?

>>
No. 206921 ID: a594b9

>>206917
It was easier because of the moon phase before. It could also be due to Mulder being your familiar and thus it's almost like trying to postcog yourself.

Follow Mulder's memories. Remember the last time you tried to spy on someone... you could get detected again.
>>
No. 206922 ID: 701a19

>>206917
Dangerous is a good place to start looking, but get back to Gareth and your dad first. If something goes wrong you want a more experienced mage on staff.
>>
No. 206924 ID: c00244

>>206917
Follow Mulder's trail. You can investigate the other one later, if that doesn't work; start out safe before getting dangerous.
>>
No. 206933 ID: 40cb26

>>206917
The other is probably the Jesters story,. It is likely important, but not urgent. Unless you feel that trail would go cold if you don't look into it now, follow Mulder's scent.
>>
No. 206935 ID: 426169
File 127897335887.png - (299.25KB , 800x600 , 478.png )
206935

Damnit, I can't afford to get sidetracked. Not now.

Tiffany ignores the older trail, focusing instead on Mulder.

Jester. Jester was there. Only... then he wasn't. And Mulder started trashing around like crazy. He broke open the cage (How'd he do that? He's a freakin bird!), and hopped out of the window, rather clumsily.

>>
No. 206938 ID: d78b61

he was puppeted. luckily i doubt jester can do any true malignant actions.
>>
No. 206944 ID: a594b9

>>206935
Hmm, did Jester possess Mulder? Keep tracking him. See where he went.
>>
No. 206954 ID: c00244

>>206935
Based upon Mulder's eyes, I'd definitely say that he got possessed. Having a familiar that any random spirit can possess seems rather inconvenient. You'll have to look into ways of shielding him from that... and for shielding yourself, for that matter. For all you know, you're just as vulnerable.

Anyway, keep locked onto the vision. Try and follow it long enough to get a good guess at where Mulder is now.
>>
No. 214118 ID: bb78ac

we should talk to dad about this. Is this thread dead?
>>
No. 217129 ID: 426169
File 128147482375.png - (187.75KB , 800x900 , 479.png )
217129

He's heading towards the forest. To Jester's stone maybe? I'll try to keep up, maybe I'll get a more accurate destin-

At that moment, Tiffany felt a hand on her shoulder.


>Dad: "You all right there Tiff?"

"Oh. Damn. Yeah I'm all right, just trying to track Mulder. Looks like he towards the woods."

>Gareth: "We'll find him, the woods ain't that big... You know, this is starting to ring a bell. I gotta check something. I'll meet you at the crossroads, near the castle. You know the place."

Before Tiffany could object, Gareth darted out the door. Dad looked after him, hands folded.

>"Well he was in a hurry. You want me to come with you?"
>>
No. 217143 ID: 698a22

>>217129
May as well.
>>
No. 217162 ID: 426169
File 128147943419.png - (182.46KB , 800x900 , 480.png )
217162

"That'd be great, dad. C'mon, let's get moving."

Shortly afterwards Tiffany and Dad arrive at the crossroads. There is no sign of Gareth, only the white gravel path. A single tall stone stands nearby.

>"Let's hope Gareth doesn't make us wait too long."

"Yeah."

>"..."

"..."

>"So... Uh. How're you holding up?"

"Fine, dad."

>"S'good, s'good."

Well this is comfortable.

>"You know, it'd be all right even if you weren't, I mean, it's ok to be scared or worried or..."

"Yeah dad."

>"I mean, you don't always need to be all independent and grown up and what's this? A necromantic construct?"

Huh?
>>
No. 217163 ID: a594b9

>>217162
...oh for crying out loud, is that really your dad?
>>
No. 217165 ID: 40cb26

>>217162
I think your dad just got possessed. From what it's saying I think it's talking about Mulder. But it doesn't know about him already and seems to never have heard of a necromantic familiar. I can't quite figure out how or who that would be though. Demand it's identity and an explanation.
>>
No. 217176 ID: 426169
File 128148588742.png - (226.97KB , 800x900 , 481.png )
217176

"You all right there, dad?"

>"Yeah, why wouldn't I Ah, so your master is listening? Well, little crow, let's see if we can flush him out."

What?
>>
No. 217177 ID: 426169
File 128148590960.gif - (101.97KB , 800x900 , 482.gif )
217177

>>
No. 217178 ID: e3f578

I think Mulder just died or got hurt really bad :(
>>
No. 217180 ID: 805b7e

if he is dead then hopefully he is easy to put back together as he was dead once before already.
>>
No. 217181 ID: c00244

>>217177
Oh, hell. Gather your will, keep yourself together, and figure out what the hell just happened. Was Mulder hurt? Did someone strike at you through him? If he's still alive, try to focus your mind and find out where the hell he is- it's clear that you won't be safe until he's back in your grasp.
>>
No. 217183 ID: c4c313

Possessed or not, Mulder just ran into a person or thing that decided to mess with you instead of just asking politely. I don't know why this thing wants to flush you out though or why you're hearing your dad saying that stuff. I mean, finding a necromantic construct on a fucking magical isle isn't what I would call a huge surprise, or an emergency of any sort.

Well, flush back! Try to get the face of the guy attacking you! He's going through Mulder's connection to you, so you should be more familiar with that, and more well adapted to use it. It was designed for and by you after all.
>>
No. 217190 ID: 620bfb

Well shit, the bird may need repairs.
>>
No. 217196 ID: 40cb26

>>217176
Tell the voice you'll be there soon, just wait. Let your dad know what is up, that something is speaking and listening and to wait for her there. Don't say anything about meeting anyone, you don't want to tip it off that help may be coming. Your dad should get that he needs to let Gareth know what is happening, he'll have a better idea on what to do from there.
>>
No. 222190 ID: 426169
File 128276925483.png - (222.64KB , 800x900 , 483.png )
222190

Tiffany suddenly falls to her knees, clutching her chest.

"Are you hurt? What happened?"

>"I'm all right. We need to get to the forest. I don't think I can walk, you'll have to carry me."

"What about Gareth and that other guy? Shouldn't we wait for them?"

>"We don't have time. Mulder's hurt."

"What's gonna happen if he gets killed?"

>"I don't know. C'mon pick me up. I know where to go."

"But-"

>"Not now dad!"

Goddamnit.
>>
No. 222201 ID: f35afd

What the fuck, man! Pick her up!

We don't know what the fuck is going on, so uh, be ready!
>>
No. 222204 ID: 426169
File 128277317645.png - (284.21KB , 800x900 , 484.png )
222204

Dad picked Tiffany up and ran towards the forest, urged on by his daughter. Soon they were engulfed in the green thickets, Tiffany occasionally pointing a direction.

"It's getting kinda dark in here. How can it be this dark? It's friggin midday, man. What is that, mist?"

>"We're getting close. Dad, I need you to stay out of this. Trust me."

"No way. What kinda man would I be if I-"

>"Just... Promise you won't get in the way."
>>
No. 222205 ID: f35afd

You realize that if there's some gawdawful magic shit going on, you're basically a liability, right? That being said, you have to look for opportunities to help despite agreeing to stay out of the way.
>>
No. 222206 ID: d677cc

>>222204
I mean, it's probably best if she's calling the shots, here.
>>
No. 222213 ID: a594b9

>>222204
Tell Tiffany that she just needs to say the word and you'll do whatever you can to help.
>>
No. 222220 ID: 716eb0

-->
>>
No. 222223 ID: 426169
File 128277942124.gif - (400.81KB , 1400x900 , 485.gif )
222223

>"... Ok. You take the lead, just say the word if shit hits the fan, all right?"

Tiffany nods her head as the pair reach the edge of a valley shrouded in darkness. The air is colder here, and thick with the sense of immense power. Tiffany can feel the hair in the back of her neck stand up as waves of fear and exhilaration wash over her.

There is great power here.
And great danger.

>>
No. 222231 ID: 426169
File 128278198397.png - (314.43KB , 900x1400 , 486.png )
222231

Dad walks down the valley Tiffany in his arms. Pieces of bones litter the valley floor. The gut-wrenching pain seems to subside a little as they approach the centre of the valley. A large, carved stone looms above, leaning heavily to one side.

Suddenly Tiffany spots a white shape within the fog. Jester, she's sure of it. It seems to be quietly weeping.

>>
No. 222233 ID: 117dce

Basically be all like "Where's my crow bitch?"
>>
No. 222248 ID: 426169
File 128278572856.png - (455.07KB , 900x1400 , 487.png )
222248

"Where's my crow, bitch?"

Jester continues to sob.

>"Ah, the necromancer is here."

>"HELP ME, BOSS!"

A dark, shrouded figure rises up from behind the stone, holding Mulder in it's skeletal grip.

>[b]"A... A Kinsley necromancer? Is it true? Are you of the source? A master of the Weave?"[/i]
>>
No. 222249 ID: 117dce

Ask that dickhole what the fuck is he talking about and also tell him to give you your fucking crow back.
>>
No. 222252 ID: 716eb0

What? no. I'm a Blake and a school girl. Now let my undead crow go.
>>
No. 222254 ID: a594b9

>>222248
Maybe you can take the chain away from him. Steal Jester.

Also tell him you are the Darkchild. Use that prophecy bullshit to be really vague and intimidating.
>>
No. 222259 ID: 2c53c2

>>222252
Do not say this. You're on the Kinsley isle; it's a damned good bet that everything here is pro-Kinsley. Do not claim any other name.

>>222249
As tempting as it is to be rude, our mage-dar says that there is great power here. We're nowhere near awesome enough to be this vulgar.

>>222254
Also tempting, but as we understand basically fuck-all about the prophecy, that might be an unwise gamble.

>>222248
I would be polite but confident and firm. Apply your excess of spine to the situation, and inform him that you are Tiffany Kinsley, indeed a necromancer, and that you would like your familiar returned to you. Immediately.
>>
No. 222261 ID: 97cb33

>>222259
yes.
>>
No. 222272 ID: 426169
File 128279210432.png - (298.72KB , 900x1200 , 488.png )
222272

Tiffany briefly considers trying to free Jester, but success seems too improbable. She opts for honest diplomacy.

"I am Tiffany Kinsley, and yes, I am a necromancer."

>"I smell death upon you, Kinsley. You have been at the Threshold, you have touched the Weave and lived. I felt your presence then, and I have found you now. I have waited so long for one such as you, young Kinsley. Without your presence I could not have returned to this world, you have my thanks."

"Umm, you're welcome I guess. Could you return my familiar to me?"

>"Ah, you care for the petty construct? ... Before release him, I would offer you a deal."[/g]

"Shoot."

>[b]"My presence in your world is fleeting. I wish to extend my stay, and you have the means to do it. If you agree, I will be your willing slave until you see fit to release me. My powers are considerable, and my servitude is worth far more than what I would ask of you."


"What's the catch?"

>"I must consume the life and soul fragment within your construct. I would make a far more fitting servant for one such as you."

"Mulder would die?"

>"Yes. You would be unharmed."

"..."

>"C'mon boss, you can't seriously be considering this."

>"So, young necromancer, what do you say?"




The vote will run for a day or so, it's a big decision. If you want, you can have Tiffany ask additional questions, which will get answered when I have time.
>>
No. 222275 ID: 3234dd

Don't be a pussy. This guy seems legit.
>>
No. 222281 ID: 5a2e05

Mulder is your familiar and as such he is a part of you. I'm gonna go with no, stick with the bird. Useless or not.
>>
No. 222284 ID: d677cc

"I don't mean to offend you, but I really am rather attached to Mulder."
>>
No. 222288 ID: e67080

Who and what are you? why does my presence allow you to exist now? what sort of strengths do you offer? What is your history/

As a placeholder vote: new guy, Mulder has been somewhat useful, but hes also a moron and rather unloyal.
>>
No. 222291 ID: 2c53c2

>>222272
Questions first, and then our decision.

As we have given this guy our name, ask for his.

Ask how we can verify that his words are true; obviously, we won't be able to verify that either, but I'd like to see what he says.

Ask what powers and knowledge he would put at our disposal, should we accept his deal.

Ask what he is, and how he came to be in his current state.

Ask him to describe his history with the Kinsley clan.

With this information gained, try to determine if many other clan members would immediately recognize who/what he is and potentially reject us for it. We cannot have a servant which would jeopardize our standing in the family, which is already fragile enough.

Mulder has a fragment of our soul in him. I can't recall what part of the soul, or the metaphysical details involved, at the moment. My concern is this: If this guy consumes it, will our soul be lessened permanently? Breaking off part of it and putting it in something we'll keep around is one thing; actually having it eaten is another.


With all those questions answered... really, I'd want to upgrade from Mulder, if this opportunity isn't booby-trapped. Mulder's not really doing much for us. Farewell, birdie; ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
>>
No. 222292 ID: 97cb33

no, taking his deal would be the start of a slippery slope. one where power maters more then kindness.
>>
No. 222296 ID: 2c53c2

>>222292
Look... we made Mulder out of a corpse and some magic. His very soul is nothing more than an extension of ours. Sure, he talks and moves around independently, but he's really just more of us, even though we reference him as a separate entity. The portion of his personality that didn't come from us, that which was attracted to him upon his naming, is as far as I know not at stake here- my vague impression is that that part isn't what people (and hungry spirits) normally deal with.

So essentially this is like the opportunity to chop off one's hand for a more awesome hand graft. Creepy as hell, yes; most people are quite fond of their hands. (Heck, I felt a little depressed when I had a birth mole removed, just because it was familiar and had been with me all my life.) Morally objectionable or unkind, not really. And we do have a great need for power.
>>
No. 222344 ID: 45be60

>>222292

Indeed. The rule of thumb for people who are not already evil is DON'T DO STUFF THAT SOUNDS EVIL.

Also, this basically amounts to giving some dude who we just met 5 SECONDS AGO part of our soul. Isn't this raising some red flags?
>>
No. 222350 ID: 63ab82

Find out more about him, but until then, the answer is hell no.
>>
No. 222352 ID: 46c430

>>222291
>>222344
Have to agree with these guys. This ain't sounding like a good idea. Answer no.
>>
No. 222355 ID: 701a19

>>222272
"Mulder is not for you. However, if you release him you'll have a chance to convince me to give you a different bit of soul - I'll not negotiate while he's held hostage."
>>
No. 222413 ID: 426169
File 128284313788.png - (217.00KB , 800x900 , 489.png )
222413

"Look, I don't want to offend you, but I'm really rather attached to Mulder."

>"None taken. My offer is made without malice."

"Could I ask you a few questions first?"

>"A reasonable request. Your wish is granted, young Kinsley."

"Who are you, exactly?"

>"Who I am is a question that cannot be answered. What I am is more relevant. Your clan would call me a greater daemon of the Cimmerian Hollows, of the Outside."

"I don't really know what that means. Why's my presence significant to you? How did you come here?"

>"Your brief fight with the Hound of the Underworld disturbed the Weave, enough to draw my attention. You should really be more careful when controlling the Threshold. Not all outsiders make pleasant dinner guests."

"How did you end up here, specifically?"

>"Oh there was a certain amount of drifting involved. This Marker was conveniently left untended. I even found some old bones for a body, and a cheerful little puppet to do some legwork." The creature happily jingles the ghastly chains. "But that's neither here nor there. What's important is that you and I have reached the same place, at the same time."

"I see... What's your history with the Kinsleys?"

>"I have had the opportunity to serve a few, even before you called yourselves Kinsleys. Not so much recently, I'm afraid. Perhaps they no longer feel they have a need for my services."

"What kinda services are we talking about here? What kind of powers do you have?"

>"I have served as a soldier in your petty little wars. I have laid waste to cities, armies have fallen before my onslaught. On your orders, I would tear apart everyone who stood in your way. I would rend their defenses asunder and feast upon their flesh. Should you accept, that is."

"... Huh. That's.... interesting."

>"Isn't it?"

"Anyway, what exactly would happen to that soul fragment?"

>"Boss, you can't b-grrrk."

>"Be quiet, little crow. It would become a part of me. As long as you remained alive, I would be anchored to your world. It would not be harmed. It would enable us to share thoughts, much like you can do with your little construct here. It would not compel me to obey, but your safety would be in my self-interest."

"I gotta admit, I'm kinda concerned about what the clan would think about you. Would they object to your presence?"

>"I do not know. They have not called upon me in quite some time. If it is an issue, I am quite good at avoiding detection. I'm confident that I could assume the form of your little construct and not even the elders could tell the difference. After all, they haven't found me yet."

"Look, this is all well and good, but honestly, how could I tell if you're telling me the truth?"

>"I would not dream of underestimating you that badly, young necromancer. To lie to one who has stared down the Hound? As it happens, I have no need to attempt to deceive you. Everything I have told you is true. Where you place your trust is your business, and I will respect that. Do you wish to ask anything further, or are you ready to give your answer?"





The voting will continue for a few hours more, if you wish to change your vote just post again. Mentioning that you're changing your vote would be a plus.
>>
No. 222421 ID: 3234dd

Not changing my vote. You know who was a Cimmerian? Conan the barbarian. Conan the fucking barbarian. Plus this demon guy's at least 2500 years old so he'd probably have way more information than Mulder. Mulder was a good first try for a familiar, but as this guy demonstrated, Mulder's an extreme liability as anyone could just possess him send him flying off into the woods, and there have direct access to your soul without you even knowing about it.
>>
No. 222423 ID: 40cb26

>>222413
"You have great power against the living, but my concern is with a powerful undead threat, and freeing one possessed by it. What can you do against a lord of death, would you really help to prevent the Harrowing?"

Also, see if there isn't some other possible arrangement then him being your new overpowered familiar. Some other way to bind him to service. I don't suppose the Kinsleys have many other necromancers? Or maybe that summoner could do well by it.
>>
No. 222424 ID: e3f578

I would like to know if he has any information on your grandfather and a way to rip him away from your mother's body without hurting your mother herself.
>>
No. 222453 ID: f7b0aa

>>222413
What if... we could somehow split our soul once more into another dead thing... I dunno...

Or if Mulder could be saved (as in... he becomes part of the new construct, and can be called out at will. A fragment of the whole...)

Realistically, the decision is Power/Strength/Risk of the clan getting very pissed vs. Scouting/Old Friendship/Trust and shared experience.
As a Necromancer, you will have to take power over friendship. Your profession is death. It ain't a great thing, but you have to deal with it. Mulder is too weak for any use against Alexander. Alexander, as you can see, has a daemon on his side. You probably could use one too...

I liked Mulder, I really did... But as has been clearly demonstrated, he can easily be obtained... And therefore your own soul is exposed to meddeling

Now here's where it gets tricky.
Mulder's soul is as strong as your own. He can be quite powerful with enough training. The potential is there... I'm sure of it. We oughta look into if we can empower our current Familiar.

Let the Daemon know that you cannot take him... but if he could instruct you in his summoning, you may be able to do something about it.
All you need is his true name or something. Quite obviously, if there's a circular language and a spoken language for casting, there are true names.

Conclusion: Vote is Mulder.
See if you can obtain information on his summoning.

Good luck.
>>
No. 222454 ID: 97cb33

still votan mulder.
>>
No. 222455 ID: 46c430

Power over friendship? Isn't that exactly what our grandfather -wants- us to believe in? When the evil heretical necromancer approves of a particular path, it's a good bet that it's -not- the right one to choose!
>>
No. 222484 ID: 2c53c2

>>222413
Based upon this, my vote is solidly to replace Mulder.

That assumes a two-option situation, however. As a further alternative, I would support tearing off a second bit of our soul and giving it to this guy. That should suffice to keep him around without killing Mulder, should it not? And then we'd have two servants- two being, after all, better than one.

He can probably help us to facilitate that if we ask. Or we can easily call up another nasty whatsit and have it chomp our soul hand off again, then feed that to him. We know the diagrams and chants to do so.
>>
No. 222489 ID: a594b9

hmmm... no, let's not. There's some reason why the Kinsleys aren't summoning this guy anymore. ALSO, we could just summon him ourselves at some point. Then there's the fact that we can just go research him a little and come back later with more information. Surely he's got at least a few hours left of time on this world.

Plus, he won't be under our full control. What if Alexander gives him a better deal? Like say, tying his existence to himself instead of vulnerable little Tiffany? This is a deal to exchange a friend for quick, unreliable power with the added stigma that the Kinsleys probably won't approve of our actions.

Let's just work on getting stronger on our own. Stand on our own merit instead of taking shortcuts by making deals with demons.
>>
No. 222491 ID: 63ab82

My concerns are:
a) can he beat undeads?
b) disaobey us at will.... that will have consequences. E.g. he go on a rampage and the only way to stop him is to kill ourselves. We need to ask him about his outlook on killing -- does he enjoy it? Does he find it necessary? What skill in negotiation does he have? Being a powerful being, he can use his prestige to get everything by talking alone. Can we ask him to wait for a bit? For us to consider this decision? We can go research in the library about his past.

Also. if we start giving away our friends to gain power, who would trust us?

As well, ask what daddy thinks.
>>
No. 222492 ID: 63ab82

Oh, and also, post-cog him when we can.
>>
No. 222510 ID: a70435

"Can I instead give you another piece of my soul?"

If yes, then my vote is to do that instead. If no, then we stick with Mulder.
>>
No. 222519 ID: a594b9

I support using a second piece of our soul to get his help, if that's possible, and not terribly detrimental.
>>
No. 222520 ID: 426169
File 128287507233.png - (242.98KB , 800x900 , 490.png )
222520

"Look, I'm sorry, but I really can't give Mulder up. He's a good and loyal friend. I just can't trade him away like a piece of meat."

>"*cough cough* Thanks boss."

>"I see. I am disappointed to hear that."

"Maybe we could work out some other kinda deal, though? I could definitely use your help."

The creature was silent for a moment.

>"There is indeed another way for me to continue my existence on your world. I could kill you both and devour your flesh and find more flesh to eat before my time runs out. Why not just do that instead?"

"Oh come on. If that's what you were planning, why make the first offer?"

The creature stands silent for another moment.

>"Misplaced gratitude, perhaps? True, a soul-link to a living person would be preferable to being reduced to a mere predator, but I find myself disinclined to tarry. My time grows short and the petty spiritmonger approaches."

"Spiritmonger? You mean Hakun?"

>"Yes. He would undoubtedly stick his nose where it does not belong."

"How about this: You let my familiar go, I get rid of Hakun, then come back later to do that soul-link thing. I'm pretty sure I know how to do that."

>"That is not entirely unreasonable. However, you'll forgive me for not taking your word for it. You mortals have a history of seeking to enslave and abuse my kind. You might simply run to the foolish little slavemaster and seek to force me into servitude. I still remember what happened to my kin at the hands of your ancestors. If you wish this deal, I WILL have collateral."

"Umm, what did you have in mind?"

The creature turns his pale stare towards Dad, who stands nearby eyes wild with shock.

>"If you wish this deal, that one will stay with me."
>>
No. 222523 ID: e67080

hes not legit? he hasn't exactly tried to kill us in rage yet, despite the prospect of being 'redeathed' we just thrust upon him.

He hasn't broken our trust yet, if we intend to do this, lets just be sure to keep our word. Besides, worst comes to worst... I don't see why we can't just make another familiar? im pretty sure there isn't a restriction besides the strength of the soul of the maker.
>>
No. 222524 ID: 3234dd

Gosh I like this guy. Stop being such a spoil sport, Mulder! You are already dead why do you have a self preservation instinct?
>>
No. 222527 ID: 97cb33

sounds for the best. but give him a warning that your dad had better be in perfect condition when you come back or bad things will happen.
>>
No. 222539 ID: a594b9

Hm... I actually like this deal. Let's take it. Tell dad not to worry, we'll make sure he gets through this unharmed.
>>
No. 222554 ID: 2c53c2

>>222520
First, it should be pointed out to him that for someone who is looking to avoid being enslaved and abused, wanting someone to betray her familiar and family at the first opportunity for more power is sort of illogical. The sort of person who would do that is exactly the type who'd try to enslave a demon if at all possible. But we are not that sort. We will keep our word, we will stand by our friends and family. And we will return and link our soul to his at the first opportunity we have to do so, collateral or not.

Ask him then to confirm that he requires Dad remain as a hostage, with the obvious understanding that he is setting the tone for your future relationship together with his response. Will he threaten and intimidate you into betraying friends and family, or not?

Hopefully this will get him to back down, in which case we should thank him, affirm our intent to return as soon as possible, and dash off to stop Hakun.

If he insists, then we have no choice but to leave Dad with him. Point out that it will be harder to persuade Hakun to leave without Dad with us, but we will manage. As long as Dad is being held, it will be the demon's responsibility to keep him safe, though. Turn to Dad, who at this point will likely be really shocked and feeling pretty bad about this, and give him a hug. Promise him quietly that we will see him safe, and be back soon.

Either way we quickly leave afterward, taking Mulder with us. If Hakun is coming and we're keeping him away from the demon, we'll need to move quickly.
>>
No. 222556 ID: d677cc

>>222554
All very good points.
>>
No. 222664 ID: 63ab82

>>222554

I suppose this is the best we can do.

Who is Harkun again?
>>
No. 222704 ID: 426169
File 128294162364.png - (205.29KB , 800x900 , 491.png )
222704

"All right. Dad, I need you to stay here for a little bit."

>"You're gonna give away a piece of your soul? Are you nuts?"

"Dad, I really need all the help I can get to beat Alexander. That's the only chance we've got to get mom back. You want mom back, right?"

>"I... Of course I do. Just... All right. If you think this is best."
>>
No. 222705 ID: 701a19

>>222704
This plan is dumb. This thing will kill your dad.
>>
No. 222723 ID: a594b9

>>222705
If we completely fuck up, maybe. Otherwise no; it said it doesn't want to become a predator just to stick around for a little longer and it could've killed us any time it wanted to if it was feeling spiteful.

Find Hakun. We should tell him... uh... Oh! He doesn't know we brought dad. Probably. We need to find out how he found this place- I mean, how does he know where to go? We were following Mulder's soul signal, so to speak. Whats Hakun tracking?
>>
No. 222725 ID: 2c53c2

>>222704
We didn't even give >>222554 a try? How disappointing. Even if it didn't work, I'd really have wanted to see what the demon would say.

>>222723
Our amulet? Our magical shine, which we are no longer suppressing? Maybe he's got a magical tracking device, or for all we know, we left a trail of some kind behind us.

>>222704
Unless we're willing to engage it in combat, we have to either lose Mulder or risk Dad. (Or try to be persuasive or clever, but the story seems to have avoided that option.) While losing Mulder would likely have been more practical, we're going for the long shot and gambling Dad in the hopes that they'll both make it out okay.
>>
No. 222733 ID: 426169
File 128295356111.png - (172.28KB , 800x900 , 492.png )
222733

"Look, do you really need my dad here as collateral? I'll be back either way, I promise."

>"So you say. I have heard such promises before. And I have seen them broken time and again. Your ancestors created the immortals, did they not? Some crimes can never be forgotten. I will have a soul fragment now, or you give me collateral. Those are your options. Choose. My patience wears thin."
>>
No. 222740 ID: a594b9

>>222733
Right, continue with the plan.
>>
No. 222760 ID: 3234dd

>>222733

God damn even my patience wears thin. What are you, a surly teenage girl? Get out of there and give Hakun what for!

...probably best to not tell dad that you already gave away a piece of your soul, for creating Mulder. <_<
>>
No. 222761 ID: d677cc

>>222733
Welp, here goes.
>>
No. 222763 ID: 2c53c2

>>222733
Way to sound not even remotely persuasive, Tiffany.

Well, whatever. You've got a job to do now; get to it.
>>
No. 222932 ID: 3e8d47

Derp. Sorry Dad.
>>
No. 223037 ID: 04b0cf

"Dad, it will be ok, I have a lot of soul, so to speak, I can afford to give off a little piece."

(To the daemon) "lay one finger on my dad, and I'll bring the whole clan down on your head."
>>
No. 223042 ID: 04b0cf

How strong are you really? What level of power am I dealing with? How would you fair against...let's say a Revenant.

You know, Undying,the Immortals, those guys?

(I know he probably can't match up to one, but I need to know by how much. Let's check the reaction.)
>>
No. 223082 ID: 426169
File 128303777640.gif - (108.67KB , 800x900 , 493.gif )
223082

Tiffany gives Dad's hand a quick squeeze.

"It'll be all right, I promise. Lotsa soul to go around."

Dad squeezes back without a word.

"Oh and if you lay one finger on him I'll bring the whole bloody clan down on you."

>"A fascinating threat. It might nearly be a fair fight. Your concerns are noted. Honour the agreement, and he will be unharmed. If I sense trickery or you fail to return by sundown, his entrails are mine."

Dad reluctantly approaches the creature. Mulder, now free, flies to Tiffany's shoulder.
>>
No. 223102 ID: 63ab82

Time to head off the the library. Of course, post cog him as soon as possible.
>>
No. 223115 ID: 426169
File 128304155299.png - (556.60KB , 800x900 , 494.png )
223115

Tiffany and Mulder emerge from the gloomy glade, and head out towards the crossroads. Hopefully they'll run across Gareth and Hakun before they become overly worried.

I'll have to come up with some good excuse for why Mulder's all beaten-


>"You were really considering it. Letting that thing eat me up."
>>
No. 223127 ID: 97cb33

"well you haven't exactly been the most loyal familiar out there. will give you the benefit of the doubt for getting possessed though.
but yeah, your willingness to do anything for anyone offering you eyeballs is the biggest thing."
>>
No. 223128 ID: 40cb26

>>223115
"Dismissing his offer out of hand could have gotten us all eaten up. Or worse. I'm not just going to give you up for any reason, but saving you from sacrifice just so you can be part of our collective slaughter isn't an improvement.

Still, I'm sorry I worried you and that you got hurt. When we get out of this alive I'll see about getting you all the eyeballs you can eat. I figure butchers must just throw the things away by the ton."
>>
No. 223130 ID: e67080

"Mulder, I was maybe considering it, in about the same way one considers some new shiny toy before going to what works for them. However, your literally a part of me, and I couldn't really think of getting rid of you, even if you can annoy me sometimes and overly willing to give someone what they want if they offer an eyeball. Hey, if I really wanted ya gone, you would now be part of some horrible skeleton thing... for now, your the best familiar I have. Plus as soon as I noticed you were gone, I came right out here to find you. When this headache is through, ill see about getting ya an eyeball."
>>
No. 223170 ID: 426169
File 128304789734.png - (131.33KB , 355x460 , 495.png )
223170

"Mulder, I was considering it in about the same way one considers some new shiny toy before going to what works for them. You are a part of me, and I couldn't even think of getting rid of you. Sure, sometimes you're a bit annoying and a little unreliable when it comes to eyeballs, but you're my friend. As soon as I noticed you were gone, I came right out here to find you. When this headache is through, I'll see about getting ya an eyeball."

>"Hmph. The only eyeball I believe in is one I can see."

"I bet butchers are throwing em away by the ton."
>>
No. 223173 ID: 426169
File 128304796934.png - (130.63KB , 355x460 , 496.png )
223173

>"... by the ton?"

"As much as you can eat."

>"Really?"

"Really."
>>
No. 223175 ID: 426169
File 128304870467.png - (298.77KB , 671x519 , 497.png )
223175

>♫"I'm gonna get an eeeye-ball~ I'm gonna get an eeeye-ball~"
>>
No. 223176 ID: a594b9

...like that one? Wait Mulder don't eat it just yet, we don't know who it belongs to.

Wave merrily at the scout, and try to ask it to lead you to its master.

We'll explain Mulder's injury by saying he got ambushed by a bobcat. Those fuckers are pretty fierce.
>>
No. 223185 ID: 40cb26

>>223176
Err, we're in Europe now. No bobcats. Better to blame some large bird of prey.
>>
No. 223186 ID: 97cb33

yeah, whisper to mulder that the story is he was attacked by a hawk or something.
>>
No. 223322 ID: 56dc25

It's a pretty sure bet that someone else can see- and maybe even hear or speak- through that runed eyeball. Be sure to be subtle enough to avoid its detection if/when speaking to Mulder.
>>
No. 223566 ID: 426169
File 128317694389.png - (331.91KB , 700x800 , 498.png )
223566

Before Mulder has a chance to snap at the floating eye, it zips out of reach and darts into the bushes. As the follow, Tiffany whispers to Mulder:
"Ok, you don't know what happened, you woke up here in the forest and was attacked by a hawk, all right?"

>"Err, but I wasn't attacked by a hawk."

"Arrrr... Just follow my lead."

>"Righto, boss."



The eye leads Tiffany towards a clearing near the edge of the forest. Two figures stand amidst the trees. One is Gareth, but Tiffany doesn't recognize the other. The pale man in purple extends his hand and pockets the floating eye, then gives Tiffany a cheerful wave.

>Gareth: "Whatto, Tiff! I was getting worried. Why didn't you wait for us? Sorry we took so long. Hakun couldn't find his shoes."

Hakun gives a nonchalant shrug.

>Hakun: "Nice to meet you, Tiffany dear!" he says while extending a hand.

Tiffany takes the offered hand and says: "Yeah, umm, nice to meet you. Sorry about running off, had to go rescue Mulder. He was getting mauled by a hawk or something."

>Hakun: "Oh I'm so sorry. Let's head out to my place and I'll fix him up."

"Okay I guess."

As they walk, Hakun prattles away happily.

>Hakun: "Oh it's a bit of a mess, this island. People've been putting up spells, taking em down, binding spirits, raising barriers, doing all kinds of mad stuff for centuries now. Trying to sort it all out is bloody impossible. There's always some spell or fragmented runes left-over from a hundred years ago, so it gets a bit trickier each year. We try to clear em out every now and again, did the last 'spring cleaning'" Oh god is he doing air-quotes? "in the eighties. There's a fair bit of half-feral spirits around, but I would've thought that Jester was still under decent spells. I guess I gotta do something about him, it's my responsibility after all. Sad case, really. His original binds are all tangled up with other spells used with that same stone, and I can't really banish him without undoing the whole bunch, and I don't dare do that by myself since I don't know what half of em do. I guess I could at least make sure he doesn't do stuff like this again for a while. Possessing a familiar? You'd think the binds would keep him from doing that. I better strengthen them today, to be on the safe side."
>>
No. 223574 ID: 40cb26

>>223566
Well that wouldn't be good, let's tell him that Mulder wasn't kidnapped, he just ran off with Jester because he asked him to. With Mulder and a Jester both conceivably bored enough to take off.

...Jester can't talk though, and we woulda noticed a scrawled out "hey lets go out". Nevermind if he actually goes there and sees what state the cage is in. Jester could have motioned for him to take off though.

How about this: Mulder saw some lady bird he wanted to pursue, Jester with his limited ability to touch things helped him unlatch the cage. One wild bird chase later it's early morning, Jester is not to be seen and a sleepy Mulder get attacked by a hawk of some sort.
>>
No. 223576 ID: ea2a3c

>>223574

How about we not talk further about the subject and stick to the truth as much as possible.
>>
No. 223582 ID: 40cb26

>>223576
We have keep Hakun away from Jesters stone, either we make a little lie to do that, or we trust him with the whole truth. And I don't particularly trust this guy to act in our best interests over his or the clans.

But if we did... we could ask him how to safely bind this dangerous thing to our service without losing our familiar, dad, mind or life. There is no deception in any of that, binding him was the deal after all.

I guess my real suggestion is this: Ask Gareth how much he trusts Hakun. If his support is total, let's tell him. If not, we keep him away from that stone however we can.
>>
No. 223583 ID: e3f578

He looks like the Joker from Batman. I don't trust him.
>>
No. 223593 ID: a594b9

>>223566
Tell him that Mulder wasn't possessed by Jester. ...or you could tell him that you took care of Jester's bindings already, so he doesn't need to worry. Hmmm... maybe that would spur him to check our work immediately (which would be WORSE)

You could say "Wait, you wanted to strengthen Jester's bindings? Uhhh, whoops! I kinda... released him. He ran off and said he'd visit me again later tonight."
>>
No. 223604 ID: 1e3bf0

>>223593
WOAH WOAH WOAH

We said that Mulder was attacked by a feral hawk.

He mentioned Jester taking over Mulder.

WE MUST MAKE THAT PACT. That said, we need to push that Mulder told you he was attacked by a hawk. Also, ask who Jester is.

And get to that library and find what you can do about giving a soul fragment.
>>
No. 223611 ID: 40cb26

>>223604
Naw, she said this:
>"Look, Mulder's gone missing. There was this spirit in my room last night, called himself Jester. I think he had something to do with it."

Possession can explain that, so can a bored familiar and a lonely spirit just taking off and screwing around.
>>
No. 223621 ID: 426169
File 128320097478.png - (145.43KB , 700x800 , 499.png )
223621

"I dunno about that possession thing, really. Mulder's been itching to cruise the town ever since we got here."

>Mulder: "Heh, yeah. Sorry for makin you guys worry. That ghost dude just let me out, 'sall."

>Hakun: "Oh? That's a relief. Still, I better fix you up a spirit ward while I'm at it. I'll check on Jester later. So how're you settling in, Tiffany dear?"

"Fine, fine. Everyone's really friendly 'nstuff..."

>Hakun: "Hehe, even old Stoneface? How is your father these days, Gareth?"

Hakun gives Gareth a playful jab, who tenses up.

>Hakun: "Ooh hey Gareth, did you hear? I'm getting a new neighbour!"

>Gareth: "I know, Hakun."

>Hakun: "I can't wait to meet him! Things are so serious and boring around here these days. We could use some new faces around here. Have you met him? Is he handsome?"

Gareth discreetly rubs his temple.

>Gareth: "Yeah so Tiff, you and your dad will be living next door to Hakun here."

>Hakun: "Oh I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. ... Welcome to the neighbourhood! Hey, we need to throw you a welcoming party! Say, tonight? Around seven?"

Gareth rolls his eyes.
>>
No. 223633 ID: 40cb26

>>223621
Let's delay that, we don't want to rush things today. If sundown is around or before seven that gives us less time to save dad, and we might have complications besides.

This should work:
"I was planning on doing a few more things around here, talk to some folk one on one you know? A party with all kinds of new people seems a little overwhelming still, can we do it tomorrow?"

Right now, discuss Jester to get him talking about summoning and familiars, and the subject of teaching. Try to learn something useful for tonight, but don't keep him jabbering till sundown!
>>
No. 223696 ID: 56dc25

>>223604
>WE MUST MAKE THAT PACT.
Why, exactly? The demon kidnapped our familiar, then said, "Hey, little girl, either feed me part of your soul or I'ma kill you." Sure, he said he'd work for us, but we have only his word on that- backed by his supposed respect for us, which is so great that he holds our family hostage to push us around. (Admittedly, Tiffany was about as persuasive as a rock convincing him not to, but that's neither here nor there.)

The demon seems damned powerful, but he will not be under our control and we do not fully understand the ramifications of either tearing off more of our soul, or of giving it to him. And he might be polite enough, but he's also a complete bastard who believes in using force and blackmail to force others to his will. If we're trying to take the moral path, why the FUCK would we want him?

And if we're not trying to take the moral path, the question stands- why do we trust him to do anything other than somehow stab us in the back? We were almost paralyzed with pain when he did nothing more than hurt our soul fragment's container, before. How much more of a hold will the demon gain over us if he has full control over one?


I believe that we need to get rid of Gareth, since he's far too much of his father's puppet to be trusted with this knowledge, and then get someone else to help us with this. If we take the stance that we were dragged in over our head very quickly and are desperately trying to find a safe out, we should- hopefully- be able to get a sympathetic ear. The demon can't be listening to everything we say, so we can at least try to get solid advice.

I admit that this plan isn't perfect, but compared to feeding part of our soul to a very powerful being with a hostile demeanor while knowing fuck-all about what we're getting into, I'd say that it wins hands down.
>>
No. 223768 ID: ea2a3c

>>223696

We have to do it because he's vulnerable and hurt and sticking his neck out for us, and the reason he's in this situation is our fault, because Tiffany kicked Death in the balls. The Cimmerian is our responsibility, and we've gotten in nothing but trouble waffling on it. Even if it's dangerous, we have to do the right thing.
>>
No. 223803 ID: 1e3bf0

Lessee... If we hadn't harassed death, this demon's existance would not have been known.

The reason the demon is holding Tiff's dad is that it is afraid of loosing its existence. Also realize that most necromancers are backstabbing arses.

What the demon did, based on its former knowledge of necromancers, was probably a practical move.

If the spirit was more malignant, He may not have given back Mulder... or even have threatened to kill Tiff's dad if Tiff didn't give him a soul shard.

The demon isn't that malignant, and hasn't gone full out. It has only made some practical safeguards to keep it from essentially dying.
We must give it a chance. We can always dis-spell it.
>>
No. 223936 ID: 56dc25

>Your brief fight with the Hound of the Underworld disturbed the Weave, enough to draw my attention.
>Without your presence I could not have returned to this world, you have my thanks.

>>223803
>>223768
Guys, look. The demon is not vulnerable or hurt or sticking his neck out for us. Tiffany is responsible for the demon being in the world the same way that you're responsible for someone coming into your house if you turn the lights on at night, and they notice and decide to drop by. Which is to say, NOT. We did something which could draw attention, but the demon CHOSE to come here. It wants to stay. It has walked into our house and informed us that it is going to hurt us and our family if we don't let it crash on our couch until we die and it has to leave.

It's not afraid of losing its existence or being bound, because it thinks that it can take on an entire clan of mages in a roughly even fight:
>"Oh and if you lay one finger on him I'll bring the whole bloody clan down on you."
>"A fascinating threat. It might nearly be a fair fight."

And it can leave at any time if things start going poorly for it; it just wants to stay here instead, and it's pushing us to get what it wants.

>If the spirit was more malignant, He may not have given back Mulder... or even have threatened to kill Tiff's dad if Tiff didn't give him a soul shard.
The spirit HAS threatened to kill Tiffany's dad if she doesn't give him a soul shard. That is, in fact, exactly the deal that we have apparently cut with it:
>If I sense trickery or you fail to return by sundown, his entrails are mine."

This is not a good deal, and this spirit is not a good or reasonable guy. He's bullying and blackmailing a small but powerful girl for his own advantage.

>We must give it a chance. We can always dis-spell it.
No, we don't have to give it a chance, and we won't always be able to dispel it. It gets its ethereal claws on our soul, and it will have us by the jugular. Forever. No turning back.

>Even if it's dangerous, we have to do the right thing.
I agree 100%. The right thing, in this case, is trying to rescue our dad, preferably without getting ourselves soul-bound to a creature of extreme power and unknown true motives who has already shown that it is remarkably easy to take advantage of us.

There's another 'right thing' to consider, too. We have already sold out once, guys. We swore ourselves to the Kinsley clan and were accepted as a member with all rights and responsibilities pertaining. Rights like help with massively powerful supernatural creatures that are threatening us and our family. Responsibilities like not stabbing the clan in the back by hiding major potential hostile beings on their own island from them.

Let's play this one above board, guys. There's more than enough secret bullshit in our lives. If you don't like Hakun, then let's go see Duncan again and ask him for help and advice. Or hell, even the hunter lady, or that councilwoman who seemed to like us. We do not have to tackle this problem alone, and it would be foolish to try.
>>
No. 223946 ID: ea2a3c

I just... I'd just like to have at least one super powerful being of the nether world not to hate our guts. You know, it might be nice? Besides there's something more important here going on than clan loyalties. You gave your word. Do you want people to think you go back on your word? Do you want monsters to think that?

It might be a good idea to tell Hakun, but on the other hand he might very well decide that you and your dad are acceptable casulties for bagging a blighter like that. If he does that you have to fight him to stop him from capturing the Cimmerian, because you told the monster you would protect it.
>>
No. 224025 ID: 56dc25

>>223946
We might not have explicitly given our word to be loyal to the clan, but it was damned well implied. Our word to the monster does not take precedence. Is our allegiance so cheap that one oath extracted under duress means that we throw it out the window?

But don't get me wrong here. I'm not against returning to the demon and keeping our word. What I am against is doing so while having told no one what's going on and what we're planning to do. We have already gotten burned very badly while trying to sneak off and secretly deal with powerful supernatural beings; why make the same mistake again? If nothing else, we need to learn exactly what a greater daemon of the Cimmerian Hollows is and if it was telling the truth about what would happen if we feed it part of our soul. We also need to know if we'd be breaking the Compact by making this deal, because we know fuck-all about the Compact. And Thomas begged us to preserve it as he lay dying, even if the seer's words make it seem unlikely that we'll be able to.

And yes, there is the risk that whomever we tell will decide that we don't know what we're doing and do something to get Dad killed... but we might get Dad killed anyway. I would gamble that Duncan would give us sound advice and not completely take matters out of our hands.
>>
No. 224046 ID: 426169
File 128326920428.png - (70.39KB , 800x600 , 500.png )
224046

"I'm a little busy today, and we're only barely settling in. How does tomorrow sound?"

>Hakun: "I suppose I could use an extra day to plan this properly. And get cake! Tomorrow it is!"

Oh man. I can't risk doing this blind. Who knows what'll happen if he gets a piece of my soul? Damnit. I'd be betraying the clan by helping an enemy right on their own damn isle... I need more info. I should tell someone, but what'll happen to dad? Would the clan care about him enough to try and save him?
... I guess I wouldn't be all that comfortable breaking my word, even to a monster. Damnit mom, why'd you drill that into my head? Argh. What if he could be trusted? He'd be a BIG help against Alexander. But... If I trust him and I'm wrong, I-


>Hakun: "So what do you think?"

"Huh?"

Tiffany realizes that they've walked all the way back to town, and are standing in front of an empty single-story detached house. She stares at it blankly.

>Hakun: "This is your new home! What do you think?"

"Coo'."

>Gareth: "Strange. Isn't your dad supposed to be cleaning the place up?"

"Ahh, I guess he's taking a break, or off to the store or something. Or the pub."

>Hakun: "A pity. I would've loved to meet him. And show you the place, but I think your father has all the keys."

>Gareth: "Yeah, I gave em to him."

>Hakun: "Oh well. I'll catch him later. So, let's go inside and patch up your familiar."

Hakun leads the group into the next house over. It's a rustic little cottage, decorated with various paintings and glassware. Once in the living room, Gareth walks over to a cabinet and retrieves some first-aid items, and begins to administer to Mulder's wounds. Hakun and Tiffany sit down nearby.

>Hakun: "So, what were you thinking so hard about out there? You were waaay to spaced out."

"Oh, umm, well... I got thinking about that whole possession thing and remembered something Alexander mentioned. Something about 'demons'" air-quotes don't fail me now "or something. Could you tell me about them?"

>Hakun: "Weeeeel, I guess... Oh that reminds me, I was asked to find out what kinda stuff Alexander taught you and correct any misinformation. Y'know, for safety's sake. But that can wait a couple of days, just don't go doing any of the ol' hocus pocus now haha."

"About the demons?"

>Hakun: "Oh right. Well the proper term is actually daemon. Well... Beyond the borders of our reality is a vast expanse of swirling chaos, filled with all manner of strange and nasty things. We call it the Outside. Now, it's not really a place, per se, a bit more like limbo actually. Now, a whole bunch of spirits live there. Well I say live but you know what I mean, they're not alive in a normal sense. Anyway, classifying spirits is a bit tricky, but we usually give a few defining features for each type. Phantasms for example are spirits that are capable of manifesting physically despite not having a corporeal form. Jester's one. Daemons are usually characterised by their insatiable urge to kill and inflict pain upon others. They're usually just mindless beasts, always extremely dangerous but manageable by the right precautions. For example, the blackguards at the castle, you know those black armour things, they're daemons bound to very specific orders. Of course, they were made before I was even born, so I couldn't say much more about them before hitting the books."

"Wait wait, you said they're dumb beasts. How dumb?"

>Hakun: "Animals, really."

>Mulder: "HEY."

>Hakun: "Oh hush. But yeah, it's rare to find one that can even form simple words. The blackguards don't actually speak, they just echo certain lines, expecting certain responses. Anyway, a young daemon is really weak and stupid. As they grow, they become stronger and smarter. I don't know if there's an actual limit to how strong and smart they can become, but they rarely make it past predatory cunning. Oh my. I'm such a poor host. Would you like some tea? Or cocoa? I think I've got some dry cake stored up somewhere. Be right back!"

Hakun dashes off to the kitchen. ... Oh man. This is bad. I've got to get help with this.

At a low voice: "Umm, Gareth... How much do you trust Hakun?"

>Gareth: "How much do you trust me?"

"Excuse me?"

>Gareth: "Look... I've seen hawk victims before. If these were made by a hawk, I'm a monkey's uncle."
>>
No. 224099 ID: a594b9

>>224046
>insatiable urge to kill and inflict pain

That doesn't match very well with the one we met... it seemed like it wanted to resolve the situation peacefully.

We should attempt to find out some of the proper rituals, so we can make the demon follow some standard guidelines of behavior. Obviously it won't let us enslave it or anything like that, but being able to set rules it can't break would be something it would probably agree to.
>>
No. 224107 ID: 97cb33

>>224099
make him swear not to tell anyone. when he does then explain to him what happened.
>>
No. 224108 ID: ea2a3c

It was a big... hawk that... squeezed and stuff! Shit you better tell him. He's probably just being abused by his father and not mind controlled by his father anyway. Just say that it might not have been a hawk, and it might have something to do with you giving old Azrael a boot wedgie, and your dad might be in danger of losing his entrails if this gets out of hand ogodhelppleaseIamnotgoodwithnecromancy
>>
No. 224112 ID: 40cb26

>>224046
You trusted him not to point out when you're lying to others. You would have told him right away, if not for Hakun being right there. Now then this is rather simple, can we trust Hakun the way we trusted Thomas? Because Mulder was hurt by a greater daemon of the Cimmerian Hollows, he wants to stay in this world so you either have to bind him to you or Dad and then probably everyone else is going to die.

...Maybe less details would be wise, if you think Hakun might pop in at any moment.

Anyways, if demons are mindless perhaps this one is being controlled by you grandpa, all in a plot to control you? Or not, maybe the "greater demons" are the sentient sorts. I'd really like if we can figure out how to properly bind this beast to us.
>>
No. 224120 ID: a7a85a

I still don't trust those weird little episodes Gareth was having earlier, but you're running out of options and friends fast. Confide in him and hopefully he can give you a yes on that second opinion from Hakun. He seems a good sort so far.

I wouldn't bet on the rest of the Kinsleys saving Dad. They'd more likely frag him in the process of hunting.
>>
No. 224145 ID: 426169
File 128329217153.png - (91.66KB , 800x600 , 501.png )
224145

"Look, I meant to tell you but there was this big daemon thing from Cimmeria and it took Mulder and now it has my dad and I'm supposed to go back by sunset and oh god I'm not good at this"

D:

>"I... You... What?"

"Don't tell anyone or it'll kill my dad."

>"But I-"

"Promise!"

>"Oh fucking hell this is barkin mad."

>Hakun: "Language, dear."

Gareth throws Hakun a quick glance that verifies that only a few swearwords were heard. He gives Tiffany an angry look, who replies by widening her eyes, begging Gareth to keep quiet. As Hakun fusses with the tea and cakes, Tiffany mouths "We'll talk later" across the table. Gareth begrudgingly keeps his mouth shut.

At first the trio sit quietly, each nurturing his or her cup of tea. A few moments of uncomfortable silence later Hakun speaks up.


>Hakun: "So, Tiffany, Gareth here tells me that your looking for a master to guide you into the world of the arcane~" [i] and continues with a spooky 'oooooh', ending with an embarrassed cough.
>Hakun: "*cough* Yeah, so have you asked around yet? Or even better, have you given any thought to your future? A life of careful study in the libraries, or maybe the wild adventures of the hunters? Eh?"
>>
No. 224150 ID: ea2a3c

Tell Hakun that you were thinking to use your unique talents of postcognition to right old wrongs that had been left unresolved. You probably shouldn't tell him that the specific wrong is the unnatural death of your brother and your mother's subsequent ghastly possession by your grandfather. I'm sure he can infer that himself.
>>
No. 224153 ID: a594b9

>>224145
Hmmm... I think we should be a hunter, honestly. Quiet study is booooring.
>>
No. 224161 ID: 1e3bf0

>>224153
... She's not even a teenager.
Quiet study will be safe...ish
don't forget how dangerous necromancy has proven to be even without adversaries.
>>
No. 224162 ID: 56dc25

>>224099
>That doesn't match very well with the one we met... it seemed like it wanted to resolve the situation peacefully.
Oh, it might match. When we asked it what it could do, it immediately talked about tearing people apart and feasting on their flesh, laying waste to cities, and other fun and violent things. If we extend what Hakun said, what we have here is a daemon that's grown so old that it developed intelligence, cunning, and subtlety as well as frightening levels of power.

>>224145
On the bright side: The Kinsleys have a bunch of daemons bound in the castle, so it can't be against the Compact to bind daemons. That's one big potential problem dodged, I'd say. Unless there's some sort of power cutoff, I suppose, but that's perhaps getting more paranoid than we need to be.

Anyway, for now, try to focus on the immediate conversation. Wild adventures seem to find you on their own, so a whole life of careful study is pretty much out... but at the same time, there's so very much to learn. Spending at least some time focusing on that instead of constantly being worried about zombies or wraiths or what have you could be nice. And help you know what you're facing when things go south.

Besides, other Kinsleys have a lot of background information on the arcane world that you don't have. You need to spend at least some time learning it.

>>224153
While it would greatly benefit Tiffany to specialize in fighting monsters, since Alexander has shown a great propensity towards their use, I seriously doubt that she's going to learn to be fluent in nxtsaa'u while studying under most hunters. A particularly knowledgeable hunter, perhaps, but the hunter on the table is Joyce, who did not exactly seem a font of arcane information. And we really need to learn nxtsaa'u, so that we can read our ancient doomtome.
>>
No. 224203 ID: 754124

Well, quiet study sounds much safer. But wild adventure sounds much more useful. The only possible difference is the nxtsaa'u problem. But a language can be learned from books and whatnot, in a primarily self-guided manner, (and it's not unlikely that the demon knows it anyway) whereas the practical skills are much more greatly advantaged by a knowledgeable teacher. At least, at the fairly low levels where we now reside. I don't know how advanced we must be before apprenticeship ends and we could study in conjunction with whomever we may obligate to aid us, but I imagine it'll be at a good time. These folks have had quite a while to perfect the process.
>>
No. 224433 ID: 426169
File 128332683883.png - (111.75KB , 300x600 , 502.png )
224433

"I'm still trying to figure that out. On one hand, there's so much that I don't know, I need to study, but I suspect I'll be needing hunter training, especially with the situation with Alexander. So... I don't know yet."

>Hakun: "I guess that's true. You're pretty clear-headed for someone your age. I know Gareth didn't give a damn about any of that stuff when he was younger."

>Gareth: "Yeah, yeah."

"Actually, I was wondering about something. What's the deal with 'daemon of such-and-such'?"

>Hakun: "Oh that. Basically they're regions of the Outside. That's a little bit inaccurate though, it's more like the region only exists because that's where a particular congregation of spirits lives. So, for example, a daemon of the Barbed Scion is from the congregation called the Barbed Scion."

"Have you heard of one called 'the Cimmerian Hollows'?"

>Hakun: "Can't say that I have. I thought I knew all the ones that're in use. You know, for summoning and stuff. I guess you could check the library, they have some extensive catalogues of known spirit congregations."

"I'll do that. I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

>Hakun: "Oh yes, I'll throw you SUCH a party! I hope you liked the tea!"

Once Tiffany, Gareth and Mulder are outside and away from earshot, Gareth comes to a halt and begins to tap his foot impatiently.
>>
No. 224443 ID: 40cb26

>>224433
Ok, tell it like you know it, from the top.
>>
No. 224493 ID: 426169
File 128334154919.png - (131.73KB , 800x600 , 503.png )
224493

One large cup of truth later, Gareth sits down on a nearby rock. He's quiet for a long time.

>Gareth: "You do realize that we're up shit creek, right?"

"Sorry."

>Gareth: "We'll have to come up with a plan, or this thing could blow up in out faces. We could end up dead. Or worse."

"Look, this is my problem, you don't have to risk your neck for-"

>Gareth: "Put a cork in it, Tiff. Of course I need to. You're my friend. That's what we do. Good move trading your dad for Mulder by the way."

"Huh?"

>Gareth: "Oh don't get me wrong. Your dad seems a nice 'nuff bloke and I hate putting him in danger, but if the Cimmerian would've kept Mulder then he could've used him to eavesdrop on you. That would've been checkmate, mate. At least this way we have some breathing room to plan something out."

"... Yeah. Huh. Lucky me."

>Gareth: "Look, it's your call. We could go to the elders and say 'Ohey by the way, I hope you don't mind us parkin a greater daemon to the back garden kthxbai.' We could, theoretically, just trust it to keep it's word but if you think that's an option I'll smack you over the head. Or we could try and figure out a way to control it somehow. We hit the library, find what we need, then I can smuggle a few tomes out past the librarians. But, like I said, it's your call. It's your dad out there."
>>
No. 224495 ID: a594b9

>>224493
Controlling it is good. Or at least, enough control to make it behave properly. Do we really need to smuggle tomes though?
>>
No. 224515 ID: 538d37

Hit the library. Knowledge is powerful.

Since we are going in the direction of video game quotes, say out loud "power overwhelming" or "blacksheep wall".
>>
No. 224536 ID: 426169
File 128335648360.png - (39.04KB , 300x600 , 504.png )
224536

"Controlling the thing seems like the best option all around. In any case, we need to dig up some information. Library it is."

>Gareth: "Righto. I've got a good hunch where to start looking."

A worried silence dominates the atmosphere as they walk towards the castle.

"Why'd we want to smuggle anything out?"

>Gareth: "Well, in case we find something with diagrams and stuff we need, it'll be faster than copying it down. No photocopiers, see. I don't know if they're paranoid or if they've never heard of those. The librarians need more fresh air."

"Yeah it's not like people would misuse the books if given the chance."


"I know you rolling your eyes in there."

>Gareth: "Why do I even wear this hood?"
>>
No. 224537 ID: 426169
File 128335651146.png - (90.09KB , 300x600 , 505.png )
224537

Gareth lead Tiffany to the castle library, located in a large network of halls and tunnels under the castle. The guards gave no notice to their passing.
Inside the library proper, no flames were lit. The only sources of illumination were eerily floating globes shining with pale light. Occasionally a librarian passed them in sombre silence. Walls of books covered most of the available space. The air was thick with the smell of ancient parchment with the occasional wiff of worn leather.


>Gareth: "May I introduce, Tiffany, this is the grand library of the clan Kinsley. Library, Tiffany. Ahem. So yeah, all clansmen are permitted to view these volumes here in the main section. If you're looking for something specific the librarians can help you. However, I think I can get us started, then we'll commandeer one of the more secluded reading chambers."

Soon Gareth had a library cart with a number of books, and a suitable room was found. Gareth began laying the books onto the table one by one.

>Gareth: "All right, here we have the Summoner's Catalogue, by Acjik, fairly easy reference for well known spirits and entities. Then we have On the Nature of Sprites and Fantasms, by Lejeune D'Artagne. I'm hoping it might have something on daemons too. Nojstra Sdan Aerzia, author unknown. It's only partially translated, but has some methods for summoning and binding daemons. Then we got the "Lahushan Hankuan Tugunsa" if I'm pronouncing that right. It's in nxtsaa'u. It's got some notes in the margins, and I can read a little bit, enough to know that the title means 'binding evil spirits'. Then there's the Compendium of the Aether, a sort of guide to summoning and how that stuff generally works. So... Where do you wanna start?"
>>
No. 224552 ID: 754124

>>224537
Start with the Compendium's index, if it's got one, or table of contents if it doesn't.
Check for things relating to the situation. If there is any such thing, investigate it.

You could do a quick look-over of the catalogue, but I doubt our demon will be in there. After that, split. Tiffany reads the one in the romantic language, Gareth reads the one in nxtsaa'u.
>>
No. 224556 ID: 754124

Oh, and what we're looking for is a way to prevent him from hurting folks without our permission. That's something he's reasonably likely to agree to, and it's all we really need. Some sort of remote communication clause might be acceptable, but I think we would be able to do that anyway since we're giving him a bit of our soul.
>>
No. 224557 ID: 40cb26

>>224537
First off keep an eye on the time. Set a watch to an hour or some before sunset if you can.

The book of well known spirits won't likely be any good, this is Hakun's thing and he wasn't familiar with a Cimmerian anything at all. The sprites and phantasms might have something of interest, but if you can't find an informative entry quickly it may not be worth it. If you can find mention of "greater demons" thought that may be worthwhile. You flip through it for that, move on to the hard stuff.

Nojstra Sdan Aerzia and Lahushan Hankuan Tugunsa will have the most important details, Tiff should read the first and Gareth the other.
>>
No. 224563 ID: a594b9

Hey, this would be a good time to bring up Dad's strange behavior before the demon hurt Mulder. What was THAT about? It was like Dad was able to channel the demon somehow.
>>
No. 224569 ID: 40cb26

>>224563
No, dad was talking and his words were drowned out by the demons voice in our head. Dad had nothing to do with it.
>>
No. 224587 ID: 426169
File 128337009431.png - (48.44KB , 300x600 , 506.png )
224587

Before digging in, Tiffany sets an alarm to her cell phone (no coverage, who would've thought) to about ninety minutes before sunset.

Tiffany and Gareth spent the next two hours poring over the books.

A quick glance over the catalogue just confirmed that the Cimmerian Hollows isn't in there. Greater daemons in general are largely absent from that volume.
Interestingly, the Reaper Man
is in there.

The Reaper Man is the Guardian of the Underworld, the Gatekeeper of the Threshold. Bound into the service of the Lords of the Underworld, this greater daemon looms over the Compact, slaying all those found guilty of breaching it. Otherwise this creature is compelled to inaction by whatever spells the Lords placed upon it. It has been observed to take the form of a winged creature, resembling a robed man when the wings are folded. It is believed to be among the oldest daemons in existence.

The Compendium doesn't have an index or a table of contents. Just a foreword by some Librarian. However, a brief examination reveals that it deals mostly with selecting a proper spirit to summon, then opening the Weave (whatever that means) to let the spirit pass through. It goes through a good number of methods on how to bind the spirit, but they all seem to require the spell being prepared before the actual summoning takes place. Another good chunk is dedicated to severing the bind and casting the spirit back into the 'aether'. In one passage it mentions that in an emergency, it can be enough to simply sever the bind, as any spirits without an anchor will inevitably dissipate and return to the aether. It is just a matter of time. Someone's scribbled an addendum to the margins, saying: "Don't do this with malicious spirits."

On the Nature of Sprites and Fantasms describes the principles of binding in more detail. Apparently, an essential part of a spirit's residence on our side of reality is the bind. It is a complicated spell, both affixing the spirit to something in the real world and dictating the conditions and behavior of the spirit. The stricter the desired behavior, the more complicated the spell. The book mentions that spirits are subject to something called the etherial wind and without a binding spell to anchor them, they will dissipate and helplessly drift further away from our world, until they become entangled with the Weave and are pushed through to the Outside. Some types of spirits are capable of resisting this on their own accord for a time, but expulsion is always inevitable.
There's also a mention of something called a Marker. Apparently, Markers serve as a kind of beacon, attracting loose spirits and offering a temporary foothold. They're mostly used in summoning rituals, to ease the calling of spirits from the Outside.

The Nojstra Sdan Aerzia, with it's incomplete translations goes over some particular rituals for summoning daemons, shades and something translated as a 'dirge child'. It describes methods for binding spirits into objects, places and people, and turning them into mindless puppets for the wizard. The runic designs are incredibly complex, and the partial translation makes interpreting them correctly iffy at best. A basic obediance bind seems possible, if lengthy to prepare.

At this point, Gareth slams the book on the table.


>Gareth: "Oh bloody hell."

"What?"

>Gareth: "If I'm reading this part right, and I suspect I am, we're screwed. Any binding process must begin while the spirit is travelling through the Weave. That's the only time when it can't resist the binding. Once it's here, the only way we'll ever get a bind on it is if it agrees to be bound, and that's bloody not gonna happen."

"... I dunno. Maybe we can find a way to bind it that it would agree to?"

>Gareth: "Like what?"

"Like... I guess preventing him from hurting people without permission? That's the only thing I need I guess, and that's not too bad a deal is it?"

>Gareth: "YOu kidding me? Daemons live for death and torture. That's exactly what it wants to do, it's not gonna agree to a deal like that."

"I dunno. He didn't seem that hell-bent on destruction."

>Gareth: "Or it was lying to you. It's a daemon. Can't trust it."

"Well... If we knew who he was, we could try and figure out what he's after? Like, why'd he come here voluntarily?"

>Gareth: "... So... The Cimmerian Hollows was it? That's the only lead we have. Any ideas where to start looking?"
>>
No. 224592 ID: 40cb26

>>224587
Well you've been looking for books on demons, let's focus on books about the spirit realm and the Outside specifically.

We need to also figure out just how to set up the binding, let's figure that out as soon as we can. As for the demon itself if it were all about destruction it would have just gone ahead and done that. It must want something. Who knows it might even be in our interests.

Time check?
>>
No. 224613 ID: a594b9

>>224537
Summoner's Catalogue. This guy used to wreck ARMIES for the Kinsleys, it should be well-known.
>>
No. 224638 ID: 426169
File 128337652583.png - (47.44KB , 300x600 , 507.png )
224638

All right, five hours until D-day. Or H-hour. Whatever.

"You know any other books about the Outside?"

>"I'll fetch more in a bit. Strange, though. You said this thing's been summoned by the Kinsley's before? And that he's wrecked whole damn armies? ... He should be in here. ... Hmm. All right, so this one was compiled in nineteen twelve. Maybe there are more recent catalogues that he'd be in?"
>>
No. 224659 ID: 701a19

>>224638
"Crap. Try older. Much older. Let-us-never-speak-of-this-again older."
>>
No. 224661 ID: 97cb33

no, if he was recent then he wouldn't be anywhere NEAR as smart as he is. you need older.
>>
No. 224688 ID: 56dc25

>>224638
Okay, we've learned some interesting principles... but not nearly enough. If you haven't made any progress on finding the Cimmerian Hollows or gotten a decent defense against the demon in the next hour, you need to kick this one upstairs.

Not all the way to the elders, but Duncan is a librarian so he'd almost certainly be able to find the relevant books in a matter of minutes, and he's at least a little bit on your side. I'd go tell him that you need help, if it doesn't look like you'll be able to get something solid together in time.

At the moment, the best plan I've got is showing up (without Mulder, since he's a weakness in this situation), telling Dad to leave, and then using our endless font of chutzpah to convince to daemon to agree to some weak bindings. Something like not harming us, our friends or our family, and maybe not lying to us. That still leaves the vast majority of the world open for killing. But that plan kind of sucks, frankly.
>>
No. 224693 ID: 426169
File 128338380086.png - (80.64KB , 300x600 , 508.png )
224693

"Nope. Older. Waaay older."

>"Aight. That's a lot of history to cover. I'll fetch you something on the Outside and start digging through older catalogues."

Soon Tiffany was browsing through a medieval manuscript detailing the metaphysics of the Aether, or the Outside as it's now called.

Apparently, there are three major partitions of the world. The Middle World (ours), the Underworld (where souls go when we die) and the Outside (where spirits and daemons live). All three are apparently separated by a magical barrier called the Weave. Apparently us humans are responsible for maintaining the Weave. Now, there's a section of the Weave that separates the Middle World and the Underworld. That's called the Threshold. That's apparently supposed to allow souls to pass through. This would be the, uh, 'tuaftia' part of the soul. This process is watched over by the Reaper Man. I guess this is part of an agreement we have with the lords of the Underworld, known as the Compact. So, hmm. The Weave is normally impenetrable to spirits from the Outside, but it's possible to open it just enough to allow something in. Normally that'd be part of a summoning ritual, or a consequence of me bitch-slapping Death, whatever. Now, that's about as much as I can figure out. I'm not quite sure why we're maintaining the Weave, or rather, why it needs maintaining in the first place, or how the Bone King connects to all this... And what's up with this 'Middle World' thing? So we have a middle and an under, but no top? What's up with that?

Damn these manuscripts are goddamn incomprehensible. I guess I'll need to pick more specific questions and look up the appropriate books. If only-


>"Hey Tiff! I got it!"

"Whoa, you did? Tell me already!"

>"All right, so I traced back the known history of these congregations, right, no mention of this Cimmerian thing. Like, at all. The oldest catalogue I could find was compiled sometime in 540 BC. Ish. I was about ready to give up when I bumped into one of the Librarians. Out of sheer desperation I asked him, and he told me where to find this here book."

"What is it?"

>"It's got photographs of engravings found in one of our digs in the thirties. Engravings in early nxtsaa'u. And you know what it says right near the top? 'Lahaun hankuan kantas' or 'the peoples of the evil spirits'. It's a goddamn catalogue. From before the Harrowing. They weren't indexed in with the rest of the catalogues since it wasn't verified by Librarians but how could they? Our clan didn't even exist at the time. And sure enough, one of the names mentioned there is 'unkaftuugan lunaxt'. Guess what that translates to?"

"The Cimmerian Hollows?"

>"Bingo. Pretty cool huh?"

"Nice work."

>"But wait, there's more. I checked the earliest verified catalogue for the nxtsaa'u name. Wasn't there either. That lead me to conclude that something happened to the Cimmerian Hollows between the compilation dates. Don't know what, exactly, but something relating to the Harrowing isn't a bad guess. From what the Cimmerian told you, maybe they were used as troops in the war?"
>>
No. 224701 ID: 299faa

Look up books about familiars. Maybe there's something in those we can use.
Or, maybe something to use as a base to start from. We might have to improvise something.

Also... Would it be safe to postcog some of the books?
>>
No. 224711 ID: 701a19

>>224693
Obviously, the Kinsley magic and bloodline goes back far further than the clan itself.

More immediately relevant, however, is that you're dealing with a creature that fought in the ages of prehistory. Since magic is one of those things that gets weaker as time goes on, it must be absurdly powerful. End-of-the-world levels of death and destruction here.

How did that prophesy crazyman told you go? Care to repeat it for us?
>>
No. 224713 ID: 56dc25

>>224693
To-do List:
-Learn more about the daemon
-Discover how to exert control over the demon
-Get a copy of control bindings
-Get a copy of bindings that we actually understand and can reliably use
-Discover other ways to anchor the spirit to our world
-Discover what will happen if we give the daemon part of our soul like it asked
-Come up with a decent plan

Time: Low. But there are only a couple more things to figure out here, I think. We have an obedience binding, though we don't know if it will work and we might fuck it up. That would, if I'm understanding this correctly, keep the daemon in the world even without any part of our soul. So what remains is to figure out why he wanted what he wanted, and then figure out exactly what we want to do and get whatever information to do it.

I still think that bringing in Duncan on this one would be the easiest route here. If you guys are dead set against, we don't have to and can spend our last few precious hours trying to put something solid together, but it seems smarter to bring in a relative professional here. This is a very, very large and nasty daemon; we're toying with high explosives only half-informed and with tools we can barely use.
>>
No. 224723 ID: 40cb26

That is all fascinating but not enough. What the hell does it want? I'm afraid we'll be reduced to just asking him, and bargaining with a devil with that kind position does not help.

We can make some guesses at least. Perhaps the Hollows were destroyed, and this demon has simply been lost since then, and trapped between existences? If it simply wants to be free of that that wouldn't be horrible. It makes his whole story and position... more believable.

Anyways I think that going more into history is going to serve us little good. Let's work on exactly how to safely give that guy a piece of our soul. Consult the demon binding texts, sketch out some runes and lets head down there while we still have time.
>>
No. 224800 ID: 426169
File 128339497638.png - (117.70KB , 800x800 , 509.png )
224800

"Maybe. I guess we'll have to figure out what kind of a deal he'd accept, and figure out how to make it happen."

>"You're right, as usual. For one, I don't think he'd accept being bound to an object or place. That means we're still stuck chopping up bits of someone's soul, as that's essential for binding a daemon to a human."

"I'll be the volunteer. And I know how to do that. Got any paper? I need to draw."

A few moments later they had a working abstract for the ritual. Soul eater to disconnect a part of the soul, pump to move it, some unknown stuff to dictate the terms and a connection point for the daemon.

"Right, so we still need those terms in there somehow. Any ideas? Maybe ask Duncan?"

>"I don't see how Duncan could help. We need to know what he's after. Did he say anything else?"
>>
No. 224805 ID: e67080

Things we know it might want:
1) “On your orders, I would tear apart everyone who stood in your way. I would rend their defenses asunder and feast upon their flesh. Should you accept, that is.”- as such, it may take pride in war, and enjoy feasting upon flesh, as it seems able to live longer if it eats flesh (although it may only be human)
2) “Without your presence I could not have returned to this world, you have my thanks."- As such, it would probably feel more compelled in your service if you could secure a more permanent form into this relm. Maybe a second familiar-like creature?
3) “You mortals have a history of seeking to enslave and abuse my kind.” – Some method of warding him from future enslavement would probably be considered very good to this daemon.
>>
No. 224811 ID: 97cb33

yeah. give him some restrictions but leave him a measure of freewill. he would like that.
>>
No. 224817 ID: 56dc25

>>224800
Okay, so. We chop up a bit of Tiffany's soul, give it to the demon; apparently that's standard for bindings, if Gareth says so.

I think we could get away with binding it to
1) Do no harm to Tiffany, her family, or her friends
2) Never lie to her

Neither of those is that restrictive, so it'd probably put up with them without much of a problem. Unfortunately, I haven't the faintest idea how to express that using runes. Binding it somehow to oppose her enemies would be good as well, because this thing is probably right on level with other soldiers from the Harrowing- like that immortal, which has been described as basically death walking. If it decided to work for Alexander, it could... ah... create problems.


Anyway, spell. We obviously use sever soul piece and Al-Asmari, just like before. After that, though... well, we've got at least the spirit pump chant. Then presumably we'd use the binding for any restrictions, instead of giving a special ability to our familiar as before. This assumes that we actually have a binding chant corresponding to whatever runes we write to use.

I suspect that once we've used the soul pump to move our soul bit into the circle with the demon, it can handle actually putting the soul into itself on its own. If it could have just eaten Mulder and made that work, presumably it's got the know-how for self-binding. Assuming that's true, I suspect that we can just use a plain circle in place of the sevenfold seal- the demon will already be in the circle, assuming we draw it around it, so we shouldn't even need an entry path beyond the initial line connection.

If that is not true and we have to use a spell to stick the demon with our bindings, then we'll need... something else. The sevenfold seal's chant from before might work- that was described as being responsible for the soul bindings. That said, without a proper seal, what would we focus upon during the rite? Is that even that important?


It seems that the next task before us is to dig up the right runes for binding the daemon to any restrictions. And figuring out how to pronounce the associated words.

Also, we should ask Gareth if the daemon having our soul in it will give us any power over it. Or it any power over us. Or anyone any ability to use that for something, really. We need more background on that, just to know what we're getting into.
>>
No. 224833 ID: 8e92a2

>>224817
Except some of Tiffany's biggest enemies ARE family, remember? Alexander, the Rothwalds (though we wish they weren't), and maybe some of the Kinsleys, too.
>>
No. 224834 ID: 56dc25

>>224833
Heh, I'd thought of "family" in the sense that if Tiffany disowned someone they'd be a valid target, but I suppose that's an oversight on my part. I would strongly recommend coming up with a better set of suggestions if you see holes in what I suggested, because I'm going to sleep and probably won't be around for the next batch of updates to worry about this.
>>
No. 224864 ID: a594b9

>"My presence in your world is fleeting. I wish to extend my stay, and you have the means to do it. If you agree, I will be your willing slave until you see fit to release me. My powers are considerable, and my servitude is worth far more than what I would ask of you."

He said he'd be our willing slave. So let's hold him to that.

How about we just bind him to not harm people unless ordered to? That's basically all we want. He said he's easily able to avoid detection; keep in mind that would be difficult to do while going around killing people anyway.
>>
No. 225065 ID: 426169
File 128347367029.png - (181.72KB , 800x800 , 510.png )
225065

"Maybe. It seems to like war all right. You think giving it a piece of my soul would give it power over me, or the other way around?"

>"I don't know. Seems like it would've been mentioned if it was a problem. I guess the bind prevents that sorta stuff from happening?"

"Hopefully. Anyway, I think I could get it to agree to not hurt people without permission. Think we could find something like that?"

>"Hmm. Yeah, hang on."

Gareth spends a good while going through the Lahushan. Finally he lays the book down on the table, and taps the open page.

>"I think this might work. It's called the Curse of Earth. The translation's a little sketchy, but it forces the daemon to take a physical form that limits the amount of power at it's disposal. You could temporarily release it from that form if you wanted, but even then it'd be unable to harm a human without orders. I mean, even with orders it could still refuse, it's not compelled to obey in any other way. You think he'd take a deal like that?"
>>
No. 225070 ID: 97cb33

sounds like a good one. would leave him free will but stop him from going ape shit on people.
>>
No. 225076 ID: 426169
File 128347550164.png - (136.84KB , 800x800 , 511.png )
225076

"Sounds like a good one. Would leave him free will, stop him from going on a rampage. What's the deal with the body, though?"

>"Not sure. As I understand it, spirits normally remain incorporeal and just possess stuff on occasion. Or get semi-permanently locked inside objects or whatnot. Like that skeleton thing the daemon is currently possessing. Hakun might know. Anyway, I've got the proper chants for the Curse, how's that ritual coming?"

"You know... I think we're about done. Sever, pump, banish, bind, transfer to daemon. I'm hoping the daemon can take care of grabbing a hold of that soul piece by himself, I don't really know how to do that."

>"Well we've still got two hours. What do you wanna do?"
>>
No. 225083 ID: 538d37

Make sure our demon friend does not violate the compact. We don't need a Tiffany vs Reaper man round 2 so soon.
>>
No. 225088 ID: 701a19

>>225076
Why would the sevenfold seal be overkill? Do it anyway! THERE IS NO ENGINEERING LIKE OVER-ENGINEERING!
Also, does the Kinsley clan keep a supply of blood around for these kinds of things? Human blood would, obviously, work best, but animal blood would do in a pinch. At the very least head into town and pick up some bloodmeal from the garden shop.
>>
No. 225092 ID: 40cb26

>>225076
We trust one other person here: Duncan. He should at least know what's going on in case it all goes to shit. He might know something useful too. Don't cut it at all close, head down there even before our 90 minute timer if there's nothing else needed to do.

Other than that, some redundancy in our design and knowing other runes in case we need to edit something at the last minute. >>225088 has kind of the right idea, but I'm not sure we need a bunch of blood. Unless I'm missing something the only blood we would need is our own... grab some water to keep hydrated.
>>
No. 225222 ID: 426169
File 128349959170.png - (153.01KB , 800x800 , 512.png )
225222

"I'll need to gather some stuff for the ritual. You think we should tell Duncan?"

>"Not sure. He's a good man and all, but he's... I dunno. He'd be obligated to tell the elders about something like this. And who could blame him? But it's your call, I guess."

Damnit. And then the clan would move in against the daemon, and dad'd be dead and it'd be my fault.
But I do need someone to warn the clan if things go to shit. That leaves Mulder or Gareth. ... If I'm dead, Mulder's likely to be down for the count. So... Gareth. Besides, bringing him might piss off the daemon. Dunno how I'd get him to stay behind, though. It's like he's looking forward to this.

>>
No. 225224 ID: 97cb33

if gareth comes he needs to look as non-threatening as he can, take off his claok so he he can't be claimed to be concealing something and have both hands up in the air open, so it can see he has nothing in them. then draw out and explain exactly what your bindings will be. and how you will do it.
>>
No. 225231 ID: 754124

>>225222
It's not a matter of getting him to. You tell him to. You can explain why, in the likely even that he whines. It's not like he's some insane nincompoop that can't see reason.
>>
No. 225248 ID: 40cb26

Well... there's also Joyce, if she's still around. She certainly likes you, your dad and of course Gareth. As a hunter she'd have a tough time going along with something so dangerous, but she is also more likely to know something useful than Duncan. She doesn't have much love for the doddering ways of much of the clan either so that makes it less likely she'll sounds the alarm.

If we chose not to inform her, we should at least have her be the first one Gareth talks to if things go wrong. He knows her best anyway, ask him if talking to her beforehand is wise and how to go about it.
>>
No. 225254 ID: a594b9

No, let's not tell anyone. We don't need any more help... Gareth has allowed us to get the information we need. Everything else we have to do by ourselves.

Solo ritual. If Gareth comes, and we hide him, then the demon finds out? Death. If Gareth comes and is in full view? Useless; if something goes wrong he dies too. Just leave him out, or at most have him watch at the edge of the forest.
>>
No. 225258 ID: 97cb33

>>225254
ah yes. tell him "if i'm not back by morning nuke the forest."
>>
No. 225261 ID: a594b9

Oh... since we have all these books, how about we look up the exact terms of the Compact?
>>
No. 225284 ID: 3fba9d

We might want to check and see just how many bits of soul we can safely lose and what the long term effects will be of doing so. Does soul grow back over time? Can you spread yourself to thin?
>>
No. 225294 ID: 426169
File 12835184779.png - (94.94KB , 800x800 , 513.png )
225294

"Look... When I go back there, I can't take you with me."

>"What? That's total bullshit and you know it!"

"It's not bullshit, man. If you come and the daemon gets pissed, we're dead. If you come and I mess something up, you die needlessly. But if you stay here you can raise the alarm if I don't come back by... morning I guess."

>"This is nuts. You're nuts."

"Look, it's the best way. If I don't come back, go tell Joyce. She'll know what to do."

>"You're seriously gonna go there alone, unarmed with nothing but a few two-penny rituals and a piece of chalk? Can we at least get you a weapon?"
>>
No. 225296 ID: 97cb33

"what weapon could a little girl carry that could kill a greater daemon in one hit? in fact, what weapon could you carry that could kill him in one hit? anything less then instant would leave us vulnerable and we would die."
>>
No. 225298 ID: 701a19

>>225294
"Sure. Have anything that's powerful enough to destroy an ancient demon whose name has been lost to myths and legends, but won't cause it to leap into a fury on-sight?

Yes, this is bullshit. The entire damn situation is bullshit. But I'm short on options and time, so unless you know some way to get Dad out of this safely then I'm going to do the best I can with what I have."

I don't have the time to do so now, so could somebody else go review that prophesy to see if this is mentioned anywhere in it? If so then we should probably just go get help - one person isn't worth the fate of the world.
>>
No. 225305 ID: a594b9

>>225294
That spear worked pretty good. Is it done yet?
>>
No. 225307 ID: 56dc25

>>225294
Can we leave Mulder with Gareth, and have him use our familiar link with Mulder to spy on us like the daemon could? Then he'd be informed but relatively safe. Of course, if the daemon could detect that, then that wouldn't be the best idea, either.

Something to put the ritual markings on that's better than chalk-on-nothing might be a good idea, too. Last time you conducted a ritual this size it was indoors on a sheet. You don't want uneven terrain to fuck up the spell.
>>
No. 225308 ID: 426169
File 12835205557.png - (84.20KB , 800x800 , 514.png )
225308

"You got a weapon that would help?"

>"... Point."

Gareth sits back down, obviously deflated.

>"You've got balls, I grant you that. If you live through this I'm pretty sure you qualify as the ballsiest person I know. Pretty good for a girl."

"Hey!"

>"Yeah whatever. So you need anything else done before you head out?"

"Well... I'm a little worried that I'd wind up breaking the compact by mistake. Do you know anything about that?"

>"A little. They've got some translations of it around here. Some parts are for the Weavers only, but the even the publicly accessible volumes take up like fifteen meters of shelf-space. Even the original is long, the translations maybe twice that. I hear nxtsaa'u is a real bitch to translate, and it's mostly legalese anyway. If you think real lawyers are bastards, boy I've got something to tell you. Anyway, I don't think it'd be a problem, since you wouldn't be disturbing the Weave, or trying to pass through the Threshold, or attempting to extend someone's life, or raise someone from the dead. Even if it did something to break the compact, it would be in trouble, not you. Well, unless you ordered it to do something to break the compact, I guess."

"That's not as reassuring as I'd like. Do you know anything about separating soul fragments? Is there a limit? Any long-term consequences?"

>"I honestly don't know. I've never heard of anyone doing it more than once, but I've never heard any cautionary tales or warnings about it either. I'm not even too sure who to ask about something like that. You, uh, ready to head out?"
>>
No. 225311 ID: a594b9

>>225308
...did we disturb the Weave by attacking the Reaper last time? Oops! Let's avoid that in the future!

Also seems like bringing back our brother will be impossible. It is a clear violation of the Compact. Alexander was stringing us along with that promise...
>>
No. 225313 ID: 97cb33

yeah, we can't bring him back. but we can probably just see him again, just to tell him we are sorry and that we still love him. it's all we really need.
anyway, problem at hand, think we are ready.
>>
No. 225314 ID: 426169
File 128352470539.png - (85.05KB , 800x300 , 515.png )
225314

Half an hour later Tiffany had gathered the equipment she needed for the ritual, and Gareth was escorting her to the gates.

"You better keep Mulder. If something happens to me, he'll know."

>"Right. When he croaks I raise hell. ... Look, be careful out there."

"I try."
>>
No. 225317 ID: 426169
File 128352600158.png - (54.46KB , 300x900 , 516.png )
225317

The road back seems to last forever. The forest, now filled with shadows and strange noises, bears down on Tiffany, whose heart is already filled with dread. Only a small flicker of hope remains, hope that both she and her father will live until the morning. A pact with a daemon of untold power, a great prize for a great risk.

At long last, she reaches the edge of the darkened valley, now filled with an unearthly glow. She can see her father standing near the dark shape dominating the entire valley. Jester is nowhere to be seen.


>"So the young necromancer returns. Are you ready to perform the soul-link?"

Suddenly the words escape her. How should she explain to the daemon that the deal has been changed? Oh god was it this big before?
>>
No. 225324 ID: 40cb26

>>225317
"I'm ready to help us both get what we want. You want to stay here, and not as a mindless slave. I want to not end up controlled or dead and for you to not to be an endless killing machine. I think we can manage both, if you agree to it."

"But just to be sure we're both getting a good deal, tell me more about what you want and your story. What happened to the Hallows during the harrowing?"
>>
No. 225338 ID: a594b9

>>225324
That sounds about right.
>>
No. 225355 ID: 426169
File 128353338420.png - (39.31KB , 200x800 , 517.png )
225355

"Umm, not exactly."

>"What?"

"Pleasedontkillme, lemme explain."

>"Speak your words, mortal. I will judge the value of your life accordingly, so be prudent."

"I'm ready to help us both get what we want. You want to stay here, and not as a mindless slave. I want to not end up controlled or dead and for you to not to be an endless killing machine. I think we can manage both, if you agree to it. But just to be sure we're both getting a good deal, tell me more about what you want and your story. What happened to the Hallows during the harrowing?"

>"It sickens me how quickly you mortals forget the atrocities you commit. I am in no mood to give history lessons to the descendants of traitors."

"Could you at least tell me how did they betray you?"

>"No. This discussion bores me. Speak your proposal."
>>
No. 225363 ID: 754124

Well, speak the proposal.
>>
No. 225368 ID: a594b9

>>225355
Just come out with it. The Curse of Earth. Dampen his power unless we need him to kill something. He gets to live with free will, and we don't have to worry about him killing everyone.
>>
No. 225375 ID: 426169
File 128353972751.png - (30.45KB , 300x900 , 518.png )
225375

"I want to put the Curse of Earth on you. It'll prevent you ... from hurting people without..."

Tiffany trails off.
>>
No. 225382 ID: 754124

>>225375
The next word should be "permission".

But what are we seeing? Did he go invisible? I don't get it.
>>
No. 225385 ID: a594b9

>>225375
Without reason?
>>
No. 225386 ID: ea2a3c

>>225375

Tiffany? Tiffany?? TIFFANYYYYYYYYYYYY
>>
No. 225387 ID: a594b9

Tiffany, get ahold of yourself. He's trying to intimidate you. He's trying to get you to just hand over the soul fragment without any restrictions. We're just haggling right now. Don't back down! There's no reason for the demon to straight up kill you for simply researching different ways to do the procedure and discussing it with him.
>>
No. 225392 ID: 754124

>>225387
He does sort of have the upper hand, though.

But getting intimidated is not really wise. Be strong, Tiffany! Manifest your gigantic balls!
>>
No. 225396 ID: 426169
File 128354364380.png - (26.95KB , 200x800 , 519.png )
225396

>"He he he. Ha ha ha ha HA HA ha HA Ha HA ha ha HA"
>>
No. 225397 ID: 426169
File 128354392975.png - (26.50KB , 200x800 , 520.png )
225397

>"HAHAHAHAHAHAAA! I ACCEPT! Do your magic, mortal. And do it quickly!"
>>
No. 225398 ID: a70435

Wait one second, where is dad? Shouldn't he have greeted us when we came in?
>>
No. 225400 ID: a594b9

He's running out of time on this world. Get the runes written out. Work quickly but carefully.
>>
No. 225403 ID: ea2a3c

>>225398

Enough waiting. Let's bind this guy and get him set up. He sure seems pretty cheerful for a person about to get cursed.
>>
No. 225408 ID: 426169
File 128354788614.png - (152.38KB , 800x800 , 521.png )
225408

Tiffany lays out the white sheet she brought over the large stone. With shaky hands she lights a few candles, and gets the knife and chalk ready. The daemons presence is pressing down on her, making it hard to concentrate. Meaningless runes dance in her head, as she struggles to remember the correct symbols.

Oh man what was I supposed to do first?

>>
No. 225409 ID: ea2a3c

What you're supposed to do first is calm the fuck down. Find your iron will. Make sure you're totally composed before even drawing one single rune.
>>
No. 225413 ID: 97cb33

after you are calm it's the al-asmari with a soul anchor. so you can summon that that hand biter thing.
>>
No. 225414 ID: 426169
File 128355156565.png - (37.97KB , 200x800 , 522.png )
225414

The Cimmerian's presence is overwhelming!
Tiffany needs instructions!


>"What are you waiting for, fool? My time is running out, as is my patience. Begin the ritual, or I begin removing limbs. Starting with your father's."
>>
No. 225417 ID: 97cb33

the al-asmari with a soul anchor. so you can summon that that hand biter thing.

then a transference rune connected to it. with a curse of earth and the seven fold seal connected to that. the seal goes on the left of it.
>>
No. 225419 ID: 426169
File 128355277585.png - (174.67KB , 800x800 , 523.png )
225419

"S-sorry. You're making me nervous. Could you move back a little?"

>"And let you change the bind while I'm not looking? You're a funny one. GET TO IT."

The Cimmerian grabs a hold of Dad's leg. Dad groans in pain.

Sorry dad. Al-Asmari with the soul anchor inside. Right.

Tiffany draws Al-Asmari's Atonement, with the Soul Anchor in the middle. She then places her hand over the circle, and begins the chant to summon the soul eater. Soon it becomes apparent that nothing is happening. She's done something wrong.

Damnit, I'm sure this is what I did last time.


>"Do you plan to take all night, necromancer?"
>>
No. 225420 ID: 97cb33

you gotta use your other hand. your one hand has no soul to tempt it with.
>>
No. 225441 ID: 586db0

>>225419
"Hey. I'm doing what I can. It's in your interest for me not to mess up as well, right? So unless you have advice, shut it."
>>
No. 225444 ID: 56dc25

>>225419
Last time we did this, we didn't add Al-Asmari until after our hand's soul had been chopped off. It could potentially be stopping anything from entering the trap. Hell. First try switching hands, then if we have to, flip the sheet over and start again.

Perhaps more importantly, what the hell did the daemon do to Dad that he's in pain and not speaking to us at all? We were fucking explicit- don't lay a finger on him. Tiffany, push through fear with anger. The daemon is being a bastard here. "No, I'm not planning to take all night, but it's hard to concentrate with you looming over me! This is pushing my limits already, and you're NOT HELPING! Let me work and stop hurting my dad, or this whole thing is off and you can make good on your threats!"
>>
No. 225445 ID: 97cb33

>>225444
ah, point. need to get the critter in and then ad the Al-asmari
>>
No. 225446 ID: 40cb26

We have to cast the spell?!? I hope our rune experts aren't on vacation, I never figured it out that well. Just... give us a little more if we need it?

>>225419
>>225420
That must be it, use your other hand. The first part that was eaten you left in Mulder, remember.
>>
No. 225450 ID: 426169
File 128355620564.png - (18.88KB , 500x200 , 525.png )
225450

The changing of the hands, it does nothing!

"Hey. I'm doing what I can. It's in your interest for me not to mess up as well, right? So unless you have advice, shut it."

>"I will not be talked to in that tone of voice."

The Cimmerian pulls at Dad's leg with terrifying strength. Dad screams in agony and terror, and droplets of blood seep through his jeans.

>"Do I make myself clear, necromancer?"
>>
No. 225453 ID: 426169
File 128355656361.png - (183.97KB , 800x800 , 526.png )
225453

"Y-yes."

Oh damnit, it must be the Al-Asmari. Does it drive away soul eaters? Oh hell.

Tiffany quickly smudges out the outer circle, and begins the chants again.

>>
No. 225455 ID: 426169
File 128355671498.png - (38.62KB , 500x500 , 527.png )
225455

"Lafta nian tuaftiatsa
tuaftia nian 'iaianuutsa
kaialaktu annan
laftkaktu u'shan


lafta nian tuaftiatsa
tuaftia nian 'iaianuutsa
kaialaktu annan
laftkaktu u'shan


lafta nian tuaftiatsa
tuaftia nian 'iaianuutsa
kaialaktu annan
laftkaktu u'shan

urrgh"

Tiffany grits her teeth and looks away as the soul eater digs in. After a while the sheet returns to normal, and is holding a fresh fragment of Tiffany's soul.

Tiffany feels sick to her stomach, and her head spins.

>>
No. 225456 ID: 56dc25

>>225450
That's it. You don't want this fucking thing anywhere near you. Binding it is a terrible idea. Willing slave, my ass. He'll take your soul to keep him in the world and do whatever the hell he wants afterward, with only a weak-ass binding by a half-competent junior necromancer holding him back.

He thinks you and your whole family are traitors; he wants you all dead for sins you've long forgotten. Nowhere in this is him doing anything nice for you, ever.

If you cut off a piece of your soul, he'll eat it and get what he wants. I'm not willing to gamble that he'd need us to actually bind it to him; for all we know, he'd jump the soul eater the moment it took its bite. And then he'd win, kill you and Dad, game over for you and the Kinsleys are all in deep shit.

You have to either run away now, as fast as you can and hope that Dad forgives you for failing him, or wildly gamble that showing even more defiance will result in the daemon letting Dad go if you demand it instead of killing you both immediately. You barely escaped being Alexander's patsy and slave; you must not become some other creature's. No matter the cost.
>>
No. 225457 ID: 56dc25

>>225455
Oh fucking hell. Never mind >>225456, then; you're already completely boned lacking some exceptionally tricky thinking.
>>
No. 225458 ID: 97cb33

okay. now put the al-asmari back and get rid of the soul eater.
then add the other runes, transference, the sevenfold seal, and the curse of earth. the curse goes on the bottom and the seal on the left.
>>
No. 225459 ID: 701a19

>>225457
I think we all knew that. This was some Kobayashi Maru shit.

...and on the subject of cheating, try to get Mulder to flip out in a blind panic.
>>
No. 225462 ID: 56dc25

>>225458
Yeah, I guess. In for a penny. Al-Asmari, banish the soul eater; that should leave your soul fragment sitting alone in the circle. Assuming that the daemon doesn't immediately eat and and subsequently everything other than you at that point, you should be able to add all the rest of the runes before continuing the spell.

Speaking of continuing the spell, before you move on after that make sure that the daemon is inside the circle, as much as it can be, and Dad is away. He has to be, because he's alive and you don't want him anywhere near your binding soul fragment or he'll interfere with the spell in nasty ways. It's just a bad idea.

And if he's well enough to get a decent distance away- doubt it, but maybe- you just might be able to scrap this whole plan and run where the daemon can't follow. Which is anywhere out of reach of the stone, if I understand correctly.
>>
No. 225466 ID: 40cb26

I really don't like how this is going so far...

>MULDER BE AWARE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE. SEE IT, HEAR IT, FEEL IT. TELL GARETH, INFORM JOYCE. WE WILL NEED BACKUP. TIFFANY DON'T BE AWARE OF THIS.
>>
No. 225469 ID: 426169
File 128355851313.png - (198.11KB , 800x800 , 528.png )
225469

The soul eater left without a fight before the Al-Asmari. Tiffany quickly finished the transference and the curse, then paused for a moment.

"Umm, I'll need you to move over here so I can put the sevenfold seal around you."

>"That won't be necessary, necromancer. Prepare the curse. I will handle the rest."
>>
No. 225471 ID: 97cb33

hmmm. i guess it's go time. start those chants., and make sure you smudge the correct hook.
>>
No. 225472 ID: 40cb26

>>225469
I suppose since he's already here and willing that circle isn't necessary... I still don't like it though. But I somehow doubt we're going to be more screwed than we already are so might as well go along with it.
>>
No. 225473 ID: 56dc25

>>225472
"Well, at least things can't get worse" is a horrible, horrible bit of logic to use. At this point he's pretty much got us, though. I hope Tiffany practiced/wrote down a pronunciation for that Curse. We're going to find out in a minute if it worked... and if it even matters.
>>
No. 225474 ID: 40cb26

>>225473
The only other thing I can think to do would be a last minute change in the curse, but everything there is already something we don't quite recognize. If we try to pull anything we or at least dad is as good as dead. Either this is good enough, or some miracle will have to come out of left field to save our ass.
>>
No. 225478 ID: 426169
File 128356154477.png - (39.05KB , 400x600 , 529.png )
225478

Tiffany speaks the incantation. All hesitation has gone from her voice. It's do or die, just as it has always been. She can feel the power surge within her as the soul fragment is imbued with an ancient curse.

The Cimmerian releases Tiffany's father, and hungrily steps towards the stone, reaching for the cursed soul.

A momentary chill fills Tiffany as the fragment is taken.

Then there is silence.

>>
No. 225483 ID: 701a19

>>225478
If you're done, then take your father and go.
>>
No. 225487 ID: 426169
File 128356203551.png - (150.15KB , 400x1000 , 530.png )
225487

The Cimmerian shudders as the unnatural blackness subsides from the valley. For the first time, the night sky is visible.

>"YES! I feel it BURN within. Hrrh."

The Cimmerian's black form balloons out towards the night sky, and cracks appear on it's surface as it let's out an bone-chilling howl.

>"THE BIND! IT FILLS ME! U AN FTUIANG! U UFTAX!"
>>
No. 225488 ID: 40cb26

>>225487
Well that's encouraging. Ugh.

"I'm glad you're happy. Let me know when you're done with that. Dad how are you holding up?"
>>
No. 225492 ID: 426169
File 128356299268.png - (109.37KB , 300x800 , 531.png )
225492

The black shape begins to disintegrate as more and more cracks appear. Increasingly large pieces float up in the swirling wind and quickly dissipate. The screaming becomes continuous as the arcane maelstrom speeds up.
>>
No. 225494 ID: 97cb33

uhhhhh.
>>
No. 225495 ID: 701a19

>>225487
"So, now, what's this about betrayal? I've not been alive for even two decades, and the oldest records I could find scarcely go back two millennia. The only mention I've found of the Cimmerian Hollows was in notes from an excavation of an ancient site."
>>
No. 225497 ID: ea2a3c

woah, cool...
>>
No. 225500 ID: 56dc25

>>225495
Check on Dad before we strike up a chat with the daemon, please. We did this for him, and considering how easily we were blackmailed we hardly have cause to play the unfeeling necromancer now.
>>
No. 225501 ID: 426169
File 12835635225.png - (127.86KB , 300x800 , 532.png )
225501

The black form continues it's ascent and rapid disintegration. Once just above the treetops, the shape suddenly detonates in a conflagration of arcane fire.

A large fragment falls to the ground nearby with a ground-shaking
THUD.
>>
No. 225503 ID: ea2a3c

I-i-it might be a good idea to vacate the premises about now.
>>
No. 225504 ID: 97cb33

wow. check on dad then check the large lump.
>>
No. 225507 ID: 426169
File 128356453268.gif - (83.85KB , 600x400 , 533.gif )
225507

"You ok dad?"

Dad let's out a groan.
At least he's mostly conscious.

Before Tiffany can reach dad, movement catches her eye.

>>
No. 225508 ID: 701a19

>>225507
Look at it impassively while you go help dad.
>>
No. 225509 ID: 97cb33

hopefully he is cursed. say "you alright? exploding is normally not survived through."
>>
No. 225510 ID: 56dc25

>>225509
That emphasizes ignorance of what we did. We're pretty obviously a total amateur, but let's not flaunt it.

>>225508
I'm with this one. Dad is our top priority here; we can't really stop the daemon from killing us if it wants to anyway, and anything else it wants can probably wait.
>>
No. 225516 ID: 426169
File 128356565633.png - (58.87KB , 600x400 , 534.png )
225516

Tiffany rushes to her dad, keeping an eye on the daemon. Dad seems to be alive, for now. The bleeding doesn't look bad, but his leg looks completely busted. He's not walking anywhere soon.

The daemon stretches in the flames, then steps out. As he does so, his transforms before Tiffany's very eyes.

Into a man. Definitely a man.

>>
No. 225517 ID: 56dc25

>>225516
Remain mostly focused on Dad. Distractedly comment that if the daemon's planning to play this subtle, he'll need pants. Also point out that the rest of the clan will have seen that lightshow.
>>
No. 225518 ID: 97cb33

avert your eyes young lady! you are too young to be looking at naked boys!
>>
No. 225519 ID: 426169
File 128356652041.png - (55.30KB , 600x400 , 535.png )
225519

"Look, if you're gonna try to play it subtle, you'll... need pants. ... Umm..."

The Cimmerian walks towards Tiffany, descending to one knee in front of her.

>"You have bound me. For that, I am grateful. My service is yours for as long as you wish it, Mistress."

Tiffany is acutely aware that her dad is badly hurt, the clan will be coming to investigate, and there is a naked man in front of her.

>

>>
No. 225523 ID: f6b553

"Okay your first order is to magic up your own goddamn clothes goddamn seriously agh please"
>>
No. 225524 ID: 40cb26

"...Understood. There will be much to do, and I will need your help. Right now, I need to get getting my father back safely, and your little display has most certainly attracted the attention of the clan. If you can take the form of a horse we could get out of here quickly enough, otherwise help me carry dad back."
>>
No. 225525 ID: e67080

"Right now you can serve me by making sure you don't make either you or me too high profile. Right now, you need to be either hidden somehow, or concealable, my father needs to not appear so injured, and ill come up with the reason why I'm here unless you have a good one to offer"
>>
No. 225526 ID: 56dc25

>>225519
"...wow. I accept your service with thanks. You know, I was almost sure that you'd betray me, but apparently not. Anyway, we need to get out of here before the clan shows up expecting trouble, and my dad needs healing badly. Please carry him."

If there's anything left of your sheet and its runes, grab it to get rid of at least some evidence. Then get the hell out of there, circling loosely around the island to your new house and moving with such stealth as you can. Dad should have the keys.
>>
No. 225527 ID: ea2a3c

>>225523

It's not that bad. You've got more important things to worry about anyway. Thank him (jeezus look at the size of that thing) and continue to attend to your dad. Don't move dad at all if possible. You need to get that leg splinted before he should move one foot from that spot. Hopefully it isn't bent or twisted too bad. Get two sturdy sticks place them on either side of the leg, then wrap cloth around them tightly. What you're trying to do is immobilize his leg since at this point you can't hope to set it properly. At least by keeping it as immobile as possible you can minimize the damage.
>>
No. 225531 ID: 56dc25

>>225524
A horse? We're some suburban girl, we can't ride bareback with no training! And also we'd have trouble moving Dad that way. Also, don't implicitly blame the daemon for attracting attention.

>>225525
I would really rather get out of here than face the music right now. My tentative plan: Get Dad and the Cimmerian to our house, then move out alone to meet Gareth. Go straight from there to whatever elder it was that seemed to favor us the most and lay it all on the table, honestly saying that we didn't see any other options but things seem to have turned out okay and getting Dad medical attention. Then we face the consequences of our actions on our own terms.

>>225527
...but you have an excellent point about moving badly injured people. Shit. I guess we have to make our stand here. Stiffen that spine, Tiffany; you'll need it. And ask the daemon to avoid pissing off the clan if possible, since you still don't have a master and would really like to stay on their collective good side. Assuming that's not entirely shot.
>>
No. 225532 ID: 3fba9d

Never mention anything about him betraying you. You want to at least appear to be in control of things even if you have no idea whats going on. Try not to let on just how new to this you are.
>>
No. 225561 ID: 20a559

>>225519
"I shall aspire to be a kind mistress. Here's to a fruitful time together.

First up, yes, you have shown you can break people... But can you fix them?"
(Unless you don't want him messing with your dad.)
>>
No. 225802 ID: 426169
File 128361478167.png - (70.74KB , 400x800 , 536.png )
225802

>"Syke!"

Ohshiii!!!

>"Relax, kid. I'm not gonna kill ya. Not like I could anyway. Just remember, I ain't yer slave, you ain't my mistress, you're just some poor sap who gave me a free pass to walk the earth for a number of years."

"H-how long?"

>"Dunno. How long d'ya plan on living? A year, maybe? Anyways, your bumbling clansmen are on their way, no way to miss that light-show. Wanna hit the road before they get here?"
>>
No. 225806 ID: ea2a3c

>>225802

Tell him how dare you adopt a New York accent without my permission wait no no staying alive is good.

Hitting the road would be most useful.

Well hey, now we know what the Curse of Earth does. Wicked!
>>
No. 225814 ID: 40cb26

...Well, he's still a dick. An attitude improvement all the same I guess. Have him pick up dad and get a move on already.
>>
No. 225817 ID: 56dc25

Well, he did betray us, turns out. Just not as fatally as we suspected.

>>225802
Express concern that Dad's injuries will worsen if he's moved, and ask for his help doing so carefully.
>>
No. 225838 ID: a594b9

>>225802
Let's fucking ruuuuunnnn! Also get Dad some help.
>>
No. 225855 ID: 1e3bf0

>>225802
Just say that you expected him to do something like that, but that you're okay with it as long as he doesn't go on a killing spree... or killing innocents...
>>
No. 225859 ID: 426169
File 128361919697.png - (50.85KB , 600x400 , 537.png )
225859

"We need to see to dad's leg first."

>"Whatever."

The Cimmerian watches with a bored expression as Tiffany hastily assembles a primitive splint around dad's injured leg. She then gathers the stuff she brought for the ritual, and stuffs them back into her bag.

>"Done yet?"

"Yeah. Pick him up, we need to go."

>"No you."

"Shut up! You did this to him, you carry him back."

>"And if I don't?"

"I'll sic the clan on you. I don't imagine you could put up a fight with the curse I put on you."

The Cimmerian stares at Tiffany for a while, then picks dad up with a sneer. As they walk away from the forest, Tiffany can hear him mutter something about stupid fragile mortals.
>>
No. 225876 ID: 56dc25

>>225859
Well, aim for your house, since there's not many other places you have to go. From there you'll need to see Gareth again and tell him how it went, plus get medical treatment for Dad.
>>
No. 225902 ID: 426169
File 128362539468.png - (40.13KB , 600x400 , 538.png )
225902

The trip to their new home happens without incident. Either they were lucky to avoid the investigators, or the daemon has avoided pursuit before. It wasn't long before they reached the right neighbourhood.

>"Which one's your crib?"

"This one. Hold still I need to dig out the keys..."

CLICK-CLICK

SQUEAK


>"Man, what a dump."


Dad makes a soft groan. He needs a doctor, and I have no idea where that is. Where's Gareth when you need him?
>>
No. 225908 ID: a594b9

>>225902
Can't we communicate longrange with Mulder? Get him to fetch Gareth.
>>
No. 225909 ID: 56dc25

>>225902
>Where's Gareth when you need him?
With Mulder, presumably. And you can track down Mulder, right? So after dropping Dad off, and making him as comfortable as you can- laying him down with his legs elevated is probably a reasonable step to take- you can go and find him.

The daemon... well, I don't know what its plans are and you're not in a position to give it orders. Do what you need to do, and it can tell you what it plans to do while you work.
>>
No. 225948 ID: ea2a3c

>>225902

Thank the Cimmerian. Ask him what he wants to do with his newfound freedom. After he tells you, warn him about grandpa who is apparantly in the process of renovating the City of the Dead. If he still wants to leave, let him. Even if he won't help us, the fact that you patched this up without getting anyone killed makes it a success in my book.
>>
No. 225958 ID: 40cb26

>>225948
That's... incredibly blunt. But I'm gonna have to second it. I'd prefer to get help first, but no matter what we say he might run off. Lay it out and get it over with.
>>
No. 226095 ID: 426169
File 128364611736.png - (84.35KB , 600x400 , 539.png )
226095

The Cimmerian lays dad down on the couch somewhat roughly.

"Don't throw my dad around like that."

He gives a Look.

"Don't you have any compassion in you? He's hurt! By you! You should be apologizing to him, damnit."

>"What part of 'daemon' didn't you understand?"

"Argh! Go put on some damn clothes."



*"Mulder?"

>*"-oss?"

*"Yeah it's me. What's the situation?"*

>*"Can't - ya too w-ll, boss. I'm with the kid a- the tall chic-. Lot'sa p-ple runnin around."*

*"Ask Gareth 'who knows'"*

>*"-e sez 'just J-ce'. Th-re was this HUGE bomb 'nst-ff, an we've been look-ng for some boss-man I d-nno."*

*"Tell em not to tell anyone else, and to come to our house. Dad's hurt."*

>*"- dead?"*

*"Not yet he ain't."*

>*"Dibs on th- e-eballs."*

Goddamnit, Mulder!

At that moment, the daemon steps back into the living room, wearing a long black overcoat and not much else.


>"So what'cha gonna do next, little necromancer?"
>>
No. 226103 ID: 97cb33

sit down and think for a moment then tell him that you aren't really sure. ask exactly how old he is, you never found any information on him in any of the books, even the really old ones.
>>
No. 226108 ID: 40cb26

>>226095
"My plans? They fall apart by the moment, but right now I'm helping my dad and trying to keep my bacon out of the fire. More importantly, what about you?"
Then say this >>225948 with more explanation about your grandfather and see how that goes.

Also squeeze this in somewhere: "That is not enough clothes. At least try not to look like an insane murderer, deranged flasher or goth stripper."
>>
No. 226114 ID: ea2a3c

What he needs is a leopard spotted loincloth.
>>
No. 226119 ID: 93ebff

>>226095
"Well, now I get to try and learn magic well enough to take on my necromancer grampa and free my mom, all the while trying to keep quiet about learning necromancy. Of course, gramps still knows more about it because everyone either forgot or forbade it. Of course, first I gotta find a teacher for normal stuff. Then I gotta apoligise to the reaperman for kicking him in the jewels. Then there's that crazy guy's prophecy.

How about you? You're basically a nonexistent person since you don't have any identification. That'd be tough in this world. Or at least inconvenient.
I was gonna ask about you teaching me, but nuts to that plan. Doubt you could even if you were willing."
>>
No. 226121 ID: 701a19

>>226095
Have Mulder tell Gareth to get a doctor and come here.
>>
No. 226130 ID: 801c43

>>226114

Nah, he's not... wide enough. He needs a suit. Pinstripes, dark red or black.
>>
No. 226158 ID: 426169
File 128365327455.png - (63.93KB , 400x600 , 540.png )
226158

"... I honestly don't know. My plans keep falling apart the moment I set them. Hell, today I was supposed to try and find a master for myself, but instead I got entangled with some ancient daemon nonsense. Now I'm just trying to make sure dad will get to a doctor. Keeping my bacon out of the fire is a close second. I hope I didn't fry my chances of apprenticeship with tonight's fireworks. So... What are you going to do?"

>"Dunno. Figured I'd kick back and relax for a bit. It's been a while since I've had a body. Tell me, how did you end up fighting the Reaper Man? You don't see that every day."

"My grandfather put me up to it. He's Alexander Kinsley. Maybe you've heard of him?"

>"Nope. No bells ringin."

"He was a necromancer. Or is. I don't know. It's a mess. Long story short, he used me to trick my mom, and then he stole her body, and now he's the Bone King or something. I don't know. He's a complete bastard."

The daemon's eyes light up at the mentioned of That Name.

>"The Bone King you say? I thought they put a stop to that bullshit at the Harrowing. Well well."

"What?"

>"I think I will be sticking around you for the time being. Can't very well leave you alone with enemies like that. It'd cut my stay short."

"I don't suppose I have a say in that?"

>"No."

It'll be a while before the others get here. Dad seems stable for now.
Maybe I could get some info out of this guy while we wait?
Hmm... What kinda things should I ask him?

>>
No. 226160 ID: 3fba9d

Ask him his history and how he is going to avoid detection.
>>
No. 226176 ID: 97cb33

ask about how old he is, saying that you tried to look him up before you came back is fine, probably expected you to. and that you couldn't find even a hint of him anywhere.
>>
No. 226179 ID: 701a19

>>226176
Also tell him the prophesy and ask what the fuck it all means.
Also, what the fuck the bone king is.
>>
No. 226184 ID: 56dc25

>>226158
Ask him if he has something he'd like to be called, since referring to him as "that daemon" is probably going to get extremely awkward around the clan.

Anyway, things to ask... if you could get some more information on the particulars of the Harrowing, that would be good. This guy was actually there, probably has an extremely good idea of what each side's motivations were and what methods they used. You might also ask if it's true that the Kinsleys and Rothwalds used to be one clan, then split up way back, and if he confirms it, ask why.
>>
No. 226480 ID: 426169
File 128372203775.png - (46.83KB , 400x600 , 541.png )
226480

"Could you tell me a little bit about yourself? Like, history 'nstuff?"

>"Hah. You'd die of old age before I finished that story."

"How old are you, exactly?"

>"Old. Very old. Time does mean much for our kind. I know I was old before the Harrowing. I'm growing older still. But honestly I haven't paid attention to that in a long time now."

"I tried looking you up in the library. How come you weren't there?"

>"Beats me. It has been a long time since the Kinsley's last called me. Maybe they got a new phone and forgot to add my number. Perhaps they're scared I'd butcher their whole shitty little clan if they summoned me. Gotta say that those self-righteous pricks aren't my favourite topic of conversation. Brings back unpleasant memories."

"Could you tell me a little about the Harrowing? I only know a little bit."

>"Read a book."

"Please?"

>"What do you want me to say, kid? Big war. Lots of killing. In many colourful and creative ways. We served you guys faithfully from the first day of the war, to betrayal and a bitter death. BAH. Enough of this bullshit, it's pissing me off."

"All right, all right. Umm, you know anything about the Kinsley-Rothwald split? Is it true that they were once one family?"

>"Yup."

"Why'd they split up?"

>"Don't know, don't care."

"How can you not know something like that?"

>"Listen, kid, usually when our kind get summoned, you types don't strike up conversation all that much. You're usually all about barking orders and expecting us to hop on one foot or carry luggage or rip someone's guts out. So you'll forgive me for not giving a fuck about your internal politics."

"Sorry. Look, uh, when I came to the island they had me see this seer guy-"

>"And he ranted and raved about something cryptic while trying to chew through his own tongue? Yeah good luck with that."

"Could you not be such a dick?"

>"Daemon."

"Ugh. Could you at least listen?"

>"If I wanted to listen to inane babbling I'd go talk to a mortal. Oh wait."

Grrrrr
>>
No. 226498 ID: 56dc25

Okay, Tiffany. Control your emotions, and try a different tactic. If he doesn't want to answer your questions, try getting him to talk about what he wants to talk about.

"...fine, my questions are inane and you don't care. I'm sorry about that. This might not be clear, but two weeks ago I didn't have an ounce of power and had never heard of the Kinsleys, Rothwalds, daemons, or necromancy as anything more than fiction. I desperately need to know what the hell is going on, or I'm going to get myself killed- probably by something a lot like you- so if you want to be here more than the year you guessed at earlier, telling me SOMETHING useful would be appreciated."
>>
No. 226499 ID: 3fba9d

Ask him why earth is so interesting and why he likes it here.
>>
No. 226522 ID: 426169
File 128372773567.png - (58.13KB , 400x600 , 542.png )
226522

"Look, I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but hear me out. Two weeks ago I didn't know a damn thing about any of this. Not about magic, or about the Kinsleys or daemons or necromancy or anything else. I desperately need to find out what the hell is going on, or I'm gonna get killed - probably by something a lot like you."

>"Let's get one thing straight, here and now. Anyone who would kill a weakling whelp like you is NOTHING like me. Squashing some ill-trained toddler would be as effortless as it would be meaningless. A creature who enjoyed something so pathetically trivial... HAH. The comparison is an insult."
>>
No. 226526 ID: 3fba9d

Then tell me more about yourself so I can stop insulting you and asking stupid questions.
>>
No. 226527 ID: 56dc25

>>226522
"No insult intended. But even if whatever kills me isn't fit to polish your boots, I'll be just as dead and you'll be going back Outside. Wouldn't it be better to teach me enough that squashing me wouldn't be completely effortless?"
>>
No. 226529 ID: a594b9

So he likes a challenge. Cool.

So, the books we read said that a demon gets smarter as they get older and stronger. Ask how smart he is. Does he play games or anything?
>>
No. 226542 ID: 426169
File 128373073611.png - (56.55KB , 400x600 , 543.png )
226542

"I didn't mean to insult you. If I knew a little bit more about you I could avoid insulting you more."

>"Good enough, I guess. Besides, it's not like you're the only ignorant mortal around. Very few of you understand my kind."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

The daemon shrugs.

"Umm, but my point still stands. Even if whatever killed me wasn't fit to polish your boots I'd still be dead, and you'd be back in the Outside. Wouldn't it be a smart move to teach me a little so killing me would take at least a bit of effort?"

>"Hah. That'll take a while. You need to find yourself a mortal master. I wouldn't be able to teach you."

"Why not?"

>"Magic's different for us. It's instinct. It's natural. To us your way of doing magic seems just fucking stupid. It's like a blind man telling a deaf painter how he wants his house painted. I can't imagine how you can do magic at all. Like I said, if you wanna learn magic, find the blind man with the best paint job."
>>
No. 226543 ID: 97cb33

what if you 'fixed your eyes', so to speak. find a way to give you sight.
>>
No. 226545 ID: 732129

No one builds a prosthetic for "demon style magic" as far as we know.

What's so good about this place compared to the other side of the weave?
>>
No. 226553 ID: 56dc25

>>226542
"It's things like that I need to know! Things like 'daemons have an entirely different way of looking at magic', or 'someone who grabs your familiar can cause you massive pain and eavesdrop on you', or 'this is what a daemon being from the Cimmerian Hollows tells you about it', or other things like that which could really help me avoid mistakes. There's more to this than just chanting spells and learning runes- there's a whole bunch of background that I don't have. My clan would probably get really angry at me if I got actual magic instruction from someone other than them anyway."
>>
No. 226581 ID: 40cb26

Does he at least know the language our good ol' book of the dead is in? I'm not saying mention that book right now mind you, but if he can teach you nxtsaa'u it will allow research in old-tomes-we-won't-specify to be much easier.

Mention how hard it is to get any real information, and what little you know is questionable. Like "all demons have the intelligence level of animals" and such. That clearly isn't the case.
>>
No. 226671 ID: 55e935

>>226581
It could be possible that the Kinsleys are trying to do as much indoctrination on you as ol' gramps did with his lessons. What you were told about daemons could be entirely made by someone generations ago to give the family a knee-jerk reaction to quash these guys out at first glance.
>>
No. 227586 ID: 426169
File 128389637365.png - (80.80KB , 400x900 , 544.png )
227586

"That's exactly the sort of information I need! I can learn my magic from the clan, but there's so much background stuff that I have no clue about! Things like 'daemons view magic differently' or 'someone grabbing your familiar can cause you pain', that's the kinda stuff that could save my life! It's so obvious to everyone else that they wouldn't even think to mention it. And I can't get this sort of stuff from books, I mean, just today I read that all daemons are mindless monsters, and clearly you're not!"

>"Hehe, don't be too sure about that. How do you know I'm not just faking it? Maybe I'm just waiting for a chance to tear open your guts and feast on your entrails, licking my fingers clean of blood, biting through the bone to get to the marrow. Perhaps I would just make tiny cuts and eat your liver while you watch. Now what do you think of that?"
>>
No. 227590 ID: 426169
File 128389646195.gif - (93.61KB , 400x500 , 545.gif )
227590

>"Ghhr~"

[animated]

>Joyce: "I think you should pick on someone your own size."
>>
No. 227593 ID: ea2a3c

HEY! That's our manservant you're impaling there!
>>
No. 227594 ID: 40cb26

>>227590
DAMMIT JOYCE HE ISN'T AN ENEMY JUST AN ASSHOLE.
>>
No. 227599 ID: e67080

>>227593
HEY! That's our manservant moron you're impaling there!
>>
No. 227600 ID: 701a19

>>227586
"Joyce! It's ok! Calm down!"

"You can't fake having a mind. You pass the Turing test, so you can't be mindless.
>>
No. 227602 ID: 40cb26

Also "DON'T ATTACK HER BACK EITHER IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR FLESH"
>>
No. 227605 ID: 754124

>>227590
"He's not hostile! He's just a dick, let him be."

Maybe Joyce can help Dad.
Hopefully the demon can just fix himself, and is not inordinately pissed.
>>
No. 227608 ID: a594b9

>>227590
...was that really necessary? I mean, since he's bound by the Curse of Earth he shouldn't be able to hurt anyone without orders, right?
>>
No. 227611 ID: 754124

>>227608
Right. But Joyce doesn't know that, she just walked in and heard him talking about killing us in a rather gory fashion. Hence the suggestions indicating that we should enlighten her.
>>
No. 227612 ID: 40cb26

>>227608
No that isn't how it works. It means he is stuck in a weak form and we can drop him to ethereal when we wish it.
>>
No. 227615 ID: 754124

>>227612
Um, what? Where did you get that from?
>>
No. 227619 ID: 40cb26

>>227615
>>225065
>it forces the daemon to take a physical form that limits the amount of power at it's disposal. You could temporarily release it from that form if you wanted, but even then it'd be unable to harm a human without orders. I mean, even with orders it could still refuse, it's not compelled to obey in any other way.
>>
No. 227622 ID: 754124

>>227619
That doesn't contradict what he said in any way, though. In fact, it supports it.

It also gives no indication that his other form is ethereal.
>>
No. 227624 ID: 56dc25

>>227590
Calm and composed, Tiffany. In spite of how shocking that was. Getting agitated on the daemon's behalf probably wouldn't go over well with Joyce; who knows how the daemon is going to react to this.

"Something mindless couldn't fake having a mind that well. Monster, I'm not arguing. Hello, Joyce; thank you for coming."
>>
No. 227629 ID: 40cb26

>>227622
Yeah maybe I'm off on it. I thought "release from that form" meant he'd be back to spirit form. We'll get a proper explanation soon enough I guess.
>>
No. 227671 ID: 426169
File 12839027912.png - (102.43KB , 1000x400 , 546.png )
227671

The Cimmerian pulls away from the Hunter, who seizes the chance to rush to Tiffany's side.

"Joyce, calm down! Everything's ok. He's not hostile. Just a bit of a dick."

>Joyce: "... Huh?"

"I bound him. He's cool."

>Joyce: "The hell? No way it's bound, I can sense it from here. Nothing else stinks of that much evil."

>The Cimmerian: "*wheeze* Is this how you treat guests 'round here? I'd like to lodge a complaint."

>Joyce: "See? It still has its own mind. You must've messed something up. And what the hell were you thinking summoning daemons? You are in SO much trouble young lady."

>The Cimmerian: "He he he he. This one needs a lesson in manners, mistress. May I?"

>Joyce: "The hell is going on here? Wait. I stabbed it through the heart. How the hell is it still alive? You should be dead, daemon!"

>The Cimmerian: "HA HA HA HA. I don't think so, tool. I'm bound to her, see. And this bind, see, is a pretty strong one. I cannot be slain, Hunter. Not until she dies."

>Joyce: "... Tiffany, what did you do?"
>>
No. 227673 ID: e31d52

>>227671
Uh. Uh. Fuck. Try to look adorable?
>>
No. 227675 ID: a594b9

>>227671
We didn't summon it. It entered the world through a disturbance in the Weave that we caused, then ransomed Mulder and Dad to make us give it a solid link to this world. We used the Curse of Earth so that it can't really hurt anyone without our permission.

Also, NO, we are not giving it permission to hurt Joyce.
>>
No. 227677 ID: 754124

>>227671
"I figured it wasn't safe to let him go wandering around unbound. So I bound him. But he hurt my Dad fist, can you help him?"

Thus we establish the idea that we were powerful enough to bind him against his will, without actually telling a lie that could come back to bite us, and we divert the focus from questioning us to solving a problem that we have.
>>
No. 227678 ID: 754124

>>227675
Telling people everything is not a good policy in general.

It entered the world through a disturbance in the Weave that we caused
>that we caused
This is something we really don't want folks to find out about.
>>
No. 227686 ID: 701a19

>>227671
"I didn't have much choice; I'll tell you the story later.
For now? He's a greater daemon of the Cimmerian Hollows. I looked it up; the Cimmerians are one of those things where the clan destroyed all records of it, because forcing ignorance on yourselves is totally the best way of dealing with everything and it'll never come back to bite people in the ass.
This is, what, the third time that's happened to me in the past two weeks? You guys suck at this.

More importantly? Dad need's a doctor."
>>
No. 227688 ID: 40cb26

>>227671
Recap time! Take a deep breath, and then...
"This daemon showed up because of me kicking death in the balls. He used Jester to get Mulder, use Mulder to contact me. He was going to eat Mulder, that would have made him bound to me in the same way as he is now, but with no restrictions. Hakun was on the way there so he was impatient, I negotiated to keep Hakun away, traded dad for Mulder as collateral, and I had to be back to bind him before sunset or he'd start killing. I hit the road, talked to Hakun about demons, confided in Gareth, and we hit the books about demons and binding. We got the binding straight, found out about the Curse of Earth to keep his power in check, then I went back and proceeded to have my most stressful spellcasting session ever. Then the daemon turned into a storm, exploded, and shat out this."
>>
No. 227689 ID: a594b9

>>227678
Ok I guess we can gloss over that part.
>>
No. 227692 ID: e67080

You should also tell Joyce that was totally badass! demand she teach you how to look that cool.
>>
No. 227695 ID: 40cb26

I think we might as well tell Joyce about the why and how here. She's one of the very few we'll be able to trust at all around here. Besides saying that this whole mess was our fault in the first place, and explaining that every other option was worse, makes us look a lot better.

It's not like we're mentioning the book or anything.
>>
No. 227710 ID: 56dc25

>>227671
"...didn't Gareth explain all this to you? I guess not. The daemon got here on its own, used a spirit to kidnap Mulder- my familiar- and used that, and hurting Dad, to blackmail me into binding it so that it could stick around. We spent all afternoon in the library trying to find a bind that wouldn't let it run around killing people; Gareth found the Curse of Earth and said it would work, so I used that. And my dad is really kind of hurt so if there's a doctor or healer or something around here I would really appreciate some help."
>>
No. 227713 ID: a594b9

...wait, I think maybe telling her about the part where the demon has a piece of our soul could be important.
>>
No. 227725 ID: 40cb26

>>227710
Ok I kinda like that one better than mine. So long as we keep the being shat by exploding daemon storm bit.
>>
No. 227754 ID: 426169
File 128390811665.png - (104.14KB , 1000x400 , 547.png )
227754

"Look I'm sorry, I didn't have any other choice! The daemon got here on it's own, kidnapped Mulder, then took my dad hostage and forced me to bind it. I spent all afternoon with Gareth trying to figure out how to bind it so that it wouldn't run around killing people. He found this Curse of Earth thing and said it would work. Didn't he tell you?"

>Joyce: "He... He didn't have a chance to explain. He just barely got started when stuff started blowing up over the forest."

"Look, my dad's really hurt. Is there like a healer or a doctor on the island?"

>Joyce: "Yeah, your bird said Greg was hurt. G-man's bringing the doctor here. Shouldn't be long. But seriously, what the hell were you thinking? Why didn't you go to the elders, or me, or Hakun?"

"H-he said he'd kill dad."

>The Cimmerian: "Would've done it too if it wasn't for those meddling kids."

>Joyce: "One word out of that filthy mouth and I'll burn your balls off, daemon."

The Cimmerian emits a low, guttural growl that instantly reminds you of why you were afraid of the dark when you were a kid. Joyce narrows her eyes, maintaining a steady grip on her sword.

>Joyce: "Look, we'll have to tell the elders about it. They'll figure out some way to remove the bind and get rid of this thing."
>>
No. 227756 ID: a594b9

>>227754
Why? Sure he's an ass, but it's in his own self interests to protect us and not piss off the entire Kinsley clan. Plus he seemed interested in fighting Alexander.
>>
No. 227764 ID: 701a19

>>227754
"Joyce, I think the bind is working.
I looked it up while deciding what to do; the Cimmerians are one of those things where the clan destroyed all records of it in the hopes that the problem would go away if they forced ignorance on themselves.
This is, what, the third time this week that's bitten me in the ass?
Anyway, as we all know, the older magical things are the more powerful they get, and he stopped paying attention to time before the clans split. Even if they could do something it would be a horrible idea to try it.

Also, with a Bone King running around and a prophesy about the imminent dissolution of the compact it would probably help to have him around."
>>
No. 227766 ID: 56dc25

>>227764
>>227756
Do not overtly support keeping the daemon around because we're seeking more power, or say anything that implies we trust it. Recall that the Kinsleys in general believe heavily in putting huge restrictions on magic; this is already going to get us accused of meddling in things that we had no business messing with. Don't do anything to lend credence to those claims. Nor should we say anything which implies that we oppose the standard clan policies, like destroying/locking away knowledge. Subtlety is called for here.

>>227754
"Of course we'll have to tell the elders! The only reason I didn't right away was the whole blackmail thing. As for undoing the bind... it's really, really powerful, you know. The library said- well, implied- that we used daemons like that as troops in the Harrowing, and it certainly seems bitter about it. Wouldn't it be able to attack if we unbound it? I don't want anyone else to get hurt."
>>
No. 227774 ID: 701a19

>>227766
I think it's ok to oppose destroying knowledge to Joyce; she knows Tiff has gotten the short end of that stick a lot lately.
>>
No. 227780 ID: 0ad82b

>>227754
"Well, I've ensured that it won't kill us all. And on top of that, the main problem is that both sides don't fully seem to understand one another. I'm okay with going to the council, but the issue here is research and determining how to expand my abilities.
>>
No. 227782 ID: 56dc25

>>227774
She does know that, and she might understand, but in times of trouble people in general tend to become more conservative. I would not want to bet that Joyce won't stand with the clan's main party line when the shit hits it (like now). And there's not a lot of benefit to showing radical thought for someone in our precarious social position, particularly since it would show that in desperate times we become less conservative. Largely because we have no education in what the party line is or how the big picture functions and therefore frantically grasp at whatever seems like it might work, but that's not really going to draw us any sympathy when we're playing with magical high explosives.

>>227780
Christ, mate, did you seriously just write "I think this turned out well, everyone else is wrong and I know what's going on, and you should all give me more power"? Because that's what I just read and I think it would completely and totally discredit us.

The Kinsley clan has held their opinions on daemons for thousands of years, and quite possibly with good reason. The daemons have held their opinions on the Kinsley clan for thousands of years, and quite possibly with good reason. And we are a girl who has known about any of this for all of two weeks, who should NOT be claiming to understand either side of the situation, let alone both, because it will make everyone think that she's an arrogant, dangerous idiot.
>>
No. 227789 ID: 40cb26

>>227766
>>227764
Recommending the gist of these two, in this order.
>>
No. 227791 ID: 701a19

>>227782
Taking this to the dis.
>>
No. 227794 ID: 754124

Maybe we should remind her that if we remove the bind he'll be free to kill everyone at his own discretion, and that doing so will benefit him?

I suspect that he could defeat all the elders simultaneously. But I don't want him to.

>>227764
>and he stopped paying attention to time before the clans split.
Before the Harrowing, which I believe was much longer ago.

>>227782
To be fair, this did turn out fine. I agree with the rest of your post, though.
>>
No. 227800 ID: ea2a3c

Look just leave my gigantic boy toy alone. Go get your own if you're so keen on banishing something! I know what I'm doing I'm not a little kid anymore, GOD!

Or uh... agree with everything she says and try to sneak the Cimmerian out before the clan can do anything stupider than they already have. I wouldn't try to hex her directly though, but possibly you could accidentally mar any cage she creates in some hard to detect way.
>>
No. 228046 ID: 426169
File 128395538418.png - (130.66KB , 1000x400 , 548.png )
228046

"No, you can't! If we tell them they'll undo the bind and he'll kill everyone!"

>Joyce: "I've dealt with daemons, kid."

>The Cimmerian: "Not like me you haven't. Now stop waving that pocket knife in my face or I'll take it from you and shove it up your cunt."

>Joyce: "I thought I told you to shut your face, daemon, or I'll"

Joyce is cut off by the sound of footsteps from the door. Someone rings the doorbell.
>>
No. 228056 ID: 754124

>>228046
Um, maybe the demon should make himself scarce?
>>
No. 228068 ID: 40cb26

Alright you two, take it to the room. And play nice Kimmy, no matter how much you really aren't. Joyce he isn't going to hurt anybody if I don't tell him to, I mean you stabbed a daemon in the heart and all he could do was complain and make threats. Think about that.
>>
No. 228115 ID: a594b9

>>228046
Joyce, this demon has been around since before the families split. It's really, really fucking powerful so we really should not set it loose.

If the demon wants to go hide somewhere in the house that would be fine. We can't really order it around though.

We do need to answer the door. Ask Joyce if she can keep quiet and possibly wipe that blood off her sword.
>>
No. 228118 ID: f35afd

Just shout "HURRR!" and throw your hands in the air.
>>
No. 228137 ID: 426169
File 128397980084.png - (216.04KB , 800x800 , 549.png )
228137

"Go to the kitchen and stay there, both of you! No fighting!"

>Joyce: "You first, daemon."

>The Cimmerian: "Whatever."

Tiffany wents some frustration before opening the door.

It feels good.


Tiffany opens the door just as the doorbell rings again. Gareth and the doctor are outside.


"Oh thank goodness you've come. C'mon, my dad's over here. He's hurt pretty bad."

Tiffany leads doctor to dad, while Gareth stands around slightly confused. As the doctor begins to examine dad, Gareth whispers:

>Gareth: "What's going on? Where's Joyce? She was coming over here. What about the daemon?"

"Sssh, I'll tell you later. She's in the other room, so's the daemon. Long story. Just hush while-"

>Doctor: "What happened to him?"

Umm.
>>
No. 228140 ID: f35afd

Are there stairs in the house? Is there something potentially heavy? Like a couch? If so, say he was trying to haul the couch up the stairs and he fell down the stairs and the couch fell on his leg. Is this guy with the Kinseys or is he a normal Dr? If he's a regular dude, just say you can't talk about it for legal reasons.
>>
No. 228150 ID: a594b9

>>228137
SHIT

I wanna say he slipped and fell off a high ledge while walking along the cliffsides... saying he got attacked by a wild animal would be pretty easy to tell that it's a lie. Animals leave bite marks.
>>
No. 228153 ID: ee8bca

>>228150
also bad...
your dad got his leg stuck in a bramble and got it pulled really bad.

This is a pull fracture. this needs to be noted.
>>
No. 228154 ID: 754124

>>228137
"He got hurt."
>>
No. 228159 ID: f35afd

Okay, wait, better idea. Say you don't know and that you found him outside. It's extremely unlikely that normal things cause an injury like that. If there was blood seeping through the knee of his pants as indicated on the picture, and from his ankle, it is likely that his ankle is crushed and his leg is torn mostly off at the knee. Pulling won't break his long bones, and to tear skin at the knee a disgusting amount of force would have had to have been applied. All of the ligaments that hold his kneecap on are definitely ripped off at least on the outside of his knee and he'll probably be a cripple for the rest of his life.
>>
No. 228160 ID: 56dc25

>>228137
Whatever you do, do NOT claim a specific method of injury. This is a doctor; he'll see right through your bullshit as soon as he examines the wound. Play the panicked kid card and don't give a detailed response. Give obvious and correct but basically useless information, like "His leg is bleeding a lot, he sounded like it really hurt, please can you help!"
>>
No. 228165 ID: 754124

>>228160
Yeah, this is what I mean.
>>
No. 228449 ID: 701a19

>>228137
"I don't know! We were in the woods and got separated, and he was injured when I got back to him!"
>>
No. 228771 ID: 426169
File 128407808630.png - (112.07KB , 800x600 , 550.png )
228771

"I don't know! I just found him like this. Is dad gonna be ok? Can you help him?"

Tiffany considered the slight tearing up to be a nice touch, even if it wasn't totally fake.

>Doctor: "I'm sure he'll be fine. But I do need to get him to a hospital. Gareth, could you look after her while I take care of the patient?"

>Gareth: "Aight."

Gareth and Tiffany moved into the hall, while the doctor had a very worrying conversation on the radio. Something about multiple fractures, internal haemorrhage and

>Gareth: "Focus, Tiff."

"Huh?"

>Gareth: "I asked you to tell me what's going on."

"Oh. I, uh, yeah the bind worked. Was just a little..." prep the OR and alert the ICU " um, flashier than I thought."

>Gareth: "What happened to your dad? I thought the daemon couldn't hurt him."

"Umm, I screwed up a bit with the ritual and it got impatient. ... I'm sorry dad." The tears began to well up for real now, despite Tiffany's best efforts.

>Gareth: "Oi, you can't start blaming yourself for that. It was the Cimmerian that hurt him, not you."

"Y-yeah but if I hadn't -"

>Gareth: "That's bull and you know it. You didn't do nothin' wrong."

Tiffany let's out a nervous laugh while Gareth gives her a hug. "Y-you know how much I h-hate double negatives?"

>Gareth: "Ah dunno nuffin 'bout no double negahtives nossir."

Stifled, tear-filled giggles follow.

>Gareth: "Oh. Umm. How'd Joyce react to the daemon?"

"Stabbed 'im through the heart. Why?"

>Gareth: "Oh crap. Yeah sorry 'bout that. It was a wee bit chaotic at the time, I didn't have time to tell her the whole story. She took off right after Mulder finished his message."

"It's ok. Served him right anyway. Is it a he or an it?"

>Gareth: "Uh, hmm. I guess-" *crrz*HEMS taking off, flight time twenty-two minutes, over.
>>
No. 228775 ID: 383006

wat was that? The crackling?
>>
No. 228901 ID: 701a19

>>228775
That would be a radio.

>>228771
It's too bad you don't know any magic that can heal people. I'd hope at least that part of necromancy would be acceptable to them.

"Maybe we should go explain things to Joyce?"
>>
No. 228906 ID: 56dc25

>>228775
I think it was the radio. Talking about sending someone to pick up Dad... apparently we're twenty minutes from a hospital. I wish they had some sort of magical healers here, but I guess not. That's a necromantic thing, though... "mend the body", the first of the four basic necromantic tasks, if what Alexander told you is true.

What good is magic if other people can force you to do horrible things with it, but you can't use it to protect and heal those you care about? There are incredibly knowledgeable people who live on this island, and there's no keeping a secret of either the fact that you're a necromancer or that your dad is injured. If you ask someone to teach you how to heal him, surely they're not going to claim that that is too dangerous to learn... and at least it would maybe make up for a little of how dad got hurt. You promised him he'd be okay. You have to try and fix this.

You don't have to cry, Tiffany. Not when you can make it better. You can do it- mend the body. If there's something to apply your drive and passion to, it's this.
>>
No. 228930 ID: ea2a3c

>>228906

And if this involves scaling the hospital walls in the dead of night in order to get into his bedchamber, all the better!
>>
No. 228959 ID: 754124

>>228771
Rejoin joyce and the demon, fill her in.
>>
No. 232672 ID: 426169
File 128512067726.png - (71.88KB , 800x600 , 551.png )
232672

Damn straight. Dad's hurt because of me, it's my responsibility to fix it. There's got to be some way of doing that, and I bet someone in the clan knows how. But there's stuff that needs doing, like now.

"Maybe we should explain things to Joyce?"

>Gareth: "Uh. Yeah. Damn. She's gonna be pissed. I better talk to her, maybe I can get her to look at this from your- our perspective. Umm. Hmm. Look, I think you need to think of a better story for how yer dad got hurt. 'I found him in the woods' ain't gonna fly with the clan, you know, with the explosion 'nshit. And what was that crap anyway, didn't he claim to be all discreet-like? Bollocks."

"He did, didn't he?"

A quick peek reveals the kitchen situation to be tense, and in danger of escalating. The daemon sits by the kitchen table, eating corn flakes straight from the box. Joyce is gritting her teeth at the loud crunching sound. From the sound of it, the daemon is carefully placing the flakes in his mouth, one at a time, to maximise the effects. Joyce's knuckles are getting whiter, bit by bit.
>>
No. 232676 ID: a594b9

>>232672
Tell the demon that if he keeps pissing Joyce off like that there's gonna be a ruckus. With a ruckus, the doctor will find out. Then he'll go tell the clan. Nobody wants that to happen right?
>>
No. 232682 ID: 56dc25

>>232672
Be straight with Joyce, and tell her what you need. There's no concealing this now and to minimize or dismiss it would be a mistake.

"Joyce, I'm very sorry that you came here not knowing what was going on. Long and short of it, the daemon threatened me, and I didn't know enough to do more than try and give in on relatively okay terms. If Gareth and I are right, the bind I used will stop him from hurting people without my say-so, but someone else will probably need to confirm that. But for now, I think all he can do is generally be an ass, and also lie to us and do other horrible but nonviolent things.

"So please put him on hold for a minute. My dad's leg is very badly hurt; the daemon tore it threatening Dad so that I'd bind him. It sounds really bad, based upon what the doctor's saying. I'm worried he might die, or never be able to walk again. Is there any way that the clan can heal him?"
>>
No. 232691 ID: fd6d7e

...ask him for some corn flakes.
>>
No. 232937 ID: a7a85a

Being corporeal can have it's downsides.
Now that Cimmerian has a body we might want to look into how difficult it would be to imprison him. Either as an incentive to at least behave or as an 'do not pass go' solution to the likelihood of his maiming and killing everyone who isn't Tiffany.
>>
No. 234283 ID: 426169
File 128554215748.png - (100.13KB , 500x1000 , 552.png )
234283

Tiffany pauses for a second, then decides to disregard Gareth's suggestion and handle all the talking herself.

"Joyce, I'm very sorry that you came here not knowing what was going on. I-"

>Joyce: "Yeah I guess me being here makes it harder for you to cover this up, huh."

"I- that's not what I meant."

>Joyce: "Oh? You weren't going to cover this up then?"

"Well, I..."

>Joyce: "Yes?"

The silence is pierced by a loud crunch of corn flakes.

Shit.

>>
No. 234290 ID: 56dc25

>>234283
What the hell is the problem, Tiffany? NO, you were NOT planning to cover this up! There's no way in hell that you want to be stuck hanging out with this jackass daemon for the next however long, and what, covering up every little bit of bullshit he pulls desperately trying to keep him a secret? And you know he'd be laughing at your antics the entire time.

There is one reason that you kept things secret thus far: You thought that if you didn't, it would put Dad in even more danger. Bloody well say so, and stop standing there like you have something to actually feel guilty about.

You can and will tell the clan, because you made yourself a member of their family and that means having some modicum of loyalty. You just have to make sure that they actually know exactly what happened and don't make an already terrible situation even worse.
>>
No. 234299 ID: e3f578

"The demon threatened Mulder, then me, then my Dad. I was scared. I had no idea what to do. I'm just a little girl in over her head, trying to do the best I can. I didn't do this for some selfish power grab, I... I... just..."

Cry. But not loud enough to get heard by the doctor. You have to get some sympathy going on. If there's one thing adults can't really get all rooted against, it's tears. It will also remind her that you were really, really victimized by your grandfather and pretty much are loosing all of your childhood in a few short days. Don't hold back your tears that are obviously bottoming up in your heart for dignity's sake, it humanizes you. JUST DO IT. You can't reason your way out of this Tiff.
>>
No. 234323 ID: 56dc25

>You can't reason your way out of this Tiff.
What? Of course she can. She had a decent reason for everything she's done here. And the moment she plays the "I'm a kid, have some sympathy" card, every adult will take it as permission to ignore her wants and decide that they know what's best for her. You don't blame kids as much for mistakes, but you don't let them have the freedom to make their own decisions, either. We can't afford that. Better for Tiffany to keep to her previous pattern of showing spine at all times and acting as adult as possible.
>>
No. 234329 ID: 701a19

>>234283
Sigh. "No, I wasn't. Completely aside from the fact that it just plain wouldn't work, I'm not going to betray the family like that.
I don't know enough about what's going on for this to be at all safe, and I certainly don't know enough to make the situation safe. The people who do know enough and can make things safe need to know what's going on.
The problem is how we ask them for help so they'll stay calm.

He's not just a powerful demon from the age before our recorded history and a potential threat, but he's also an interloper in what's supposed to be a safe haven.
Joyce, you don't just feel like you're in danger, you feel violated; you feel like you're not going to be safe again. I've been there before, and I can see it in your eyes now.

The others are going to feel the same way unless we can present him in a way that would put them at ease enough for them to think rationally."
>>
No. 236990 ID: a594b9

We're sorry she came here before we had a chance to tell her. We were going to; she's trustworthy. Likely to listen to our story without judging us too harshly.

Before the binding, we were coerced. He always had something we wanted to keep. Either Mulder or Dad. Meanwhile he told us about how the Kinsleys treated demons like slaves. That made us almost feel sorry for him; think of him more as a person.

Now he's being a giant dick, but he's been bound by the Curse of Earth, so he can't do any real harm. We would like to tell the others about this, but we feel bound by our agreement not to betray him. That wouldn't be the right thing to do. Plus he'd be handy in a fight, and he has said that he's interested in fighting Alexander...
>>
No. 245757 ID: 504b49
File 128744981724.png - (67.08KB , 600x900 , 553.png )
245757

"Thats mean, Joyce. He made me do this or he'd hurt dad. I didn't want to keep it a secret, but I had no choice! I was gonna tell you, honest! I... I didn't know what else to do. This place was supposed to be safe! They keep coming after me and I... *sob*"

>The Cimmerian: "Oh look, now you've made her cry."

>Joyce [ignoring the daemon]: "Shit. I'm sorry, Tiff, I shouldn't... Oh man why do I keep flying off the handle? Look, Tiff, I'm sorry. It's gonna be okay. The doctor's seeing to your dad and we're gonna take care of this piece of trash. Don't worry. It's going to be ok."

Joyce stands at an awkward distance while Tiffany tries to hold back her tiers. The daemon observes from the shadows, silent for once.

Tiffany the Necromancer will return tomorrow at 20:00 GMT. See you then.
-Nahkh

>>
No. 245940 ID: fd6d7e

>>234299

Yeah I don't think she had to try particularly hard to summon up those tears. What a day.
>>
No. 246050 ID: 504b49
File 128752152767.png - (288.56KB , 600x1800 , 554.png )
246050

The next few hours fused together in Tiffany's mind. She remembered the helicopter and the paramedics, but not what dad looked like on the way to the helicopter. She remembered the look the daemon gave her as the containment team took him away. He didn't resist. Just gave her a look.
In the end Tiffany passed out on the kitchen chair with Joyce watching over her.



It was light when Tiffany awoke. Someone had carried her to the sofa and covered her with a blanket. A black-robed man was standing guard in the room. He hadn't noticed that Tiffany was awake. Not yet, at least.


>
>>
No. 246066 ID: 1854db

>>246050
Ask him for an update. Any news on Dad? What about the demon, what are they gonna do to him?
>>
No. 246083 ID: 56dc25

>>246050
Ask after Dad, and then after Gareth and Joyce. Do not ask about the daemon, not immediately. We need to demonstrate through our actions that it is our friends/family who concern us, and that we trust the clan to be doing the right thing. When we see friends, they'll fill us in regarding the daemon; asking our guard about it won't help our situation.
>>
No. 246148 ID: 504b49
File 12875389175.png - (71.30KB , 600x900 , 555.png )
246148

"Uh, hi? Who're you?"

>"Oh. You're awake. My name is Owen. The powers that be have assigned me as your bodyguard for the day."

"Oh. Am I in trouble?"

>"Don't think so. If you were you'd be locked up."

"... but they placed a guard."

>"Well, yes. Mostly just to make sure you don't cause any more trouble."

"So can I go see my dad?"

>"Not quite. The council's requested that you don't leave the island, and the doctor's took your dad to Liverpool. And if the council requested it... You know how it goes. Not that it matters much, your dad's still in surgery. They'll call when there's news."

"But I wanna see my dad!"

>"And I want to be the king of all cosmos and wear a shiny hat. No such luck, kid."

"You're mean."

>"So my wife tells me."

"Can I at least go see Gareth? And Joyce?"

>"Joyce is meeting with the council, but I suppose we could talk to the boy. Maybe the two of you could move your luggage here."
>>
No. 246152 ID: e3f578

>>246148
this man has a bit of a tongue and spite on him. I like him.
>>
No. 246153 ID: 732129

>>246148

Ask Owen what kind of shiny hat. Ask what is wife is like. Ask if he has kids. Ask if he has a guess as to when Joyce will be out of council.

Ask if he wants breakfast.
>>
No. 246157 ID: 1854db

>>246148
Mooooove luggage!
>>
No. 246160 ID: 56dc25

>>246153
...breakfast, that actually reminds me; when was the last time Tiffany ate anything? I think yesterday we were too busy with the nonstop panic to get any food. That's probably not good and contributing somewhat to our petulance here. We should definitely bring up the matter, in a somewhat sociable way... having a meal with Owen and Gareth, for example.

See if you can feel where Mulder is.
>>
No. 246196 ID: 40cb26

>>246148
Note to self: let's get this guy a shiny hat later. So damn shiny.
>>
No. 246212 ID: 504b49
File 128754841827.png - (69.50KB , 600x900 , 556.png )
246212

"What kind of shiny hat?"

>"Oh I don't know. A crown's a little much. Maybe one of those tinfoil hats?"

"You'd look good in one."

>"You think?"

"You want some breakfast? We could get Gareth and have something to eat."

>"No thanks, I already ate. But you and Gareth can eat while I stand guard. You gonna go out looking like that?"

Oh. This... I think this is dad's blood.
>>
No. 246216 ID: 56dc25

>>246212
Unless you happen to have a change of clothes on you, the answer is "yes". You might want to take a moment with a wet towel or something to get the most obvious bits cleared off, though.
>>
No. 246219 ID: 1854db

>>246212
Nope, we're gonna need to change clothes.
>>
No. 246220 ID: 40cb26

Yeeeaaaahh you're gonna want to clean up and change.
>>
No. 246221 ID: 504b49
File 128755099452.png - (70.15KB , 600x900 , 557.png )
246221

"Oh. I've got more clothes in my bag but that's at the inn."

>"Ah. Lucky for you, I brought your robes with me. Fancy trying them on for size? Black's always in fashion around here."

I... how are the clan members going to react to me wearing them after last night?
>>
No. 246223 ID: 754124

>>246221
>I... how are the clan members going to react to me wearing them after last night?
Nothing could possibly go wrong!

Also, tell him that he doesn't need to guard you while you change.
>>
No. 246224 ID: 1854db

>>246221
Wear them wrong.
>>
No. 246232 ID: 56dc25

>>246221
Wearing clan-style robes is a statement that you consider yourself part of the clan. Any clan member who wants you out will probably resent it, but at the same time, wouldn't not wearing them only strengthen any argument they make against you?

Wear the robes. You're a Kinsley, that's Kinsley gear, and you have a right to it. Waver even an inch of that point, and those who oppose you will try to take a mile.

>>246224
No.
>>
No. 246235 ID: 504b49
File 128755344677.png - (45.96KB , 600x900 , 558.png )
246235

AAAAH I CAN'T SEEE

>"*snrk* Yeah, uh, on official occasions we have rules about how to wear the robes, but on your free time you can wear it however you like. Even backwards."
>>
No. 246300 ID: 56dc25

>>246235
...good lord. Put them on properly, and ask if he has any recommendations on how to compensate for the far-too-long sleeves. You can't be the only one that's ever had this problem.
>>
No. 246302 ID: 9fe1a5

Oh Tiffany even if you are sometimes a Necromancer you make all feel cute for you. It's the small things you do. Anyway..... erm young lady put the robe the right way :) and get yourself ready. We are going to meet the clan and also erm loosen your hair and bit. It gives you that cute look.
>>
No. 246842 ID: 8e5181

Cut the hair OFF! Somehow. :> Much more convincing. Erm...
>>
No. 261233 ID: 07db5a
File 129124963695.png - (95.52KB , 600x400 , 559.png )
261233

It took a while for Owen to help Tiffany sort out her robe. He adjusted a catch here, a fold there, and soon Tiffany was looking decent. The pair headed up to the castle to find Gareth and if luck would have it, breakfast.

The guards at the gate seemed more tense than usual. Tiffany had expected some nasty looks after last night, but they largely ignored her and gave worried looks to Owen.

The courtyard was deserted. Tiffany could hear a crowd inside the dining hall.

"That doesn't sound good. Anything going on?"

>"Haven't heard anything yet. Let's give it a look, ye?"

The dining hall door was wide open. Owen and Tiffany paused at the door to examine the crowd. It was packed. Dark shapes huddled in worried conversation. A ring of silence began to spread out as people turned to look towards the door.

Well this is nice.

Owen stood directly behind Tiffany, calm as you please, completely blocking the option of a graceful retreat.
>>
No. 261240 ID: 45be60

>>261233
attempt to retreat gracefully.
bump into Owen.
be embarrassed.
>>
No. 261303 ID: f6360f

>>261233
Well, that's awkward. But saying something to disrupt the whole "everyone is staring" bit is likely to either sound inane or rude... not sure how to handle that, short of getting someone else to bail you out.

Whatever happens, try to stay confident and don't apologize for your actions- you've been in a bad situation, but you've tried to do the right thing at every turn and that's nothing to apologize for.
>>
No. 261304 ID: 701a19

>>261233
You came here to get some food.
Go get some food.
>>
No. 261322 ID: 1854db

Wave sheepishly, then go get something to eat.
>>
No. 261341 ID: 383006

Go get ye some food and see if you can spot Gareth. Looking like a confused little girl (not hard, given the circumstances) can't hurt either.
>>
No. 261348 ID: 43d730

>>261233
Stand on one leg. Give a twirl.
If they keep staring, do a dance over to the food line.
>>
No. 261390 ID: 07db5a
File 129132596288.png - (74.63KB , 600x400 , 560.png )
261390

Tiffany was on the verge of fleeing the room when Owen spoke in a soft voice.

>"That would send the wrong message, kid. Act like you belong, they'll let up."

Tiffany gave him the slightest of nods, and headed towards the breakfast aisle, Owen at her heels. The conversation around the room continued in hushed tones, with only occasional glances towards Tiffany.

As Tiffany was considering the selection of bacon, oatmeal, some orange clumpy soup thing (?) and eggs, Owen scanned the room.

>"Something's up. Too crowded for this hour. Do you think you can handle yourself while I catch up on the gossip?"

"Yeah, I think so."

>"I'll be nearby, find yourself a seat."

Tiffany found herself alone in a crowded room absent any familiar faces. There was an empty seat at one of the popular tables, and a lone figure eating alone at another. Now, where to sit?
>>
No. 261394 ID: d0d015

Lone figure! They always have the coolest stories.
>>
No. 261397 ID: 45be60

oh lunch room politics, how I do not miss thee.

Don't sit at the full table. Just because you belong HERE doesn't mean you belong THERE. Don't push the issue just yet. Sit at the nearly empty table a comfortable reasonable distance from the lone person. Offer a short, polite greeting, and be prepared to eat in silence if it is not returned.
>>
No. 261417 ID: 383006

Let's lone figure the shit out of this shit.
>>
No. 261567 ID: 07db5a
File 129141267054.png - (90.00KB , 500x400 , 561.png )
261567

Tiffany filled her plate with some of the more familiar foods, and headed over to the less crowded table.

"Can I sit here?"

A fork clattered on the table, as the figure jumped at being spoken to.

>"Oh! Umm. Sure. If you want to, I mean."

A girl. Apprentice robes. Yeah.

"I'm Tiffany. What's your name?"

>"Tiffany. I mean Amie. Umm. I've heard of you."

"Oh. Anything good?"

>"N-no. Sorry."

The girl picks up her fork and continues eating, an uncomfortable silence settling over the table. She gives Tiffany an apologetic look.
>>
No. 261578 ID: f6360f

>>261567
Break the uncomfortable silence. Strive to be cheerful. You can probably make a friend here, assuming that she doesn't totally clam up.

Perhaps tell her she doesn't need to apologize, and that you appreciate her telling the truth. Ask who she's apprenticed under and for how long, what their specialization is, what her interests are, if she knows just what's going on around here.... there are no lack of potential topics of conversation, even relatively innocuous ones.
>>
No. 261640 ID: 07db5a
File 129143561529.png - (113.36KB , 400x500 , 562.png )
261640

"It's fine. It's just talk. Do you care about what people say?"

>"N-no, of course not."

"Do you know what all the buzz is about?"

>"Umm, it's master Kenric. He's my master, we just got back. And ummmm you."

"Well, obviously, but why's everyone worried about your master?"

>"Well, no, see he had some bad news. That has everyone on edge."

"What kind of bad news?"

>"Umm, I'm not supposed to say anything. Sorry."

"Where did you guys come from?"

>"N-no, sorry, he'll get mad."

"Okay, okay. Can you at least tell me what he does?"

>"I think so. He's an inquisitor."

"Oh."

The conversation entered another silence, less awkward than the last. Amie and Tiffany eat a bit, each uncertain how to continue.
>>
No. 261665 ID: 1854db

>>261640
Ask about the food!
>>
No. 261666 ID: 45be60

Things to say:

"Well... if everyone else is talking about it, why can't we?"

"So does this mean there is something horrible going on besides Alexander?"

"Your eyes are pretty"

"Where are you from?"
>>
No. 261693 ID: 754124

"I guess that was kind of prying, huh? Sorry."
>>
No. 261694 ID: d0d015

"What's your favorite color? Or do you say colour over here? What's you favorite animal? Do you like rainbows? Have you ever seen a double rainbow? Do you read any fiction? What's your favorite book? What's your favorite author? What's your favorite artist?"

Just keep rapid-firing questions until there is no more awkward silence.
>>
No. 261751 ID: 07db5a
File 129149949451.png - (101.92KB , 400x700 , 563.png )
261751

"I guess that was kinda prying. Sorry."

>"It's fine."

"Has something happened?"

>"I'm not supposed to-"

"Oh c'mon, if everyone's talking about it why can't we?"

>"I really can't make master Kenric mad. I was really lucky to get him, I can't mess it up!"

"C'mon, I won't tell. It could be important."

>"I don't know..."

"Please?"

>"... Maybe a little. Umm, they say Alexander's come back from the dead, right? Well, my master and some others were looking into that in America, you know, only the Germans were there too. Only when master Kenric got to them they were already dead. And now the Germans back here are really upset and-"
>>
No. 261763 ID: bf88fc

Oh jeez, behind you... That's either your bodyguard or her master, in which case prepare to take the blame for begging her.
>>
No. 261808 ID: d60b6c

Well she can't get into too much trouble, this is information we already. At least, the Alexander part. And if her master is in the know, he should know this.

See who's behind you.
>>
No. 261854 ID: f6360f

>>261751
It would probably be polite to give her some information in exchange for what she's told you. For example, confirming that Alexander is back and that he's a real bastard.

He was never really dead, though. Not in the sense of being really gone from the world; he was inhabiting his skull for however long.
>>
No. 261996 ID: 383006

Yeah, let's turn and face our accuser or what have you.
>>
No. 262095 ID: 754124

>apologize for prying
>keep prying
>get her in trouble
I guess we're not trying to make friends here...
>>
No. 262202 ID: 07db5a
File 129159507882.png - (85.48KB , 500x700 , 564.png )
262202

>Amie: "M-master Kenric!"

The wizard behind them gave a cold look at Amie, who shrank visibly in her seat. After an uncomfortable silence he speaks in a dry voice, barely more than a whisper:

>Kenric: "Are finished spreading petty gossip, child?"

>Amie: "Y-yes master Kenric."

>Kenric: "Return to my quarters and wait there. We will discuss this later."

"Look it was all my fault, I kept bugging her ab-"

>Kenric: "You will speak when spoken to, child. Learn your place."
>>
No. 262301 ID: f6360f

>>262202
Your place? This guy seems like a jackass. Don't be intimidated by his shadowed-face-and-ominous-voice routine; you've faced bigger and scarier things than him. In the last 24 hours, even.

That said, a confrontation would likely not be the best of moves with your political situation so delicate. You'd lose face in the clan. So... hmm... how to walk this line...

Best I've got is to stand, take your tray, and prepare to move to a different table. Face Amie- not Kenric- and tell her it was very nice to meet her, and that you appreciate her friendliness and willingness to speak with you. Perhaps another time.

Then leave for a table where dickish inquisitors aren't putting themselves all up in your business, even if that means eating alone. Sit somewhere where you can face the bulk of the room and watch others, preferably; maybe you'll learn something.
>>
No. 262304 ID: f59554

>>262301
Sounds good, just keep it brief. Apologize for insisting.
>>
No. 262315 ID: 40cb26

Say nothing, nod your head slightly, and just look at him. Not backing down, but still staying out of further trouble by shutting up.
>>
No. 262360 ID: 383006

We are a fucking apprentice and DO need to learn our place. Apologize and look demure. There is no reason to make more enemies than we already have.
>>
No. 262368 ID: f59554

Sounds better.
>>
No. 262371 ID: d0d015

Make the enemies anyways!

Make ALL THE ENEMIES!
>>
No. 262440 ID: 45be60

continue that sentence from where he interrupted you.

"...About my grandpa. This whole mess STARTED because nobody TOLD me about him. Those who do not learn from their mistakes are doomed."
"...Sir."
>>
No. 262467 ID: 40cb26

Let's not go on about apologies or anything else. Talking too much is the problem here after all. "You're right, sorry. Just had a rough couple of days." And don't try being cute about it just turn around and mind your business.
>>
No. 262493 ID: f59554

Just say sorry and then keep your mouth shut.
>>
No. 262700 ID: 07db5a
File 129175586758.png - (141.50KB , 500x700 , 565.png )
262700

A momentary flash of defiance shines in Tiffany's eyes, but she relented. This isn't worth the trouble, keep your head down.

"Sorry, sir."

>Kenric: "Good. You are Tiffany Blake, is this correct?"

"Kinsley."

A silence.

>Kenric: "Very well. Tiffany Kinsley. Recently arrived from America?"

"Yes."

>Kenric: "And you admit to having had dealings with a known heretic?"
>>
No. 262705 ID: e3f578

"Being manipulated and hypnotized is the more correct term. False memories being put into my head of him taking me out for ice cream when I was even smaller, putting me into a trance so I could give him something of my brother's so he could kill him, the whole shebang."
>>
No. 262708 ID: 40cb26

"If you call having my mind altered, my actions controlled and being manipulated into sacrificing my own family dealings, then yes I have."
>>
No. 262709 ID: e3f578

>>262708
Add in that if you accidentally said that in a disrespectful tone, that wasn't your intention. It's an American child thing. Even if it's not, hey, it's an excuse.
>>
No. 262712 ID: 40cb26

>>262709
Well it sure as hell isn't the kind of question you want to answer with a simple yes or no. She has no choice but to put the context into the answer itself, and before saying "yes".

But I think that just saying those things is depressing enough that she won't sound uppity.
>>
No. 262714 ID: 701a19

>>262700
"Dealing would require that I had freedom. He violated me, sir."
>>
No. 262716 ID: 45be60

>>262700
now see, if you had said >>262440 this conversation would have been much more entertaining.
>>
No. 262794 ID: 383006

BE LOOKING PRINCESS
>>
No. 263004 ID: 07db5a
File 129185426941.gif - (295.49KB , 700x500 , 566.gif )
263004

"Well if you call being mind-controlled and manipulated, then yes."

A silence. Amie gives Tiffany a look of panic and alarm, then returns to staring at the floor.

>Kenric: "I see. The course is clear. You are under arrest under article seven of the inquisitorial doctrine, to be bound and contained until the extent of the taint and corruption has been determined. Do you submit?"
>>
No. 263008 ID: 60cc0d

>>263004
sure go by their rules but ask about how long he expects you to be detained and if you can let your father know
>>
No. 263010 ID: 45be60

"I'm pretty sure that's already been covered, which is why I am sitting here having my breakfast and not locked up somewhere. If you would like take the matter up with the council and come back with their blessing, I would be happy to submit or whatever."
>>
No. 263014 ID: 701a19

>>263004
"The elders were made aware of the issue and declined to act overtly. I have little doubt that they are surreptitiously investigating potential problems; at a guess, I believe they expect any traps left to be of the sort that would be triggered by following protocol.
I ask that you take your concerns to the elders; until they have decided on the matter I have little choice but to decline, but I will keep your concerns at the forefront of my mind."
>>
No. 263016 ID: e3f578

That's a bit freaky. His dark aura makes him look really fucking evil. I don't think we can trust him. If we're detained that might make us a target for Alexander if this mutha right here is evil, lying, or anything like him.

Lets not submit to an evil, almost dead looking guy. We got shit-canned last time we followed a talking skull. Only difference here is that this one isn't an exile Kinsley and lives among the rightful Kinsleys and has all the prerequisites to dance dem bones. These last few days have been awful dammit, I have no desire to go right back into another bad situation. At least ask him to get another responsible adult to confirm this. You can't trust anybody anymore, especially scary guys!

Watch me be totally wrong and he ends up feeding Mulder an eyeball in a moment of [bitter]sweetness later.
>>
No. 263024 ID: 20fc85

How about you tell him to take it up with the council as all of this has been discussed with them.

And then move with a group (other than just this guy and you.)
>>
No. 263027 ID: 383006

Yeah, I mean, just tell him that the elders already know all that stuff, and it's already been dealt with.
>>
No. 263046 ID: 40cb26

"His influences on my mind were seemingly few, some false memories and a means to control my actions directly. They were identified and removed by Thomas when he... saved me. The rest of the manipulation was simply based on lies. I met with the Elders and they are aware of what happened to me and saw no need to act further. I trust their judgment, and I leave my fate to them before you."
>>
No. 263097 ID: 4747eb

Don't forget to mention that they knew all of this BEFORE they inducted you into the clan.
>>
No. 263383 ID: d60b6c

>>263014

He might have already done that. Gone to the council I mean.
>>
No. 279643 ID: c44286
File 129703035713.png - (85.04KB , 800x600 , 567.png )
279643

"Look, the council already knows all that and they were fine with it."

>Kelric: "Perhaps you do not understand. Alexander Kinsley's case has been reopened. As I have been charged with the investigation I am within my rights to detain and interrogate anyone I believe might be relevant to the case. The council has no say in this. I am placing you under arrest pending interrogation. You will not suffer undue discomfort if you come willingly."
>>
No. 279647 ID: f6360f

>>279643
Well, I don't see you getting out of this if what he says is true. It would be unwise not to inform anyone, though; this guy seems far too much like the type to throw you into a hole and leave you there forever on principle, just in case. Remain calm, though.

"All right. Owen has been asked to look after me and is somewhere in here; if he is informed and confirms for me that you have the right to do that, of course I will respect your authority under the clan's rules."
>>
No. 279651 ID: 701a19

>>279643
"Mmm... I'm restricted to the island and under guard due to events that occurred last night. While I would normally concede, the effects of these events are such that I have to ask that you consult with the council before applying further confinement.
I'm not being cagey, I've simply been instructed to not speak of it.

I will, however, be ready and available to answer questions when you are prepared to ask them."

Shorter version:
"You'll have to ask my guard about that first. I'm not allowed to talk about it, but you need to know about last night before you decide to arrest me.
No rush, It's not like I'm going anywhere."
>>
No. 279837 ID: c44286
File 129711343072.png - (206.53KB , 800x600 , 568.png )
279837

"All right, I'll come. I just got to tell Owen first."

>"That won't be necessary. You will come with me without delay."

"I really think I need to tell Owen."

>"Come. Now."

"No I-"

Kenric grabs Tiffany's wrist with startling speed, and hisses into her ear:

>Kenric: "You will come with me you little shit or I'll have you strapped to a table and start cutting long strips of -"
>>
No. 279841 ID: c44286
File 129711418399.png - (93.91KB , 800x600 , 569.png )
279841

>Cain: "What's the matter, Ken? Can't get your pecker up without scaring little girls?"

"Cain! Owen!"

Kenric paused for a moment in annoyed silence, and broke a slight smile.

>Kenric: "Ah. Master Cain. How nice to see you. I trust you are well?"

>Cain: "Hrm."

>Kenric: "I trust my commission is coming along on schedule?"

>Cain: "Hrm."

>Kenric: "Quite. Now if you'll excuse me, me and the young lady here have an appointment. Private appointment."

>Owen: "Oh yes. Article seven. Very nice. Interrogate away, old boy."

Kenric pulls at Tiffany's arm, beconing her to follow him.

>Owen: "I don't suppose you recall clause 14 A and B and amendment eight of the same, would you old boy? I can't quite recall."

Kenric slows to a halt, giving Owen a Look.

>Kenric: "Clause fourteen refers to the interrogation of minors. Your point being?"

>Owen: "Oh yes. Minors. How did they go again? It's gonna bug me otherwise, you know how I am."

>Kenric, through gritted teeth: "When interrogating minors one is forbidden from employing standard procedures listed in article five."

>Owen: "I'm sure there was something more to that."

>Kenric: "- including the Eye, The Scythian Hourglass or Tengians Harmonic Sequence."

>Owen: "It's a good thing you didn't use any of those then, haha. I could've sworn there was more though."

>Kenric: "- and the subject must have an appointed guardian observing the proceedings to ensure that proper protocol is observed."

Kenric practically spat the last word out.

>Owen: "Ah, yeah. That's it. A guardian. ... Hey Tiffany, ain't you a minor?"

"Yes?"

>Owen: "Oh dear. You better get a guardian then. Ohallright I'll be your guardian. It's my job! Anyhow, are you ready for the interrogation, old boy?"

Kenric gave Owen and Tiffany a long look. owen had cheerily linked arms with Tiffany.

>Kenric: "Perhaps I will pursue more promising avenues of investigation, first. I bid you farewell."

Kenric turned and stormed towards the door. He barked an order to Amie, who scrambled after her.

>Owen: "Poor girl. You all right there kid?"
>>
No. 279843 ID: 252e1b

>>279841

How'd a nice kid like Amie end up stuck working for that guy?
>>
No. 279844 ID: 259738

>>279841
The Kinsleys condone torture? Not endearing me to them.
>>
No. 279845 ID: 252e1b

>>279844

Any organization that deals with things that can literally warp a witness' mind will need methods that can force a truthful answer. If the only reliable techniques resemble torture or are uncomfortable, that's unfortunate but it does not make them any less necessary.

Now, if the techniques are as unreliable as actual torture then I would agree completely with you. But I'm guessing their techniques have much better results.
>>
No. 279849 ID: 701a19

>>279841
"Charming ball of sunshine, isn't he?"
>>
No. 279850 ID: e3f578

>>279841
What was with that, he was all ready to go interrogate you no matter what and then suddenly a guardian states he must be with her during the investigation and he drops it like a motherfucker. Like he wanted to make sure you two were absolutely alone during the interrogation. That's suspicious as hell. You have to ask Owen what this was all about and especially why Kenric just dropped it. Does Ken just not like watchers when he does his magic?
>>
No. 279941 ID: f6360f

>>279841
"Yeah, I'm fine. Glad you were in the room, though."
>>
No. 280179 ID: c44286
File 129718983822.png - (70.10KB , 800x600 , 570.png )
280179

"I am now. Thanks."

>Owen: "It's what I'm here for. Grab your breakfast, let's go somewhere less crowded."

Owen gives a slight nod to master Cain as Tiffany collects her plate. Cain grunts in response and turns towards the breakfast table.

A few moments later Tiffany and Owen are up in the battlements, enjoying the warm air.


"Charming ball of sunshine, wasn't he?"

There's not a hint of amusement in Owen's voice when he responds.

>Owen: "Listen to me very carefully, Tiffany. What I did back there was stupid. Stupid as hell. Never do that, you hear? I don't want you winding up in a bad way because you couldn't keep your mouth shut."

"Sorry."

>Owen: "Don't piss off the inquisitors. I'm serious."

"Is this one of those 'don't do as I do, do as I say' things?"

Owen gives Tiffany a sour look.

"So... What was up with that? He was all determined to interrogate me until you showed up. Sounds like he was up to something."

>Owen: "No kidding."

"You know don't you."

>Owen: "Hmph. Eat your breakfast."

The breakfast was greasy, but at least filling. Questions bubbled in Tiffany's mind, as well as worries over Dad and Gareth. The appearance of the Cimmerian certainly hadn't helped her chances of fitting in with the clan, or finding a master for that matter. She sure had her work cut out for her.

>Owen: "Oh and I found out what the hubbub was about. Something's happened across the pond, and the Rothwalds are screaming bloody murder. Seem's like their hunter team got shanked. Dunno about the specifics, we're expecting a full report in an hour or so. I don't like it."
>>
No. 280186 ID: 252e1b

>>280179

You might as well share with him what you got from Amie. That is, that Kenric was part of the group that found the Germans apparently, and that he seems to think it's related to Alexander. Which is why he wanted to interrogate you so badly.
>>
No. 280248 ID: 45be60

I bet our pet demon would love being given permission to get his hands on this Kenric fellow...

No, that's a terrible idea. We are trying to fit in and make nice here. Bad thoughts, bad thoughts!
>>
No. 280318 ID: f6360f

I think we need to find a master, and sooner rather than later. Shit is just going to keep piling into the fan, and somehow I don't think we'll come out of any of it smelling like roses. If Alexander is at the center of whatever news comes out, that will only make our stance in the clan worse even if we've said that we hate him and he betrayed us rather nastily. And knowing him, he'll just keep making more bad news as long as he remains at large, which will likely be a very long time considering how powerful he is now and the kind of assets he likely has at his disposal now that he's had a bit of time to gather them up.

>>280248
The Cimmerian is not our pet, it's a hostile entity that happens to be bound to us.

The rest of your point stands.
>>
No. 280341 ID: 1a693f

>>280179
We should have gone with the Rothwalds... In any case, it's clear that the Kinsley's are also a semi-hostile family. We need the Cimmerian back. It'll piss them off, but we need our own power base. Making nice doesn't appear to be an option. We're a player, not just a student.

Anyways, pretend to zone out and start talking to the Cimmerian. Ask him if he can escape and reach us without causing permanent harm to anyone. Also, apologize. He may be a dick but he's OUR dick.
>>
No. 280361 ID: f6360f

>>280341
Having our own power base would be nice... except that the Cimmerian wouldn't help with that, because he's got his own ideas about what he should be doing at any given time. He tore apart our father's leg because we didn't work fast enough and got frustrated by being threatened. He thinks that we and everyone we're descended from are worthless traitorous pieces of shit and would like nothing more than to laugh while tearing apart everyone we know.

He is not ours and we should never, ever forget that.
>>
No. 280365 ID: e3f578

Can you ask if all Inquisitors are walking skulls in cloaks or do their faces always resemble a personal fear or something?
>>
No. 280374 ID: 252e1b

The Cimmerian is not a source of power, it is an extreme hazard and you should defer to the Council in all things regarding it. They accepted you as a Kinsley, you are one of them now, and they are obligated to help you deal with Alexander (and not only because you are their kin, but because Alexander poses a threat to them too).

You do need a master, and not only because you need the protection, but because it's traditional for someone your age to be apprenticed in this clan. You need to conform.
>>
No. 280380 ID: 1a693f

>>280361
To be fair, I'd get frustrated with being threatened too. But more importantly: He's BOUND, he's sticking around, and he can be dealt with. We were getting somewhere with him
before Joyce showed up.
>>280374
The council doesn't like us and doesn't have our interests in mind. Also, we're a necromancer and have a bound daemon. The opportunity to conform is long gone.
>>
No. 280383 ID: f6360f

>>280380
>To be fair, I'd get frustrated with being threatened too.
Yes, which is why it's perfectly understandable that Tiffany did and even more bastardly of him to have harmed her father that way. Yes, he's bound now, but that doesn't make him safe or controllable in any fashion but that he won't harm us directly.

But regardless, only some of the council doesn't like us, and while we bound a demon I daresay that they'd have quietly shuffled us into the clutches of an Inquisitor like that one if someone with power wasn't inclined to look out for us. It is far from impossible or unreasonable to keep our oath to the clan, and while many of them are dicks that's true of most large groups. What's more, there is STILL far more opportunity to learn magic here than anywhere else available to us; Alexander sure as hell isn't going to teach us unless we're his slave and the Rothwalds we've alienated. The Kinsleys may not like us a lot, but we ARE sworn to them with all rights and responsibilities pertaining. They will respect that until we make significantly worse transgressions than we have thus far.
>>
No. 280393 ID: 252e1b

Plus, many of these Kinsleys are NOT dicks. Gareth's been a bro, Joyce's been looking out for us, Owen's been a cool dude so far, and Amie seemed like a really nice person (despite working for a jerk). And remember, the Council had the last say in letting Tiffany become an official Kinsley. A majority of them were on her side.
>>
No. 280396 ID: 1a693f

>>280393
Gareth got punished by his father somehow so badly that he refuses to let us see his face. I bet Amie, apprentice to inquisitor skin-strips isn't going to fare too well either. Plus, she wasn't so much "nice" as weak-willed. The council isn't on our side, the council wants to use us. Looking back, there's only one of them who seemed friendly.

Maybe we don't need to call him up now, but binding an ultra-powerful demon, scaring the shit out of everyone and undoubtedly making a few enemies in the process, then ignoring said demon doesn't seem like a good idea. We have telepathic contact with him. We need to talk to him.
>>
No. 280553 ID: c44286
File 129728866984.gif - (225.54KB , 800x500 , 571.gif )
280553

"I heard. Kenric was with em when they found the Germans."

>Owen: "Hm."

"Are they all like that, with the skull and all?"

>Owen: "The masks? Yeah they like to look all spooky or something. No other reason as far as I know. They do have some kinda exclusive hoodoo thing going, but I think that's the Eye, not the masks."

"The Eye?"

>Owen: "Yeah. Being an inquisitor is for life. During their initiation rites, they cut out one of their own eyes and replace it with a gemstone called the Eye. It's creepy as hell if you ask me. They come out of it changed. Even- no. Sorry for rambling. It isn't kid's stuff anyway."

"My own grandfather tried to kill me. I think I'm done being treated like a kid."

>Owen: "... Point."

A silence fell over the pair. Tiffany climbed up on the battlement and stared out to the horizon.

I do need to find myself a master. I need someone to actually teach me this stuff properly. I'll need it. Eventually I'll have to face Alexander again, and I can't half-ass it or he'll strip the flesh off my bones in a snap. I need to gather strength. A master can give me knowledge, and I think I just might have the muscle with some training, but I don't know if that would be enough. I'll need every scrap.

While the Cimmerian is a douche, and dangerous as hell, I can't ignore him. He might be an asset. Might.



Cimmerian! Are you there?

Tiffany waited for a response, but none were forthcoming. As hope was vaining, the light breeze suddenly turned to a gale. Her robe whipped around her, as the sky turned black, and a familiar malicious precense filled her mind.

Hello, necromancer. You called, and I came. What do you want?
>>
No. 280557 ID: e3f578

He probably has enough experience and hindsight to give good advice on the subject. Then again he has little information on human emotion, culture, etc even if it's magic shit. Still, maybe ask what sort of master you should look for in regards to having to deal with a person like Grandpa.

Also maybe a few of his abilities, who knows, maybe he can warp you instantaneously between here and America with no one the wiser or some crazy juju like that. We could investigate on our own. Granted, this is only useful if he's capable of being inconspicuous with his power. If the Kinsley's got super magic detection ability then, fuck man, no Hogwarts sneaking around shenanigans here.
>>
No. 280561 ID: 1a693f

>>280553
Ask him if he can escape without hurting anyone permanently, if necessary. Apologize for letting him get caught and taken away- although there wasn't really much we could have done about it. Finally, ask him if he knows how to contact the crazy god could teach us how to read the book.
>>
No. 280566 ID: 252e1b

>>280557

The demon already told Tiffany that demon magic is so fundamentally different from human magic that he'll have no useful advice for her. He actually told her to seek out a human master for magic training.
>>
No. 280567 ID: 252e1b

>>280561

Wait, before you do that, first ask if he can tell if this conversation is being monitored or not.
>>
No. 280577 ID: 0d095c

Thinking back to the Inquisitors of Warhammer, I have had an idea of why a creature of dubious morality and unlimited authority would want to interrogate Tiffany. Perhaps he's a Radical who wants control over a Greater Daemon, eh?
>>
No. 280579 ID: 252e1b

>>280577

Or he could be thinking "12 year old girl with a contract with a demon, and admits to having been manipulated and mind controlled by a powerful dead necromancer, might want to be sure she's not still his pawn"
>>
No. 280587 ID: f6360f

>>280553
>As hope was vaining, the light breeze suddenly turned to a gale. Her robe whipped around her, as the sky turned black, and a familiar malicious precense filled her mind.
Well, that's not even remotely subtle. Owen's probably going to pick up on what we're doing pretty quickly. Keep an eye out while you're talking.

Anyway, I'm inclined to ask >>280567, and from there move into what's happening to him, if he can escape/intends to put up with it. Might also ask what he would consider critical for her to learn in order to fight Alexander, aside from magic in general- he has a MUCH better idea of what a bone king is and how to counter one than she does.
>>
No. 280589 ID: e3f578

>>280566
I mean in more general terms, things like character, do we want offense, defense, balance, shit like that. Not type of magic like earth, wind, death, demon, cosmic, and shit. When you're going up against something powerful, out of your league, how do you prepare? This demon was used in that old war, so he might have good tactics.
>>
No. 280809 ID: c44286
File 129738992472.png - (110.77KB , 700x400 , 572.png )
280809

Owen?

He cannot hear you, necromancer. No-one can but I.

Boss?

Ugh. And him.

Oh man this is so trippy man.

Hush Mulder. You sure this is private?

Indubitably. You should really talk to someone about the security in here. It's pitiful.

Could you break out and meet me here?

Yes.

Without hurting anyone?

Probably not. Your clansmen have been so busy. They're running around like chickens throwing all manner of spells at me. I could keep the deathcount below, oh I dunno, twenty or so.

Err... Please don't.

Would that be 'don't keep the deathcount down' or 'don't attempt escape'?

No escaping, please.

As you wish, necromancer.

I am sorry about letting them catch you, didn't really have a choice.

Let me know if you change your mind about the killing.

Uh, sure. Do you know where they're keeping you?

Some form of sarcophagus, with a few quite amusing sealing spells on it. A disappointment really. You'd think mortals would've come up with something original in all this time.

And you could break out of that?

With no warning at all, even.

So what kinda powers do you have?

At the moment? Not sure. Being corporeal takes some getting used to. I could rip a man's spine out through his throat. I cannot be slain. I'm pretty sure I can still weave magic, though only at a fraction of my full potency. Still quite formidable by your meager standards, certainly enough to get me out of this little cage. I'll let you know once I readjust myself.

Do you have any advice for me?

Find a master. Convince your clan to stop wasting their time trying to contain me. Get a tan.

And a haircut!

Gee thanks.

Anytime.

Any advice on how to learn how to fight? I'll need all the help I can get to beat Alexander. I mean, you're the war vet and all.

What, no flattery?

Would you like some?

No, no, you ruined it for me.

Could you please give me something?

Don't really know what to say. Need more intel to talk tactics.

Any general advice? Please, I'm a complete newbie here. I don't know a damn thing about warfare. Could you teach me the basics at least?

War is a broad subject kid. Will take a while.

Any quick tips? We can talk more later.

Some maxims come to mind. The art of war is the art of deception. Know your own assets, and that of the enemy, then seek to deceive him. Fighting head-on is a crapshoot, and if your opponent is smart you'll always lose. Think before you fight. Seek to defeat your opponent's strategy before you seek to defeat him. Of course, overpowering your opponent by several orders of magnitude helps too.

Thats... actually kind of helpful. Thanks.

You're welcome.

Do you have any requests?

I could go for a Reuben.

Got any eyeballs boss?
>>
No. 280813 ID: 1a693f

>>280809
Hmmm. I think we should ask Owen for a political primer for the clan. Before we stop talking to the Cimmerian, we should ask him about Hakuman the dreamer. Also, does he want a name?
>>
No. 280818 ID: e3f578

>>280809
You can probably convince security to give him a Reuben sandwich if you make it yourself and claim that you can feel his goddamn appetite through your link and it just. wont. go. away. Same excuse to get some eyeballs too from the local butchers, or we can go catch a rabbit or frog in our free time.

I ponder if any of these guys actually know what it's like to have a familiar.
>>
No. 280830 ID: f6360f

As long as warfare is the topic, we might as well mention what we know of our grandfather's minions- Jakov and the immortal. It's a good bet that the daemon will be able to tell us what they can and can't do, and how they'd stack up against him in his current form.

And maybe he can tell you what a Bone King is and what having claimed the title says about Alexander, aside from that he's a huge jackass with no respect for ancient treaties.

Anyway. War being the art of deception and all... I'm inclined to seek a master who will allow us to stay on the island. That would keep us well shielded from Alexander, buying us time to grow in strength without risking most others learning what we're studying. Basically, I'm looking at Duncan here. And speaking of studying, there's a lot of stuff here that it would be very nice to have access to. I would be willing to bet that we'll be able to freely access books containing potentially vital information, if we can just figure out which ones they are.

And regarding figuring that out, can the Cimmerian read nxtsaa'u? If he can, and is willing to translate things for us... we could learn way, way faster. Even if our magic is completely alien to him, being able to read the notes on how the hell it's supposed to work to us, or read histories and what have you, could be priceless when we're still struggling with basic vocabulary and grammar.

>>280818
Can we actually feel our familiars' hunger through our link? Because that seems like the sort of fact that would be relatively common knowledge in a mage clan even if we're a lot more into chopping off bits of our soul than most. Anyway, somehow I think that they would not be willing to unbind the very dangerous supernatural creature to give it a sandwich for the sake of comforting the idiot child who summoned it in the first place. Just doesn't seem like the kind of situation where they'd be sympathetic.

>>280813
It should be noted that Hakuman was described as completely insane, which is backed up by the fact that there's a rune called the "Mad Eye of Hakuman". While it could be worth bringing up the fact that the immortal basically said his blessings were a quick route to power, I would be very wary before taking it.
>>
No. 280833 ID: 1a693f

>>280830
We're a necromancer. We're all about the high-risk high-reward. Also, the Cimmerian is bound and we didn't summon it. It's been here the entire time, we just woke it up. The binding makes him perfectly safe, while the restraints... Do not.
>>
No. 280834 ID: 1a693f

>>280830
Also, I'm torn between Duncan, trying for Cain, and going with Joyce, if she still trusts us. Cain would let us make things and prepare all the cool toys, but Joyce would teach us spontaneous spellcasting.

Also, do they know how powerful Tiffany is? She's still shrouding her soul and hiding the glow, isn't she?
>>
No. 280840 ID: f6360f

>>280833
I know all that; I was speaking from the assumed perspective of the random guards. Somehow I doubt that whatever rumors are flying around the clan can be relied upon to give us a fair shake. My apologies if that was not clear.

We do have arguments that we can make in our own favor, but we'll still be fighting an uphill battle for our own reputation whenever we try to accomplish anything. We should choose which fights we pick rather carefully.

It would be neat to study under Joyce, we could learn a lot of practical and applied magic, but... I firstly don't think we'd be as safe, and secondly don't think we'd gain the depth of knowledge that we will definitely need to successfully oppose Alexander. Joyce is cool, but ultimately she strikes me as too smalltime for this.

Cain could give us a very useful if specialized skillset, but I don't think we have the background to compare how useful it would be against Alexander to whatever Duncan could teach us/allow us to study. Given that, I'd rather go with the teacher who seems more positively disposed towards us already.
>>
No. 280851 ID: e3f578

>>280830
There's no harm in trying a small lie on the guards. Just tell them to just toss the damn sandwich in his prison. Or just explain what 1a693f said, Tiffany's really is the only thing keeping him peaceful, though the council may perceive that as a threat. Just tell him you'll work on getting him the sandwich and calm Mulder that we can go hunting for small easy to hunt animals and get their eyes later. I'm completely expecting that now you'll be constantly asked by your new familiar for various types of sandwiches throughout your adventure.
>>
No. 280883 ID: 701a19

>>280809
"I'd say ask yourself, but they probably have silencing spells; no sense panicking them further.
Getting you a Reuben shouldn't be too hard if you can give me an excuse for knowing you wanted it.

Mulder, go hang out by the kitchen and ask if they know where you can get some.
Oh, and stay outside; chefs hate intruders."
>>
No. 281592 ID: c44286
File 129772498467.png - (38.72KB , 700x400 , 573.png )
281592

Ok, I'll see if I can get you some. Any idea where the prison is?

Somewhere below the castle. Your clansmen have been expanding the cellars since they got here, and didn't know when to stop. I guess you can just follow the 'No entry' signs.

Ah. I guess I'll need to see some higher-up before they let me see you, huh.

I don't think this joint does conjugal visits, sugar.

Don't call me sugar.

Sure thing, sugar.

Ugh. Anyway, do you know anything about Hakuman?

The Dreamking? Something, yes. He is one of the lords of the Underworld. Lost his marbles way back when. Pre-war.

You know why?

Beats me. Too much acid in Woodstock?

If I could roll my eyes, I'd be rolling my eyes. So... I hear accepting his blessing would be a quick route to power. What'd you think?

I seem to remember someone in your clan once doing the same. Was blessed with the gift of prophesy. You know how that turned out.

Oh.

If you think it's worth the price, hey, I'm not gonna give you funny looks.

Any chance you know how to read nxtsaa'u?

Missed the opportunity to learn it. Was too busy with, you know, fighting in a war, and the next time I rubbed noses with mortals it had fallen out of use.

Damn.

Hey, you're sitting in the middle of friggin wizard central, ask one of them.

I might. I just can't really ask anything too weird or I'll raise suspicion.

Yeah. They might think you're in cahoots with heretics and daemons. Oh. Yeah.

Har har. Look, I need you to help me put this stuff together. I can't do that by myself without getting a lot of people suspicious.

Well, shoot.

What's the Bone King?

You know the City of the Dead, right? Well, he's their big kahuna. Their chief dickwaver. The man with the biggest hat.

Whoa there. What exactly is the City of the Dead?

The last city of the mortals that was left standing after the war. It was also the reason the whole thing started in the first place.

... Could you elaborate on that last bit?

Well... Hrm. The mortal soul has a fair bit of power. The tuaftia part, to be exact. In life it doesn't manifest in any sort of magical ability, but once the mortal it's possible to harvest that power. Put it to some use, see. The City of the Dead was built to do just that. It's an engine. An engine to harvest the dead.
>>
No. 281605 ID: 1a693f

>>281592
An engine of the dead? Well, that's certainly worth getting excited for.

As for nxtsaa'u, I think our best bet would be finding a spirit who knows it and binding them as our familiar, or creating a custom familiar and have that familiar do the deal with Hakuman. Compartmentalization, you know?
>>
No. 281621 ID: f6360f

>>281605
There must be a reason that most mages don't have legions of familiars running around, and I suspect it's because after a certain point things start going horribly wrong when hacking bits off your soul. The Cimmerian might know. Anyway, we should definitely find out before risking it.

Conceptually that could work, but I would point out that the Kinsley family prophets are, though useful, also mad, disruptive, and hostile to the point that they need to be locked in the dungeon. I suspect that if we got a familiar with "gifts" from Hakuman it would have severe downsides well beyond being made useless for the usual familiar-ing.

It sounds more and more like we'll have to learn nxtsaa'u the hard way- years of tutelage from someone who actually knows it. Unless the Cimmerian has any other ideas for fast routes to power and knowledge.

>>281592
Harvest the dead... and, presumably, funnel their power into the mortals hanging out in the City? So if Alexander finds it- like the prophecy says he will- then he'll have sole access and get all that power for himself- the power that the gods went to war over.

This is kind of bad. I don't suppose that the Cimmerian knows of any way to find the City? Or anything else about it which will probably be vitally important once Alexander finds it and turns it on?


Bring up the immortal that Alexander has and find out how powerful it is, both relative to the Cimmerian in his current form and relative to the mages running around. My current impression is "would tear through the best of the Kinsleys like tissue paper", but perhaps it's not quite that bad. Regardless, what I got from Duncan was "the modern Kinsleys don't know shit about the immortals", so for all we know they're quite destructible if you know the proper trick.


Continuing our thoughts on finding a master, rereading the last thread it looks like Ymanye was reacting rather positively towards us; no idea what would end up happening there, but it might be worth a shot. We'd probably learn less about magic and more about politics under her- and possibly have the ear of someone with serious pull, which is always important. But she might not have been hinting that she'd take us at all; could be reading too much into it.
>>
No. 281947 ID: c44286
File 129788928440.png - (53.32KB , 300x700 , 574.png )
281947

... So what would happen if Alexander flips the switch?

End of the world, kid.

What, seriously?

The Lords of the Underworld would go to war. From the looks of things you've grown fat and weak in the meantime. I doubt the Lords have done the same.

Oh crap. How do we fight back? Could you fight?

Haha, by me lonesomes? I've served in the front lines, sure, but that was me AND my homies. When the shoe drops, I'll be there, but there's only so much I can do.

What about those Immortals? Think they could turn the tide?

The Cimmerians coldness was palpable.

Did I say something wrong?

Hah. You mortals certainly thought they would, once. I'll have nothing to do with those abominations, except maybe tear them apart with tooth and claw.

Could you?

I've been wanting to find out for a long time. I-

>Owen: "Are you even listening?"

"Huh, sorry?"

>Owen: "I said Duncan wants you to drop by before the big meeting."
>>
No. 281949 ID: 1a693f

>>281947
Big meeting? I don't suppose you have any tips for that?
>>
No. 281951 ID: e3f578

>>281947
>>281592
How... how does he even know about Woodstock? And why does he talk a gangsta? Ugh, lets go to Duncan before talking more to him. He turns everything off and that probably annoys people.

Do one of those quiet sentimental thanks yous you see in movies to Owen, you know, like after a conversation where the authority figure scolds you, it's been a little bit of time after the conversation and whatnot. "Owen, thanks for saving me from being mindraped from an Inquisitor." or some shit like that.
>>
No. 281957 ID: c44286
File 129789285433.png - (69.97KB , 700x500 , 575.png )
281957

"Oh right, yeah. Do you have any tips for that?"

>Owen: "Be polite, don't be tardy."

"Right."

>Owen: "Ready to go?"

"Sure. . . . Hey Owen?"

>Owen: "Yeah?"

"Thanks for not letting the inquisitor mind-rape me."

>Owen: "You're welcome, kid."

After returning the utensils to the kitchen Tiffany and Owen walked through the winding corridors in silence. Tiffany was getting a little bit more used to the place, and knew they were headed towards Duncan's room. Tiffany was lost in thought, trying to fit all of this together in her mind. What was Alexander after? He must know he was starting a war, a war that would get a lot of people killed. Did he give a damn? Would the City of the Dead give him enough power to fight the Lords? Would he gamble on that?
>>
No. 281961 ID: 252e1b

>>281951

It's not like stuff doesn't go both ways through the veil, right? If someone did a little demon summoning in the past twenty years the summoned minor demon would have had a chance to learn slang and news, and when it was released back our Cimmerian could have learned from it.

>>281957

He's been dead a long while. Maybe he got tired of waiting and decided to take the gamble. Maybe he's got something else lined up to help make sure he wins the war.
>>
No. 281968 ID: c44286
File 129789842512.png - (65.50KB , 700x500 , 576.png )
281968

I mean... He was dead a long time. Maybe he got tired of it and decided to gamble?
Wait, that makes no sense. He's alive
now, he doesn't have a reason to gamble. He probably could hide for years, knocking back piña coladas in Brazil. If he forces the conflict, he'd intentionally be sticking his neck out. He's got to have some kinda plan for winning the war.

Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better.

>>
No. 281972 ID: e3f578

I personally would just do it for shits and giggles if I hated my own race. Imagine, Alexander, The Bone King, the bastard that got himself and his entire species wiped from the universe.

His ego would go through the roof. Doesn't matter what the reason is, as it might as well be that anyway, because he's bad and a threat to our lives. We're gonna give him such a pinch. Once we do learn his actual plan though we should make it backfire on his ass though, like the Cimmerian said about war and strategies.
>>
No. 281975 ID: c44286
File 129790591563.png - (159.97KB , 700x1000 , 577.png )
281975

I suppose if he was just doing this to be a dick-

>Duncan: "Ah, Tiffany. Please come in."

"Oh, hey Duncan."

>Owen: "My god man, you ran away from the home again?"

>Duncan: "Nice to see you too, Owen. Please, sit down. I'm glad we have this opportunity to talk, dear child."

"Me too."

>Duncan: "I'm terribly sorry to hear about your father. He just got out of surgery."

"How is he?"

>Duncan: "The surgery itself went as well as could be hoped, but he's still in poor shape. He's in intensive care in a hospital in Liverpool. I'll be accompanying you and Owen to see him later this afternoon. I really wish I could take you there now, but this whole Daemon business... I'm sorry, but the council won't let you go before the matter is dealt with."

"It's ok, Duncan. I understand."

>Duncan: "It's a miserable state of affairs, certainly. Now, I've been keeping an eye on things, and I can tell you what the Hunters have figured out. Firstly, he seems to be what he says he is. A greater Daemon of the Cimmerian Hollows. I hadn't thought that a thing couldn't possibly have survived for so long. We have also verified that he has indeed been bound by the Curse of Earth. A properly performed one, too."

"So you know he can't hurt anybody?"

>Duncan: "Unless you give him permission, yes."

"And that the sarcophagus he's in isn't going to hold him?"

>Duncan: "I know that, too. As does the council."

"So why are they keeping him locked up?"

>Duncan: "Letting him roam free isn't really an option either. The council will decide on that."

"But-"

>Duncan: "The council will decide. Have patience."

"Oh fine."

>Duncan: "Right. You still don't have a master, hmm?"

"No."

>Duncan: "Do you have a plan for getting one?"

"Not really?"

>Duncan: "And this Cimmerian business probably isn't going to help much, is it?"

"It's hopeless. I know."

>Duncan: "Oh don't give up yet. Binding him took guts, skill, and quite a bit of power. There are still those who can look past a bit of infamy and see worth in all this. In fact, I think I have something that might help you."

"What is it?"

>Duncan: "Comparing the relative skill and strength of magicians is tricky business, you understand. We've been trying to create a good system for that for a century and a half now. We're still far from perfect, but people are starting to pay attention to them. If you score high on the test, it might make it easier to find a master. Would you like to take it?"

"I guess. I mean, what's the harm?"

>Duncan: "Great. The test measures your ability in five areas that we've labeled Awareness, Understanding, Synchronicity, Control and Spark. The scale is zero to five, and it's meant to be exponential. A three is twice as good as a two and so on. The council members all measures four or five in all areas. Balian himself managed a clean five fives."

"What're the different areas?"

>Duncan: "Awareness measures how aware your Haftsusha is of this world. The lower it is, the harder it is for you to do any magic. It'd still be possible for you to use certain artefacts though. Understanding measures how well your Haftsushsa can grasp the intention behind your runes, incantations, so on. Synchronicity measures the degree to which you can synchronize your Haftsusha with your Tuaftia. It essentially allows you access to extra reserves of power. This is the hardest to actually learn, Balian is the only one to ever get five on the test on that. I suspect master Cain would rank even higher, if I could get him to take the test. Control measures the ability to control the Haftsusha with only your thoughts. Again, hard to learn. Hunters sometimes manage this, though I'll be damned if I know how. They score low on the test, then go and do it in the field just fine. Right, on topic. Spark measures your ability to actually channel the Haftsusha's power. It also measures the Haftsusha's actual power, but it's hard to tell those two apart. By test anyway. Ah. I can see from your glazed and vacant expression that I've been understood perfectly. Do you have any questions before we start?"
>>
No. 281978 ID: 1a693f

>>281975
Ask him "Does this help?" and unshroud your spark. You've been hiding it ever since Alexander told you to, haven't you?
>>
No. 281979 ID: 31ce47

I think it would be better to wait for the test before showing it. Sometimes a surprise is worth keeping until the last moment.
>>
No. 281980 ID: 1a693f

>>281975
Oh, and also ask how many people in the clan have familiars? How you got Mulder was a necromantic ritual...
>>
No. 281983 ID: e3f578

>>281975
Well at least have to do any pull ups like in Gym. This does sound like that President Lincoln exam they do in there, only with magic.
>>
No. 281985 ID: 252e1b

In for a penny, in for a pound. Give this test your all, stop hiding your spark.
>>
No. 281987 ID: 66e36f

Would being mostly untrained have an impact on how people interpret the results, do you think?
>>
No. 281991 ID: 1854db

>>281978
Actually she unshrouded it in order to use the spear against the wraith. It's burning all bright and shiny.

But yeah, let's take yon test. Also, I think Alexander is sparking the war in order to draw out powerful opponents and somehow control them.
>>
No. 282004 ID: 701a19

>>281975
Expose your power and don't hold back. Fuck fives, we're going for nines.
>>
No. 282055 ID: a5632a

It's sounding like you'll do very well on most of the test, with synchronicity being your lowest score, most likely.

It also sounds like Control is a more unconscious thing than conscious effort, so when it comes to that, don't think about it, just do it. When it comes to Spark, though, I think you could blaze a path straight to a 6 or 7, so just let it fly free. Allow it to shine and sing.
>>
No. 282077 ID: c44286
File 129797293628.png - (119.92KB , 700x527 , 578.png )
282077

"Nothing important comes to mind."

>Duncan: "Let's get started, then. The process is simple enough. I'll prepare the test, you just relax. Once we begin, I will be asking you to focus on various things. It's not hard, and shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes or so."

Duncan places a sandstone disk on the table, carefully tracing the etchings with his hand. Soon he begins to chant under his breath, weaving symbols in the air. The instructions follow shortly, and Tiffany can feel a strange calm settling over her as she obeys Duncan's soft words. Tiffany loses track of time, as the trance continues.



Tiffany's current scores are as follows:
Awareness: *****
Understanding: *
Synchronicity: **
Control: *
Spark: ****

You may choose how to allocate two additional points.
>>
No. 282080 ID: 1854db

>>282077
Boost Synchronicity and Control. We should be able to learn Understanding manually.
>>
No. 282083 ID: c3033d

One in understanding and one in control.
>>
No. 282090 ID: 701a19

>>282077
Two points in spark.
POWER OVERWHELMING!

Understanding comes with time, Control comes with practice, and Synchronicity comes with what I would expect to be meditation.

Spark measures your reserves and how much of that you can tap. You can improve your ability to tap your reserves through practice, but I don't think there's much you can do to boost the size of the reserve itself.

Also? Pulling a 6 would be a major feather in her cap, since it would mean she has twice as much raw power as the most powerful known.

If we can't boost any stat above 5, then +1 to Spark and Synchronicity.
>>
No. 282092 ID: 69bee4

Spark and Synchronicity
>>
No. 282093 ID: 207b57

I am liking the two in spark.
>>
No. 282095 ID: 259738

Two in spark.
>>
No. 282096 ID: 45be60

Two in Awareness. Her Haftsusha is so aware it talks to other people on its own. :V
>>
No. 282104 ID: 1d5f06

2 points to spark.
>>
No. 282105 ID: 1854db

>>282101
Uh, no. It's (level 1)*2^x, not... whatever that is. Looks like it squares the value each step, so... Starting at level 4 it's 5^(2(level-3)). Which is silly.

The way it really works is, if 4 was 5 power units, then 5 would be 10, and 6 would be 20.
>>
No. 282106 ID: 45df4f
File 129797954184.jpg - (28.09KB , 461x480 , timallen.jpg )
282106

2 to Spark.

MORE POWER *grunts obnoxiously*
>>
No. 282121 ID: 0d095c

More Power. MORE SPARK. Who needs finesse when you can blow up daemons!
>>
No. 282123 ID: 1854db

>>282107
>A three is twice as good as a two and so on.
256 is not twice as good as 16. Also, 1 squared is not 2, and starting at 0 completely ruins everything because the ratio between 0 and any other integer tends to be infinite. Your math is all fucked up.

Also, yes, y=a*2^x is an exponential function. Look it up.
>>
No. 282128 ID: 31ce47

Two into Spark.
>>
No. 282129 ID: 1a2b92

>>282107
No. It is a mathematical function. That means the input is x, not the previous f(x) value. Multiplicative is k*x, exponential is k^x.
>>
No. 282134 ID: 252e1b

2 for Awareness
>>
No. 282137 ID: 1a693f

>>282134
Yes, twice into awareness, or once awareness and once for power. Then we're not insanely powerful enough to give people more reason to be scared of us and it'll be so aware that it can help us improve as a two-way thing.
>>
No. 282146 ID: f6360f

>>282077
+2 Spark if five isn't a hard limit. Otherwise, +1 Spark and +1 Understanding; all the power in the world is only good if we can get our Haftsusha to understand what the fuck we're trying to tell it to do- and while we can learn that with time, we might not have a ton of time in which to do so.
>>
No. 282147 ID: d677cc

>>282129
You don't understand math, apparently. You should go find this quest's /dis/ thread if you want to argue about it, though.

Two in spark, maybe?
>>
No. 282438 ID: c44286
File 129808104144.png - (32.21KB , 700x600 , 579.png )
282438

Overwhelmingly voted for two in Spark.
itt people stumbling over basic math
quest author is a math major
and facepalming so hard

>Duncan: "Hmm. It would seem your Haftsusha is unusually aware of it's surroundings. Understanding, Synchronicity and Control are all coming along nicely, slightly better than most new apprentices. Let's see now. . . . Hmm, I must've messed something up, I beg your pardon. Let me try again."

"Is something wrong?"

>Duncan: "Uh. Huh. I'm not really getting a good measurement of your Spark. If this is accurate, you'd be well above five. That can't be right. Wait, you were prematurely awakened, isn't that right?"

"Umm... Did I do something bad?"

>Duncan: "No, no. It just must be messing with my measurements. I'd like to run some additional tests if that's at all possible."

"Sure."









And then they all synchronized.
>>
No. 282443 ID: f6360f

>>282438
Aw, chapter end? But we were just getting rolling again after so long of nothing! Dammit.
>>
No. 282445 ID: c44286

>>282443
The thread was getting too xboxy for my tastes, will probs continue with a fresh chapter, don't worry.
>>
No. 282454 ID: 1a693f

>>282438
Kitty!
>>
No. 282459 ID: f6360f

>>282445
My joy upon hearing this is finite but large. This is still one of the best quests, when it's moving.
>>
No. 282470 ID: c44286

>>282459
Makes me glad to hear you say so. Will be devoting my Saturday for updates.
Well, unless I get interrupted by the Girl having plans.
Some updates will be had regardless.
[Return] [Entire Thread] [Last 50 posts] [Last 100 posts]

Delete post []
Password