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453740 No. 453740 ID: 40fb55

Wiki, complete with prior threads and mechanics: http://tgchan.org/wiki/Gun_for_Hire_Quest
Disc: http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/37315.html
IRC: #Golemquest, #Undersewers

GUNS FOR HIRE: THE FIRST SEASON
Armas Laine-a name that's getting some recognition. Current Master of Amen. Leader, laissez-faire director and founder of the magical band of mercenaries known as the Laine Corporation. One-time owner and auctioneer of the Demonic Artifact, Mammon's Device. Pals around with the Turkish Ruling Dragon. Friend of the Wyld Goblins of Istanbul. Went Drinking with the Wizard Mad Drunk. Guardian of both a Valkonen and a War Walker. The spearhead behind removing a german criminal influence from the playing field, shouldering the mafia with a debt to him. But of the man himself, little is yet known. He simply appeared on the playing field, and promptly began tweaking noses like an antagonistic child. Making trollish waves, Armas Laine has settled into not just Istanbul-but into the worlds of magic, and power alike, enjoying the good times, perilous, surreal and oft-horrific as they can be. He was not, and has never been prone to dwelling on things when he could be getting excited about a new thing to investigate. Those of courteous inclinations would call him a child at heart with mostly good intentions-those not so kindly worded would call him a perpetually immature asshole. Both would be right.
Currently, Armas is trying to see his company through clearing a rather large bloat of concurrent jobs and appointments, still trusting his hands-off approach to see his minions through their own duties. On this day…


I answer a few questions, mostly for my own satisfaction, the moment I'm up.

First, I try editing my soul binding from 'only regenerate magical energy [today]' with 'can only perceive souls [today]'. The absolute moment I do HB flies from the room's corner and lands on my nose.
>[HB]"You will stop that."
"Uh-why? I can soul-sense for MILES like this, so-"
>[HB]"Your enhanced regeneration is what allows me to not constantly be shackled to your personage. It is what fuels the swarm I can form-as well as my continued studies of that art. Removing that binding cripples the both of us by removing my magnum opus of magical warfare, and I shall not have it."
"…."

I change the binding back.

Yes, he's my spirit animal-or, I guess he's my familiar, since he's still got his body, I guess. And that, officially, makes him subordinate to me. That said… he's, like, 90% of my coolest current tricks, and I have no clue how to do them on my lonesome if I piss him off forcing the issue. Not to mention I have to date not forced the issue of our relative positions once-and in fact have never told him that ours is anything but a neutrally equal binding. So… back to regen-orientation for my soul-binding it is.

With that… cleared up… I once again explore my mixing of Summer Fleshcrafting and Winter Chakra-but with the aid of HB around, so that in a worst case scenario I can still regenerate. …Okay fine, maybe I shouldn't muck with that binding-that energy supply is why I can even do all this. And so, distracted as I am, I attempt to mix the two-and blow my hand off. It's not that bad, in the grand scheme of things-and after I regenerate the vaporized appendage, I get back to work. What I find is… bothersome. It seems even a little bit of power sets off the explosion-and that the explosion's potent enough that, even if I reinforce my body against it in preparation it still shreds me. I try going with minimum power levels and still run afoul of the explosive reactions, and eventually abandon it after an exhaustive few hours of nothing but failures no matter the permutation, no special ways to slip in any actual functional harmony. I simply don't, at this time, have enough knowledge of hybrid magical theory to really experiment my way into success, I fear-and that leaves study as my one real way to advance. But what to study-should I just ask a dragon to do magic for me? Hardly. I feel that spending pretty much the whole morning conclusively testing this is enough I don't need to worry about this until I've really got more to work with.

After spending some time answering some oh-so-burning internal questions… and by that I mean just the newest iterations of my endless stream of obsessive curiosity-I get on to more productive things. Like-
[In Japanese]"Oy, Sake!"
>[Sake][In Japanese]"Bwuh?"
"Stop licking yourself for a second and tell me what I need to know about interacting with bigwig Yakuza."
Sake lets his bottom flop out of his grasp as he considers the question.
>[Sake]"Hm. Well for one-don't be anything but officially polite unless you want stuff to come down to violence right then and there. The mundane yakuza can be more verbally volatile I've heard, but the magic members know to keep a lid on shit. That doesn't mean you ACTUALLY gotta be polite: Just act like it, you know? In fact, they'll probably respect you a bit more if you can be… authoritatively formal, I guess. …No, not formal-jokes are fine too, but again, only if they're more or less proper looking at face value."
"Passive aggressive dick-wagging contests?"
>[Sake]"Nailed it in one."
"Easy to work with then. So-let's go feed Silja"
>[Sake]"Aw, now? But that'll make me tired all day!"
I ruffle the little furball's coat.
"Relax, I'm just looking for a half treatment-someone might need a rub before tomorrow, after all."
>[Sake]"I guess that works. Nine bodies then?"
"Unless half of what you can do has changed."
>[Sake]"Nope-I've only gotten new soul-tricks, not body tricks."

It says something, how blasé Gianni and Dávgon alike are about their now-daily duties assisting me in what, technically, is the repeated fatal mutilation of a humanoid to feed a monstrous pile of meat. Given I've got a hell of a vested interest in seeing the overly polite and recently chipper Silja reincarnated, I'm not that bothered by what we do. After all-we keep her from feeling any pain from our harvesting, which legally we aren't even required to do.

…Every now and then, I wonder if the darker norms of the Magical world are going to push me past a line that even I'd regret crossing…

Before I pass that off as being a case of bad gas. Yeah, that's it.

I pull out the file on Baki and skim through it once to see if my rough recollection of the man seems to pan out-and then I read it thoroughly, looking for something that feels new. Nothing, really-certainly, I pay a modicum more attention to the reports of his Turkish upbringing making him more confrontational in 'formal' settings than most in his particular field. It's no major breakthrough or critical data point-but it'll help, of that I have no doubt. I ponder it as I get dressed in a particular favorite amongst the suits-the dark-blue suit striped with the word orange. After a google check and a quick talk with Sake, I decide I probably SHOULD do the whole 'bring a gift' thing to be properly savvy of their cultural predilections. …Mandragora root, sounds good to me-Baki's a vegan, it's a vegan food, great. …Eh, might as well cook it. It'll only take me like twenty minutes to whip up some spiced mandragora fries… and wrap it in exceptionally boring chocolate brown wrapping.
>[Sake]"This is gonna be fun, going back among my birth culture!"
You're really gung ho about it, aren't you.
>[Sake]"Totally!"

I check the clock, blow the last half hour on fine-tuning my soul-sensing and sphere labyrinth dual orientation… and decide it's time. First, I walk up to Svetlana, present an open, empty hand, close it, and have HB fleshcraft a hummingbird into my opening palm, which I promptly present to Svetlana and ask her to keep safe for me. Despite the strangeness of the delivery, the beautiful little bird smooths over the reception. Mere and IT on my person, and no other weapons. HB atop my tie, Sake wrapped around my collar. With my gift in hand and SB at my back, I head on out to my appointment, noting the Russians to be heading off for some sort of celebratory meal. After a brisk walk, I'm at the massage parlor-and just like Sake told me, Baki tries to foist the gift back on me-exactly once. Then, when I insist-

He snatches the bag out of my hands with delicate grace.
[Baki][In Japanese]"I'll look at that-now, there's… people that want to talk to you."
[In Japanese]"No doubt-lead the way."
Baki holds his hands up to me with a gentle shake of his head.
[Baki]"Hold on: you armed?"
"Definitely-my Artifacts."
Baki doesn't blink at it-but his soul tells a different story.
[Baki]"Right. Well-follow me."
After the surprisingly brief and wholly verbal weapons check, I'm lead through a back door of the closed shop, where a trio of men, each with wholly warded souls, sit patiently on one side of a long table. I bow to them exactly as much as they do to me, and seat myself in silence while they continue to openly appraise me. It is some ten, fifteen seconds after Baki's excused himself that the one on the left speaks.
[Yak1]"We are representatives of a sect of the Sumiyoshi-kai. Forgive the secrecy, but we are honor-bound to keep our names to ourselves. If you deem it acceptable, please refer to me as Mister Cryptid."
His words lack any sign of accent-and are spoken in english, a further surprise to me. The man speaking has a wing-tipped pompadour over a particularly well-lined and overly sun-drenched face, with his eyelids nearly indistinguishable from the wrinkles surrounding them. His upper lip is oversized, and gives him a simian, almost impish cast. As I take in the man in the burgundy suit and bow tie, I glance to the right, to look at the next speaker-who speaks japanese.
[Yak2][In Japanese]"While my honored colleague Mister Cryptid has so graciously left me with the honor of telling you he represents the Inu-Hanma-rengo, I most deign to name my own accolades as well: I can be known as God Hand, and represent the similarly named Kamiken-rengu"
The name, at first, does nothing. But the thick face, the bullish build, the rough tone… it smacks of something, something I remember from the fighting buffs back in the army and their incessant study of famous badasses. It takes Sake's hiss on my shoulder, his squeak uttered loud enough for my ears alone, the verbalization of the word 'toro' that makes it click: I'm looking at Masutatsu Oyama, the freaking God Hand. …If I wasn't already so acclimatized to running in magic circles, that would have been mightily impressive to me. Now, it's just interesting.

I turn to the man in the middle, dressed in formal japanese wear and wearing an oni mask, surrounded by the scent of incense.
[Yak3]"I'm afraid the Oni aren't truly a union, group or collective to be claimed as my own-so I must simply call myself Oni, representative of the Oni, recursive as it sounds."
From my shoulder, Sake speaks up.
>[Sake]"I am the Kamaitachi trio of Sake, shōchū and Toso."
Pompadour man inclines his head with an apeish smile, and speaks-now in japanese, just like the rest.
[Mister Cryptid]"Your candidness is appreciated on behalf of your honored colleague."
My shadow speaks next, still sticking to my feet.
[SB]"A Shadow of the man that you wished to meet, and as such, every bit as… private, as that sort is known to be."
This introduction seems to go over well enough. My turn.
[In Japanese]"As you no doubt already know, I am Mister Laine, here to represent Laine Corperation, who I assume you are all familiar with."
There are a series of nods…. and the meeting gets underway.

It takes a whopping four hours, at least half of which is just formalities, platitudes, and overly polite speech, but in the end I learn things important enough to warrant such a heavy time investment.
0-Seems they wanted to feel me out as a potential ally that they could look at mutual nonaggression with. This seems almost wholly due to their perception of me as a threat, and can be taken as proof positive I'm actually making a name for myself.
0-Each of the men here either leads or has the ear of the group they represent-and between the three of them, represent three quarters of the Sumiyoshi-kai yakuza members here in Istanbul. This means getting a nonaggression with them isn't QUITE the same as getting one with all the yakuza in Istanbul-but it's damned close, especially with the Sumiyoshi's efforts to keep its Japanese rivals from joining it.
0-The Golden Death Gods, it seems, don't belong to any one clan, but to the wholly magical facet of the overarching yakuza group these three belong to: As such, despite being the strongest group in the Istanbul based yakuza, they have no representatives or say in this meeting, and are effectively owned soldiers.
0-Mister Cryptid attracts my attention by having a whopping three of the seven golden death gods be from his clan prior to their new positions. I get the distinct sense he's the closest thing to a 'boss' of the Golden Death Gods as I'll run into.
0-Seems that my association with a national of theirs, Ito, is a topic they want to bring up-and unless I miss my understanding, they sought my permission to approach the man about teaching some of their own recruits. My gut tells me they're more interested in shutting down Lo Fang's access to Ito.
0-Mister Cryptid's a punny guy, no doubt about it. 'Oni' is every bit as fickle as Iron Trick, and the God Hand… well, he's like a human HB, really. Frankly, I know all their personality types, and have no issue shooting the shit or being serious with them-and it showed in our interactions.
0-Seems that, in addition to non-aggression, they'd like to look into being able to privately hire us to discretely solve internal issues, provided I'd be willing to sign soul-binding documents to enforce my own discretion on any given job. They mention pay grades in the millions, and I inform them I'm interested, but not committed. Each gives me a number, and asks for my own.
0-All three are surprisingly blunt on exactly one topic: Lo Fang. They want him, and his Shaolin influences gone. They won't ask me to stop working with him-but they do ask me to not work against them, and to keep my mind open to a potentially lucrative hit on Lo Fang. I can't deny my curiosity is piqued.
0-Mister Cryptid, at one point, asks if my Hummingbird is the same I traded an Artifact of Mammon for-I confirm it is. He is immensely impressed.
0-Most importantly, I get the sense that if these guys can't see Lo Fang gone in about a season, give or take, they're okay with packing up and heading back home.

Stuffed full of knowledge, we part ways, Baki gives me a cordial nod for the fries, and I head back home. Once there, I spend a solid chunk of evening working with HB on his Swarm shenanigans while Lyubov watches. After several hours of stuff that's still frankly above my head but clearly helps HB, I put in a few hours with Dávgon doing something rather interesting: I tear off bits of my soul to craft into souls inside bugs from the Kudoku jars. Curiously, my Romanovian regeneration lets me ignore the otherwise catastrophic personal damage and use my own soul mass as sculptable material. To be perfectly frank, since I'm making these wholly on my own with Dávgon merely advising, the first hundred and change need Dávgon to come in after me to fix my work. By the last bug though… I feel something like ease at building these, the simplest, smallest, quickest souls to make. The part I found most interesting, I think, was the soul-blanking, where my own soul signature was scoured off the soul mass before it was shaped into the new, tinier souls. After I asked Dávgon, I find that not doing so can rapidly make one an unstable Gate of Self-and seeing how Tesla's version of it, top-notch as it is, is giving Lyubov all sorts of headaches and I already have the clearly superior swarm form to my name, I see no reason to dabble. I DO, however, envision nesting hundreds of exceptionally poisonous ensouled insects in the Golem.

One thing at a time.

With twilight approaching swiftly, I have Amen gather up all the remaining bits of Doonongaes I have. Half a skeleton, two fifths of it's meat and some assorted organs-not that much, all said and done-and that's the argument Whaitiri tries to give me. Long story short though, I spend the wee hours convincing her to give me a boon with the very next magical creature of substance I feed her-be it a Wyld Goblin, an old Vampire, a Transcendant, a Minotaur, whatever-and SB assures me there's no way she can renege.

Confident in my chances of providing such a kill in the coming days, I go to sleep.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS: $2,864,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $1,394,984.00
CASH: $6,120.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 90%
WINTER ENERGY: 160
SUMMER ENERGY: 50/50


Monday starts off with me needing to stick around the house to be on hand when Tesla gives Lyubov her job since I frankly want to see if I can get anything out of the guy. To this end-I need to entertain myself at home. While normally I would do so by introvertedly focusing on practice with magic in a haphazard fashion, today… I spend the day with my employees. I chum around, pal about and bullshit with one and all, and get a proper sense of what they're looking to do in the coming week. I find the morning of camaraderie far more rewarding than any time spent honing magic, no matter how SB may sigh. I can feel the deepened bonds with my followers-and that isn't to be trifled with. That, and cooking breakfast for everyone doesn't hurt either.

[MINION ORDERS: SKIP TO THE END OF THE PURPLE IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO READ]
Vlad:
-Clear all prior orders.
-Keep working with Tidus Atmor the gunsmith. Attempt to develop system of nonverbal communication with stoic man.
-Continue widening range of resistance.
--Query Hillevi for assistance with cold exposure, express gratitude with kind words and assorted vodka each time she assists.
--Find source of acid for corrosive exposure. ...Duke is helping!
--Get repeatedly electrocuted in some fashion for energy exposure by Titus, Lyubov and/or power outlets.
--Seek means of exposure to being blown up. Ask Sake to hit him with wind bombs. Regret choice immediately, but persist.
--Attempt to increase resistance to pain. Plan to recruit Grisha and Amen for this. Have "Fun™" and try not to rupture larynx.
-Continue developing new forms of vodka infusions. Attempt to secure small amount of magic blood and shave bits off a regenerator heart for use in new experimental healing vodka idea.
-Acquire a second giant mug and have Sake's name etched into the side, leave it out for the weasel as a present with a fresh bottle of meat vodka.

Zhenya
-Wonder how so much happened to you in the past week
-Enjoy new, yet unnamed, magic pistol and other gear
-Spend more time with Matvey
-Acclimatize to Ogre strength use so that you can operate at normal levels even with it on.
-Move out.
-Keep training in general.
-Go to the Arena with Matvey.
Lev
-Go to the Arena with matvey
-Talk to Matvey again about killing your father
-Work on ways to find mother
-Practice with knives
-Try and find interesting women and magical things in Italy.
-Have fun.

Ivan
*Have a one-sided conversation with Lyubov about souls after she catches a glimpse of herself in a memory of an internal noir monologue.
*Unsure of what to do with all the free time in the morning, try some meditation, using Hawk the rifle as a mental focus. Stoically stick with it all morning, just to fill up the empty hours. Feel just that much more comfortable with the old gun in your hands.
*On the way to Ito’s on Monday morning, buy a pair of polarised sunglasses [-$50] to reduce the impact of ultraviolet vision in the sunlight. Begin wearing them everywhere. Notice that this makes people-watching habits much harder for others to notice.
*Ask Ito if he needs some more help with Camella gone for a month. Be offered temporary increase in teaching duties for triple pay. Inwardly smirk at pittance, and offer to do it for free.
*When Armas isn't around to notice it, take the family's Mosin-Nagant out, unwrap it, and give it a good clean. Try and fail to get some of the stains out of the stock. After thinking about the rifle and the family back in Russia, write a letter to older brother Abram: let him know that the news, of death and treason, they’ve received is false.
*Notice the company's ammunition facilities sitting unused after Vlad has left for Italy and decide to waste some time making some custom ammo. Figure that silver bullets are used often enough in folklore to be useful, and buy some silver bullion to try melting down into bullets [-$3000 for a 100oz bar]. Read up on bullet-making techniques and try out the machinery with the newly-bought silver.
*On Thursday, head to Dávgon and ask for a soul quirk. At that point, gain 'SOUL EYE' trait (lv2), which lets his soul's natural shape grant him the ability to detect the presence of souls. It does not grant any soul makeup analysis abilities, just recognition of their general location.
Feodor
*Hand out gifts and receive gratitude from all except Sake who, through a series of unfortunate coincidences, repeatedly misses out on his gift.
*Spend Sunday night working on Ivanovich while the mannequin-man sings. After a strenuous weekend without Sake-healing, be put to sleep by such a lullaby. Hear from Lyubov later that Ivanovich was seen, singing and with a belly full of surgical tools, carrying a certain sleepy medic back to bed.
*Attend the psych appointment, let everything out to the man who can't reveal it: everything from the accidental cannibalism and the reaction to it from self and others to guilt over still not having found anything out about Alexei, not speaking to Mother for three years, and having let so many people die over the years. Schedule another appointment afterwards, then head to Rostislav's fight.
*On Wednesday morning, head into Mohammed's Discount pet shit and buy a Vampire Squid and a pressurised transport container for it for $14,000. Take it back to the mansion and gather Dávgon and Gianni, and spend the next few minutes taking part in a strange ritual that involves eating the squid alive, while it's wriggling and flopping tentacles all over the place. Use up most of the rest of the day having Gianni pull a fully formed and annoyed squid out until how to manifest the familiar clicks. Afterwards, make a deal with Gianni where he gets the use of Ivanovich for a project in return for teaching magical anatomy.
*During free time, practice a little with the squid's conferred abilities, especially the regeneration. Cut self and time the wounds healing, etc. When Sake-healing time arrives and Sake demands a piece of liver for his trouble, get curious. Climb on the operating table and cut a piece out for him while he watches. Sake treats it like a dinner show. Have a strange time sensing people's blood, and wonder how odd sensing Elder magic is going to be.
*Having spent the week finishing off M.A.P. cross-referencing, be prepared to use chakra at Finnigan's to lower the surgical workload a little. See how he reacts. Remember to take notes on patients and procedures, still. Find a new patient, who goes by 'Mrs. K', to be very interesting in the general strangeness of her maladies-like having her bones replaced with stone.
Rostislav
*Head to the Zosimus mansion with Titus for a guard mission, meeting the head Zosimus vamp; the charge, a teenaged girl; and the other two guards on the job: a German juggler in a Nazi uniform by the name of Armin and what looks like a tattooed zombie, that turns out to be a man named Radu Hagi. Chat with Titus and the others for the evening, stab Radu repeatedly with a memory-thief knife (receiving the wounds, and the memory loss that goes with them), and set up a shift rotation for the mostly silent girl.
*Using the first night off from the guard job, fight Adib at the late night Fight Club. Take a lot of damage during the fight, but win by stabbing the black guy in the eye with a chewed off finger. Learn after the fight, while Gianni's healing the two barely-conscious combatants, that Adib is a two thousand year old flesh golem. Spend the rest of the night drinking.
*After spending a shift and a half being cursed by Radu for fun, get bored and try reading an old journal from the guard room bookcase. Fail to see parallels between self and the magical-blooded golem-man hunted by vamps from the journal. Get bored and, tempting fate, ask Radu if anything's going to happen. What do you know, Radu replies with, “Well, there IS the gentleman mind-locking the vampires in the house while Zosimus and his fellow elders are out.” Follow Radu's lead, opening the door for the intruder, up to the point where Radu, slack-jawed and blank-eyed, is mind-locked himself. Try fighting the obviously dangerous intruder, and be thrown about, have limbs dislocated and arms flayed for the trouble. Eventually rage so hard that skinless arms tear themselves apart, becoming flailing bone-filled tentacles, whereupon the red-caped intruder remarks that a shoggoth is too much trouble and leaves. Spend the next ten minutes trying and failing to get a drink with extraordinarily damaging tentacle arms before passing out as Radu wakes up. Come to in time to give a report to the vampire elder, while Armin's Masterful Hands put tentacles back in place, and receive a pair of sizeable black diamonds as a bonus payment. Spend the rest of the shift talking to Radu about rituals and make a deal with Titus to buy some of his divine lightning gems [-$50k] to pay for curse ritual training.
*Wednesday night, for the off-shift, head to the mansion for a nice calming magic beer. Upon arriving, encounter an irregularly irate Big Crazy clutching an ragingly rabid wolverine. Become instantly gleeful. When BC demands more money for what was an obviously more difficult than he expected mission, offer him an extra $100,000 and swap him an armful of magic beer bottles [-8L magic beer, -$150k] for the wolverine. Note his immediately calmer disposition on drinking the beer. Race to Davgon to have him bind the wolverine, where he remarks that the beast requires an additional binding beforehand as it's essentially a living Hate Fragment, if a small one. It's still HIS hate fragment now.
*Trade a promise to Titus for his surplus lightning gems, then trade the gems to Radu Hagi for teaching. Spend the rest of the week's uneventful hours eating, drinking, and learning curse rituals from Radu. Remember to keep the blood production and blood iron charms on to speed the process of making the blood iron knife.

Titus:
-Do the guard job for the next two weeks. Hang out with Rosti and the other two guards, try not to get dead from either enemies or employer.
-Spend off-nights in forest talking with that lightning tree he Named. Continue finding her alien, but mostly nice.
-Spend free time building the mk.IV taser glove. Use the opalised wood for backing on the backs of the hands and knuckles. Opals for capacitor banks and the Lightning Ridge opal and twice-struck flash stone for primary supercapacitors. Raiju hide (2/4 remaining) outputs a constant charge to charge the capacitors and electrify the opalised wood. The usual nomex-P155-kevlar mix for the glove, possibly supplemented with the dryad-blood rubber if Titus doesn't need it for the wiring (it seems Tesla coils can be used for wireless electrical transmission; since Titus is sorta pals with Tesla's Witch Saint, it seems almost polite to use his technology). There'll be energy bleed-off, but with the rubber protecting Titus and the hefty (and free) energy output from the pelt, he ought to be all right.

>Bagga
>Considering the missions he has been on so far, it's obvious Bagga has much to learn. Try looking for a super natural boxing club to hone and test his boxing skills.
>Talk to Gianni about the body mods and enhancements. Look into some additional lessons about the body as well. He does seem to know a lot about it.
>Go shopping for gear! Some enhancements for the gauntlets would be good,along with some basic, multi purpose gear..
>With the gain of Igne(his pet cactus) ponder the thought of running a company herb garden that can focus on various healing and boosting plants. Probably will have to talk to the higher ups about this.
>Continue with the Ito lessons per usual and check up on his fellow orphan vamps. Just because he's working doesn't mean he should forget about them.
>Continue the vampire lessons. Try to learn some advanced techniques and find out a bit about the vampire scene. Can't skip on that.
>Prep for the Arena with Matvey, Zhenya, and the others.
>Finish ALL his missions!
LYUBOV WEEKLY GOALS
L*~Tesla’s job to break into an AORB outpost and fix their painfully inefficient divinitech generator takes priority... but how's she going to get in? Tesla' not introducing her...
L*~Daily Lessons in divine magic fundamentals with Sake as long as he is willing. Which stops about midway into the week.
L*~Make sure Svetlana is settling in well (drag her into interacting with people if required).
L*~As many lessons with Armas as time permits and as he is willing to give (divine-based flesh and soul magic demonstrations, essentially).
L*~Finish the Mk I Plasma Wing and work on a wearable MkII Plasma Wing ready for Sake.
L*~Visit the magic electronics shop, ask after local magic electronics clubs/associations, and buy parts required for the Mk II Plasma Wing (magic superconducting wire if available and affordable, magic rectifiers, quartz crystals, batteries, resistors, and other parts).
L*~Visit Placid at least three times during the course of the week, either alone or with Sake and/or Armas. Deliver his textbooks and talk to him about whatever strikes his fancy. It’s always intellectually engaging and fun talking with him. Show him the Mk I Plasma Wing!
L*~Talk to Hyougo at least three times this week. Be sure to hit topics like “how do you feel about witch saints? There's a new one in my city,” and “I’ve been working on a new project, look at this cool Plasma Wing thing!” and “I really pissed off my friend, what do you suggest I do to apologize?” Find Hyougo is dazzled by the Witch saint question, and doesn't comprehend caring what her friends think when it conflicts with her views-that... doesn't sound good.
L*~Apologize to Zhenya and Matvey for video recording their unfortunate incident with the gift to Duke. Turn the original video discs in to Matvey, have a good cry with Zhenya after explaining what a witch saint actually is in greater depth. Still not over the death memories thing…
L*~Talk to Andrei and Hillevi in depth about being a witch saint, ask what she’s heard of them, explain most of what is known in general, omitting only the details of the deal with Tesla. Agree to help Andrei with getting in contact with mortal hacker contacts who know magic hacking of mundane systems (in exchange for him owing her or Tesla a favor). Make it clear to Andrei that he’ll be expected to pay these people for his education, and suggest he ask Armas for a budget for it. Make the call to Tesla about it.
L*~Go out to the Leprechaun bar with Dávgon, Hillevi, Armas, possibly others for a few drinks, broach the idea of a betting parlor with Bonzi (simulcast video of arena fights, a secure interface with mortal banking systems, betting booths, first access and direct input in what would be a pilot program).
L*~If Bonzi likes the idea, and there are no issues that would scupper it, research companies that do electronic gambling (Quixant looks good, relatively low cost solutions with established secure protocols...). Plan on requesting a meeting with the Hobgoblin arena owners.
L*~Read up on wireless cave communication systems.
L*~Remind Armas that Dávgon needs a research budget for monster anatomy and divine magic.
L*~After the unfortunate incident with Sake, have a talk with Kuvey and resolve to be more mature and less meddlesome (except when the situation actually merits meddling, which really amounts a resolution to get more information before meddling).
L*~Look into a charm for Sake which will prevent the Punning issue from being catastrophic for him again.
L*~Get some Ferret Tubes for Sake. Those things are awesome to play in. ($200)
L*~Borrow Matvey’s bracer and really analyze it, figure out what is failing and what could be repaired. Make this a joint project with Armas. Practice possible solutions in the plasma container.
L*~Talk to Hillevi about spin ice monopoles and superconductors, with an eye toward using the everice spell matrix to make both of those products practical. Contact Furukawa Electric about their high temperature superconductors, and buy dysprosium titanate from a chemical supplier (500 grams for $1,400) for the spin ice project.
L*~In either case if Hillevi is reluctant, point out that a complete manufacturing process would probably be of value to her clan, if nothing else as a process that they can license to other ice manipulators who are interested in manufacturing products that will be in demand. Though what they do with it ultimately would be up to the clan head, he could probably be convinced it is valuable.
L*~Continue the research into Armas’s past as time permits.

Matvey Orders
/\/\-Hand Armas the report he asked for with full details on the trip, relevant news you've picked up, reports on other's ability gains, and compensation to the tune of 25% of your winnings ($386,125) for using several of the disposable charms and a promise to keep him personally informed of future arena ventures and your or other's use of company gear so that he can get a proper cut.
/\/\-Undergo concentration training to prepare your mind for using Conceptual magic at least once per day, finding a soundproof room or secluded spot away from prying eyes when possible.
/\/\-Witness Armas' hummingbird instructing Ohotnik in 'how to be a proper warrior' at breakfast, request that he allow you to watch and assist as you are Ohotnik's master and trainer. Suddenly be taken to a very odd void with only wind, the hummingbird, Ohotnik, the Nothern Night Soldier bioarmor, and yourself as occupants and participate in a bizarre exercise where the hummingbird educates Ohotnik with an obviously hummingbird inclined, but correct worldview, assisting and elaborating yourself when possible. Come out from subjective hours of training with breakfast still in progress.
/\/\-Meet a nice couple at the dog park who breed Kangals who inquire about Ohotnik (having been recently trained to disguise himself as one for ease of movement through cities). Have a pleasant chat with them and receive contact information and the offer to come and socialize Ohotnik with their young dogs.
/\/\-On the way back from the park see a very curious sight, a dog barking at Ohotnik in a way that somehow cowed him. After following the strange dog see it disappear into a tree. The bioarmor revealing after the fact it was likely a hound of the Erking and the tree was acting as a divine portal.
/\/\-At night classes find two strange men, both transcendents of different stripes than yourself challenging you to face them in the arenas because you defeated a woman they both wanted to face in your last match at SugarSkull's arena. They both offer the same challenge with the same stakes-Shuhadaku Zayin against their swords and one of their arms. Choose to face the transcendent body known as Samson Aegis in one month.
/\/\-Stay after that night, until even the other Russians and students who join in drinking after classes leave, and talk to Ito about a very disturbing thing you learned through Shuhadaku Zayin about his past in the military and things he was made to do in his service. Talk to him and ask his advice on how to stay sane and free in this life. Stumble back home in a drunken haze after one too many drinks are shared over the subject.
/\/\-Pass a note on to Armas regarding the Erking hound you spotted, a proposal for what to do with Iskander's rather unique aerial abilities, and a brief description of the challenge you accepted.
/\/\-Get Hillevi to carefully freeze the Northern Night Soldier bioarmor so that it gains greater defenses to cold and have Titus shock it with his latest iteration of glove for greater resistances to each respective attack type next molting
/\/\-Clear some time for a brief venture to SugarSkull's arena to acquire the additional funds needed hopefully for a house outside the city proper.
/\/\-Train in Dunter Footwork under Ricky and Lucy as they are available.
/\/\-Take a visit to Das Bones', the magical diner owned by a powerful golem that Bagga invited everyone to to celebrate your return home. Ask Das Bones for assistance and learn about the nature of conceptual cutting while washing dishes. Acquire permission to return and help around the kitchen for more pointers on conceptual cutting.
/\/\-Enter the armory and have Satai print off a couple orientations one for adhering to surfaces and one that repels you from them.
/\/\-Watch Rostislav's bout at the fight club, a very brutal affair. Assist in helping Rostislav and the other Russians get out of the aftermath okay and join in celebratory drinks with everyone afterwards.
/\/\-When the opportunities arise throughout the week go to Das Bones' at the usual lull periods for advice while assisting him with basic kitchen chores.
/\/\-Go with Zhenya to offer Duke a gift she purchased for him with her winnings only to have to suffer through an incident you would rather not mention to anyone. Ever. (It involves vomit. And laughter.)
/\/\-Spend more time with Zhenya afterwards and eventually ask her if she would like to come with you to live outside of the mansion and find she accepts. Tease her about the specifics of the house you've been spotting out for days after.
/\/\-Find Lyubov knocking on your door after the incident, offering up the tapes of it she and Andrei took. Be appreciative Lyubov decided not to do terrible things with the discs like she seemed so inclined and after she leaves feel less aggravated with her in general.
/\/\-Talk with Davgon likewise after the incident and fall into some much needed good cheer when he convinces you to laugh at yourself a little. Fall asleep that night knowing you have a good friend.
/\/\-Be visited by a Valkyrie late in the night with an offer to become an Einher, refuse and be surprised when a second, much different offer is made in a voice unmistakeably belonging to Odin himself for a future task he will give to you should you acquire Body Transcendance. The voice offered a token of advice for the future as it cut out and the Valkyrie disappeared.
/\/\-Talk to Armas in the morning, asking if he is willing to allow you to live outside of the mansion and have some vacation time in the next few days. Fight the uphill battle that is that of an officer trying to live off-site, offering $350,00 if he allows you to do so and gives you the vacation time. Regardless pay for the damages Ohotnik has recently caused to the house playing with Ohotnik that cost blood to repair ($19,000).
/\/\-If plans for moving out and a vacation go through give Armas the address of your new residence and provide contact information if it were already known to anyone who may need you. Provide select friends the address so that they may visit.
/\/\-Enjoy quality time with Zhenya and Ohotnik at the new place.
Iosef Orders
-Complete any missions asked of you.
-Go find things to do with your newly found muscles.
-Ask Ito if he has anything you could do now that Camella is gone and you have free time again, see if you can't test out your new muscles at rival gyms. What's this, a job breaking dojos? AWESOME!
-Ask Satai if you can get some copies of pages from the chakra book for orientations that help with the weird ritual things you do at Johan's shop.
-Continue making visits to mister Johan's shop to help him clear out his backlog of rituals so he'll teach you things.
-Invite Karma over to the mansion to hang out, not having paid attention to the time Camella mentioned the rules about guests, but also not know Karma was cleared the potential problem solves itself all without being thought about.
-Ask Karma about all that demon name, ritual magic, runing stuff mister Johan mentioned he accepted as payment.
-Call that one waitress from the ambulance mission.
-Now that Boris is gone all the delicious food is too, find this unacceptable and look for places you can eat out. Look for places that offer free food and glory for eating large meals, grin at what a deal you're getting every time and at your growing collection of awesome souvenir shirts.

Svetlana:
-Track down Armas and ask him how much he will be paying her. Find actually catching him to ask hellishly difficult. If you didn't know better, you'd say he's avoiding you! Then, at the end of the week, find a letter in her pocket detailing that she'll be making 5k a month.
-Ask about the risks and consequences of receiving language grafts. Ask for a graft of Turkish so she can do her job properly. Recieve one from a shadow. This.. is strange.
-Work with Satai on comic book job. Boringly complete job over the week.
-Handle purchasing legal, nonmagical, nonweapon goods for Satai.
-Attempt to fulfill the requests of her superiors quickly and efficiently. This takes priority over everything else, she needs to make a good impression after all.
-Make company letterhead that meets with Armas's approval. It's orange.
-Start gathering company records and copying them for the archive she will be maintaining. Roughly split the archive into financial, administrative, and field sections to start with. Ask superiors how they want access to the archive to be handled. Be told by Satai he wants exclusive access to the financial records. Wonder if this is a joke. Free access to company members, graduated access levels depending on position in the company, no access below officer level, or some other way?
-Set up and run a message centre for company use. Members of the company can leave messages with her for others and she'll make sure they get to them.
-Be available to take calls and messages for anyone who wants her to.
-Spend some time during the week with Cookie Lady, who Lyubov introduced her to before church on Sunday. Enjoy the company of someone normal. Make a mental note to get her name again, it isn't like her to forget.
-Lend a hand in the kitchen since Boris is in Italy. Avoid eating any magical food herself.
-Be open to suggestions on what other members of the company want her to do. They have a better idea of the needs of the company.
-Try to get to know her new coworkers and socialize.
Igor:
-Be happy that he's good enough at chakra to not have to worry about metabolizing magic anymore. Camella went to Italy so everyone is OBVIOUSLY in the clear, right?
-Be very excited about having a magical hammer to work with, but worry he isn't good enough to do it justice.
-Experiment with the hammer's effects to ensure future projects are as good as they can be.
-Work on any projects SB gives him to do with the hammer, in exchange for help and advice on other projects he uses the hammer for and information on shadows in general.
-Work on making smithing tools using the hammer. Hopefully tools that can interact with shadow/soul will afford him finer control over the final form of things he shapes with the hammer.
-Offer to make something for Ito, as way of thanks for the training he's provided. Mention he's got a magic hammer now but warn he's not very good yet. Promptly be asked by Ito to make him some new old-timey bumpers. That.. sounds simple, right?
-Tell Armas he's finished the golem's pair of gauntlets and he'll upgrade them with the hammer once he gets the hang of it. Offer to start working on armoring the rest of it, if Armas wants to pay him for it. Bluntly mention he wishes he had a way to see the soul/shadow planes for smithing with the new hammer. And more money. And metal, or he can't make the armour. Be told to get his ass a body-mod to see that shit from Placid. Be told it will be free. ...Find concept a bit unnerving.
-Begin smithing armour for himself. A set of Almain rivet, to be exact. Supposed to be relatively simple to construct. Perfect for a first attempt.
-If asked to do projects warn that he has somewhat busy with the projects he's working on already. If what they want done is for company use, tell them to go through Satai. If they want personal work done, tell them it isn't his magic hammer so they'll need company permission if they want magic gear.
-Get back to tinkering with his watches now that he has the time. It's been a while.

Andrei:
-Work towards developing remote control armored stationary turrets that can fit motors and mounts strong enough for miniguns. Install cameras, both regular and IR.
-Program tracking and facial recognition software for turrets for autonomy. Buy and cannibalize kinects for help and inspiration with sensors and body and facial recognition, look through other already available solutions as well.
-After these are done, work towards getting turrets mobile with some treads.
-Build three redundant IFF systems for company to avoid friendly fire with automated targeting: Buy cheap phones, alter them so that they query -> answer through bluetooth automatically, ask to spray paint a glyph on mission suits in IR reflective see-through shellack, and hook up an IR leds on suits on a separate system, set to light at query. Hand these out.
-Decide you want to magic up your specialty. Find Lyubov. Ask if Tesla would be willing to help him along the way of finding a teacher. Be told she'll ask.
-Decide to go after other venues for now. Go to The FUTURE Shop. Inquire after someone who could teach the magical side of hacking. Get told the name of a rather expensive group that can teach him personally, lessons to some measure of functional confidence would cost ~250k. For instructional material, he can get a collection of DVDs for 40k, or an actual book for 85k, and if he's looking for examples of magical hacking code to purchase and pick apart, each instance usually runs 5-15k.
-Go ahead and buy the book.
-Start learning magical hacking from book. Damn you book, stop keeping things back from him!
-Start making 3D map of Istanbul that would let him translate where the company is on the map and send data on enemy and friendly positions to helmet HUDs. Hook up a GPS, a transmitter and three 3D surface imagers on a large RC car, on pointing straight ahead, two pointing to the sides.
-Try to find Dmitrii to ask after a stealth charm for said RC car.
-Drive around in car when bored of reading and coding and no urgent tasks, always make sure to roll it back in the house. Shamelessly rip off Google Maps for pictures, driving around with a camera rig occasionally to see that it's accurate.
-Talk to Armas about compensation for editing work. Also ask whether he has ideas for venues of selling finished videos.
-Go to the psychiatrist once per week. Complain how living in murderous house and being surrounded by constant magical radiation makes him a dick and gives him cancer.
Satai Orders
$ - Complete assigned company jobs
$ - Murder a certain gargoyle in retribution
$ - Focus relentlessly on improving control and understanding of mindscape
$ - Attempt to learn to separate, recognize, and manipulate mental inputs
$ - Work on building useful mental constructs
$ - Discuss mind manipulation with potentially well-informed parties
$ - Examine others' minds if and when possible
$ - Seek additional sources of information on magic, particularly mind magic and rituals
$ - Read through all available written resources on magic-related topics
$ - Keep sniping; attempt more rapid target acquisition and precise shots
$ - Keep training with Hillevi, using new perceptions to improve chakra skill
$ - Seize opportunities for personal profit which present themselves
$ - Continue looking after Stacey
$ - Go out with Verusha and/or friends to magical night spots when possible; build contacts and enjoy self
$ - Take careful, measured steps toward resuming habitual magically-oriented promiscuity
Grisha Orders
G - Go to the Arena with Lev, and have fun!
G - Have some Fun™ with Vlad and Amen before leaving for Italy, since he asks so nicely~ Invite Anguisher.
G - Introduce Anguisher to Amen, get opinion. Amen likes him!
G - Go to Italy, bringing Anguisher and some motorcycles for planned biking adventures with Lev.
G - Study under Anguisher in the arts of pain and villainy!
G - Study on top of Lev in the arts of fun and Fun™!
G - Keep the town in line and take frequent day trips to really enjoy Italian life. Bring Sake when possible!
G - Don't neglect martial arts training- see if Camella will help since there's no more dojo to use.


I also must admit, seeing Go Ping there, meticulously assessing each practitioner's ability for the now clearly optional training, makes me happy-I haven't had a chance to talk to the guy for a while, and I've always thought of him as a pretty cool guy.

….WELL, that was a hell of an informative morning. By the time I'm done hearing from everyone, it's past lunchtime and I'm cooking again. That is-until Tesla calls. Long story short-I find I like the guy. He called Lyubov just long enough to give her a job then hung up before she could ask a single question-or I could try to talk with him. Further, the job's simple at face value but fraught with complications: Lyubov needs to get inside of what is supposed to be a SECRET AORB base in Istanbul, and… improve the efficiency of a woefully outdated divinitech generator within. I have to say, I like the science god's chutzpah.

While Lyubov's mulling the challenge over, I bring her with me to go spend an afternoon with Placid. He shows us both his progress with the souls I gave him-and rather impressive work, at that-and listens raptly as we tell him more stories. He is, as he consistently ends up, a wholly calming and pleasing entity to be around, and I find myself nearly regretful when we leave three hours later. Placid promises to have the souls ready for us by the next time we visit-and I get the feeling he might have felt a bit bad he didn't have them ready this time.

When I get back to the mansion, I explore the previously inconsiderable ability Hummingbird mentioned to me before… and finish unlocking the mobility boosts the bird can offer me. I now have to constantly regenerate to sustain it, but my body can be made to shift directions without regard for gravity-just like before-but at speeds wholly comparable to an actual hummingbird-and THAT is new. Couple this with Dunter step, and I can move fast enough I can rip a shoe apart on my foot just from the sheer force involved-it's rather impressive, and… means I might be looking at dodging bullets in the not-to-distant future. Which, I have to admit, would be cool as shit.

I'm four hours into acclimatizing to the ramped up performance-and frankly getting used to being able to accelerate to roughly fifty miles an hour in less than one step-when Matvey knocks on the door.

"Hey-come in."
The man in question does as told, walking over with a report in hand.
"That the report you mentioned this morning?"
>[Matvey]"That it is."
"And what about the receipt from Oyak?"
At that, the officer pauses.
>[Matvey]"…That… is for three things. One-I am paying you back for the blood expended repairing the house after Ohotnik's antics."
"Rather diligent of you. That's one. Next?"
>[Matvey]"…A quarter of my winnings from the arena, more than enough to cover the charms expended in the process."
"Two for two things I want to hear. What about the third?"
>[Matvey]"A request. I would like to move offsite and live in a house of my own. I have no intention of leaving your service, but I would feel more comfortable elsewhere and in a place where my pet does not cause regular harm to your holdings."
Well that's something-though as I recall, there were… noises… last night that sounded rather horrifically embarrassing.
>[SB]"I had my shade record the altercation"
Ah, excellent.
Well, since I've already snap-decided to let him what with how he brought it up, I play with him a bit.
"…'Feel more comfortable' huh? Is it Amen or the people you live with?"
>[Matvey]"Amen."
There's not even an iota of hesitation to him when he utters it.
"Okay. Hell, I got no problem with Titus' camping, I see no reason you can't do something just a step more involved. You do know that I'll fully expect you to haul ass if I need you promptly, right?"
>[Matvey]"Understood, but there is another thing."
"…Well, go on."
"I would like it if you would allow me some time off in the coming days. I could use some rest and time to dedicate myself to some personal issues and training. I would also like it if you'd allow Zhenya to accompany me, both to the new living site and in this vacation time."
"Zhenya? Sure, go for it. Though I have to ask: how much time off are you talking here?"
>[Matvey]"A week."
"Starting now?"
>[Matvey]"Tomorrow night if possible, I need time to move my things."
"And you're aware that if actual shit goes down I'm rescinding that faster than a kid'd castrate Chugainov, right?"
"Fully aware sir, you wouldn't even need to ask."
…Gotta love this approach, compared to Gloom. I smirk a bit as I give my confirmation.
"Sounds good, officer. And try to enjoy the down time."

Matvey nods as he leaves-leaving behind his report.

Matvey's Itemized Undersewer Report

The Path Down
1-------Encountered first instance of resistance in the form of a clutch of warrior-cast Sahuagin, a more powerful, but less intelligent variation of the sewer level creatures. The creature's toughened skin and hard muscle was able to resist firearms and grenades we threw at them. Places where the skin was thinnest were prime targets for melee and the creatures were willing to expose them if distracted by raw meat or disoriented by flashbangs-which proved incredibly effective. But by far the most helpful tool for removing the creatures were the demonic grenades, which killed half the clutch at once.
2-------The next instance of reportable encounters was the informally named Driver Pit, home to a Draconic-Elder weaponized mythic beast who was thankfully dormant as we skirted quickly and quietly along the far side of it's domain. A major hazard in the area and notable in that it apparently destroyed a large hobgoblin arena recently. Findings: Avoid at all costs.
3-------After the Driver we encountered a strange sight, a normal man toting a hefty anvil-shaped hammer all on his own. Contact was established, after nearly beginning a violent altercation due to misunderstandings, now cleared. His hammer was at all times accompanied by the sound of clattering chains echoed through the caves, despite there being none on the hammer itself. He identified himself as Fighting Fin the Einher. He was on route to a mission to cull the breeding magical population of the undersewers. The einher may request additional backup from Gleb in order to prevent the Driver from spawning.
4-------Further down the tunnels we encountered a rogue de-masked wyld goblin that was banging on walls on the opposite side of a giant chasm, presumably in frustration. It was half again as large as the Sahuagin encountered earlier, and attacked us in a blind rage when attempts to sneak around it failed. We were forced into conflict with it on a narrow ledge where it gripped solid stone walls to support itself and lunged at us to attack. Rostislav threw a demonic flashbang at the creature, but within range of myself, endangering me. My blade was able to absorb the blast by striking it and channeling it into the creature, causing its eyes to burst. The creature attempted to rise and attack multiple times after that but it's impressive durability eventually ran out. It died when the vertebrae in it's neck were fully separated. It is unknown whether it's seeming lack of intelligence and rage were a byproduct of it's masklessness or something else entirely.
5-------The battle with the Wyld Goblin destroyed our only path forward and forced us to use an alternate route down through the massive chasm, making replication of our journey excessively difficult. Ricky and Lucy were able to carry us down and ensure a gentle fall, and we landed at the bottom atop piles of bones.
6-------A creature called a Grue going the opposite direction confronted us. A vaguely humanoid mass as far as appearances go. I later learned such creatures are generally feared for their ability to control flesh and inclination towards the dark, being weakened by the sun. It let out telepathic spores to communicate with us and asked one question, where someone known as Hillel is, after responding we did not know this Hillel it moved on. The spores were later removed by the arena before I entered a match.
7-------While still in the chasm we were ambushed by several mutated masses which were once people gifted with bloodlines by Elders. They were hiding amidst the bones that carpeted the floors. At first they only manifested tentacle appendages which came up from the ground to attack us, seemingly endless in number. The others made noteworthy performances against the mass with both firearms and melee. As we steadily made progress through the tentacles the first central heart-like being producing them emerged. A grenade directed channeled into it by my sword was able to destroy the first heart, but several more popped from under the bones as the first died. I killed another in a similar fashion as we made our escape.
8-------The last barrier between us and the arena was a stream of magma populated by Magma Dwarves. As none of us could withstand the heat involved by even be near it Ricky and Lucy took us across themselves in exchange for the last of the meat supplies Feodor brought with him.

At the Arena
1-------At the entrance of the arena we were hailed by a man in heavy armor. He identified himself as Body, an Einher, and he was on break from several months of missions and was at the arena to unwind. After brief, but pleasant introductions we were offered his advice as a regular gladiator in the arena and I learned the following: It is ill advised to see the chairman Sugarskull, an eccentric candy golem, directly until getting in one exciting match. SugarSkull isn't the real power behind the arena, he acts as a puppet for the Greek ruling dragon who owns the primary stake. The arena offers conquest and submission matches. The levels of competition being Sport where even mundane humans could compete, Mortal for those with chakra, rituals, innate magic, or martial ability that take them above mundane humans, Blood for challenges a bloodliner or equivalent could be expected to deal with, Ascendant for who are as above bloodliners as bloodliners are mundanes in terms of power, and Legendary for dragon level competitors. The other aspect of the arena, the Meat Circus, was made from a fragment of Amen taken long ago and converted into a servant structure, reworked into being totally obedient. It serves as a one stop shop for food, entertainment, and gear in the arena. It creates everything to order, customized at the buyer's request and always of the highest quality, it's works being prized for their craftsmanship.
2-------I spent the better part of several hours competing in the arena, fighting in Blood Conquest matches, the first against a Valcor of the Ibruhem vampire clan who was clad in heavy organic armor festooned with gems, whose defeat cost me significant injury to my right arm. The second match was against a popular fighter known as the Buraboor, a bloodliner who was fitted in a more slim fitting suit of organic armor. The fight seemed to excite the crowd to no end, myself still having an injured arm and being a rookie against a favored fighter who flung tentacles at me in a perilous fashion resulting in the loss of all the charms I carried and leading to a climatic set of exchanges. The fight was enough to appease SugarSkull and Body took me to meet him after my fight. SugarSkull rewarded my match by giving me use of an instant transportation system to and from the arena for myself and potentially others, barring his desire to consume them on a whim, so just myself for now.
3-------After my fights Feodor and Rostislav parted ways with me, being given free use of an instant passage to the surface carrying the rest of the money, a one time perk. I was left to my devices and used my funds to purchase the bioarmor familiar I now wear and my dog before the returning to the Redcaps to fulfill the intent of my guide agreement with them and began making my return trip.

Return Trip Summary
1-------Leaving SugarSkull's a man dressed as a butler appeared from nowhere, bypassing all means of detection. It stated it was looking for a young girl named Hillel (Morning Star), last seen wearing 'questionable attire and a petrified butterfly hair clip'. I again said I did not and it promptly left, politely asking to for me to keep an eye out. Later reports indicated that this was an Elder golem and that after it left us it encountered the Grue outside of the arena and the two fought, barring many from entering or leaving. Due to the level of entities involved it may be in the company's interest to investigate the matter further so that we might either avoid the conflict or if within our capacity make preparations to capitalize on it.
2-------A Traveler, an Acolyte of the Fourth Horseman, was spotted from afar, appearing to move towards SugarSkull's Arena. We avoided the entity entirely, later reports on the incident confirmed he was not there to join in the fight between the Grue and Elder golem, but as an entrant into Legendary Conquest bouts, supposedly very exciting to watch. Footage may be available.
3-----Now having resistances to the heat of the magma stream Ricky and Lucy asked that I slay some of the local Magma Dwarves. I attempted to kill several of the ones on the outskirts of their settlement, but eventually they roused a militia armed with magic arms and armor. Their defensive measures were impressive but eventually the defenders crumbled. I sustained extensive injuries during the battle due to a magical device they had which negated the defensive value of my bioarmor. We were blocked from returning to the arena by the previously mentioned conflict between the Grue and the Elder Golem, but I was able to continue onward.
4-------The path back through the chasm was unremarkable for the most part, a large structure I hadn't seen before served as an exceptionally long staircase back to the ledges above. From afar we could see a figure, a man in traditional knight's armor riding a motorcycle up the sheer wall of the chasm vertically. He approached us on the top and inquired about my injuries, after he was sure I was fine we chatted and I acquired contact information before he continued on to the arena.
5-------In the next series of caves a large, flaming wooden puppet tried to attack us but it's fire had no effect on anyone present, Ricky and Lucy having disappeared at the sight of potential conflict as per usual. When it seemed to realize it was incapable of damaging us with it's flames it left and we continued.
6-------Having to take an alternative path back up we moved until we reached an underground city. It was exceptionally large and well maintained. A man clad in golden armor and accompanied by crows antagonized us as we entered, asking us to leave before it attacked us, forcing me to retreat through the city itself as he attacked using multiple magic blades, crows, and even parts of the city. At the exit he finally caught up with me and levied multiple strikes at me, but the Redcaps provided last second assistance and I was able to move beyond a barrier point, where it seemed the man could no longer follow. We promptly left.
7-------A Crow Corpse Knight of Gilgamesh's, patterned after Enkidu blocked a bridge we had crossed going down. We were unable to determine what the creature's orders were and without knowing them we couldn't safely cross the bridge without risking activating it and instigating another fight. With that path blocked we were forced to take a detour to find another entrance to the sewers. Ricky offered one solution, a passageway owned by the Leprechaun Bonzi, who I had at that point not yet been introduced to. The passageway was a hidden well leading down into a small cave with a door to his bar. After knocking we found that he had long since transformed into his Glurichaun night shape and has a notable separation of memories between forms, forcing me to wait until he changed back.
8-------While waiting a Reaper agent came upon me, questioning me about an AORB agent that was killed near SugarSkull's arena. I complied with his requests, recognizing both the risk this could pose to us if TitanCorp were to learn we fought and being too injured at this point to put up a fight. He fired several nonlethal shots with his rifle at me as he questioned, but when he came to the conclusion I was not involved he left me to my injuries.
9-------Eventually Bonzi opened his door after I paid the toll of blood required (having been assured they simply use it as a safely rendered foodstuff that cannot be used to hamper us). In the future I would recommend introducing any and all important figures in the company to such contacts and in the case of Bonzi establishing relations with both his forms to ensure he is useful to us at all hours.
10-------I used to sewers to walk home and restore myself, the Sometimes Merchant having intercepted me on the way to tell me that he had a contract to discuss with you in person. I was then rerouted to the scouting mission and so ended my trek.

Contacts

Gianni Contacts: (I retrieved these for you after noticing they were owed to us for assistance lent to the mafia. As a note the various vendors haggling styles and inclinations were not given, as the mafia has elected to inform all of these contacts of us in such a way that they would be the ones to adjust to our own needs, preferential treatment in short.)
1---Juliano - Supplies illegal mundane weaponry of the firey or explosive variety, of note are the two Davy Crockett's he has in stasis.
2---Delgoro - Chemical concoctions, namely potions, poisons, and gasses.
3---Franco Senior - Supplier of fleshcrafting materials, the goods are potentially disturbing to any uninitiated fleshcrafting in action, redistribute the contact with care.
4---Galileo - Magical weapons vendor specializing in knives.
5---The Greek - Runs a shop that sells stolen, repurposed, and retooled vehicles of the magical persuasion, like demonic sport car engines or kirin motorcycles. Has connections to vehicle companies in Azerbaijan with useful skills.
6---Gregory - Can put us in contact with out of luck immigrants. Located on the docks and only available at night.

Undersewer:
1---'Fighting Fin' of Mac'O'Rory clan - Mortal Scottish Einher, and worker of bone. The only means of available contact is through other Einher. He could be very useful if you want to make use of the bones from that large creature we killed by the water.
2---Bike Knight - A bike riding knight who would be interested in purchasing the excess custom bikes we have in the mansion. He also provides lessons assuming the students are willing to provide him drinks and fun.
3---Meat Circus - An entity derived from a portion of Amen, taken by a prior owner and wiped, rebound, and repurposed into being an obedient structure which serves as an all purpose stop for arena goers, using fallen gladiators as material. All purchases are made to order, custom workings of a distinctly organic origin. What can be imagined can be purchased-for a price. The service typically deals in gold or barter and has discounts for arena competitors.

Personnel Report

Andrei: Andrei is growing increasingly mentally unstable for some unknown reason, but not in any way that seems to negatively effect him. If anything, he's programming more effectively.
Camella: Camella's soul is showing signs of draconic influence, altering her magic and increasing her overall magic content. She is not aware of this and I have yet to make mention of this to her and am awaiting your call on this.
Grisha: Grisha has recently undergone moderate body modification through Gianni to increase her physical beauty and reflexes. While her inclinations towards causing pain and suffering in others is well noted, she has recently been exploring magical means of furthering her knowledge in the field. It would be wise to disallow her continued access to Amen, although the damage may already be done, care should be taken to find out if this has had any ill effects on her that she herself has yet to notice or that may jeopardize the company.
Feodor: Feodor purchased a magical surgical golem to further his medical skill and has been seen loaning it to Gianni occasionally. He is currently in the process of gathering a squid spirit animal from what I gather and is taking great care with the process.
Iosef: Has made contact with Johan and is currently working to help clear a backlog of experimental rituals for him in exchange for lessons from the demonologist. A call to Johan has revealed that Iosef seems to be naturally inclined towards such rituals and has taken at least three of them without any side effects. He has been made more powerful, quick, enduring, and resistant to harm as a result of them and may be minorly demonically inclined now. He has been verified and registered with the Church via Karma.
Ivan: Acquired a singular body modification for his eyes, otherwise nothing of note. Addendum: He and Igor spent roughly four hours talking about something, but neither will say what.
Lev: Asked me for help recently, wanting to know about his heirloom sword and his past, recent trips to the Hobgoblin arena having made him suspicious of monstrous taint in his background. The sword appeared to never have been a sword at all, but a magic gate to a demiplane. The Redcaps were brought on to assist and after looking over Lev's dried blood they were able to determine the construct was Hag in origin and Lev has dormant Hag lineage. A method to awaken his blood was procured at no cost to the company, allowing us to enter the demiplane. A brief expedition was made, the terrain seems inhospitable to non Hags but I was able to continue on with my bioarmor. The singular structure visible proved to be the home of Lev's father, a full Hag who sat atop an orgy while other Hags, similar to Lev in appearance fought below him. We attempted to leave after Lev asked him several questions, he attempted to lock us down but the gate sword allowed us to escape. Lev has expressed interest in returning to kill his father, any further expeditions will require overwhelming magic to breach active defenses from Lev's father however.
Rostislav: He has acquired multiple graftings from the Meat Circus. He is significantly more physically potent, now eight times as strong as a normal man and three times as fast after a grafting of composite flesh golem muscle. This coupled with his newly acquired regeneration and more durable bones make him a suited towards deploying heavy weapon very easily or as a direct melee combatant should the situation warrant it. It has also become apparent that while his new form is looks no different for all intents and purposes he engenders an effect on any humans that see him making them fear his presence.
Vlad: Elected to take multiple body modifications from Gianni up to the threshold of what a human body may handle. He is significantly stronger and larger than he was before, his increased size is now nearing the threshold for believability and he may require a magical guise to move in town without drawing undue attention. He is of a scale with the Nazinauts, armor included.
Titus: Starting to breach into the field of magitech-or divinitech. Still not sure. He has acquired a contact in the form of an entity made from divine lightening, but trapped within the shell of a dryad within a hidden grove. The positive relations he's established with that contact have proven lucrative and Titus has a small supply of divinely charged gems at his disposal.
Zhenya: Has used her arena winnings to purchase magical arms and armor from the arena. She can now be relied upon to provide charges of all seasonal energy through her new pistol and otherwise prove a incredibly strong, exceeding the strength of an ogre.

Misc

Iskander-I have identified Iskander as having a very unique natural aptitude towards aerial maneuvers, similar to that I noted of Hummingbird in our bout. He may be able to adapt aerial maneuvers and lessons of the Hummingbird to the human form as best as a human is capable of and could be an ideal middle man in honing a human style based from them. I have not revealed any sensitive information to him, but he seems eager to expand his skills. He seems very malleable and as such what you could request of him seems nigh infinite, but having him adapt the style for us and become available upon request to reteach it or otherwise redistribute it seems suitable. Taking him into the fold is also possible, but not recommended given his father seems connected enough to bring the orphans into Ito's at his request.
Psychologist-There have been questions raised as to how discreet the dragon bound psychologist actually is and whether or not he can be trusted for our continued use. Several company members are making appointments to him already and may be at risk if the fears I've heard are correct. My sword assures me 'Problem Talkers' that are draconically bound are historically dependable-I do not know if this can be assumed to still be true, given how out of date my sword's knowledge is.

I chuckle as I read through the report-Matvey clearly made an effort to refrain from the stodgy formality normally expected in such documents-and I appreciate it. It makes for solid evening reading, and it occupies my focus as I drift through the house towards my room. While I read it, I fixate on the Arena-and it's Meat Circus. Frankly, it sounds like a place I would love-and I find my impulse for decisive action urging me to take a jaunt down there myself… with as much of the company as audience/betters as possible.
>"Question: what powers would you use?"
That, I find to be a thoroughly EXCELLENT question, and devote myself to it, and the underlying question of what I keep hidden and what I reveal.

>It’s true that you just don’t have enough ways to close the skill gap yet between yourself and people like Hillevi and Duke, who have both been fighting and training for literal years.
I know that. I really want to find ways to close the gap though. It’s obvious that I need ways to close the gap, if I want to be able to compete and keep myself alive. My personal skill doesn’t match my available power.
>Why not start by looking at tricks that are unique to you? Your hybrid healing ability, for instance, merits closer examination. If the underlying principles could be harnessed to power other forms of magic, you’d have an instant edge.
It’s something I’ve thought about more than once-and now that the ever-wary SB is encouraging it… well…
Yeah. I think I’ll do just that. I just need to stab myself so I can use hybrid healing.

I find a non-magic combat knife in the armory, one of a couple dozen originally issued to the Russians by the Black Army, and I head up to my room.

Lyubov’s been in here; she left a bunch of printouts and loose notes on the bed. I glance at the paperwork casually before deciding that whatever she’s been up to, it involves way too much math and engineering bullshit and talk about magnetic fields for my taste.
>She’s got a nearly complete electrical and computer engineering degree from U.C. San Diego. Her ‘other self’ enrolled in their five year masters’ degree program.
Well. Good for her. Hopefully I won’t get any blood on her paperwork.
I take my shirt off and turn my attention inward, focusing on how my body naturally reacts when I’m not trying to suppress my hybrid healing. I slam the knife into my gut. The pain is certainly there, and even though I can largely ignore it, the very act of plunging the knife into myself distracts me just enough from my self study that I miss whatever it was that allowed the hybrid healing to work. …Irritating.

>I still find it frustratingly difficult to observe. I always have, as has Einrik. There’s obviously an obfuscating factor to the magic itself. I think you may be the only person who even can tell how it works.
Well I obviously can’t watch myself and stab myself.

At that moment Lyubov returns to the room. She smiles at me, an easy, comfortable air to her electric soul.

AN IDEA STRIKES!
“Hey Lyubov, here.”
I lazily loft the knife into her hand, and she instantly looks confused as her hands dart to catch it by the handle.
[Lyubov]“Um. What’s this for?”
“Can you stab me with it?”
Her body language, and her soul, immediately change, becoming slightly uncomfortable and alarmed.
[Lyubov]“What?”
“Just stab me with it. Anywhere’s fine.”
Her mouth, for a ephemeral moment, opens and closes wordlessly as she processes what I’m saying.
[Lyubov]“Is. Um. Is this for a ritual or something? What’s it supposed to do? I mean, I know you can heal from a normal knife wound like, instantly so it’s got to be a ritual or research- or is there a reason you want to do this in the bedroom?”
Inwardly I chuckle at her implying I might be getting off on being stabbed. Though I do note she looks like she’s not rejecting even that silly notion out of hand.
“I’m just testing an idea. If I’m not totally looking inward I’ll probably miss what I’m looking for, and I’ll need to be wounded again to try to see.”
She stares at the knife for a moment, and then looks back at me, obviously torn. Hummingbird lands on my shoulder to impart some of his regal wisdom on me.
>[Hummingbird]”One can hardly fault her for not wanting to harm her mate.”

I put on my best puppy dog eyes expression, earnest and shameless begging. I even touch up my Soul Guise to not only appear spiritually stabbable (man I love memetic effects), but to also add as much weight to my flagrant pleading looks as possible.
“Why won’t you stab me, Lyubie?”
>Lyubie?
Oh come on, you have to have heard Sake calling her that.
>I wouldn’t know what your upjumped spirit animal calls her.
Still not getting along then.
I suppress my sigh at my brother’s conflict as Lyubov’s soul comes to a decision: Apparently that did it. She nods seriously, and I can see in her soul that she was touched by the impromptu pet name.
[Lyubov]“So. Fine. But if it is something so delicate, you should let me see your soul too. I may notice it if you miss it.”
>I don’t think she’ll see the hybrid healing mechanism, but it certainly can’t hurt to give her a shot at it. You’ve already trusted her with far greater secrets and she’s proven remarkably loyal to you.
I can’t fault the logic of having another set of trustworthy eyes on the event. I comply with her request, and I drop my guise for her. She’s seen everything else to me there is to see, so why not?

Her eyes betray her surprise at my ridiculously complicated soul. Between my eye-twistingly tesseracted-connection to Shadowbro, my energy-laden dual-pathed Gate to Hummingbird, the overflowing pathway to Sake’s tri-part soul there’s quite a bit of external noise and ambient motion around my spirit. Coupled with how my divine-flecked cannibal stained spirit is built on a skeleton of soul-scars, the way my oversized chakra gates and my soul’s constant drawing of power through its Conceptual bind adds even more noise to it, and how the standard structures on a soul are more or less placed at random on mine, and my soul is frankly a confusing mess to look at in the best of times.
>If she still had a human mind I’d be worried about your soul’s structure hurting her, but as it stands she’s capable of looking without risk.
She doesn’t have a human mind now? Is that because she’s got that Gate of Self thing going on?
>That, and some very minor modifications Tesla put into place when his lightning bolt passed through her crown chakra, intended to help keep her sane. Shunts so she can look at things people normally would be brain damaged by, like her own conduit, or our soul. Now, pay attention to yourself.
Lyubov has taken a stance and has the knife ready, her soul steeled against the urge to not stab me. I guess she likes me enough that this is a little harder for her than I thought. I’ll have to make that up to her somehow I guess-
>[Hummingbird]”Focus.”
As Hummingbird imposes his mental help on me, I look inward, keeping a very close eye on how energy between my two bloodlines is flowing. Lyubov lunges forward, and just as the knife tip touches my skin, I enter accelerated thought courtesy of Shadowbro. With him and Lyubov handling everything else, and Hummingbird helping, I’m free to watch what happens.

What happens is pretty amazing. Energy from both my bloodlines starts to gather near the wound as soon as the knife pierces my skin. Proportionately more energy is added as it starts to pierce the fatty tissues and penetrate the underlying muscles on my abdomen. I am only vaguely aware of the knife snicking against a rib initially as it pierces my right lung. A spell matrix forms-no, it grows like a living thing all around the wound, its primary purpose to redirect all the ambient magic energy available in that specific region into a secondary matrix that starts to form just as the knife finally lodges in my rib, stuck right at the hilt. The two spell matrices, clearly composed of differing energies, manage to overlap like a set of doubled images without ever seeming to touch. At the beginning, at least.

The gathered summer and winter energy begins to, for lack of a better term, spray like droplets of energy.
>Discrete packets, or possibly quanta of energy? I’ve noticed there are certain patterns to how loose energy coalesces. And I’m viewing this from your memory, I still can’t make any detection progress on my own.
As the summer and winter energy-imbued spell matrices begin to interact in what should be a catastrophic explosion of flesh and magic, instead the tiny amounts of explosive energy (devoid of any trace of court energy thanks to the violent reaction), are caught by… something. It’s not a spell matrice-I’d see it if it was-but… it’s as if there’s the… shadow? A spell matrices mirage, hidden atwixt the two opposed spell matrices encircling the wound. The ‘mirage’ matrix soaks in every iota of power sprayed out by the Winter and Summer matrices, and uses the (in aggregate) massive amount of energy to power a regeneration effect I’m having trouble even seeing thanks to how complete the energy scavenging matrix is. …Hadn’t really noticed the effect was so pervasive in it’s localized magic drain, given the short timeframe it operates on and its automated function.

Curiously, the mirage spell matrix, despite sucking it’s surroundings and encircling spell matrices dry, doesn’t bloat-instead, it funnels all the newly court-neutral energy into my flesh, healing me even as the knife’s still in my body.

Lyubov pulls the knife free, the wound healing as quick as the blade is withdrawn thanks to my hybrid healing ability. I smile at her. A normal smile, the sort I’ve noticed I tend to save for her.
>This is intensely fascinating. No wonder it’s so hard to tell what’s going on from the outside, it’s like a miniature internal conduit in terms of energy efficiency.
>[IT]”Can’t he just say you built a temporary chakra between two spell matrices? Because that’s what you did…eh.
>[Hummingbird]”Indeed, but Sir Giant’s observations grant little insight into the way the regeneration itself works, only in the way the safe conversion of energy occurs.”
>Given that that is a valuable trick all by itself, I think we made good progress today. Unfortunately, even if we can’t see how the transient regeneration spell matrix is set up, it’s obvious just by how much energy it requires that it is a very inefficient design. It’s like the power scavenging function and the regeneration function were designed by different people, or evolved out of different lines of research. They fit together-just not as well as they should.
That could well be what happened. I think if I worked on it, I could switch out the existing regeneration matrix and put in something more efficient. I just need to know how to use non-court energy to power it. Also-isn’t this like building a chakra just for the purposes of healing the wound?
>…It is. Granted, it is less like a human chakra than, say, a Shadowfiend’s or an Angel’s… curious. Which means it’s time to do outside research.
Well, got a starting point, at least.

As the entire conversation took place in accelerated thought, I didn’t make Lyubov wait more than a few seconds for me to actually say anything.
“Hey, perfect. Thanks Lyubie.”
She smiles back at me, obviously shaking off the discomfort from doing something that felt wrong to her.
[Lyubov]"I really am curious about what that helped you with."
"Well... I finally caught part of the whole 'oh this magic trick turns a rule of magic inside out and makes it your bitch' thing that makes my fastest healing work. And... I... need to do more research-but not on myself. Need to see more high-tier regen in action."
[Lyubov]"So... the simplest thing I can think of would be to watch arena matches, I guess. Not the little arena Lev's been going to, the big one Matvey went for. And maybe Owner's Arena? Matvey got an invitation or something to it, too. He warned me the map required Conceptual magic, so yeah, I'm not ready to even visit that one as a spectator."
"Conceptually eh? I could probably go."
>Ah, the ‘wonders’ of being able to ignore degrading spirit and brain damage thanks to pervasive auto-healing.
[Lyubov]"Ask him to show you the coin for Owner's Arena then. He said he has a fight there in a month. A duel because he fought someone that some Transcendent people wanted to fight, and they figure he would be fun since he beat the woman they wanted to kill."
"Hm. Yeah, I might have to go to the arena... when I finally figure out how I want to fight. Bit too many options. And too many things I should probably not show off in an arena."
[Lyubov] “Do you need a rifle to stand in for Silja now?”
"Eh, not really. I... kinda like the idea of Iron Trick and the mere. Melee and ranged artifacts, dual-wielded: What alternative am I gonna find to trump that?"
Lyubov’s soul flickers in confusion.
[Lyubov] “I don’t even know what Iron Trick can do. How come you- uh. What?”
Lyubov looks really confused mid-sentence and I’m momentarily glad I set Iron Trick on the dresser with my shirt. I’m sure he’d have had some snarky comment about his innate ability to be hard to remember.
>Try writing it on a note for her, so she doesn’t forget again.
I grab one of Lyubov’s notepads, tear a strip from a blank page, and write on it: 'Iron Trick: Armas' Buntline: Artifact, can't remember past that.' Then I hand it to her, and she reads it.
"Is that sticking, there? And seriously, don't ask questions about the artifact if you want it to take root."
She nods clearly suppressing a few thousand no doubt bubbly questions, and says nothing else about the gun.
"Right-so, anyway, two artifacts, each one handed-I think I'm set on that. My question’s really what do I do? I mean, I... have options, but few of them are ones I feel okay with throwing about in public."
[Lyubov]"What do you feel is ok to use in public? That's the starting point, figure out the building blocks first."
I grunt as I start ticking off things.
"Well, Self Soul Binding's definitely okay-and makes my external binding for Rocco seem less noteworthy since it's not indicative of pure external ability. But... I don't know how to lift bindings- which I have to assume is somehow possible, hard or not. And I can't show off binding editing. So functionally, that's out. I can use my lower ability regeneration, the one that's not hybrid, but that just keeps me going. And I can't show off soul guises, really."

I tap my chin.
>Your poison should be completely fine.
It’s sort of a surprise, being reminded about the doonongeas poison glands Gianni installed in me, and I can’t help but exclaim about it.
“OH RIGHT, THE POISON!"
>Very smooth.
Lyubov’s grinning at me, obviously as amused as Shadowbro is. I keep on trucking.
"Man, I keep forgetting I have that. So that's healing and contact harm covered, okay... what else? I just can't get enough of HB's soul bubble trick- and there’s no reason to hide it."
[Lyubov]"Hummingbird wouldn't even want to be hidden."
"No doubt."
The bird in question preens at the looks he gets.
>[Hummingbird]”The female giant has some measure of understanding of my splendor.”
[Lyubov]“Um. What are you doing with the bugs? Dávgon's bugs. In the jars?"
"Now there's something. The Kudoku bugs. I've got to have a couple hundred by now just from how many jars are producing. But those are really discreet assassination tools as-is, rather than duel-viable, you know? They need a bunch more work to be ready for active combat like that. Or to have been completely reworked."
She shrugs at that, obviously trusting that I know the state of the bugs well enough to know what I’m talking about. Which I totally do.
“Do you think I should do the swarm? ...I never even told you about that, did I."
[Lyubov] “Swarm? No, I don't remember anything about that. Is it new?"
"The Hummingbird here can, well, turn me into a swarm of hummingbirds. All of which are me- so I'm still totally fine while even one's around. The Hummingbird himself included. It's why I was okay with Hillevi doing soul damage last night. With more than one body around, her damaging one, no matter how bad, is just damaging a node in a decentralized system."

I put up a fist, and Hummingbird instinctively knows what I intend. He bumps his talons against my knuckles. It’s a bird-brofist. Which is fucking awesome.

[Lyubov]"Wow. So he just. Converts your entire body to a flock? But. There must be thousands of birds!"
I have a shiteating Smile as I respond to her.
"Five thousand and change, yes."
[Lyubov]"That's got to be really weird."
“You have no idea-I get all that sensory feedback. Still need Hummingbird to handle pretty much everything in that form."
The bird looks so smug. There are no words for his smugitude at how effective and amazing his new trick is.
[Lyubov]"Right. That's... yeah, I guess it'd be really good in an arena. Just don't get hit by a fireball or something right? Are they all as strong as Hummingbird is?"
“Sort of-they have the oomph, but even he can't manipulate all those bodies as well as he can just his own. What the swarm can do... is disperse. He is, after all, controlling them, so-"
>[Hummingbird]”Even I have yet to master having each member of the flock fly an independent flight path. But it is possible for me to have them fly in formation, and then move groups around as I please.”
"-Okay, so apparently he couldn't, say, have each one go on a wholly independent flight path, but he can handle at least a goodly number of groups."
[Lyubov]“Squadrons of hummingbirds that can spiral through armor. Is he handling everything they do himself, or can he program them?"
>We talked about that actually.
>[Hummingbird]”Turning them into automatons completely defeats the purpose of using them in a battle. Combat should be a test of a warrior’s skill, not his ability to collect and create mindless drones!”
[Lyubov]"Because if he's just doing everything manually, programming could free-
"He insists that would be cheating."
[Lyubov]-ooh. Huh. Could he do a partial swarm instead of completely turning you into birds? How many can he make and have full precise control over?"
"Still working that out. Especially because SOMEONE doesn't want help working out the system to full mastery before telling us 'oafish giants', just so they can retain their position of superiority!"

Hummingbird clicks his beak at me, and puts some real force behind it. It is far more audible than it should be.

[Lyubov]"Ok. So you have Hummingbird's momentum tricks, the swarm work in progress, the soul bubble, and the thing he does where he bores through stuff. You have your poison. Hummingbird can deliver the poison too, right? Like, couldn't he have all the swarm put it on their beaks?"
"Naw, it's in my body-the, uh, Armas Body option here."
[Lyubov]"Couldn't you make some and coat them in it as they're being made?"
It’s a slow torture for me to admit this, but…
"They... aren't... immune to it. It's a problem, I know. But it's hell to get around."
[Lyubov]"Oh. Uh. How long can they last against it?"
“Yeah, already asked HB about that- I'm still warming him up to the idea of suicide bombing.”
[Lyubov]"So that's Hummingbird's main suite of abilities, all of which sound pretty cool for an arena battle. And you can go into the fight with a bind, you just don't want to show off yourself editing binds. But it could be done between fights, right?"
"There's a few problems there. For one, I need to keep the bind as-is to benefit from its Conceptual nature. Long story there, I’ll get into it another time. And, more importantly, it's more or less why Hummingbird can do the swarm."
[Lyubov]"That's one problem. What are the others?"
"For another, if I throw on more bindings, I couldn't change them, because having them edited at all is tipping my hand that one way or another I can make that happen. And of course, there's the whole 'I don't know how to remove bindings, and each binding added slows soul capacity growth."
[Lyubov]“I guess I didn't quite realize how big a deal being able to edit bindings is. The other two reasons are understandable, but if you believe you should hide that you even know anyone who can do it to you... yeah. Ok, so you go in with the one bind. You have your artifact gun, which I leave entirely to you to judge how to use. But your mere, it requires getting up close. It can block Matvey's sword, and it has that heart thing going. Does it work against anything with a heart? If it does, how is your, uh, monster anatomy?"
"My monster anatomy is... lacking. On the plus side if it's got a heart, and I stick this in said heart…”
I affect a patently fake Russian accent (as we’re speaking English).
“…well then I am their very own Bad News Bears."
She smiles at that bit of levity.
[Lyubov]"It is an ability you don't mind showing off in the arena, right? It is a good way to quickly end a fight. As long as you can get close and know where to strike. So we need anatomy books or corpses to dissect or something to learn. But Dávgon was asking about a research budget anyway, for divines at least, and I think it is a good idea too. Not just divine subjects, although it's useful, but all monsters we could meet."
It’s hard to argue with that. Especially since she keeps talking.
[Lyubov]"So getting close is not a problem against many foes because you have those footwork tricks you learned from the goblins, and the other sort of footwork that Matvey also knows now, from Ricky, I guess? He mentioned them, and what you do and he do seems very similar.”
>I wondered if she would notice that.
[Lyubov]"Anyway you need something that will let you close the gap against enemies who can match all that. Have you experimented much with soul bubbles? It offers resistance to blows, so could it be shaped to push you along in unexpected ways? Like pushing a beach ball hard into the ground and it bounces away, sort of."
>Interesting idea.
"Hm. Frankly, so far soul bubbles has been Hummingbird's territory, as to make a soul bubble of any substance it needs to be stupidly precise in how it's maintained-otherwise, it just unravels when tapped. But... recoil, that I think, Hummingbird could-“
>[Hummingbird]”Tell the female that I can indeed use the soul bubble to rapidly shift you around. It is trivial to force it to intersect and rebound against surfaces”
“-yes, HB could do that.”
>[Hummingbird]”In fact it almost not worth mentioning that I can do it. Such a simple task should be assumed to be within the repertoire of the pinnacle of birdkind and-“
“...Yes Hummingbird, I know you are the pinnacle of all that a hummingbird could be. My only concern though, is Duke, Hillevi? Both of them blew through it, and neither of them is, in the grand scheme of things, that strong. Placid and the like are definitely beyond them, and no doubt could crush the bubble too."
[Lyubov]“So are they just powering through it, or using a combination of techniques to weaken it first and then push through? If they are weakening it first, maybe there is a way to design ablative patches that prevent the strongest part of the bubble from being weakened at all. Or maybe there are ways to conceptually harden the bubble. Or, you could even give the bubble technique an actual Name to help improve it. You haven't done that right? Or have you and you just kept it secret?"
“No, no Name. The issue is frankly their superior expertise lets them circumvent my higher regen.... it's like me having a factory that churns out hammers, while they have master-crafted, overly durable ones that can smash any hammer I throw at them. Really, it makes sense given both have immensely more experience with their powers than I do."
[Lyubov]"So you have outrageous regeneration of your power, and you can spam it all you want, but you cannot muster the precision you need. Do you have anything that would let you store even more power, so that even if you cannot make higher quality hammers yet, you can make really big ones? Battery charms or something?"
“I've thought about those, but then the problem is how do I keep some other fucker from using the battery charm? It's really irritating trying to plan for fighting heavyweights, I have to say."
[Lyubov]"Maybe the same answer as with your mere and your poison glands and your other major things? Make the storage charm a part of you somehow? Actually, if you had like a one-use charm that was somehow grafted to you, when you used it couldn't you regenerate it right back again?"
>That… seems likely, actually.
>[IT]”It sounds like Dragon Organs, pumped full of power.
“Wait, isn't Titus working on Divine Batteries or something? I felt something like that last time I took a peek at his workshop."
[Lyubov]"Yes, he's been experimenting with different gems. He's got a friend who empowers them with divine lightning, and hooks them up to the gauntlet. We had a good talk about different sorts of insulation... But, yes. I wonder how the vampires took him walking into their home with his gauntlet, anyway?"

I grab for my chin again as I plunge deep into thought. Ah, good old chin-always gives my hand a perfect spot to pose.

"I'll have to ask him about that when he gets back-and if they really had a problem they would have called me."
Lyubov abruptly takes us back to the original topic, as she is wont to do.
[Lyubov]"I don't really understand the mechanics of a soul bubble, but if it's anything at all like a magnetic envelope, there should be ways to cycle the energy feeding to it to create resonance in the bubble itself. There might be, um. Rates of power input that are more stable, very high cyclic rates instead of flows, which would naturally make the bubble stronger in some parts and less strong in others. It's very dramatic to watch patterns form from standing waves. It's something I've been thinking about for that plasma envelope thing I've been working on. But resonance is a phenomena that seems to show up in pretty much everything else, so why not souls too?"
>
>[Hummingbird]”Is the female questioning my methods?”
"Probably. But Lyubie, that'd fall under 'learn a fuck ton more about this', which is still my problem."
She emphatically shakes her head.
[Lyubov]"No, it's just experimenting with varying the way power is fed to the bubble. Predicting patterns would require a lot of knowledge and simulation, but just finding resonant frequencies only requires trial and effort and energy."
>[Hummingbird]”I grasp that she is proposing a way to improve the technique in a tangible way, but she is being unclear.”
>Just tell us what you’re having trouble with.
>[Hummingbird]”I am not ‘having trouble’ with anything except her inadequate and unclear explanation. Until I have got it down I am not going to share what this proposed modification to the technique entails.”
"Would you like to explain it to Hummingbird? Because he's refusing to share his info until he's 'got it down'."
[Lyubov]"Uh. I'll explain it in magnetic fields because I'm still very new to the soul stuff but I have like four years of memories of playing with magnets and electronics in physics and engineering classes. So, when you make an electromagnetic field it is done usually by pushing electric energy through a coil, and the field forms at angles to the coil itself. The more power you put into the coil, the bigger the field becomes, until the coil breaks because it overheated."
This is logical. This is high school stuff. I even sort of remember watching a tv show about some of this on PBS. But I let her keep talking.
[Lyubov]"If you have multiple coils near each other and they are running at different frequencies you get fields interacting and shaping differently, and there's some loss in some places where they interact, but there's also some stable parts that you can use as actual envelopes to hold like plasma or gas. And that's because the fields were flipping back and forth and in some places they interacted and became a standing wave that is stable.”
Okaaay, I sort of understand the idea of a standing wave. Sort of. She must have picked up on my confusion, because she starts clarifying with an analogy.
[Lyubov]“It's like in a swing, if you push at the right time the person on the swing keeps going higher because you're adding energy to them at just the right time. And if you push incorrectly they quickly slow and stop because the energy is fighting what's already there. But in a 3D field you have to accept some places of loss and some of large gain. You'll get really neat patterns of very strong and weak spots, I think."
>That… that’s remarkable. Why didn’t we think of this? Well not me specifically, I have my Shade to run-why didn’t YOU, Armas?
No comment.
>[Hummingbird]”Her approach and explanation are sufficient for me to start working on this at once. The power cycling and pocket-bubble techniques do indeed seem sound.”
I think there’s a problem with her theory though. And I start to outline it.
"I like the cycling and pocket creation ideas though-and so does Hummingbird. But, Soul bubbles, and soul manipulation in general, while able to be expressed in physical space are not rooted in it. I don't suppose you know anything about how to manipulate fields that exist in a state where dimensions aren't really a thing?"

Lyubov gives me a quizzical look. It’s a look that actually… looks pretty good. Slap a pair of librarian glasses on her and-

>Please pay attention to what she is saying.
[Lyubov]"Dimensions are just a way of describing how many degrees of freedom you have. Mathematically there has to be at least one dimension to anything you can experience at all, and if it is interacting in the real world it just means that it is three plus some extra number of dimensions."
I can feel Hummingbird and Shadowbro chuckling at me.
Not my fault I didn’t get it.
>It is though, you could have asked either of us, or Dávgon.
I make a fake pouty face at Lyubov.
"Oy. Stop making mister High School here feel dumb as shit. Little miss 'cheat my way into a college education'."
She smiles warmly at me.
[Lyubov]“Sorry. And, I had that one year in Moscow. Before I dropped out."
She didn’t sound very sorry. I smile back.
"Sophistry and you know it! Anyway-besides trying to find ways to verify I'm properly working with energy flow rather than against it to build cohesion, and using multiple field sources to form pockets-which I have to assume will be great for the swarm form what with each body generating their own-what else stands out to you?"
Lyubov purses her lips thoughtfully.
[Lyubov]"To start with, pick just a few field sources to work with and keep them static initially. It's easiest to see how frequencies interact that way. Watch for how the bubble projects back in the extra-dimensional part of the array if you can. It might be that the pattern you want shows up in physical space only if the field sources are rotated with respect to the real world. Actually, just make testing rotations part of your research protocol."
>[Hummingbird]”The female is putting a modicum of thought into this.”
[Lyubov]"If you need to monitor the way the physical part is forming, why not try putting uniform force on it? Have Sake blow rice or something at you, just hard enough to test it for weak spots but not so hard you're uncomfortable. Resonant frequencies will make patterns in the bubble just seem to appear on their own."
>She just gave us a protocol that anyone could follow, and get results from through brute force repetition.
"That should give me a good instinctual foundation to run my body through-“
Lyubov does ‘frowning librarian’ pretty well too, it turns out. Actually, I think I’ve seen her mom make that same face at her.
“-hey, don't look at me like that, I bet the other Armas preferred to learn things intuitively as opposed to theoretically!"
She finally smiles in that Lyubovian way of hers.
[Lyubov]"That’s true, but it’s not the point. Well, anyway, I guess if it is instinctual you will be faster with it when it counts."
"Way I understand it, I just hardcode the actual data into my Id and can instant-access it. Like... instead of having to calculate out how hard to throw something and at what angle to make it land in a certain place, I, from my perspective, just 'know' the answer. ...Now that I think of it, that's quite a bit like Savantism, isn't it?"
Whatever Lyubov was going to say is interrupted by Sake entering the room and sniggering.
[Lyubov]"Hey Goldilocks, what's so funny?"
Goldilocks?
>Don’t ask. It’s funnier this way.
>[Sake]"I totally had the best idea ever for how to get that freaking puppy! I'm just gonna hit it with a Double Hundred Eight Ball! Even Ohotnik's gotta get staggered by that!"
He bursts into another fit of sniggers.
[Lyubov]That's... sort of excessive isn't it?"
>[Sake]"He'll survive it probably! Anyway, it'll be fine!"

He plops himself atop Lyubov's head. She reaches up and strokes him.

>[Sake]"Anyway Lube whacha jibba-jabbering with Bro about?"
Lube?
>It’s more meaningful than Lyubie. And technically it’s your fault.
[Lyubov]"How to turn the kite thing I was telling you about into better soul bubbles for him. Not the literal device, but the ideas it is based on."
>[Sake]"Oh, that thing you talked about with big words and stuff. Lemme see..."
I can feel my weasely brother sniffing and snuffling his way through my recent memories. I very deliberately blink, and just allow the intrusion.
>Certainly easier than catching him up.
>[Sake]"OOOOOh, that's the plan-yeah, that sounds cool!"
[Lyubov]"Does it make the kite make more sense now?"
>[Sake]"Just make it already so I can fly it!"
[Lyubov] “I think the first one I build won't be very portable but it will show off that it's doable, and I'll be able to upgrade it right away with magitech parts. Superconductors, either magic ones or mundane ones with magitech cooling, will make it very small. And a divine electric power supply. So, the flyable one will be ready soon."
She smiles at me when she notices I’ve been making faces at Sake, who is busy making his own back from atop her head.
[Lyubov]"Think of drones with wings that can be dynamically shaped and can also be used as speakers if you want. And I think I can expand it into shield systems that register as being almost all mundane."
"That does sound good. I'll still need to actually see them in action though."
[Lyubov]"Yeah, me too! It’ll be a lot of work to get there."
She rapidly switches topics as a new idea strikes her.
[Lyubov] “Oh, did you get to meet that Anguisher guy Grisha brought home?"
The crusty, oft-Cursed old man without a shred of empathy in his body that Grisha brought back like a skuzzy puppy.
"I've seen his soul. Is he as bad as he feels?"
[Lyubov]“Yeah. I talked to him for awhile. He's just in constant agony, so he learned techniques to move the pain around. He has all these different curses, which are like a divine one, a bevy of wizard curses from the Mad Drunk, and a mind curse from a leprechaun he angered. The divine one is the most interesting, I realized it's actually a corrupted einherjar seed. I asked him about that, and he explained he'd tortured a valkyrie until it snapped and started handing out corrupt einherjar seeds. The angel that punished him must have had a sense of irony, I guess."
>[Sake]”That guy is a riot, he’s such a mess!”
[Lyubov]"But the curse was written mainly in runes, and was corrupted so that it was literally cutting into his soul at the same time as it was powering a fleshcrafting matrix to grow these horrible little flesh eating worms in his gut."
That’s...
"...Okay, I have to admit he's more interesting than I thought."
>What I find interesting is how easily she read the divine parts. Remember, she has essentially zero training in curse theory. This was all innate.
"Hm. Wonder if they'd be good for the Kudoku jars or the golem?"
[Lyubov] “What do you say Sake? You analyzed one. And by analyzed I mean ate."
Sake’s shovel paws tap out a beat on top of Lyubov’s head as he ponders the question.
>[Sake]"I think the worms could make the bugs tastier."

Oh man, not him too! Duke was bad enough, but…
"...Sake have you been eating Kudoku bugs?"
>[Sake]"If I say yes, will you be mad?"
“So that's a yes."
>[Sake]"You said it not me!"
"Sake, come on!"
[Lyubov]"So is it like when Duke did the thing with the bugs and his own pee? Is that how you did the trick with the blood and Bagga, Sake?"
Sake’s soul goes… wary? Sketchy, anyway.
>[Sake]"I do not know for certain that I know what you are talking about Lyubie-and hey, look at the time, I should just get going now..."
He starts slinking to the door..
[Lyubov] “Hey come on!"
Lyubov reaches over and grabs him by the scruff of his neck. Sake hangs in her hands like a big furry green limp noodle, and whines at her.
>[Sake]"Aw. Aw Lyubie. No fair. Come on."
She collects him into her arms and releases her grip on the scruff of his neck, just holding him against her chest.
[Lyubov]"Yeah, no fair. If you don't want to talk about it, just say so."
Sake is alternating between bristling at the effrontery of being handled like a little weasel pup, and snuggling into her arms, his long noodle-like body nestled between her breasts… rather phallically now that I think of it.
>Is that all you ever think of? Frankly I’m surprised he’s being so docile for her. Anyone else he would be attacking for doing that. Even you.
>[Sake]"So yeah, it's like that trick."
[Lyubov]"It's how Toso made his medicine, too?"
>[Sake]"...Yeah..."
Toso?
>One of his weasel brothers. I’m really surprised by how close they are, if he told her all that.
[Lyubov]"Could you show me sometime? It'd be useful to be able to give people a portable way to heal. You can't be everywhere, and since it's a divine trick I could learn it."
>[Sake]"Um... you... want to make healing goo from your pee? What?"
[Lyubov] “I'll figure out what I'm making it from after I learn the basic technique.
At this point I just have to jump in and rescue the conversation in general.
“That's excellent to hear you're so gung-ho about being a team player Lyubov-when can I expect the first batch ready for testing?"
[Lyubov]“We'll just have to wait and see, Armas.”
At this point Sake pulls a happy face and wriggles free from her embrace. He flies off to find some new mischief. After he’s gone, Lyubov decides to say something else.
[Lyubov]“Oh, also, actually, I talked to Zhenya and she's OK with letting you observe her getting her new body mods, but she wanted me to be present too. Maybe you can talk her into letting you channel for Gianni? I sure couldn’t, she dug in at letting us watch. I'm personally interested in building a divine fleshcrafter emulation package so it'd be useful for me to watch you do the channeling, and I figure it’d be useful for you to get the practice in, right?"

She wants me to work on her friend. While she watches. What can I say to that?

"...Okay, we’ll see."
[Lyubov]"Uh. Zhenya did say something like 'everyone gets to go to the Zhenya show' and she mentioned she felt kinda weird about it, so. When you help her can you be casual about it? Like it's nothing to stress over?"
Damn, there goes some of my fun.
“I will not go out of my way to make a comical scene, how about that?"
[Lyubov]"That is perfect."
She leans over and kisses me.

And thereafter I have a pretty good night.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 29th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS: +$350,000.00+$19,000.00 $3,233,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: +$386,125.00 $1,781,109.00
CASH: $6,120.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 90%
WINTER ENERGY: 160
SUMMER ENERGY: 50/50


Smacking my lips I wake up with a bit of brain coffee, and start planning my day.




What's my plan?
Expand all images
>>
No. 453850 ID: 9964f4

Holy crap that was an info dump.... and yet i still wish i new more about what was going on with the rest of the company. I fell so lost gah!
>>
No. 454034 ID: 3734f6

>Amen
Titus developed issues, Andrei's been slowly going nuts, Gloom either ruined or rendered the library inaccessible, and Grisha learned pain techniques from Amen which is making her mental instability worse. We should put in some checks on the orders they are giving Amen.
As a bonus, it appears that when a guest gives an order it goes via an existing bind due to orders we have given him before without creating a new binding. This is important as it means we can use Amen more if we have a proxy give an order. For example, we can get him to tailor clothes for us again (from purchased materials now that we disassembled organ farms). You should buy various raw materials and have them delivered to the mansion, and use a guest as a proxy to get nice clothes from amen every day from now on.

Furthermore:
1. talk to rest of company and stress the danger of using amen. Point out snazzy outfits are safe (hooray for a snazzy dressed company!)
2. Order amen to inform you, truthfully, of the exact wordings of orders made by guests (we can then deal with them as they crop up)

>Dayplan (in order)
You have all these engagements you mustn't delay.
1. Some free time, what we do with it is negotiable.
2. Meet owner @ 4pm
3. Feed silja
4. Treat bonzi's infection.
Then tomorrow morning when done with that get a sake rubdown for the tiredness so you could meet Oggmum at agreed upon time.

>Free Morning time (find hillel)
This Hillel girl has interesting beings looking for her, lets find her! We can use a combo of hummingbird swarm and allview to rapidly search.
The bonus is that every supernatural we come across we can tag in allview plus we could kill something for the whaitiri boon AND enjoy some DELICIOUS (TM) beyond that.

>Research
1. Give hummingbird 1 of each heart of regenerator we have, including a phoenix's heart to study. explain to him what a phoenix is.
2. Aim for 24/7 dual chakra orientation maintaining... as soon as it fails reset it, we now have enough.
3. During bonzi job bring your brothers. Pay close attention and have sensing chakra on... to study the leprechaun magic. Don't experiment on him of course but just carefully observe with a mind to the specifics.
4. Sleeping wastes 1/3rd of your time. It can be bypassed partially or entirely via sake rubdowns, also perhaps sleeping in NN bubble, and perhaps techniques of flesh manip, soul manip, and even chakra that can reduce or eliminate that. Start asking around with gia and davgon so we can get this taken care of. Look into possible harmful effects of doing so (and perhaps buying a charm that prevents such).
5. We need to talk things out with hummingbird, the experiments you stopped are important. Yes his studies are invaluable and need our massive energy output, but those experiments are needed if we are going to increase said output. We could however concede to debating the merits of specific experiments with him before seeing if they are worth doing... also some of them can be done not on armas himself (see below)
6. Armas can and should perform experiments on select ensouled bugs, ones for which he created the soul himself rather then ones who got it spontanously. I am pretty sure creating it gives you the right to do so...
7. We could potentially create souls and then eat them or store them en masse in allview for use as an energy source as needed.
7a. Perhaps we should discuss the legality of such a practice with owner at the meeting today?
7b. Its plausible that owner cannot create souls like that, if such is the case this is a service we can offer.
>>
No. 454374 ID: 053c39

>>454034
SUST to:
-Adding a binding to Amen when you're specifically saying you want to avoid adding binds to him.
-Looking for Hillel when we've been told IN THE EXACT SAME REPORT, that two very high level entities, both looking for her, fought upon meeting.
-Silliness about wasting eight hours a day sleeping when Armas sleeps less than half that and (WARNING: META) we barely have enough to do to fill the hours he's awake for anyway.

Instead of binding Amen more, stress the danger of Amen (as you say), but just trust Amen's other occupants to check with Armas. They're not all idiots with Lev gone. Instead of trying to find Hillel, have Satai and Andrei use their methods to find out a) who she is and b) why people are looking for her. Instead of that sleep silliness... well, nothing, it's just silly.


Armas Orders
Something I'd like to do is send HB into the undersewers with a hummingswarm. This should benefit Armas in a number of ways

While he's down there, he'll be doing things like:
-Fighting things that attack the swarm
-Testing out his new techniques
-Talking to people, if there's anyone who wants to try talking instead of attacking
-Mapping out the undersewers by regularly re-orienting in Allview and tagging areas of interest (and tagging the people he talks to, as well)
-Collecting loot and corpses from his (now dead) opponents and bringing them back

Then once that's decided, all that's left is convincing him to do it. It shouldn't be hard, given it's a chance to prove to Armas just how amazing his abilities are.

If it's still before dawn, spend the rest of Sake's healing charges harvesting Stacey for Silja. While we're at it, or even if it's too late to do the harvesting, check on how Silja's doing with the changes – has she had any of her senses start working yet (if the systems look like they're fully built), can she feel her body, etc – and whether the Note Writer is still communicating with her. If he is, consider having Feodor keep an eye on her – he's apparently endeavouring to get a squid spirit animal, which should give him some Elder-sensing abilities.

If Matvey's hanging about, see about sparring with him again, while the both of you are wearing those rechargable charms. Use flesh manipulation instead of chakratic reinforcement for brute strength and speed and focus using your non-Hummingbird-derived abilities while he's off murderising the undersewers. After the match, recharge whichever of the charms have been depleted – while remaining careful about not overcharging them and potentially destroying them, like you can with a mundane rechargable battery – and have a chat with Matvey. Talk about his new place, his new dog, his new armour, and his new sword. Also ask him to show you his coin-map, and let him remind you about going to see Sometimes Merchant. Thank him for the reminder and give the metaphysically mercantile goblin a visit.

Down in the sewer, see what's up with the contract he wants to talk about. Whatever it is, tell him you'll have an answer for him tomorrow so it doesn't interrupt the rest of my post. On the way back up into the mansion, come up with the idea of using Svetlana's hummingbird to provide long-range Summer bloodline recharge by cannibal fleshcrafting meat from the kitchen. Try it out – find a way to use a bunch of Summer energy, then control the hummingbird into the fridge and absorb some meat – and see if it recharges you or just that hummingbird.

Spend the rest of the morning and afternoon before the meeting practicing Soul and Flesh abilities. For soul, tearing off pieces of your soul and trying to shape them into something useful would be good – a few years of such practice and maybe you could make your own Angels – or more messing with those ensouled bugs. If nothing else, pull off a few soul bits and put them in Allview for later work. For flesh, continue to work on bodily reinforcement, to eventually fully replace your chakra orientation of the same name, and also try to pick up a little bit about the creation of golems from Gianni.

In the afternoon, we've got our meeting with the Owner, from four until an unknown time. Since we don't know when the meeting will finish (even if it will probably be very short), don't bother making any concrete plans for the rest of the day. Wear that snazzy blue “orange” suit again, I like it – it's both understated and unique. The only thing we know we'll be talking about is the island above the Akkorokamui's caves, so make sure to bring all the information that Andrei's collected, and see if you can prepare a soul piece that shows a memory of what you could see via Allview. If he asks where you got such a memory, tell him that your sources safety would be at risk if you told. Wear the usual soul guise, even if he can probably see through it – it's not going to bother him, but it'll keep us safe from anyone who tries to look anyway. Once the main topic's out of the way, talk about the Shen – whether he wants anything done with it, whether there'd be repercussions from anyone if a certain mercenary leader were to manage to kill it, etc. Also consider, with advice from Shadowbro, whether to bring up Lo Fang's unauthorised soul collecting.

After the meeting, assuming it doesn't take a huge number of hours, take as many people as are left in the house on a trip to Bonzi's bar. Have a few drinks with them, maybe a meal, and just have fun for a while. Just make sure to get working on Bonzi's Pot before 11pm – if it really is going to take fifteen hours, we need to make sure we're out before our meeting with Oggmum at 3pm tomorrow. Tell the others not to wait up and to head home whenever they're done.
>>
No. 454383 ID: fc9776

>>454374
Upvoting this except for not using HB-time-bubbles to sleep. However, we should first question Dávgon and Gianni about those.

While sparring with Matvey, have Gianni present so that he can better teach you fleshcrafting afterwards, focusing on what he saw.

After recharging the charms we used, try to get a feel for how delicate that was, and whether it would be possible to recharge them mid-combat without burning them out.

If HB-swarm finds any good stuff in the undersewers, SB could shadowport it above. Likewise, SB should be on the lookout for corpses from HB fighting so that Armas can eat them. If there is a very powerful enemy, Armas could even pop up there (either by shadowport or by cannabilising his own body, healing it back next to the HB in the sewers. He could then come back up by doing the same via sveltanna's HB) and sacrifice it to Whaitiri with the mere-heartstab (soul + flesh = better than flesh, right?).

If we do manage to get a boon, it should focus on compounding/making external our bloodline.Ask SB whether Whaitiri is benefiting from Armas' greatly increased magicalregen (she should, we share a soul graft), it could be quite the argument for upping the quality of the boon.

Ask SB how far he is in Doonegaes fleshcrafting package, and if he would be like Armas to try to make ensould gorillas/other animals and try to have SB dominating their shadow, if that's legal.
>>
No. 454412 ID: 3734f6

>>454374 upvote
>>
No. 454891 ID: c6ce12

>>454374
I'm upvoting this with some slight modifications.

In addition to looking for information on Hillel have Satai and Andrei look for information on Rocco's bloodline, specifically have them start their search on the bloodline it's a derivative of, the 'forgotten grandfather' bloodline. We /still/ haven't figured out what Rocco can do and why we keep forgetting what his soul looks like.

We should ask Sake if he knows of any particularly potent thunder aspected creatures, Whaitiri is the goddess of the thunder after all and I feel we're missing out by not tapping into her primary power set, if she can help us unlock that or compound that into our bloodline that would be an option we need to consider.

If we do end up talking to Gianni about the creation of golems we should try to steer the conversation onto him. We don't actually know much about the man, we know what we've seen in his soul, the anguish he's had in his life up until this point. I'd like to know about that guy, the one under the excessive hedonism. It's probably a sore subject but between the hours of training and saving his life we should have built a firm enough foundation with him to learn at least a few tidbits about his past.

As for the Owner meeting, we need a different suit, we just wore the blue "orange" suit, it'd be unsightly to wear it again so soon. I suggest the midnight black suit with the gold thread tie and maybe those albino rattlesnake shoes we have lying around somewhere.

At some point we NEED to call Camella and discuss the issue of her soul with her, it's best to tell her now just as we've learned of it instead of waiting for her to find out at the meeting with the Witch. We need to caution her we don't know how it happened, where she came across it, or if in the case of it being from the Owner it was on purpose or accidental. This is kind of a delicate subject since it effects her prospects of returning home. I almost expect this to happen at the end of the night because this may require more input.

When we bring people to the bar that might be a good time to find out any particular things we want to know about our minions or questions we have (for instance if any other posters have particular questions for them). And if Hafaz and his friends are free invite them too, it's been AGES since we've talked to those guys. Seriously our oldest friends in the city and we've left them out in the cold for such a long time. Share a beer or two at the very least.

In addition to the SUSTs applied by it to this >>454034 post I would like to expand them on my end to include all the research suggestions save for 1, 2, and 7a.
>>
No. 454900 ID: 9718f3

>>454891
Upvote. Especially the part about talking with Camella.

Before the meeting with Owner today, we should ask SB if he's looked through the Doonongaes' memories for relevant information on the Akkorokamui and if he's confirmed that the Shen was associated with it. We can't really trust Note Writer at his word, after all. A progress report on the status of the Doonongaes fleshcrafting package would be nice too, but isn't necessary, Armas understands that SB has a lot going on in the dark, even if he doesn't know the specifics. Speaking of, I'd love to hear about it, if SB would be willing to share.
>>
No. 455011 ID: 252e1b

>>454374
Feodor isn't suitable for being Silja's "escort" right now, and won't be for at least a couple more days in-game. You know this, since you are playing Feodor.

There are two characters in the mansion who are suitable: Bagga, and Lyubov.

Bagga's Elder-sensing ability is very crude. Lyubov's is much better, but she's not quite aware of it yet. Elder examples aren't that common, with the exception of our mere. It's the 14th Elder artifact, after all. Asking Lyubov to assess the mere would probably clue her into the fact that she's got Elder sensing ability.

Once Lyubov is aware she can sense Elder things, she'd be the superior choice for keeping an eye on Silja, for several reasons (as outlined in >>/questdis/60896 ).

So, I am SUSTing having Feodor interact with Silja at the moment.

Instead I propose we assign both Lyubov and Bagga to work together on keeping Silja monitored/protected (since they both have other work to do anyway). Make it clear to all parties involved that Lyubov's the official guardian in the event Armas isn't available.
>>
No. 455032 ID: 6616f3

I rather like the idea of, now that the Golem has reached its first working model, focusing on the Blood Heart. We never did get an idea of what materials we would need, did we? Just hammered out a list of valuable traits for it to have and a vampire contact to check Amen's work.

Perhaps ask Amen if the hypothetical construct would be able to handle explosively-dissimilar powers (angelic and demonic, divine and vampire, summer and winter-aligned beings) as discreet parts, mix the as-yet-unmixable, or result in a massive explosion that would destroy Istanbul? Or do we have these as options?

>>454891
I like the idea of hanging with Hafaz, though we'd need something clever to set it up, what with the yaks still not knowing we're more than bare acquaintances. On the other hand, that whole plan ended up fizzling, so whatever.

More dangling plot threads: Blade and Adelat. Not saying we should pick them up again just yet, what with the meetings and missions and stuff to do, but just something to keep in mind.

If we do call Camella, well, this is awkward, but- has she resigned herself to this dimension? The longer she goes, the harder it's going to be, and in Istanbul we have a goddess, an ancient dragon, a witch and a witch-saint we're on good terms with. Surely we could wrangle her a solution.
>>
No. 457647 ID: 1427e9

> 'only regenerate magical energy [today]'

I'm not quite sure how our unlimited energy and regeneration works so what I'm going to say might already be covered and been discussed.... Anyway.
Wouldn't the binding be much stronger is instead of "today" we used "this hour"? Or going even further "this minute", "this second" and seeing how great we are at accelerated thought we could even go further than that, into split seconds and smaller. Such limitations would make our bindings immensely more powerful.

Alternatively, instead of making binding "only regenerate magical energy today" why not do "only regenerate magical energy on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 29th, 2011"? Logically those both are absolutely the same but conceptually they are much more different. Every single day is "today" but "TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 29th, 2011" happens only once in eternity.
Going much further on this idea, why not restrict special bindings according to one or another calendar? Jewish, Islamic, Maori (if there is such), etc. If some binding could be someway or another significant to some culture or religion, it could be much more powerful if we adjust it to that particular calendar.-
....By the way, it is "TUESDAY, MARCH 1st, 2011"....
So, for example, "March 1st 2011" would be "25th of Adar I, 5771" according to Jewish calendar. If we can find some binding that could be strongly reflected in Jewish culture and/or mythology, then we could use that system instead of good old Gregorian Calendar. I seems to remember that there was something about a Golem in Jewish religion. We could use that to power bindings that improve our golemcraft or something.

Combining all these we could make bindings like "Only be able to craft golems on 25th of Adar I, 5771, at 6pm, 37min, 16sec" and constantly change it every second so that we can make an uber-golem (or just keep it down to a single day if every second is tedious)

So I suggest trying out doing that and see if it changes anything.


Also, it seems my character was handed off to someone else and I was not asked or notified about this?
>>
No. 457732 ID: 252e1b
 

>>457647
Who ARE you?

C'mon, tell me: who are you?

'Cause I really want to know.

Also, your proposed date-specific bind schema would remove the conceptual part from the bind, and may not be any more powerful than "Today" would be (as there is only ever one "Today").

The hourly and minutely parts of the bind would requiring learning the "This Hour" and "This Minute" concepts. Useful but given that we have more energy than we can use anyway (enough that Armas is in danger of leaving just a crater if he interacted with even a fledgling vampire, according to a blurb Bob mentioned in IRC) there's no reason to pursue them just yet. Once we've got a need for more energy, it'll be useful.

To prevent that, we should edit the existing bind to the following: "I can only regenerate energy Today with the exception of if my energy interacts in an uncontrolled manner with opposed energy. Then I will not regenerate energy until the uncontrolled reaction is over."

>>455011
Addendum to this post.

We (Grail, Seventeen, Juroko, Ironybot, and myself) discussed this in IRC and decided that the people who should be introduced to Silja first are Lyubov, Titus, Bagga, Hillevi, and Dmitrii. These are all people who Armas can confidently feel genuinely like him, and who will portray him in a positive light if he comes up as a topic (he likely will in conversations with Silja). Silja's continuing re-integration into society is important for her mental health and for weakening Note Writer's influence on her, and the first step in that is to get her used to people who aren't Armas or Note Writer.

Additionally, we should officially instruct Svetlana to conduct an audit of Satai's purchase order procedures and make sure she happens on the spiked written request from Lyubov for the tank tools required to actually use that tank. We've let Satai do as he wishes for the most part, and for the most part that's served us well, but he decided to second-guess Armas here about the potential utility of the tank.

If he doesn't have a good excuse for why he put off making the purchases we should punish him by making him write "I will not gainsay legitimate purchase orders" on a chalk board like, 100 times.
>>
No. 458287 ID: 40fb55

>>454034
>>454374
>>454383
>>454891
>>454900
>>455011
>>455032
I take a moment to swiftly consider just how early I got up-and what this means for my options. If Bonzi said fifteen hours, I have to see Owner at four, and it's one in the morning… this could work.

Before I head out I get Sake, Dávgon and Gianni on the job giving Silja another meal before dawn arrives. That… and I get sidelined by Hummingbird, who's rather insistent on needing to ask me something.
>[HB]"Assist me in forming a Swarm, so that I may continue my research into the manifold way."
"I've got stuff to do today, and would actually need you there too-"
>[HB]"No matter: You have sufficient magic to fuel your own fresh formation from the swarm, and I will accompany you whilst the swarm is used for experimentation. We shall both get what we desire-now."
His tone brooks no argument-and since he shot down my only real objection to the plan, I go along with it. Once more, my body breaks apart like water released from a mold, every drop spinning off into a newly formed avian form. My mind is spread far too thinly over the sudden mass-and is overstressed for only so long, before the solitary bird whose torso is naught more than the Allview itself becomes the singular focus of my perception. The odd-bird-out explodes as I feel my Summer line draining….

And just shy of five seconds after beginning, I've gone from a single form to a swarm in the thousands and having wholly regrown my form. I pick my clothes back up, toss them in the hamper and start dressing in my blue-colored 'Orange' suit, a personal favorite.
SUMMER ENERGY: -23 27/50
Properly attired for the day, I have a brief word with SB.

So. Silja.
>"Yes?""
I'm thinking of… socializing her, for lack of a better term. Get her exposed to more people, less dependent on the Note Writer.
>"A goal I can appreciate."
Thank you. So, I've decided the best people to socialize her are Lyubov, Titus, Bagga, Hillevi, and Dmitrii.
>"That seems wise-all hold positive opinions of you in assorted forms."
That was my thought: They would help bolster my influence over her while lessening the Note Writer's…. or so goes the plan.
>"We shall have to see how it is in execution. That said, I have to wonder why you conferred with me on this-it seems you've already reasoned it out.""
Well, I was hoping to get all of them informed this morning, but-
>"You will be busy with Bonzi and his pot-yes, that's equitable: I will see to it they are informed of their new duties on waking."
Great-load off my shoulders, there.

With that done-and my wiggle room ever-dwindling-I head off to Bonzi's bar. The Leprichaun-currently a Glurichaun-is initially gregariously resistive to letting me in-until he's reminded he did contract me to work on a personal problem. It would seem Glurichaun behavior is every bit as stereotypically drunken as the stories allude to-I'll have to file that away for later. More importantly, I have to focus on the curve ball I'm getting.
>[Bonzi]"You can't bring your Soul Shadow or your Soul Brother in-just you and your familiar, no more."
"May I ask why?"
>[Bonzi]"Ach, don't be a boorish runt!"
I eye the 'chaunish pot beside Bonzi, currently tilted on it's side and unfathomably dark within it's lip.
"…Very well."
I stride into the pot with confidence…. and things go a bit screwy.

With Shadowporting and mindscape conversations, transitions to demiplanes-all of that, there's a clear cut discontinuity, a break in consciousness as I go from there to here. Here and now, as I step inside of what looks, to my every sense, like a normal, albeit enormous, cast iron pot, I find… scintillating snowflakes, fluttering across my sight, visual and spiritual alike, static disrupting my hearing and balance alike-there is a moment where my attention briefly turns inward to avoid tripping like a fool-

And as I stand upright once more, I find myself within a gargantuan metal pot easily the size of an entire city-and suffused with a necrotic, overripe air.
>[Bonzi]"OY, can you hear me?"
"Yes."
>[Bonzi]"Right. Simple. I just took everything that's mine out of the pot-so the ONLY things in it now are not mine-like you and the infestation. Kill everything that's not you, scour their remains from the pot, and you're done. Just be thorough with the corpses-they can regenerate from just a few drops of blood."
"Understood."

What follows is both surreal… and, frankly, boring. In this massive, empty pot it's painfully easy to find the shuffling, corpse-like fungal lifeforms that Bonzi needs excised-and with the mere to feed their flesh to Whaitiri, I'm not exactly messy putting them down. I have to say I'm a bit surprised at the time estimation Bonzi gave: With how big the Pot is, I barely get done in thirteen with HB forming a swarm out of me to track down the other intruders-this would have taken days without him, of that I have no doubt. …Still, what needed to happen, happened. I find it odd though, that he was so demanding that someone with soul manipulation work the job.
>[IT]"FYI: Gates to gods nested in objects-like me, or your mere-count as Soul Manipulation. That is how the interface invariably works, after all."
…Or there could be a very simple explanation.

Some five minutes after I'm done, Bonzi taps the Pot's side, the walls ripple and tremor, my senses overload in a confusing snarl-and I am back within his bar, not that far before half past three. Bonzi, once more a sober Leprichaun, hands me a small cloth-of-gold bag that clinks prettily in my hands. I open it as he speaks.
[Bonzi]"Let's see-you've got a rechargable blade charm that can take up to ninety points worth of melee magical attack and convert the impending energy into internalized bad luck for the attacker before needing to be recharged. You've got an arrow charm with the same set up-ranged magical attacks have their magic turned into bad luck. Both of those charms take a lesser ritual to recharge: You have to get your blood on them before you recharge it, otherwise it won't key to you. That also means you'll need to charge them up yourself before they will become active for you. The shield charm directly converts magical energy from the wearer into warding force when attacked with any mundane force that's kinetic, electric, thermal or a combination therein. It's based on Leprichaun processing logic, so it's pretty much impossible for you to have made a more energy efficient shield yourself. The mind charm's by-the-books: Takes impending magical energy used for mental intrusion attempts, and converts it into good luck for the wearer. This transformation is also powered by the caster as an automatic defense. Lastly, there's a Curse charm that requires recharging to be done at dawn or dusk, and will turn any three curses that hit it either into a positive, inverted booster-like say turning a strength sapping curse into a strength-enhancer-or bounce the curse back at the caster if it can't be safely inverted. No single curse can have more than fifty points of magic invested in it without potentially burning the whole amulet in one go to react to it-and if a curse is at one hundred or more points of power, the charm won't reflect or invert it, just nullify it. …That covers them, I think-you'll have to try them out yourself to resolve your questions about them."
"I imagine so. Thank you Bonzi."
ACQUIRED:-------1 90-point max blood-locked rechargeable Leprichaun Blade Charm
ACQUIRED:-------1 90-point max blood-locked rechargeable Leprichaun Arrow Charm
ACQUIRED:-------1 wearer-fueled automated thermal/electrical/kinetic Leprichaun Shield Charm
ACQUIRED:-------1 wearer-fueled automated luck-producing rechargeable Leprichaun Mind Charm
ACQUIRED:-------1 Rule-of-Three dawn/dusk rechargeable reflection/inversion Leprichaun Curse Charm


I walk to the Asitane only AFTER I charge up the Arrow and Blade charms, and string all five charms around my neck. Big things coming in small packages-I have no problem with pay in such a format as that. I monitor the time and my pace, and should have no issue getting there by four.

Of course, on the way-I find myself inexplicably twitching-and HB stuttering in the air beside me.
>[HB]"Vexxing. I require another swarm, giant."
"Wait-did you just lose the past swarm?"
>[HB]"They were sacrificed in the names of personal improvement and progress. Now…"
"Do I get a sneak peak at what you're learning?"
>[HB]"Most certainly not-I will inform you when I have answers that do NOT produce more questions than they answer."
"…Wow, okay, if you're shooting for that, then yeah, take your time. Also, good luck-you know how inquisitive I can be."
>[HB]"One must set their goals high if they wish to retain proper standards."
I can't help but grin as I help HB out by once more letting him form a swarm from me-and then re-manifest myself from a single bird. After having done that twice in a single day my summer line's feeling very light-but I can fix that up when I get some magical meats and such.
SUMMER ENERGY: -23 4/50
HB sends off yet another swarm-and after I redress and verify I didn't get my suit dirty, I'm off for the Asitane, finishing my trek shortly thereafter.

I arrive to find the maître d’hôtel already waiting for me, and after he reassures me I need not check in my 'accessories' since I've been invited rather than being a simple diner, I'm promptly escorted to a reserved section of seating, where a man in a periwinkle suit awaits me, currently eating Escargot that's blindingly brilliant to my soul-sensing.
>[Owner]"Armas-there you are. Have a seat."
"Thank you. How has business been?"
>[Owner]"Ah, the current most popular form of small talk. Let me see: business has been neither better nor worse than the norm-is the popular aphorism still 'same old, same old'?"
"Last I checked. May I ask what you're having?"
>[Owner]"Hydra reconstituted into a new form for easier consumption. Truth be told, the recipe still needs work."
"I look forward to seeing that recipe completed, then. I assume there is no need to be restrictive with wording in our conversation?"
>[Owner]"None at all."
"Excellent-then I'd like to be forthright, and ask about those coordinates you assigned me to investigate. I want to know what, if any, kind of job exists there."
>[Owner]"Hm… I suppose I don't need to keep delaying with you, given how personally and collectively powerful you and your cohorts have become… yes, I'll speak of the potential job that lurks here."
I find that at some point in talking with the Ruling Dragon who's soul is resisting my polite efforts to read it with dual-run maximally overcharged Soul Sensing, I missed a flute of champagne appearing near my hand. I regard the sparkling bubbles the do not rise, but instead loop and spiral madly about the liquid.
>[Owner]"As you are aware, a prior occupant of the bosphorus is slumbering beneath that island now, a creature that the Wizard Dorjpalam would be most keen to see dead. A bit of background on this particular Akorokamui, for your edification: He's not aged well, and has become old of mind as well as body. He's not dim but… slow in key areas. He's the normal Gigantism Conceptual Shoggoth other Akorokamuis are-and like them, has eaten enough hydras and other regenerators he's fully able to recover from anything that's not rather immediately lethal. His 'claim to fame' is that he is untouched by chronal and spatial manipulation-even from a Wizard-and beyond that, cannot be Cursed. He is, thanks to this, utterly unable to grasp caution as a thing he would experience. He's gluttonous and slothful, and would no doubt eat even me if I was boorish enough to give him the chance and he thought it could be easily done. But, should he not see it as worth the effort… well, then he'll be most loquacious, assuming you treat him like a pedantically arrogant young Dragon."
At this the Turkish Ruling Dragon artfully shrugs.
>[Owner]"What can I say: My species has it's foibles as do all. I think the other thing you need to know about him is that even if nothing enforces it, he's been absolutely truthful by direct literal meaning of his words in all dealings. A ray of hope, if you will."
I nod appreciatively as I construct a profile for the Akorokamui based on the traits I just learned.
"Does this Akorokamui have a name, or lacking that a title?"
>[Owner]"A title yes: Infinite Draconic Breath."
"…A translation, I'm assuming."
>[Owner]"Of course-but I think it deserves to be every bit as awkwardly childish in its sound as possible-it could almost sound dignified in japanese."
I can't help but smile at that.
"So."
>[Owner]"Yes-so. The job is damnably simple: Bind I.B.D. with a lasting Soul Bind or set of Binds that you then return and hand off ownership to me of. A simple net, and return."
"…As you said, damnably simple."
>[Owner]"I'm aware. And it can't be linked to me-I currently have our conversation as exceptionally private, and that glass-which you and your familiar will imbibe-will impart upon the memory of this job offer the strongest and subtlest mental protections I can muster-for this simply cannot be linked to me. It would be better to never attempt the job at all than fail on this front, do you understand?"
"Perfectly."
>[Owner]"Excellent. There's no time limit on the job, and you needn't even accept it."
"And should I accept, and then complete it?"
Oh that predatory smile….
>[Owner]"I think you'll find it sufficient to warrant the job's difficulty: I offer a wish. I will let a contract designee of your choice-who I will procure at my own cost-to bind me in Contract to provide for you one Favor, no matter it's form so long as I am capable of it. I would insist on wording that allows you to telepathically make your wish known no matter my location, at which point I would be compelled to immediately resolve the wish as ably as I am capable. What's more, I will agree to be bound to bear no grudge or onus, should your wish or it's time prove unsavory to me. I offer you a one-time use token to call in my full might for any single purpose you desire, in exchange for performing a task most vexxing."
"…Oh so simple, isn't it."
>[Owner]"I try for the beauty of simplicity where possible."
After that there's more conversation-I feel out a few questions about IBD that more or less mean to me there's no way I could take it in a fight and that if it was actively trying to resist them, there's no way I could Soul Bind it. That said… if I abuse it's honesty and mental state, I think a path may reveal itself. I also find out that Sometimes Merchant's been getting flack recently for the Wyld Goblin's expansions, and he may be cutting ties with the fae courts. The conversation loops around and about with little real purpose beyond that-and eventually, the Owner dismisses me after HB and I have finished the glass of ordinary-tasting champagne. I find it a shame that SB still doesn't have any particularly juicy secrets from his repeated delving into the copy of the Doonongaes' mind we have, but such things happen. Maybe someday soon he'll really have something of substance from it.
>"Don't hold your breath on that-I believe you are intimately familiar with how time consuming, non-urgent projects can fall to the wayside."
All too well.

By the time I get home the sun's already setting-the talk with the Owner ran a couple hours when counting small talk-and I find myself hankering for some violence. Understandably, I immediately seek out Matvey, looking to continue my magical sparring lessons against a fellow swordsman who also knows a thing or two about Dunter Footwork. Unfortunately it seems he's out tonight-and while I could call him, two things stop me: Overhearing Satai talking with Davgon about how surprised m y quartermaster is that he's becoming so strong with Reinforcement, and seeing Hillevi cracking open her laptop to do some browsing. An idea rapidly cobbles itself together and I approach her with a smile.
"Hey Hillevi, you got some time?"
She blinks as she looks away from the computer's boot screen.
>[Hillevi]"Hm? Oh hi Armas-time for what?"
"Some sparring-I got a couple ideas I want to test."
The cherubic smile that adorns her face at the request WOULD be reassuring... if I didn't know that's how she looks at the prospect of beating someone's face in.
>[Hillevi]"Oh sure!"
Laptop forgotten, Hillevi promptly stands and follows me to the main foyer.
>[Hillevi]"So how are we doing this today, then?"
" I'm looking to investigate my chakra-so if you could try to avoid constantly overwhelming me with your bloodline..."
>[Hillevi]"Ah-so you just want me to keep up pressure and match you, is that it?"
"Sounds about right. -At least, outside of a few one-offs: I've also got some new charms to test out."
>[Hillevi]"Okay-sounds fun!"

My spar with Hillevi starts slow, especially compared to our last tussle. There's no ice armor, no soul bubbles, no freezing punches, no fancy footwork. In their place is what at first glance looks like form practice, with me constantly looking for an answer to a simple question: If having more energy to run through one's chakras allows for greater effect, and I have vastly more energy than any of my employees, then why do I not also have vastly greater physical might when using Reinforcement? The answer, frankly, surprises me.

It turns out that I've been doing Overcharging wrong-or, more accurately, too safely to properly use the power at my disposal. I'd been 'capping' my Overcharging when I felt the familiar strain of dangerously overheating flesh and blood, the creaking threat of imminently snapping tendons and muscle fiber. I had been reacting to this stimuli in what ostensibly was a rational manner: I was not pushing it to avoid damaging my body, a mindset that... frankly doesn't fit very well given my regenerative abilities. And it turns out that, when I pust pash that warning point, the chakra gets more and more unstable-until it reaches something of a plateau, and therafter regains its earlier stability. There's a few details about this properly overcharged Orientation that stand out as markedly different. For one, the sheer amount of chakra energy in my system seems to be directly translating to heat-sweat is rapidly steaming off of my body the moment it's shed, and my skin has flushed a vibrant red-yet I feel no discomfort alongside my physical change. …I definitely note that Hillevi seems a bit less inclined to actually touch me now that my temperature has risen so much. I also find that, at least currently, I'm subject to brief but seemingly unavoidable muscle spasms after I relax from a state of maximally high tension. To wit: Should I strike a target as hard as I can, my arm will spasm and quiver for a second or two thereafter as it settles back down. Currently, this bars me from using my full powered chakra on combination attacks-but I hope that with practice this issue will be resolved.

In terms of practical effect, I can only say that simply put, I feel like a fool now that I can see how much power I can irk out of Ito's Orientation. Now that I know that I can indeed exceed the presumed safety cap my body appraised me of, I can match Hillevi's brute force might. To be true she still consistently overpowers me-but that seems wholly due to a combination of her size advantage, and my inability to maintain full power while rapidly shifting how I tense my muscles. Were I to arm-wrestle her, I could stalemate her for hours. ....Duke is understandably still wholly outside of my reach, but I can break down stone walls and wrench open steel doors with ease now. I should be amazed by just how strong this makes me-I could probably take the muscle trio of Iosef, Vlad and Rosti in brute force now-but compared to the power of the Humming Swarm...

A certain bird lands on my shoulder as I muse on this topic.
>[HB]"It is well that you recognize the sublime grace of what I labor over. That said, do not neglect raw physical ability-all competence flows out from it."
I try not to smile.
"I'll take your wise words under advisement."
After a regal nod from my diminuitive companion, I move on to the (hopefully) more fun of this experiment: testing my new Leprichaun charms. ...I find myself falling in love with them rather swiftly.
-When I implore Hillevi to strike at me with a magically aided fist to trigger the Blade charm, the ice around her hand explosively shatters, simultaneously robbing her attack of it's magical oomph, and throwing her fist off course with the unexpected frigid blast's recoil. I stand there, utterly unmoving as Hillevi completely whiffs.
-When Hillevi next bombards me with an ice spear nested with Valkonen magic, He's faced with a similar problem: Her normally imminently stable magic abruptly destabilizes, and an entire section of the spear loses containment in a violent burst that throws the spear off course. Once again, I needed do absolutely nothing-the charms took care of throwing the attacks off course.
-I have Hillevi verify that the blade and Arrow charms will not, in fact, trigger when she simply mundanely attacks me-a thrown fist or stone lacking any actively invested magic goes right on through.
-When it comes time to test the Shield charm, I know exactly how I want to test it: I have Hillevi build an ice box around me, and wait for the charm to take effect: instead of feeling a chill grow around me (even if I am immune to mundane cold's harm) I remain utterly comfortable-and what's more, I can only just detect the drain on my system-it's so minor I could do it indefinitely. It's not a perfect test, but so far as I see the Shield Charm works as it should. I follow it up by having Hillevi try to mundanely hit me as hard as she can-and simply stand there, eating the blow's kinetic force with an only momentary dip in my power. After that, I declare the shield charm good to go.
-I can't really test the mind charm since I don't have any practiced mental invadors, mind manipulators or mentalists on hand, so I table that for now.
-I sure as hell am not having Amen test my anti-Curse charm, so that's also tabled.

I find that we developed something of a crowd in our spar and subsequent charm test, and spend an hour or so answering questions and directing some self-improvement from the more inquisitive watchers. After settling that up, I head off for yet more personal practice. For the rest of the night I perform something that only recently stopped being the height of insanity to attempt: I rip off bits of my own soul and sculpt them in an attempt at making spiritual constructs. Tonight I work small and simple, just shooting for making semi-permanent spiritual constructs for the very insects I ensouled. Even then there are plenty of problems: I have constructs continually burst nearly immediately after crafting, owing to my skewed state overfavoring soul capacity over coherance rendering all of my craftings as over-pressured. I have constructs detonate under my care when I attempt to reinforce them enough they can weather their own force. It takes me an hour to even find proof there is in fact a 'sweet spot' range of reinforcement where the crafting actually lasts longer rather than exploding for one reason or another. Even then, my night is replete with failure after failure-in truth, my only real accomplishment is verifying I'm at least fast enough to prevent the calamitous (on a small scale at least) rupture of my craftings right next to/around the ensouled insects. ...Well, that's not quite true-I learned a few other things.
-I learned that for my own brand of external soul-sculpting, I'd need to find a similarly soul-regenerating manipulator to learn from, or resign myself to learning only be experimentation.
-I learned that Davgon can salvage the ruptured shards of my spiritual constructs for soul mass just as if they were pieces of proto-soul from animals-and that he's only too happy to oversee my experimentation.
-I learn that there is a buffer period between placing a spiritual construct on a soul, and when that construct's presence starts causing a change in soul growth rates. I don't know exactly where that cutoff is yet-but I know it's there.

After checking in with Sake in the wee hours and once more seeing to it he blows his remaining healing load on Stacey for further Silja feeding with Gianni and Dávgon's assistance, I move to turn in. Not a bad day's work-and I finish the day futilely attempting to work off some of my inexhaustible energy with Lyubov. It's the kind of futility I can get behind-and I don't mind our every night being a reminder to Lyubov I'm the energizer bunny.

With that frankly smug thought I end my day.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2nd, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS: $3,233,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $1,781,109.00
CASH: $6,120.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 85%
WINTER ENERGY: 160
SUMMER ENERGY: 13/50


I wake up with some brain coffee, push the insensate Lyubov off and get up-I've got one thing on my mind right now, and nothing's getting between me and food. I promptly stuff my face with a bevy of foods as I prepare everyone else's breakfast-and by the time everything's been plated I've recouped a great deal of my Summer losses.
SUMMER ENERGY: +16 29/50

As people begin trickling in, yawning and grumbling as their bodies wake up, Dmitrii briefly confirms he'll make time to periodically talk with my rifle, just as Hillevi and Lyubov do. Good-looks like that's progressing. While I have my sixth plate of food for the morning, my brain kicks out yet another topic I've yet to follow up on: Whaitiri's magic portfolio. Yeah, she's a cannibal-and I've got plenty of connection to that part of her-but she's primarily a goddess of THUNDER, which is conspicuously absent from my own power set. Glancing around the table, I pose my question to the two individuals I think are most likely to have an answer.
"Say Sake, Dávgon-if I asked what kind of creatures work best as sacrifices to a Thunder-aspected god to get access to said power set, what would those creatures be? I'm assuming they'd be thunder-aspected themselves, right?"
>[Sake]"ROCK OUT WITH ROCS! ...Wait, the phrase is 'rock out with your cock out', isn't it? So... 'Rock out with your roc out?'... no, doesn't sound right. Anyway, yes, thunder aspected creatures, and seriously, go get some rocs."
>[Dávgon]"Sake is correct: While there are other, less potent creatures with thunder-related magic, precious few are primarily thunder-oriented: Really, Rocs are your best bet, when you look at effort invested to acquire one, and how much any one roc would matter as a divine sacrifice."
"Huh-straightforward. Just for my edification, what are some of those lesser types?"
>[Dávgon]"For lesser types that are exclusively or primarily thunder oriented, there's some offshoots of Sirens, some music related creatures... really, in all cases, they're actually rarer than Rocs while having less value in this case."
"Did I seriously stumble on one of magic's situations where the answer is simple and unconditional?"
>[Sake]"You totally did-Rocs rock for thunder magic, end of story!"
"Good to know."
>[Gianni]"Not to interrupt your godly moment here-"
"Go on."
>[Gianni]"Thank you legs-now, I've finished assessing that fellow Rostislav brought back-Adib, the roman piece of man-meat with all the different bits of fleshcrafting on him?"
"Yeah."
>[Gianni]"Well, I've integrated everything of value into my own golems-and I'm curious if you can reshape my golems into your golems."

I think about that for a moment as I contemplatively chew some food. I'm an internal fleshcrafter, so OFFICIALLY I can't make golems and such-but I'm a cannibalistic internal crafter, and that means if I'm touching something organic and overwhelm it's ownership, I can craft it anyway. Based on that...
"Yeah, should be doable now that I think about it. You want to start after breakfast?"
>[Gianni]"If you've got time for some skinship, yes."
"Right-after breakfast it is."
Smirking at how few people even pay attention to Gianni's ever-unique speech mannerisms, I wrap up my morning meal-and get to work.

Making golems-no, repurposing existing golems completely into my own servitors is immensely involved work. Very little of it is actually complicated-it's just that so many processes need to occur for the repurposing to work. I need to overwhelm innate Ownership with energy from a court NOT involved in the golem's operation-no claiming Summer golems with more summer. I CAN use an opposed court's energy-but only if I enclose the golem in question within a soul bubble while attempting to use the opposed court energy. There's variables for what kind of flesh crafter made the golem, how old it is, how many times it's been reworked. There's ways to read pertinent data off the golem to determine what approach is viable for commandeering it. Details, contextual modifiers, exhaustive sequential if/else action lists... frankly, I feel the sting of convoluted bureacracy lurking within this work-around to allow me to craft my own golems out of those others made.

It takes me the whole way until noon until I can commandeer just one of Gianni's golems in one go without him reminding me of how to do it-and the process is still unacceptably slow, requiring more than a minute to perform. What matters though, is that this is very real progress, and gives me a foundation to build on.

It helps I got to fully recoup my summer losses cannibalizing energy from the golems.
SUMMER ENERGY: +FULL 50/50

I get a call from Hafaz a short while before noon and call the lessons off while I answer.
"Hey, Hafaz-haven't talked for a while, what's up?"
The very fact he pauses at all before responding cues me in to pay attention.
>[Hafaz]"…Armas, hello! I know you're no doubt busy, especially with the new gym you're part of, but the boys and I were wondering if you'd want to meet up for some drinks-shoot the shit as one-time fello Krav Maga practitioners, yes?"
"…Yeah, sounds good. You got a when and where?"
>[Hafaz]"How about Das Bones' gastropub-I hear he's currently serving cut beer-we are curious what that is. And for the time-what about now? Are you available?"
I'm already rechecking my mere and buntline's positioning beneath my suit's exterior.
"I am. Meet you there?"
>[Hafaz]"Excellent. We shall see you soon."
[small*CLICK*[/small]
My thoughts turn inward.
>"Yes, it's potentially suspicious-but between myself, Sake and HB, I don't think you would encounter sufficient opposition even in the case of an ambush for it to be dangerous.""
>[HB]"If necessary I can override your control to forcibly render you a swarm."
>[Sake]"I can do… my thing, if stuff goes down. Healing, shifting, shadowporting-yeah, you're covered."
And that's not counting what I can personally do… yes then, I'll go.

I tell Gianni we'll continue the lessons another time, and start making my way out the door-to be stopped by another new face in the house, a midnight-skinned man of positively dwarven proportions on a meaty scale.
"…Do I know you?"
I find my opinion of the stranger rising not just from the feel of how bound by his own code he is (and therefore predictable), but by his subsequent and utterly prompt bow to me, delivered prior to his own words.
>[Adib]"Lord Laine. I am Adib, a slave of Rostislav, one of your followers."
"Ah. The man from the fight club he bested."
>[Adib]"The same."
"What is it?"
>[Adib]"Lord, would it be correct to say you are heading to get drinks?"
"I am."
>[Adib]"If it is not rude to ask, I wish to know if I could come along."
"…No. I'm catching up with some old friends."
Without a single further word, Adib simply bows and steps back out of my way.

…Huh, that was a thing.

I head out the door with my brotherly companions, and enjoy my stroll over to Das Bones' shack. Once there, I find five familiar swarthy bearded faces waiting for me-Hafaz, Ahmed, Yomi, Shaya and Hadar. All of them stand when they see me, moving to give me thoroughly manly hugs in greeting before shoving a stein filled with oddly disjointed looking beer in it-no doubt Das Bones' brew.
>[Hafaz]"Armas, good to see you! How's life been treating you since you switched gyms?"
Still at this, hm?
"Very well-though I think you could guess that."
>[Hafaz]"Probably could. …Listen, we've heard your name come up with some new acquaintances, wanted to ask you about it in person."
"Okay-ask away."
Hafaz' face takes on a look heavily denoting a man being watched, for just a single moment, before it's gone in a flash.
>[Hafaz]"Would it be correct to say that you know several of Baki's bosses?"
…Now it makes sense: He's being watched by Yakuza affiliates, who don't know that he had prior dealings with me-this meeting's a cover to establish legitimate reasons in the eyes of the yaks for us to know one another. And knowing that-
"What, Godhand and the rest? Sure, I met them, had a little chat with them and all-I take it from the fact you asked about the apparent self-owned masseuse' bosses that you know he's-"
>[Hafaz]"Yakuza, yes, we know. So it's true then? Our old workout buddy is in with the higher ups?"
"Seems that way-what can I say, perk of having the right resources at the right time."
>[Hafaz]"No kidding…"
From there, the conversation loses the stilted awkwardness it began with-and I enjoy a solid couple hours of drinking and bullshitting with the boys. While I do, I slowly spot all six watchers keeping tabs on us, and stare each one down until they leave as a bit of a personal amusement. Turns out Hafaz and co got conscripted to be supplementary instructors for the Yaks, and teach them Krav Maga now-unsurprising, but definitely of note.

Eventually our time shooting the shit comes to an end with me inviting them to stop by and bug me whenever they want-and I head back out with a half dozen beers in my gut in pursuit of yet another appointment: Oggmum.

When I arrive I find a simple house with two floors and a total lack of ornamentation. I get one knock in before I realize that… I'm on the inside of the house. Just as with Bonzi's pot, there is no clear-cut moment where I went from outside to in-it was an insidious shift that happened beneath my attention, furtively warping my reality. Taking a wild guess in this place where my soul sensing seems to utterly shut down, I speak.
"An interesting way to greet people, Witch Oggmum."
>[Oggmum]"One must find ways to amuse oneself. But I must admit curiousity-where is the person this meeting was supposed to revolve around?"
"In Italy on work-but she can be pulled away from it."
I turn around in time to see a pleasently homey, middle-aged woman of indeterminate race smile at Camella, who now stands in the room alongside me. There's a frantic instant before she spots me where I see her hands going for concealed weaponry, but on seeing my smug smirk she settles down.
>[Camella]"What is-"
>[Oggmum]"You're the one that wishes to go home, are you not?"
And just like that Camella loses any interest in non-Oggmum things.
>[Camella]"I… yes, I do."
>[Oggmum]"A difficult thing to ask-particularly given your world was largely nonmagical. You know this would require you to be as untainted by magic as is possible to return, correct?"
>[Camella]"I do, but… if I don't-"
>[Oggmum]"Then living in this world can be hard indeed, yes. Hm… the draconic taint on your soul doesn't help either."
Kinda wish I had a camera for this.
>[Camella]"W-what?"
I clear my throat.
"Do you mind?"
>[Oggmum]"Go ahead."
I find Camella's undivided attention wholly on me.
>"Just say as I say and this should go smoothly…"
"So. Soul growth. If a large soul and small soul are near to one another, the small soul will be induced to grow, by the presence of the larger soul and it's ambient radiation of soul energy. This growth will, perforce, be flavored by whatever the larger soul is."
She looks a bit mad at that-and I can see her thoughts zeroing in on a certain Ruling Dragon.
>[Camella]"…Owner."
"Yes."
>[Camella]"How long have you known?"
"Not so long that getting this meeting put together wasn't the fastest solution. She's not so far augmented that return is impossible, is she?"
>[Oggmum]"No, not yet… but one more trying battle fraught with soul growth, one more new level of comprehension of chakra… much could push her over the edge."
"Could you bleed magic off of her to take her away from that limit?"
>[Oggmum]"Sadly no-in touching her, I would render her too magical-and once she breached the limit, it cannot be undone."
"So I'd need some sort of nonmagical way of reducing magic, if I wanted to help her stave off the tipping point."
>[Camella]"What… about going back?"
>[Oggmum]"Possible but quite trying-I would have to demand appropriate compensation-and I do not know that you'd accept my prices."
>[Camella]"Tell me."

At this point it becomes readily apparent Oggmum wishes to talk with Camella alone. How do I know? My brothers and I are now in a different room, with metronomes covering the walls and all striking off the time in different ways. The walls tick…

And the door opens, Oggmum stepping in and shutting the door behind her.
>[Oggmum]"As I expected, she didn't like my price. She stated she will do what she can to limit potential soul growth and carry only mundane items-it should help for a time, at least. I sent her back to whence she came from for the meeting-I trust that was acceptable."
I nod at that even as my brow furrows.
"Is there no way you can think of that could let her prolong her time before it's too late to go?"
>[Oggmum]"Oh, I can think of a few-but should I provide them, I wonder? She doesn't like the taste of what a return demands of her-and is still reconciling her growing attachment to this world. Would it not be crueler to leave her stuck between worlds? Is it not better to let one happiness die conclusively so that she can focus on and enjoy the one that remains?"
I scratch me head.
"I know what decision I'd like to see, but as what's genuinely best for her? Hell if I know."
>[Oggmum]"It is a dangerous game, trying to do what's best for others. One of the most dangerous, in fact."
"No kidding. Hey-how's Labombard doing?"
>[Oggmum]"He has stabilized."
"You okay with him paying me a visit-or me saying hi to him in person?"
>[Oggmum]"I can see to it he visits you in the near future."
"I'd like that."
>[Oggmum]"I shall do so then. …Was there anything else you wanted of me?"
"No, I-"

And I'm back outside, sitting on the stairs up to her front door, mouth still open mid-sentence as my mind blossoms to my returned magical senses. …Freaking Witches and Wizards.

With Camella back in Italy, I review my mental list-and find the last, most important item on my itenerary: Drinking with everyone in the house. Not a one of them-not even Satai, who I have to find with the Allview and summon back to the house with an HB body, objects. Zhenya and Matvey-along with Matvey's new biosuit, sword and puppy-are the last to arrive-and I can't help but laugh at the wary expression that gives way to confusion when he sees what he was called for. What surprises me most is that Dávgon, GIanni, Adib and Duke ALL have booze of their own to contribute-and, after I blew my pocket money-all six grand of it-on assorted microbrews, exceptional scotches, cognacs and rums to round out an otherwise all-magical drink list, we have enough booze even Duke would pass out. …Admittedly, that's mostly due to the bottle Duke brought that Hillevi and I will be sharing with him.

Everyone sets up in the foyer as I put myself on drunken munchies duty and more or less cook nonstop all night while shooting the shit with everyone present. I get a kick out of Sake and Ohotnik's perpetual antics, with Matvey's nigh-indestructible puppy constantly trying to cuddle the playfully, violently resistive weasel. I watch Duke, for a rare moment actually dropping his glamor and appearing as the hulking, hirsute man he is, having a drunken flex-off against Iosef, busy slurring about free shirts. I egg on Matvey and Nikifor alike when Rostislav floats the idea that the two actual swordsman in the house should have a go at it-and laugh my ass off when a concerted effort from Lyubov sees to it they duel with cylindrical sofa pillows. The battle is intense and brutal-and in the end, everyone wins.

Eventually the night begins to wind down: People start leaving, more than a few looking to drink in less…. well, less 'Amen'-ish environs. I can't fault them-though Lyubov heads out with them. Seems Matvey invited her, had a few things to bullshit with her about concerning his new place.

So I spend the entire night playing with bugs with no one to gainsay me, and by morning I can make a soul-bubble construct around a bug that lasts for ten seconds, or until the first ensoulled material touches it. It's nothing compared to HB's stuff-but it's progress, and the proper, non-cheating kind. I find that every now and then I still prefer it.

THURSDAY, MARCH 3rd, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS: $3,233,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $1,781,109.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 85%
WINTER ENERGY: 160
SUMMER ENERGY: 50/50


I dose up on brain coffee, wash up, change into a new suit-still with my signature neon orange tie-and get ready for a new day.

What do I plan to do with the next couple of days?
>>
No. 458653 ID: 252e1b

>>457732

We should give Camella a call and thank her. There are not many things Oggmum could have wanted from her personally for payment. The only thing I can think of that she would have refused, in fact, is to have betrayed Armas somehow shortly before leaving. Or possibly Owner, but that seems dangerous even for a witch.

This isn't as paranoid or crackpot as it sounds. Remember that Oggmum offered us a chance to slip out of bet with Cornelius for the express purpose of making him look dumb. We didn't take her up on that, but it's indicative of her modus operandi. She watches people of interest, and looks for chances to make trouble for them to satisfy her own agenda.

Now, we've cooperated with, and are taking jobs from, the Zosimus clan. The clan that is feuding with the Mubarak clan, Oggmum's clan. That makes us a valid target for fuckery from her end, not that a witch needs an actual reason to mess with people, but it makes the justification easier for Oggmum.

Oggmum goes to a lot of trouble to cultivate a reputation as being fair, and has invested a lot into seeming to be (or actually being, for the most part) a nice woman. That's the perfect cover for getting people to agree to doing things they normally would not. Like breaking their word, or betraying close friends, or turning on employers.

Still, good to see that it did not work in Camella's case.

===Dialogue===

A piece of dialogue like: "Hey Camella, I just wanted to say thanks for yesterday. I wasn't privy to what Oggmum wanted from you, but I can guess. And if my guess is right, it means a lot to me that you turned her down."

[Confirmation]

"Well, she's got her own agenda. Still, I really appreciate that you didn't play into it..."

[Denial]

"Well, alright. I'll take your word for it..."

[Flat question of what Armas's guess was]

"I've got an idea of what her modus operandi is. I knew that when I arranged the meeting for you. I figured that you still deserved the chance to make a choice. I can't make decisions for you, but I can do my best to help you, even if it won't result in an outcome I personally want..."

[Question of what Armas wants]

"...I just want to be a good friend. And that means I can't do much more than be supportive, since the decisions are all yours. If I offer up my opinions I'll just end up trying to convince you to do what I want. It wouldn't be fair of me to do that, so I'm just hanging back and trying to get opportunities for you to pursue whatever you decide on..."

[Conversation continues]

"...Look, I wanted to know if you wanted me to transfer Feodor over to you for the month? It occurred to me that if there's some sort of problem, you might need his skills. Mundane medicine is the safest sort of medicine for you right now, right? I was thinking of recalling Andrei."

[Camella objects: The reason for putting Andrei on the mission was to get him out of the mansion.]

"Yeah, I know. I was thinking of having him live with Placid instead. I think the little guy would be a good influence. Besides, Lyubov says she got him a computer and I think it'd be good for him to learn from Andrei."

[Camella objects: Placid is a monster]

"Actually, he's a really soothing guy to hang out with. He's inquisitive and smart, and very easy to get along with. He's always behaved well for Lyubov and I. If I introduced Andrei to him and gave them a chance to get to know each other, I'm pretty sure I could get Andrei to go along with it. And if he really objected I could put him up in Ito's with the excuse that I wanted to have a man representing us in Ito's now that other groups are taking an interest in him. Either way, Andrei's in a healthier environment."

[Camella agrees]

"Alright. So, are you going to hang on to the ritual charm as a shit-hits-the-fan option, or would you like to send it back with Andrei for now? Your choice, but I don't like the idea of it just sitting around potentially unattended."

[Camella's verdict]

"Ok. And is there anything else you'd like that I can do for you? Just, whatever you want, let me know."

[Request or denial]

"Sure. I'll give you a call later too. Or you can call me. That's one of those things friends do right? Catch you later."

===End Dialogue===

Other things that need doing in the next two days

* We should get a sample of Matvey's bio-armor before he leaves the country for his vacation. Armas and Gianni can analyze it, and learn what they can from it for applying to the golem (and for making bioarmors of our own). We can reassure Matvey that we're not going to use it against him.
* We need to give Placid his chance to install the laser-eyes on the golem. And we need to build the extra heads for it, if we haven't already. We've got the eyes for the laser system, we just need to get Placid's help at this point. We also need to move the golem to the storage facility but that's not too hard to accomplish. Finally, we'll also want to put the extra heads in.
* We need to get a fire or borders manipulator to help when we install the phoenix hearts to power the laser system. We can find one through Mammon's Market (buy one, or contract one), or by contracting the service through a broker (SM with a stipulation for confidentiality). Alternatively, we could assign someone to go down to the Hobgoblin arena and make contact with an impressive looking fire manipulator.
* We need to acquire a bass guitar as a gift for Labombard. He will be visiting by the end of the week (Saturday seems likely). A magic bass guitar (possibly based on a roc if we're going to be hunting them anyway).
* We should spend more time with Hillevi. As we will learn from Lyubov, Hillevi's had a bit of a let down over Matvey hooking up with Zhenya. Distracting her by bringing her roc hunting would be a great way to help her blow off steam. Bringing B.C. along would also be useful. The two of them are both strong and tough. Arkeus says the roc hunting plan (which he said he'd post soon) will only take a half-day or so.
* We should spend more time with Placid and Lyubov, just having fun telling stories, taking walks, and talking about stuff. Lyubov will want to go visit Matvey's property, since she promised she'd keep an eye on it while he is away, and has permission to walk around the property and house.
* We should chat with Sijla and find out what she thinks of talking to the others.
>>
No. 459033 ID: 22ae81

>>458653
We should say these things to Camella. The conclusion is logical, and if true the implication is bad. Oggmum is an enemy of sorts?

The other small tasks are sensible. To go to Mammon's market is the best chance to get the fire magician needed.

I am getting into Armas Laine's mindset. Most actions have made sense from the Armas point of view, but thinking of Lyubov as a fuckbuddy does not make sense. Armas should become serious about Lyubov. She is powerful and deeply involved in his life. She is fun, and he is very fond of her. Could he say he doesn't love her without lying? Armas likely could not. Armas will admit, for the sake of his heart, that she is more than a fuckbuddy. She is a girlfriend.

Flowers must be out, because I have suggested and they have been rejected. So instead, Armas would want to show his fondness for Lyubov by giving magic to her. What is a good gift that he can give to her? She is a very magic person, she is educated, and she is the avatar of Tesla. She has asked for training, but what if Armas and Shadowbro gave her the memories of the Doonongeas? Give to her the memories in the unfinished package that Shadowbro has made and in the mind object the goblins made. Help her to finish making a fleshcrafting line for herself using those, and analysis of Armas, and analysis of the heart in the golem. All are divine fleshcrafting. It could be done in Allview or other places where there is control of time.

What will Armas do with Lo Fang's Sword Job? Is he going to continue to ignore it, or will it be done? The money would be very nice to have.

What about the other jobs that were offered and not taken? Ask Tesla if he has jobs for Laine Corporation.
>>
No. 459129 ID: c31f72

Right, I'm tired of Armas being landlocked.
Lets look in that chakra book for flying orientations, if we find one, add a second soul bind so we can only train chakra today and learn how to fly!

>>459033
Sust on the mindraping our fuckbuddy with thousands of years of memories that wouldn't be that useful thing.
>>
No. 459309 ID: 76c597

>>459129
That is thousands of years of killing and eating humans. Probably not a good thing to cram into her.

>>458653
I'm less sure it has anything to do with Armas (not everything is about us, and Camella is one of those once-in-a-generation geniuses herself), but I like the dialogue.

>>459129
Why bother with a flying orientation when we can do the swarm trick?
-
Honestly, it's not the best use of our time, but I kind of want to spend a day going back to basics. Take down the Reinforcement and mess around with a little Krav Maga (see if you can drop by Hafaz's group when they're instructing the Yaks; there's potential for fun and reputation-building there).

Hit Ito’s night classes and meet up with our three favorite disciples while testing out how much our jukenjitsu and kas pin has deteriorated. What has everyone been up to? Do we still want to cultivate them? If so, we could begin by showing them what we have to offer; rare tomes, magical equipment, something to get the blood pumping, whatever. Have we considered lending Ito the book on the 7,777 uses of chakra? We don’t use it that often since we have so many other tricks. Speaking of, is there an orientation in there that – rather than helping us learn faster – helps us keep lessons fixed more firmly in our mind? We could ask Meng Yun for a lesson about it if we find one. That would help keep us from forgetting skills when we inevitably get bored and switch to learning something else.
I’d also like to schedule a lesson with Lo Fang about the basics of Taoist paper charms – I gather those reinforced charms that can block Reaper bullets are like wallpapering whatever you want to protect with $100 bills, which is within our price range these days. And I still want to do something with those thousands of hours of Wyld goblin tutelage. Can we take an hour for each branch of study – goblin trap-making, charms (battery charm branch to spread our metaphysical excess around, preferably), and goblinic smithing? Maybe we’ll be able to find what most interests us from that and go from there.
>>
No. 460720 ID: 98378e

SUST on giving Lyobov the Doonongeas memories. She already has enough memories to sort through already and we have a oversupply of insane russians that we don't need to increase.

Personally I'm not seeing the which asking Camella to betray us, what's her motive? Petty Revenge for not choosing her clan over the Vampire Dynasty?

Armas short-term to do list:

*Hop down into the sewers and talk to SM in person about the contract he wants to talk about per his request according to Matvey's report.
*Get on trolling the werekid for the minotaur cannibal(no idea as to specifics, my trolling talents are limited).
*Troll that bloodliner for the SM. Favours are always nice! Maybe we can use his favour to negate one of the Savoy favours?
*Do some investigating on who stole from the triads in front of the leprechaun place. More golems are always nice. Maybe ask the triad what was actually stolen?
*Spend quality time with both Hillevi and Placid. Have a ice cream eating contest with them!(Possible benefit of soul growth to proximity to bigger souls?)
*Spend quality drinking time with Duke(he has a big soul right? Soul growth for the win!)
*Put up a no eating sign at our Kodoku bugs, because seriously this is getting ridiculous.
*Call Arkvad and follow up on the availability of Mauser Shadows for ShadowBro.
"Just wondering if any new leads on that Shadow Mauser have come up?". Possibly ask Johan or other magical arms dealers as well if Arkvad responds with a negative.
*Get Lyubov something nice like a cool charm to shield her shadow from harm or something from one of the various supernatural dealers that we've become aware of.

Long Term List of Stuff to do:
*Research and acquire Anti-Scrying Protection of some sort.
*Take acting and/or drama lessons! Get our basic social skills back up to scratch!
*Learn lipreading since the eye is visual only.
*Consider feasibility of improving our eyes to see in a wider spectrum, like those were-shrimps eyes that were on sale.
*Add cameras and other mundane sensors to the supergolem to counteract illusion and other sense trickery(besides the invisibility that the cyclops eyes counteract).
*Acquire various good quality mundane lucky charms(e.g. four leaf clover, acorn, good quality(possibly silver) horseshoe etc.). Test for luck magic via Sake. Belief magic should theoretically have given them at least some basic luck magic of some sort?
*Use Goblin Training to learn charm making or something?
*Hunt Rocs
*Look into possibility of taming rocs for death from above.
*Buy Dreamcatchers for the Riihivuori children
*Start putting out feelers for stuff that can make light in the Dark, as per SB's request
*Visit New Zealand!
>>
No. 462421 ID: 9718f3

>>459033
I agree on the subject of Lyubov. There are times when self-deception is useful but lying to himself about his feelings regarding Lyubov does not profit Armas. He likes her personality, the fact that she likes his, spending time with her, he trusts her, and the sex is good. The fact that she now has enormous magical potential is a bonus too. Despite resolving not to, Armas has thought of and treated her as a girlfriend on multiple occasion, it is clear he harbours romantic feelings for her. Lyubov is Armas' girlfriend, he is her boyfriend, they are dating. And it's great that Armas feels that way, because he knows that Lyubov feels that way too. It isn't even a thing they need to talk about it's so mutually evident. Totally.

The only thing they may disagree on is with having additional sexual partners. Armas obviously would like to have the freedom to pursue other women sexually, at least in some fashion. While Lyubov has expressed concern about other women more than once, likely because of previous relationships. She wont be receptive to an open relationship unless Armas can assure her that he isn't looking for an out or that she is inadequate in any way. This is not an urgent need however, and can be left to sit until an ideal opportunity presents itself.

Speaking of sex, Lyubov is using mundane birth control methods. Which is great, that she's doing that, but Armas has fleshcrafting. He should stop being a lazy ass and get Gianni to show him how to control his fertility. Hell, bring Lyubov along, Gianni has got to have some advice on magical sex in general and she asks good questions usually.

[Roc Hunting Plan]
When we next see Placid he will have the observation spirits ready for Allview. Once we have them set up in there we can task them to look for rocs. Get the characteristics of their usual nesting/hunting grounds from Davgon/Sake/Stacey. Once a roc is located, we go after it with Sake/Hillevi/BC, basically any non-minion who wants to come kill a big bird. I personally favour having someone launch Armas right at the thing so he can stab it.

[Stacey]
We should continue feeding Silja as usual. We should also spend a couple hours with Stacey to remove or loosen any old standing orders she has from previous masters or that we or Satai may have given her that are no longer necessary. It should hopefully make her like us more and be a little happier. Also ask her if anyone in the company has been treating her unwell, uh, other than the whole beheading thing, and if she's happy with Satai as her supervisor. Ask her what types of things she's been up to, what kind of things she would like to be up to.
Finally get those divine lessons from her as well. At least an introductory lesson.

[Training]
Reinforcement: The muscle spasms are definitely less ideal. I have an idea that they may be caused by the maximal overcharging causing "stiffness" sufficient to interfere with the electrochemical signals of the nerve tissue. Run the idea past Gianni and Go Ping to see what they think. It's a shot in the dark but if correct, there are solutions. The three that jump out at me are being precise enough to overcharge everything but the nerves, building a non-physical control method for Armas' body, or altering the nerves to operate under the.
Shadow pockets: It has been a while since we first worked on setting up the tiny shadow pockets to be distributed through Armas' body so that the Nazinaut shadow can be safely overlapped with his body. Show Gianni what we've got so far and ask for his advice on how to improve them. Ideally we'd learn how to affect semi-permanent change so that they don't have to be maintained by Summer energy and we can use Reinforcement in conjunction with the shadow.

[Were Child Trolling]
The people we had assigned to this job are on vacation and in a coma respectively, so we have to step in to take up the slack. Find out what bars the kid frequents and take Lyubov out for a date at wherever he is. Multi-tasking! The point for now is to just scope him out, tag him in Allview, and see if we can pick up anything about his character or habits that we can exploit to manipulate him.
Current plan I have is to adopt a disguise and dare him to rob some random magical shop that we select. Once we're sure he's taken the bait we sell the rumour that the shop is being targeted by a thief to SM. Then we approach the shopkeeper directly and offer the services of our company, there is a rumour going around that it is going to be broken into after all. I would suggest Bagga for the mission. Being beat by a newbie orphan vampire would be incredibly humiliating. He'd need to be supervised for the operation, but with an Allview tag and the eye spirits to monitor the were's movements, we could easily be on scene to provide covert assistance when necessary. Plan will probably need tweaking based on what we find out about the kid.

[Matvey]
Get a look at that coin map to Owner's arena, ask for a sample of his bioarmor, find out where he's staying in Italy and order a truckful of flowers to be delivered to wherever it is. Or however many flowers $5000 buys. No note. Svetlana can be made to handle the boring bits.
>>
No. 462614 ID: 6616f3

Let's get that H&H meeting done and over with. No reason to wait on that, and I figure we'll be looking at tens of millions of pure profit there. So give Arkvad a ring and ask him to set up the meeting. I figure these H&H guys are slavering to get their hands on reverse-engineered Reapertech, so the meeting will happen tout suite. Request, strongly, that Arkvad be included.

A few different conversational bits we might include:
"Gentlemen, thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I am certain we can come to an agreement that will please all involved parties."

If asked about Arkvad's presence: "Forgive me, but I don't know you all. I am certain you are businessmen above reproach, but H&H is a faceless entity for me. Arkvad has treated me well in my dealings with him. I would prefer to continue dealings through him." If they press the point, repeat gently, "I would prefer to continue dealings through him."

"I've always been pleased with Holland & Holland's service - except for that one time with your vampire contractor, when I paid good coin for magical items and received plain, unenchanted wares." Grin. Like the Smile. All the teeth. They HAVE to know that pissing off freaks with Armas's power can be a death sentence. "But these things happen. I was very pleased with the bone-work done on my familial weapon, for example. What kind of loyal customer would I be if I went to Pfiefer-Zeliska over one mistake?"

"Now, let's get down to business. I and a young man named Hamlet - I believe you have already employed him? - discovered a number of valuable breakthroughs in weapon technology. Certainly not reverse-engineered from anyone ... that has patented their work."

I can't find a list of the things we reverse-engineered from the Reapertech (besides Johan recognizing a shape in the explosive tip of the bullets being a shape devils hide in, resulting in x3 the explosive power), but presumably Armas will be able to remember.

What do we want? We could push to be brought in as a partner in H&H, but mostly I want cash money and a certain number (20 would be preferrable) of the new prototypes made with this technology.
>>
No. 462920 ID: 252e1b

>>462614
While I like the idea of getting that meeting with the H&H dudes, we should probably talk to Arkvad and have him set it up so that it isn't a rush job. We've waited over a week now, we can put it off just a bit longer.

We're stuck in Istanbul until Matvey's vacation is over anyway, we don't need to spring the meeting with the H&H CEOs on them. How about if we just schedule the meeting with the H&H executives for a later day? That shows some consideration and planning on our part.
>>
No. 466057 ID: cb6501

Roc Hunting Plan
Now, we have been told that Roc are pretty much the go-to when one needs Thunder-affiliated beings, and we definitely want a thunder compounding to our summer bloodline. We are well aware of the advantages of being taught directly by the being that grants us the compounding, goddess who also share a soulgraft with us, after all. Now, we have a few very effective ways of finding some: We could go the usual SM route, but we also have...Allview. Placid told us almost a week ago that he should have the souls ready when next we went and met with him, so getting them and putting them in our eye should be a priority regardless. Once that's done, Sake should give a clear 'image/soul-representation' of a Roc, so that the souls in our eyes can get to searching for them. Maybe we should think about vinding or soulsculpting to make them more efficient for that work, but be wary of touching Placid's work. As the souls are going to be dedicated to a single envirment, ask Placid and Dávgon whether we could tweak the eye, or the souls, so that they are in time-dilated mode and can search extremely quickly. Do that if possible. Make sure to give Placid a hug for work well done. Make sure that we are realizing that he might not quite be lour son, but we are a father to him, no need here for a 'Fatherly soul-guise'. Reserve some time later for another ice cream spree.

If the work is well done, we should have the souls finding Rocs in a very short amount of time. If they don't, we can probably assume that we will need more information. Best candidates are, in order, Whatiri, BC and Dávgon then Leprauchon/Minautor. Using the information from each of them to give hints to the souls could help, too, obviously. Last resort is SM, but better not go there.

Once we have divined the location of Rocs, we should target a nest of them which have a good power+number/defense ratio. The goal here, the optimal outcome, is to get at least one very powerful body intact for whaitiri as well as 'left-overs' for Armas to dine is once the compounding is over. Eating Rocs just after getting a thunder-compounding of our bloodline is probably as good a jumpstart as realistically possible. A couple of discussions to have before the actual hunting begins with Dávgon/SB/Sake:

*Should we try soulbinding the small spirit remnants in the Rocs to “Can only be eaten Today” or some such, either/both for the ones for Armas and Whaitiri, or would the summer/winter conflict just utterly annihilate Armas and Whaitiri? Make sure to ask Whaitiri's own opinion if they seem confident.
*Our recent greatly improved soul-regen, as well as other-regen of magical energies, has been shown to leak to Sake and SB. Is it also leaking to Whaitiri, who has a soulgraft of Armas? If that is so, we probably should use that to make sure the boon of compounding is as powerful as possible.

Armas should also find a way for 'Walking on air', in case he needs to go into mid-air melee. The possibilities are either trying to get some kind of Hermes-style HB-wings + dunter footwork (possibly needing us to forgo charka as we would need inner fleshcrafting for okay step), or else even a “Walking on air” Chakra orientation from the book. It could be useful to ask other people like Sake/HB/Dávgon/Gianni their opinions.

Armas should either ask Go Ping or look in the chakra orientation book for a “infuse our weapons with energy”. Especially one that should work with guns, like Long Wang seemed to use when we were fighting the Doonegeas. Our way to use IT is definitely good, but it's also obvious that Ito's reinforcement is not tailored to do this. Likewise, finding a optimum orientation for enhancing our mere would be really useful.

If it's possible without wasting too much time, have Armas finally learn to make a soul-bubble without relying on HB.

Now, as to the hunting itself:
We should first decide who to take with us. Sake is a obvious need, but Hillevi could be useful too, and we need more Ward-bonding, especially as Matvey is gone, and Satai is in coma.

General hunting tips:
+If we fount a nest with multiple Rocs, we should try to sneak our way there during a night while making sure with our Allview that none are noticing us. Armas with a applicable soulguise (maybe we should try for “that soul that is always out of attention” by thinking back to our Goblin stealth training) and plying all of his skill to be silent as well as nondetectable during a stalking should be able to sneak there and strike before they know what is happening. Shadowpinning could be quite useful there, too.
+If we have to engage them when they are in the air, Sake should use his conceptual tripping to turn the air against them and Armas should use the fact that they are tagged with Allview to accurately pin their shadows with IT: those two methods should help bring them down. Hillevi no doubt has her own ideas for what to do. We could also get Sake to take us to the air, or even have Hillevi throw us up. With a little HB-momentum, as well as a way to walk on air (or at least change direction in some ways) we could have some fun mid-air melee.
+If we are trying to target a single flying Roc, we could also think about having a HB going up with gear in soul-bubble, then turning back into Armas and stabbing it. This would need some way for HB to do that in a sneaky way though. But, well, this is HB.
+We might think about using favored prey for using as baits, so that we could sneak behind them, as well as making them come down. Buying some from menageries like where Rosti bought his pups should do fine. Worse come to worse, we would need to ask Placid to make animals. It's the preferably not option, because Placid will probably not be happy about that.

Bait Funny way:
+Have Armas run around with a cow on his shoulder, with a suitably Bait-like soulguise. Cow on a stick. We already have some cows, too, so that make it perfectly easy to do.

Contigencies:
+If Sake or Hillevi get injured, we might think about doing the opposite of 'stealth' here. Take a leaf out of HB's book, and dazzle them with our brilliance. Basically, inflate our soul and use a soul-guise saying “the enemy to get rid of first is HERE, and his weakness is Melee!”, and then go all out with IT and charging it up with energy so that we truly appear as a first class ranged threat. Especially as, if they are attacking Sake/Hillevi, they probably are showing us their backs.
+HB's latest swarm we gave him should be back by then, which means there is something like 30 summer energy we can 'take back' at any moment and then use it for making a Armas body from one of the HB around. We could use that as a great way for either resilience or sneak-attack.
+Have Sake float a use piece of dark cloth (Armas bought lots of clothing materials) for making shadows and use this as a way to enhance SB's shade and shadowport, in case things go very wrong: Armas should try not to use SB for this, as there have been signs SB is getting very busy lately.

Division of spoils:
One Roc should obviously go full-in for Whaitiri at least (check if you can do anything to make it more potent for her via soul or flesh crafting, and then ask her about it before doing any modifications). Another should hopefully be eaten by Armas, and a last one for Hillevi. If there is more or less than three, we should be ready to leave bones for Hillevi if need be, and/or getting more for Armas. If possible, we should try to have bones left over for making a bass guitar for lambobard. If Armas has decided that he is giving a lot of power to Whaitiri with his enhanced regeneration, make sure to use that to gain the most powerful Boon possible for that compounding.

>>462421
Upvote because Abeo is a cool guy I am sometimes an asshole to.
>>458653
Upvote to Matvey and Lev bioarmor tasting, as well as the other stuff.

[General Training ideas]
First, we should make sure to ask Dávgon and Gianni about the side-effects of sleeping in a time-dilated soul-bubble. If it's ok, do it.
Ask Dávgon, as well as check ourself, the effect of our soulbind on our soulgrowth. Ask what he believes a second one would do.
+Ask Duke for some Strength conceptual training. With Armas own resilience as well as HB focus (improving the base strength is always good! He told us nary a day ago!) and possibly some kind of soulbind to enhance the training (that's something to be wary of, however, as it could contaminate it. Something like “Can only learn from Duke today” could be interesting though).
+Learn how to make Hermes-style HB-wings, and learn how to use them for enhanced mobility.
+Learn how to make soul-bubbles, and try to make soul-bubbles on feet. It might make a few hundreds exploded feet, but after a while we should be able to get those soul-bubble in the right dimension/density/make so that they are optimal for quite a few more things.
+Get animal for soul-breaking and ensouling practice. The bugs are a good first-step, but if we want to do some really funky things, bigger animals could be bigger. Once we have tasted Matvey's bioarmor, we could even try to get some nice material for our first bioarmor prototypes: Get nine gorillas (either buying or from Placid, though the latter is less preferable), ensoul them, body-quirk and soulquirk them (three different template), then have three of them fusion with the others, so that we have three power-of-three fusioned Gorillas. Then fusion those three for recursive rule of three bonus. From then on, we could have a great familiar base for a bio-armor.
+Test to see (With HB and all our gear far away) if we can cut off one of our limb, bind it for maximal cannabilizing fleshcrafting gains, and then use fleshcrafting to cannablize it, to see if we gain more energy than we lose. We need to ask around before doing this, as the summer/winter interaction could be BAD. OTOH, we apparently cannibalized Armas meat in our fight against Hillevi, when all of it was frozen under Hillevi's winter magical power.
+Soul guise practice: Analyze how different trait 'speaks in souls, and maximize that for effects. Practice by remembering what it is to be “outside of attention-range”
+Soul-Guise: Armas has realized that Bagga could feel something divine about him. This should mean the extra-speciliazed vampiric blood-sensing needs Armas to be able to find a soul-guise that counters it. Talk about it with your brothers, and change the default soulguise as needed. Furthermore, hides the presence of our soul bind in our soulguise. We should then train to be able to change our binding while continuing to appear that we have none.
+Continue Gianni Epithelial fleshcrafting practice.
+Reinforcement: When we train in our reinforcement, we should aim to polish and understand our ability a bit more. As such, trying to use flexibility so that we can choose to concentrate all our reinforcement into a specific body part would be a good step. Trying to time ourself from going 'full body reinforcement' to 'reinforcement in my legs', for example, would help us improve our response time, and make it easier to counter and attack ourself. We should be wary of the winter chakra/Summer body conflict, however, and begin slowly. Especially if we try to use specific-body when amplifying reinforcement.
+Learn from Dávgon how to make Item-bound spirit animals (very useful if we want to make mythic familiar bioarmor, for example).
+M7 should be incredibly useful for maximizing Soul-guise and fleshcrafting in practicular, though incredibly dangerous too.
>>
No. 466835 ID: 40fb55

>>458653
>>459033
…Hm.
>"I know that tone of thought: What is it?"
Well, it's just the fact that Camella rejected whatever price Oggmum set on a trip back, and-
>"Ah. Yes, it's very possible that she requested some form of treachery, to divulge extensively sensitive information-I know of no other price that she would balk so forcefully as to avoid a trip home. And, based on that-"
It has to be me, or the Owner.
>"Indeed."
And since I'm the one actually working with a vampire clan that Oggmum's were tribe doesn't get along with-
>"Then yes, it seems logical to conclude the requested betrayal involved you, rather than the Ruling Dragon.""
…Which is why I'm gonna call her ass and thank her for that-encourage/foster loyalty, all that. Even if she is a bit too… fuck, I don't even have words for the specifics of her personality that rub me the wrong way, but-
>"Yes: Rubbing one the wrong way is wholly separate of such professional dedication as she presumably showed when rejecting a chance to achieve something she holds very dear to her. ..Interesting."
Hm?
>"Did you undertake a mental acuity ritual while I was occupied, or-"
Hah, funny-you know, when I don't have shittons of distractions I do at least all right thinking things through. Anyway: Phone call. Unless you have something pertinent to supply, I'm just going to get to it.
>"I leave you to it. Oh, parting comment: Satai is, as you know, becoming a Mentalist-he isn't one yet, but I'll let you know when he is: I plan to take him into our shared mindscape at a later date-it would be most beneficial to his learning.""
Excellent, he found something he actually likes as a path to power top stick with? Yeah, let me know.

Blinking to dispel my moment of mental communication and return to normal time, I pull out my phone and place a call. I'm not at all surprised Camella picks up before the second ring-she's always been prompt.
>[Camella]"Armas: What's the situation?"
"Hah, there's no current issue-this is something of a personal call."
I can practically feel a layer of tension peeling off of her psyche through the phone.
>[Camella]"…I see. Well, I have time: What is it?"
"Camella, I just wanted to say thank you for yesterday."
I take the nearly silent intake of breath from her end as all the confirmation I need that my theory was right.
"I wasn't privy to what Oggmum wanted from you, but I can guess. And if my guess is right, it means a lot to me that you turned her down."
>[Camella]"…I'll preface my question by stating I'm in a secure location. Now: What exactly are you implying here? What is your guess?"
"I've got an idea of what her modus operandi is. I knew that when I arranged the meeting for you. I figured that you still deserved the chance to make a choice. I can't make decisions for you, but I can do my best to help you, even if it won't result in an outcome I personally-"
>[Camella]"Armas."
"Hm?"
>[Camella]"…Please plainly state what you think she asked."
I pause at the tone in her voice, an out of place gentle plaintiveness, bereft of her usual authoritative edge.
"I believe she asked for sensitive information about the company you currently work for, and specific members of it. Do you need me to be more specific than that?"
>[Camella]"…No. No, that's accurate. …You really didn't find the fact that I might have said yes an issue?"
"Camella, I know that she's got her own agenda, and I really appreciate that you didn't play into it. That said… I just want to be a good friend. And that means I can't do much more than be supportive, since the decisions are all yours. If I offer up my opinions I'll just end up trying to convince you to do what I want-we both know how I can be. It wouldn't be fair of me to do that, so I'm just hanging back and trying to get opportunities for you to pursue whatever you decide on..."
For a time, the only thing I hear through the line are her soft exhalations, and I give her the time she needs to properly formulate a response.
>[Camella]"I… I don't know what to say."
"Well, I wouldn't mind a thank you-"
>[Camella]"Armas, you know what I… no, you're right. Thank you Armas-really, I don't know how to even say how grateful I am about this… I just…"
I can practically feel her awkwardness at being beholden to someone else's good will billowing through the line-and I toss her a line.
"Anyway-got my question cleared up, said what I needed on that-let's call it friendly waters under the bridge, yeah?"
A snort and a giggle bordering on a chuckle are my response-that's the Camella I know.
>[Camella]"I can do that. So? You couldn't have called me just for that."
"Indeed I did not. I wanted to know if you wanted me to transfer Feodor over to you for the month? It occurred to me that if there's some sort of problem, you might need his skills. Mundane medicine is the safest sort of medicine for you right now, right? I was thinking of recalling Andrei."
>[Camella]"Interesting. While I appreciate what you're offering, I think that may be unnecessary: I currently have access to a surprisingly skilled doctor. Turns out that there's a retired Esercito medic here that's a practicing surgeon-while I've no doubt that Feodor could potentially give better medical treatment, I doubt he could do so with less magical signature than a genuinely mundane person."
"…Wow, okay yeah, that's probably true. Have to ask though, did you inves-"
>[Camella]"Yes: He settled here twelve years ago, and was known by the prior individuals in charge of the town. Additionally, he's the only ex-army here."
"Good to hear you aren't potentially sitting on a hidden army or something. Well-there was actually another reason I brought up Feodor: I was thinking of switching him with Andrei."
>[Camella]"…Mission need or mental health?"
"The latter. Don't tell me you got that sorted out too?"
>[Camella]"You did appoint me as second in command."
"Okay-so wow me."
>[Camella]"Andrei is teaching children in a rustic setting how to operate, repair, and build basic electronic devices-and has rapidly made himself very popular amongst the locals. He's also becoming less introverted and anti-social in the process. Seems he's got a natural inclination towards teaching, and likes kids."
"…Damn. That fast?"
>[Camella]"I suggested it when I heard him muttering about people not knowing how to use computers-seems he saw some adults having issue, and was having to restrain himself from lecturing them. I suggested teaching the children instead."
"Let me guess-the adults are learning better through them, feathers unruffled?"
>[Camella]"Precisely."
"All right then. Would it be correct to say, then, that so far smooth sailing on this?"
>[Camella]"I currently forsee no complications or issue based on how we are handling this particular contract."
"Great. Well hey-give me a call if something changes-and good talking to you."
>[Camella]"Hmph. I'd like to say your horrifically unprofessional approach to mission reports wasn't growing on me, but… well. Thanks for the talk."
"Hah, I'll break you of that rigidness one day."
>[Camella]"Goodbye, Armas."
*Click*

With a productive check-in out of the way, I hang up. I start going through a mental list of activities to devote my time to-and am interrupted a few minutes in, when Lyubov breezes through the door, still huffing and blowing and covered in sweat from the morning jog.
[Lyubov] “I was hoping I’d catch you before you left! I need to talk to you about something that happened yesterday.”
…She didn't even slightly smile saying that. Serious stuff maybe?
“What’s that?”
[Lyubov] “I- um. I hurt Sake.”
What? WHAT!? Why didn't I hear about this?
>"He was provided treatment in a timely fashion, and suffered no longterm-"
Dammit SB you know that's not what I…
“What did you do? Is he alright?”
[Lyubov] “He’s physically fine! Gianni fixed him up. And, um. He was setting up one of those big wind bombs he told us about on Monday, to fire at Ohotnik-"
"That's that dog he got custom built down at the Arena when he got his bioarmor, right?"
Lyubov's soul fluctuates a bit when I interrupt her mid-vent, but she recovers her steam fast enough.
[Lyubov] “Yes! And, and I asked him if it was a good idea to fire that off at the dog, and he just ignored me, and I sort of made a punny joke and he started laughing and lost control of it, and. Yeah.”
I ignore my personal reaction to the wilted, utterly crestfallen body language to her drooping frame.
“Lyubov, how bad was it?”
She’s quiet for a moment. I can see the upwelling of emotion in her soul, a surge of ugly emotion and memory: the weight of a thousand deaths resonating with her imaginings of Sake’s experience. I reach over and give her shoulder a friendly squeeze.
“Lyubie.”
[Lyubov]”He ended up disemboweled, and his paws were blown off entirely, and-”
She marshals her emotions before she starts crying.
[Lyubov] “-and I don’t blame him for being completely angry with me. I should have left well enough alone.”
At that, my brother-from-no-other-mother speaks up, vocalizing his input for once.
>”The fuzzball could have avoided the trouble entirely by answering your question. And in any case he shouldn’t be plying such destructive power in the house, especially if it takes all of his limited powers of concentration to make it work. Any weapon that can backfire due to a pun is too dangerous to actually use. Not that he paid my warning any mind.”
The up-till-now unobtrusively roosting Hummingbird atop one of my bookcases buzzes his wings before chirping and shoving a few thoughts in my mind.
>[HB]”Sir Shadow speaks the truth, a weapon so dangerous to wield should not be used in one’s own nest save for dire times.”
“You talked to him about this before?”
As Lyubov tries to take her heart back off her sleeve and get it together, my shadow takes up a lecturer's pose on the ground.
>”Hummingbird and I both tried to. He’s stubborn enough I realized it would take someone getting hurt to change his mind. I didn’t anticipate that it would be him, though.”
“Was anyone else hurt?”
[Lyubov]“No. It was just him. I tried to apologize to him, but he won’t even look at me now.”
>”Part of that is because his pride has been hurt by my warning being proven correct in a very dramatic fashion.”
“…The other part would be that getting killed by a well timed pun is something that’s happened to him before.”
Lyubov's head snaps up.
[Lyubov] “Excuse me?”
“When I fought him to the death, before we were soul brothers, I used puns to distract him so he would not be able to use his full power against me.”
>”Einrik told us he did something like that too, remember?”
“That’s right. That would be Sake’s third death due to a pun.”
[Lyubov]”…”
She’s not saying anything. Not really a silence, it’s too filled with self-recrimination for hurting her friend so deeply to be any sort of actual silence, but it is a quiet moment just the same. So I hug her. She’s sweaty from her jog, warm, and soft. She relaxes against me, returning the embrace.
“He’ll forgive you in time.”
>”He’s making a bigger issue of it than he should. He didn’t die, the body is intact, the discomfort was temporary. He even got to keep his precious little weasel-dick.”
I frown at that.
“What?”
>”Someone changed his body’s gender for him. He’s got a male Ramidreju body now. Don’t tell me: You didn’t notice.”
“It’s not like I spend a lot of time looking at weasel genitals. Who did it?”
>”Lyubov knows.”
[Lyubov] ”Well. Sake wanted it to be a surprise, but you know now, so. Yeah. Placid took care of it.”
“I’m surprised that he trusted Placid at all. You guys did this on your own?”
[Lyubov] “Yes, we talked to Placid together. I gave him a little reward, a thousand liters of ice cream, for helping Sake.”
>”Now that I did not know. That’s amusing.”
[Lyubov] “He helped Dávgon with a project last night as well, to upgrade the defenses around Matvey’s property. Placid has been taking those lessons about cooperation to heart, I think.”
I can't help but smile at that-the onetime monstrous destroyer is growing up, heh.
“Really? Do you know what they did?”
[Lyubov] “Some sort of setup with land-bound spirits that Dávgon worked into defenses. Matvey asked me to check on the cabin while he’s gone, so I’m going to be driving out there with Placid to walk and make sure everything is fine. Do you want to come along with us? It’s a lovely little property.”
“That sounds nice actually. I wouldn’t mind checking out the work. But why does Matvey need more defenses? I thought he had a good set of wards around the place.”
[Lyubov] “Well… The original wards were put in place by the previous owner, Kazadora- “
I interrupt without the slightest trace of mirth or impishness, for once completely serious.
“Kazadora.”
The word hangs there, heavy and grim. I haven’t forgotten the bubbly homicidal Encantado, nor how it took my arm just before I met the Valkonens. My eyes narrow as she nods her head.
“Lyubov, if you’re going to visit, I should be with you.”
The blond Russian looks a bit confused at my sudden adamance.
[Lyubov] ”Seriously? What’s up with her?”
“Think crazy powerful blood manipulating Encantado with a side of enslaving dick. I tangled with him-"
[Lyubov] ”Her."
"…You're sure about that?"
[Lyubov] ”Matvey seemed pretty sure."
…I recall how I heard Encantado can't shift across genders-and the excessively masculine voice I heard before. …Don't know if that's skill, cunning or both, but either way I bump my threat assessment of the little psychopath up a few more notches just to be safe.
"Well, I bumped into.. her… once before, and was happy to escape, even if it was thanks to the Mad Drunk teleporting us- B.C., the Rhivuldori kids, me, and himself- to safety.”
[Lyubov] “Boy we just meet the nicest people huh? Well, anyway she left herself on the permitted list and apparently came right up to their front door after a rogue Mind she abandoned managed to possess Zhenya’s new violin and tried to run away. Luckily Ohotnik killed it…”
>”I have the corpse in storage, by the way.”
Then it probably wasn't a genuine threat, all things considered… okay.
[Lyubov]”…Then Rostislav apparently broke through the original wards by bodyslamming a weakening curse he’s voluntarily had all week for training purposes into the wards until they absorbed enough of it that he could push right through. He tore out an entire ward node. Then Matvey had a second set of wards put in and Hillevi froze those. They’re still fine, she just temporarily disabled them with raw power. And then after I took Hillevi home Kazadora apparently used a water portal trick to appear in the pond and bypassed the wards entirely. So, yeah, Matvey wanted more defenses.”
I rub my face. Sounds like Matvey had his own Wayward Wednesday.
“Why did Hillevi freeze Matvey’s new wards?”
[Lyubov]”Well, it is something you should hear because you are her guardian. So. Maybe you have noticed she sort of had a crush on Matvey?”
I give her a wry look at that.
“It hadn’t escaped my notice, but I figured I could rely on him to behave properly.”
[Lyubov]”I think you can. Hillevi had not realized that Matvey was going to be cohabitating with Zhenya, and she was very upset. She came up to the house and Matvey explained why things are as they are, and then I talked to her and clarified some things. She was feeling very, um. Hurt and put out over Matvey picking someone who is not very magical over her. She had sort of maybe felt like that about you, and me, too. But I’m a Witch Saint, so it was understandable to her that you decided on me. But Matvey picking Zhenya felt like an insult to her, you see.”
I file away that internal motivator of my ward for future reference-that's critical information about how she views the world, there.
“Because Zhenya’s solely a chakra user.”
[Lyubov]”Well she’s got some Conceptual magic now too, Duke taught her Strength, but yeah, as far as bloodline clans reckon things Zhenya is just interesting, not main family marriage material.”
The obvious conclusion leaps to my mind: Lyubov could be considered main family material by dint of her magic potency. Yet another tidbit I file away.
>Nice to see your mind is still working. Pay attention to her though.
Naturally.
[Lyubov] “…Anyway we cleared it up, Hillevi understands there was no insult intended and that mundane people and chakra users and such don’t have all the same requirements and reasons to marry that she will.”
“Sounds like everything’s all cleared up. So what’s the big deal about telling me?”
[Lyubov] “It’s not just all that. She was pretty miserable, and she’s, you know. Curious. About what love is like, about what sex is like, all of that. Even if she’s a very powerful person, she’s still a teenager. So I talked to her and cleared up some weird ideas she’d gotten from magazines.”
Ah, modern media and a fresh, naïve teenage mind. Good to know that didn't blow up.
“Well. Good.”
[Lyubov] “She wanted to know about magic sex too, and, well.”
I hold up a hand.
“Right. No, it’s fine, I understand.”
[Lyubov] “You’re not put out?”
“No. It’s better if she’s not ignorant.”
[Lyubov] “Yeah. And I stressed to her that a relationship is the important part, it’s what makes the rest work. And what to look out for to be sure about a relationship, and I told her about my own past so she could understand some of it, and anyway I think the lesson stuck. I hope so, she’s a good person, I’m sure she’ll meet the right guy someday.”
“Provided her dad doesn’t decide she should be part of a political marriage, yeah.”
I can't help but think back to all the twenty-plus year old Valkonen 'kids' currently unmarried in a recently skeletalized clan.
>”You’ve seen how overprotective of her he is. I think it’d be highly unlikely.”
I smile suggestively at Lyubov.
“So, what sort of wisdom did you impart to her?”
[Lyubov] “Well… you know just as well as I do about what we’ve been up to in the bedroom. Just. Semi-sanitized versions of that, really.”
“Have you thought about talking with Gianni about this? It’s his, heh, area of expertise.”
She quirks an eyebrow at me.
[Lyubov] “You know he’s, um. Kind of… hands on.”
I watch her in silence for only a few seconds before I see the tinge of a blush at what drove that particular euphemism. Hah.
“Then how about we talk to him about it together? That way there’s no question about what we’re doing, since we’ll be right there for each other.”
[Lyubov] “I like Gianni well enough, but that seems sort of personal.”
“You’ll find no better mentor, short of somehow getting a dragon to give us tips. And, if you’re going to learn how to make the most of the divine fleshcrafting package you’re building, you can’t go wrong establishing him as a magical mentor. It’ll be a lot of fun for you and me.”
I smile at her playful reticence. We both know she's already on board.
[Lyubov]”Well…”
“Come on Lyuba, we’ll be in it together, for each other.”
[Lyubov]”…what day do you want to do this?”
“How’s Sunday sound? I’ve got to make sure Gianni’s got time that day, but I think it’ll work.”
[Lyubov]”Right. Alright.”
She kisses me and then smiles wryly.
[Lyubov]”I’m going to get a shower before you talk me into something else. But don’t forget we’re going on that walk with Placid this afternoon, ok?”
I nod at her, and watch her escape into the bathroom.

I wonder what I should do with the information about Kazadora?
My shadow can't help but provide a dry response to that.
>Building a trap and inviting Markku to finish the job would help win further favor with him. Matvey’s got a more detailed report on the matter, but it amounts to Kazadora expressing interest in him as only a psychopath can.
I’d feel bad for the guy but he’s on vacation and I’ve got to handle all the daily bullshit he’d normally deal with.
>I couldn’t help but notice that you’re acting differently around Lyubov.
Am I?
>You’re thinking of her more like your girlfriend.
…Well, she is, basically. She thinks of me as her partner, we act like we’re partners, we get along, I like her, I like spending time with her… she’s my girlfriend. …Dammit.
>I’m glad you’re not lying to yourself about how you feel. She’s a good ally to have.

With that dealt with, I start occupying myself with… the details, those things that crop up and need doing but are really hardly worthy of any real attention. Before Matvey can head out, I get him to give me a sample of his Bioarmor-which I thoroughly inspect on physical contact and via Soul Sensing. I can feel the Amen-like workings of the Meat Circus in it's origins-and can see it has a Spirit Animal style bond to Matvey, making it his familiar. I find the craftsmanship, such as I can assess, wholly exemplary, and make a total copy of all I can perceive to stuff into the growing magical library within the Allview. I explain to Matvey I want to have it analyzed and see what upgrades could be applied to the Golem project I've got brewing. He's all for it, since I make it abundantly clear that besides it's relevance to the golem I have no intended use for the material, and only Gianni, Dávgon and I will be handling the sample before it's been expended. I find myself a bit pleased with the relative level of trust he shows-I hardly have to do any reassuring at all to get the sample, despite how easily such a thing could bite him in the ass. Before we part, I also, at his request, take a full gander at the coin he's got, courtesy of the Owner. I immediately perceive brain damage taking place along with spiritual corrosion, but the damage is minor enough I can repair it without incident: after the assault, I find a… Concept, of a location an Arena deep within and yet without the earth, imprinted on my mind. One I'm utterly unable to utter. Curious. I take a full fleshcrafting scan of the sample it took for reference against the full-body scan, decide to briefly attempt a thorough analysis and find it's so overloaded with data I'd need a goodly bit of time to analyze it properly. Wholly unsurprised, I turn it over to the Finn and the Italian so they can get to work. Seems both of them like the idea of having a multi-million dollar Familiar-based custom-built bioarmor sample to work off of-who'd have guessed?

While I'm handing the sample over, I note that Gianni's got the golem rebuilt to have the three heads I'd plotted about a while back-and recollect my plan to mount bitchin' eye lasers in each, powered by pheonix hearts. More specifically, I remember my plan to have Placid work on getting that weapon system set up, since he's the only one with serious enough fleshcrafting chops to get the job done right. Seeing that the stage is set-I have the hearts, the golem, and the heads-I head on out into the late morning, and pay my little flesh monster buddy a visit. As usual, when he opens the door he doesn't smile, but does become excessively attentive to my presence.
>[Placid]"You have returned. Do you desire a status update on the souls you left in my care?"
"Are they done?"
>[Placid]"They are not fully rehabilitated and reconditioned, no."
"Didn't think so-actually, this was about another pending project. Remember our talk about eyes?"
The mass of flesh and magic currently guised as a child vaguely similar to myself in bone structure widens his eyes a fraction, and one of his cheeks twitches. It's not even close to normal childish glee, and yet…
>[Placid]"Is it time?"
"It is-can you create a zone of privacy to work in, if I bring the golem down to the sewers and meet you there?"
>[Placid]"That is within the realm of my ability, and can be accomplished. Is it correct to say you have the three hearts?"
"I do."
>[Placid]"Then if you are willing to avoid test firing the crafting until a Conceptual Fire or similarly specialized external bloodliner can go over my work, then I can render the entire project in a prototypal complete status."
"You could have it all put together?"
>[Placid]"I have given it thought since our last conversation on the topic, and believe I can."
"…Okay. Meet you in the sewers?"
>[Placid]"I will be ready, and will find you."
"Great-just remember to be polite to the Goblins, okay?"
He nods studiously as he shuts the door behind him, leaving his menagerie indoors to promptly walk over to the nearest alleyway manhole before descending.

I make it home and have Gianni and Dávgon-still working on Matvey's sample-to come along as Gianni's golems bring my pet project down into the room Amen showed me for meeting the Red Caps, and exit into the sewers outside of Amen's command. Within seconds, a rumbling wave of flesh races down one of the tunnels, before resolving itself neatly into the pudgy shape of Placid's prepubescent form, still smartly clad in a faux school uniform. From his feet, a layer of flesh an inch thick flows out, swiftly covering every surface of the sewers before sealing around us, forming a sectioned off private working space that has Gianni lazily clapping.
>[Placid]"This is the golem, correct?"
>[Gianni]"It is, it is. What's more-we've got something besides the pheonix hearts to work with."
One of his golems hefts a pair of Cyclops eyes, the ones I bought from Smiling One's sight not all that long ago. Placid studiously considers them, before looking at the golem proper.
>[Placid]"I must reappraise you of options: Systems equipped with Cyclopean ocular lenses will be able to handle use before having a Fire manipulator finalize the system."
"Good stuff. So, unless you have a better idea, I'm thinking mount them in the two auxiliary heads, and making sure they can swivel well. Basically shoulder-mounted laser cannons at that point, right?"
>[Placid]"…Sufficiently accurate. Should I begin?"
>[Gianni]"Just a moment little one-would you mind if I participated?"
"I wouldn't mind being a funnel so I pick up some lessons passively-I know this is above my skill level, but I can handle being your conduit for this, yes?"
Placid regards us both studiously.
>[Placid]"I can do this. Are there further considerations that must be addressed?"
Gianni and I look back at Dávgon, who bemusedly holds up his hands.
>[Dávgon]"I'm good."
"Right then. Placid, let's start."

I'll be honest-I don't remember much of what physically happens for the next five hours. Oh, I know well enough what happens, but it's all inferential: I don't recall seeing, smelling or hearing change take place. What I do remember, is a nigh-unending, relentless deluge of magical equations and flesh manipulation spell matrices filtering through my body and into the golem, I remember craftings linking a heavily composite body to an august mythic creature's eyes. I find that actually sifting through this data is something of a subconscious effort, and am finding myself 'remembering' how to do a few new things where graft integration is concerned.
[ARMAS IS NOW ABLE TO PERFORM HIS OWN MYTHIC ANIMAL GRAFTING ON HIS OWN BODY. ACQUIRE MORE EXPERIENCE TO FREELY DO SO WITH OTHERS.]
But far, far more importantly, through the process I become intimately familiar with the Golem's current status, and find myself compiling an internalized list of it's current specifications, for ease of reference.

WAR GOLEM PROJECT CURRENT STATUS
[FORM]-The Golem is some ten feet tall, bipedal with a total of six overlong arms that can easily double as further limbs for locomotion. It has a heavy tail as thick as a car tire round, with a total length of some fifteen feet. Atop it's head it sports three heads, the middle of which faces forward while each of the others stares back over a respective upper shoulder while at rest. Both side heads are capable of full rotation, and can bring their gaze upon anything provided an uninterrupted line-of-sight. Each head sports a single fist-sized mono-eye surrounded by beady eyes smaller than my little finger's nail. Each of the three heads has a remora-like fang-filled maw, complete with a hooked, elastic and prehensile tongue-tentacle, capable of stretching up to thirty feet.
[HEALTH]-Golem's body is fully functional, able to regenerate from any non-fatal injury, and does not have critical organs able to sustain lethal injury. Effectively, provided sufficient magical energy and blood intake, it can and will regenerate any form of tissue damage within a day. Further, it's flesh is heavily saturated with soul bits, courtesy of Dávgon's repeated ministrations. As such, the flesh is innately resistive to magical harm, to the point that it is particularly hard to ignite, freeze, cut, shatter, petrify or detonate by directly magical means. It is not immune to any form of magic, but is notably resistant to all physically expressed forms of magical harm. Gianni notes that to a poorly trained bloodliner, it would be effectively invulnerable, while someone of his skill level could still pierce through at least partly. To prevent passive loss of energy and general fuel, while operational the golem requires one barrel of blood per hour at rest. All of its abilities barring regeneration are fueled by its magical energy, of which it has roughly as much as a Doonongaes/Spirit Einherjar - specifically, the Doonongaes I killed a while back or Abloec, by my reckoning . It regenerates flesh and magical ability alike with blood intake, including the minimum barrel per hour. An amount of blood in equal to the volume of flesh to be regenerated can fuel the process of regeneration. To fully replenish a depleted magical capacity, the golem would need to take in nine barrels of blood.
[MIGHT]-The Golem's physical parameters have been robustly stabilized: It is quite notably stronger and faster than a Doonongaes, and far more nimble than something of its size should be. Provided sufficiently durable surfaces to brace itself against, I have no doubt it could outmaneuver me in mobility. Each and every limb, leg, arm and tail alike has been prepared by the Red Caps Lucy and Ricky to be compatible with much of Dunter Footwork, the core of its uncanny nimbleness.
[ORGANIC ARMAMENTS]-Each of the golem's nine limbs (one tail, two legs, six arms) are capable of overpowering most forms of non-draconic physical might, able to bend even the mightiest mundane vault door in half-or rending it asunder. There is no form of mundane defense that it cannot breach-and precious few in the magical community could claim to have superior might. As such, all of its limbs must be classified as weapons, considering the sheer amount of might present. It's legs have a range of six feet, it's arms five feet, and it's tail fifteen feet. The golem also possesses three tongues capable of prodigious blood-draining ability, able to reach targets thirty feet away, that can drain blood at a rate of a gallon a second from targets unable to guard themselves. The tongues in question cannot pierce metal armor greater than an inch in thickness. The last purely organic weapon system (that is operational) are the two auxiliary head's eye-beam systems: With the ability to redirect the perpetually produced heat of a pheonix heart through the nigh-indestructible cyclops eyes to create a contained beam of intense heat sufficient to turn whatever falls in the direct line of the eye's sight into plasma-air converts near-instantly, while more dense collections of matter take longer. It's capable of vaporizing stone, and is bright enough that it can double as a blinding-flash to any that look towards it with unguarded eyes.
[ARTIFICIAL ARMAMENTS]-The Golem is outfitted with a hardened iridium alloy storage tank partly recessed into its back, and tubes that feed down each of its six arms to palm based emitters. The Golem's own Doonongaes-derived poison and Nazinaut-derived flammable acid feed into the tank, where they mix with the treated, heavily toxic waste I harvested from a double-transcendent living legend from China (I still chuckle about that). Gianni was also able to integrate the cannisters of weaponized gas I picked up a while back into the golem, and it produces approximations of said chemicals to funnel into the tank as well. The emitters can achieve sufficient pressure to spray the fluid material a distance of some sixty feet before dispersion, discounting prevailing winds. The resultant spray is air-flammable, and is speculated to be fully able to kill most non-draconic being on contact, excluding those capable of regenerating from just a damaged soul-and even then, they could still be terminally injured from such an attack. I am reasonably certain that SOME part of this particular weapon system is considered reprehensible by the general magical public, but I can't seem to find anything that I know to be 'bad'. It could just be that I'm assuming a weapon this pervasively effective would HAVE to be disallowed. Either way-it's freaking awesome, no doubt about it.
[MAGIC ITEMS][b]-Greatest of all the Golem's current equipment though, is the pilfered Reapertech Time-Dilation Charm set, complete with the safely scoured bit of the Reaper agent's soul to insure compatibility. Between it and the natural Dunter movement, this beast could easily hit speeds in excess of three hundred miles per hour, and could dodge bullets given room. With this kind of speed and mobility, it's raw strength renders it even more deadly in close combat-I don't realistically see much short of Dragons or Skinwalkers being able to shrug it off. Further, this massively increases its potential accuracy with all attack vectors, given the comparatively longer time to adjust aim.
[b][ARMOR]
-Currently the weakest point of its aggregate physical ability. While Igor's genuinely surprised me, having re-tempered a large mass of armor plating with his new multi-dimensional hammer, the fact still remains that it's largely mundane armor. It's quite possible the flesh beneath is hardier than the armor itself-and has regenerative ability as well. Still, I note the golem to have full coverage from plate armor that has to weigh at least a ton, and could probably survive a tank round without being breached, under the right circumstances. To be sure, it's bullet proof even for lower-ranked magical armaments. Still… it doesn't really measure up to the rest of the system, in terms of physical defense. What it does provide, is particularly hardy defense against attacks from the Dark, and mental attacks against whatever soul is currently piloting the golem, provided the armor is not yet breached.
[CONTROL METHOD]-The Golem's possession-based piloting system has been getting quite a few hours logged by Dávgon and Gianni alike-and HB, I find-but it's still awaiting literal weeks of data from dozens of different minds before Dávgon would feel comfortable programming in artificial assistance. To be easy to pilot, plenty more work is needed-but for those with very capable minds or souls-Placid, HB and the like-it's now fully operational and battle-functionally pilotable.

In short, the Golem project… is fully operational. All I have left to do is continue improving it. There's loads of room for it, to be certain. I wonder what I'll do next.

After the massive undertaking that was getting the eye plasma-beam weapon system up and concretely cataloguing the golem's status, I get it hauled back into the mansion, and round up Lyubov before taking a walk with Placid around town. While HB refuses to comment on the why of it, he elects to shadow me with a few dozen independently flying Hummingbirds-no doubt further refining his control of a swarm form. Placid doesn't say a thing about it, but to me it's obvious he's absolutely fascinated by the replicated birds tailing us, and wastes little time in carefully observing them. Even when we detour through a park and I entice the flesh monster to sit on a swing and let me push him, he keeps watching the birds. Though to be fair, he doesn't seem to have a single issue with using the swingset, even if his glances at the few other children are clearly not 'normal' by childish standards. …Someday soon, I hope, I'll be able to say he could pass for a kid. I also can't help but note each bird notably preening itself as it's focused on by the War Walker-no doubt HB has zero issue with Placid's attentiveness. In the end, Placid surprises no one with a suggestion that we acquire ice cream, and the outing ends with him meticulously working on an oversized sundae on the way back-his fifth of the day.

After we get back, I spot Hillevi in the mansion-and immediately notice the discrepancy between her visual forced cheer and troubled soul. After sharing a look with Lyubov, I head off to talk with the titanic teen-and find that she's completely uninterested in talking about how she feels. What she IS interested in, however, is pestering me with a myriad of questions about modern life. I don't detect any sort of pattern or underlying objective behind their asking beyond simple curiosity, and answer them to the best of my ability. She has me pinned down until dinner, and keeps on asking through the cooking process and well after the meal. I happily continue to answer for hours on end, witnessing her soul sorting out it's wrinkles and doubts as she distracts herself from the process. I find myself wondering if the Valkonens know something about spiritual distemper and it's treatment that I don't-but readily recognize now isn't the time to ask. The point is that by evening, Hillevi seems her normal cheery self physically and spiritually, and that's enough for me.

Of course, that's not all that happens, as I'm occupied by a text not ten minutes after Hillevi's satisfied.
>[Matvey]Forgot to mention. Shit went down yesterday.
I totally know about that already. Kazadora, Rostislav, Hillevi, all that.
>[Matvey]Ah. And the Placid visit?
That too.
>[Matvey]Well okay then. ..Oh, bet this one you don't know: Company netted you 4.43m+ in Arena trip. Deposited it in account.
…Yes, that is something I did not know.
BUSINESS FUNDS: +$3,700,000 $6,220,042.00
>[Matvey]Nothing major in the outing-Bagga flubbed, we learned that Submission's a crapshoot unless you know tricks, learned of one of said tricks. Zhenya made friends with a Glurichaun.
Contact-style friend or just impulsive friend?
>[Matvey]Impulsive-don't think we could work the connection yet.
Got it. Anything else?
>[Matvey]Lev and Grisha in Hobgoblin Arena. Also 25% cut. Nothing major-but by the end real known, odds got crappy.
What was the take?
>[Matvey]4.34m+
BUSINESS FUNDS: +$4,352,822 $10,572,864.00
You know I think I love you. Anything more?
>[Matvey]That's it.
I see. And no worries on not reporting promptly-you sorted shit, so it was a nonissue.
>[Matvey]What I hoped. Later.

I grin over the considerable windfall and increased exposure my company netted itself.

>>459129
After dinner's long over, I find myself spending a considerable amount of time indulging yet another of my endless supply of whimsical impulses: I meticulously search through the chakra orientations book for one that would allow a form of flight I like…. but frankly, none of them seem quite right. They either lack enough hi-speed maneuverability, have issues with elevation change, or are too influenced by environmental conditions. Frankly, not a one of them is solidly rounded enough to suit my tastes-and eventually I have to give the search up as a bad job. I know I'm being excessively picky, but I feel it's appropriate-why bother learning an inferior skill if I theoretically could be spending that time on something far more useful in the long term? Especially when I consider the incredible versatility of HB's swarm form. Shutting the book and returning the book to Satai's care (and drawing on the heavily zoned out man's face, bestowing him with a magnificent mustache and drawing dicks on the backs of his ears), I decide to call an end to the day. I walk back out of the room, my reflexive use of Attention-avoiding footwork and opportunistic Soul Guising as 'someone utterly forgettable and unworthy of notice' having seen me through the book return and prank alike without that Siren Stacey having noticed my presence. I can only hope I get to witness Satai's reaction.
>"For once, I promise to share the memory of his reaction with you."
Excellent.

I saunter back into the bedroom. Lyubov’s already there, her hair bundled up in a towel while she works on some schematic on her computer. She sets it aside and smiles at me.
[Lyubov]”Hey, everything went well?”
“I can’t complain. How about for you?”
[Lyubov]”I’m fine. I thought I should bring up a couple of things though.”
I can’t help but tease her a little.
“Uh oh, more things!”
[Lyubov]”Oh don’t be like that, it’s just keeping you in the loop and…”
She trails off as Amen starts undressing me, the weird buzz of what feels like ten thousand little magic fingers working on my suit until it just isn’t there. As soon as it’s done, I flop down on the bed beside her.
“Sure. So, hit me with it.”
[Lyubov]”Normally I’d just notify Satai of this and let him deal with it, but Satai’s, um. Indisposed?”
Shadowbro speaks up in his gravelly affectation with just a hint of smugness.
>”It’s purely for his own good.”
What happened?
>”He’s finalizing his mindscape, and I have my shade helping him with it. I estimate he will be out of commission for several days. I’ve already notified Svetlana and have her taking over all his duties for the duration. I have a shade member taking care of his body for us. Sometime in the next week or so you will have a fully qualified Mentalist working for you, by my estimation.”
Sounds good to me. Let me know if there’s anything I can do for him.
>”Of course.”

I turn back to verbal communication.
“So, what was it you’d normally notify Satai about?”
[Lyubov]”Oh. Well, it’s about the demonologist, Johan.”
I feel Shadowbro go still.
“What about Johan, Lyuba?”
[Lyubov]”He is sort of upset or something. He was wondering if we were sending people to haze him, because Bagga... Well, you know, he’s a kid. He’s only seventeen and in some ways just as sheltered as Hillevi, and anyway he told me he was sort of rude when he bought a ritual from Johan. And, you know how Iosef is.”
“Mr. Gives-Zero-Fucks, right. Well, this is no bueno. Johan's been a phenomenal contact and I don't want to see that shat on.”
[Lyubov]”Bagga is repentant and wants to apologize, and I talked him into agreeing that he shouldn’t deal with vendors alone. He’ll bring one of the trustworthy adults with him for the foreseeable future, at least until he’s got his confidence back. I picked Iosef’s brains and I think we could make a good apology to Johan if we asked Cookie Lady to make some pumpkin bread for him, and we were brief about it.”
“Sounds fine to me. Why didn’t you just do it?”
[Lyubov]”I wanted to check with you that you wanted to send such a message first. Also I thought maybe you would want to deal with this personally?”
“You’re friends with Bagga right?”
[Lyubov]”Sure, he’s a good kid basically. Just, he is a kid still.”
“You can go with him to do it then.”
[Lyubov]”I thought it might be better if you do it because I’ve never met Johan before, and all he would know about me is that I’m a Witch Saint and apparently associated with your company and that’s sort of the wrong message to send for an apology.”
“Is it?”
>”It is.”
[Lyubov]”Witch Saints traditionally are bad news, and Tesla is not so well known really, and so it’d just be sort of intimidating instead of actually apologetic. And it will mean a lot more if you go and clear the air instead of me. So I will get the pumpkin bread from Cookie Lady for Johan, and then you and Bagga can go together tomorrow night to deliver it, ok?”
>”Her logic is sound.”
“Man why do I have to do everything?”
>”Because you let Matvey talk you into sending Camella to Italy instead of him, and then you let him take a vacation instead of insisting he stick around to deal with this stuff. The buck has to stop somewhere, and until Matvey’s back, it’s you. But you already knew all that, you’re just whining because you like to.”
“Seriously, you are as bad as Einrik-why can't I grouch in peace?”
>”I do try.”
[Lyubov]”That is tomorrow night though. Tonight’s ours.”
She starts to cuddle up to me, and we settle in for the night.

FRIDAY, MARCH 4th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS: $3,233,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $10,572,864.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 80%
WINTER ENERGY: 160
SUMMER ENERGY: 50/50


I wake up before Lyubov yet again-seems to be a pattern when we retire early the night before-dose up on Brain Coffee and-
Narrowly avoid stumbling as SB shoves memories of Satai's face quivering rapidly for a moment on seeing a mirror, before he cleaned himself up. Underwhelming… but more importantly, he didn't notice the dicks. My prank lives on. With such excellent news on the mind, I begin my day in earnest.

>>460720
>>462421
With my mind already set on pranks, I look into that Werekid that mucked with Bonzi's minotaur bartender. It's an interesting job, and involves trolling-mulish as Sake's been since that whole debacle Lyubov told me about, he's quick to tag along. With yet another miniature cloud of hummingbirds, this time a full score, flitting about within a block of Sake and I, we prowl. The werekid's not hard to find-with soul-sensing and HB's muted interest, I swiftly identify a group of were-inclined souls in the area the kid's known to prowl. With a building still between us, I sift between the souls, seeing nothing beyond the expected 'venerable, experienced, veteran were as bodyguard to heir' motif I was expecting. I don't really think any would be an issue, even together, if I go full-tilt with HB and that wonderfully powerful soul-bubbled swarming attack of his. …And how odd is that, to casually look at a group of magical somebodies and think of them as… as faceless mooks. Really going to have to watch that I don't become QUITE so arrogant as a Dragon, now that I've got stupid amounts of power to throw around and at least one badass way to express it.
>"And you still need to work on ways to genuinely integrate the mere into your swarm form, as it is most certainly possible, in some form."
Point well put-but beyond that, be a sounding board for me, I'm going to try and pick this kid apart now that I've figured out which soul he is.
>"Of course."
Okay-so, nothing too big-I'd say Dávgon's size? Yes, probably Bagga's age by the amount of memories, or near enough-I can't really be sure just off memory density within the soul's coherence. So yeah, not a super-prodigy, not a crazily boosted badass, just a well-trained adolescent were-heir. Heh. So, memories don't have any insane standouts, except for one-him getting his ass WHOOPED by some other clan's… nobody. Hah-he's obsessing over getting his pride stomped over by a a no-name kid from a different clan.
>[Sake]"Prideful, hates being shown up by someone without status-no, finds that immensely embarassing, and hates to have it witnessed… okay, go on, go on!"
Okay-hm. There's a… skin? A layer around his soul. Guessing it's supposed to be invisible, or hard to detect at least-I'm barely getting it. …Oh hey, I'm pretty sure he's got a magic item-I can't read them from the distance, but I feel a bunch in the group, I'd expect the kid to have some of them. …Yeah, two of the best-souled bodyguards have a similar skin.
>"It could be a clan skill of some form, and he's mastered it early."
Point, but I'm betting item.
>"Agreed."
So, a soul protection, at a guess-doesn't want someone just up and possessing or soul-sculpting him, I suspect. Kind of a 'don't step on me badasses' type thing. …Yeah, now that I've had a while to get feedback on item sensing their crowd, I'm confident that's what those are. Still no idea on the other charms-so could potentially be risky. But nothing for sensing, I bet-Not a spiritual quiver at all when I stopped, and then kept pace with them from the far side of the block's sidewalk.
>[Sake]"Lack of quality spiritual sensing, so hard to identify visually concealed parties… hm-HMMMM…"
And… oh, yeah-one of those soul's doesn't have a body-and It's bound to the kid's soul. Spirit Animal. …Predator? Yeah, I'm saying Predator class-it's too… broadly there. I'd be surprised if it couldn't touch the physical realm. Tiger? …Liger. Predator Class Spirit Liger. Wasn't overtly magical on death though-so doesn't feel like it could seriously harm a swarm, or anything that can regenerate spiritual harm. But definitely not physically blockable. Aaand… that's all I got. I'm going with 'arrogant not particularly talented heir, gets pissy if people don't think he's awesome.
>"I completely agree with you, even if I'd not phrase it in quite those words."
>[Sake]"I'm thinking make him trip. It's… it's PERFECT for him! Tripping makes anyone look lame, mundane or otherwise, and It's not a spiritual attack, and it's something I can do at range!"
I'd like to be certain they couldn't follow you if you did it extensively, so that we could really shame him.
>[HB]"…I believe that is a challenge I could indulge: Avoid identification by dint of sheer agility, and prevent a group from so much as chasing a lead for a prolonged time. It would require quite masterful ability to perform… but one such as I could meet the challenge with the necessary gravitas."
Excellent-and if he and his group are too distracted by birds for anyone to notice or prove it's magical clumsiness-especially to the kid's party-then…
>[Sake]"Then we are set! Oh man, this will be great!"
Like a well-oiled machine, our party enacted a grand trolling, with SB capturing data through his Shade and Allview alike.

So over the course of six hours, eighteen blocks and frankly a mountain of magical data that could see this recreated in film with ease, A hot-shot were-kid is publically humiliated in the heart of turkey to such an extent that he openly sobs, and in fact eventually urinates on himself, complete with more than a few people pointing or making open expressions of revulsion at him. Even his guards were keeping a considerable distance from the immensely clumsy kid. Spiritually, he ended up… a different person altogether. I don't think he'll quite ever be the same short of soul-editing by a deft hand. And after how publically he made his family look like fucktards… I question if his parents would invest in him. Hell, if they're stuffy enough he might not even be heir anymore.
>"…This is already something of news amongst certain sections of the Dark. I imagine Bonzi and the Minotaur have heard of it by now, if not the total details. We should meet with them, offer the magical record we have."
Agreed.

We do just that-and Bonzi greets me with one of the widest smiles I've ever seen, including my own.
>[Bonzi]"Tell me you-"
"Are responsible, and made a magical recording."
A gravelly chuckle from behind the leprechaun pairs with the spiritual signature of the cannibal minotaur-and in EXCEPTIONALLY short order, he is laughing his ass off inside Bonzi's pot watching the footage in full, and Bonzi himself is showing me how to channel internal soul manipulation and chakra radiation in concert such that with every change in direction while in motion, I can 'shed' a golden, glimmering afterimage that memetically draws the eyes of all save myself for the brief instant it exists: With a few quick turns via Dunter Step and Hummer's Momentum, straight to Goblinic Attention dodging, I think I could lose most anybody's notice in a crowd. That said… seeing how it functions and understanding the principles are wholly separate of being capable-and while Bonzi does… something that I'm rather upset I wholly can't read to my chakra system, it's up to me to repeatedly practice to the point I emit with enough reliability and power that it's genuinely useful in battle.

Rather unsurprisingly, I practice the entire night away, just so that the next time I leave the house, I can be certain I'll be practicing functioning, if weak, Leprechaun Footwork when and where I want.

Satai still hasn't noticed the dicks on the backs of his ears-but others have. So far, no one's told him-not that he's doing much since SB stepped up the intensity of his 'assistance' in training the man. Practically comatose now.

SATURDAY, MARCH 5th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS: $3,233,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $10,572,864.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 75%
WINTER ENERGY: 160
SUMMER ENERGY: 50/50


I don't wake up so much as eventually stop training upon achieving reliable activation of the footwork. I still freshen up with Brain Coffee. The moment I do a prior engagement crops up in my mind, and I give Arkvad a call-I never did hear back on the Mauser Shadows… except-
>>462614
>"That won't be necessary: Holland and Holland, as it happens, is capable of… shipping… to the Dark. I was provided a satisfactory implement gratis-Arkvad also repeated the companies gratitude over the Titancorp findings, and suggested you keep an eye out in a few months. They anticipate being interested in assistance with prototype testing-with our company getting free prototypes-and a free outfitting with the final product. Oh, and while Arkvad's still hacking out the details on your behalf, there's going to be a percentage from the initial run profits once it eventually is on the market."
Really, the only thing I can react to that with is a resounding fuck yeah, I hope you know.
>"Of course."
With dawn approaching, I head to meet with Stacey, Sake, Dávgon and Gianni for yet another Silja meal-I didn't really pay attention to the last few because frankly, Silja's been… stuck… in the egg state. For certain, I feel advancing flesh-based complexity within the egg, and her soul is taking a more conventional root in the body she's building, but… well, still a semi-squishy flesh egg. Stacey hardly seems bothered by the process at all now-having it happen repeatedly without a whit of harm, and being prevented from having to experience the entire process, she seems to have acclimatized. I suppose that's not all that surprising: Habituation is powerful force.

I next hit up Gianni, asking about my chakra overcharge issues with Reinforcement, the muscle spasms. I posit they could be caused by the magic over saturating my nerves-and he validates my theory. Seems that sufficient magic within an already magical organic system will have aspects of it's expression convert to whatever type the flesh is receptive to-like electricity for my nerves. Go Ping, currently teaching a bonus lesson on Chakra to the minions still around at the moment chimes in with his own ideas. He says that I'd either need to harden my nerves to such influence through rote repetition, or get them magically enhanced. I file the data away, and thank them for their time-and pull Gianni more privately aside. He goes from looking sexually provocative to dramatically pouting to petulantly professional before I finish explaining my idea to place compressed pockets for shadow formation within my flesh that, collectively, when expanded would make my natural state look less… ravenous. He says that he could make an initial go of it, and could tweak it after I collected some proper data on it for him. Obviously I find this fine, and soon enough he's crafted several thousand near-identically shaped collapsed chambers in my flesh, micro-sacks that I can expand with a newly formed set of muscles. I work on getting over the wierdness as I activate them-

And puff out, feeling… bloated? Like the dream of being bloated, as my form pads out, and I merely look like a dedicated bodybuilder, rather than a gaunt muscle-cannibal. …Well, not quite. It takes two modifications, and a total of three hours for Gianni to get me looking, to human eyes, genuinely normal while unclothed. At least a full hour of that was spent getting him back on track when he repeatedly tried to direct things to a kinky end-the price one pays for his work, I've found. In the end I've got what I want-and SB is capable of fitting the Nazinaut's shadow within me so I can have it's strength push on my flesh for added speed and strength. The only problem is that my tissue can't survive the trauma unless I'm plying Reinforcement. Something I will have to remember.

>>466057
I find myself thinking of Titus at the moment-more specifically his persistent pet project, those gloves of his. It's my understanding they're now legitimately Divinitech Lightning Gauntlets that, while still simple and rather fragile in construction, are pretty damn useful. And I recall that little talk where I learned how Rocs are the go-to for Thunder-but they're also associated with Lightning. I twist my minion's potential gains around my own, and push myself into seriously looking at Roc hunting.

Or I will, after I check my phone and-holy crap Riker's calling.
"Riker."
>[Riker]"Laine. Have a secure moment?"
"I'm in good company."
>[Riker]"Your company?"
"Exactly."
>[Riker]"Right: Here's the skinny. AORB's offering to make you a Liaison Condottiere."
"A merc?"
>[Riker]"A merc they'll turn a bit of a blind eye to so long as he takes the odd job they throw his way."
"Can jobs be refused?"
>[Riker]"Any time-but refuse too many and you're off the list."
"Any other perks?"
>[Riker]"You get a number to call and can access general rank AORB database. Get some missions in, your information access goes up. Just to be clear-no access to magical learning's, just reconassaince."
"Is it possible to GET access to instruction at all?"
>[Riker]"Sure-get appointed a Free-Holding Agent. There's only hundred and eight of those, incidentally."
"I see. Anything else, or is it now whether I accept?"
>[Riker]"Nope, that's it."
"Then I accept."
>[Riker]"I'll let you know-and the number'll be loaded on your phone within the hour."
*CLICK*

…Well that was rather to the point. …Nice.

Back to the Roc Hunting idea… I go back to Placid's place.
"Hey, about those souls-they're still not ready?"
>[Placid]"Perhaps I innacurately phrased their status last time: They would function, but not at a level that would be appropriate for me to claim as my best work."
"Ah-ha. And what would you say of their status now?"
>[Placid]"That there is a notable amount of improvement left I can do, but little of it without actual data on their performance."
"I'm hearing 'They're ready for use, bring them back later for a tune up'."
Placid's brow briefly furrows as his body goes perfectly still.
>[Placid]"…Yes."
"Okay-would you mind helping me make sure I load them in properly?"
>[Placid]"I can provide such assistance."
It takes exactly twenty one minutes and sixteen seconds of Accelerated thought with Placid's assistance to do it, but all two hundred seventy six souls, each largely resculpted into a floating compound eye, are disseminated into the Allview's world replica, and synched up to my soul, both in myself and SB. The data flow is on-demand… and I can find no initial flaws in the setup. Thanking Placid, I stay and spend an hour reading more stories to him as he meticulously grooms and cares for his ever-growing collection of animals. The moment he's done though, I set the spirits-every last one-to seeking out a Roc in the Allview, and to report on any sightings.

I find myself expecting swift results… and am disappointed. Seems the magical storms that Rocs love are RIFE with interference and natural warding properties, and aren't exclusively the home of Rocs. It could take days to find what I'm looking for, according to SB's initial estimates-and that's with the souls going at Accelerated Thought speed. There's quite a bit of thorough analysis needed.

So I get my ass back home after story time (and a hug for Placid because he obviously loves them), and work on that whole conditioning my nerves with repeat exposure to overcharged Reinforcement thing. To put it mildly, I look retarded for pretty much the rest of the day, and I have no problem letting the minions see it. In short enough order-from my perspective at least-I've gotten the muscle trembling and jerky movement considerably more under control-in fact, it's only a minor tremble now. That said… it seems that took me until nightfall. Odd-I guess I was more focused on my fine-tuning than I thought.

Deciding that enough's enough with that, I hunt out Lyubov, and get to thoroughly distracting myself, and claiming a reward for all the shit I've been getting done. It is a good night.

SUNDAY, MARCH 6th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS: $3,233,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $10,572,864.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 70%
WINTER ENERGY: 160
SUMMER ENERGY: 50/50


I wake up before dawn and disentangle myself from a few limbs, noting the pre-dawn gloom outside. I dose up with brain coffee, and wonder:






What's my plan for today?
What about the next few days?
And do I want to go right off Roc hunting when I find one, or do I want to get real meticulous planning it?
>>
No. 466836 ID: c31f72

Wait, we can graft monster bits to ourself now?
Hmm... Gianni should still have doony's penis and we have a new ability to test! Ask Gianni if we can borrow the doony penis to test our new trick. If he lets us use it and we can graft it and regrow it after removal, lets give him back two of them for letting us use it.
And maybe graft a few tentacle dicks to the golem. For offensive purposes.

Oh yeah! Call that number Satai gave us for those cars and order those things already! Geez, we've been sitting around without awesome cars, while being able to get said awesome cars for ages now. Stupid forgetfullness/lazyness.

Armas's brothers have been using him as a battery, without even paying us for it. That sucks. It does mean that someone can use anothers magical energy as a battery, though. Now, Armas can actually make souls, why not try making one to make more energy for his own use? First we should ask Davgon about whether or not it's actually possible and legal to make souls to use as energy generators, but if it is? We gotta learn how to do it. Think of all the power we can get from a ton of souls all making power for us!

As for the flight orientation, Why is maneuverability even a problem? We have a trick that lets us change our momentum any way we want, all we need is SPEED! But, if we're not actually willing to learn a orientation that doesn't fit us just right, how about learning to fly from Hummingbird? Ask Hummingbird to teach us how to fly. If he agrees, add a new soulbind "Can only learn from others today".
If he says no, add the soulbind anyways, ask Sake if he knows how we can get some good magic booze and then go bribe Duke with said magic booze to get conceptual strength training.
>>
No. 466840 ID: 80864a

Visit Johan like you were supposed to the day before yesterday to apologize? While you're there ask him about anti-scrying protection and the possibility of hiring him to take a looksee at out killer golem's armour and the possibility of improving it.

Learn lipreading, or have your scout souls in the Allview learn lipreading? Look up lipreading classes on the internet or something.

Have Igor start crafting ballistic plates and/or butchermail/other lightweight armour for the minions that haven't gotten better armour than the base armour we gave them a while back, to add to it, that will provide better protection against the dark and such. Alternatively retemper their existing armour or buy good armour and temper it. Also possibly buy some metal cloth(preferably something like cloth of gold, except something like cloth of copper/bronze or cloth of pewter) to make multidimensional clothing?

Add cameras and/or other mundane sensors to the supergolem to counteract illusions and other sense trickery(besides the invisibility that the cyclops eyes counteract).

Acquire various good quality mundane lucky charms(e.g. four leaf clover, acorn, good quality(possibly silver) horseshoe etc.). Test for luck magic via Sake. Belief magic should theoretically have given them at least some basic luck magic of some sort?

Hop down into the sewers and talk to SM in person about the contract he wants to talk about per his request according to Matvey's report.
>>
No. 467550 ID: 7ae93c
File 135164056564.jpg - (69.99KB , 620x620 , 1351568161867.jpg )
467550

>What's my plan for today?
Well, here is the thing. We have engaged Go Ping for a week of teaching. While the minions had their fun for five or six of the last few days, it would be a real shame to not profit at all from this directly. Using the whole of Sunday to be taught by Go Ping might be a good investment there. Ask him what orientations he specializes in. If Armas has been paying attention to the company grapevine, he should be aware that Go Ping specializes in 13 different orientations. It could be worth it to spend the whole of Sunday in a soul-bubble world of HB-make along with Sake, SB and Go Ping, with minor time dilatation, x13, so that Armas could divide his training time equally for each of the orientations Go Ping specializes in. This would also have a rule of three going on of 'Go ping teaching us 13 orientations', 'Go ping teaching us each orientantation into 13 neatly divided chunks of time', 'Go ping teaching us into a place where time runs 13 times quicker than normal'. Hopefully. Sake would be needed for 'refreshing' Go ping when needs be, and I am sure he would have his own stuff to train in.

When approaching Go Ping for this training session, we should make sure we are upfront about the time-dilatation, and that we offer him additional pay in, say, ramidreju rubbing, which should greatly increase his physical fitness and health level. Of course, if possible at all we should see if HB can hide the methode for time dilatation: he knows how dangerous we consider Lo Fang.

This, of course, depends whether we dare show to one of Lo Fang's men some of our own more esoteric trick. I would say 'go for it', especially if we can make sure he forgets about it. SB could possibly edit the memory of how exactly Armas did the time dilatation. Either that, or Satai if he wakes up early enough.

A not so minor side-effect bonus would be if SB were to join us and use the day to peruse the Doonegaes memories.
>What about the next few days?
Well, like Go Ping's leaving tomorrow, there is someone else who is probably leaving soon. Someone who is immensely more capable: Duke. We have been told recently by Lyubov Darling that Duke taught Zhenya Conceptual strength, and we gotta get some of that. Increasing Armas' own base abilities is a necessary step if he wishes to get to the big league on a decent footing, after all, and conceptual magic is probably THE way humans can get there.

Armas should go talk to Duke, and mention how he apparently brute-forced learned the 'Today' concept for his binding, what with being able to regenerate both body and soul semi-easily, and mind to some degree. Armas should then ask Duke if he would be willing to teach him conceptual strength 'like a real man'. Some ideas to spice up that training would be obviously extreme physical efforts. Also, Duke Specials.

>And do I want to go right off Roc hunting when I find one, or do I want to get real meticulous planning it?
[Roc Hunting Preparation and Planning]
A couple of discussions to have before the actual hunting begins with Dávgon/SB/Sake:
*Should we try soulbinding the small spirit remnants in the Rocs to “Can only be eaten Today” or some such, either/both for the ones for Armas and Whaitiri, or would the summer/winter conflict just utterly annihilate Armas and Whaitiri? Make sure to ask Whaitiri's own opinion if they seem confident.
*Our recent greatly improved soul-regen, as well as other-regen of magical energies, has been shown to leak to Sake and SB. Is it also leaking to Whaitiri, who has a soulgraft of Armas? If that is so, we probably should use that to make sure the boon of compounding is as powerful as possible.

Armas should also find a way for 'Walking on air', in case he needs to go into mid-air melee. For this, he should learn to:
+Make some kind of Hermes-style HB-wings + dunter footwork (possibly needing us to forgo charka for the learning period as we would need inner fleshcrafting for okay step and the hermes-style wings).
+Make soul-bubbles under our feet that we could use to walk on, using dunter footstep on, etc etc. This could lead to quite an immense increase in agility, as well as some much better understanding on Soul bubbles. We would probably first need to have Armas finally learn to make a soul-bubble without relying on HB.
+Armas should either ask Go Ping or look in the chakra orientation book for a “infuse our weapons with energy”. Especially one that should work with guns, like Long Wang seemed to use when we were fighting the Doonegeas. Our way to use IT is definitely good, but it's also obvious that Ito's reinforcement is not tailored to do this. Likewise, finding a optimum orientation for enhancing our mere would be really useful.

Now, as to the hunting itself:
We should first decide who to take with us. Sake is a obvious need, but Hillevi could be useful too, and we need more Ward-bonding, especially as Matvey is gone, and Satai is in coma.

General hunting tips:
+If we fount a nest with multiple Rocs, we should try to sneak our way there during a night while making sure with our Allview that none are noticing us. Armas with a applicable soulguise (maybe we should try for “that soul that is always out of attention” by thinking back to our Goblin stealth training) and plying all of his skill to be silent as well as nondetectable during a stalking should be able to sneak there and strike before they know what is happening. Shadowpinning could be quite useful there, too.
+If we have to engage them when they are in the air, Sake should use his conceptual tripping to turn the air against them and Armas should use the fact that they are tagged with Allview to accurately pin their shadows with IT: those two methods should help bring them down. Hillevi no doubt has her own ideas for what to do. We could also get Sake to take us to the air, or even have Hillevi throw us up. With a little HB-momentum, as well as a way to walk on air (or at least change direction in some ways) we could have some fun mid-air melee.
+If we are trying to target a single flying Roc, we could also think about having a HB going up with gear in soul-bubble, then turning back into Armas and stabbing it. This would need some way for HB to do that in a sneaky way though. But, well, this is HB.
+We might think about using favored prey for using as baits, so that we could sneak behind them, as well as making them come down. Buying some from menageries like where Rosti bought his pups should do fine. Worse come to worse, we would need to ask Placid to make animals. It's the preferably not option, because Placid will probably not be happy about that.

Preference
Bait Funny way:
+Have Armas run around with a cow on his shoulder, with a suitably Bait-like soulguise. Cow on a stick. We already have some cows, too, so that make it perfectly easy to do.

Contingencies:
+If Sake or Hillevi get injured, we might think about doing the opposite of 'stealth' here. Take a leaf out of HB's book, and dazzle them with our brilliance. Basically, inflate our soul and use a soul-guise saying “the enemy to get rid of first is HERE, and his weakness is Melee!”, and then go all out with IT and charging it up with energy so that we truly appear as a first class ranged threat. Especially as, if they are attacking Sake/Hillevi, they probably are showing us their backs.
+HB's latest swarm we gave him should be back by then, which means there is something like 30 summer energy we can 'take back' at any moment and then use it for making a Armas body from one of the HB around. We could use that as a great way for either resilience or sneak-attack.
+Have Sake float a use piece of dark cloth (Armas bought lots of clothing materials) for making shadows and use this as a way to enhance SB's shade and shadowport, in case things go very wrong: Armas should try not to use SB for this, as there have been signs SB is getting very busy lately.

Division of spoils:
One Roc should obviously go full-in for Whaitiri at least (check if you can do anything to make it more potent for her via soul or flesh crafting, and then ask her about it before doing any modifications). Another should hopefully be eaten by Armas, and a last one for Hillevi. If there is more or less than three, we should be ready to leave bones for Hillevi if need be, and/or getting more for Armas. If possible, we should try to have bones left over for making a bass guitar for lambombard. If Armas has decided that he is giving a lot of power to Whaitiri with his enhanced regeneration, make sure to use that to gain the most powerful Boon possible for that compounding.

[General Training ideas]
First, we should make sure to ask Dávgon and Gianni about the side-effects of sleeping in a time-dilated soul-bubble. If it's ok, do it.
+Ask Dávgon, as well as check ourself, the effect of our soulbind on our soulgrowth. Ask what he believes a second one would do.
+Get animal for soul-breaking and ensouling practice. The bugs are a good first-step, but if we want to do some really funky things, bigger animals could be bigger. Once we have tasted Matvey's bioarmor, we could even try to get some nice material for our first bioarmor prototypes: Get nine gorillas or other potent animals when it comes to ensouling (either buying from a menagerie or from Placid, though the latter is less preferable), ensoul them, body-quirk and soulquirk them (three different template), then have three of them fusion with the others, so that we have three power-of-three fusioned Gorillas. Then fusion those three for recursive rule of three bonus. From then on, we could have a great familiar base for a bio-armor.
+Test to see (With HB and all our gear far away) if we can cut off one of our limb, bind it for maximal cannibalizing fleshcrafting gains, and then use fleshcrafting to cannablize it, to see if we gain more energy than we lose. We need to ask around before doing this, as the summer/winter interaction could be BAD. OTOH, we apparently cannibalized Armas meat in our fight against Hillevi, when all of it was frozen under Hillevi's winter magical power.
+Soul guise practice: Analyze how different trait 'speaks in souls, and maximize that for effects. Practice by remembering what it is to be “outside of attention-range”
+Soul-Guise: Armas has realized that Bagga could feel something divine about him. This should mean the extra-specialized vampiric blood-sensing needs Armas to be able to find a soul-guise that counters it. Talk about it with your brothers, and change the default soulguise as needed. Furthermore, hides the presence of our soul bind in our soulguise. We should then train to be able to change our binding while continuing to appear that we have none.
+Continue Gianni Epithelial fleshcrafting practice.
+Reinforcement: When we train in our reinforcement, we should aim to polish and understand our ability a bit more. As such, trying to use flexibility so that we can choose to concentrate all our reinforcement into a specific body part would be a good step. Trying to time ourself from going 'full body reinforcement' to 'reinforcement in my legs', for example, would help us improve our response time, and make it easier to counter and attack ourself. We should be wary of the winter chakra/Summer body conflict, however, and begin slowly. Especially if we try to use specific-body when amplifying reinforcement.
+Learn from Dávgon how to make Item-bound spirit animals (very useful if we want to make mythic familiar bioarmor, for example).
+M7 should be incredibly useful for maximizing Soul-guise and fleshcrafting in particular, though incredibly dangerous too.

Hybrid Tech
Armas has been increasing his reinforcement and chakra aptitude far enough that it would be a shame to utterly eschew body-influencing chakra, so Armas should think back to his recent breakthrough on how Hybrid tech work. Could he be able to make an hybrid tech matrice that is simply a “Use reinforcement”? If he actually needs to use both Summer and Winter energy to even begin it, does it mean he needs both fleshcrafting and winter-dominated type of technique, or could he use both for reinforcement? If he needs two different tech to make a whole, he could probably simply practice enough with his fleshcrafting to make a 'reinforcement analog” with it that would complement and compound the pure chakratic reinforcement, and use the matrice to combine the two. He should talk about it with his headvoices, get their opinions.

Magical Booze
Hey, We should totally talk to Sake how to make Magical Booze. After all, him trolling Bagga by creating booze has made the company rounds. Duke would surely appreciate the effort, too, and could help us as a taster!
>>
No. 468183 ID: c6ce12

>>466835
>What's my plan for today?
We kind of forgot about going to Johan's, it's a good thing we didn't set a date for it. Let's try to work that into our schedule for today, call up Cookie Lady and ask her if she'd be willing to make some pumpkin bread for our friend, because we feel we may have offended him. Then ask her what ingredients she'd need and pay her visit with the ingredients in hand, we should have all of them in the kitchen with our weekly groceries coming in. Leave a note somewhere for Lyubov when she wakes up so she knows the appointment with Gianni is still on and we'll be there in the evening. When we're at Cooky Lady's place we can make a little small talk, ask her how things have been and generally enjoy a pleasant chat with that nice old woman. We'll come back later in the day for the bread, since we don't really have the time to stick around for the baking process.

In the mean time we should look up that new database Riker gave us access to. It's only basic level clearance, sure, but lets see what they have on all the major factions in the city like the Triads, the Mafia, the Nazis, the vampire dynasties, the were clans, the bloodline houses, the Wyld goblins, all of them. Grab whatever they have on the magical sea creature situation too, anything that could be pertinant or useful on our job for the Owner. Finnaly, for our own amusement check what they have on Blade.

While we're on the computer check out the Smiling One's website too, it's been a while since we last logged on. I want a third cyclops eye, our pet project looks absolutely garish with only two. Preferably we can find a vendor who will take the phoenix hearts in trade like before, if not the same vendor, but we'll see. Any other organs we can find, like better teeth or claws, specialized organs to increase its regen, or anything that just screams 'Armas'.

Make some use of Go Ping today, if we can cram that in sometime. I'm not particularly keen on doing much chakra work though. Let's talk with the guy, I want to know about that last job we were called on for, the one where they used a golem made from May Lee. Get some actual dialogue going with this man, ask him about it, we're pretty good or at least we used to be good at reading people and I want to read Go Ping. Half the reason I want to do this is because I'm genuinely interested and the other half is to potentially spot and note more about the way Lo Fang trains these guys. Go Ping is a model Triad, this may be insightful.

We should have burned an hour or two with all that, go check back with the Cookie Lady, get the bread, thank her and if required let her pinch a cheek.

Spend the afternoon with Lyubov taking lessons for Gianni. No input to offer there, just have fun.

When we finish up with Gianni it should be around night time, grab the little vamp and march him to Johan's with the pumpkin bread. Give Johan a very short, precise, and to the point apology. He is a man who values his time highly and we were told he prefers it not be wasted by going on too long. Tell him we're on behalf of our employees and that we did not intend to make any offense through whoever came to his shop. Make sure the kid does the same and have him present the bread to Johan. On this same train of thought we should make sure to at least buy something from his shop while we're visiting, I'd like to get a ritual that can detect the status and location of a person using their blood. That should wrap up our interaction quite nicely.

Now here's something we've been putting off, it may even be irrelevant at this point. Ask Amen to produce some of Jidkova's blood and use it in the ritual you purchased, if she's still alive and in any sort of shape I think we should steal her. Purchase that teleporter pad that our quartermaster Satai brought up a while ago and use her blood to take her to our location, she should be in a fragile state because she'd have been in isolation for months if she's still alive. We can manipulate her and bind her to us fairly easily and in the process acquire a blood manipulator which is not Amen, a handy tool. I don't expect to get this project off the ground in the next few days, if it's possible at all, but check if she's alive today and buy the teleporter regardless, that thing is handy and would save us from being kidnapped again.

Check with Shadowbro at the end of the day to see whether or not there's been progress made on locating rocs to hunt.

>What about the next few days?
Work in a visit to Ito's sometime in the next few days, we haven't been there in forever! Let's see how the old goat is doing, we did kind of send away like half his instructors. Ask about business and whether or not things are going well. If things aren't going well see what we can do to help.

Spent some time asking Shadowbro about any appropriate measures we should take for offering our roc sacrifice to Whaitiri when the time comes, there's usually a lot of protocol that comes with Maori gods and dealing with Tapu, especially with food and especially in Whaitiri's case. We should know what we're doing here.

Why not see if we can ask Titus about his new tree friend? Get an introduction for us and Lyubov. It'd be an interesting outing to say the least.

Visit Matvey's place like Lyubov offered, check out the land, watch the house, try not to break anything or disturb the peace.

>And do I want to go right off Roc hunting when I find one, or do I want to get real meticulous planning it?
Generally I support the plans in the posts above.

>>466836
Upvoting getting those cars.

>>467377
>>467403
I've got to SUST the entire section about Go Ping, that particular rendition of the plan for id training, trying to bind the rocs we eat, asking Placid for too much stuff, and trying to eat our own limbs. If we want to learn how to bind spirit animals to items ask Davgon AND Big Crazy. Aside from all of the SUSTs I'll give a tentative upvote to the rest of this post.
>>
No. 468507 ID: 6616f3

For our lesson, maybe get GiaGia to take skin samples and make golems with the genetically identical copies of the Russians. Then if any of them get their stupid asses killed, we can stuff their spirits into the golems. Gets around a lot of the problems of death-and-rebirth, though having their bodies made by Gianni may give cause for concern.

Call up Lo Fang, get another lesson planned. I still want Taoist charms.

The minions have been buying magic stuff to supplement their mostly meagre abilities. Why doesn't Armas do the same? I guess they wouldn't work well with the HB swarm, but Armas spends more time unswarmed than not.

Speaking of the swarm... I wonder if there's a way to link the mere to us so that when we Swarm, it likewise breaks into pieces? A swarm of HBs with their beaks tipped with a sliver of one-hit-kill jade would be nice.

>>466840
Voting 'no' on Johan. The fewer people who know we have a big ol' biblical apocalypse (of the pestilential kind) golem, the better. Though, a few thoughts on the golem: I think the trick we should use on the armor is layering. Typically people didn't just wear fullplate, they had a suit of wool or leather under it. So when we figure out the bioarmor trick, have a layer of that underneath the plate armor. Also, can we bind it to only accept commands from those possessors we designate? Might stop it from being taken over by enemy possessor creatures; some spirit einher do not like us, remember.

>>466836
Cars are fine, I guess... but I think we could justify using the company expense account for those. I'd rather have an island. How about Twin beach Island (http://www.privateislandsonline.com/islands/the-twin-beach-island)? 2.5M for 216 acres, beaches, rainforests, coral reefs, cellphone reception, 40 acres of flat land in the middle to build a alpha base or skull-shaped doom fortress, whatever. Besides just being able to say we own an island, it should get you a lot of clout among the Maori shamen, if they're anything like the mythology. Land owned and people led are what gives a man 'mana whenhua'.

A little bit about Titus:
- He's still on the guard job, but it's been pretty quiet on his shifts. He's working on incorporating the upgrades Armin suggested. To that end, and since the taser gloves are a very economical design at present (around 5-8 grand per pair for the basic package), he's making a handful of other mk.IVs. He's considering a mk.V design that would incorporate the tree (and spirit) of a certain dryad into the design. Wires mimicking a human nervous design have some resemblance to a tree's branches, and if the exterior is made of her wood, I think it may be doable. Also consider making a whole suit out of this stuff. A heavy rubber/kevlar bodysuit would be kinda uncomfortable, but useful if electrified.
- He's been working as an assistant instructor of Sambo over at Crash Course for a little while now. Hang with Hans (the Sambo guy) and Hafaz's group. They're a pretty friendly bunch for ex-military. Go out for beers, pay his own way without buying more than a round every now and then (don't want to be suspicious, they're probably still in 'deep cover' mode).
- Its the 6th, right? On the 10th, there's a world-traveling BJJ guy coming to hang out with the Corvos Academy team. He basically swings by to kick the asses of the locals in local tournaments and then heads off for another country the next day or two. He sounds like a hoot. See if you can convince him to spend the night in a palatial mansion in the heart of Istanbul in exchange for a few pointers. Claim you follow his blog; he probably loves fans.
>>
No. 468813 ID: 98378e

As a alternative to the video cameras I suggested earlier, I'd like to instead suggest having Gianni add a smorgasbord of extra senses to golem. Heatvision, electromagnetic sensing, uv vision, improved smell, possibly some sort of tremorsense or echolocation etc.

Get divine magic lessons from Stacey

>>468183
supporting checking the AORB database and visiting Smiling One's website. If there are still Catoblepas lungs available try to purchase 2-3 lungs for the golem.
>>
No. 470089 ID: 252e1b

First, I want to set aside 2 million for Dávgon’s research budget. That’s money he’ll have in an account he has access to, which he can use as petty cash for buying books and secrets and the like. He’ll probably need more, but 2 million gives him a chance to show us what he can do. Should be enough for a book or two. Since Lyubov was so keen to keep nagging us about Dávgon’s request for a research budget, she can help him with it.
Both Dávgon and Lyubov are to collaborate with Svetlana on the Threat Database project (primarily just updating the database’s index with the information in the research material, no need to transcribe or duplicate efforts).

Give Lammy a call. See what’s up with him.

Ask Stacey to recite the question and answer sessions she had with Satai. With Satai out of it, we can’t get his input based on whatever he learned from her. The next best thing is to just learn what he learned. Have Svetlana with us for this, she can transcribe the oral reports to hardcopy for the database.

Use Allview to find that werelion that Zosimus wants dead. Getting a boon from Cornelius will be very worthwhile, but we need intelligence on him if we’re going to do it right.

Speaking of intelligence, we should talk to Placid about the Nazis. Learn what we can from him about their bases, and where they are likely to be keeping the other war walker. We can’t leave that hanging forever, and we DID promise Owner that we would assault the Nazis with Placid.

>>466836
Pillbug. Man. I don’t even know what to say. I don’t think grafting monster dicks is the way to go, though. SUST on the Dooney Dick idea.

>>466836
We know that it’s possible to turn souls into engines. Einrik did it for us with the illegal Reaper soul. Finding out about the legality of it is worth doing, though I don’t expect there to be any issue with doing so to souls built from broken-off pieces of ours.

We should probably ensoul those cows Satai ordered and then turn them into blood batteries for Amen. That seems like good practice anyway.

I also don’t think that adding another bind is a good idea until we know how to remove binds, or at the very least have a good idea about how to remove them. It might be possible to slip out of a bind oriented around the Rule of Three, but your proposed wording doesn’t take that into account. Basically, until we either test To Scoff at Three or we find out how to remove binds the normal way, I don’t want to add another bind.

>>466840
I don’t want Johan to get in on the golem project. SUST to that

Proposed Dialogue for Johan:

“Johan. I understand one of my men was rude. He wants to apologize.”

Then let Bagga have his say (no more than a sentence or two, coach the kid on it beforehand).

“I brought you a little something as well, to make it clear my company appreciates the business relationship we have with you.”

At that point give him the pumpkin bread that Lyubov got from Cookie Lady. If he doesn’t seem to appreciate what he has in his hands, encourage him to taste it.

Finally, inquire after that ritual Grail wanted (“a ritual that can detect the status and location of a person using their blood”).

Lip reading seems like a waste of time to me. I downvote it.

Igor’s plenty busy already with work SB has given him, and we know he’s a perfectionist. Don’t saddle him with more than one job at a time. Keep this in mind as Igor’s next assignment, and make sure to mention it to SB.

Generalized Belief magic primarily exercises pressure shaping on non-divine things. If the objects are already magical, or already have souls, or if they become magical, then Belief will shape that. But if they are not already ensouled or magical, they will not benefit much from Belief pressure. We want a lucky object project, we should try our hand at ensouling living four-leaf clover and seeing what happens.

>>467550 (previously >>467377 and >>467403)
I share Grail’s reservations about the Go Ping interactions. If we want to learn more from him, negotiate proper pay. On consideration, I also share his reservations about asking Placid for trivial stuff, as it sets a bad precedent. Given that Matvey and Dávgon had him help with a big project last week, and that we’ve had him work on the souls for Allview and the laser systems for the golem, asking for a bunch of ensouled apes is just tacky. The last thing I want is to abuse our position as his Guardian.

>>468183

We should make mining the AORB database an actual project. Put Svetlana on it at a minimum. Have Andrei give her what help he can remotely (considering he’s a hot shit hacker, I’m expecting a lot).

The teleporter pad is a useful enough device that it’s worth dropping 3 million on.

Visit Matvey’s with Lyubov and Placid.

Apologize to Ito for decimating his instructor pool by offering to give him a fleshcrafting upgrade to his body. Sake’s weasel-rub did a lot to help him, but Armas knows enough at this point to make Ito even better than he was when he was young. See if Lyubov can channel the fleshcrafting work (hooray for passive learning).

>>468507
Making ready-to-steal bodies of all your minions seems like a bad idea. SUST to that.

However, keeping samples or data on them on-hand so that we can build bodies as needed seems fine.

That island you linked is a LEASEhold. As in we wouldn’t actually own it, we’d be renting it. So, I’m going to have to vote against that particular idea.

>>468813
I agree with getting Divine lessons from Stacey, but there’s no reason to force a duplication of effort. Get Lyubov involved from the start as well (issue an order to Stacey to not be upset by Lyubov’s status as a witch saint, to get around that whole being terrified of Lyubov issue she has).
>>
No. 470495 ID: c6ce12

Matvey:
/\/\- Enjoy your vacation. See the sights. Meet people. Taste the local cuisine.
/\/\- Wistfully depart from Italy by Tuesday and return to Istanbul. Bring back chintzy souvenirs for everyone.
/\/\- Throw yourself into training. Work as hard as you can for as many hours as you can getting better at the skills you need to win the match you have against the gladiator that challenged you. Take yourself out of sniping practice, hopefully temporarily but likely for a long while. Hone your swordsmanship with Shuhadaku Zayin's guidance. Seek out dojos with Ito's help in order to pit your lack of form against established sword styles for development. Hone your focus well and visit Das Bones' regularly for advice.
/\/\- Attend to officer duties as per normal, but pass along the various mission reports, communications, and other accessory paper work to Svetlana.
/\/\- Begin a training program for all of the employees at the company with a focus on teamwork, the development of group tactics, unit cohesion, and coordinating the increasingly disparate power sets present within the company. Use traditional military experience, Black Army training, and your personal set of leadership abilities to develop the program. Schedule it in lieu of chakra training when Go Ping has left.
/\/\- Ensure the payment for the recently completed jobs (the ambulance mission [$55,000] and Ibruhem vampire bounty hunt mission [35,000]) has come through and that the company and mercenaries involved are paid. Sort out between any of the brothers you can reach what exactly the pay for the Hobgoblin job long since completed is and make sure it gets out to those who worked on the mission.
/\/\- Make house purchases. Buy tools and supplies for construction and home repair, good ones. Expand the mundane security system. Get a bigger, better, more durable bed. Swap out the wood burning stove for an electric or gas stove. Buy a good sound system and music library. Start filling the actual library with books, consult Zhenya to see what she'd like stocked. Purchase fun stuff, like a pinball machine and pool table.
/\/\- Take Ohotnik to socialize with the puppies the couple that breeds kangals has. Try to make idle conversation with them, keeping up the ruse that Ohotnik is simply an impressive kangal crossbreed.
/\/\- Ask Svetlana if she would be willing to teach Zhenya and yourself how to cook in your decidedly old fashioned kitchen in your new home. After she accepts spend a couple pleasant evenings learning how to make edible things

Iosef:
I- Visit Johan throughout the week, wonder if he's even getting close to the end of his list of unstable rituals he's going to test on you.
I- These eating contests are starting to get boring, you've hit most of the big ones in the city already, maybe it's time to step it up. Ask around the company and be told by Gianni there's this place called Bonzi's that has some eating challenges, decide to scope it out.
I- If you have to do training with that Go Ping guy try to learn something that will make your life easier, like how to make your ritual orientation better.
I- Catch Ivan making an outing, ask him what's going on, learn he's going to the zoo and decide to join him. The walking from place to place seems annoying and you start to wonder if it's worth it when you could just see animals on that one television channel that has that show about bigfoot, get a chance to pet a big cat, totally worth it.
I- Keep your heavy weapons skills sharp. Check that all the heavy weapons you're familiar with are properly maintained and take the Gatmalite out for practice.
I- Be lazy, hang out in your new spot inside the workshop where Davgon and Gianni work. Enjoy delicious snacks and watch all the mind rotting television you can. Ponder if you could fit a minifridge in there for maximum lazy man efficiency.
I- When Rostislav is free ask him if he can get Adib to give you some lessons on how to do hand to hand combat, maybe it'll let you make better use of that soul quirk you got that you almost forgot about.
>>
No. 470623 ID: 22ae81

>>467550
I agree with your plans.

>>470089
>>468183
There are good points in these posts, and I agree with them (except for disagreeing about >>467550). Ito's fleshcrafting work should be done with great care.

An effort should be made to talk to Svetlana and to learn more about her and about Lyubov. Armas has free access to his girlfriend's mother, it can only be helpful to get to know her. She is working for Armas, and will hopefully be a loyal employee.

Armas has not really talked to Sake since meeting the Yakuza. He should make time to talk to his brother, and to play with him. If Sake and Shadowbro are still angry at each other, then the three brothers could bond by working together to make Adelat's contract break.

Armas must have the contract in his hand when he talks to Adelat and tricks her into being a slave.

It is the week before Lyubov turns 22. Armas should think of presents for her. I think Lyubov would like a slave. Armas can get her one from the goblins, or he could give her Adelat. He must solicit Lyubov's friends to learn what they have planned, and to plan a party.

Armas should take Hillevi, Placid, and Lyubov to a movie, "The Way Back." It is a movie they will all find thought provoking.
>>
No. 470655 ID: 252e1b

By popular request, a summary of what Lyubov intends to get done this week:


L*~Training with various people as time and schedules permit, with a focus on Soul this week.
L*~Hire a lawyer to patent her invention.
L*~Use a 3D printer to make parts she needs for her plasma wing.
L*~Get Feodor to help her duplicate an experiment that allows mundane trapping of light.
L*~Check out the magic electronics shop for superconductors.


Those are the highlights. She's still doing all the normal stuff she does (interacting with Placid, Hillevi, Silja, Hyougo, and all the people in the house, spending quality time with Armas, visiting Cookie Lady and bringing her to the Dojo on Tuesday).
>>
No. 470680 ID: 9718f3

>>470623
SUST, not enough flowers. (Seriously though, this is all terrible.)


[Thought Experiment]
We know that the way Armas learns new things is that he "hardcodes the actual data into my Id and can instant-access it". This isn't particularly meaningful in and of itself, many people must learn this way and their Ego still has to prompt their Id to use the skills learned. But Armas is different, he doesn't need his Ego to prompt his Id to action, he can act without Ego. Any skill coded into his Id, which is all of them, is eligible for use in Armas' egoless state.
But skills aren't just things like making magic bubbles out of soul energy, it's things like cooking or sex, even learning itself. Taking things a step further, Armas should be able to leave the bulk of mechanical learning up to his Id while he devotes the entirety of his Ego to understanding the theoretical side of the material.

Igor:
-Ask around for decent black market weapons dealers and purchase a Milkor MGL-140 ($2000), 50 smoke(white)($2000), 100 practice tracers($4000), and 100 HEDP($6000).
-Exhaustively study every one of the rituals SB was generous enough to provide and begin testing their effects.
-Take time every day to get used to his new shadow and spirit sight and see what he can... see.
-Continue work on personal armour.
-Try to make hummingbird a... Matroyska doll set that looks like him and can hold liquid between the shells? Uh, okay this definitely bears practicing for.

Svetlana:
-Standing order: give generic giftbaskets to people on their birthdays, on behalf of the company.
-Be extremely thankful when Satai wakes up. No notes, no contact lists, and that work load; how does the man even do his job?
-Attempt closer collaboration with Satai.
-Put together standard corporate NDA for company, submit to superiors for approval.
-Update her wardrobe since her things are somewhat worn out, out of date, and not in the local style. $2500 budgeted.
-Begin to incorporate scarves into the outfits she wears, where appropriate, so that HB has somewhere to sit comfortably. And out of sight, though she doesn't mention this to him.
-Make a little nest for HB attached to a clothes hanger so it is mobile. She is decent at crochet, has yarn, and time to experiment. A double-layer to hold shape better, possibly around a metal wire frame if the shape wont hold, with raw cotton worked into the inner layer for extra comfort.
-Attempt brewing more highly caffeinated coffee for HB. Call Andrei for advice and instructions, he has a reputation for this kind of thing after all. Quietly admonish self against falling to her mild caffeine addiction.
-Search online for a 1974 Dnepr MT-9 650cc motorcycle and find a seller in Romania offering a restoration project with almost all of its original parts and a number of spares for $900. Buy it immediately and pay $235 to have it shipped to the mansion within the week.
-Ask more approachable co-workers for help with chakra training after Go Ping leaves.
>>
No. 470977 ID: 759c6f

Vlad's tasks while in Italy:
-Shoot an email home to father and grandfather, see how they're doing. Reply with a status update if everything's okay, also pictures.
-Go out shopping and pick up a nice Saint Barbara medallion to wear. Saint of people who worth with things that go boom, can't hurt to have a little token of insurance.
-Think back to the alcohol-seeking rampage incident. ...Yeah, that was kind of a fuck-up, shouldn't have gone to such extremes. Also Camella is scary. Attempt one week of sobriety as penance, inform tiny Italian commissar of possible erratic behavior during that time.
-Remind self this does not prevent STOCKING UP on booze for later consumption afterward.
-Distract self from lack of alcohol with funny cat videos on the internet or finding a gym to work out at. Or maybe downloading more gunsmithing books/trolling gun boards.
-Try not to get into too much more trouble.
>>
No. 471267 ID: 34d817

Satai Orders:
- Continue mentalist training with Shadowbro until he declares it complete; then wake up
- Check on/with the armory, Stacey, Svetlana, Verusha, and company friends to determine any events and changes during absence
- Relentlessly train mentalism up to the limit of what is possible while still acting normal outwardly
- Offer to remove traumatic or otherwise unwanted memories from other members of the company, both for their mental health and for weaponization
- Investigate Labombard's mind if/when asked
- Seize additional opportunities for money which present themselves
- Seize additional opportunities for lore which present themselves
- Finish off a certain job which was interrupted by unconsciousness
- Get more information on Placid from the company members; meet him and talk if nothing untoward is discovered
- Get back to quartermaster duties; get more ammo and make purchases as requested
- Spend what time can be spared making contacts/picking up magical women (whichever, really)

Grisha Orders:
- Enjoy the hell out of new body and powers; quickly become the most adored person in company/town even when not present
- Have fun of all sorts with Lev
- Ensure that the townspeople and company get along really well; make friends with everyone and smooth over all problems with magic and money
- Teach some townie ladies sexy footwork tricks when bored
- Learn more about pain from Anguisher
- When not working, go on random independent explorations of relatively close parts of Italy; seek out opportunities to make friends and stretch magical muscles
- If Sake comes by have fun in his company

>>466836
>graft a Doonongaes penis to ourself
SUST. No. If we must play with grafting, find something actually useful to graft; if we must play with our dick, use our own fleshcrafting to do it.

>>466840
>Learn lipreading, or have your scout souls in the Allview learn lipreading? Look up lipreading classes on the internet or something.
Looking up and/or taking lipreading classes online would be a waste of our valuable time when we can get this skill grafted or taught in person by someone who knows. And if we need mundane skills taught to ourselves or our minions, we can have Satai and/or Svetlana handle the work involved in locating instructors and arranging for tutelage. Order one or both of them to solve this problem.

>>467550
>Get nine gorillas or other potent animals when it comes to ensouling
>Twist them with magic and then meld them together
We are in a learning phase here. Use something small and simple, like more bugs or mice, when first mastering flesh- and soul- warping into horrible frankencreatures. We can move up to big, impressive things once we know what the hell we're doing.

All the training in this post... needs to be prioritized. Instead of trying to do all that and accomplishing none of it, let's just list out the ideas with our advisers and focus on whatever handful of those they think is most practical over the next few days.

>>468183
>In the mean time we should look up that new database Riker gave us access to.
This is important. Instead of bothering to make our own database, just have a couple minions spend some time downloading everything in this database and make an offline copy for ourselves. It will save us a lot of time and effort we have better uses for.

>Purchase that teleporter pad that our quartermaster Satai brought up a while ago
I support this, although it might take a bit to arrive. At a minimum, allocate funds (four million was cited) and leave orders for Satai to make the purchase.

>>468507
>Speaking of the swarm... I wonder if there's a way to link the mere to us so that when we Swarm, it likewise breaks into pieces? A swarm of HBs with their beaks tipped with a sliver of one-hit-kill jade would be nice.
Definitely supporting this- at least, insofar as asking around our crew about it, and getting any recommendations they might have for where to look in terms of doing further research in this direction. I wouldn't expect to be able to pull this right off, but getting a bit of guidance shouldn't be difficult.

>>468813 >>470089
>Get divine magic lessons from Stacey
>Ask Stacey to recite the question and answer sessions she had with Satai.
SUST. We already got a summary of what Stacey knows, and divine magic was not on the list; further, how the hell is it a good idea to sit around for hours listening to Stacey recite Q&A sessions with one of our minions? We delegated that in the first place because it was a colossal waste of our time! At most, leave a note for Satai to add Stacey's knowledge to our databases and double-check her for any knowledge of divine magic principles that he didn't catch in his initial when he wakes up. That will take all of thirty seconds instead of wasting half a day, and this isn't urgent enough to justify anything more- if it was, we could just mindrip Stacey instead of talking to her anyway.

>set aside 2 million for Dávgon’s research budget
SUST. Instead, take twenty minutes to talk to the man and hear out why he apparently needs millions of our dollars, and why he can't just ask Satai to buy him things so he can work to benefit the company when it's explicitly Satai's job to buy things to benefit the company. Lyubov seems supportive so whatever he wants is probably a good idea, but come on, we put people in place to handle this already. If Dávgon can give us a solid idea of what he actually wants to do and the expected gains from it- and tell us why we can't just buy the knowledge more cheaply- then tell him that we authorize a research budget, but we need regular reports on what he's doing- given verbally every week or so on his own initiative- and that he should work with Satai to buy whatever he needs, with our backing.

>Use Allview to find that werelion that Zosimus wants dead.
Do not do this personally. This is a good plan, but should be done by our world eye minion crew and only after they locate rocs for hunting. Delegate!
>>
No. 471294 ID: 252e1b

Zhenya's Orders

-Enjoy the week off with Matvey
-Get in lots of sight-seeing, including a pistol factory if time allows!
-While drunk have a conversation with Ohotnik about how huge he's going to be when he finishes growing.
-Swimming's not your strongest suite but it, and surfing, is still quite fun.
-Give your friends calls to check on how they're doing later in the week (Lyubov, Sake, Svetlana, Duke).
-Ask Matvey/NNS to please examine the fire gun from the arena to determine its functions.
-Pick out souvenirs for everyone! Nothing too opulent, budget of no more than $600 a person. Except Duke, pick up a nice handle of magic booze for him (no more than $10,000).
>>
No. 471334 ID: 51a2e0

Bagga Orders:
>: Found out about a fist oriented fighting school called Limber Larry's Beef Beater in the meat packing district. Considering it is Ibruhem turf, he'll wait until he has a buddy and hopefully some charms to prevent commands to his blood.
>: Decide to participate in the fight club Adib went to. Apparently Adib put in a good word for him! Yay! What can possibly go wrong?
>: Make sure the two rogue hunting missions are done this week.
>: Keep up the vamp training and Ito training.
>: Try to find ways to make the ibruhem training simpler. Maybe feet tapping or drumming fingers? Have to look into it.
>: Try to talk to Armas or one of the higher ups about the garden idea.
>: Make sure to visit his Lizard friend for the foot working training they agreed upon. Should probably look into a method to get there safely.
>>
No. 471375 ID: ef29bf

Armas Orders

>What's my plan for the day?
Get up, have some breakfast, and head down to the sewers to speak to Sometimes Merchant. There are three things on the agenda for today. The first is whatever it was that Matvey noted he wanted to speak to us about on Monday – we've left him waiting, so if it's something like a job offer, he may not need us anymore.

After that's sorted, inquire about the payment we spoke of when we first told him about Chugainov's indiscretions. His exact words were that he would call us once he'd verified the claims. We know he has a phone, so that should have been literal. He didn't call us, though – which may be something to bring up, even if it's just to forgive him for it. Nevertheless, we should discuss payment and terms of use as agreed earlier. Payment could range from an introduction to a memory manipulator that can copy Feodor's biology education over to us – to avoid boring lessons – all the way to something like a soul-slave, like a Svartalf charm-craftsman or a blood manipulator experienced with large projects (like a certain Company Heart). Terms of use shouldn't be too much of a worry, since the information doesn't really affect us, though we may want to include something like him not being able to use it to harm us in any way.

Thirdly there's the prank footage that Shadowbro has. Simple distribution contract here, I think. Some fixed percentage of value of anything he's paid for the footage comes to us – I'm thinking we start off at 60% and let him try to haggle down – and in return he gets exclusive distribution rights, meaning we don't sell it to anyone else to sell (while implicitly still allowing us to sell it). That should be everything, unless there's anything else he wants to bring up.

For the rest of the morning, we should follow the plan presented in >>468183, with the following additions:

--Put in a call to Abloec, and if he answers/appears, invite him to test out the possession system on the golem – but make clear that he'll have to hand over his memories of it for now, since it would be a terrible security breach if that information were to get out at this point. He can have the memories back at some point after the testing phase is over (hint: it might never be over). If he doesn't like that deal, offer him something to sweeten it.
--While talking to Go Ping, keep the Sphere Labyrinth Orientation up. Towards the end of the session, we should also get him to organise another chakra lesson with each of Meng Yun and Lo Fang for later in the week.
--When checking the AORB database and the Smiling One's website, check out websites with either large areas of land or islands for sale (not necessarily the island suggested by >>468507)

The afternoon is for learning about magic sex from Gianni with Lyubov. Try not to let Gianni convince anyone to provide any 'demonstrations' that are of the sexy sort.

At some point that night, take Bagga in to apologise to Johan, using >>468183 and >>470089.

>And do I want to go right off Roc hunting when I find one, or do I want to get real meticulous planning it?
Just use the sections from Arkeus' post (>>467550) entitled “General Hunting Tips”, “Bait Funny Way”, and “Division of Spoils”.

Voting
>>466836
SUST to everything except for buying the cars and learning to make soul batteries.

>>466840
>>468813
SUST to those purchases from Johan. As others have said, he's too much of a security risk for too little potential with regards to the golem's armour, and the anti-scrying is less than important considering we live in Amen, who's already been shown to prevent scrying (if Allview's any indication).

SUST also to the projects for Igor – not only does Igor have enough work to do with the golem's armour, but none of the other minions need additional mundane armour – and adding extra senses to the golem (both electronic and biological) – wait until the possession system's ready, there's no point just overwhelming the users with however many extra sources of actively decoded data.

I'll upvote the lucky charm stuff – it'd be pretty funny to lure Sake in, grab him, and start rubbing him on them to see what happens. “What, I can't just rub you on stuff to make it lucky?”

I'll also upvote the lipreading idea, although I feel that it would be better to get it as a memory graft that we can put on the Allview souls, since we won't be the one looking for stuff.

>>467550
SUST to that Go Ping training. Not only is training with time dilation something that can be harmful to people without Armas' ridiculously oversized soul, but training with him all day would ignore plans we've already made for Sunday, notably the lessons with Gianni. SUST to the 'General Training' list except for epithelial training with Gianni and learning to do item-binding of spirit animals with Davgon (and BC, if he's around). SUST to the “Hybrid Tech” idea, as it's far beyond Armas' current understanding of the topic.

Upvoting the training with Gianni and Davgon, as well as the ideas of magic booze making (maybe Gianni knows how to do it with fleshcrafting, too) and getting Conceptual Strength training from Duke – ideas that would ideally be combined, with the booze being a payment for Duke's time.

>>468183
The only thing I'd go as far as SUSTing would be trying to visit Karganya without an introduction.

>>468507
SUST to copying the Russians' bodies – as noted, it's a huge security risk.

>>470089
SUST to the Stacey Q&A, since that's a huge waste of time. SUST also to the Placid Q&A, with the exception of finding out about the other War Walker – discuss that while walking on Matvey's property, perhaps.

Upvotes go to setting some of the Allview souls to finding the Werelion and collecting information on him, ordering the teleporter, checking up on Labombard, the research budget, and setting that work for Lyubov, Svetlana, and Davgon.

>>470623
SUST to talking to people without suggesting things to actually talk about. SUST to tricking Adelat into breaking her contract – that idea already failed once, so if you're not going to add a substantial plan to it, it'd fail again. SUST to the movie, as based on its subject matter, it'd be a very insensitive thing to make Lyubov watch.

Surprisingly, though, I'll upvote looking into plans for Lyubov's birthday.


Minion Orders
Feodor
*With his usual conversational partners – Lyubov, Matvey, and Satai – busy, on vacation, and comatose, Feodor spends extra time hanging out with Davgon and other housemates.
*Disappointed with his performance when sparring against Go Ping, Feodor continues experimenting with the squid.
*Feodor returns to the sewers to make another purchase from the resident goblin merchant. He buys a book that he can't read.
*Secret arena trip.
*Feodor remembers Dmitrii's birthday and sends him a half a dozen bottles of vodka and some black-market painkillers as a gift.
*Feodor's anatomy training with Gianni and Ivanovich continues. This week's lessons: magic sex organs, and may god have mercy on his soul.
*Finnigan's clinic is busy as usual with gunshots and stab wounds. Mrs K returns for her procedures, and Feodor asks Satai for some help investigating her curse.

Rostislav
*Having calmed down after last shift's “Domina incident”, Rostislav decides to get his puppies under control. By bringing them to work and having Radu curse them, naturally. The evil puppy is cursed to be unable to express its hate without permission and the lazy puppy is cursed to not be on fire.
*Secret arena trip
*When he hears about Dmitrii's birthday from Feodor, Rostislav uses his prostitute connections to organise the kind of party Dmitrii would enjoy (if you know what I mean) over in Italy.
*Finish the guard job.

Ivan
*Ivan continues meditating alone, still trying to 'aim' at his soul. He's helped by his new ability to see souls' positions.
*With Matvey on vacation, Satai unconscious, and Nikifor in Italy, Ivan has a lonely time on the range, trying to keep the sniper group going as the only sniper present.
*Working and training at Ito's takes up a lot of time, but it's balanced by not being forced to undergo six hours of chakra training a day. Ivan uses some of that free time to work on his jukenjitsu form.
*Ivan continues his bulletmaking operation, finishing off the rest of the silver he bought. He leaves a note asking the currently insensate Satai to contact a specialist in magic ammunition so that they can be further improved.
*Ivan decides to relax and go to the zoo. On his way out of the mansion, he's met by an inquisitive Iosef, and the pair go together. Patting a derpy litigon is the highlight of his week, though that crow is annoying.
*Ivan spends some time getting some park pocket-realm rest.
>>
No. 471572 ID: 805d4d
File 135286519345.png - (353.43KB , 1024x768 , dolladollabillyall.png )
471572

From #golemquest with love.
>>
No. 472822 ID: 40fb55

Matvey's orders are as follows:
/\/\- Enjoy his vacation. See the sights. Meet people, including an affable vacationing Doonongaes named Tree Tender. Taste the local cuisine. Find magic food still wholly dominates mundane.
/\/\- Wistfully depart from Italy by Tuesday and return to Istanbul. Bring back chintzy souvenirs for everyone.
/\/\- Throw himself into training for upcoming match against the Transcendant gladiator that challenged him. Take himself out of sniping practice, hopefully temporarily but likely for a long while. Hone swordsmanship with Shuhadaku Zayin's guidance; attempt to ignore his garrulous methods. Seek out dojos with Ito's help in order to pit your lack of form against established sword styles for development. Visit Das Bones' regularly for advice.
/\/\- Attend to officer duties as per normal, but pass along the various mission reports, communications, and other accessory paper work to Svetlana.
/\/\- Begin a training program for all of the employees at the company with a focus on teamwork, the development of group tactics, unit cohesion, and coordinating the increasingly disparate power sets present within the company. Use traditional military experience, Black Army training, and your personal set of leadership abilities to develop the program. Schedule it in lieu of chakra training when Go Ping has left. Render it mandatory.
/\/\- Ensure the payment for the recently completed jobs (the ambulance mission [$55,000] and Ibruhem vampire bounty hunt mission [35,000]) has come through and that the company and mercenaries involved are paid. Sort out between any of the brothers you can reach what exactly the pay for the Hobgoblin job long since completed is and make sure it gets out to those who worked on the mission.
/\/\- Make house purchases. Buy tools and supplies for construction and home repair, good ones. Expand the mundane security system. Get a bigger, better, more durable bed. Swap out the wood burning stove for an electric or gas stove. Buy a good sound system and music library. Start filling the actual library with books, consult Zhenya to see what she'd like stocked. Purchase fun stuff, like a pinball machine and pool table.
/\/\- Take Ohotnik to socialize with the puppies the couple that breeds kangals has. Try to make idle conversation with them, keeping up the ruse that Ohotnik is simply an impressive kangal crossbreed. Note this is becoming harder as he keeps getting bigger but is still puppy-shaped.
/\/\- Ask Svetlana if she would be willing to teach Zhenya and yourself how to cook in your decidedly old fashioned kitchen in your new home. After she accepts spend a couple pleasant evenings learning how to make edible things. Unfairly compare her baking to Cookie Lady.
Iosef's orders are as follows:
I- Visit Johan throughout the week, wonder if he's even getting close to the end of his list of unstable rituals he's going to test on you. Haha, probably not.
I- These eating contests are starting to get boring; he's hit most of the big ones in the city already, maybe it's time to step it up. Ask around the company and be told by Gianni there's this place called Bonzi's that has some eating challenges, decide to scope it out. See an ogre eating a child-sized pile of meat on first arrival: decide this is perfect.
I- Successfully be lazy and avoid having to train with Go Ping in favor of Honey Boo Boo viewing.
I- Catch Ivan making an outing, ask him what's going on, learn he's going to the zoo and decide to join him. The walking from place to place seems annoying and you start to wonder if it's worth it when you could just see animals on that one television channel that has that show about bigfoot, get a chance to pet a big cat, totally worth it.
I- Keep heavy weapons skills sharp. Check that all the heavy weapons you're familiar with are properly maintained and take the Gatmalite out for practice. Fail to report ammunition usage to Satai or Svetlana.
I- Be lazy, hang out in new spot inside the workshop where Davgon and Gianni work. Enjoy delicious snacks and watch all the mind rotting television he can. Ponder if he could fit a minifridge in there for maximum lazy man efficiency. ...Yeah, he probably could.
I- When Rostislav is free ask him if he can get Adib to give you some lessons on how to do hand to hand combat, maybe it'll let you make better use of that soul quirk you got that you almost forgot about. Get okayed by Rostislav: wonder when he should bug the Adib guy.

Titus' orders are as follows:
T- Stay on that guard job; it's been pretty quiet on his shifts.
T- Keep working on incorporating the upgrades Armin suggested into gloves. To that end, and since the taser gloves are a very economical design at present (around 5-8 grand per pair for the basic package), he's making a handful of other mk.IVs.
T- Consider and plan a mk.V design that would incorporate the tree (and spirit) of a certain dryad into the design. Wires mimicking a human nervous design have some resemblance to a tree's branches, and the exterior would be made of her wood. Also consider making a whole suit out of this stuff. A heavy rubber/kevlar bodysuit would be kinda uncomfortable, but useful if electrified.
T- He's been working as an assistant instructor of Sambo over at Crash Course for a little while now. Hang with Hans (the Sambo guy) and Hafaz's group. They're a pretty friendly bunch for ex-military. Go out for beers, pay his own way without buying more than a round every now and then.
T- On the 10th, there's a world-traveling BJJ guy coming to hang out with the Corvos Academy team. He basically swings by to kick the asses of the locals in local tournaments and then heads off for another country the next day or two. He sounds like a hoot. Attempt to convince him to spend the night in a palatial mansion in the heart of Istanbul in exchange for a few pointers. Claim to follow his blog; he probably loves fans.

Igor's orders are as follows:
(Iggy)-Ask around for decent black market weapons dealers and purchase a Milkor MGL-140 ($2000), 50 smoke(white)($2000), 100 practice tracers($4000), and 100 HEDP($6000). Be pleased with purchases, yet still unable to shake discomfort with more modern technological contrivances. Find self irrationally thinking a cartoon-style fuse bomb would be better.
(Iggy)-Exhaustively study every one of the rituals SB was generous enough to provide and begin testing their effects. While practicing, get offer from Gianni to make minor modification to his wrists so that he can bloodlet more efficiently. Mull over proposal.
(Iggy)-Take time every day to get used to his new shadow and spirit sight and see what he can... see. Damn shadows and soul stuff-keeps moving too much. Someone should nail that stuff down so it's not so distracting... or rivet it.
(Iggy)-Continue work on personal armor. Render it testbed of new SB rituals.
(Iggy)- Oh shit, Armas ordered him to make modular plate armor for the employees! ...Wait, that sounds fun. And it'd let him demo stuff for the next rendition of the golem armor! Great success!
(Iggy)- Due to a combination of naiveté, prodigiously magical booze served by Bonzi courtesy of Labombard's money, end up very drunk… long story short, get betrothed to a dwarf from the Dimirken Clan. Igor's got some 'splaining to do!
(Iggy)- Acquire Marriage Debt (One step below Blood Debt, two steps below Life Debt, three steps below Clan Debt, the greatest Debt one can owe a dwarf) to Herata Kheazai, for interfering enough in fallout of betrothal to let Dimirken Head learn who Igor's boss is before killing Igor to prevent impending dishonor of his daughter.

(Iggy)-Try to make hummingbird a... Matroyska doll set that looks like him and can hold liquid between the shells? Uh, okay this definitely bears practicing for.

Svetlana's orders are as follows:
{S}-Standing order: give generic giftbaskets to people on their birthdays, on behalf of the company.
{S}-Be extremely thankful when Satai wakes up. No notes, no contact lists, and that work load; how does the man even do his job? Feel like he's cheating upon learning that he doesn't sleep.
{S}-Attempt closer collaboration with Satai.
{S}-Put together standard corporate NDA for company, submit to superiors for approval. Learn from Satai that magically binding contracts are a thing-wonder if that would be better.
{S}-Update her wardrobe since her things are somewhat worn out, out of date, and not in the local style. $2500 budgeted.
{S}-Begin to incorporate scarves into the outfits she wears, where appropriate, so that HB has somewhere to sit comfortably. And out of sight, though she doesn't mention this to him.
{S}-Make a little nest for HB attached to a clothes hanger so it is mobile. She is decent at crochet, has yarn, and time to experiment. A double-layer to hold shape better, possibly around a metal wire frame if the shape wont hold, with raw cotton worked into the inner layer for extra comfort. HB is pleased.
{S}-Attempt brewing more highly caffeinated coffee for HB. Call Andrei for advice and instructions, he has a reputation for this kind of thing after all. Quietly admonish self against falling to her mild caffeine addiction. Contemplate getting a Turkish press, having heard one can make excessively caffeinated beverages with such a device.
{S}-Search online for a 1974 Dnepr MT-9 650cc motorcycle and find a seller in Romania offering a restoration project with almost all of its original parts and a number of spares for $900. Buy it immediately and pay $235 to have it shipped to the mansion within the week.
{S}-Ask more approachable co-workers for help with chakra training after Go Ping leaves. Still find the entire notion of 'harnessing one's chakras' a bit baffling.
{S}-Be assigned duty of working with Satai as appropriate to draw data from AORB threat database. Longterm project.
{S}-Be made aware of Smiling One's website, provided Armas' login, and be told to find a decent price on one (1) Cyclops eye. Be provided analysis of prior cost for acquiring a pair.

Vlad's orders are as follows:
\/-Shoot an email home to father and grandfather, see how they're doing. On getting a suspicious response, realize he got drunk and forgot to tell them the night he meant to let them know he was, in fact, alive, contrary to Chugainov's report. Whoops. Send pics as proof of liveliness.
\/-Go out shopping and pick up a nice Saint Barbara medallion to wear. Saint of people who work with things that go boom, can't hurt to have a little token of insurance. Give no fucks to the ribbing over having acquired a mundane charm-boom is boom.
\/-Think back to the alcohol-seeking rampage incident. ...Yeah, that was kind of a fuck-up, shouldn't have gone to such extremes. Also Camella is scary. Attempt one week of sobriety as penance, inform tiny Italian commissar of possible erratic behavior during that time.
\/-Remind self this does not prevent STOCKING UP on booze for later consumption afterward.
\/-Distract self from lack of alcohol with funny cat videos on the internet or finding a gym to work out at. Or maybe downloading more gunsmithing books/trolling gun boards.
\/-Make it one hour into sobriety before caving.
\/-Try not to get into too much more trouble.
Satai's orders are as follows:
$- Continue mentalist training with Shadowbro until he declares it complete; then wake up. Be thankful for new Mentalist mentor-in-a-locket.
$- Check on/with the armory, Stacey, Svetlana, Verusha, and company friends to determine any events and changes during absence. ...Iosef's been helping himself to heavy weaponry and munitions without logging anything.
$- Relentlessly train mentalism up to the limit of what is possible while still acting normal outwardly.
$- Offer to remove traumatic or otherwise unwanted memories from other members of the company, both for their mental health and for weaponization. Get initial response from Feodor towards this end.
$- Investigate Labombard's mind if/when asked.
$- Seize additional opportunities for money which present themselves.
$- Seize additional opportunities for lore which present themselves.
$-Be caught by Armas: Be informed that he should work with Igor to design next edition of Golem Armor to include embedded camera hardpoints and transmitters-both for intelligence gathering, and funny video capture. Be more concerned with the first reason, no matter what Armas says. Be told that he's expected to give this more attention than he gave the tank issue.
$- Keep a close eye on newly reported (Last Spelling) contention amongst Leprechaun populations-seems something's going on there, even if they're not talking about it. Maybe a change of leadership?
$- Finish off a certain job which was interrupted by unconsciousness. Find it immensely easier to complete with rudimentary mind-reading at his command. Who would have guessed.
$- Get more information on Placid from the company members; meet him and talk after learning no one has anything negative to say about Placid that has actual substance.
$- Get back to quartermaster duties; get more ammo and make purchases as requested.
$- Spend what time can be spared making contacts/picking up magical women (whichever, really).
Grisha Orders:
G- Enjoy the hell out of new body and powers; quickly become the most adored person in company/town even when not present. Find dreams that involve the people around her slowly becoming alien little critters she can't understand-or make understand her-strange but funny, and brush them off.
G- Have fun of all sorts with Lev. Lev's opinion only tangientally enters into the equation for funtimes.
G- Ensure that the townspeople and company get along really well; make friends with everyone and smooth over all problems with magic and money. Find self doing this to 'clean up' after Vlad somewhat often.
G- Teach some townie ladies sexy footwork tricks when bored. Laugh at how much more interesting this makes the town bars.
G- Learn more about pain from Anguisher. Ow, but informative!
G- When not working, go on random independent explorations of relatively close parts of Italy; seek out opportunities to make friends and stretch magical muscles. ...Huh, doesn't seem to find anyone. Wierd-doesn't everyone else practically trip over magic stuff even when they don't want to?
G- During Sake visits (wow he can fly fast!) have amoral fun of the prankish sort.

>Bagga's orders are as follows:
>: Found out about a fist oriented fighting school called Limber Larry's Beef Beater in the meat packing district. Considering it is Ibruhem turf, he'll wait until he has a buddy and hopefully some charms to prevent commands to his blood.
>: Decide to participate in the fight club Adib went to. Apparently Adib put in a good word for him! Yay! What can possibly go wrong?
>: Make sure the two rogue hunting missions are done this week. Be wholly oblivious to the knowing smirks of the older members of the company at this assertion!
>: Keep up the vamp training and Ito training. Unsurprisingly, getting a proper handle on his blood's magic without official tutelage continues to be immensely time-consuming relative to results-who knew?
>: Try to find ways to make the ibruhem training simpler. Maybe feet tapping or drumming fingers? Have to look into it. ...End up learning even MORE ways to trip, stumble and in general make a fool of self in the name of training. Have zero evidence this is better than the existing methods.
>: Try to talk to Armas or one of the higher ups about the garden idea. Be told to do something impressive with a plant first, and THEN they'll listen: No, buying a magic plant that's nearly impossible to mis-care for doesn't count. Lame adults!
>: Make sure to visit his Lizard friend for the foot working training they agreed upon. Meet with Lyzzyrd Skyzzyrd in Sewers to this effect. Continue to be shocked by fact that he doesn't soak up magical knowledge like a sponge.... what? He needs craptons of actual physical strength and superior response-time to actually use what he's learning here? Man, that almost sounds like montage rules don't mean shit here!
Feodor's orders are as follows:
*With his usual conversational partners – Lyubov, Matvey, and Satai – busy, on vacation, and comatose, Feodor spends extra time hanging out with Davgon and other housemates.
*Disappointed with his performance when sparring against Go Ping, Feodor continues experimenting with the squid.
*Feodor returns to the sewers to make another purchase from the resident goblin merchant. He buys a book that he can't read.
*Secret arena trip, sh don't tell anybody!
*Feodor remembers Dmitrii's birthday and sends him a half a dozen bottles of vodka and some black-market painkillers as a gift.
*Feodor's anatomy training with Gianni and Ivanovich continues. This week's lessons: magic sex organs, and may god have mercy on his soul.
*Finnigan's clinic is busy as usual with gunshots and stab wounds. Mrs K returns for her procedures, and Feodor asks Satai for some help investigating her curse.
Rostislav's orders are as follows:
*Having calmed down after last shift's “Domina incident”, Rostislav decides to get his puppies under control. By bringing them to work and having Radu curse them, naturally. The evil puppy is cursed to be unable to express its hate without permission and the lazy puppy is cursed to not be on fire. Evil puppy hates this: Lazy puppy sleeps through the procedure, and doesn't seem to notice-or care. Not sure which.
*Secret arena trip. That Feodor's pretty fun, hah!
*When he hears about Dmitrii's birthday from Feodor, Rostislav uses his prostitute connections to organise the kind of party Dmitrii would enjoy (if you know what I mean) over in Italy.
*Finish the guard job.
Ivan's orders are as follows:
*Ivan continues meditating alone, still trying to 'aim' at his soul. He's helped by his new ability to see souls' positions.
*With Matvey on vacation, Satai unconscious, and Nikifor in Italy, Ivan has a lonely time on the range, trying to keep the sniper group going as the only sniper present. Well, at least Hillevi's there-she may be throwing ice, but she's doing it at ranges in the miles, and with pinpoint precision: close enough to sniping.
*Working and training at Ito's takes up a lot of time, but it's balanced by not being forced to undergo six hours of chakra training a day. Ivan uses some of that free time to work on his jukenjitsu form. Eyes boss the few times he sees the guy use it: Looks like he's got all sorts of other stuff in his version. Mull over trying to pick up some of that.
*Ivan continues his bulletmaking operation, finishing off the rest of the silver he bought. He leaves a note asking the currently insensate Satai to contact a specialist in magic ammunition so that they can be further improved.
*Ivan decides to relax and go to the zoo. On his way out of the mansion, he's met by an inquisitive Iosef, and the pair go together. Patting a derpy litigon is the highlight of his week, though that insistently busybody crow is annoying.
*Ivan spends some time getting some park pocket-realm rest. His suspicion over the fact he's found it and not yet seen any other entities there continues to wane.
*Be assigned duty to learn how to lipread by Boss when he runs into Ivan at a café.

Lyubov's orders are as follows:
L*~Forgiveness Sunday is a good day to apologize for things. Do so in person when possible, and otherwise by phone. Get it taken care of before the lessons with Armas and Gianni.
L*~Throughout the week get in as many lessons with Armas, Placid, and Dávgon as time and schedules permit. [40 hours]
L*~Contact Ito’s tax assessor, ask for a referral to a good lawyer. Initiate the patent process for the magnetic array designs. ($2,000) [4 hours]
L*~Make contact with the nonprofits that have been founded by Tesla fans (The Tesla Foundation, Tesla Inventor’s Club, Tesla Society). Start the process of networking with them via e-mails and phone calls. [4 hours]
L*~Ask Hillevi to make some liquid nitrogen and show her and Placid how to make their own ice cream (the gourmet method where you mix it with heavy cream and flavoring). Realize shortly thereafter as they fill a room with magical ice cream that this was likely a mistake. [4 hours]
L*~Buy a 3D printer and play with it a bit ($22,000). Convert the micro-matryoshka electromagnet array design into a format the 3D printer can read. 60 micron thick stacked loops will ensure much more powerful magnetic fields, though it will require a week-long build time for all the arrays required to make the next iteration of the plasma wing. At least the build can run on its own, mostly. [24 hours]
L*~Work with Dávgon and Mom on the Divine creature and Monster Anatomy research and compilation project. [24 hours]
L*~Continue the research into Armas’s past as time permits. [4 hours]
L*~Think about how Sake has, on multiple occasions, complained about being tired all day because of using all his stored healing magic not long after sunrise. Conclude that the reasonable solution is to trap sunlight from the sunrise so that Sake can meet the required conditions to re-charge his body whenever he wants.
L*~Discover through published research that a number of researchers in India have figured out how to use ferrofluids, oleic acid compounds, and magnetic trapping to catch photons. Collaborate with Feodor (he has way more chemistry experience) to help duplicate the experiments and modify them to be useful for catching sunlight. Build light concentrators (ordered parabolic mirrors on constructed frames, $400 each) which direct light into the entrapment device, which can be triggered by dropping the magnetic field. The prototype runs on wall power, has a battery backup, and is about the size of a microwave oven. ($8,000 to $15,000 in parts, lab equipment, and reagents). [8 hours total, Feodor’s part takes 4 hours]
L*~Once the prototype (using completely mundane parts) is proven to work, get Armas to have Sake exhaust himself during one of the sessions with Stacey and Silja. Then ambush the sleepy weasel with the prototype! Hopefully this will go a long way toward making him feel less upset with her. ...After recieving weaselly buttslap to the face, conclude he does in fact feel less upset.
L*~Visit the magic electronics shop, learn that magic superconductors are based on pure metals and use the Super concept to work at room temperature. Useful, but expensive and dangerous to work with. Ones based on mundane principles and combined with ever-ice spell effects exist but are only superior to what is mundanely available because they don’t need active refrigeration. They’re actually more brittle and harder to work with than the best mundane products. Oddly enough, no one seems to sell a product based on phonon manipulation. [2 hours]
Zhenya's orders are as follows:
-Enjoy the week off with Matvey
-Get in lots of sight-seeing, including a pistol factory if time allows! ...It does, woohoo!
-While drunk have a conversation with Ohotnik about how huge he's going to be when he finishes growing. Find Ohotnik's silent contemplation of this topic sagely, up until he starts gnawing on a hind leg. Give scratchies. Receive licks.
-Swimming's not your strongest suite but it, and surfing, is still quite fun. Though it's a bit wierd to see a dog's way better at surfing than she is.
-Give her friends calls to check on how they're doing later in the week (Lyubov, Sake, Svetlana, Duke). With worry note that Duke describes himself as being bored.
-Ask Matvey/NNS to please examine the fire gun from the arena to determine its functions. Something something devil-bullet demiplane somethine something ammo regeneration something something no idea how to check ammo count. ...Huh. Whatever, fun pistol!
-Pick out souvenirs for everyone! Nothing too opulent, budget of no more than $600 a person. Except Duke, pick up a nice handle of magic booze for him (no more than $10,000).




>>>466836
As Lyubov's leg stirs over my midsection in a manner I find quite enjoyable, I find my first thoughts of the day to be sexual. But not quite in so straightforward of a manner as might be assumed-no, I'm thinking about something I technically did once, and the Gianni's own area of expertise.
[Sake]"Kehehehe-"
Again, not that direct. Sake, that weasel wine I drank when we bonded-does that amplify existing magics, or does it grant wholly new branches or school of magic?
[Sake]"It just amplifies, why-oh! Oh oh oh, you're actually following up on that!"
…Wait, so when the Kyrppa Peiko mind made my body throw a wind blast with my dick-
[Sake]"Yeah, you've got a natural affinity for phallomancy!"
I do!? That's amazing! Oh, I am totally going to ask Gianni all about-
>[SB]"If you go down that path, you may find me so disgusted by your chosen magical vocation that I'd elect to rate mutual destruction over being associated with a phallomancer. You have many avenues of magic that you've already explored and found competence of a sort in-there is no reason to invest in such a horrid and disrespectful school of magic."
…Okay, I'm going to let this drop-for now-but you know that some day or other, I am TOTALLY learning this, right?
>[SB]"Become well known enough and respected enough that such a black mark against you does not render you a laughing stock any would be loath to associate with, and I may reconsider my stance."
Fine, I'll get crazy famous first. Just don't forget what you said-you aren't going to be a stick-in-the-mud on this forever, else I may decide that trolling myself is indeed a worthwhile investment of time and energy.
>[SB]"…And neither of us want that. Very well-I shall not forget."

With that avenue of fun denied to me for the moment, I focus on a different form of hedonism-the acquisition of grossly decadent toys I can show off. To wit, I pull out the report Satai provided me days ago, for where to acquire a pair of Rolls-Royce Phantoms, as well as contacts for speedy interior remodeling so both can be clad in my favorite color beneath their sleek black exteriors.
>[SB]"I still don't know if I should take it as proof positive Orange is a superior color, or be concerned that your baseless enjoyment of that particular shade is so great that despite no longer having your organic inefficiencies I still covet the color myself."
The former and you know it! Now… let's see, private car dealer contact number… name's…. okay, his last name is Smythe, so I'm not even going to risk mutilating that first name. And… ah-ha, preface the call by mentioning I know 'The Asitane's Owner and have seen his scale collection'. Pretty clear message there-show I know what's what in the broad sense for the magical community, and associate myself with a VIP. Right, that's straight forward. Let's give him a ring…. after getting out of bed. Lyubov murmurs and promptly rolls herself into a cocoon with the newly freed sheets in my absence. After using fleshcrafting to get rid of my morning breath, I pick up my phone to make a call. I clear my throat, shaking some cobwebs off my persuasive panache before a man with a rusty-sounding voice speaks in a paradoxically oily tone.
>[Mr. Smythe]"Who is this?"
>[MMM,MMMM Trait auto-activated!]
"Mr. Smythe, I was given this number after several enjoyable conversations with the Asitane's Owner, all of which afforded me the opportunity to see his most impressive collection of scales."
There's a momentary hiss of a sharp intake of air-oh, I got his attention there.
>[Mr. Smythe]"I… see. Well, I do believe I'll still need some way to reference you, mister…?"
"Mr. Laine."
I pick up the second pause too. Seems he's heard of me-I can work with that.
>[Mr. Smythe]"Understood. Well, Mr. Laine, I have one final question before we can get to business: How… private.. is your phone?"
"Private enough I'd feel comfortable talking about, well, just about anything. Does that assuage any concerns for you?"
>[Mr. Smythe]"It does indeed. Well, Mr. Laine, what kind of vehicles are you looking to promptly and discreetly acquire?"
"A pair of Rolls-Royce Phantoms, black-I don't care what their interior looks like, I fully plan to refurbish them-in fact, I believe you would have a strong sense of who I'll be contacting for that."
>[Mr. Smythe]"The Greek… yes, his shop does impeccable-and oh-so-critically discreet-work. Yes, I'll be certain to send your purchases to him…. So, two Phantoms-does the year or specific variant matter?
"Do you have the Centenary Collection-"
>[Mr. Smythe]"Spirit Of Ecstasy Phantoms? Certainly, I do."
"With Starlight headliners?"
>[Mr. Smythe]"Indeed."
"Well then, I think we have the makings of a deal here."
>[Mr. Smythe]"All that's left is to discuss payment, I believe."
>[MMM,MMMM Trait auto-activated!]
Long story short, Mr. Smythe ends up a bit confused at how he ended up happily accepting $900k for two phantoms of my choosing, complete with aftermarket body replacement-sure, bulletproof car bodies and glass don't mean THAT much in my line of work-but that should make for a far sturdier base for subsequent magical enhancement. I even manage to convince the man to personally foot the bill for the retooling of the car's interiors to my preferred shade… and learn I should have my pair of new vehicles ready in two weeks.
BUSINESS FUNDS: -$900,000.00 $9,672,864.00

After putting the phone down, and finding myself immensely pleased ordering such expensive commodities was rendered far easier than it should have been with the aid of a silver tongue, I chuckle while throwing on an orange robe, and plodding down to Dávgon's workshop. There's a question I want to answer, after having considered the function I've been serving for my Familiar and brothers alike. Despite the early hour, I find Dávgon hard at work, carefully monitoring and influencing the Kudoku jars as the refinement process of the existing champions I ensouled continues apace. On my entry, he carefully puts down his tools before turning to face me.
>[Dávgon]"Yes? If you're here to check on progress, the insects are coming along nicely at acclimatizing to their fabricated souls and coming into harmony with them appreciable to what they'd experience with a natural soul. It shouldn't be long before they start manifesting genuine soul quirks indicative of their own preferences-and after that they'll be fully matured souls."
"And at that point, they'll be about as flexible as is initially feasible, and we can look at actual purposes for excessively toxic, survival-paragon ensouled bugs."
>[Dávgon]"Exactly."
"Great to hear-but not what I came here for-not this time, at least. I've been thinking about magical batteries, and have been wondering about a possible offshoot of that school of crafting: Soul Batteries. Do you know much about them, and the laws concerning them?"
>[Dávgon]"I do. Ask, and I shall answer as best I can."
"Excellent. Well, I'm curious if it's even legal to make Soul Batteries, first off-"
>[Dávgon]"It is, provided you don't convert an existing soul into one without a Contract giving you total ownership of said soul. Making them from 'scratch', or from pieces of one's own soul or a willing other's soul are perfectly allowable."
"Is that so? That's reassuring to know-so, my methods for making a battery are A-OK, so long as I'm making them from myself-or a willing other."
>[Dávgon]"Precisely."
"And then, to make sure I'm not operating under grossly inaccurate assumptions-exactly what IS a soul battery? Is it just a mindless well of soul energy, like what HB, SB and Sake can tap, or is it something else?"
>[Dávgon]"No, that's accurate enough: Effectively, if you made a Soul Battery from yourself, it would be a Mindless, Bodyless piece of Soul bereft of initiative or intelligence-raw existential power. And since it's soul-"
"I can slap bindings on it as I will."
>[Dávgon]"Correct. The only problem is time: Reshaping and refining a fragment of soul into a stable battery, even for you, would still take a day-the method, at least the ones I know of, all require you to start at dusk, and finish at dawn."
"Well now that is a wrinkle in my plan. …Still, it's readily doable for me, even if the timeframes are irritating. I'm assuming the process is hands on enough I wouldn't have much chance to multitask?"
>[Dávgon]"That is correct. On the plus side, given your abilities it's doubtful you are even capable of outputting lackluster soul batteries without consciously trying to do so."
"Hm… good to know. Thanks for clearing that up, Dávgon. I'll leave you to your work. …Actually, do you have more insects you'd like me to ensoul?"
>[Dávgon]"No… however, I would like you to look at how all of the souls you already crafted have been developing, in detail, and attempt to engorge their Soul Capacity: They have more than enough Soul Coherence to withstand it."
"Sure, I have a few hours."

I completely miss breakfast (and run into lunch) getting the souls 'pumped up', but everyone seems to have managed in my absence.

>>466840
As I quickly sauté some unnecessarily magical stir fry to munch on, I recall that I owe Johan an apology on behalf of the company… thanks to, primarily, Bagga. So after I have my snack, I promptly stalk out of the kitchen, get dressed, hunt down Bagga, grab the runty vampire by the scruff and, before I can make it out the door, Lyubov foists a plate of pumpkin bread on me-made by the Cookie Lady specifically for Johan. Armed as best as possible for my 'mission', I march out the door, on my way to the Demonologists-and have Bagga go completely limp in my hands. …Right, sunlight. I walk back inside, shove him in the biosuit that makes him Gloom-sized that the kid somehow thought I didn't know about, re-pick him up, and go back outside. Throughout it all, he seems a bit nonplussed, and can't really offer any input until we're several blocks into the trip.
>[Bagga]"…Um, Mr. Laine, sir… why are you carrying-"
"You were an idiot, I'm shaming you for it. Enjoy having people stare at you on the way over."
>[Bagga]"Won't… won't they stare at you too?"
"Goblin footwork kid. They barely notice me-and the few that do don't bother me. Why, you not liking the attention?"
>[Bagga]"I'm not wearing clothes!"
"Sure you are-just inside the biosuit."

He makes a few more squawking noises and complaints on the way, but since he seems to grasp how important of a business contact Johan is, he's not getting heated about it. Frankly, he's taking this better than I'd expect a teenager to take it-but then, he can't really BE a kid anymore. If a public shaming helps him realize it… well, I'm man enough to provide it.

For completely unrelated reasons Sake Snickers from around my neck.

We reach Johan's shop, and on entering I toss Bagga onto the ground before the Demonologist, still holding the plate of pumpkin bread in my off hand.
“Johan. I understand one of my men was rude. He wants to apologize.”
When Johan's gaze goes from me to Bagga and the kid doesn't immediately start apologizing, I nudge him with my foot by way of prompting him.
>[Bagga]"Oh! Um yes, I'm very sorry Mr. Johan, I-"
>[Johan]"Did you bring him the whole way here in your hand… in that suit?"
The smile I give Johan at the question isn't QUITE feral. While nodding-just to really make it clear-I offer forth the plate of food, following amusement with indulgence.
“I brought you a little something as well, to make it clear my company appreciates the business relationship we have with you.”
Johan, his face inscrutable even as I can sense the joviality that now wells in his soul at the thought of the insulting kid being shamed, tries a bite of pumpkin bread-and stops, staring at his hand while images most nostalgic flash across his soul, of long-past times when his mother would bake just that product for him. …Yeah, Lyubov came through there. Looking up from the plate of food, he offers me a rare smile.
>[Johan]"…Apology accepted."
"All right."
I turn to Bagga.
"Okay kid-you can head back. I got business to discuss with him."
The vampire opens his mouth-or his biosuit's mouth, at least-closes it, shakily nods and darts out the door. The moment he's gone Johan guffaws.
>[Johan]"Aaaah… yeah, don't think he'll be forgetting how that went for him. ..Heheh, thanks for that-I needed a good joke, I think."
"So no harm done?"
>[Johan]"Water under the bridge. ..Where'd you get this bread?"
"Trade secret."
>[Johan]"Oh I'll find out one way or another… so? What's the business you wanted to discuss?"
"I wanted to know what options you can bring to the table, for enhancing metal armor grafted to a golem."
>[Johan]"A war golem?"
"Exactly."
>[Johan]"Well, I can do several things, but most of them are along the same vein. I'll go ahead and start with the least expensive options, and work my way up. First option is infusing the metal with Demonic or Devilish taint, in the form of blood-this would let the war golem be percieved as a fellow demonic being to demons and devils, as well as making it more resistant to harm from demonic origins. Outside of masking and resistance of such a specific nature though, there is no benefit. The next option would be burning devil bones atop the armor in a ritual to infuse supernatural strength into the metal-this is a more universal resilience, but does make the armor more readily detectable to demons. The next option would be to reduce a demon into an oil that would then be applied to the armor before it is blood treated, rendering the armor invisible and poisonous to demons, while making it able to inspire fear in non-demonic entities. Lastly, I can infuse devil souls into the armor and then soul bind the armor to the war golem it's grafted to, rendering the golem massively resistant to any attempt at stealing Ownership, as well as allowing the war golem's passive magical abilities, whatever they may be, to apply to the armor itself. Each of the four potential avenues of enhancement come with price tiering based on quality of ingredients and rituals as per normal. If you want a more detailed breakdown, I'd need to see what you want enhanced."
"I see… you've given me something to think on. Just for a ballpark, say money's irrelevant: How durable could you render basic steel armor?"
>[Johan]"As magically unassailable as a locked demiplane, fatally poisonous and undetectable to devils and demons alike, treated as living flesh by the war golem, and as resilient as First Grade Mithril."
"Hm… I see. Thank you for the summary Johan-I may well have a rather large project soon."
The old man merely nods, enjoying his Pumpkin bread. Rather than even attempt small talk, I simply nod to him, and make my way out the door. Just as I'm about to make my way home, he calls out a final comment.
>[Johan]"Word of advice: Enhance the metal itself as much as you plan to, before you look at ritual options."
"I'll keep that in mind."

I'm only a few feet out the door when Sake uncoils from my neck and soars off to points unknown, clearly intent on adventure. On the walk home I entertain myself with Attention Sensing and being unseen in a crowd-and spot Ivan out and about. …Well, he's out: He's currently just sitting at a café, watching the crowds pass by. Curious, I take a seat next to him, and quirk an eyebrow his way. He gets the hint.
>[Ivan]"….Watching mannerisms."
"Of the general populace? Why?"
>[Ivan]"…Gloom used to."
"And so you're… what, taking over his hobby?"
>[Ivan]"….Infiltration technique is important."
"That's certainly true-but be honest, how much are you picking up just watching?"
>[Ivan]"…Not much."
"Let me take a stab in the dark here-you're lacking context for a great deal of what you see, right?"
He takes a sip from his mug, swishing it about his mouth before answering.
>[Ivan]"…Seems that way."
"If I may suggest-lip reading. It's wholly mundane, so no one can detect you'd know what they say out of audible range unless they could get in your mind and see you have the knowledge."
>[Ivan]"…It could work."
"Indeed. Should I take that as an admission the topic of study interests you, and you will pursue it?"
>[Ivan]"…Yes."
"Then let me know when you feel competent at the art-I may have some highly profitable business for you."
Like buying a copy of the knowledge to implant in my Allview souls.
My only answer from the Russian is a nod-and I leave the soul-eyed one to his afternoon meal.

Right as I reach the mansion, I detect Sake's soul inbound-and by the sheer spiritual amusement he's sporting he's got something fun to blab about. I hold the door open for him as he swoops in, and promptly get bombarded with snicker-filled words… and leaves.

…No, specific leaves-clover leaves.
>[Sake]"Hey! I'm finally getting a handle on Ramidreju innate magic-you know, outside the rubmagic stuff-and I totally need your help with some fun tricks! I wanna reinvest luck in these four leaf clovers, so we can use them as Luck Charms!"
"Why wouldn't they already have luck in them?"
>[Sake]"Because everyone knows they're lucky, and some people got stuff setup so they can siphon luck out of known lucky items-before anyone can even use them! So, we gotta build our own-and I figured re-lucking something that was already lucky once, is way better than lucking something that was never lucky at all!"
"…Is that just a guess, or-"
>[Sake]"Nah-remagicked stuff is usually better than once-magicked! So, gonna help me?"
"How exactly can I help?"
>[Sake]"I need some of your blood so I can bath in it, get Ramidreju luck in it, then I'll soak the clovers in that, and sleep on them for seven days! That'll put the luck back in, and it'll probably stick!"
"So you just need my blood?"
>[Sake]"Well, I'm gonna use a bunch of your bleedoff soul energy to do all this, but you already give me that. Wanna watch?"
"Yes-I won't deny that Luck Magic is something I'm quite interested in. Will I be able to see the process?"
>[Sake]"Um… not unless you change your binding so that you can only sense luck magic inside of souls, and not just souls in general, I think."
I look to HB on my shoulder, knowing how he feels about me picking non-regenerative orientations.
>[HB]"…How long will the initial ritual take?"
>[Sake]"Hm… two hours?"
>[HB]"I find this tolerable."
…Aaaaand binding changed to exactly that as I promptly slice open my hand and fill a cooking pot with my blood. What follows is decidedly fascinating to me-for one, I learn that Sake's fur is hydrophobic specifically to blood, and with my binding switched, I see… something… a glimmer of glitter and pizzazz, flash made substance venting from the weasel's fur and into the swirling crimson fluid, building slowly, with every wiggle imparting just a bit more of this nebulous something that I have to assume is luck. After a quarter hour of thorough bathing Sake hauls himself out, careful not to spill any of the charged sanguine fluids, and tosses in his harvest of several dozen four leaf clovers. From there, Sake promptly starts desiccating the pot with a slow-moving wind manipulation, reducing the pot's contents more and more, until only a ruddy paste is left atop the impacted leaves. From there, Sake meticulously licks up the paste, one by one revealing the now browned leaves, looking particularly plump-and infused with that same almost-sparkle that I now know to be spiritual luck, concentrated from the liters of fluid that had originally housed it. Interestingly, licking them clean seems to increase the luck in them-perhaps some is being transmitted through Sake's saliva? Finally, with each and every leaf cleaned, Sake gathers them all up, drops them in his personalized sleeping donut, curls up…. and goes to sleep.

I'll go ahead and assume the ritual's over now-and I switch my binding back to regeneration rather promptly.
>[SB]"I find it curious how much like cooking that was."
Yeah-I had assumed rituals had some common themes to them, but… based on this, I have to reassess that. There's commonalities, sure, but few in terms of specifics. The similarities are more in the need for input, either in components, actions, environmental effects or something like that, along with… let's call it programming, in the form of runes, specific methods of using components, spoken chants, what have you. …It's less of a branch of magic, like, say, Fire Manipulation, and more an entire school of it.
>[SB]"Agreed. It seems similar to Chakra in that respect.""
Yeah-absolutely massively broad, and unlikely to ever be fully mastered unless I've got a few dragons in my pocket or something equally ridiculous.

I help myself to a cup of coffee in the kitchen, pour HB a saucer of energy drink, and ponder Ritual magic in general, wondering just what I'd want to specialize in, to get appreciable returns for study. Eventually giving that up as a wash thanks to my lack of a concrete purpose with the magic just yet, I decide to check in with Sometimes Merchant-he wanted to talk to me about a few things, as I recall. Popping down into the sewers, I'm accosted rather immediately by my 'favorite' Goblin. Interestingly, his mask isn't sporting an indulgent or smug look today.
>[SM]"Do I need to remind you of my already stated wish to eschew work for or associated with the higher powers?"
What is he-
>[RRRRRR Trait activated]
Ah-
"Just because Lyubov's associated with Tesla doesn't mean I do his bidding, or otherwise act in his name. Or is such an indirect link as that an issue? If so, I'd have to question why Ogrimmir's influence on me is acceptable, but this is not."
The fitful glow of his ever burning halo flickers-and the pensive-looking mask shifts into a more normal grin.
>[SM]"So long as you retain that view, then there's no issue."
"Good to know. And the actual reason you wanted to speak to me?"
>[SM]"Two things: First, a query as to whether we can strike a Bargain. …Do you know anything about who let out an ever-expanding Hydra deep beneath the surface?"
"I wish I could say I did, as I imagine you'd value that information."
>[SM]"…Indeed. Well, if your awareness of the topic changes, do let me know. The second topic… a potential contract, one with a rather vast award: A complete imprint of my tribe's awareness of Goblinic practices: Wyld Goblin Footwork, Ventriloquism, Dark-Wearing, Trap-Making, Charm-Crafting, Cooking, Tracking, Animal Husbandry and Martial Arts. All said and done, several millennia worth of learning in the arts of the most… discreet… species of goblin."
"I say that's a hell of an offer and we both know it. Now what's so desirable you'd offer something like that?"
>[SM]"We wish you to slay the Meat Circus for us, with an item of our making."
"…To be absolutely clear, so there's no chance of miscommunication-"
>[SM]"Of course."
"You're asking if I'll take a contract to use a Goblin weapon to strike down Meat Circus, onetime piece of Amen, current integral part of SugarSkull's Arena, itself owned by a collection of Dragons, thereby crippling the arena and earning said Dragon's-and SugarSkull's ire, alongside the entire no doubt massive audience and competitors of the Arena?"
>[SM]"Hence why we offer the sum total of our Tribe's knowledge. And we both know that if you can orchestrate the assassination discreetly, the primary risk-that of vengeance after the fact-will be a nonissue."
I rub my chin at that. It's a stupidly dangerous offer even for me, but that payment…
"Hypothetically speaking, say I accept the contract: Would there be a timeframe?"
>[SM]"Within two fortnights."
"Mm-hm. And would I get any backup, like you provided for that Hobgoblin job?"
>[SM]"We would be willing to invest thirteen goblins in providing a distraction, but no direct aid, no."
"And this weapon-how easily would it kill Meat Circus?"
>[SM]"You are wondering if assassination is possible, or if the killing would be a battle? The weapon will slay Meat Circus in a single strike-but this must be delivered inside of the circus-not to the exterior."
"So if I wanted to be stealthy about it, I'd need a way to get back out wholly undetected, from a dying demi-plane entity… hm."
>[SM]"I can tell you're quite conflicted-you have time, yet, to consider the offer. Just know that if you accept, you will have to finish the mission-once the weapon is in your hands you cannot renege."
"…Got it. That it?"
>[SM]"For business? Yes. Beyond that-I was wondering if you would like to watch some of our tribesman in their efforts to integrate your teachings on modern weapons into our preferred combat styles?"
"…Would my pay be anything beyond my own learning of your new style by observation?"
>[SM]"No."
"…Sure, let's see what they've been working on."

Turns out… they've been working on quite a bit. I-and HB in triplicate-watch them use guns in a manner I find ingenious-they hide from the Attention that their gunfire draws, rather than using silencers. Careful observation only tells me that it's an evolved form of Attention avoidance-
>[RRRRRR Trait activated]
Until I realize I'm looking at the external version of Attention avoidance that goblin footwork provides. I'll need to test it thoroughly myself sometime to be certain, but… I think they're disassociating themselves from the shot's sound on some magical level, and it lets them simply not be detected as the originator of the shot. That said… since they're still standing where the gunfire comes from, a canny mind that actually is familiar with firearms will know that, detection or no, the shots came from a specific direction-and return fire doesn't explicitly need a detected foe to work. HB agrees with my assessment, and we mull over potential ways to move to most economically get out of the danger zone after successfully shunting shot-attention… only to have SM interrupt our internal conversation.
>[SM]"You've been watching them for hours now-so? Whatever your current thoughts on the implementation would be considered fair payment for the viewing."
"…I think that it's a great external use of Attention-diversion, but I think that the footwork is being neglected too much, and will lead to reflexive return fire still being a threat."
The Merchant cups his hand, nodding at the squad that's been demonstrating for us in a shadowed room of nebulous proportions, who all promptly fade from sight and perception.
>[SM]"…I see. Yes, that makes sense-in fact, I find that council valuable enough I must make an admission to balance the scales: I, and most of the older magical community, still have trouble thinking about what kind of weapon a firearm IS, on the field of battle. Yes… one truly doesn't need skill to be dangerous with it-a phrase with two meanings, and I fear I neglected the less-known of the two."
The shadows around us reverberate with a chuckle as my Soul Shadow's presence swaddles us all.
>[SB]"Indeed-It's not that they are just easy for the untrained to be dangerous with, but that they present danger to a skilled fighter OUTSIDE of purposeful, competent use, and that must be warded against as well."
HB perks up at that.
>[HB]"Truly? I had not considered this, due to the woefully slow speed of the attacks 'guns' generate. But… magic can accelerate them, can it not? I give you my thanks, Shadowed Soul."
>[SB]"While your appreciation is noted, it is the Goblin's reaction that I am interested in."
>[SM]"Indeed-and I'm happy to note that since I came to this realization and alluded to it prior to your comment, I owe you nothing."
>[SB]"Oh, I'm well aware. Does that conclude your business with us for the moment?"
>[SM]"It does. Shall I return you to beside Amen?"
"Not quite yet. I assume you've verified the information I provided about Chugainov by this point."
>[SM]"Ah, the dear general… yes, we have, though regrettably Jidkova is now dead and irrevocable unusable, rather than simply isolated and distrusted. A pity."
"Which doesn't change the fact that-"
>[SM]"We owe you something of value in turn for it on confirmation, yes. Do you have a field of reward in mind?"
"I happen to be looking for a skilled and discreet memory manipulated talented at copying and safely installing memories and skills. What can you do for me in that category?"
The mask flickers speculatively, the flames as hesitant as the eventually offered answer.
>[SM]"…I believe the only fair trade I can offer, given that, is to offer you the name of an imminently helpful and… cheerful… individual quite prodigal in the realm of Mind Manipulation-a first generation bloodliner by the name of Katz Obermensch. He is not interested in making money, but rather copying-solely for personal use-new memories and skills. So long as you do not have anything you refuse to let a… tight lipped individual possess without the intention to vend or gift, then Katz could fulfill your needs gratis, provided they are regularly new to him."
"And if I do ask him to move primarily things he knows?"
>[SM]"He will grow bored and eventually refuse. He will not reject future proposals out of hand, however."
SM hands me a slip of paper with a phone number on it."
>[SM]"I am required to ask you not bandy his name about widely-he prefers to not be notorious. Is that acceptable?"
"That is agreeable."
And just like that I'm back home, and a glance at the sky shows it deep into the dark of night. Smirking at the free seed of growth for Attention-Sense and it's applications I got out of that, I wonder about the second truly massive job placed on my plate, as I head in and get some sleep.

MONDAY, MARCH 7th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS: $3,233,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $9,672,864.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 65%
WINTER ENERGY: 160
SUMMER ENERGY: 50/50


>>467550
Again dude, HB cannot yet make time-dilated soul-bubble worlds or anything of the sort-he can just make soul bubbles, that's it.
I wake up to find Lyubov getting out of bed to head out for a jog-seems she got thoroughly hooked on those early morning runs thanks to Camella, and I wave goodbye to her before getting ready for the day. I find that, interestingly, it's not the new goblinic practices awaiting investigation for potential application I want to look into-no, it's something far simpler, and broader. I've heard of and seen Zhenya trying to learn of Strength from Duke-and I've seen the results. I know that, whether she fully grasps it or not, the man is teaching her the foundations of Conceptual Strength Manipulation, such as he knows it-and that's something I'm very interested in. Were I to couple that with truly overcharged chakra… I wonder, I wonder, just how much strength would I have?
>[IT]"A dangerous, dangerous, dangerous amount. The realm of Conceptual manipulation is vast-and perilous for far more reasons than you might suspect. As to what those manifold, oft-hidden reasons might be? Well… I am, after all, the working of a Trickster God: How would I be living up to old Rabbit's way if I simply told you?"
I grab a bottle of Pheonix-heart infused vodka from the still in Vlad's room while I mull over-and discard-the warning. The realm of Conceptual magic is too.. too powerful, to likely to let me strive for the heights of dragons for me to discard for a vague warning. As I make my way through the house to Duke's current haunt, I can't shake the sense of laughter coming from the gun at my side.

On finding Duke lounging on a sofa and watching K-1 reruns and constantly heckling the fighting, I toss him the filled cup as I sit down beside him.
"Duke."
>[Duke]"Armas."
"You appreciate to the point discourse, yeah?"
>[Duke]"Always."
"I'm looking to learn how to use Conceptual Strength, and think I could take… proper lessons in it, unlike Zhenya-who, by the way, I appreciate the baby gloves on."
Mid-guzzle of the gallon container I lofted his way, Duke shoots me an uncharacteristically appraising eye.
>[Duke]"Normally I wouldn't give a fuck, but you are the guy giving house and booze for my use-you know that it's more than just brain damage, learning a Concept, right?"
I shrug with a lax grin on my face at his not-quite concern.
"I already brute force learned the Concept of Today, and applied it to my Soulbinding."
A wide grin spreads lips over equally wide teeth as Duke's visage goes positively predatory.
>[Duke]"Well now… if you're willing to spend a fuckton of time regenerating from and during my lessons… yeah, I'll give teaching you my tricks of Strength a shot."
"Excellent."

I already know what's coming when I see him move to drain the last of the bottle.
"Though I'd prefer to not unduly damage the house in the process."
He pauses at that-I head off whatever that frown building on his face precipitates.
"I'm thinking different venue. You got a place in mind, or would 'in the woods' be good enough for you?"
With a final swallow he finishes the brew and sets to thinking.
>[Duke]"…Mm. Owner's pretty big on keeping magic quiet, and to teach you proper, I'm gonna be… loud. So… fuck, let's go to the Undersewers, plenty of big enough places, with no one to hide from. …Where should we-"
>[HB]"I know of several locations where beings of considerable might could privately spar in the Undersewers."
Before I can think about how many questions I have about that statement, Duke claps his hands and gets up.
>[Duke]"Right then, let's go to whichever's closest."
>[HB]"I believe that Duke will need to carry my giant, if you wish to make good time-it is a considerable distance to even the closest, for those not blessed with wings and aerial swiftness."
>[SB]"Or… I could just shadowport the both of you. I've determined that Duke's hail enough I can move him without causing actual damage with my current ability, and I've…. been around the dark. Are you thinking of the canyone beside Enkidu's Necropolis?"
>[HB]"The same-it has no occupants at the moment."
>[Duke]"Hah, a ride through the Dark? Let's do it!"
Shadow rises about the both of us-

[DISCONTINUITY]

We arrive in an underground grand canyon, the walls sable and softly glowing with an inner light, the air murky, as if forever fogged, with the towering walls of the canyon miles apart. It is an underground wasteland, quiet and desolate-

Duke displays his appreciation for it with a pleased roar before turning to me.
>[Duke]"Well kid, wussy lessons or real, the method's the same-I'm going to beat my understanding into you, and make your body understand what it means to be strong. You ready?"

He doesn't wait for a response before charging my way. Instinctively, I ply Overcharged Reinforcement, Hummer's Momentum and Dunter Footwork to throw myself away from the coming blow-only to see Duke frowning at me, his momentum halted as suddenly as it began.
>[Duke]"Learning's no place for that sissy dodging shit-you get beat with, and you rage out with Strength to learn it-you don't run away from it!"
"That would be easier to accommodate if I could actually see your real strikes coming."
>[Duke]"Wha… ah. The Glamor. Sure, I can do that. …Heh, not like anyone'll see."
The man that has almost always looked like an aged, tanned caucasion with dignified grey hair swept back and matching his white suit plucks something from his chest… and transforms. An aquiline nose becomes a repeatedly broken mass of gnarled, bulbous flesh. A svelte jaw becomes ponderous and primal. A graceful neck bulges like a bull's-and hair blackens darker than shadow, spreading rampantly across the formerly clean jaw. Everywhere, the body bulges, ditching dignity and aesthetic for muscle, for power, for strength and raw force. A discarded charm is tossed to Hummingbird, as Duke, now finally visible as Li Kui, the Iron Ox, the Black Whirlwind hefts his pair of axes and smiles at me.
>[Li Kui]"Aaaah…."
His breath does not steam, nor does smoke come from his mouth-instead, a foreboding sense of weight, of Attention compressed into something new wafts from his mouth, shaking the magical vapors whizzing across the room.
>[Li Kui]"Okay. Now-lesson time. And don't you be a bitch and dodge-you can take it."

What follows….

Is pain.
>[GAMBLER'S GRIM GUTS advances into the level four trait GAMBLER's GRIM GUTSY GUMPTION!]
>[GGGG now allows Armas to rapidly adapt to any form of pain at unnatural speed-no form of mundane torture can effect him, and any static forms of pain will fade from distracting him within one minute, and can only incapacitate him for a handful of seconds! Magically induced pain can still breach this if specialized.]

Immense amounts of pain that redefine how I view the notion of agony.
>[GAMBLER'S GRIM GUTSY GUMPTION ascends into the level five trait GAMBLER'S GRITTY GRIM GUTSY GUMPTION!]
>[GGGGG allows Armas to acclimatize to curse pain and magical pain as well-and provided enough time, any magically induced pain placed by something less potent than a dragon will eventually fade to fully ignorable levels!]
SUMMER ENERGY: 0/50
I don't come close to actually fighting Duke-no, what I did, what I was there for, was to have 'Strength' beaten into me… and having been subjected to it, I think I understand, at least in part, why. Between the endless regeneration from body-crushing damage, I got a glimpse of it-a sense of what's beyond the horizon, past 'all my strength'…. and in it, I see a shadow of that same… something… I've come to recognize within 'Today'. I can't quite tell just WHAT it is yet-but it's there, and I can detect it in every blow that Duke strikes me with, every casual time he drives fist through bone, flesh and stone alike. But after a four hour session as brutal as anything I've every even dreamt of, something that disabused me of the last of my silly human views on pain's importance, I know that there's definitely something to learn here.

Strangely enough, it's Duke himself who stops the lesson the moment he notices I have a headache even after regenerating-and says I should wait a few days before the next lesson. SB brings us back to the mansion after assuring me he and HB will take care of the many splatters and parts of my body I left behind. So, having showered and re-dressed myself, and with an empty Summer bloodline… I decide to follow up on that Roc Hunting idea, because it's awesome, and will see my Summer Line fully recharged. I thank Duke-now once more disguised-for the lesson, and start preparing. Let's see….

Roc1:---II can't say that I found an actual nest with multiple Rocs, since my Allview Souls (Shall I call them Viewers?) can't get too close. Seems even with concerted effort, the best my Viewers can do is determine which thunderstorms have Rocs in them-not the number, the specific location, or spiritual information. I'd either need to give them all massively inflated spiritual perception-the likes of which would rupture their souls as is-or build some sort of electrical ward-piercing function into the Allview. Point is, I'm not getting more detailed information than 'Rocs over yonder!'
Roc2:--- I'll want a Soul Guise that's appropriate for hunting… so, not just 'Don't notice me', but a variant that wouldn't feel like prey. After all, it seems safe to assume at least some magical critters mask their presence spiritually-and I don't want to overlap with them and get attacked. So… I'm thinking 'patch of dirty hail in the storm', what with the nearest storm sector containing Rocs being in an area where it's snowing and hailing. It's not perfect, not at all-but for something they won't even be able to properly notice, it should be good enough to close the distance.
Roc3:---It's pretty much guaranteed they'll be in the air-they're in stormclouds, and while the nearest identified 'nest' is in a mountainous region, weather reports don't put the cloud coverage's bottom near enough to the peaks to matter. So I'm going to, effectively… be riding Sake. Good thing he's got energy to spare. Speaking of Sake, I'll probably want to abuse his magic tripping shenaniganery-I imagine abruptly being upside down is bad for Rocs just like it is for most anything else. …Fuckall chance to do shadow-pinning: Midair, there's nothing to cast the shadow on, and the ground's far too distant for long range pinning.
Roc4:---Since even the closest will take hours to reach by Sakeflight, there's no real way I can bring Hillevi (Sake's told me she's far too heavy for him to lift), so no freezing the thunderstorm funtimes. A pity, but it looks like this job's mine and my brothers, and no one elses. ..Well, HB can come too.
Roc4:---I'm not knowledgeable about Rocs, not enough to actually bait them-so this will be a good old fashion 'locate, kill and retrieve' hunting trip, no staking out a trap with bait or anything like that. Which is good, as that can get pretty time consuming.

With my four critical details about how I'll approach the hunt figured out, I recheck my Viewer's findings, note the nearest storm's slowly drifting away, relative to Istanbul, and decide there's no time like the present.
"Oy, Sake!"
A green blur flies into the room as I strap Iron Trick and the Mere to my person. HB, as ever sitting on my tie's knot, simply watches in silence.
>[Sake]"Yeah yeah, what's going on?"
"You could fly me, right?"
>[Sake]"Oh totally!"
"Great-we're going Roc hunting."
>[Sake]"Ooooh, right now?"
"You know it. You coming HB?"
There is a burst of wind from wings far too tiny for the deed, as a glittering bit of brilliance hums out a reply.
>[HB]"You seek to best and claim those of avian descent that dance in the sky's wrath and have the boldest calls of all…"
A sense of not-heat… no, the idea of heat colors the air about my throat as the diminutive figure atop my tie picks his meaning with care.
>[HB]"…I would lose my claim to having the heart of a true warrior, if I dared refuse such an invitation as this. Onward then, to battle, and glory amidst the tempestuous hunting ground of our foes!"

I would have prepared more after that-double checked plans, maybe tried to finagle a way to bring a cow as bait or something-but honestly, having a hummingbird give a psych-up speech, however brief, is enough for me: We're gone with the wind.

With Sake wrapped about my waist like a belt, the four of us(Sake, Hummingbird, Iron Trick and myself) swiftly ascend to the skies and make haste to the north-north-east, to a storm some ninety miles out with exactly the weather we need, and Allview consistently pinging as being near certain to have Rocs. I find, on arrival, that being unshielded in a raging thunderstorm stuffed with hail and rampaging rain several thousand miles above the surface is a bit stiffer conditions than I had really anticipated-makes sense, since I didn't sit down and pull a Satai before heading out. Still, compared to… well, just about anything I've had to deal with recently I ended up labelling 'bad'… it's hardly a problem. Ignoring the stinging, the cold, the biting chill and all, my Soul Guise proves no issue to maintain. And yet, even with myself fully occluded and enduring of the weather, my search is hardly easy-or swift. The storm is, simply put, massive-and the Rocs aren't to be found in the heart, as I'd initially anticipated. What's most interesting is that while I can detect the Roc's souls-both of them-I simply can't get a stable read on them. Their souls appear for the barest instant, and flicker away long before even a second passes, leaving me to wait for their next appearance. It takes hours, but I eventually find out why they've been so uncannily difficult to pin down: They come with the lightning. It's HB who makes the discovery, with one of the many probe bodies he scattered through the storm, though he is ashamed he didn't capture it. What he saw proves fascinating: The Rocs appear within the lightning bolt's body, and on the bolt's disintegration explode into the thunder's rumbling wave, washing over the land. It seems that their cry truly is thunder-and when so uttering it, they become the very sound they roar. While the new detail of Roc Physiology and Magical nature is fascinating, it reveals the task of capturing them as genuinely challenging-something that seems to endlessly please the Hummingbird. He is more helpful, more willing to take action than I have ever seen throughout the entirety of this hunting trip-and eventually, his efforts yield fruit. For tireless huors he swarms the storm with hummingbirds, pushing his will to its limits without a single hint of complaint or hesitation. One of his many bodies is at ground zero for a lightning bolt, and one of the Roc's manifests nearly on top of it. Though destroyed in the process, the hummingbird body manages to puncture the Roc's shoulder, the unexpected wound cancelling it's cry before it's fully formed, knocking it whole and soul-sensible out of the now vanishing finger of lightning. No longer riding the storm's most flash attributes, the bird, the size of a full-sized airplane, shakes feathers of ball lightning loose-that whiz with unnatural precision around the bird. A shield of electrical harm, malleable to it's will as it may be…. prove inadequate. Before I can get close enough with Sake to assist, HB has brought his entire swarm to the defensive Roc… and a war of attrition was fought with great alacrity. By the time I arrive, the remaining seventeen hummingbirds are flying an orbit around a slowly plummeting body…. and the storm around us begins to break up.

When SB confirms Whaitiri's ready (and that she can't tap my soul runoff to boost the ritual), I plunge the mere into the Roc's heart, the corpse and the remaining soulstuff within being fed to the Maori Cannibal Goddess. She chants in a tongue most certainly alien to Te Reo and nonsensical to my understanding as the roc's body is consumed by the gem-veined blade. As the last feather is sucked in Whaitiri's chanting, singing out of the blade, reaches its crescendo, my mouth opening of its own accord. I roar out!

And bring the thunder.
[SUMMER BLOODLINE NOW CAN BE USED TO CREATE THUNDER!]
Gain some familiarity with it to explore indirect applications down the line!

SUMMER ENERGY: 55/55

Pleased with the ritual's simplicity and directly observable reward, my throat now capable of creating ear-shattering roars, thundering screams and shattering glass/knocking things over with pressure waves, I watch the storm dissolve around us. The Hummingbird refuses to admit to being let down that we never were able to track down the other Roc we sometimes detected-it seems it left with the storm. With day having turned to night hours ago during our long search, Sake flies me home, HB reabsorbing his clones en route.

>>468183
On our return, I note that Titus is in today-it must be his off day for guard duty at the Zosimus compound. Seeing him diligently tinkering with new renditions of his ever-evolving gauntlets, I blink at the spiritual shadow imprinted on the many gems on his table. Recalling his mention of meeting some form of Lightning Entity in the park, and the imprint itself feeling shocking, I decide my interest has been piqued enough I'm looking to arrange a meeting. I sidle up to the man in utter silence, and wait until he's not handling something easily broken.
"Hey!"
Predictably, Titus starts, his fingers twitching enough one of the shaped pieces of nomex falls to the workbench beneath his hands. He manages to offer a passable smile when he turns to me.
>[Titus]"…Mr. Laine. Can I help you with something?"
"Indeed you can Titus. I've found myself looking to arrange a meeting with Karganya-for myself, and Lyubov, if she's amenable to it."
I can feel the sudden tension in his soul as he works to choose his words carefully.
>[Titus]"…Sir, you are aware that Lyubov's the Witch Saint of a God of Electricity, and that Kar… the Lightning Spirit is, well, made of Lightning?"
"You're saying she'd be worried about what Lyubov might do to her? …Hm, not knowing Lyubov I could see how the Spirit would come to that conclusion. Can't fault it either-simple self preservation. Okay-is there a specific protocol for the spirit's kind, in regards to how her concerns could be alleyed, and the meeting be rendered permissable? I'm fairly certain it'd be mutually beneficial to all."
>[Titus]"I can certain bring it up to her and see what the options are."
"That's all I need. Let me know how that goes, okay?"
>[Titus]"I will."
I Item Sense the complete sets of gauntlets as of yet assembled at his workstation.
"And solid work there-they're feeling more along the lines of professionally crafted magic items now."
He blinks at the unexpected complement, mouth working for a moment before he glances sheepishly at his work.
>[Titus]"They… they are? I had hoped, but… that's good to-"
When he turns around I'm out of his field of view, having idly decided to Goblin Step my way out of the room.

Have to have a little fun, after all.

Next, I have a chat with Svetlana, and explain to her the access we've acquired to AORB's threat databases. Once I've made it clear it's effectively like a compendium of dangerous critters with useful information, she seems wholly onboard with the project I give her, of perusing the database and working with Satai to beef up the companies personal threat database. It helps that it's really just data compilation and acquisition, stuff she's more familiar with than the majority of the magical stuff she's been subjected to. I imagine she finds the notion of this project comforting, in a way-and her soul lends credence to my theory. I tell her to see what they have on the Triads, Mafia, Neonazis, Istanbul-based Vampire Dynasties, Were Tribes and Bloodline Houses, as well as the Wyld Goblins. Past there… she can look up whatever threats she deems most appropriate. I also introduce her to Smiling One's website, and give her a brief overview of the fact I'm putting together a techno-organic mobile defensive unit, and I currently need a Cyclops' Eye to finish the project. While she views the site's overall theme a bit askance, she seems on board with the idea of getting parts for a home defense unit. …Ah, creative phrasing: I love it.

With that done, I go to the Khorobrova I'm far more acquainted with, intent on some sexytimes-to find she's got an alternative idea for the night that I can't help but find intriguing… or at least, I eventually do.
[Lyubov] “So. I have been talking to Silja, and I told her about an outing I had with Placid, out to the modern museum. And um. We talked about him, some, and his abilities. She was very impressed, and wondered if it would be ok if she could meet him, and get his help with... finishing.“
Awakening Silja… it's a goal I can't just brush off, no matter where I hear it.
"Hm. Yes... I can see how that could work. You really think she'd be okay with that? He is a bit... inhuman."
[Lyubov]"She asked, which is a big thing for her all in itself. She is not used to being assertive at all. I did tell her that she would need to know exactly what she would like from him. He is only a month old now. She sort of seemed, uh. Hesitant, initially, about that. I get the feeling she tried hard to not be a burden in her first life. But I made it pretty clear she has to be explicit about what she wants if she gets help from Placid. And she's been thinking it over, anyway."
"Wow. Well, if she's for it, then yes, we should look into that. ...I'd still want to get her a bit more development though-I don't know if you can sense it, but her body is still... crying out, I suppose, for nourishment. Plus, we'll need to find out what Placid needs to finish this-not to mention concretely nailing down exactly what she wants to ask for is probably going to take her time. But yeah, I completely endorse this when both parties are ready to avoid unfortunate miscommunication."
[Lyubov]“I... uh. Will get a whole bunch of magazines and anatomy books and stuff for her to look at. So she can be sure she gets what she wants for looks. The rest, the way all the magic in her flesh manifests and ends up being put to use, that will depend on how her development finalizes, right?"
"I believe so. Spiritual reincarnation from and into a vessel like that... well, I'm afraid I don't have much experience with it. ...But, as interesting as that is, that is not at all relevant to why we can't have a very fun night right now, so..."
I find my attempts to get at the sexytimes I sought stymied, my hands brushed aside-as Lyubov gets to her really topic.
[Lyubov]"Oh! Wait. I know you stood Gianni up for a good reason last night and all, but, when I went to talk to him about it and make sure he wasn't offended by us bailing at the last minute, he mentioned that. Uh- wow you're grabby tonight- that he could help me... um. Get familiar again with my chakras."
…'Stood up'. Yes, I suppose that's right-even though I only did so because a certain brother promised mutual suicide if I investigated things like that.
>[SB]"Indeed I did-and the threat still stnads."
I let my hands stall out as I process what Lyubov just said, not just the start of it.
"As in you could actually use them again?"
[Lyubov]"Yeah. He and Dávgon talked about me a bit and my chakra issue came up apparently- well, anyway, Gianni's pretty sure if he just... manipulated... each chakra gate's seat in my body, he'd be able to show me what changed, and then I could just, you know. Adapt what I've learned already, to my new format. But. Uh... he'd need to... get grabby."
I wiggle my fingers enthusiastically.
"And you're thinking if someone's gotta be grabby..."
[Lyubov]"Mmm. Yeah. And... also, this is kind of something you'd enjoy anyway. I mean, you brought up the idea of doing something sort of like this in front of everyone last month. And, I'll get to watch what you're doing. I've got a good handle on reading what you- ah… Gianni's all-mortal magic is like a foreign language to me right now."
"And if I'm the channel for that magic, it gets switched to divine..."
[Lyubov]"That's what I mean!"
I lower my hands, bow my head, and make another head bow as well with a bit of fleshcrafting prowess. There, now I can focus.
"Okay, shall we then?"
[Lyubov]"Yeah. He said he'd wait a bit tonight to see what we decide on. So we can catch him right now."

Turns out Gianni's already heard about SB's promise-from SB himself, I can only assume-and doesn't even bring up the missed lesson. Instead, the three of us sequester ourselves in the soundproofed room, as Gianni lays his hands on me, I lay my hands on Lyubov… and a bit of bodily puppetry takes place. I intake Gianni's magical signals, parse them through my own magic, and put them into motion. My hands move, caress and glide-and I feel the tendrils of magic spiking from my fingertips to tease about her chakras in tune with GIanni's own salacious but informative dialogue. It seems there's been a bevy of small but, cumulatively, important changes to her chakras thanks to the Witchification, and Gianni walks her through the every detail of the difference through me. It takes a few hours, actually, to go over them all-but by the end, Lyubov's ecstatic: She's fully regained her old chakra competence in her new form. Perhaps it is because of this change, then, that she's so keen on her very first suggestion, the moment we leave Gianni's room-while I'm still mulling over what I learned about identifying chakras in other's bodies and interacting with them via Fleshcrafting. Seeing no one else up and about-and presuming them all off at Ito's by their absence-I decide that her suggestion has merit, and we head off to see Ito's after a brief conversation.
[Lyubov] "Thank you for helping with that. I learned an awful lot during that, about myself and my chakra gates, and about how you and Gianni formed that conduit for channeling his efforts into you. And... I am pretty certain I could copy that now. So, uh, I'd really like to try it, and I think I know something we can do that will give it a test, and make up for things with Ito. Since, um. You did send most of Old Master's instructors away to Italy."
Funny how she still calls him Old Master. She’s grown leaps and bounds in the two months since I first heard her use that title for Ito, though in our way, all of us have.
"What, you want to tweak his gates?"
[Lyubov] "Yeah, and... maybe finish what Sake started? I mean, he is in much better shape now, but, couldn't you. You know. Make him like he's your age? That way he'd be able to keep up with the student overload he's got right now. If I channeled for you, I'd learn from it, and he'd benefit just the same."
"Channeling FOR me would bloat up your magic real fast though. On the other hand, if you... I guess programmed me? Yeah, programmed me to provide the fleshcrafting, I could do it, effectively at your will. But that doesn't grant you the necessary knowledge of how to do the fleshcrafting...This seems a bit like a catch-22. Thoughts?"
[Lyubov] "I need a way to bleed off some of the energy I've got... but I've got my actual chakras again, not just the divine emulation of the reinforcement orientation. If I can get an orientation up that's expensive to run, and that pushes my gates... I don't know. It would depend on if I could do it and bleed off energy at least as fast as it accumulates... Right? I think that's right, anyway."
"That could take quite a bit of time. Why don't you just watch me Fleshcraft Ito this time, and then you can try your hand at the programming thing for someone else, later. Otherwise, you have to learn new ways to use chakra, and that'd be even more time consuming."
She gives it some serious consideration. I can see how she’s torn well before she verbalizes it.
[Lyubov] "Well, that's fine too. I just. Um. Want to try out what I'm learning and everything, but yeah, I can't just let that be a reason to throw caution to the wind. It's just I noticed I learned a lot more in a lot more detail from being involved in that conduit you and Gianni set up. Maybe there's some way to have the best of both sides, where I can be part of just your intent, while you push the majority of your power through a direct connection to Ito. Like, you guiding me guide you, I guess?"
Maybe it’s because we just finished a multi-hour session where I got to grope her openly in front of someone else, but a rather naughty thought strikes. I can't help but leer a bit.
"Well, if you were stuck reeeeaaal close to me, you'd probably read the spiritual radiation I've got going on, and pick up the spellwork in more detail from that."
At first she seems like she’d go for it, and then the full meaning of what I’m implying strikes her.
[Lyubov] "I- um. Wait. What are you- you're not-“
I leer a little more at her.
[Lyubov] “-you are! In front of Ito!? No, nope! No way!"
"Damn. Worth a shot."
[Lyubov] "He wouldn't go for it, never mind me! He'd just kick us out."
"Fine. Observation for later practice it is, then?"
[Lyubov] "I think so. Unless Ito doesn't want me present. In which case... I'll just miss out, I guess. I’ll get dressed and we’ll go."
I guess she feels that keeping good relations with Ito is worth sacrificing a learning opportunity, if he wouldn’t be comfortable with it.

I continue to review what I learned from Gianni tonight while she gets changed, and it isn’t long before we’re moseying along to Ito’s dojo. We arrive just as the night students are getting ready to go home. We say a few very brief hellos, and approach Ito as he packs away training gear for the night. Lyubov launches right into her spiel.
Interestingly, when we arrive at the Gym… no one's there-at least, none of the Russians. Ito spots us promptly, and with the gregarious energy that has possessed him ever since Sake's rubbing, he decisively pauses the lesson he's giving the fledgling vampires, Iskander and the rest, and jogs over to us. Before he can open his mouth, Lyubov starts babbling.
[Lyubov] "Hello Ito! I know it's just about the time you wrap up everything for the night and all, but Armas and I did a thing where he helped me with my chakras and we got to talking and I thought that you could benefit from something like that too. And then we talked some more and we thought maybe you could get, uh, everything done so that you'd have a body that's just as good as when you were my age and, uh. Armas could do that if you want, and if it's OK with you I'd really like to observe while he does so, so I can learn what he's doing and be able to do it in the future myself, for myself and others and yeah. What do you think?"

Ito's face takes on that look I knew best from when he was fully an old man, his youth-inspired exuberance stifled in the face of Lyubov's onslaught.
>[Ito]"...You offer more youth?"
[Lyubov] "Yeah."
His eyes sparkle with... not mirth, but anticipation. He grabs both of our arms, and promptly drags us to another room before sliding the door shut.
>[Ito]"What must I do for this to happen?"
I shrug affably at him.
"Well, just give me skin contact, and a bit of your time... and hold still."
The process is time consuming for me-and with all my attempts thus far at comprehensive fleshcrafting alteration to others, I have to focus wholly on the task. I pick principles I learned from rehashing the Kudoku bugs to better handle their new souls, the alterations I've learned to make in claiming flesh golems, my endless experience at healing myself-all of it swirls together as I continue to target aged cells and render them more vigorous than they already are, shaving bit after bit of age's weight off of Ito. I couldn't quite say how long, exactly, I'm at it-but when I'm done, Lyubov joins me in running an appraising eye over a now thirty-something year old Ito, who looks reverently at genuinely unwrinkled, hardy flesh. With him now physically back in his prime in addition to his literal lifetime of fitness, there's no denying he now looks like a paragon of healthy living-which strikes at odds with how swiftly he grabs a bottle of sake and offers us some dozen odd shots worth of cheer and thanks. Seems whatever irritation he may or may not have had about the reduction in accessible military instructors isn't bothering him a whit anymore-and I make no secret of how happy I am for him. After watching his lessons-and how readily he's terrorizing vampires-every one of them, no matter that some are most certainly not quite so fledgling-with nothing more than chakra, experience, and gumption.

Lyubov and I head back to the mansion after giving Ito the gift of even more youthful vigor-and seriously questioning if this was a good idea-and find….

The moment I open the mansion's door, I'm bombarded by the soul of a wolf wrought of rage and violence, chained, shackled to a human soul that buckles under it's terrible weight-and at the same time, the person is… at peace with their burden, in a strangely captivating fashion he's accepted it so well the weight doesn't bother him as it should-rather, the soul has the illusion of oppression by the shackled wolf. Blinking at the influx of new spiritual data, I hear Lyubov giggling-and spot a naked Labombard on one of the many sofas in the Foyer, a note in Satai's handwriting literally stapled to his forhead. I tear it off the snoozing man's face, idly noting how swiftly the injuring closes-it's near instantaneous-and read Satai's 'report':

Armas: Labombard has quite an appetite (est. 8 tons of food consumed, stocks depleted) but was generous in revelry (speak w/Igor re: marital status if interested). Please make clear whether we will need to feed him regularly so I can increase our food deliveries accordingly.

…Well then.

I glance at Lyubov, still giggling even as she yawns, before shrugging, and deciding I'll deal with it tomorrow. It's time for sleep.

TUESDAY, MARCH 8th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS: $3,233,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $9,672,864.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 65%
WINTER ENERGY: 160
SUMMER ENERGY: 55/55


>>468507
After waking up, I get dressed and call the few Russians not out on missions to the foyer-where Labombard is no longer passed out, I'll need to track him down and follow up at some point-and pose an idea that I woke up to, one that's rattled about my braincase and needs an outlet. Simply put: I propose building backup bodies for everyone, as a personal fleshcrafting project. Unsurprisingly they're initially wary of the idea for a slew of reasons-but that's not the point. What matters is, I convinced enough of them that this is worth serious consideration they'll bandy the idea with their coworkers until it's no longer so strikingly strange to them-so when I ask them again, later… well, I'm confident they'll be interested.

After my groundwork for making the Minions more able to survive… well, death, I head over to Gianni's room, the sighting of one of Satai's RC contraptions inpsiring an interesting set of ideas. On seeing me enter he pulls out a pair of chairs, has a seat, and waits. I begin without preamble, the moment I've joined him.
"I'm curious about perceptual organs, both how they could be implanted in the Golem without overloading a possessor with sensory data, and how they could feed into technological transmitters for creating recordings. Additionally, I want to know if you know of ways to integrate video cameras and assorted conventional sensors into the golem's sensory network."
The easy grin on his face fades a bit as the developing lustful leer in his eye fades at the thought of a complex question. He's silent for a time, idly drumming fingers on his knee, before he responds.
>[GiaGia]"Well. I think that, while I don't actually know much of anything in either of the latter two fields, I do know enough about integrating wholly organic organs to a sensory grid and minimizing extraneous data for a pilot. But that's not at all enough to answer your question."
He cups his chin pensively, a frown tugging at his cheeks.
>[GiaGia]"Although… I do believe I could acquire the necessary knowledge-I know a fleshcrafter that owes me a favor or two, who could put me in touch with a legitimate expert I could get some new memories from. …That said, I'll still need to expend an appreciable amount of capital. So I'd need funding, and time-but I could provide exactly what you need."
"Interesting. How much?"
>[GiaGia]"One hundred thousand dollars should be enough-a trifle to you, as I understand it."
"Sold-when do you expect to know what I need?"
>[GiaGia]"I would venture a week, no more."
The man gets his money-
BUSINESS FUNDS: -$100,000.00 $9,572,864.00

And I can't help but note Dávgon eyeing the process, a question unasked nestled within his soul. Upon staring at him in question, he voices the thoughts that drove his interest.
>[Dávgon]"If we're discussing improvements possible only with funding, I've been talking with Gianni, and we can render these Kudoku bugs as living, reusable charms that we could then embed within the War Golem for a myriad of highly useful effects, that, coupled with the rest of the golem as-is, could finish pushing it into the realm of full combat readiness."
"Is that so?"
>[GiaGia]"My only comment into this little discussion is that little Dávgon here's been very busy plotting out possibilities-I suggest lending him an ear, at the very least."
"Noted. Dávgon-a bit more detail, if you please."
>[Dávgon]"A brief list of possible uses for such ensouled living charms: Charms that target curses and remove them from the host body through their efforts, charms that await specific schools of magic to be used against the golem only to absorb that magic and funnel it towards further fueling the golem. Charms to accelerate the rate of injury repair. Charms to sacrifice themselves as area-specific protections for sensitive parts-for example, charms that would die before the storage tank could rupture, giving it layered durability. Charms that act as network nodes for possessors, filtering incoming data and prioritizing stimulous-or even partially automating the control process above and beyond simple possession experience placed in the soul seed."
"Well you've definitely got my attention with that. But what do you need to do that?"
>[Dávgon]"A bevy of Spirit Shaman and Sami tools specific to soul manipulation, several ritualist tools for handling flesh alteration by spiritual means, a few persistent charms, and some new tomes on general magic theory specific to the purpose of making living charms. All told, I estimate I would need some two million dollars, US, to make all the acquisitions."
It's a decent chunk… but considering how much I've already sunk into the War Golem…
"…Sold."
The man gets his money, amidst a rare moment of emotionality out of the man, where his eyes light up with childlike glee at the thought of all the things he'll soon be able to do.
BUSINESS FUNDS: -$2,000,000.00 $7,572,864.00

>> 471294
After spending some time talking with him about his potential project options after resupplying on my dime, I put in a call to Abloec… by summoning. The old Einher spirit shows up promptly, and I explain that I've got the golem ready for testing, if he can put up with a magically imposed non-disclosure agreement. He puts… quite a bit less thought into it than I'd expected before accepting-and soon enough, Placide's imposed a binding to that effect on Abloec's soul (A process I watched VERY closely), and the ancient, immensely bearded spirit whistles appreciatively at the Golem's current form.
>[Abloec]"I was wondering if the non-disclosure was just a bluff to make this sound more impressive, a way to trick me into giving feedback on a piss-poor project… I see that's not the case. You've done quite a bit of work on this thing, haven't you."
"It's a hobby."
>[Abloec]"Mm… getting hard to tell the disparate parts involve apart now-that's some solid blending you've got going on here. Bet I'm only detecting half or less of what all's even in it. Soul Seed looks sturdy as a central processor, too-I bet it'd be safe for human piloting pretty quickly, with some good initial data."
"Which is where you come in. Do you mind making this first piloting largely diagnostic?"
>[Abloec]"Not a problem-and good to hear you weren't willing to just let me run around and maybe break it thanks to an unforeseen glitch. You need other evaluators here, or are the flesh and soulcrafters with you all you planned?"
"No, I think we're good-if you would be so kind."
What follows is every bit as pleasing, as informative, as it is eerie. I watch a an expert of possession take command of a vastly complex entity I'm intimately familiar with the workings of, and imprint much off of how possession is supposed to work. I watch flesh shift and flow in minute yet manifold ways, passive fleshcrafting enhancing a being's ability past its existing limits, and wonder at how I could grant that to golems I take over from other external fleshcrafters. But most eye-catchingly of all… I see the golem in motion, at last. I see those massive thews on three sets of arms flex and heave, I see racer's legs flex and test the ground, I see a massive tail flicking to and fro, I see it's three heads peer about, their maws letting hooked tongues idly flick free. To see the being move as if alive and self aware is on a fundamental level unsettling even to me-and I know, instinctively, that I've irrevocably fallen in love with my project's promise. There's no way I'll even entertain the notion of stopping this halfway, now that I've seen that it's very operation makes a human mind knee-jerk fear it wholly separate of it's otherworldly physique. Even beneath it's armor, the terrible weight of magic and it's distorted flow of time make it a genuine monster.

Thanking Abloec for his time several hours later, I exit the golem room while making an immediate beeline for the foyer: I can detect Labombard's soul around and about, and I'd very much like to get that explanation. On the way, Amen stops me, briefly, to deliver a card into my hands.
>[Amen]"This was provided by a representative of the Dwarven Dimirken Clan, and addressed to this one's master."
Frowning at that, I open the letter….

To the Master of the group known as the Company of Laine, I am Letel Dimirken, son of Fulgrim Dimirken, son of Harden Dimirken, current head of the Dimirken Clan. I am writing to you in regards to one of your underlings, whose name I understand to be Igor, and my youngest daughter, Patere Dimirken.

Yeah this isn't starting well.

A series of unfortunate events came to a confluence when your underling stumbled into a betrothal negotiation ceremony that was taking place, and was publically witnessed accepting a betrothal offer from my daughter by members of both my clan, those of three other Clans, as well as assorted members of the magical community, including Sir Bonzi, the Leprechaun. This culminated in your underling taking part in the aforementioned ceremony and finalizing it on his own behalf, to thereafter reject it, claiming ignorance, and shamed my Clan in front of all those present, and in that action damaged my daughter's honor. Once wiser heads realized the mistake both she and he had made, he was graciously granted temporary Gold Brother status by the Kheazai clan, so that I would not be honor bound to kill him as soon as I saw him. Our code dictates that his life should be forfeit for this insult regardless… unless you, as his Master, can come to an agreement regarding the handling of this matter with me. To that end, I respectfully request that we meet at your earliest convenience, at the establishment owned by Sir Bonzi, to discuss what shall be done. I am obligated to retain possession of your man until such time as we've resolved the issue his actions created. -Letel Dimirken, Clan Head of the Dimirken. Let your chisel be swift and sure

….
Welp. Igor's been having some fun, it seems. At least my reputation kept that from going COMPLETELY south for him. …Focusing once more on the fact that Lammies in the house-and I would really like an explanation for the missing food. I come to a stop before him… and notice his attire. He's clad in racing stripe and flame-decal equipped… lederhosen. I feel… I feel a bit jealous, actually. Like he's stealing my thunder.

I blink that distraction away and simply stare at him patiently, knowing he knows I'm there. As I expected, soon enough he speaks.
>[Labombard]"I would like to wholly blame the esteemed Li Kui for my masticatory indiscretions, but frankly even so I don't doubt I consumed a considerable amount of wealth, judging by the appreciable shift in total magic in my body."
"You did eat quite a great deal, yes."
>[Labombard]"I will note that I'm not inclined to eat anywhere near that much except in those rare cases my metabolism is genuinely overwhelmed by magical liquor."
"Reassuring."
>[Labombard]"And, outside of the party I through for your minions last night, I would like to offer you my services, gratis, until such time as I've paid off the debt I incurred through my action. Does this strike you as fair, Mister American?"

A nigh-unkillable, expertly capable superbruiser of a merc, working for free until I say otherwise….





What do I say to Labombard's offer?
What do I do with the rest of the day?
What's my plan regarding Igor's situation?
And what about the next few days?
[I would really appreciate it if there was an attempt at being more cohesive with suggestions-it's hard to hit such a wide range of possible ideas, and my only other option is mass ignoring suggestions.]
>>
No. 473009 ID: 98378e

Accept Lambobard's offer of course.

Offer yourself up as ritual sacrifice to the dwarves to appease them or whatever. If possible twist this into somehow getting a introduction to a dwarven armourer to later contract to make armour for the war golem.

Thunder Experimentation! Try to thunder whistle.

Have 2-3 of our Viewers look for the red polelike object stolen from the Triads outside Bonzi's place so we can finish up the leprechauns last job, by identifying the perpetrators.

Tell Satai to get awesome dreamcatchers for those traumatized waterbloodliner Riihivuori kids. Give him say a half-mil budget abouts for it? Also have Satai start putting out feelers for mithril, adamantine or other magically strong metals and the availability and price thereof.

Move minifridge we get SM deliveries to into our room or another secure location. Giving the entire house access to phoenix hearts seems unwise. At the very least put a lock or a sticky note with NO EATING and frowney face on it on the fridge.

Add superior bones if available(e.g. apparently gargoyle bones are tough, it is implied that Adib's skeleton is stronger than gargoyle bone(he bit through rosti's finger), or whatever witchery meat circus could cook up for us) to the war golem, consult Gianni on this. Acquire them from the Franco Senior, Smiling One Website, Meat Circus or whatever other contacts Gianni has.

Speaking of Adib, isn't he like superold? Like a couple of millennia abouts? As such maybe he knows a lot of old languages, maybe even sumerian or whatever language that book we extorted from that guy(windmanip puppeteer iirc) was in again? Inquire and find out if he could translate the book for us.

While I am not 100% clear on how the phoenix vodka fountain works, apparently you put something fire related in at one end and more than you put in comes out the other side? If that's more or less correct, try and get some summer blood line fire manipulator blood, or any other fire related blood(phoenix blood is probably ideal, but fire giant or salamander or whatever could probably work) and try to make a blood fountain with a spare phoenix heart if we have one(if we don't borrow the still one to test concept then put back in still). Buy blood from vampires, Franco Senior, Meat Circus, SM, possibly Johan(fire demon blood?) etc. If successful try to incorporate into the war golem to bypass it's barrel of blood per hour dependency. Also this may help to feed Bagga(he could maybe gorge himself on magical blood to gain awesome vampire powers or something, if we can remove phoenix divine taint or make it work with our other regenerator hearts(erineyes&troll iirc)).

Have Svetlana also search for Catoplebas lungs if any are available.

Have Andrei buy a cheap laptop, making sure to buy one without any form of wireless whatsoever. Isolate from any other systems, have it only run on battery power(power cord not plugged in), put it in a isolated room, preferably in that storage area placid warded. Run the magic floppy disk on it, see what happens, be ready with fire, hammers, guns and axes. Have SB port him from and to Italy as necessary, if he could do so without harming Andrei, if not then port the floppy and a laptop if needed.

Have a proxy do all purchase from Meat Circus as necessary(Einher issue).
>>
No. 473864 ID: 22ae81

Armas will get a ritual to view the past from a ritual expert (Johan) and watch the crime in progress. He may also ask Lyubov to go through security camera videos from other businesses around the bar to find leads for the Viewers to follow up on.

Armas will have the Viewers watch Elwen Emba and see who he knows. Then have them follow the people he knows. Then search their homes for evidence that they betrayed Elwen.

Armas should mention to Labombard that the Triads have a small reward for his location. Then he should invite him to help with the Giant mission for Bonzi.

Lyubov's birthday is soon, buy her some slaves or another suitable gift. Fine jewelry, or property, or other things may be appropriate.

Ask Shadowbro who is the most suitable for breaking the wards on the safehouse. Then go with them to break in.

The dreamcatchers are a good thing, but therapy would be better. Buy them a therapist slave.
>>
No. 475787 ID: c31f72

>>473864
Once again, sust. No slaves.

Those clothes. Lammy can't have them. You're the one thats supposed to wear garish clothing, not him! Steal his clothes. Preferably while he's still wearing them.
>>
No. 475886 ID: c6ce12

>>472822
Accept the crazy wolfman's offer, it's not like we haven't been dying to work with him for months now. What we should be doing for the next few hours is shooting the shit with him, there's so much to talk about and such little time. We know each other, but only barely-we should fix that. Ask him about himself, get the skinny on what he's planning to do now. What are his current goals beyond paying us back for eating all of our food? If those plans involve the Triads getting back at the Triads who he is definitely no longer working for, how can we help? And, most importantly, what can he tell us about Lo Fang, assuming he has not been bound in ways we cannot fix. There are so many mysteries surrounding that man, if we can even learn some of the peripheral details we will be better for it.

Ah yes, and mention to him we're planning on having his first job with us be to help us take down a drunken, thieving, Giant. I want to assemble our forces together for this one so in addition to Labombard how about we get Big Crazy and Hillevi to join us too. One person off from having the whole gang come together, oh well. The goal for this isn't to overwhelm the Giant, but instead to use our diverse and frankly ridiculously malleable power sets together and try to make a lesson out of this with Hillevi. The only time she's gotten to participate in a battle with those that can stand even close to her muster was against Placid and this could serve as a more positive lesson. We can spin this fairly easily. Our goal should be to take as many Giant parts with us as we can so paying her is a matter of offering up more bones or something similar. We should strap up with our usual load out, Iron Trick, Mere, and Matebas. It would be a sad day if we just went in with raw power though, we need a dash of trickery at least. Consult with Duke on this, see if it'd be possible to debilitate a giant by mixing together the most noxious materials we know of like his feces, Doononges poison, and whatever else we can scrape from under our fridge. Should that be viable ask Leprechaun Bonzi to allow let us intercept the Magma Dwarf brew and swap it out with the mixture, maybe take a guise to act as the usual trader. Set this up for the end of the day (or whenever this next update will end), and by that I mean be at the Giant's location under the bar.

Mom should be sending yearbooks these next few days, be ready for setting aside a couple hours with Lyubov to sort through them. I'd be prepared to find things we don't like or understand in them.

On Igor's marriage I really just want to collect some information before we act, but by default I'd seek out an equal arrangement on this where neither has to be overly sacrificial. Letting it go through and having us give them something to make it up or a deal of some sort.

Find some time in the coming days to practice with your newly acquired thunder manipulation abilities. I suggest we find a practice room in the house, somewhere large and away from things we can destroy. Let's not make a room, since Amen has numerous ones already lets try for one of the existing ones, use the pool as a back up option. Once we have a space just...do it. No fancy experiments or anything, just test our newly acquired capabilities so we have a baseline for what we can do now.

There's also the matter of visiting that former property of Kazadora's that Matvey now owns and that Lyubov invited you to go to with Placid. It shouldn't take more than an evening and it'd be a valuable expense of our time to see what went on here. If it turns out to be complete bunk, well at least we got to spend some time with Placid as we don't do that nearly enough. We really do need to contact Einrik soon, we now know Kazadora is in the area and his family has an obligation here that we'd be remiss to get in the way of. Hillevi must have some means of contact with her brother, ask her about it.

Ask Satai to purchase the teleporter pad, even if Jidkova is dead it is still a worthwhile expense. It can prevent future kidnappings, bring to us targets if have the appropriate blood, and in generally be an immensely useful tool for mission completion.

Oh and for Lyubov's birthday find somewhere we can take her dancing, she mentioned that she'd like that a while ago. Lets pick somewhere nice.

Jobs, we have a ton of jobs still yet to do and more over we have jobs to collect on, jobs to pay for people, and jobs we need to get more intelligence on.

There are a bunch of jobs we need to check on, we need to keep these things in order if we want to avoid another shortage of jobs, can't have these things floating around and giving us a worse reputation. For instance what is going on with the mission we sent those minions on to discover the fate of the ambulance or the missing blood bank tax? Those were time intensive, surely they are done by now and if they are we need payment. And that comic book job, it was just a mundane comic book. Bonzi even valued the job within the normal range the book goes for, if our people haven't done that already with a little sweet talking to turn us a tidy profit we should just to do it our self. If those vampire hunt jobs aren't done yet send out ask Hafaz and his group to take them on for us. That out of the way we should probably figure on paying people, if we do the normal 25% for the above jobs we just need something for the ones that went on to work with the Hobgoblins, what if we give them one of those rechargeable blade charms we earned from a mission a piece, which still leaves us five blade and five arrow in our armory a piece. It's just moving resources around and for practical purposes it doesn't cost us a dime.

We have yet to make a move towards trolling a one Yilmar Aksoy. I can't believe you Armas, really, putting off trolling for this long. We're even get paid to do it this time! Now we need to get on this and we need to do it right, but we are woefully lacking in the information required to really hit this kid where it hurts. What we know of worth is that he is prideful and he is fond of USSR-era music. So with this in mind the logical conclusion is to attack his pride through his love of music in life. Now we need to know how he is invested in music, is he simply a fan or a musician himself? If he's a fan we need to know of who and if he's a musician we need to know what and where he plays. Gather anything relevant to these two fronts from either the Last Spelling, from Satai (who has had feet on the ground in the local night scene it seems safe enough to say), or from Bonzi's bar. Once we have that we can form a proper plan.

>>473009
A general upvote.

>>473864
SUST the first, fourth, and sixth sentences.
>>
No. 475897 ID: 9718f3

Lammy: "Throw in a heart of your own, you did eat mine after all and it's only fair, and you've got yourself a deal you fantastic Frenchman, you." Give him a Smile.

When practicing with our thunder do it in the mansion's tank range. We're supposed to have one of those. Set up targets at a variety of distances and in different arrangements, to try to get a feel for the level of damage we can cause at different ranges and in what sort of an array. Attempts should be made to shape the area of effect of the thunder shouts, narrower, wider, etc. No hurry on it though.

We should set at least one Viewer to monitor each of our employees at all times. Strictly to alert us/SB if they are in serious danger, of course. I don't care what they get up to, they just better not die doing it. Would give leads in case of kidnapping, etc as well as passively map out more of the world through the Viewers' observations.

>>475886
General upvote.

>>473864
SUSTing the first, fourth, and sixth lines.
>>
No. 475898 ID: 252e1b

>What do I say to Labombard's offer?

“It strikes me as a very polite and fair offer from one of my friends. You’re welcome to stay in my home, as my guest, as long as you like. One emptied larder isn’t going to make me mad. That said, I appreciate the gesture. If you want to work until we’re square, I’m fine with that, but it’s by no means required.”

“Great. Now, just so you’re aware, Go Ping’s got an offer of money out on your location. I don’t intend to collect, but I’m curious about what the Triads are going to want with you when they find you.”

“Gotcha. Since you’re obviously not going back to them, I’m just going to say Lo Fang’s been trying to get his hooks in people he thinks could be levers against me, and it’s left me pretty disenchanted with him. I’m not at the point of outright turning down work from the Triads, but I’m not adverse to taking jobs against them, either. Or making jobs against them, if we can set things up right. Well, some of them, anyway. Not all of the Triads are tainted by Lo Fang’s actions.”

“Yeah? That’s a pain in the ass, but maybe we can work with it… well, anyway, we can talk about them in depth later. I want to bring up something a little more domestic. Here, look at this letter. You ever deal with the Dimirken clan?”

“Don’t worry about it. Granted, you did bring Igor to the venue, but he’s a grown man. He may not have known quite what he was doing, but that doesn’t mean anything to injured honor. From the sounds of things there’s room to negotiate here, right?”

“So. I’m to be his ‘clan head’ in the eyes of the Istanbul dwarf community. What’s your advice on making sure we get out of this with contacts instead of enemies?”

“That’s something I honestly did not know. If they were that shy about dealing with a businessman that’s got a little Wyld Goblin magic then Igor’s accident here might be our best chance at an ‘in’ with the dwarves, as a company.”

“Well, obviously, that’s very useful. I’ll send a letter back to Letel and ask to meet him tonight.”

“So how do you feel about a fight with a boozehound Giant? I’m thinking of getting all the heavy hitters in the household in on helping finish a job that I’ve left outstanding a touch too long.”

>What do I do with the rest of the day?

Today? There are jobs to do. Check up with the people you assigned different jobs to (the rogue vampires, the comic book job, others that should have been completed by now).

Furthermore there are jobs we are running out of time on deciding to take. The big one is that Warehouse Ward Key job. The ideal people for it are Lyubov for the mundane security system and divine wards (since she can just take them over completely) and Placid or Dávgon for shutting down the mortal magic wards (Placid’s a genius with this stuff, while Dávgon’s got years of training and practical experience). Shadowbro should… shadow, to help pick out the best items in the warehouse for the reward.

Then there’s dealing with the Giant that’s been stealing Bonzi’s booze. Either we plan on going in hard and killing him quick, or we talk him into not being a pest. Either way, we need to deal with the job.

We should confirm if the Sword Job for Lo Fang is still on the table. It’s been some time since he offered it.

>What's my plan regarding Igor's situation?

Lyubov will talk to Igor and learn that both he and Patere are willing to live with a marriage if that’s what it takes to make things right. There are plenty of options for making a more or less equitable marriage, or where we get Patere more of the time than they get Igor. I think we should go for it.

The in-house connection to a stone working dwarf clan will help a great deal when we decide to initiate the Maori Pantheon Sieidis Project. Even if they don’t have specific training in building a sieidis, without a doubt they will have the craftsmanship skills to help us not make a complete mess of our first attempts.

On a personal note, Igor is just about the most socially inept person in the house. He’s a good guy, but he’s got all the social graces of an emu. We might have ended up arranging a marriage for him anyway. This just saves us the effort of finding him a girl.

>And what about the next few days?

Once we’ve got Igor back, arrange for some help for him. We still have that marker for a favor from the blacksmith and the librarian. Let’s just call it in, and get him some training in how to build the armor plates we ordered.

We have yet to deal with the Doonongeas Memory Object. It’s 5,000 years of memories from a divine fleshcrafter, in an messy jumble. Shadowbro started to sort them out, but even with 6 months of NN time he made little progress. Satai could do better, but it would still take him months (either in an NN bubble or in real time), and at the cost of forcing him to over-specialize. The over-specialization problem Satai faces could be mitigated if we got him a lot of NN time to get a variety of mentalist experiences in (but that would be expensive).

So with all that in mind here are our options:
1) Get a memory organizing mentalist bound to a magic item or as a slave and have him do the indexing on the DMO. Estimated cost $1.5 million to $3 million or more, may take months for the job to be done but we wouldn’t cripple Satai with a long job so early in his career as a mentalist.
2) Get an NN bubble with four years of time, set up so that it allows Satai to grow properly as a mentalist while doing the work. Probably expensive as fuck, but we get to speed Satai's progress along in the process.
3) Bargain with Tesla to get him to do or to help with an NN bubble for Satai. Downside: Tesla and his followers can probably get it to market quicker than we can.
4) Bargain with Whaitiri to get her to do it, or to get her to find a third party to do it. Downside: Whaitiri could get it to market quicker than we can.
5) Get Katz Obermensch to do it. If he wants to do it. He may not, given that the goblins gave us his information (he may already have done it for them)
6) Use the favor from the Goblins for humiliating Yilmar Aksoy to get them to do the memory indexing.

>>473009
There’s no reason to not get permission from Adib for Sake and SB to build language packages of all the languages he knows. Even the old ones are going to be useful if we get into Divinetech programming at all (no sense in looking like a jackass in front of Lyubov).

We can pay Adib for his trouble. Lyubov and Svetlana are already getting him set up with a fake identity, and we can find other things he might want (training, trinkets, cash, whatever).

At least have Lyubov look over the evil floppy disc, and maybe ask Tesla about it.

>>475886

Armas’s Mom is sending copies of home photo albums and other family mementos. She was not able to find Armas’s old yearbooks, unfortunately (and rather suspiciously). They should arrive sometime this week.

Unbeknownst to Armas, Lyubov actually put in an order with the publisher of his high school senior yearbook for one of the archive copies they had, not long after she became worried about his lack of childhood stories. It won’t have any signatures from friends or any notes, but it’s better than nothing. It should arrive soon, possibly this week.

>>475787
No! Bad Pillbug, no stealing clothes from friends. SUST.
(someday getting everyone naked will be the appropriate response, but today’s not that day)

>>473864
While buying a therapist slave for the kids may not go down well with Markku, we could get Stacey a therapist skillset and have her talk to the kids via Skype. That would also give us an in-house therapist option for when our people need it (Matvey will need the help shortly, actually). We can get the skillset from a university student or faculty member who needs the cash and doesn’t mind having his or her memory of selling copies of the memories removed (or who alternatively can be trusted or is already aware of the magic world). We can ask Hamlet or Jagda to suggest a student or faculty member that we could approach. Katz Obermensch would likely be willing to do the work.
>>
No. 475901 ID: 406926

>>473009
Generally upvote, particularly thunder whistling- that's worth a couple hours of our time, I think- but remember to delegate where appropriate. We don't need to personally go buying blood or bone.

>>473864
>Armas should mention to Labombard that the Triads have a small reward for his location. Then he should invite him to help with the Giant mission for Bonzi.
Hillevi would also be appropriate for that mission; invite her as well. And the reward is almost certainly gone by now; Labombard's been up and about town for days.

>>475886
General upvote, and:

>Gather anything relevant to these two fronts from either the Last Spelling, from Satai (who has had feet on the ground in the local night scene it seems safe enough to say), or from Bonzi's bar.
There might be intel in the AORB database also. One never knows.

>>475897
We can probably get a lot more than one heart... he did eat a whole bunch, and we do bargain quite well.

>>475787
>Those clothes. Lammy can't have them. You're the one thats supposed to wear garish clothing, not him! Steal his clothes. Preferably while he's still wearing them.
Upvote. Hilarious. Labombard won't mind; he find nakedness funny. Preferably, steal his clothes while he's talking to someone who would be embarrassed, and do it so stealthily that neither of them notices anything until they're all gone.

>>475898
>So with all that in mind here are our options:
Those might not be all our actual options. Bring up the issue with our brothers and see if they have any ideas.

>We should confirm if the Sword Job for Lo Fang is still on the table. It’s been some time since he offered it.
I would downvote this, if only because the millions that Lo Fang offered no longer seem like a huge priority for the level of precision and risk involved here. Unless we just want to do the job for personal amusement; then we can do it.
>>
No. 476374 ID: 40fb55

>>473009
>>473864
>>475787
>>475886
>>475897
>>475898
>>475901
"First things first Labombard-"
I tear his garishly eye-catching lederhosen off of him in one fell swoop.
"I'm the crazy flashy one around here, thank you very much."
For his part, the man's utterly unfazed by his sudden change of dress-and after a shrug, sprouts a layer of fur around his pelvis not unlike a natural mankini. The bemused smile curling his lips shows he's even less bothered than I'd anticipated-but I don't let it take any fun out of the act.
“Now then: What you propose strikes me as a very polite and fair offer from one of my friends. You’re welcome to stay in my home, as my guest, as long as you like. One emptied larder isn’t going to make me mad. That said, I appreciate the gesture. If you want to work until we’re square, I’m fine with that, but it’s by no means required.”
>[Labombard]"Oh, but it is-even if you say there's no debt built by this act, debt exists, and I will work it off, both to you, and the company at large. It is my way-and no arrogant American bastard will waylay such plans."
I can't help but laugh at that.
“Great. Now, just so you’re aware, Go Ping’s got an offer of money out on your location. I don’t intend to collect, but I’m curious about what the Triads are going to want with you when they find you.”
The easy smile doesn't budge at the comment.
>[Labombard]"Yes, I don't doubt that all of Lo Fang's officers have been instructed to make offers like that-I was one of his favorite tools, after all."
“Gotcha. Since you’re obviously not going back to them, I’m just going to say Lo Fang’s been trying to get his hooks in people he thinks could be levers against me, and it’s left me pretty disenchanted with him. I’m not at the point of outright turning down work from the Triads, but I’m not adverse to taking jobs against them, either. Or making jobs against them, if we can set things up right. Well, some of them, anyway. Not all of the Triads are tainted by Lo Fang’s actions.”
>[Labombard]"No organization is, I've found. In point of fact, I have a few friends amongst the Triads' numbers that I would regret to see injured or slain. …And Lo Fang knows this. He values me as a weapon, I fear, more than he does them as allies-so were I to actually show up to deliver my complaints in person…"
He lifts his hands helplessly.
“Yeah? That’s a pain in the ass, but maybe we can work with it… well, anyway, we can talk about them in depth later. I want to bring up something a little more domestic. Here, look at this letter. You ever deal with the Dimirken clan?”
Labombard accepts the parchment with a nod, and reads its contents with a critical eye. Eventually he sighs, a hand rubbing his face.
>[Labombard]"…I am, though sadly the kind of reputation and honor I hold with them is quite inapplicable to marriage debts and the like-it's one of those obtusely rigid dwarven honor things. Still, I am at your disposal, of course, for getting this handled."
“Don’t worry about it. Granted, you did bring Igor to the venue, but he’s a grown man. He may not have known quite what he was doing, but that doesn’t mean anything to injured honor. From the sounds of things there’s room to negotiate here, right?”
>[Labombard]"There is-there should be. Because he's associated with you who's more or less his Clan Head by their reckoning, they have to deal with you and at least attempt to resolve this amicably. The fact you're a known merc and would potentially bring your wrath on them if they just killed him out of hand… definitely is a factor here, too."
“So. I’m to be his ‘clan head’ in the eyes of the Istanbul dwarf community. What’s your advice on making sure we get out of this with contacts instead of enemies?”
>[Labombard]"Honestly? I'd need to know your situation perfectly-and that'd take answering excessively personal questions I don't want to ask-but the general direction, I'd say, is politely implied threat in discourse, and playing up your potential threat. Do that without doing any actual insulting or outright threatening, and you'll rattle them-I imagine they'll give you a way to solve the situation, themselves. And to be clear-they don't often deal with those associated with the Wyld Goblins-Dwarves and Goblins, as a rule, don't get along, so they'll probably be averse to you, in some form."
“There really is a general enmity between goblins and dwarves? That’s something I honestly did not know. If they were that shy about dealing with a businessman that’s got a little Wyld Goblin magic then Igor’s accident here might be our best chance at an ‘in’ with the dwarves, as a company.”
>[Labombard]"Likely. The Dimirken are stone masons with knowledge in the ways of rendering stone into analogues for other materials-stone metal, stone cloth, and so on. They aren't at all skilled with metal-in fact, you might have something there-isn't Igor a smith?"
I rub my chin at that, an easy smile adorning my face.
“Well, obviously, that’s very useful. I’ll send a letter back to Letel and ask to meet him tonight.”
>[Labombard]"Actually, I know where the Dimirken clan holdings are-I could just lead you there. You don't explicitly need a meeting to meet them, if you follow. That, and it's a power play-surely an American can appreciate that, yes?
“Who am I to ignore advice that plays to my strengths? Putting that aside-just for a bit, at least-How do you feel about a fight with a boozehound Giant? I’m thinking of getting all the heavy hitters in the household in on helping finish a job that I’ve left outstanding a touch too long.”
His eyebrows climb only marginally at that, his soul still roiling and unimpressed.
>[Labombard]"Depends on the Giant, but that would likely be an engaging fight. Sure, I'm up for it-what's the headcount for who's on board?"
"You, me, Duke, Hillevi, Big Crazy-"
>[Labombard]"The Amerindian that's always with the Finn in the bug-room?"
"A… succinct way of putting it, but yes."
>[Labombard]"Anyone else?"
"No, that should be it-I'm expecting to wrap this up fast or have to withdraw and recoordinate, not get dragged into a long haul fight."
>[Labombard]"A good idea-Giants get their most dangerous when they've have time to get their big-ness going."
"I assumed."
I throw my arms wide as I segue out of the official business.
"So, you're healthy and free, yeah?"
>[Labombard]"Miraculously enough, yes."
"Did your absence fuck anything up for you?"
>[Labombard]"The rehab? Not like I had any family waiting to see me, and the last girl I was with… I'll be honest, not a healthy relationship, and I'm happy this made her break up with me, rather than having to deal with it myself. She was… well, that's not important. Anyway-a free man, and now helping out a friend-I told you we'd work together, you American bastard!"
"Haha yeah you did fuzzbutt. Didn't quite think it'd be due to a 'sorry I had the munchies' scenario-but hey, I can work with it."
The bald man rubs his scalp at that.
>[Labombard]"Ah… that 'Duke'. He's one of the few people who's ever gotten me drunk at all-and he seems to relish the challenge. Thankfully, I don't eat that much when I'm not so inebriated-so that shouldn't be a repeat thing."
"So how well do you know Duke, then?"
>[Labombard]"Oh, well enough-got beaten about by him a few years back-before my Triad Days-and forcibly befriended. Eccentric as hell, but a fine enough fellow."
There's a drunken grumble from another room-clearly Duke approves of the assessment.
"So you'd mentioned your military service had been with the French Foreign Legion, right?"
>[Labombard]"I did mention that-but on having met your own companions, I must clarify I came from a similar branch to the one they once called home-a magical response team. Unlike them, however, I was… a weapon, rather than a meat shield. No offense intended, of course."
"Meh, I can't see that bothering them-it's the truth, isn't it? Yeah, I can see how a willing Loup would be a valuable thing for a group like that."
>[Labombard]"No question there."
"You ever fought a Giant before?"
>[Labomdard]"Plenty-haven't killed any, though."
"Plenty, huh? Where'd you have the chance to run into 'plenty'? Last I heard, they're rare as hell, all things being equal."
>[Labombard]"Yeah, but I'm an amazing and sophisticated man like that, knowing all sorts of beings."
"Let me guess-that's why you know me, right?"
>[Labombard]"But of course-I do need someone to slum it with, don't I?"
"Hah. Hold on a sec while I handle something real quick here."

I do the most critical of things-and move my minifridge to my room, before rounding up Hillevi and heading to the bug room, where, lo and behold, I find Big Crazy.
"Hey."
>[BC]"Hey."
"We're gonna go Giant killing. Wanna come?"
I'm almost proud of how unperturbed by the guy is. And Hillevi's sudden enthusiasm as she realizes she's going on a FUN outing… well that's priceless.
>[BC]"Yeah-You, me, Hillevi?"
"And Labombard."
>[Hillevi]"Oh, the Loup too? This is going to be so much fun!"
"That's a nice attitude Hillevi-but we're treating this like a learning experience, okay? So I'll be throwing questions at you and everything."
A hand klonks against her forhead in a parody of a salute.
>[Hillevi]"I'll be ready!"
"Meet in the foyer. Oh, and make sure everyone's clear the goal is minimal tissue damage-I want parts to work with, not just broken bits, okay?"
>[Hillevi]"Roger!"
As everyone goes off to gather their things, I suit up-this time in a signature neon orange silk suit with black shirt and equally neon tie-before adorning myself with the Mere and Iron Trick and lastly heading to the foyer, HB and Sake inescapably tagging along-not that I'd refuse either. Chuckling over what the Giant-slaying crew amounts to, the seven heaviest hitters in the Mansion get together… and we head out to Bonzi's at SB's insistence-something about checking to see if we can poison the Giant with a shipment it's prone to plundering. Which makes sense, to be sure-but it's not quite as fun-a sentiment the Hummingbird seems to silently agree with, while Sake just sniggers about my neck. The whole way over, our crew, under Glamors, passably human, or dodging Attention, didn't talk much: I'd venture each of us was already considering how we'd handle this with the caveat I threw in-Duke, in particular, is being a bit sulky about it, with zero effort put into hiding his mulishness. Without the need from input on my part, Labombard breaks in with some frankly hilariously racy jokes, and Duke's back to his gregariously cheery self. By the time we've arrived at the bar, we're all ready.

When Bonzi lets us into his low-ceilinged, cosey little bar of smokey wood and dark paneling, I waste no time in asking my obliged question.
"So-just to verify, any way we can swap out a shipment of booze with something that'd incapacitate or kill the Giant? We've got some resources-"
>[Bonzi]"No lad-you think I haven't tried? This Giant's a dab hand at making his immune system and hardiness, all of that Bigger, and shrugging off just about anything he feels like. This your 'Plan B' here, then?"
"Yeah-strike team for surgical removal, if discreet wasn't an option."
Perched on the edge of his pot behind the counter like always, Bonzi puffs on a long stemmed pipe as a smell heady and aromatic wafts through the air.
>[Bonzi]"Aye… well, are you going on in now?"
"We are."
With a spritely spring to his movements Bonzi's leapt from the edge of his Pot and swung it's swiftly expanding mass, opening first, towards us. Darkness swallows us all.

[DISCONTINUITY]

We're in a cavern-clearly deep beneath the earth, and the unnaturally smoothed ground is clear evidence we're standing on a path. I note HB swiftly summoning a swarm-but curiously, not from me, but from down different tunnels racing through the darkness, while Sake tenses and coils about my neck. With Soul Sensing as overcharged as is possible, I can't get a bead on any soul within a mile or so of our location-but then, I wasn't expecting to. If a Giant has mastery of Bigness, what prevents them from applying it to their soul? Thankfully…

With a heavy sniff, Labombard nods his head just as Big Crazy Speaks in a muted whisper.
>[BC]"Dirt Snake's detected a large enough heat source to be our target. Nine hundred eighty meters to our back, around a bend in the cave."
>[HB]"I Have the quarries precise location-he seems to be in a drunken stupor."
Someone forgets to use their quiet voice.
>[Duke]"Hey, how big is he?"
Thankfully, HB's voice is always soft.
>[HB]"As big as two of the wheeled boxes that many giants ride together-buses, I believe was the term."
>[Hillevi]"I remember dad and big brother both telling me that when Giants are already at least twenty feet tall, we can't freeze their brains or hearts in one shot anymore, sneak attack or no… um, the last part there was Einrik's advice. Dad doesn't-nevermind, shutting up."
>[Sake]"Hey Armas, can you confirm size?"
As some information filters into my mind from HB detailing the creature's location, I fire up the Allview and find out. It takes mere seconds to find the beast, clad in a scaled hide as a loin-cloth and drunkenly sprawled against a wall… easily thirty feet tall, if standing. His body is neanderthalic in it's shaping, and his heavy jaw lolls open as drool idly spills to the ground.

I blink and reopen my eyes.
"He's thirty feet, near enough. Also passed out."
>[Labombard]"And I smell enough assorted liquors that I have little doubt he is just that drunk…"
>[Hillevi]"So now what?"
"Come on, kiddo-why don't you tell me what should happen now?"
>[Hillevi]"Er…. okay, we know he's defended, because he's already huge. But he's also unguarded, because he's besotted with drink. So… so I'd say, everyone gets up close as we can, and then we just blow everything we got at his face, and blow up his head. That kills most things-and Giants would be one of those things."
"There was that stated caveat…"
>[Labombard]"Giant brains are not nexuses of Conceptual understanding-their eyes aren't all that superior, tongue and teeth don't have much comperative value: It's the muscle, skin, bone and heart that are the big-name parts, here. "
"Ever encountered Giants that didn't go down from head destruction?"
>[Labombard]"Not yet."
>[BC]"So?"
"So plan approved-let's go."

From there, it's a quiet prowl down the tunnel's length, and in the utter darkness we all navigate with relative ease, we find a prone form: Our quarry, rank and reeking, utterly unkempt, and dead to the world.

We work on making him just 'dead'.

Hillevi is held in the air by Labombard just before the giant's face, her hands outstretched and mere inches from the Giant's closed eyelids. Hummingbird has a bird ready and waiting before both nostrils and next to each ear. Duke's held up in Labombard's other hand, his hands, though visually empty, loosely open as if clutching handles, and poised to strike with an unseen weapon at an unguarded throat. Big Crazy's shrugged off his shirt and… sprouted an extra ten arms, all of which are wreathed in undulating spiritual energy, at the Giant's right temple, perched on Hillevi's rock-steady arm to reach. And I stand on her shoulders, hands outstretched above the Giant's yawning maw, a pool of fabricated Doonongaes poison (and aren't those implanted glands finally proving of worth) gushing from my skin at the ready. Even if the being can make it's hardiness 'Big', that sounded to be an active process-and the more attack vectors it must defend itself against, the better. With a quick signal, we begin.

Poison pours into an open mouth as Hillevi discharges the harshest freezing force directly into the Giant's eyes that she can, just the backlash of which freezes solid my legs, Big Crazy's legs and Labombard's hand around her. As the ice crackles and races over eyes that tried to spring open and holds them fast, HB's four-sided attack is initiated, each bird flaring it's soul bubble as brilliantly as it can before plunging into the fleshy orifices before each of them. For his part, the onetime hitman is as unperturbed by the freezing of a large chunk of his flesh as he slams his fists into the comparatively fragile temple: And I'm fairly certain it's not just blind hope that makes me hear a snapping sound. Duke, for his part, is eagerly ready, and swings both hands down: Blood blossoms and spatters from two titanic slashes now running across the rousing Giant's neck, seeping onto his chest in throbbing waves. For his part, Labombard flings the now frozen hand yet locked about Hillevi back, the still living flesh sloughing off it's frozen extremity to swiftly reform a clawed paw he rams into the ruined neck, heedless of Duke dicing his hand along with the target.

His choice to throw us back ends up being as wise as one could hope-for, eyes frozen, with four birds tunneling in it's face, half of it's skull impacted into a bloody pulpe and its neck an ever worsening ruin-filled waterfall of ichor…..

The Giant rumbles to it's feet.

And looms.

A neck swells in size so swiftly that Labombard's hand and the Duke within it are slapped aside. Stone crumbles and cracks, yielding like rice paper before an expanding mass of flesh that treats all of existence around it's growing form as paltry and flimsy. I switch to full Overcharge Reinforcement and, with Duke's 'lessons' in mind I rip myself free of the frozen limbs-
HYBRID HEALING
SUMMER ENERGY: 52/55
And land in a crouch on fresh limbs.

Big Crazy emulates my method as Hillevi wrenches herself free, all of us preparing to face the expanding tides of flesh-

Until three glowing balls of air twisted into spherical crystal that quake and scream their agony to the world around them slam into the expanding flesh like cannonballs, massive dimples as large as dumptrucks blooming in the flesh as the impact rocks the body back.
>[HB]'My bodies were lost.'
'That doesn't surprise me here. Bit durable, isn't it.'
>[HB]'I believe these to be it's death throws-the beast has been mortally wounded, however-'
'If it doesn't stop growing soon-"

I don't want to consider how pissed Owner would be if a Giant breached a path up into Istanbul's subway system and I was responsible.
"Containment options?"
The flesh moutnain before us is still growing, the earth quaking as it breaks before it's meaty might.
>[Hillevi]"I could try to reinforce the cave-"
>[Labombard]"That would just direct it's growth."

Rather than taking part in our harried discussion, Duke puts his own idea into action, and begins madly chopping away, the earth shattering beneath his feet as he plies as much of his strength as he can. In truth, the Giant's now several hundred feet tall and growing, not even half of it is still in the cave with us, and Duke's attacks would be comparable to a bee sting. But blood flows-and more importantly, the body tries to react, the flesh contracting so the GIant can orient upon its threat-

-When the body finally gives out, and with a strangely rubbery feeling to the air, the body, now the size of a highrise, shrinks down in a massive rebound to be a headless corpse a little over six feet tall.

I dart on over to the side of the crater the body dropped in, rushing down to verify my trophy's condition: Head and neck alike, totally gone-missing a chunk of his side and likely the kidney beneath… two floating ribs on the same side are collapsed… and that's it. …Yeah, I'm going to go with 'Fighting Giants is stupid, but killing them isn't' as a maxim from this-the initial damage was way, way easier to cause than that after it woke up-I'd be a fool to ignore that. As I check with SB before he shadow ports the body away, I turn back to our group, where Duke looks a bit put off at how quick the 'fight' was, while Big Crazy and Labombard are trading high fives.
"Hillevi."
>[Hillevi]"Yes!"
"Good plan."
The smile that lights up her face is every bit as cherubic as I could imagine.

[CLEAN-UP AND COLLECTION DISCONTINUITY]

after SB gets us all back topside in Bonzi's bar, the Leprechaun favors us with a gap-toothed grin.
>[Bonzi]"Good-assassination. I was skeptical you would, with that one in your group."
>[Duke]"Hey, you know I like killing fine-I just like the violence even more."
>[Bonzi]"I'm surprised you didn't rouse the foe so you could fight more."
>[Duke]"I wanted to, but they do give me free booze."
>[Bonzi]"Truly? A prize worth curtailing oneself, it would seem."
While Duke grumbles evermore, the bar's owner turns back to me.
>[Bonzi]"So: Spot in my pot, all yours. Just say my name three times whenever you want to put something in or take it out, and I'll take care of it. I'm already bound to not know what's in it, so you're good to go."
"Rather straightforward."
>[Bonzi]"I don't see much point in keeping a man waiting."
"And while we're on the subject of work-what about the Comic job? Svetlana got that to you, didn't she?"
>[Bonzi]"She did. I offered her the payment this very day-it's possible you missed her."
"I'll talk to her about it when I get back then."
Before I can make to leave, Kronknar catches me eye, and I get the distinct feeling he's got something personal to tell me. I turn back to the rest of my group, and let them know I'll meet them back at the house. Stepping to the minotaur's corner of the bar, I patiently nurse a mug of beer he slides my way while never making eye contact.
>[Kronknar]"As one gourmand to another, I figured I'd give you a bit of a tip, on a different open job: That Aksoy kid."
"Yilmar?"
He keeps polishing a mug in his hands as he nods.
>[Kronkar]"Yeah. He's heavily racist against weres, and he's known to be homophobic. I imagine you can use that."
>[IT]"You could, Sake could… why, even your Shadow Soul could, I think. Who could NOT use such easy levers as those?"
'Yeah, this makes the job easy to pull off, no doubt.'
I thank the minotaur bartender and after finishing my free beer I make my way out, trotting to catch up with the rest. Labombard splits his attention between poking fun at Duke and chumming it up with Big Crazy, while Big's equally split between Labombard and talking with Hillevi about some Valkonen minutia. In all, we're a noisy bunch on the way back to the house-and at the doors, I tap Labombard on the shoulder, and jerk my head: We've got another task to attend to tonight.

Labombard leads me down into the Undersewers, and after we've traversed canyons, necropolis and undergroud rivers aplenty, we come… to civilization. Angular homes cut into the earth's stony hide, lanterns and bioluminescent fungus aplenty casting luridly mixed yellow and blue light across the surroundings. We march past a mile of clustered homes, with only occasional occupants sticking their heads out to check on us, before Labombard stops before a single door, larger than most, with the symbol of a chisel painstakingly engraved in the stone above. The door itself, while likewise stone, is marble artistically wrought into the shape of brambles and thorn bushes, and seems to sway to an invisible gust of wind. With a glance my way, Labombard taps a stone plate on the ground, and I watch the stone tendrils withdraw in utter silence before the Loup Garou pushes open the now visible door. Having finally completed my head count and having learned that by sheer population density this has to be a full sized dwarven metropolis comprised of many clans sandwiched together, I follow my guide inside, where a dwarf woman with a well-groomed mustache artfully curling about her dimpled cheeks welcomes us, outwardly showing none of the surprise that colors her soul.
>[Dwarf]"O-oh, Blood Friend Labombard, how… unexpected. May I ask who you have brought with you this day?"
>[Labombard]"He's the Clan Head, or near enough, for that Igor guy you got. Head Letel's going to want to meet him."
Seemingly relieved to have clear orders to foist off on someone more important, the dwarf scurries off as the Frenchman reclines against a wall carved with the images of what looks to be a dwarven play-it's plot unknown. I'm halfway through deciding if it's part of a tragedy or a macabre comedy when a dwarf with a grayed beard carefully pleated in a dazzlingly complicated fashion sweeps in, his clothes seemingly cloth of… obsidian. On seeing us he bows his head to both of us, before offering a politely measured greeting.
>[Letel Dimirken]"…Blood Friend Labombard. Clan Head Laine. Would you please follow me?"
>[Labombard]"Ah, Head Letel-after you, old one."
We walk-and, in some cases, crouch-along simple, tightly-spaced corridors near the entrance, until we reach larger, more spacious corridors just before a massive room of curious design. At its heart is a cube of crystal, heavily lined with shelves dotted with tomes of all possible makes. This cube is suspended solely by the platform leading to it, above what appears to be a whirlpool formed of magma, fitfully bubbling beneath the transparant flooring. In this room of crystal and literature, we take tow of the seats opposite Letel at a perfectly spherical table of what… I might have to call ruby. Granted, given it's a sphere, not a normal flat surface or anything I might not have known it was a table… had Labombard not asked for a glass of some water and set it down on the sphere's surface, where it clung without spilling the fluid within despite being at a 90-degree angle. And given this… furniture wrought of gem is some ten feet across…

Well, the clan certainly has their resources, don't they?

Clearing his throat after we're all seated, Letel gives me a sample of how he operates.
>[LD]"So, is it correct to say you have an understanding of the situation?"
"Sufficient to know that from your perspective there was honor lost, and your ways insist you seek redress along one of several possible avenues, correct?"
>[LD]"That is so."
>[Labombard]"Head Letel, if I may…"
The dwarf inclines his head to the cavaliar former legionnaire.
>[Labombard]"I must observe that a certain paired set of rumors are wholly true-Armas Laine, in addition to possessing ownership of Amen, is both a business associate of Owner himself, and does, indeed, have custody of an artificial Skin Walker. Were some of it not private information, I could also regale you with details of why his entire group contains several individuals of genuine note-among them Li Kui, the Black Whirlwind, and the same Spirit Shaman that made quite a stir in Greece recently."
The squat man with an unreadable soul (and an overtly spiritual charm about his neck) mulls over Labombard's words with a sigh.
>[LD]"I needed no further convincing to be made completely aware that, as a trade clan, any scenario where negotiations broke down would in all likelihood spell doom for my clan. That said-I cannot let the issue slide-to do so would be to forfeit my honor as Clan head, and the honor of my daughter."
"Then it is good that we both wish to find an amicable solution."
>[LD]"Indeed. Officially, there are five ways this situation could be resolved with Igor alive: First, you could submit yourself to us on Igor's behalf to accept his execution, thereby restoring our clan's honor and placing us in your debt for offering a greater sacrifice than initially demanded. This debt would apply to your entire cla-group, and would persist past your passing. Second, you could…. pay off the value of the debt."
>[Labombard]"He paused on that one because that'd mean buying his daughter, essentially, and that's not something any father would like to discuss."
Letel favors the Loup with a frosty glare at that, but says nothing about the interjection.
"And the other options?"
>[LD]"The next option is going ahead with the marriage, but with you offering a publically viable dowry to nullify the debt-preferential contracts, significant magical items or craftings, things of that nature. Another option is to execute Igor yourself."
"Ahuh. And the last?"
>[LD]"Offer someone else of higher status from your… group… in Igor's place."
"So-Die, buy her, marriage with bribes, kill him, or new marriage partner, is that right?"
>[Letel]"That is so."
"…How secure is this room?"
>[LD]"We have invested considerable resources rendering it quite private and unassailable by listening magics of any form."
I nod at that, the half-formed idea in my mind finally springing into shape.
>[MMM,MMMM Trait auto-activated!]
"I don't like any of those options, and we're both well aware that whatever social concerns exist regarding your clan's standing, the power in this negotiation lies with me. So here's how we're going to resolve the situation your daughter made because she was too short sighted to pick her targets better."
The Dwarf before me stiffens as I get right down to the nitty gritty with an ominously strong-worded preamble.
"So first thing we're gonna do-you're going to kill me, with whoever else in your clan you need watching to have it verified."
The Dwarf clan head blinks at that. Hell, so does Labombard.
"After that, Igor's still going to marry her-we'll say something about my death being that bribe to pay off the debt-and you'll claim you resurrected me at least partly because you found the Curse released on my death to be unacceptably damaging to deal with. To this end, you're going to donate to me the funds you'd expend on such an endeavor, and we'll claim that you merely financed the resurrection. You'll also sign magically binding contracts to not only be unable to tell the truth about the slaying-you'll willingly relinquish ownership of even the memories of the event in question."
As I cut off, Letel eyes me with an incredulous eye before shaking his head.
>[Letel]"…Forgive me if this is banal, but to reiterate: We will sign a contract to give away memories of killing you, kill you, provide funding for a resurrection which… will not take place?"
"Don't worry about the ressurection."
>[LD"…I see. And thereafter, the marriage will… still go through?"
"Yes."
The dwarf rubs his chin, a thing line of sweat marring his brow.
>[LD]"…I do not see how this is to your benefit."
"You don't need to-that's rather the point. Suffice to say, I'll be around, and still expect fair and upright dealings between our two groups from here on out."
>[LD]"…I do not understand what your goal is here."
The Frenchman beside me can't help but laugh at that.
>[Labombard]"Ah, Head Letel-you must grow accustomed to the explanation 'because Armas', I fear: It is one those who know him are well versed in."
A heavy sigh escapes the diminuitive man before us.
>[LD]"So it would seem. …Since we are speaking plainly here-can you at least tell me that your plan, whatever it's purpose is, does not pose a risk to our clan?"
"I have no intention or plan to bring harm upon your clan."
>[WLG Trait levels up to the level 4 trait: WORD'S WORTH LIKE GOLD]
>Dwarven clans around the world will now look upon you with more trust, now that you've navigated a marriage incident!
With the look of a man both walking to and let off from the hangman's noose, the Dimirken Clan Head nods, and presses a thumb to a block of quartz jutting from the desk. In seconds, a leather-skinned construct appears before us, it's soul more mechanical than organic, and waits patiently while we hash out the precise wording of the contract. I have to give Letel credit-he attempts to leave himself wiggle room… but it's no use. The contract ends up forcibly removing his memories of how he killed me and how I was brought back the moment the entire procedure is concluded-and, with the wording set and his memories already forfeit in advance, he can't help but ask.
>[LD]"Why?"
I consider the question as SB confirms the man has no charms on him that would let him place memories for later retrieval to circumvent the Contract-and decide to tell him.
"I'm immortal, or close enough-but I need to verify something about it. So go get a weapon that can fatally damage souls, so we can get this done."
With Labombard guffawing at my utterly frank admission, Letel backs away-and while he doesn't scurry, he comes very close to breaking statliness when he heads off to retrieve a weapon of proper substance.
>[Labombard]"I hope your intent was to leave him with a sense of further terror at the thought of ever crossing you even after the memories are pulled, for I fear that's what you've just done."
"Well, you know us Americans-so fond of our image and being the big man on campus."
>[Labombard]"Hah. …If you need my memory of that little detail of yours gone, I will happily submit myself to your colleague Satai to have the memory purged."
"I'll keep that in mind-mostly, I just wanted a place that SM couldn't detect."
>[Labombard]"Es.. ah, the Wyld Goblin Tribe leader, the one who's name no one knows."
"The same."
>[Labombard]"Well then, in the heart of a Dwarven Clan's holdings would be a fairly safe place to do just that."
"That was my hope."
>[Labombard]"Just for personal reference here: A marriage paid for with a clan head analogue's death puts one in full Life Debt to the clan that sacrificed their head. That said-try not to go hog-wild milking such a debt, yeah? They actually have metrics for adding up percentile use of the debt to track when it's finally been met."
"Noted. …Ah, and here we are."

Letel reenters the room with an old matron at his side, and a strangely lumpy rust-colored sword carefully cradled. He and the newcomer both sign the contract-and a sword is plunged into my chest.

[DEATH]

There is a moment-a transitory period-where I'm between 'slain' and 'restoring myself'. A moment where I am not my fleshly body, where I am not my mind, or even my soul-I am merely the shadow, the scraps, the recollection of Armas housed in the splintered fragments of my spirit. And then…. the Romanov roots in my Winter Bloodline due what they do best. The ceaseless energy of my Bound winter line surge, filling the gaps within my tattered soul, my spirit reviving in seconds. I coalesce above my fallen body-and do the obvious thing: I possess my just slain form on the ground. After all, it's just got a hole through it's heart-that's hardly anything at all!

The process is admittedly trying-to possess a body, even my own, when my soul no longer has a place to call home is an utterly irregular experience, and I find myself immensely glad I chose to brave it for the first time under controlled conditions, and not in the heat of battle. It takes all of my attention to reestablish my ownership of my body-but I find a bit of a prize waiting for me when I'm done: Two dwarves, gaping at me like fish… until their eyes blur, and they grow confused for a separate reason.

Blinking, Letel eyes the weapon in his hand while looking our way, eyeing the cut in my suit with canny eyes.
>[LD]"…So it's been done."
"It has. I trust you'll transfer the funds."
>[LD]"For the resurrection… however you did it. Yes. ….Well, I believe that… concludes our business. You are free to take your man home-but we will need him available: The wedding does require planning."
"Right. Do you know when it might happen?"
>[LD]"It's likely at least a month off, yet-there are… formalities to observe, when marrying outside of Dwarven lines. Ours to deal with, but time consuming."
"You'll let me know?"
>[LD]"Of course."
"Great. Well-if you happen to find yourself in need of my services, or that of my company-you know who to contact. Where's Igor?"
"This way."
The walk passes in silence-and I find Igor with a young Dwarf woman, laboring over a chair with, frankly beautiful legs. Seriously, they look like the love children of snakes, roman columns and gothic buttresses, a complicatedly convoluted affair that holds an aesthetic all it's own. For his part, Letel's steps slow as he enters, eyeing the chair bemusedly before clearing his throat. As the dwarf and Igor both turn around, I see the relief in my wayward smith's eyes.
>[Igor]"…Boss. Hi."
"Hi. You're still marrying her."
>[Igor]"I am?"
"You are."
>[Igor]"…I am. ..Huh."
"I was expecting a bit more of an involved reaction than that-either happy or angry, whichever."
He glances back at the dwarven woman who was sharing the room with him, and I see a scrimshaw pattern of conflicting thoughts go through his soul.
>[Igor]"Uh. She's… okay, when you get to know her? I don't know-should I be angry I have to marry her?"
"Given you have to ask, I'll go with 'no'. …So."
I turn to the Dwarf in question.
"What's your name?"
>[Patere Dimirken]"Patere, of-"
"Of the Dimirken Clan, daughter of Letel, head of the clan, yes yes. I'm taking Igor back now-you have his number to contact him?"
She holds up her cell phone-I see Igor's number on the speed dial list.
"Okay then. I imagine I'll see you again soon enough. …Igor."

At my word, Igor falls in beside me-and, after a brief exchange of farewells with a thoroughly cowed Dimirken clan, the three of us (plus Sake and HB) make our exit. Igor, for his part, doesn't seem to have any inclination to talk on the way back about what happened to him-so I talk about something else.
"So Igor."
>[Igor]"Yes?"
"I happen to be owed a favor by a blacksmith, and I was planning to pass that favor on to you-I imagine you can put it to better use than I can."
>[Igor]"You do? I mean… who?"
I rattle off a name and address.
"Just mention you're here to collect regarding a situation with a librarian-he'll know exactly what I mean."
>[Igor]"Uh… okay. Thanks."
Labombard speaks up from Igor's far shoulder.
>[Labombard]"And I'll be happy to teach you what I know-I've done some smithery myself, as it happens, though I hear you're a dab hand."
"Oh… thank you?"
I get to listen to Igor awkward all over the conversation the whole way back, with the exclusive exception of when Labombard's got him talking about actual smithing. It was entertaining, in a trainwreck sort of way… but that's now in the past, as we're back at the mansion late at night. On our return, I debate whether I should stay up and keep getting things done… or if I should turn in for some nighttime fun.

Somehow I end up in bed with Lyubov instead of doing anything productive. I wonder how that happened.


WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS: $3,233,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $9,672,864.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 65%
WINTER ENERGY: 160
SUMMER ENERGY: 55/55


I wake up not with a yawn, but an immediately administered brain coffee as I find myself grinning: Today pomises to be rewarding.

I occupy myself in the early morning-and I fear I'm waking progressively earlier as the days pass-by wokring on a bit of fleshcrafting, following a bit of an idle thought to its logical conclusion. I'm clad in a bath robe and idly clutching a chip of Doonongaes bone in one hand, and Giant bone, carefully extricated from the recently acquired corpse in my other.
So, let's see... Rostislav's body has Gargoyle bone in it-and I've gotten a solid look at that during that spar we had a few days back. Similarly, the Doonongaes bone I hold is fairly familiar to me, from our extensive work with the Golem project. The Giant bone is new to me-and I find that it seems to simmer expectantly with a magic most similar to that in my soul binding and that which Duke recently tried to instruct me in. That said, by this point I've got a solid enough grasp of external fleshcrafting I can at least try my hand at analysis-and in both samples I hold, I find a plethora of skeletal alterations I could attempt to ply. Ways for cells to stack together more efficiently, more robust cellular structure, better shaping for blood flow through the bones, a greater flexible range before breaks become an issue, heightened durability for compression and torsion alike, strong anchor zones for tendons, ligaments and muscles... initially, all I look for-and all I see-are mundane differences that will add up to a wholly superior skeletal system.

But that doesn't satisfy me. I look deeper-or rather at an entirely different level: I begin to analyze the wholly magical signatures I detect in each chunk of biomass, starting with the Divine sample. The Doonongaes bone proves deceptively easy to decode-and proves a short-lived mystery. All of it's raw physical hardiness, every last iota that's not wholly biological in nature seems entirely rooted in converting ambient magic in the body into strengthening force-in effect, the fleshcrafting equivalent of passive reinforcement for the bones, a pre-coded system for one's skeleton to function at higher levels. It takes a few tries to get a system that doesn't dissolve the moment I try to do something finicky fleshcrafting-wise, but in essence replicating the Doonongaes bone's strengths isn't difficult so much as somewhat time consuming. The Giant bone sample, a mere fleck of seperated vertebra taken from the produced stump, however, proves quite inscrutible-I can't decode the methodology behind the Conceptual energy rooted in it's mass. What I can do, however, is copy the differing approach to pulling in raw magic in surrounding flesh to reinforce the bone, compare it against the methods I copied from the Doonongaes, and integrate the two. I don't do it expertly-no dressing up my knowledge as being truly insightful or masterful-but my workman's approach does let me hammer the two together into a whole that, while not greater than the sum of its parts, is certainly better than either sample used. Finally, with my model for prospective alteration built.... I apply my findings to my own form, bone rippling, oozing and flowing within my flesh as it is rebuilt to a new standard. I feel the ambient Winter magic in my flesh being consumed, not by my bones directly, but by the Giant-based, court neutral magic processing systems I replicated, which then funnel the unaspected energy to my skeletal system. I have a joyous moment where I think I can take the system I copied and apply it to the rest of my flesh and finally bridge the Winter/Summer conflict that is my form, but there's something... I withdraw my mind from that endeavor once I recognize that I can't replicate what I've studied without a stronger understanding of Conceptual magic and how it works. For now, I have to make do with bones that are passively more durable than tempered steel, and naturally reinforce themselves with my radiant energy-which is to say, if I end up fighting something that can break my bones in melee, it's probably something that could convert any of the russians to paste.

[GODLING BONES acquired!]

Finishing up my conversions to find that the pre-dawn morning has become late morning edging on noon, I verify with Sake that he took care of Silja's daily dose with Davgon and Gianni, before I ping SB with a hopefully straightforward request-one which he readily agrees to. Now, as to the other member of the exchange... I track down Rostislav's latest acquisition, the man known as 'Adib', a fighter from one of the local low-grade magic fight clubs. On seeing my approach, he swiftly stands-not with the rigid attention of a military man before a superior, but the older, more archaic respect of a lesser man before a greater. I wouldn't be able to immediately interpret such an anachronistic mindset were his soul-a frankensteinian smorgasbord of grafts and magical signatures of past laborers-showed me his conceptualization of me as something like a Prelate mixed with a Slave Owner.
>[Adib]"Mr. Laine. Is there something I can do for you?"
"Perhaps. It's my understanding that you are quite old-a relic, in fact, from roman days, is that true?"
>[Adib]"I was born during the rule of the Roman Empire, that is correct."
"And would it be correct to say you know a number of languages that currently are considered 'dead'?"
>[Adib]"I know Latin, Etruscan, Akkadian, Eblaite, Elamite, Pheonician, Semitic, Sumerian, Aramaic , Gallic, and what is now known as Old Persian: I believe all of those are dead languages."
"And how about modern tongues-which ones do you know?"
>[Adib]"Berber, Spanish, Mongolian, Turkish, Greek and Italian-though it's an older Italian dialect."
Fifteen new languages... yeah, I'm liking the idea to ask him about this.
"Excellent. My followup question, then, is if you have any reservations about my Shadow producing a copy of your linguistic knowledge for my own use."
>[Adib]"Do as you will, Mr. Laine."
Ah, I love the compliant types.

With a nod to SB's image on the wall my brother gets to work, and I get on with the rest of my day.

First, I check in on Svetlana, to inquire after the pay from Bonzi. It seems she worked with Satai to get the gold provided converted into more liquid assets and already deposited it in the company account-after taking care of the costs incurred acquiring that specific comic book. The end result is that we 'only' made seventy thousand dollars, near enough, on the job-which isn't bad at all, given no expendable resources were used in the process.
BUSINESS FUNDS: +$69,520.00] $9,742,384.00
She also informs me she's managed to make a Cyclops eye purchase-she's rather certain she got a solid price for it, citing market metrics she put together as indicative that Cyclops eyes normally go for 700-1000k, with her having acquired one for 620k. It's getting delivered tomorrow morning-so I know what Gianni, Davgon, Placid and I are all working on.
BUSINESS FUNDS: -$619,290.00 $9,123,094.00
After she's reported on her successful acquisition, I give her a new purchase to hunt out a solid deal on: Catoblepas lungs, one set. I'm pleased to note that, while I can't read her soul through the charm she's now sporting, I'm canny enough to read the shifts in her facial tension that I know she's not actually bothered by it-she's already looking at this as 'work, as per normal', or at least partly so. Good to see she's settling in. She also takes our brief meeting as an opportunity to tell me she, Satai and Labombard are still working on the company threat database based off AORB, Last Spelling and Labombard's own experiences.

Digesting Svetlana's results, I head to the kitchen to make lunch for everyone-really, I've been enjoying the excuse to cook again with Boris gone-and while I'm working, SB gets back to me about that language packet from Adib-and mid-omelette flip, I find myself excessively moreso polylingual. I imagine I could actually read that book I managed to purloin from the Ghanem heir a few weeks back-when I get to it.

After serving lunch and amusing myself in the process by skirting about the attention of those I serve such that plates seem to magically appear before them laden with tasty treats, and then polishing off my own meager four plates of food, I grab the ever-elusive Satai before he can head back out. He looks expectantly at me as I explain what I need.
"So, few things: What's the status on the Blood Bank and Ambulance jobs for the Zosimus clan?"
>[Satai]"Both are complete."
"Pending payment?"
>[Satai]"No, the company accounts should reflect the payment, minus the cuts for those who enacted the missions."
BUSINESS FUNDS: +$(57,000.00-25%)+$(55,000.00-25%) $9,207,094.00
"Excellent. So-still pending the Ibruhem and Yorgin jobs, right?"
>[Satai]"And the guard duty job, though that's more an issue of waiting until it's complete."
"Right... So, some new things for you."
He quirks an eyebrow expectantly.
"For one-that teleporter pad you'd mentioned before-I want us to acquire it, and then get samples of all workers at the company, so that if an emergency occurs we can forcibly remove them from a hazardous situation and get them whatever treatment they require."
>[Satai]"...Understood. What price range am I working with?"
"Let's cap it at six mil."
>[Satai]"I see. Is there more?"
"Yeah, I-"

My phone rings. Looking down, I see the number's from Oyac Securities.
"...Give me a second here."
I flip the phone open.
"Hello?"
>[Banker]"Mister Laine?"
"This is he."
>[Banker]"I'm just calling to inform you that there's been a deposite to your account that came with a note to call you and say, quote, 'Compliments of the Dimirken'."
"I see. And how much was the deposite for?"
>[Banker]"Four million, seven hundred twenty three thousand dollars, sir."
Aaaand THAT is going in my personal funds-I am the one that died for it, after all-
PERSONAL FUNDS: +$4,723,000.00 $7,956,660.00
"I see. Thank you for the courtesy call."
>[Banker]"Of course sir!"
*CLICK*

I turn back to Satai, who's sporting a dry smile.
>[Satai]"Good news?"
"It would appear so. Now-I also want you to acquire either a single multi-person dreamcatcher, or two single-person dream catchers that would not only capture nightmares or all sorts to prevent mental unrest, but would encourage sleep to be innately theraputic and mood stabilizing, in a manner conducive to healthy mental development for a child."
>[Satai]"...To clarify, would this be for those wards of the Valkonen family you haven't spoken to in some time?"
Yeah, that's a nice little reminder I should really call them.
"The same."
>[Satai]"Same question as before, then-what's the price range?"
"Two million total-and that's from my personal funds. Check with the Valkonens first though, and verify it won't unduly overlap with whatever they've already instituted. Lastly, I want to talk to you about Stacey."
>[Satai]"Should I call her?"
"No, I'd rather not bother her unduly-I do, currently at least, grasp how easy it is to trip her Contract into forcing her into action, so I'd rather not have to tiptoe about that at the moment."
>[Satai]"I see. So?"
"I'd like to see about acquiring for her some memories of therapists, magical and mundane alike, for her own mental health, so she can be a good person to talk to for the Valkonen wards, and so that she can be a secure confidant for anyone in the company that needs to talk something out. Do you think that this proposal would actually function as I'm anticipating?"
>[Satai]"I'd need to confirm with her that she could use such knowledge on herself-but even if she couldn't ,I believe that could be amended with an order directed her way with the proper phrasing."
"And do you think she'd actually be willing?"
>[Satai]"Assuming the prior point isn't an issue? Absolutely-she's inferenced that she'd like to be more at peace with her situation for her own mental health, and this would accomodate that."
"Great-Start looking for people willing to sell memories of how to be a therapist-for mundane memories, I'll leave it to your discretion what she's provided with, besides child psychology. The goal isn't to make her as effective as possible, but to render all possible parties-Stacey, the Riihivuori kids, the company employees-as satisfied and pleased as possible."
>[Satai]"...I'll add that to my to-do list."
"Good man-well, I'll leave you to it."

With a brief nod to one another, we part ways-and I decide to implement some insurence on the remaining Zosimus jobs: I call Hafaz. Like always, he picks up promptly.
>[Hafaz]"Armas."
"Hafaz. Got a potential job request for you."
>[Hafaz]"What's the job?"
"I may have overestimated the maturity and general readiness of one of my employees, and given him too many concurrent jobs. I'd like to get your assistence in reducing his burden."
>[Hafaz]"...Who are the jobs for?"
"The Zosimus clan."
>[Hafaz]"And the job itself?"
"Hunt down a rogue Yorgin Vampire."
>[Hafaz]"The one out in the Meatpacking district going ghoul-crazy?"
"Neutralization job: Your team got it?"
>[Hafaz]"...Tell you what, we'll do it free, if you'll publically cop to having outsourced the job."
"Street cred?"
>[Hafaz]"Your name, inexplicably, is worth something these days."
"Hilarious, isn't it. Okay-you've got your credit."
>[Hafaz]"Excellent. We'll call you in a day or so to confirm the job's been done, and we can discuss it over some beers."
"Sounds good."
*CLICK*

Well-that's Bagga's life made a bit easier.

Now then... lunch has come and gone, and I think I'll take up Matvey's offer to check his house now-yes, he and Zhenya are back today, but he wanted the place assessed, not house-sat, so this shouldn't really be a problem. I grab Lyubov, Matvey and Zhenya to explain my intent, and it seems no one's got an issue with it-Matvey, for his part, is just relieved he's getting another appraisal of his land's status. The drive out is utterly uneventful, with Lyubov chatting happily with Zhenya about their trip, while Matvey and I find ourselves in a competition to see who's the most stoic on the trip out. Not sure how that came about-or who won-but it was entertaining enough.

On arrival, Matvey gives me a moment to look at his outer wards before dropping them to let us all in. I'm not particularly impressed with them-I can see where physical matter-the stones spaced around the grounds-are the nodes that direct the wards, and I see that they're double layered from the after-image laden visual representation I get of the magics involved. For her part, Lyubov does a better job analyzing the magical state of the wards, making a few comments to Matvey about noted flaws she'd discovered in his absence, none of them major, before we actually enter. Inside, it's my time to shine: I finally get to appraise the Spirit Animals-turned-Land-Gods that Placid laced Matvey's property with. I find their status as Predator Class Spirit Animals solid-if lacking in clarity-and see that each one is rooted to a spherically defined section of space, rooted in the ground they're anchored to. Walking the grounds carefully, I find that, while this method does cover the majority of the terrain, there are paths, narrow or not, that could let one circumvent the spiritual defenses with the aid of soul sight or soul sensing to identify where one should not tread. Ultimately, this ends up being the biggest issue I can find with the inner defenses-and I make no secret of it.
"So Matvey-is it intentional, to leave paths between the Land Gods from the perimeter to the cabin?"
>[Matvey]"No-that's just how Placid built them."
"Let me guess-a bit hesitant to ask him to rework them?"
>[Matvey]"[Russian Silence]"
"Right, right. For future reference the guy's fine with redoing his work if he didn't fully grasp how you wanted something set up. If you want, he'd be more than willing to reshape those land god anchor points-though to be honest, I'd appreciate the chance to try my own hand at it."
Matvey favors me with a curious glance at that-and thanks to his increasingly stoic expressions, I might not have been able to decode that-if I hadn't briefly flipped my Soul Bind beneath my Guise to 'Can only read Matvey's soul Today' and seen a thought flitting across his mind-that of gnashing human teeth, feasting on what is clearly a leg.
Ho-ho, he's got suspicions about my Cannibalistic magical nature? Good to see he's not blind to the hints around him.
Finally, the man nods.
>[Matvey]"I'd appreciate that, if you're willing."
"Of course-it'll be a good learning experience-and worst case scenario, Placid will be able to repair any mess ups I might engender."
>[Matvey]"Not exactly the most confidence inducing way to phrase it."
"If we're being flippant, then I don't really need your confidence when you've already agreed."
>[Matvey]"Point. Do you know how long it'll take?"
"Not a clue-but I'll blindly ballpark it at 'hours', and we'll go from there."
>[Matvey]"I will observe your work, if that's acceptable."
"It is your place-do what you want."
With Matvey joining Lyubov to look over my metaphorical shoulder, I get to work.

Placid's work is, ultimately, pretty easy to pick apart and tweak. Nothing's locked down-which I attribute to Matvey not having specifically asked for the work to be permanent and indelible. That's just fine with me-as I get to dive right on through the spirit animal-turned land gods to their soul's core, rooted in the earth beneath them-and from there, to the veins of spirit spreading through the soil that determine where the spirits can roam. Ultimately, I'm doing the equivalent of redistributing soil to turn evenly spaced sinkholes into interconnected rows. What makes this interesting for me is the thought to pattern my work after my own Sphere Labrynth, expanding my own knowledge of maze-building in the process. None of the land gods is difficult to alter the range of-but it is positively fiddly work, to make each one a part of the interlinked network I plot-particularly because I'm still being stymied by the land god's unwillingness to have their territory overlap. This proves problematically frustrating for more than an hour-but eventually, I hit upon an idea, and manually adjust the spiritual signature of each Land God's soul to be the same. ...Mentally, I picture this process as repainting a bevy of cars to all be the same color. Once so matched, I can link up the interwoven territories, and from them create a single, cohesive territory all the land gods use-and, after testing it to insure that it really does function how I now think it does, I turn back to Matvey, currently sipping a cup of piping hot tea.

"So, do I need to explain it, or did your suit tell you enough?"
>[Matvey]"You... have rendered the land god defense system as more akin to a net than a collection of individual territories, with any point on the net being accessible by all the land gods."
"Got it in one-I imagine that being assailed by scores of Predator Spirits simultaneously is more daunting than repeatedly facing individual ones."
>[Matvey]"I wouldn't know, but that seems reasonable to assume. ...Thank you, Ar-"
"Ah ah-don't thank me yet, I'm not done."
Rubbing my hands together, I eye the now thoroughly gloomy sky overhead, and estimate it to already be nine oclock-wow, I was really dumping quite a bit of time into this endeavor.
"So-there's a room you wanted to eyeball, too."
>[Matvey]"...Yes. Follow me, please."
We're led into the cozy cabin that sports signs of liberal use of premade dinners (seems the old-timey stove has proved vexxing to the occupants) and shown to the trapdoor in the kitchen. I can't help but smile as I inspect the wards inked in partly dried blood festooning what appears to be a concrete-encased panic room.
>[Matvey]"I'd really appreciate it if this room could be confirmed as safe or not."
"This is the one that had... issues... with it, correct?"
>[Matvey]"The same."
"Okay...."
I eyeball the room prepared by Kazadora with a critical eye, looking for any hints of danger yet lurking in it's confines. I pierce the stone walls deeply, seeking embedded magic items or hidden runs carved within the stone-nothing. I check the wards thoroughly, for the slightest hint of something that can cast Attention on others, a Magic Item, a sense of Soul-anything to suggest this is yet dangerous. ...There is nothing. I cast an eye back to Lyubov just to be sure-and she shakes her head: Seems she couldn't find anything either. I turn back to our host.
"Well Matvey-no signs of dickery that we can detect. I won't out and out guarantee it's clean, but at this point it seems fairly safe to assume it is."
>[Matvey]"I see. Not all that I'd hoped... but it's enough. Thank you."
"Hey, any time. Though you do realize I have to cook dinner for you, right?"
>[Matvey]"How do you figure?"
"I can't walk away seeing you've been going with takeout and whatever's real easy to make-that's boring! Besides, I haven't had occassion to do wood fire cooking in a while-so yeah, sit down and prepare yourself to be hungry."
With a wry grin, Matvey allows me to shoo him out of his kitchen as I set to work-only to be interrupted by Lyubov. Who I ALSO promptly shoo out-at her playful protests, I swat her bottom with a wooden spoon-she's a crappy cook too, outside of baking-and if she wants to change that, we can do that at the Mansion-not when I'm forcibly stuffing my food down people's throats.

With the ingredients on hand, I make a spiced chili-derivative out of some slightly burned meatloaf, and make something not unlike a heartier form of meatballs and spaghetti. I also boil and strain the kale they had sitting in their refridgerator, before it could go bad. It's not much of a meal by my standards-but then, I'm currently used to having a few dozen sets of magical food on hand back at the mansion.

...Now that I mention that, if Labombard ate everything back at Amen, then why was there food available to make lunch? I don't have any orders slated for... right, some of the food deliveries are midday. Yeah, that's got to explain it.

I find myself mulling this niggling doubt over the entire way through the meal, which Zhenya is gushing over while pointedly looking at Matvey, who with a sign mutters something about getting their cooking situation resolved soon. After the meal's done, I find that Matvey's actually heading out with Lyubov and I-turns out he's going drinking with Ito tonight. On hearing that, I can't really find a reason not to go myself, so after Lyubov expresses an interest in doing her own thing tonight, she takes the van back to the mansion while Matvey and I wait for Ito to pick us up in his gleaming purple Cadillac. When the smooth-faced old man spots me with Matvey, he shoots off a feral grin.
>[Ito]"Oh-the fountain of youth's going out with us tonight, is he?"
>[Matvey]"Seems that way-I assumed that's not a problem."
>[Ito]"No problem at all-I still owe the man a lifetime's supply of free beer, I think-might as well get on paying that off."
"Given I'm not planning to die of old age, you may be working on that tab for a while."
>[Ito]"Details. So, found a new place to try out tonight."
>[Matvey]"Yeah?"
I can see the expectation to be faced with violence painting his face as he explains.
>[Ito]"Yeah. Used to be a fight club-type group, but they got thoroughly chastized by... parties-"
He looks pointedly at Matvey.
>[Ito]"So now they're pooling homebrew and trying to restart the club with a bar as a base. Operating out by the docks-heard good things about the brew and the atmosphere."
"Sounds good to me."
>[Ito]"Personal request: Don't mention who you are, or no one will want to have a physical dispute. That would make for a boring evening."
"Fair enough-we need to plan to be out of there before midnight?"
>[Ito]"Given I'm still doing night lessons tonight like every other night, yes."
>[Matvey]"Well, enough wasting time-let's go."
Matvey and his dog clamor into the back seat, with my officer deferentially ceding the front seat to me. We drive over with carribean Jazz music blaring out of aged and slightly tinny speakers, with Ito working his way through two thirds of a cigar (and half of a bottle of scotch) during the fifteen minute drive. On arrival, we find he's leading us to a derelict shanty that looks partly assembled from driftwood, with the thump of music and the thrum of souls seeping out from within. When we enter, I find that Ito's quite the known commodity to most people there-and he's already engaged in arm-wrestling within five minutes of going through the door, with a pitcher of beer being the wager. For our part, Matvey and I simply work the room, trying the many beers on hand-and I find both of us are being afforded a polite show of deferential respect-no one seems to want to step on either of our toes. Compared to Ito, who by night's end has gotten in no less than five fights and wagered his own teeth against a vampire before pulling his prizes from the man's mouth bare-handed upon his victory, we both have rather subdued nights out-and for me, at least, that's not really a problem. Eventually, Ito glances at the clock and shepherds both of us into his car, where he drops me off at the mansion before speeding off with Matvey and Ohotnik, presumably to return them home as well.

The day complete, I head in-and find Lyubov already asleep. I debate waking her for a minute-before deciding I can skip a night here and there.

Sleep commences.

THURSDAY, MARCH 10th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS: $7,956,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $9,207,094.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 65%
WINTER ENERGY: 160
SUMMER ENERGY: 55/55


I wake up well before Lyubov yet again-partly because she seems to be trying to wake up before me, something I'm taking great delight in shutting down-and decide that the best idea for how to spend my morning....

Is to whistle, scream and shout.

It's Thunder time.

This first time, I decide to not startle everyone awake with impossibly loud sounds, so I make my way to the indoor tank range, and have Amen set up some practice targets-assorted types, thickness and shapes of glass, ceramics, and some samples of brick and concrete. And I throw the entire beginning half of the day away, devoting it all to getting an initial handle on how my newly expanded Summer Bloodline handles the whole 'Thunder' thing.

I learn a few things.
-If I'm shouting as hard as I can, I'm going to shatter glass willy nilly. Great if I need a distraction in a place with a bunch of windows. The glass seems guaranteed to break within two hundred feet of me in an enclosed area-maybe half that in an open space.
-Ceramics will also shatter around me, but at a quarter the range of what glass does.
-For brick and concrete, I pretty much need to be right next to it to make it start cracking-but if I TOUCH the stuff while shouting, I can outright explodify the stuff-seems contact lets me channel the vibrations far more thoroughly-makes sense, I guess.
-I can't seem to shout my throat out-not even 'damaged but repairable'-seems some aspect of the bloodline expansion involves protecting my throat and respiratory system in general from the damages Thunder Shouting would incur.
-It seems there's nothing that forces me to 'build up' to peak shouting-I can hit my peak Thunder in the first instant of shouting-so the only benefit of long-term shouting is sustaining the shout, not building it to new heights.
-Whistling is totally it's own field-when I whistle shout, I end up shredding my tongue within seconds-there's something about the vibrations that just rips it apart. That said, I think Thunder Whistling carries more than twice as far as normal shouting, even if it isn't any more potent.
-Whistling, it seems, CAN push Thunder to heights past my presumed maximum output. I'm not yet sure of the specific mechanisms and rules involved, but it's very clearly related to music-I'm getting the output increases only when I whistle tunes, and even then only during certain parts. Currently I'm thinking that's when I reach musical climaxes... but I'll need way more data to verify that as being ironclad.
-So far, it seems I can triple total Thunder potency with whistling-but I don't know if that's an actual ceiling, or just the best I've yet found-that was when whistling the 1812 Overture.
-Whistling or Shouting, when I make with the Thunder my whole body shakes-but it doesn't seem to be combat applicable. When I touch things to shatter them, it takes some time for the vibrations to build up, and the vibrations on their own aren't strong enough to rip my suit apart, so I'm pretty sure I can't treat it like any sort of armor... yet.
-I hit the ceiling for what my, at least for shouting, is a mundane biology's limits within a few hours. I'd need to do some actual fleshcrafting to alter my physiology to really draw out Thunder's strengths.
-In the end, I learn I'm ultimately a forever reusable flashbang minus the flash, and that I can deafen with ludicrous ease.
SUMMER ENERGY: +5 Max 60/60

With a MUCH firmer grasp of what I can and can't do with my Thunder shouting and whistling as of now, I head back upstairs in the early afternoon, chuckling over how my throat isn't sore from all that. I note, as I check my phone, that Hafaz messaged me with a very easily interpreted message.
[Hafaz]Job done. Collected pay. Handed off to Satai. Didn't know he knew that many magic clubs.
It's half an hour old-so I text Satai, checking to see if he made the deposit.... seems he did.
BUSINESS FUNDS: +$35,000.00 $9,242,094.00

I had plans to do things with the rest of the day-maybe work on the Golem, now that we've got that third eye, and a Giant's body. Could have been real productive, too.

But then Duke happened.

Long story short... we have another 'lesson', which thankfully doesn't require I outrageously expand my tolerance for pain to even greater heights than the first lesson. Instead... oddly... he has me doing my damnedest to beat him as he lazily takes me apart. I don't mean that he overwhelms me-this is a rather controlled situation, to be frank. What he does, is methodically introduce system-destroying attacks to my body, and both while so damaged as well as whole, he demands that I hit him hard enough to knock him on his ass-something I know I can't do no matter how hard I overcharge my chakra in Reinforcement. That said... he manages to piss me off enough that five hours in (and after three hours of him trying to feed me a line that trolling people isn't funny-I mean REALLY) that I start ignoring... well, quite a bit. My bodies reports of hitting max output, the state of my overcharged reinforcement, my overall state of health-I know he's going for pushing me into something, and I let him have at it, and finally-

My fist briefly feels like a mechanical sledgehammer as it slams into his jaw, knock his upper body back and nearly rocking him off his feet. Both of us pause at that-and Duke's face splits into a grin, showing me his bloodied lip.
>[Duke]"Hah, there you go. Seems pounding enough Strength into you's got you doin' what you gotta: Now, let's see about getting you to do it again."
The rest of the lesson is again an excercise in pain, with the only high points being two more instants where I manage to get that same sense of impossible weight and heft to my blows. It's not yet enough to say I've got a handle on Conceptual Strength, but Duke seems confident another lesson or two will see me properly finished with his training, such as it is.

We make our way back to the mansion after the session, and I take great pleasure in spending the rest of the evening with Lyubov, who only initially protests that she's got experiments to do.

At some later point, we sleep.

FRIDAY, MARCH 11th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS: $7,956,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $9,242,094.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 65%
WINTER ENERGY: 160
SUMMER ENERGY: 60/60


A new day dawns-and with it, I decide that a Lo Fang job I've been on the fence about is really pretty damn interesting to me. There's a contract out for nearly half a mil-well, $430k to get the ward schematics to a safehouse of one Elwen Embla, and thereafter crack the combination Magitech/Divinitech warded and sensor-equipped warehouse. I'd not wanted to touch it because it's a Lo Fang job and frankly, fuck that guy, but... it is rather amazingly suited not just to the Allview, but to Lyubov's own ability set. What's even better, is that there exists the possibility to crack the wards ourselves and cut out the Triad middleman-why be limited to just our three top choices?
>[SB]"We'll have to assess the value of the stored items-but logically, that would be the higher yielding approach."
I know-just exploring options here. I'm thinking of sticking ten Allview souls on Elwen hunting duty-that seem reasonable?
>[SB]"You have a sufficient number that such a dedicated search shouldn't negatively impact your ability to use the Allview."
Glad to hear I have your support. Oh, lets stick another ten on tracking down that missing pole from Bonzi's, and another ten keeping tabs on that Yilmar kid-we'll need to know where he is to-
>[SB]"As to that... Sake expressed a strong desire to handle that mission himself overnight."
....Tell me what you know.
>[SB]"He knows a few were-weasels, stoars, martens and ferrets and, between them, has secured the assistance of several gay weres to lure Yilmar into a subdued gay bar... and then create pandemonium, centered around Yilmar."
Hm... I could see that working, but-
>[SB]"He will have his backpack and cameras with him."
Right, I'm sold, he can have at it.
>[SB]"He expects to be done by tonight."
Solid. I'll check in with him later, then.

With that done, I shake Lyubov awake, who after a few muzzy headed grumbles, looks blearily at me.
"Morning. I know you're going to start getting ready for your jog in a few minutes, but a little FYI: I've got a job offer I'm thinking of taking that will involve ward cracking, so if possible, please brush up on that-the assumption is that these are very solid wards."
She blinks the slow blink of the recently woken.
"Well, mull that over and let me know if you have questions."
With another mumble she eyes the alarm and rolls back over to enjoy those last sweet minutes of rest.


For me... my morning is occupied by work. The moment Gianni and Davgon have finished with Silja, I set them to moving the Golem to the sewers where Placid can access it without stepping into Amen, and give the little War Walker a ring-as ever, he's pleased as punch to be of help. We get together, SB coughs up the delicious Giant corpse, and we get to work. ...Well, Placid gets to work-Gianni and I are mostly just monitoring, while Davgon's taking notes. Gianni looks a bit pissed he's not hardy enough to act as a conduit for Placid to work through-as it is, I monopolize that function, and get a crash course in fleshcrafting Conceptually active meat. It's... to put it bluntly, vexingly baffling. I don't know why Placid does nine tenths of what he does, and some of it is so complex I can't even tell WHAT he did, conduit or no. All I can do is hold on and commit the magical action to memory as fast as I can.

In the end, we're nowhere near done when we take a break-the Golem's armor is still held open, and the Giant's body is awkwardly half-sticking out of the exposed flesh. But there's cause enough to interrupt-or so Lyubov thinks.

It's three PM-quite a few hours after we started-when she interrupts, with a comperatively succinct blurb.
[Lyubov]"Um so that teenage Witch out in Japan I've been talking with, Hyougo? Yeah, so there was an earthquake and a really big tsunami, and it's completely messing up the Japanese coast and her holdings are fine and safe and all but she's really freaking out because a bunch of mythic animal preserves and stuff like that got broken open, animals scattered all over and also she thinks there's smugglers who knew it was coming and loaded up crates with animals to let the tides sweep them out so they could get around the ban and-"
"Let's truncate that: Impressionable witch, very panicked by events, looking for input from you?"
[Lyubov]"Yeah and she-"
"And she's very receptive to whatever advice you have?"
[Lyubov]"Yes! And I have no idea what to say I mean I know how to talk to a teen about stuff but the ban she put up effects you too so I thought I'd tell you and see what you want me to say."
She finally takes a deep breath.
[Lyubov]"...And your yearbook arrived."

Right: Mentally vulnerable witch, prime for the manipulating via Facebook.
"I need to see some news reports, see what-"
Lyubov thrusts her laptop into my hands-I start scanning the open tabs with initial reports on the tsunami and the frankly impressive devestation it's wrought. ...Okay, I can work with this.








What's my recommendation for Lyubov on what to say to the freaking out, vulnerable Japanese Witch Hyougo about all the crap going on in Japan right now, and how do I use this to my advantage?
Oh yeah-tomorrow's Lyubov's birthday-what am I doing for that?
Please have your posts in by 10:00AM PST this Saturday
>>
No. 476520 ID: 5d98c3

>>476511
[Redacted]

...Ahem. Anyway, I suggest Lyubov offer condolences and ask if there's any way she can help. You are, after all, a mercenary organization.
>>
No. 476523 ID: f54805

Realize that lyubov's birthday is not tomorrow but the day after tomorrow.
>>
No. 476750 ID: 27cbbb

>>476520
If it means having a Witch as a friend, perhaps we should offer help without charge. I mean, Lyu's a Witch (sort of) so she can help her step by step. Have Lyu be that friend she needs.

As for birthday gifts, you have those lightning devil crossbows - Try customizing one for her, somehow. Maybe an engraving? They're perfect for her, if not for the 'devil' part...
>>
No. 476771 ID: 5d98c3

>>476520
Thanks for not banning me outright for that inexcusable outburst. Sorry.

>>476750
Yes, a gift of that sort might be nice, but how about something of utility? Or a piece of artwork? Weaponry seems a little off to give someone after a major disaster.
>>
No. 477027 ID: c31f72

Lo Fang training! We haven't gotten any in weeks.
Call up Lo Fang and schedule some training. Try to see if we can learn a speed boosting orientation this time.
>>
No. 477103 ID: 5d98c3

>>477027
Do we really trust him, what with the "We are most certainly going to try and brutally kill him in the very near future" thing going on? I fear for our safety should we attempt to collect anything other than his head.
>>
No. 477164 ID: ec06d0

>>477103
If Lo Fang said he'll train Armas then thats what he'll do. Armas has nothing to fear.
>>
No. 477185 ID: 27cbbb

>>477103
Armas can trust Lo Fang as far as his word. Yes, we've everything to fear from intent, but really, he's not betrayed us yet.

But uh, we should make a secure call to Camella - touch base RE Lo Fang's soul, in case we need to kill him and she's not around.
>>
No. 477204 ID: efee7f

Whatever happened to those Einher that were planning on killing Armas or something? Perhaps we should go, kill them and get few questions answered from Ogrimmir? Or, I dunno, go and kill them solo (but with someone watching our back in case shit proves to be harder than we thought) just to try out our strength. Its been a while since we fought anything on our own.

Also, send like 100,000$ to parents. Probably would be enough to pay off any debts they have. Maybe a million if we feel generous enough. Also, call them and Rhivuolli (however that was spelled) kids. Shouldn't take more than half an hour.
>>
No. 477214 ID: 521153

The Witch's primary concern is the possibility of crated animals dodging around the ban via outflowing tide. She's either stretched too thin and distracted to handle it herself, or can't act unless the ban is being violated for political reasons. Either way, the obvious solution is for her to authorize some trusted person of hers living outside of Japan to be the only one permitted to export the animals. If there's only one person allowed to do that, and there's crates full of animals leaving Japan, then OBVIOUSLY it's said person doing it. This should be enough political pretext to allow us to track down the crates, drive off or kill the smugglers, and take the animals into our custody. The Witch benefits by having the immediate situation dealt with in a manner that doesn't undermine her authority and let's her exert influence over the animals still, through the person she's entrusted.

Issues: Travel time: we should aim for a Witch port if possible since the Pacific ocean is... a ways off. Transport: getting crates full of animals back to the mansion could well be difficult to manage for us. Authority: might end up in Lyubov's hands instead of Armas's, based on witch whim. Not debilitating if so, Lyubov's close at hand and trustworthy, it's just not the ideal situation.

For Lyubov's birthday, which should be on Sunday and not Saturday, take her out dancing, somewhere she hasn't been before. Just spend the evening and night with her, making sure she enjoys herself without having to worry about anything.
>>
No. 477216 ID: c6ce12

>>476374
I'm fine with spending the rest of the day looking through those yearbooks if need be. There's something curious about our past and finding out what it is one of the few things we're obliged to do at this point. Examine that year book, look for our picture, look for pictures of your friends, pictures of people you hated, pictures of your teachers, the clubs you were a part of, find them all and talk about with with Lyubov. She can be helpful pointing out inconsistencies in what we're talking about, that and it'd be good to talk to someone about it all. So reminisce, talk about it, then make a plan to ask Arkvad out for later this week, if we find we have nagging concerns we can feel them out with him. Send an invite out for tomorrow to a nice mundane restaurant, we can celebrate our respective company's successes and then work into it.

And Armas, seriously, Lyubov's birthday is the day after tomorrow. What you want to do, like I've been saying, is find a nice spot that has dancing and then take her there. You haven't even done the footwork on that, find places. It's not like we don't know people who could point us in the right direction, Sake, Shadowbro, Labombard, Satai, really any of them could tell us what we need to know. I've got nothing else in mind after dancing, mind you, so pick somewhere that's filled with other activities.

Take some time out today to just talk to people. There's been some considerable neglect of several of our close personal friends and associates, namely the Riihivuori kids, Hilja and Eirikki. We haven't had a skype conversation with them ages, lets see how they are doing now and how they've been adjusting. A couple hours of simple and innocent chatter, feel free to tell them Uncle Armas has some good news about the dream catchers too, let them know we haven't forgotten.

Big Crazy was all full of bluster to talk with us before we completely shut him down, I'm not going to say we stop doing that and let him get his brag on. Psh, it's far too funny to have him not, but he's a friend and we've shared very few words with him. Share a beer with Big, talk about how stupid you both were only a couple months ago, trying to break into Amen or alternatively being duped. Ah man, old times. What is he looking for nowadays? Still dreaming of outshooting his teacher? He's big on dreams, despite you know, not being a dream shaman-do make a couple jabs about that if you can, talk about dreams. We're increasingly short on specific ones for ourself these days. Oh and see what he does when you mention Helmi...

Silja is always rewarding to talk to and we haven't been on that as well as we could, presumably we talk to her for hours a day, but I need some details. What have we been talking about? Anything important? If not, I feel thematic today, ask Silja about dreams.

Talk to Otso too, boy's been having adventures, we love adventures. Is he okay? How's that rune magic working for him? School? We don't know if he's even in school anymore, do we? It might be an opportunity to talk with his parents if he isn't, give us a way to direct Otos a bit more. Trade some information about monsters, we know a great deal and I'm sure he'd be fascinated to hear about giants, cyclops, sirens, and demonic knights.


We need to get in gear if Kazadora is in the area. Seriously, that woman is dangerous and she's in our business. Information is at our fingertips nowadays, reach out and grab it. Find out what we can about her, how long she's been here, what she's doing, where she's going, anything and everything, it all informs our options for what we can do with her. With that information in hand ask Hillevi how we can reach Einrik and TELL HIM. The Valkonen need to know she's here, they can help us route her out, in fact we can't kill her or remove her, Markku very clearly called 'dibs'. So get Einrik's number, call him, and tell him. While you're at it chat about how things are at home, what he's been doing, we haven't heard from him in ages it'd be good to catch up.

On Elwen Embla, we don't know anything about him/her. Now if we have Allview souls looking for her, doing recon, it might be wise to see what information about her is already available to us through traditional means. That said with the plan we currently have going, the one to exploit the Triads job offer and instead claim the goods in the warehouse Elwen has the schematics to, we should think about for a second. Lo Fang offered the job because he wanted one specific item from it, what item is that and how can we leverage it to our advantage? We could find out if we took the job officially, but then we couldn't do anything with it. If we could find someone else who took the job and then have Shadowbro do a little mind tinkering...well you see where I'm going with this.

This whole thing isn't one job, but two. There was a second offer from Rocco to find out who learned Elwen was carrying a ward key to the warehouse she's connected to, which conspicuously coincided with the Triad's job offer. Now the Triads didn't mention the ward key, they actually mentioned the schematics to a safehouse and that there are wards on the warehouse they'd like us to break, but this is all very strange. They think for some reason that this is a good time to rob the warehouse and the mafia has a stake in finding out who it is that's leaking information of Elwen's activities. The information leak is supposed to be coming from someone close to Elwen, we have the allview and are monitoring her-so make a list of people Elwen is affiliated with and interacts with on a regular basis. When we know how Elwen is connected to the mafia and who she associates with a clearer picture can form. My money is that there's a triad mole in her inner circle and while it's a bit optimistic I'd love use that in the game we're playing against Lo Fang.

>>477027
SUST, because even if it were a wise move to train with Lo Fang at this point there are so many other things we should be spending our time on. For Armas Chakra may be nice, but it's additive, we'd be better served learning how to fleshcraft better or getting better at shooting and combat with the mere.

>>477214
Upvoting, I agree that this be our response to the situation with the witch.
>>
No. 477218 ID: 51a2e0

>>477216
>>477214
Both of these I agree with and upvote, but we should also use All view to help look for the crates to make it a bit easier for her as well. Would be a good exercise for it too.
>>
No. 477219 ID: f54805

>>477214
Upvoting, with the addition of using all available allview souls to help locate the crates.

>>477216
Upvoting the Otso and Rword(Riihivouri I think? Too tired to check) children talking and Kazadora research.

>>477027
SUST on Lo Fang training. If I've learned anything from media featuring asians it's don't trust people named fang, unless you should.

Okay, gifts for Lyubov. How close are you to being able to craft golems? If you can, craft her a stereotypical igor type golem, with a limp, lisp, the ability to appear right behind you when you call it and a habit of calling people Mashter. Call in placid and Gianni to help as necessary. It could help her with her mad scientist experiments, or capture lightning or whatever. The best presents are those you make yourself so this will be better that anything you could buy/steal.

A further thought on the Japan thing, this whole things smells of somebody paying off or someone who is a powerful water/earth manipulator to cause a tsunami in order to carry out smuggling operations. If possible try to identify the perpetrators for further kudo points with the witch, if she doesn't know already.

Nother random thought, truenames, ritual magic, riddles. Presumably riddle magic is a form of ritual magic. Powerful beings probably have protections against people randomly issuing riddle challenges at them. Access to a truenames would probably bypass such protections, enabling you to riddle owner or whatever. If we could someone manage to get that shoggoth beastie under the island's truename, soulbinding it would be a piece of cake if all my fatigue-addled logic hold up. Keep your ears open for any opportunities to learn it's name that pop up.
>>
No. 477229 ID: 252e1b

>>477214
>>477216

I'm upvoting these posts, with the provision that any dealings we have with Hyougo take top priority.

It's been a good 7 hours since the tsunami hit. If Hyougo's only just now complaining to Lyubov it suggests that she's been busy as hell with the mess.

>>477218
Using Allview to perform searches is a good idea. It's likely that the smugglers are /still/ struggling with searching through the flotsam and jetsam of the tsunami for all the crates they want. It shouldn't be too hard to set up the Viewers to locate crates loaded with things in stasis, warded or glamoured vessels, and loose critters.

Once we have a fix, we can get the identities of all the idiots involved, and see which smuggling networks and dealers are willing to taste the fruit of a poisoned tree (i.e. who is shady enough to risk a Witch's ire).

Use search grids, double-check Viewer work with everyone we've trusted in Allview thusfar (Shadowbro, Sake, Lyubov, Hummingbird, and Armas).

Invite Placid into the Allview to help, and ask him if all this searching data will give him enough to be able to perform his Tune Up on the Viewers?

Don't use Viewers already engaged in long-term tasks (which means we'll have about 50 Viewers tied up monitoring other things, and the majority on the search in the Pacific).
>>
No. 478249 ID: 40fb55

>>476771
Honestly I thought it was funny-Labombard mockingly gives Armas shit about being an American Asshole, and Armas is a troll, so that was a great deal more in character than most tongue-in-cheek posts. Not sure why/how you got the admonishment, but hey, just sayin'

>>476523
...Oh.
>[SB]"Just realized it, did you?"
That Lyubov's birthday is the day AFTER tomorrow, and not tomorrow? Yup.
>[IT]"A minor detail, that. I'm sure being off a day won't be detrimental to you at all…"
>[HB]"I still do not understand-what purpose is there to celebrating one's birth? It's a trivial accomplishment bereft of meaningful accolades-should you not celebrate your mate's greatest struggles overcome, instead?"
On that, it’s not just a celebration of the accomplishment of being born (which I’ll note is far riskier for mundane humans than birds), it’s also the celebration of the person being in your life. Think of it like a commemoration of the day they joined us.
>[HB]"A lackluster answer, but I shall accept it for the nonce."

>>476520
>>476750
>>477214
>>477219
My mind gets back to the big question: Just how CAN I profit from the debacle on Japan, and the Witch's plight? ...Slipping into Accelerated Thought to properly ponder the situation, I break down what I know.
===It's been a good 7 hours since the tsunami hit. If Hyougo's only just now complaining to Lyubov it suggests that she's been busy as hell with the mess, especially given how her power (presumably) works. If ever there was a group of magic users that practices handwavium, it'd be Witches and Wizards-and seven hours should be far and away beyond the time they need to get stuff done. In fact... it having taken so long suggests there were forces actively working to retard or delay her workings.
===The Witch's primary concern is the possibility of crated animals dodging around the ban via outgoing tide. She's either stretched too thin and distracted to handle it herself, or can't act unless the ban is being violated for political reasons. Assuming there are political reasons, a Merc could be exactly what she needs.
===Either way, the solution that first comes to mind that benefits me is for her to authorize some 'trusted' person living outside of Japan to be the only one permitted to export the animals. If there's only one person allowed to do that, and there's crates full of animals leaving Japan, then OBVIOUSLY it's said person doing it-and if someone ELSE is moving crates, why, that'd make them smugglers to be disposed of-incontrovertibly, in fact.
>[SB]"I can effectively guarantee she won't approve an exporter, period-that said, a guardian employed to actively PREVENT smuggling..."
Yeah-okay, I could work with that.
===Scratch that-I'm shooting to be her emergency enforcer, more or less.
===This should be enough political pretext to allow us to track down the crates, drive off or kill the smugglers, and take the animals into our custody. The Witch benefits by having the immediate situation dealt with in a manner that doesn't undermine her authority and let's her keep her face by showing she can't just be exploited like that.
===If I go that route, it's overwhelmingly unlikely she'd want to let me keep animals I 'rescued'. Yeah, I can talk a fast wheedle, and I've got more life experience than little Hyougo, but I'm pretty sure that means fuckall when dealing with a Witch-so, it'd be smart to prioritize ways to profit that aren't reliant on her making an exception to her decrees for me.

I slip back out of Accelerated Thought, my method of EARNING her gratitude determined, even while the means I'd want that gratitude expressed remains nebulous. Lyubov's still looking at me expectantly.

[In Turkish]"So, here's the plan: Stroke her ego per normal for offering condolences to a frantic younger person, ask if there's any way you-or, by extension, the company-can help her. Don't even bring up prices or anything-just make her aware we're willing to help, and willing to prioritize giving that help.”
[Lyubov][In Turkish]"So, um, yeah. Okay, I can do that, but she's probably going to have just loads, oodles of people looking to get on her good side that way, right? And what about Kash... you know what, why don't I just show you."

True to her word, the Witch Saint shows me the chat log, such as it is, while Gianni and Davgon start turning back to their work to appear disinterested in what they're listening in on.

[8:31] Lyubov: Hey I heard the news and I know you’re inland but are you and your peeps ok? [8:38] Lyubov: I bet you’re just really busy. I pray you’re ok. I’ll keep my computer nearby so please let me know if you can. [2:58] Hyougo: OMG Lyubov there was a huge earthquake that caused this super-giant tsunami hit and messed everything up! (;*△*;) [2:59] Lyubov: I heard! Are you OK? [2:59] Hyougo: I’m OK and so are my family but it really messed stuff up. I am so mad at Kashima and his stupid fish. [3:00] Lyubov: I have been looking at video of the mess and it looks really horrible. I am glad you and your loved ones are safe. [3:02] Lyubov: Isn’t it like nine at night where you live? [3:03] Hyougo: I’ve been going all over the coast fixing wards and catching animals before they eat people and it is like all the mythic wildlife on the coast has gotten loose maybe tens of thousand animals loose/missing now and a bunch dead. The stupid selkies and ningyo aren’t much help because they’ve got a huge mess in the sea catching namazu. The yakuza branches aren’t even here and a bunch of practicioner houses are all busy with rescuing people. [3:03] Hyougo: It is and I’m sorry it took so long to get back to you but it’s been crazy. [3:03] Lyubov: It’s ok. It sounds like you have a lot to do. [3:05] Hyougo: I think some smugglers knew this was going to happen and filled a bunch of shipping containers that they left on the beach to be swept out to sea, I found one filled with a bunch of tsukumogami and brought it home and they all claimed they were caught/bought and then put in the crate by glamoured people. I don’t know what I’m going to do, I don’t even know how many containers got out because there is so much disruption and death it’s messing up things, and there’s so much work I don’t know what to do! (;*△*;) [3:05] Lyubov: And you need to know where they are to get them yourself? [3:05] Hyougo: Yes, but I can’t even get most of the crates that are at sea myself, I’ll make the selkies and ningyo look really bad, and I really don’t know what I’m supposed to do. [3:06] Lyubov: Is it ok if I get my boyfriend in on this? [3:07] Hyougo: You said he’s clever before. Ok. [3:07] Lyubov: BRB, got to find him. [3:07] Hyougo: Ok. Going to eat, back in fifteen.

...Well this could alter the preferred approach method here.

“Who’s Kashima and what do his fish have to do with anything?”
Sake, draped around Lyubov’s waist like some sort of fuzzy belt, speaks up.
>[Sake] “Kashima’s a Shinto god, his main job is restraining a type of giant catfish called Namazu that cause earthquakes. He sells their spawn as a delicacy; very tasty actually.”
[Lyubov] “I guess some got loose or something? I do not know, it did not seem wise to press on that, it wasn’t very relevant.”
I rub my chin thoughtfully.
“Sounds like she needs help with the wildlife in Japan in general. She’s been relying on the magic sea creatures as her lieutenants?”
[Lyubov] “She has had a good relationship with the selkies, she’s mentioned them a couple of times. She likes fur seals and that’s what most of them are in her area.”
>[Sake] “I got in contact with a friend in Kumamoto earlier today, which is totally fine being so far south, and he said most of Hyougo’s servants are pretty low ranking in the grand scheme. She made a lot of friends with the smaller yōkai by banning trading them, but she’s got a lot of the stronger divines pretty mad at her.”
I can see the surprise on Dávgon and Gianni’s souls- I guess Lyubov hasn’t spread around that she’s been making friends with a Witch. Placid merely cocks his head, as he listens in, still positioned near the golem.
>[Dávgon] “Excuse me, you are talking about Hyougo Hanmaki, correct? The Wizard?”
[Lyubov] “She prefers the gender-specific term Witch rather than the general term, but yes.”
>[Dávgon] “…of course she does.”
[Lyubov] “We talk a lot on the internet, she’s a nice kid. She lives in Hokkaido. The northern island, but she’s way inland, she didn’t get hit at all.”
>[Dávgon] “You’re friends with her?”
[Lyubov] “Yeah.”
>[Sake] “She even asked for pictures of me dressed up!”
>[Gianni] “And now she’s overwhelmed with work, hmm?”
[Lyubov] “Basically. She needs help, but she doesn’t know what sort of help.”
>[Placid] “If Witch Hyougo is classifiable as a friend and she needs help, then it would be advisable to provide what aid she needs. If Witch Hyougo cannot articulate what help she needs, then it would be best to evaluate her situation and choose an approach that attempts to achieve desired outcomes.”
“You took the words right out of my mouth, Placid. I do have some ideas on how we can help her, based on the facts that she’s both overworked, and in a politically tricky situation. If she has to step in for her allies, they look weak, and she’s distracted from other critical work. If her ban is publically acknowledged as having been violated, she looks weak. But her ban has already been violated, and she’s got way too much work on her plate at the moment to do a cover up. So the obvious solution is to double-think the problem into something manageable.”
>[SB] “How did I know you’d pick that as your solution?”
I ignore his jibe about my predictability. I backtrack to a prior decision, wondering if maybe I COULD get export rights, after all.
“If she were to authorize some trusted person of hers living outside of Japan to be the only one permitted to export the animals, then there would be a publically acknowledged avenue for exports. Which would mean she would have an out. All the “smuggled” goods would obviously the work of the- what would we call this?“
>[Gianni] “Game warden?”
[Lyubov] “It’s not just animals, it’s all spirits. Yōkai Kanrinin, maybe.”
>[Sake] “There would be no mistaking what that function is, that way, but it’s an inelegant way to put it. What about Yōkai Shugo?”
[Lyubov] “Oh that’s an old word, that’d work really well!”
>[Dávgon] “And what does that mean?”
[Lyubov] “Literally, ‘Governor of Otherworldly-Weird things’ with that word for governor having connotations of controlling in-absentia.”
“That’d work. So, obviously all the “smuggled” goods are actually authorized by the Yōkai Shugo. And any policing or spot checks that the Yōkai Shugo performs to make sure things are being done satisfactorily would be legal. And if it was found that some people had not prepared their shipments correctly, they’d have to return the goods and be punished.”
>[Sake] “So you’d ask her to name Lyubov the Yōkai Shugo and then we all go hunting for loose yōkai?”
“Basically. Her or myself.”
[Lyubov] “I do not know if she will go for it. Me being a Witch Saint will complicate it. Probably.”
>[Dávgon] “It would be akin to her endorsing Tesla in her territory, but putting a Witch Saint in charge of yōkai-related matters would be a good way to send a clear message to the stronger divine beings that oppose her.”
“Shape up or else.”
[Lyubov]”That’s kinda…”
“Kind of necessary? I agree, there’s circumstantial evidence that this tsunami was orchestrated specifically to get yōkai out of Japan. Even if it’s not the case, the message needs to be sent to keep the uninformed yōkai from trying anything on their own. Really, Lyubov you make a lot more sense for the position than me."
I offer a patently fake wounded smile at the admission.
"Hyougo already trusts you enough to ask for help. She only knows about me through you, as far as I know.”
The computer chimes.

[3:23] Hyougo: I’m back.

I start typing, and then realize that I’m on Lyubov’s account.
“Lyubov can you do something about the name here? I want it to be clear that-“
There's a flare of spiritual energy-Divine spirit, specifically-as something in the computer changes.
[Lyubov]”Done.”

[3:24] Armas: Hello Hyougo. This is Lyubov’s boyfriend. [3:24] Hyougo: Hi. [3:24] Armas: She explained the problem. We talked it over, and I have an idea. [3:24] Hyougo: Tell me! [3:24] Armas: Typing now. [3:28] Hyougo: Armas are you still there? [3:29] Armas: Your problem is that there is no way to even excuse anything unauthorized leaving Japan in quantity right now. People will be able to figure out that a lot more yōkai are on the markets than should have been washed out in the tsunami. I don’t know Kashima and I don’t know what happened, but I do know that people are also going to think that this means they can try duplicating the tsunami to remove more yōkai. Unless there’s a significant deterrent you’ll probably see certain parties who want a chance to smuggle some of their “goods” out try to do that. Since duplicated tsunami events will hurt nearly everyone, and the world market seeing a lot more yōkai will hurt the selkies like you said, as well as make people think they might be able to sneak things past you, you need to make a decisive political statement with a decisive action. [3:29] Armas: My suggestion is to create an office of Yōkai Shugo, a trusted person who is given the power to manage limited trade in yōkai leaving the country. Anything that’s gotten out of the country already was obviously done under the Yōkai Shugo’s watch, and with permission. So you and your allies don’t lose any face. [3:30] Hyougo: I don’t want any trade in them! [3:32] Armas: I know, but it’s already been seven hours. I’d guess some crates, the highest value stuff that merited using teleports once it was far enough away, are already in warehouses. This way there’s a legal explanation for all the new traffic on the market, and you have a designated deputy who has the duty of managing the task of hunting down all those yōkai smugglers and making them regret what they did. Because the Yōkai Shugo would of course have the right to check all yōkai shipments leaving the country, to be sure they’re being shipped out in a safe and humane fashion. Since the techniques the smugglers used are not safe or humane, they would have to be punished. See? It works really well. [3:33] Hyougo: But that won’t stop them from trying another tsunami later, it’d just make them move faster next time! [3:34] Armas: The Witch Saint of Tesla being the Yōkai Shugo would make most of the players that stand to gain from another tsunami think twice. As I understand it, almost all of the beings best placed to profit are divine. Witch Saints are terrifying to them. As long as Lyubov’s got the position, the message would be clear: behave or else.” [3:34] Hyougo: Lyubov wants to do it? [3:34] Armas: You’re her friend, I’m sure she’d agree for your sake. I’ll hand the computer to her, and start getting our men ready to help with this. Would it be asking too much to ask you to do teleports for us? When we get a fix on smugglers, we’ll pass the location to you, and you drop our team in on top of them. Or if you prefer we can use vehicles, it’ll just take longer. [3:35] Hyougo: I can do teleports if you can figure out where you want to be.

While I’m consumed with carefully typing answers to Hyougo, I dimly note that Sake, Shadowbro, Dávgon, and Gianni all are working hard at convincing Lyubov that being the heavy and taking on this responsibility will ultimately be a good thing. By the time I’m done with Hyougo, Lyubov’s mostly on board.

As I hand the computer to Lyubov, Sake makes a good point.
>[Sake] “Be sure to ask Hyougo for permission to conduct some actual exports. Just enough to make the office seem legitimate. Remind her about the Red Seal Ships, she should have learned about them in her studies of Japanese history.”
“I don’t mean to be a boor, but I’m not big on Japanese history.”
>[Sake] “They were ships given official permission to conduct trade with the rest of the world, to reduce the frequency of piracy by Japanese ships looking for goods that they could not get through legal trade.”
>[Gianni] “Give them a taste of what’s forbidden in a controlled way, so that they don’t roughly plunder your booty. Makes sense to me.”
I choose not to smile at that-there's big-league business afoot.
"Sake, SB-get everyone that's not out on a mission looped in on this-we'll need to have strike teams ready."
>[SB]"On it."
I'm getting to work on the Allview, turning every non-committed spirit towards the Japanese coast and nearby waters, hunting for would-be-smuggled goods, while Lyubov texts some more with Hyougo, clearing up a few details-and briefly popping out of existence, only to reappear holding a spidersilk eboshi hat, well over two feet long and rather floppy, with the Kanji for Hanmaki on it's front. While the Allview's processing and compiling locations, I can't help but smirk at the utterly childlike glee on Lyubov's face.
"Badge of office, I take it?"
[Lyubov]”Yeah! It's awesome!”
She promptly puts it on, laughing as she finds it utterly impossible to make the hat stand upright. I'd laugh along with her-but SB's shadowporting the minions into the room, and I've got enough pings from the Allview we can start acting.
>[SB]"I have made them aware-we can begin."
"Lyubov-Hyougo ready with those teleports?"
[Lyubov]”We have locations right?”
"Yeah-how's she want them?"
[Lyubov]”Can you do GPS coordinates?”
"Not a problem."
Thus far silence since his one point, Placid speaks up.
>[Placid]"...May I come as well?"
I don't even need to think about it.
"Sure-the more the merrier-actually, grab Hillevi, she could-"
I don't get to finish that sentence as Placid takes me literally, a tentacle growing out the door and retracting back into his body in a flash, a very confused looking Valkonen set down beside him.
>[Hillevi]"Um, wha-"
Sake flies from Lyubov's waist up to Hillevi's face, and whaps her in the face with his butt, sniggering all the while. Hilariously, that's how he chose to give her a memory download to get her up to date. Her eyes boggle as she processes it.
>[Hillevi]"Oh.... Ooohhhh this is gonna be so much fun!"
I look over the room, seeing the Russians already outfitted with their normal gear.
"Everyone ready?"
It's not REALLY a question-but everyone nods a confirmation anyway.

And with that... begins a surreal series of events. In total, we teleport to three hundred eighty six different locations, and effectively repeat a script. Each time we show up in force, Lyubov states her position and duties, we look intimidating, and... would-be smugglers react. Some-the ones I assume to be the smarter ones-recognize the play for what it is, and are utterly cordial, apologizing that they had thought to 'salvage' coincidentally washed-out boxes of goods for resale', and 'happily' turn them over to us, to then return to Hyougo. Others damn near shit themselves either on recognizing Lyubov as a Witch Saint, or on hearing we're backed by a Witch, and do their utmost to run like hell and not look back. Thanks to time constraints, we don't waste time chasing runners when we've already got the divine beings back. Some get angry-but every angry group has at least one member savvy enough to realize that trying to make an issue of it on the spot is a no-win scenario. By the end, Lyubov's face and my own are no doubt known to just about every smuggler worth their salt that was involved in the event... and Hyougo's got several thousand displaced divine beings to get back to their proper place, while still dealing with the widespread devastation. She signs off with a hurried thanks thrown our way, and says she'll contact us again when she's not, quote 'super super busy', and she cautioned Lyubov to not take actions with her 'position' until then, since technically it's not official yet.

Personally, I'm imagining she's going to want to take the title back-or leave it as just a title. While it's clear she and Lyubov get along, the subtext of her back and forth with Lyubov as we did this made it rather clear she was uncomfortable with non-Japanese having such a rank. That doesn't mean we won't try to keep the position in-house and finagle our own exclusive shipping rights, but... well. Is Hyougo silly? In context absolutely, but given she's a Witch I don't think it'd be wise to argue it while she's stressed. Instead, I start plotting how I can turn her eventual reachback into tangible profit for us even if we don't swing the shipping rights. It's with this thought in mind that I dismiss those that came along for the nonviolent show of force.

For her part, Lyubov busies herself playing with her new hat as Sake incessantly tries to crawl inside of its floppy peak. Clearly, the hat was the real prize from this endeavor.


>>477027
>>477103
>>477164
>>477185
>>477218
With the afternoon and evening having passed in a blur of Witchly teleportation and official bullshittery, I find myself winding down for the day, and my mind drifts... to Chakra. Specifically, to the lessons that Lo Fang agreed to provide weekly. Now, I COULD take him up on that now-he is still obligated to provide should I request-but... at this point, it's effectively guaranteed that someday soon, I'm going to fuck him over utterly, and see him dead. For every merit I can find in ignoring the risk and still going, I can find a counterpoint of equal importance in abstaining. Simply put... it's a can of worms, indelibly so, and... I'd rather not have to deal with it. At the end of the day, Chakra's additive, and I've got enough exponential power options that it's just not that useful to me, compared to other options. So I opt to let the idea die a quiet death.

That said, I still think I should make a secure call to Camella- she should be up right now, it’s only midnight.
>[Camella]"Armas."
"Hey. Anything to report?"
>[Camella]"Not currently-though that's not why you're calling."
"Nope. Wanted to touch base about Lo Fang."
I can practically feel her bristle through the phone.
>[Camella]"...Go on."
"I'm going to need to deal with him soon-and when I do, it's likely the end result will be you owning his soul."
>[Camella]"So you're going to kill him?"
"Damn skippy. No way I'd trust his soul for anything at all unless it was contractually bound."
>[Camella]"It's a bit depressing to me that I'm completely okay with that-but that still doesn't explain why you called-hadn't we already cleared this up?"
"Not particularly. So having his soul suddenly pop up and be totally under your ownership isn't going to be a nasty surprise, and you'll have the means to handle it?"
>[Camella]"Yes, I can deal with it."
"Okay-great. Don't be surprised if and when that shows up, then-and hey, good job keeping stuff quiet up there, I'm kind of surprised."
>[Camella]"Grisha has been a... challenge... to keep under control, but she and Vlad have been behaving."
"Good to know. Andrei doing all right?"
>[Camella]"I'd say that being deprived of a great deal of electronics has forced him to become more coherent."
"Good for him. Well, I'll let you get back to that-plenty to do back here."
>[Camella]"Until later... heh, 'Boss'."
*CLICK*

>>477204
With that dealt with, a different long-pending activity pops to the forefront of my mind. Specifically: What the HELL happened to that group of Einher I'd heard about who were gunning for me?
>[SB]"They were eaten by a Grue."
What.
>[SB]"What part did you not understand?"
So they all got murdered-and eaten-down in the Undersewers, then?
>[SB]"It's my understanding they attempted to follow Body somewhere, and things went poorly for them. I haven't invested in acquiring the full story, but they are confirmed dead."
...Right. ...Well, that's that, then.

I feel a bit let down at that.

After that little conversation and gift giving... I call it a night. Faking-but-not-faking being an export official under a witch's employ proved to be demanding and time consuming work.

SATURDAY, MARCH 12th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS: $7,956,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $9,242,094.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 60%
WINTER ENERGY: 160
SUMMER ENERGY: 60/60


>>477216
With the new day dawning, I wake up Lyubov by not making any effort to be quiet waking up, and set to checking that yearbook with her using her new hat of office as a sleep cap and peering over my shoulder.

The Yearbook... is odd. I recognize enough faces that initially I'm thinking I might be looking in the wrong direction to answer those deep-seated questions about my Self, and yet... as I continue to appraise the book, flipping throughout the pages, I wonder if I should remember more than a mere sixth of the people I went to school with. Surely, high school wasn't THAT boring. I recognize everyone that went on to join the Marines around the same time I did-big surprise there-and the people I never interacted with past graduation don't ring any bells. Given the decade intermission, I can't say that's unusual... but the school wasn't massive or anything, and only knowing a sixth of them just feels a bit... too slight. I puzzle over the yearbook, aimlessly seeking patterns to what I remember and what I don't-I recognize the fallout of one of the pranks I oft joked about in the marines with my old school buddies before we went our separate ways in life, and I don't remember why I chose 'Lies are the best thing to believe if you're the one that made them' quote for the yearbook. I'd like to think it was just an allusion to my love of bullshittery, but... again, I feel like I'm missing something.
>[SB]"Interesting-I have a similar sense of unease even parsing the data as you see it, which is identical to how I feel when I directly view the book."
So there's something innately wrong about this my Soul's reacting to.
>[SB]"Precisely. I will attempt to look into this on my own-it may take some time, but I believe it's important for me to attempt it first, due to my advantage where time is concerned."
Keep me-
>[SB]"There are some fields in which I will eschew all of our urges towards capriciousness-and clearing up a jarring discrepancy in our collective past is one of them. You will know what I know, when I know it."
With a sigh, I put the book down.

[Lyubov]”Didn't find what you were looking for?”
"No, I haven't-not yet. But I did confirm there's something off here."
We chat for a bit more past there-nothing but frivolities, really-before we go our separate ways with the new day.

With my mind already cued to thinking about friends, family, and people not often thought about... I find myself feeling a bit ashamed that I haven't contacted Hilja and Eirikki in a while. Yes, the Valkonens are taking care of them, and yes I do have plenty of things to do-but that doesn't excuse NOT paying them any attention. So I pop on the laptop, fire up Skype, and work on some Mandragora root tea while I wait for one of them to see the incoming request. It takes a few minutes, but Eirikki's silent face fills the screen, his eyes lighting up in childish glee on seeing me before he darts off-screen. Soon enough he returns in a clamor of wildly uncoordinated limbs, practically dragging his sister with him. Hilja, who had been looking a bit confused and distracted, her nose buried in a leather bound tome who's cover is festooned with images of water and ice lights up like a Christmas tree as she sees me.
>[Hilja][In Finnish]"Oh, Uncle Armas!"
I can't deny it warms my heart to see the child just as bubbly as any other preteen girl, and not constantly haunted by the events that led to me meeting her and her brother-and I don't make any efforts to hide that happiness.
[In Finnish]"Hey kiddo. Sorry I haven't called in a bit-things have been pretty hectic down here in breezy Istanbul."
>[Hilja]"I heard, I heard! You've got an... um... not a Skin Walker, but something like that, as your Ward besides big sis Hillevi now, right?"
...Huh. Now that's an interesting question. I wasn't aware that news of my second ward had reached as far as Finland-but then, maybe that's more because the Valkonens have a vested interest in staying up to date, rather than proof it's truly that momentous. What's far more noteworthy to me, however, is-
"Oh-ho... 'big sis' Hillevi, huh?"
The fierce little blush that races across her pudgy cheeks is frankly adorable, and I once again assure myself I'm not at all above teasing children.
>[Hilja]"S-shut up!"
"Oh, well if that's how you feel maybe I should call later-"
Two sets of widened, imploring eyes look at me as the Sister hastily backtracks.
>[Hilja]"No, don't do that!"
"Oh, so you want to talk to 'Uncle Armas' now, huh? Well okay, we can do that. I take it by the book you've had your nose half-wedged in there-"
Hilja sets the book down with such a precocious bias that I know what I'm going to offer next isn't nearly as needed as it once was.
>[Hilja]"I'm not reading it, see! I'm paying attention!"
"Haha, okay. Have you been eating right?"
She wrinkles her nose at that-as behind her, Eirikki makes a not-too-subdued expression quite akin to gagging.
>[Hilja]"Hydra tastes yucky. I don't like it."
"Have you tried telling Markku that?"
>[Hilja]"Yeah, but he talks about how it's got magical content, and it's good for us, and stuff. But it's still gross," she confides, crossing her arms over the book she just set down.
I consider how delicious all magical food has been to adult palettes-and wonder if this means magic isn't tasty to consume at earlier points in one's life. It's a modestly fascinating question-and I think I have my answer right here.
"It's not making your soul get too big or anything, right?"
>[Hilja]"No, it's not, but it's still icky, and I don't like it-it tastes like that Basilisk stuff that da...."
And like a light switch got flicked, her eyes turn morose and lose their luster, as painful memories resurface. It strikes me that now is the best time to 'strike'.
"You both remember how I talked about getting you something to help you sleep?"
Two heads nod at that, their fugue beginning to lift before it can properly swaddle them.
"Well I've got some good news-look forward to the best night's sleep ever-FORever, in the near future."
Yet again, a tiny brow crinkles.
>[Hilja]"...How can sleep be better than not having nightmares?"
"When the sleep's cathartic and therapeutic."
>[Hilja]"Um... I don't know those words."
"Sleep where you feel even happier and better waking up than you did the day before, not because you rested, but because the sleep was that good for you."
>[Hilja]"Really?"
"Really really-you should hear from me soon, complete with having some presents coming your way."
He of course says nothing-but I definitely take note of Eirikki's smile at that, and the loosening of tension around his eyes. For her part, Hilja seems rather ecstatic-but interestingly, less for the gift's purpose, and more for the fact I'm getting her something. Seems she's the type of kid that really likes getting presents-well, I can work with that.

We spend two hours chatting past there-complete with me finding out Einrik's been badgering Markku nonstop about reopening communications with old contacts long since disused-and that the Estate's been getting periodic visiting shamans, looking to pick Einrik's brains (or, when he's out, peruse his notes) about the experiments he performed with Big Crazy. Yet again, I'm reminded that BC's gut-bound Hydra Familiar is genuinely a big deal. Eventually Helmi shows up, letting the kids know it's time to work on their Water Manipulation, and after a minimal amount of whining that they'd rather keep talking with 'Uncle Armas' they comply, and Helmi asks me to give my regards to BC before shutting off the connection.

With Big Crazy on the mind-and sensing his soul and accompanying spirit animals in the mansion, I decide to keep the in-depth chat motif rolling strong, and set out for just that. Big's, unsurprisingly, in the bug room with Dávgon, working with the Sami Shaman on the many kudoku jars, monitoring the champions that are slowly being refined. On my arrival, only Big Crazy looks up-Dávgon, as ever, thoroughly enthused in his work.
>[BC][In English]"Armas. What brings you here?"
My answer... is directed at the ever-busy Finn.
"Dávgon-beer us."
Without turning around, the Sami plucks two brews from a freezer beside him, and lobs them over his back in my general direction. Catching them, I motion for Big to follow me-unsurprisingly, he's already realized this isn't exactly going to be the most heavy or serious of conversations we're about to have. After we're both seated and have cracked open our deer-piss-beers, I fire my first shot of the discourse.
"So-what'd the Valkonens do for you, besides give you the Hydra bit that you worked with?"
I can see it in his eyes-in his soul that he's abruptly prepared to divulge a long-refined diatribe extolling his arduous tasks overcome, the virtues he needed to demonstrate, the trials he had to successfully complete, and the attention it got him. I let him get started...
>[BC]"Well, Einrik had access to some rather impressive if incomplete records of past experiments by non-Soul-Manipulating shamans, and it turns out I was able to-"
"Really, Einrik had stuff on that too? Honestly, how large is that guy's library?"
His brow twitching a bit at the redirect, Big takes a long pull of the hallucinogenic beer before answering.
>[BC]"Well, they are a massively old family that currently has a shortage of members-I'd venture to say they CAN'T spend all their money, not unless they're specifically trying to. And with Einrik's love of research..."
He offers an affable shrug.
"Jeeze, that's a bit telling when you think it through. Any highlights from the material you saw-or did you not get to see his part of the estate's library?"
>[BC]"No, I saw it-he found my creativeness enough motivation to let me have free access, which is why I was able to-"
Nice try buddy-no showing off for you!
"So hold on-what were the highlights? He have anything on Conceptual Magic, esoteric rituals or runes, Name magic, you know, the fun stuff?"
With a much put-upon air, the amerindian takes another pull from his beer (while I do the same) and answers.
>[BC]"Well, I did see a discussion book about the banned Concept of Negation, but that's just theory discussion. What he had that interested me the most was a book penned by a Dragon going by 'L' that discussed Elder beings, and how they behave outside of Elder Space."
"No shit-he's actually got documentation on that?"
>[BC]"It was a short and frankly, quite unkempt book. I suspect he'd acquired it by force."
"Interesting. Don't suppose you had a chance to skim, peruse or otherwise assess that book."
>[BC]"No, I was busy working on a revolutionary-"
"Oh-is Helmi still after your dick?"
At that, Big pauses, giving me a level, lidded look.
>[BC]"...You're not going to let me tell my story, are you."
"Not a chance."

Once again, Big Crazy demonstrated why I like the guy by taking the utter rebuff in good grace, and bullshitting with me about 'the good old days' when both of us were little more than thugs for higher, and joins me in laughing at how we're technically still exactly that, just... more magical. I find out he's been taking part in just about every shooting tournament he's been able to find out about, and is looking to get enough notoriety he could plot out a trip back to the States and try his hand at surpassing his teacher in the ways of gunplay, Bob Munden (And I STILL can't get over that being his teacher). We laugh, mock one another and in general pass the time convivially-and Big, at last, makes peace with the fact I'm just not going to let him show off, purely for my own amusement.

On a conversational bent, I go next to someone I'd been… not exactly avoiding, but definitely taking note of (and, in my way, respecting) her growing unease in my presence: Silja. As always, she's an egg of flesh as long as a person is tall, currently leaned against a subwoofer, with baroque music sneding vibrations into her taut flesh shell. I walk over, and put a hand on her side, knowing that I can't just ignore her.
Hello again.
Her reaction clinches it for me, validating my choice to broach the subject-her quivering reaction to the touch isn't a surge of general motion in all directions-it's a recoil, faint or no.
>[Silja]"Oh, Armas, hello! I.. how are you?"
I'm doing quite well, if rather busy.
>[Silja]"Well, try not to work too hard."
I'm attempting that just now, actually: I have some time, and I'm catching up with some friends.
I can feel guilt emanating from her spirit at that.
>[Silja]"Is.. is that so? Well, I'm happy you wanted to spend some of that time with me-I mean, not that I don't like talking with the others, and I apologize if I gave offense, but…."
The flesh orb trails off, floundering.
Silja, would you like to tell me what's wrong?
The egg visibly deflates at the gentle question.
>[Silja]"..No, I don't want to-but I should tell you, so…"
If you don't want to-
>[Silja]"No, no this is… good. …Um. I'm not quite sure where to start."
Would it be rude to suggest the beginning? I do have time.
>[Silja]"The beginning. …Okay, I can do that. So, you know that I'm thinking about asking Placid to… well, complete me, I guess-to finish the resurrection. And I've had to think really carefully about what I want to be, and… well. I thought about it, and the only way I can be happy, I think, is to step away from my past life. And… I know it's not your fault, but you remind me of… of my Armas."
Gee, wonder where this is going.
And that's still painful to you.
>[Silja]"I know it's stupid, but… you even look like him-not, not a lot, but enough, and when I didn't believe you, and… Sorry. I know I'm being silly, but-"
But that's how it is.
>[Silja]"Yeah…"
Well, if you want space, I can give you that.
>[SB]"And if the irrational aversion to Armas continues to be an issue, I can offer you a means of removing such a viewpoint."
SB-
>[SB]"It's true-I know something of memory modification myself, and we have in our employ a Mentalist. If you so choose, it could be rendered a non-issue."
>[Silja]"I… thank you for the offer-really, actually, I do. I'd been wondering if bad… thoughts.. could be removed, so… I appreciate the offer."
Don't feel obligated to-
>[Silja]"No, this is good-I… have more options to consider."
If you need anything, you know I'll help.
The flesh orb jiggles, laughter reverberating across it's form.
>[Silja]"I'll keep that in mind."
That's good to hear.

We chat more after that, but ultimately… as she said, I still make her uncomfortable, and I try to respect that.

After the talk with Silja… there's one more person I want to call-
>[SB]"To finish reassuring yourself you give a crap about them?"
To see how they're doing, and maybe get a few chuckles, actually.
>[SB]"Otso?"
Otso.

I give my Einher cousin a call. Unsurprisingly, he picks up promptly.
>[Otso]"…Is that you?"
"So it would seem."
>[Otso]"I need to figure out a way to get a specific restricted number to play a… nevermind, you're not giving me a hint on that, are you."
"No, I'm not the one that would blather technological quirks at you-so, how are things? The research been going well?"
>[Otso]"It's been going great actually. Uh… so, long story short, the system doesn't use any one established rune system-but it HAS influenced a bunch of different alphabets over time. So, I've been learning as many runic alphabets as I can, and testing them. Cool thing-I know I haven't yet figured out what it IS, specifically, but I know there IS a root runic alphabet, I know it's general… okay, it's very vague shape, but I'm definitely getting a better feel for how to program this-I just have to think of my skin as a computer screen, my blood as the keys I press to make the runes that are the programming language, and it mostly makes sense."
"And what new things have you learned to do, then?"
>[Otso]"Okay, let me think-so, I actually figured out that the strength boost? Totally not just muscle recruitment like I was kind of thinking, it's taking the… the energy of the Einher seed, and investing it in one's body. It empowers muscle, reinforces bone, hardens organs-"
Sounds quite a lot like Chakra.
>[Otso]"So, I can fully suppress it, and actually go back to just regular strength-OR, I can over-drain the seed, past it's recharge rate, and for a little while be… heh… pretty strong, you know?"
"I think I have a sense of how heady it can be to rip steel doors apart like wet cardboard, yes."
>[Otso]"Woah… uh, so I can't quite.. do THAT, but I can totally outmuscle things I couldn't normally, with the… I guess passive flow rate? Oh! The regeneration-that's also fueled by the seed-and I still don't really know much about THAT, past it being somewhere in me, and that it refills itself-anyway, the faster I want to regenerate, the more energy it takes-but, if I leave it set real low, I can, like, passively have super-human healing! Really slow, yeah, but it's free! Oh, also-I can use the energy to… make temperature not bother me so much-hot or cold. I can fire and freeze-proof myself, I guess? I don't really know why that's how the power works yet, but I'm working on it!"
"Not too shabby, Otso. But as great as it is to hear how your research is going-what have you been DOING with it?"
>[Otso]"Yeah so, I can currently say our hometown's werewolf-free!"
"And how do you know that?"
>[Otso]"Well, I can sense werewolves and vampires and stuff-I think it's because the seed's like a radar for other magic-stuff or something. Anyway. No more werewolves in town!"
"So you can't sense them anymore. Did you kill them all?"
>[Otso]"What? No way, that'd be, like, sixty werewolves or something! I bet they just left after I kept roughing them up, heh."
"I think now is an excellent time to tell you magical stealth, especially against supernatural senses, is a very big field of research."
>[Otso]"…Oh."
"Yes. Oh."
>[Otso]"Uh… so… they could be prepping to take me out."
"Not to alarm you, but potentially. How thoroughly did you study potential sensory boosts via runic coding of your Einher seed?"
>[Otso]"Not enough, clearly."
"Well, you've got your new direction for research-and clearly, you've been having fun being big man on campus-but how's school? Not neglecting that for the obviously far more exciting magical side of things, are you?
>[Otso]"Well, my English grades have dropped, but I'm actually doing better in Math and Science!"
"That's great to hear-you still thinking about doing college?"
>[Otso]"I… man, so much stuff has happened, I don't know-I think so, though. …Uh, hey, so… I gotta admit, I'm curious-what… what kind of magical stuff do you deal with, anyway?"

So I tell him-I walk him through a few months in the life of a magical Mercenary rampaging through the ranks… and I can feel him listening with bated breath. After an admittedly lengthy bit of exposition, I finally finish, and…
>[Otso]"…So holy shit, uh, I guess Magic's not like some little aspect of the world and is more like, the truth that we don't get to know and could totally smush us."
"I'd like to say you oversimplified, but that's fairly accurate."
>[Otso]"…Huh. I'm… gonna need to think on that-while I work on more rune combinations."
"Have at it-and again, good to hear things are mostly going well for you."
>[Otso]"Thanks!"

With that done… I begin plotting, with the remaining afternoon and evening, exactly how I will handle Lyubov's actual birthday. I consider retooling Lightning Crossbows for her, I consider art, tool, I consider taking her out dancing, I consider shows, fine dining, walks in the park, stargazing and boating. I consider making her a golem with its motiff heavily borrowed from the iconic 'Igor' figure of Frankensteinian lore. I consider many things…. and eventually, make a choice, and get to work.

SUNDAY, MARCH 13th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS: $7,956,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $9,242,094.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 60%
WINTER ENERGY: 160
SUMMER ENERGY: 60/60


It's Lyubov's birthday, and I make a day out of it, in a way that has nothing to do with the company, or our business, and as such it's completely and utterly bereft of note, beyond the fact it took all day, I trolled her seven times without her getting mad, we both had a good time, and I spent some money on the occasion. Specifically: Exactly $22 US.
PERSONAL FUNDS: -$20.oo $7,936,660.00
And I will never explain how it cost so little.

Additionally, I had a Sunday where NOTHING of non-personal note transpired. It was refreshing.

MONDAY, MARCH 14th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS: $7,936,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $9,242,094.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 60%
WINTER ENERGY: 160
SUMMER ENERGY: 60/60


With Lyubov having to head out in the middle of the night to meet with Hyougo by means of teleportation, I get up and start checking the Allview. Sure enough, there aren't any straggler containers or would-be pirates profiteering off of Japan's recent disaster, so Lyubov's not needed in the official sense… or is she? While getting the souls on Elwen and the general minion population to process their findings, I home in on Lyubov and see what's going on. She's talking with Hyougo-I have to assume it's Hyougo, at least, why else is she talking with a tiny teen Japanese girl in a robe-laden kimono so maddeningly complicated even I think it's a bit much? Still can't lip read, so let's see what I can infer…

Lyubov's sleepy, hat's on head. Hyougo gestures at hat, looks a bit mad.
Lyubov looks mostly unfazed, waves hand either placatingly, or dismissively. Again, would need to know what's being said.
Hyougo gestures-the cliff-side rock-garden they're in grows a book, and a table. The book is easily more than a foot thick. Lyubov looks incredulous.
Hyougo again gestures, Lyubov says something, Hyougo tilts her head, shakes it.
Lyubov says more stuff-again, Hyougo shakes head.
Lyubov gestures at the Witch-looked like a prompt to speak. Witch stands there.
Hyougo says something, Lyubov nods her head-

I'm not looking at Lyubov back in the bedroom, walking over to me.
Yeah, think I don't need the Allview for this part.
I open my eyes as Lyubov starts babbling without preamble.
[Lyubov]”Uh. So. Yeah, Hyougo expected me to show up the day before yesterday, then yesterday, was upset I didn't, and anyway she says I have to study some laws and proceedings, and that I should ignore whatever Sake says about them-”
>[Sake]"Hey!"
[Lyubov]”And that I can't be allowed to be the Yōkai Shugo without knowing this, so I have to study it, um, right now, and no I can't mind-download it, because that's lazy or something, and I swear Tesla's laughing at me, and-”
She sighs, more than a little frantic.
[Lyubov]”And so yeah I have to go study magic trade law in japan the old fashioned way… right… right now."
She looks at her watch and growls.
[Lyubov]"So, uh-bye?”
And with a blip she's gone, still in her pajamas.

…Well then.
>[SB]"I see no problem with this."
>[IT]"I think this is hilariously thematic-she meddles with beings she shouldn't, and things completely outside of her control happen-it's like the world meddles with her back."
Sake's fur is still bristling.
>[Sake]"Why'd Hyougo say she couldn't listen to me!?"
>[HB]"I would think it more than passing obvious, lover of jocularity and deception."
In a decidedly huffy pout, Sake slinks out the door.

….And that's when the Allview sorting kicks back results.
-Seems I know where Elwen Embla lives-her exact address, where she shops for food, which bar she goes to in the evenings, the parks she visits during the weekends-and… I found what is probably the Triad leak near her, but it confuses the crap out of me. …It's May. May Lee. The Triad I saw die, that had a golem made in her image… and whose soul I never saw prior to her passing, so I can't even say if this is her resurrected, or another golem. The soul certainly looks normal….
-Elwen's place is warded from top to bottom, and is the top floor of an apartment complex. I have no idea what the inside of the place looks like-but I feel that her Ward schematics are either in her head, or in her place. Either way, I won't learn more through the Allview.
-I learn where Titus goes to meet that lightning tree he knows-and I mark the Demiplane entrance on my mental map.
-I learn where Ivan goes, to get time to himself-yet another demiplane built into the land of Istanbul, set in a park. It's contents can't be viewed, but inferred, from his peaceful expression every time he exits.
-I learn Rosti and Iosef are both frequent customers at Bonzi's. In fact, all the Russians go there at least sometimes.

There's more, but… huh. Still a bit distracted by 'SURPRISE NO MORE LYUBOV FOR A WHILE'. I mean, I can check on her with the Allview, but she can't interact with that detection system at all. So… yeah. Teenage Witch done stole my girlfriend. I feel like I'm in a soap opera. How wonderful.






So what am I doing on this rather oddly started Monday?
And for the next few days?
>>
No. 478341 ID: 5d98c3

>>478249
For being so silly, we should think of the greatest prank ever on Hyougo. I suggest we wait a few months, then TURN JAPAN INVISIBLE. All of it.

Right now, though, we should totally go get together a plan to murder the shit out of Lo Fang. Then execute it. And him. Because seriously, fuck that evil soul stealing git. He's probably a devil or something.
>>
No. 478375 ID: 27cbbb

ORDERS FOR TYRONE:
T> Write letter to family ( http://pastebin.com/WQMF3Qw2 ), don't send.
T> Talk with Bagga RE: Becoming independent from orphanage. Get deal: Do work for Bagga, get good word to Armas, whatever that is worth.
T> Try to figure out how to make money enough to not die of thirst
T> Ask around for odd jobs from anyone that will listen during spare time at Ito's night sessions
T> Help Bagga with anything he needs help with, so long as Bagga passes along the 'good deeds'.
T>TYRONE IS AVAILABLE FOR HIRE AS WEAKSAUCE HELPER FOR ANY MINION WHO STILL VISITS ITO AND CAN MEET HIM talk to Shot__ in IRC for going rates
>>
No. 478381 ID: 45c547

Read the extorted book now that you're a super linguist.

Finish up the golem+giant body work Lyubov so rudely interrupted. Does it have superbones now?

While I am not 100% clear on how the phoenix vodka fountain works, apparently you put something fire related in at one end and more than you put in comes out the other side? If that's more or less correct, try and get some summer blood line fire manipulator blood, or any other fire related blood(phoenix blood is probably ideal, but fire giant or salamander or whatever could probably work) and try to make a blood fountain with a spare phoenix heart if we have one(if we don't borrow the still one to test concept then put back in still). Buy blood from vampires, Franco Senior, Meat Circus, SM, possibly Johan(fire demon blood?) etc. If successful try to incorporate into the war golem to bypass it's barrel of blood per hour dependency. Also this may help to feed Bagga(he could maybe gorge himself on magical blood to gain awesome vampire powers or something, if we can remove phoenix divine taint or make it work with our other regenerator hearts (erineyes&troll iirc)).

Have Andrei buy a cheap laptop, making sure to buy one without any form of wireless whatsoever. Isolate from any other systems, have it only run on battery power(power cord not plugged in), put it in a isolated room, preferably in that storage area placid warded. Run the magic floppy disk on it, see what happens, be ready with fire, hammers, guns and axes. Have SB port him from and to Italy as necessary, if he could do so without harming Andrei, if not then port the floppy and a laptop if needed.

Thunder. Go ahead and fleshcraft yourself for better thunder capabilities. Larger lungs, tougher tongue and so on. Try to get some musical clapping, footstomping, dancing or whatever involved with your thundering, since music seems to help things. Possibly a tough and thundery musical instrument may help you boost things further, heck a metal instrument crafted with that magic hammer could have interesting effects. Though I've always disliked musical magic personally we must pursue all possible avenues of power.

Since we probably have some viewers free currently, have them look up and index as many Endman clones as they can find. Having 20 or so search for that Shen in the bosphurus would also be useful.

Another fleshcrafting idea, Gianni has stated that he can do that for the golem, and prevent sensory overload to boot. Collaborate with him to do something similar to you.

Lev Orders:

*Get back into woodcarving, practice makes perfect, or at least somewhat proficient hopefully. Focus on carving wooden knives and depictions of mundane and magical animals.
*Search the web for tips on woodcarving.
*Try to experiment with bloodsoaking some of your carvings, put one of your carved knives and one of your carved animals in a container of your blood in the fridge, to prevent the blood from clotting, do the same with some with a another pair but leave them out in the sun to dry. Leave for a week and examine results. Probably nothing will happen but it's worth a shot no?
*Do some bodybuilding when you get the time. Better muscles means you can throw knives farther.
*Practice your knifethrowing with your nonseeking knives a bit, to keep up to scratch.
*Try to get the Anguisher to teach you a few offensive curses.
*Spend some quality time with the other minions. Andrei has been doing some magic computer stuff apparently right? How's that going?
>>
No. 479093 ID: 22ae81

>>478249

While Lyubov is kidnapped, send a bouqet of flowers to her at the Witch's house. Pink and red roses. It is a reminder that we miss her, and a reminder to Hyougo that there are people who love her new friend.

Notify Svetlana at once that Lyubov have been taken but is safe. It is the duty of the head of the house to tell his future mother in law that her daughter is taken.

"Svetlana, wake up. I am sorry to be waking you so early in the morning, but Witch Hyougo has decided Lyubov must be educated in law matters to do her job as the Yokai Shugo. However, she has decided that Lyubov cannot use magic learning methods, and that Lyubov can't come home until she knows the entire law body. I think she wants to keep Lyubov around because Lyubov's so much fun."

"The law book for Japanese trade law is large. It may take years, if we allow Hyougo to have her way. But I don't fancy leaving Lyubov the object of a young witch's attentions. Even if she is not in danger, we will miss her very much. Since a witch has too much power to oppose directly, I will need to make a plan."

"This just happened. Just a couple of minutes ago. I came right to your room to tell you. I need more than that to make a plan. I will get my brainiacs and we will determine how to satisfy Hyougo and get Lyubov back."

Silja is also Lyubov's friend. She should be told right away.

Placid should be told. and it should be explained to him that we will be clever to get Lyubov back, instead of strong.

>>478341
I am SUSTing the invisible Japan plan. That is crazy.

To make Lo Fang dead, we must know where Lo Fang and his men will be. Get the Yakuza to help in this, and the army.

Get the army to help by arresting many of Lo Fang's men for having a stolen army tank. Hide the army tank somewhere associated with Lo Fang, possibly on his boat, and implicate many of his men.

Use the Yakuza to help weed out Lo Fang's footsoldiers.

Then make the attack with all the heavy hitters.

Spend the next few weeks collecting information and manipulating people so that Lo Fang is badly weakened before the attack.
>>
No. 479106 ID: 27cbbb

Upvoting:


>Notify Svetlana at once that Lyubov have been taken but is safe. It is the duty of the head of the house to tell his future mother in law that her daughter is taken.
( >>479093 )


And all of that stuff about telling people about Lyu's vanishing.

>While I am not 100% clear on how the phoenix vodka fountain works, apparently you put something fire related in at one end and more than you put in comes out the other side? If that's more or less correct, try and get some summer blood line fire manipulator blood, or any other fire related blood(phoenix blood is probably ideal, but fire giant or salamander or whatever could probably work) and try to make a blood fountain with a spare phoenix heart if we have one(if we don't borrow the still one to test concept then put back in still). Buy blood from vampires, Franco Senior, Meat Circus, SM, possibly Johan(fire demon blood?) etc. If successful try to incorporate into the war golem to bypass it's barrel of blood per hour dependency. Also this may help to feed Bagga(he could maybe gorge himself on magical blood to gain awesome vampire powers or something, if we can remove phoenix divine taint or make it work with our other regenerator hearts (erineyes&troll iirc)).

>Have Andrei buy a cheap laptop, making sure to buy one without any form of wireless whatsoever. Isolate from any other systems, have it only run on battery power(power cord not plugged in), put it in a isolated room, preferably in that storage area placid warded. Run the magic floppy disk on it, see what happens, be ready with fire, hammers, guns and axes. Have SB port him from and to Italy as necessary, if he could do so without harming Andrei, if not then port the floppy and a laptop if needed.
( >>478381 )



Refining:
>>478381
>Thunder. Go ahead and fleshcraft yourself for better thunder capabilities. Larger lungs, tougher tongue and so on. Try to get some musical clapping, footstomping, dancing or whatever involved with your thundering, since music seems to help things. Possibly a tough and thundery musical instrument may help you boost things further, heck a metal instrument crafted with that magic hammer could have interesting effects. Though I've always disliked musical magic personally we must pursue all possible avenues of power.

Get some bigass bass equipment, see if you can use it to pump up your own power. Try songs with a heavy bass line, or a thumpy, heavy rythm. See about using actual thunder to augment your useage even further, (That is, the sound made by arcing bolts of electricity) made with some sort of electrical or lightning magic. (Put this one off until Lyubov is back.)

Consider thunder-proofing your colleages somehow, if you're going to use this in battle you don't want everyone working for you going breifly deaf.

Downvoting:

>Vanish Japan
( >>478341 )


Too crazy. There's no way we can have the required mojo.

>Lo Fang Tank Plan
( >>479093 )


Too silly - and unlikely to work. Planting it might prove impossible with the things we have, and pissing off Lo with a plan that is not gaurenteed to work is asking for more trouble than we really should have to deal with.

Unless these are refined to the point where these objections are moot, these downvotes remain.
>>
No. 480774 ID: a07204

Bagga Orders:
>: Use the database to help broaden his knowledge of the vampire community, look at the Aksoy clan, and find info on his sire... REALLY not liking Orphan Maker's track record!
>: Take good care of his vampire cactus Igne and his pet project Pitcher Plant. Some music, no fertilizer for the Pitcher plant, make sure the soil has some pearlite and peat moss while keeping the humidity good for it. Keep giving Igne his own blood.
>: Keep up the training with Lyzzyrd Skyzzyrd. Hopefully the mental improvements can help him make up for his lack of tail.. or crazy strong legs.. perhaps he should try a few ways to make the foot work suit his body build? Probably should push the limits of his body a bit more too.
>: Keep up the Ito Trainin-he got younger again? ...Try to weather the Itorture the best he can.
>: Keep up the blood monitoring and vampire practice. Try a few little tests to see how it's growing. Maybe try to see if he can see Igne's invisible flower using it and a proper feeding? Worth a shot.
>: Give Tyrone a simple bug catching job to help out the others with the Kudoku experiments.
>: Ponder visiting his Father with a few friends... he does have some questions he needs answered.

>>479093
Yeah.. down voting in general. The flowers are corny, the tank plan is bad all around, and the wording is a bit corny.

Also going to stop the 'making Japan invisible' plan. Oh the ways that can go wrong.

I do agree that we need to find a way to deal with Lo Fang, but we need as much info about him as possible first. Lammy could probably help there. Might want to look into May Lee as well.
>>
No. 480811 ID: 490792

Boris Orders

>Continue running 'Boris' Borscht', his highly successful food cart. Hand out free meals to children from time to time. Also, give free meals to the homeless (if there are any). Take a hit in profits, but feel too good about himself to care. Wonder if the Cookie Lady’s unrelenting kindness is rubbing off on him.

>Ask his regular customers if there are any highly trained chefs in town. If so, approach one and ask for private lessons for the duration of his stay in Italy. Offer payment if necessary.

>Approach Camella and tell her that he thinks he’s really falling behind in his Chakra training compared to the rest of the Russians. Ask her for advice.
>>
No. 481706 ID: 6ee822

Right. Armas, try and see if you can use that notquiteLegendary Laine charm to hit up Elwen Embla, the goal being to get her to invite you home.
Just bump into her at one of her more amicable moments and share a cup of coffee or something.
You don't really lose anything if it doesn't work, it'll come off as a serendipitous event as long as you don't act like a complete idiot, but I have confidence you won't.
This doesn't have to happen on the first date, though that would be ideal, at the very least use that gilded tongue to secure yourself a second date.
Once you get into her place, you can take a look around and see if that helps.

If this doesn't pan out, you can always try something else, like getting Satai to the level that he can take them out for you.

>May lee
Confront her, in person. See if she recognizes you, has memories of the event, is friendly. If you are still 'friends' then she might just be able to explain some things. If she doesn't remember anything and you can confirm it's her 100%...well Go Ping has some explaining to do.

Set up a meeting with him for tuesday at 10.

>your ward.
POKER NIGHT ON FRIDAY


===Zhenya orders===
>Be a Strong pillar of support for Matvey now that he's back from his ordeal.
>Hang out with Satai some more, catch up on happenings as he has time. Invite him to lunch tomorrow to chat.
>Check with Arkvad about interesting pistols again, see what they've got in your price range(around 7k, wiling to go higher for truly magnificent/rare pieces.)
>While talking to Arkvad broach the topic of Baki and how to get a meeting with him. See if she can get an appointment for this week and if so, (after MASSAGE) ask if he would be willing to teach his technique.(Be willing to pay but don't offer it unless it seems like it's needed)
>Go meet up with Armas, ask him if he can take a look at that gun won at the area, the one Matvey and NNS gave a bit of info on and see if he can give more detail. For example how to access the demiplane or change the bullet type, limitations, etc.
>Talk with Armas about naming weapons and visit Davgon for any more information on how NAMING things affects them, and if he knows any NAME MAGIC things he would be willing to teach.
>Visit Satai and see if he can be coaxed into taking a lunch break to catch up.
>Spend some time with Sake, see if he can be coaxed into showing her around the interesting magical places in Istanbul he knows of. Spend some quality time with him either way, play some music.
>Keep practicing with Duke, ask him about that feeling she had back when she caught the Lep pot. Prepare self for training changes.
>Keep up with Running, ito work and shooting down at the range.
>>
No. 482206 ID: 08675a

Stop being distracted, there is nothing you can do at the moment and Lyubov should be able to handle herself. Maybe a daring rescue happens later, who knows, but for now continue sorting through the Allview results.

To take out Lo Fang safely we need more information. Get Svetlana to make a report on everything in the AORB database on Lo Fang, the local Triad in general, and any and all noteworthy known members, allies, and contacts. Get Labombard to provide a tactical analysis, strengths, weaknesses, likely responses to different kinds of attacks, known contacts, location and value of Triad assets, etc. Allocate some Viewers to verify information and track enemy movements and shipments; weakening them over time may be the most viable approach and you need to know where to strike. May Lee- it is unknown if it even is May Lee, but Labombard might be able to tell. Go with him to verify, hopefully with the two of you avoiding detection will be simple.

If we want to kidnap May Lee we could tip off the Mafia to her location as the person who found out about Elwen Embla, then snatch her before they raid her place. To the Triad, it should look like the Mafia took her. Unsure of the value of this course of action though.

Some time in the next few days we should observe Labombard sparring with Matvey. Labombard has frankly great healing, it might be what we need for our hybrid-tech research. And receive our Duke-beating to train Conceptual Strength.

[Experimentation]
When we trained under Davgon for those six months in NN time we learned a trick we haven't really done anything with:
>temporarily inflating my own soul to boost a subsequent move's power in exchange for overstressing my spirit
Considering we routinely rip chunks of our soul off these days, I don't think that "overstressing" is a real worry anymore. But instead of inflating the entirety of our soul for a generic boost, we should inflate specific portions of our soul that are related to specific functions, to boost only those functions. Our spiritual senses, for example. This should hopefully result in a similar boost as a binding, while being entirely temporary and will be our first real experimentation with inner-soul manipulation.

The household has a lot of powerful Divine creatures running around it, which means the house is full of a lot of stray divine energy radiating from their souls. This causes an increase in soul growth in less powerful souls, but what about Bagga? He's a vampire and divine energy is BAD for him. So is the soul radiation harming him? If so, we should do something about that. If not, we should investigate the reason that it isn't, because it would be a useful thing to know how to replicate, maybe even applicable to Camella's situation. Davgon would be a good start to the investigation.

While we're looking at that, Armas' eye water is supposed to be "pure". Does that extend to magical signature? Because, again, that could be highly profitable if true and properly understood.

Igor Orders:
-Continue work on golem armor and modular plate armors for company members.
-Continue work on learning rituals, Labombard said he'd help. Nice guy.
-Start Work on Labombard's commissioned pocket watches. He's a really nice guy.
-Try to get to know Patere better and learn some of the Dwarf stuff he'll need to know for the... wedding. ...Hope she calls him, he somehow deleted her number when he tried phoning her.
-Try his hand at making a pair of single-handed war hammers.

Svetlana Orders:
-Worry about her daughter being under the thumb of an unknown power in a foreign nation. Again.
-Having learned just how easily magic can change humans into... something else, ask Davgon to examine her soul for magical contamination.
-Take training in chakra more seriously, it being the only self-sourced magic with which to resist the effects of magical contamination she has. Her humanity is at stake. Take Labombard up on his offer to provide assistance.
-Resolve to no longer attend church.
-Gather plant-based magical predator repelling flowers from the demiplane. Plan for weekly visits to resupply.
-Speak with Satai on a private matter that unfortunately intersects with company business.

>>481706
>Talk to Go Ping about May Lee
SUST, we're planning to take down his boss and he's made it clear he's loyal to him. We can't let the Triad know we know about May Lee.

If this post is too late, too bad.
>>
No. 482284 ID: 252e1b

LYUBOV WEEKLY GOALS
L*~Lyubov experiences a surprise kidnapping by her demanding witchy friend Hyougo, with apparent support by Tesla. Ok then. Studying Magic Japanese trade and contract law is a thing now. “Wait, I have to learn international copyright and patent law too? And I can’t go home until I show competence at all assigned subjects? But I’m allowed to take breaks and talk and hang out with Hyougo all I want when I’m not studying?”
L*~Even if Hyougo’s a witch with amazing power, she’s still a kid. Given Lyubov’s prior experience talking with Hyougo and her knowledge about Hyougo’s life and situation, it’s obvious she’s looking for a face-saving excuse to have a big sister figure/friend hanging around all the time.
L*~So Lyubov opts to study only the minimum required, and instead spends most of her days with Hyougo, talking to her, being friendly, and playing with her. There’s far too much material to realistically study in a time period measurable in units smaller than years without some sort of magic learning aid anyway, and Hyougo’s in a genuinely trying period of her life.
L*~Give Mom a call as soon as possible... it turns out to be Wednesday before Hyouugo runs out of excuses about the phone. Lyubov will strongly suspect that Hyougo is constantly monitoring, and will take it into account (i.e. say nothing that Hyougo would find upsetting).
L*~Lyubov meets some einherjar visiting Hyougo for assignments. Odin lends promising groups of them to her to help with policing the yōkai. And, how interesting, each and every one of them shows signs of using the runic programming interface built into the einher seed. Also Lyubov gets to see an example of a completely magic telephone.
L*~As long as Lyubov has run of a witch’s house, she will keep working on her magic detection and interpretation skills, including studying wards and available examples of mortal and other magics.
L*~As the week goes on, talk to Placid, Armas, Hillevi, Silja, Zhenya, and Svetlana by phone. Learn about Svetlana's strange gift.
L*~When Armas and Satai arrive with a plan to get Lyubov through the training quickly, consider things carefully (including Tesla's stance on it).

>>
No. 482328 ID: c6ce12

Matvey
M-Given Igor's current predicament arose from not only his lack of social graces, but lack of knowledge on proper social etiquette involved with approaching the various supernatural creatures in a social setting arrange for both Labombard and Gianni to provide a basic education on the subject for those who have not already sought out the information themselves. Ask for them to spend additional time to cover how to act in a dwarven marriage ceremony like Igor's so that we do not offend his fiancee's clan.
M-With your suspicions on the nature of one of the magics Armas employs confirmed set begin setting a preventative measure against any issue that could result from having cannibal magic floating on the property. At Labombard's recommendation purchase piping and then fill that piping with salt, burying an unbroken circle of it in the ground around your home to prevent magical radiation from leaking.
M-Keep making attempts to pry the code phrase to Gianni's professionalism from Labombard.
M-Take comfort in Zhenya and at her urging earlier in the week begin the process of contacting your family, starting with a phone call to your parents.
M-Play fetch with Ohotnik, talk to him about growing up.
M-Retrieve your armguard from Lyubov's room, with her absence you no longer have anyone dedicated to working on it. It seems she never consulted Armas or Sake, so bring it to the weasel. Given a prior conversation about how boring you are casually invite the weasel to fix that by working on the gauntlet so you can be more fun.
M-While sharing drinks with Ito and others, discussing his renewed youth, have a brief encounter with the man named Jack Churchill. As you tersely and cautiously talk to the monstrously powerful swordsman and oddly amicable bearer of Excalibur find that his very straightforward offer for a friendly duel in the future has been inscribed on your bioarmor with a seal. Do in depth follow up research on Jack Churchill while referencing and looking over Svetlana's data compilation task before bringing it up to Armas later in the week.
M-Continue referencing Shuhadaku Zayin as you devote this week's training to finally bursting through the barrier to Cutting that you have been working towards for weeks now.

Iosef
I-Watch Rostislav's dogs for him while he makes an outing somewhere, man it's awesome that little one can't rip out chunks from you anymore.
I-Shop around for good base launchers, Labombard said he could make you something awesome if you got the right parts. Ask Vlad for his advice.
I-Try out different gyms in the city with Karma, ask if he knows about any cool ones.
I-Discuss the Church with Karma while pumping iron, you've never been religious-far too much effort to go to church every week, but it's kind of interesting.
I-Begin actively avoiding Satai when possible.
I-Test out some more rituals for Johan.
>>
No. 482574 ID: 521153

Super last second addendum: Armas should text the following to Camella: 'Lyubov got taken by Japanese Witch but is safe for now. Just letting you know because you're my second.'
>>
No. 482613 ID: b7d2cc

Pheonix fountain does not work that way, please visit IRC (#Golemquest) and ask Bob about that for clarity

>>478375
>Some riff-raff Vampire Fledgling has begun visiting the house. He's one of Ito's students, and a friend (of sorts) of Bagga's.
>He's offering his services to anyone that asks, and is currently spending nights collecting insects for Gianni, and frankly doing far, far worse than the dozens of golems programmed with all the entomological the Italian has on the job, but hey, he's trying, foot in the door and all that!
>>480774
>Bagga continues blindly focusing on book learning, further bulking up his strength as his weakness-that is, common sense and people skills continue to stagnate. Go-go fundamentally flawed teen vamp! Perhaps he can eventually just be That Guy that people go to for irregular trivia and esoteric questions-a kid can dream!
>Find horticultural pursuits soothing.
>Have absolute nature of ceiling on Lizard footwork reinforced as, mentalist packages or no, that lack of a tail for balancing still utterly fucks him. On the plus side, Bagga's beginning to develop a sense of how one is supposed to use a tail to shift directions with great vigor-even if he doesn't have one to practice with.
>>480811
>Boris' plan to hand out free meals to children on occasion is beginning to backfire, as parents send children to hunt out meals in their stead, and child-sized brawls of vicious nature break out-all for the sake of his delicious foods.
>Find it nigh-impossible to actually take a hit in profits-some people are… VERY dedicated to acquiring his food, so the money isn't really capable of stopping.
>On speaking with customers, be politely reminded he's far and away the best cook in town-otherwise, why else would every eatery in town have standing offers to employ Boris? …It's hard to be the chef-king.
>Find out that Camella is… oddly proud of him falling behind, as it his lack of Chakra focus came with the gain of increased culinary focus, which has clearly suited him. Be gently reminded face to face combat isn't SUPPOSED to be the go-to for problem resolution. …Find self pondering how to make delicious meals that, while not POISONED, would… suppress, let's say, the magical nature of the consumers. Have very strange dreams involving chains of meat restraining dragons that night.
>>481706
>Zhenya attempts to hang with Arkvad-learns the fellow is vacationing in Hawaii at the moment-Maui, specifically.
>Feel that muscles need a good rubbin' to feel better. Pay Baki a visit for platonically orgasmically amazing massage. Wow, that guy's hands are good. Also, 1k for that was NOTHING!
>Be disappointed Dávgon does not know anything personally useful about Name Magic.
>Find out Duke doesn't think he could finish Zhenya's training for her… unless she's capable of regeneration comparable to Armas or Labombard. …Hah.
>>482206
>Igor keeps on, keeping on. Gotta pound that… anvil!
>Patere continues to wage war against his luddite nature and his phone in particular, and Igor finds himself absorbing some Dwarven customs whether he wills it or no.
>Svetlana does her thing, and worries. This is not aided by the fact that Dávgon corrects her understanding of magic: ALL magical exposure contaminates, the contamination itself is the basis of the majority of magical growth.
>Find Labombard exceptionally helpful in making her chakra exercises more efficient and rewarding.
>>382284
>Lyubov realizes kidnapping Witch is crazy lonely and really wants friends and/or surrogate family members-attempt to apply meddling method to situation.
>Meet Spirit Einher in golem bodies: ALL of them do that soul programming stuff Armas' cousin is working on.
>Immediately become quite lax in academic diligence. Not like that matters right? Right? …Right?
>Give mom a call Wednesday, allay almost no fears.
>>482328
>Matvey attempts to rope Gianni and Labombard into… giving a lecture. Both entities seem averse to the very concept, and Labombard weaves a touching tale of how lectures killed his best friend. Just when Matvey's getting irate at the rigmarole, Labombard mentions Satai lifted that information from his brain already-maybe Matvey should check with the company mentalist, and get some memory packets going?
>Labombard laughs theatrically at Matvey's attempts to secure the coveted safe word that makes Gianni be serious and not salacious. Curses, foiled again!
>Oh right, reclaim that Armguard Lyubov said she'd work on! Taunt Sake into filling armguard with expendable TRICKS! Success!
>Meet Jack Churchill, feel not-so-hot that his listing in the AORB database actually has a full list of all Artifact swords stored in Excalibur. Holy fuck, 19 Artifact swords. Thank god he didn't set a date on that proposed fight. Also: Why does owning a magic sword mean you get swordsman challenging you all the time!?
>Have a breakthrough in Cutting! …While Shaving! Neck now sports an impressive looking scar with a frankly shameful origin. On the plus side: Cutting! You did it once! Working on consistency now.

For some ineffable reason-
>[SB]"How is your propensity for trollish rebuttals ineffable?"
FOR SOME INEFFABLE REASON, I find myself briefly entertaining the notion of rendering the entirety of the nation of Japan wholly invisible by inscrutable means, in recompense for this slight.
[Sake]"While that'd be totally hilarious and I'd be laughing for weeks, not even top of the line gods can do that: There's too much density of-"
"Of magical creatures, particularly of Divine format, for such comprehensive Ownership to be claimed, but… mm. I find myself wishing to express my displeasure over this, and simultaneously stymied by the power gap."
>[IT]"I will note that, unless he has kept it from my-which is entirely possible-old man Rabbit has eschewed attempts at unilateral reprisals to Japan for exactly this reason."
"Ah, fuck it. I'll look at comeuppance in a month or three: At the rate my company and I have been acquiring power, we could have new options on the table by that point."

>>482574
After abandoning that idea, I text Camella.
[Armas]Lyubov got taken by Japanese Witch but is safe for now. Just letting you know because you're my second.
Of course, she calls me within a few seconds of receiving the text.
>[Camella]"Which Witch?"
"Hyougo."
>[Camella]"…That's the adolescent one, yes?"
"With the kitsune breeding family, yes-did Owner tell you about them?"
>[Camella]"He did. Is there anything I can do to assist in retrieving her?"
"Not currently: this is the very definition of a sticky situation."
>[Camella]"…I see. Well, if that changes and I can be of service, you would of course let me know, I trust."
"No, actually I was planning to let my hypercompetent and slightly snooty-"
>[Camella]"Armas-"
"-second in command idle in the dark, and never ever use her."
>[Camella]"Haha. Well… best of luck, then."
"Thanks."
*CLICK*

>>478381
>>479093
>Lev gets back into wood carving, once again rather ashamed of how shitty he feels he is. Maybe he'll get good enough he feels comfortable showing others someday soon.
>Adds bodybuilding to routine, not at all cognizant that this is wasted effort with his hybrid nature and the form of Reinforcement he uses-and even putting those aside, he has a strength enhancing biosuit.
I distract myself from the currently quagmired thoughts vis-à-vis Lyubov's abduction… by reading a book. Certainly, at face value such a decision is… eclectic, to say the least, but the particular tome I chose to peruse is a bit more important than the average text: That aged, mysterious book that the Ghanem Heir had been so invested in acquiring is finally comprehensible to me. Oddly, it does not seem, at all, to be a book of curses: Instead, it's an age-worn epic about a night of Europe of times past, a monstrously powerful warrior clad in green scaled armor that fought not for honor, glory, king or country, but instead sought battle solely for his own entertainment. A tale of an unfathomably powerful warrior that sought to alleviate boredom titanic enough to swallow the world by engaging in contests wherever he could. I was just getting into the fourth such challenge, where he engaged not in a contest of arms, but a contest of song against a town's beloved minstrel, when there is a polite knock at the door that I recognize as being Svetlana's doing.
Putting down the book and throwing on a leisure suit with alacrity, I open the door to find Svetlana looking even more serious than normal, her magically youthened face struggling to settle into the frown lines lost weeks ago.
>[Svetlana]"…Mister Laine, can we speak in private?"
Oh, I do wonder what this could be about.
Inclining my head at the request, we march through the house to an unoccupied room, and the moment we're seated she speaks.
>[Svetlana]"Is my daughter in Japan under the custody of Hyougo the witch?"
"She is."
>[Svetlana]"How is she going to be removed from the witch's custody?"
"Frankly, I do not yet know the how. Japan is one of the most magical places in the world, and a normal Witch has more than enough power to obliterate our entire company herself, if she so chose. My default response is largely useless here. I need to know more about the witch in quwestion so I can persuade her."
Looking uncomfortable with her next question, Svetlana struggles to maintain eye contact.
>[Svetlana]"Aren't you capable of being… magically.. persuasive?"
"I am, and I've already exercised that on Hyougo. I do not wish to gamble on whether she took the time to render herself immune to my method. A far more… reliable retrieval method is desired-which, in this case, means collecting enough data on Hyougo she could be persuaded without having to use magic, as there is no way I can escalate in magic as much as she can."
>[Svetlana]"And… how do you propose to learn more about her? I already checked AORB, and they have hardly anything about her-"
I tap my ice-shrouded, metal and paper wrapped eye with a grim smile, even as I bump the total number of souls watching Lyubov-and Hyougo-up to forty.
"I'm Watching her, observing her mannerisms, predilictions and innate inclinations. Barring an unforeseen complication, the simple passage of time should provide me what I need."
The older woman that doesn't look so old crosses her arms uncomfortably, looking off to the side with pinched lips.
>[Svetlana]"I do not like her being forcibly held, even for a few days."
"While I am aware it is no consolation, be aware that Hyougo has decided that Lyubov is her friend-it would strike me as more than passing strange if Hyougo would let anything of ill repute befall your daughter."
Unsurprisingly, she still looks immensely agitated, but doesn't seem to have further queries-so it's my turn.
"I do admit to curiosity: How did you learn of this so promptly?"
With the faintest hint of color in her cheeks, the as-of-yet stone-faced Svetlana mutters her response.
>[Svetlana]"…Labombard."
Well now that is interesting-given the timeframes, that means he effectively detected the teleportation as it occurred. Good to know he's that perceptive-I'll have to remember that.
"I see. Well, If you happen to find anything of substance regarding Hyougo in your own research, don't hesitate to let me know."
She nods at my request and, after a brief hesitation, heads out the door after thanking me for my time. I try to get back into the book, certain there has to be a reason the Ghanem heir was so obsessed with it… but I can't seem to focus.

So instead, I make my way back down to the Golem workroom, and rejoin Dávgon, Gianni and Placid in working on integrating the Conceptually attuned Giant's corpse into my burgeoning golem. I swap my way around working as a conduit and enhancer for Dávgon and Gianni alike, while doing all I can to grasp just what it is Placid's doing to forcibly integrate such a complex set of matter into an already overstuffed system. Over the course of the day, I've born witness to, and been a part of integrating Conceptual biomatter into a body as a graft for… well, everything, save the head. Shoulders, arms, legs, feet, hands, bones, organs… all of it is frankly monstrously difficult to accomplish, and is only possible with masterful finesse…. or… massive amounts of raw power to force the event. More importantly than that, though, I get another chance to witness Placid working on what Gianni is no longer powerful enough to provide for the golem: The War Walker harmonizes the disparate portions of the golem, slowly but inevitably reducing the conflict-and with it, the magical pressure-within the golem. It's still positively frankensteinian to my senses, but I can now at least fathom a day when it feels like a singular cohesive being, and not a hodge-podge as it is now.

By the time that the four of us have finished our work (with BC having briefly stopped in to provide some assistance to Dávgon as he worked on the soul seed command core-it's exceptionally late at night-in fact, it's already the next day. I stagger upstairs, feeling out of sorts from maximally channeling my Winter bloodline for an entire day nearly non-stop, and barely notice the arrival of a package from my parents, waiting for me in the foyer. At SB's insistence I pick it up and take it with me to my room, but after tearing it open and revealing the photo album within… I can't seem to make myself peruse it's contents. Simply put, I'm far too distracted-and so I leave it for another time as I fall into a dreamless sleep.

TUESDAY, MARCH 15th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS: $7,936,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $9,242,094.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 55%
WINTER ENERGY: 160
SUMMER ENERGY: 60/60


>>479106
The first thing I do on waking is, of course, check with my Allview souls. Unsurprisingly, there's nothing new-not of substance, anyway-to report on Hyougo: I'll need several days worth of analysis to properly break down viable approach methods. A pity. While I'm focused on the Allview's operation, I assign the souls not working on Elwen or Hyougo, to hunting down and 'marking' as many Endman bodies as possible.

The next thing I do (after the morning duties of showering, dressing and the assorted boringly mundane contrivances) is decide to rampantly experiment on myself!
>[SB]"Armas-"
Hah, kidding! I'm just going to optimize myself for Thunder Shouting-that stuff was great, but the whole 'rip my throat apart to use it at anything other than low-output levels' really bugged me.
>[SB]"And just how, precisely, do you plan to address that?"
Oh you know, just generally larger lungs, tougher tongue, stuff like that.
>[SB]"You already wasted your jocularity on that opening gambit."
Did I? Blast. Well, while I can't yet fleshcraft myself into a replica of HB-
>[HB]"Do not feel humbled that you cannot reach my heights: Few can."
Right-so, while I can't do that yet, I CAN alter existing organs to function more like avian ones. And wouldn't you know, with the air sacs and unidirectional flow of air, just converting my lung format from simian to avian should let me massively upgrade my Thunderous voice, by simple dint of rendering circular breathing not a learned trick, but an innate function, and one vastly superior to the learned method, at that. Of course, I am going to be reinforcing my throat in general to handle the newer, higher-output system, but in general that's it, really. Hah, can you imagine if I was just making my lungs larger and tougher?
>[SB]"Yes, yes I can."
Haha, right, well you keep being mister killjoy there, I'm going to get busy with fundamentally redefining my physiology, okay?

While SB grumbles, I methodically, meticulously shift my lungs, adding supplementary air sacs as I go, and work to render my throat capable of swallowing a jet engine's roar a dozen times over. While the process is ultimately not that time consuming… I don't stop with just the one transition. I shift back to my birth lungs… and then perform the enhancement again. Back… and again. Over and over, I do this, well past the point where I've irked out the last bit of structural efficiency I can lay claim to. Long past, in fact, the point of utter familiarity with my new respiration. No, I keep doing it umpteen times so that I can transition between the two as easily as breathing. Once I've finally reached that point, I take a moment to pat myself on the back, go have a minotaur liver and kelpie filet sandwich, and….

Once again, find myself unoccupied, and immediately becoming refocused on the state of a certain-

Pushing that out of my mind again while the Allview's occupants continue their trawling, I idly note the time to be somewhere in the early afternoon after my thousandfold practice, and look at what else I can occupy myself with.

>>482206
Ah. Hatred, lacking in potency or no, is an excellent distraction! With Lo Fang denied Labombard's services and my own power having grown considerably, it's time, I believe, to begin preparing to take him out in earnest. And to that end, I hunt down Svetlana and Labombard, finding them together, with Labombard correcting Svetlana on her methodology with a handful of new chakra excercises that I frankly don't care about since they're non combat-relevant. On my arrival, the Loup looks my way with an inquiring eye, and I lay out just why I'm there.
"I need the two of you to put together a general packet about the Triads, specifically detailing what the current known issues in attempting to remove Lo Fang are, as well as a few general suggestions of how to optimally approach the situation."
>[Labombard]"Ways to avoid getting Lo Fang's Sugar Dragon involved, hm? I can work with that."
>[Svetlana]"Have you learned anything new for-"
I put up a hand to forestall her.
"I'm still collecting data on her: As of yet, she has not handed me any sort of holy grail for manipulating her to get Lyubov back."
>[Svetlana]"I see. …When do you need this by?"
"There's no deadline on it, but I'd like periodic updates if it goes for more than a couple days."
>[Labombard]"Before we begin, I wanted to verify: You want to remove Lo Fang specifically, and not the Triads as a whole, correct?"
"That's so."
>[Labombard]"…More challenging, but we'll work with it."
"Great."

With that cued up, I get on with another time-occupier: sparring. Not just any sparring though, oh no: This is Conceptual training with Duke.

….Long story short: Between my regen, my pain tolerance and the past lesson status, six hours in it happens: I don't just use Strength to boost my physical acumen beyond the boundaries of logic, magical or otherwise-I do it on purpose. It only took being forcibly torn apart a few thousand times-but hey!

[NEW CONCEPT LEARNED: STRENGTH]
[Known Concepts: Today, Strength]

Duke 'helps' me get some reliability out of the process, and by the end of it, while I certainly can't match my erstwhile instructor's ability in exploiting the Concept, I CAN demonstrate strength well above and beyond what the Doonongaes I fought earlier in my career displayed, and can treat just about any mundane material, no matter how durable, hardened or otherwise, like wet cardboard if I so choose. I'll need to get in more practice to get accustomed to applying it to wholly magical defenses, but for now, Strength is comprehensible to me.

SUMMER ENERGY: 0/60

This time, I get to leap alongside Duke as we climb our way back out of the Undersewers-and while I'm nowhere near as accustomed to leaping-based transportation, I manage to keep up. On our return Duke heads off for his version of prayer-that is, drinking-while I find myself being bothered by a prior finding of the Allview: The presence of a purportedly living and wholly human May Lee. I grab Labombard away from his conversation with Svetlana in front of the company computer, and give him the skinny. He's completely on board with helping me divine just WHAT is going on here, and after I quickly confer with the Allview, I find the Marked May Lee and we're off.

Interestingly, she's at a Korean food stand when we find her. From across the street Labombard flares his nostrils, frowning as he does so.
"What's the verdict?"
>[Labombard]"That… is May Lee… but not. What are you getting?"
"I never saw the original May Lee's soul so I can't say for certain, but her wholly unmagical soul seems very out of place."
>[Labombard]"Yes-I can't scent any chakra, charms or anything on her-in fact, I doubt she's had much exposure to magic at all."
"So what do you think we're looking at here: Twin, template that the May Lee I knew was built off of…"
>[Labombard]"I do believe we'd have to speak with her to be more certain, here."
"Fair enough. Both of us or just the one?"
>[Labombard]"Both of us: How's 'generically horny tourists hitting on her sound?"
"I can work with that."

So, with nothing else to stop us from it, we approach her-both of us noting that she oh-so-coincidentally turns to face us before we've even crossed the street.

Rather odd for a mundane, I'd say.

On sighting the appreciative smiles festooning our faces on our approach, she smiles back with a combination of affable politeness and a hint of curiousity: Clearly, she isn't averse to our presence. As we finally reach her, I push aside the jarring wrongness of a coquettish May Lee, and attempt to devise some conversational prompts and attempts that might reveal what I desire to know: Just what the fuck is going on here.





What do I say to the May Lee before me?
How do I plan to tease out the information I need?
(Soul-bulking practice queued for after May Lee Conversation)
Please focus on conversation for the moment.
>>
No. 483126 ID: dcc1dc

Smile disarmingly at her, "Do I know you from somewhere? You look strangely familiar...I must be mistaken, after it's not often I see such a pretty girl mmm?" winks encouraged.

Invite her to go sitdown at a coffeeshop or the local equivalent, private booth prefferably. make some light conversation etc, try to get info on her past and how this compares to may lee.

If it hold water and doesn't obvious holes you can blow in it start getting more forceful, whether with violence or seduction is left up to the discretion of the situation. Try to discover why exactly a may lee copy was made, her purpose etc. If she continues a ignorance act drastic measures might night to be taken. Anyone leads or associates she might throw up could be useful.
>>
No. 484472 ID: a07204

The key thing to figure out is how much she remembers and what exactly her personality is. If she acts completely different from the May Lee you remember, then chances are it's not her(or she was heavily modified). Lammy could probably provide support there as well one way or another.

As for how to go by it, try small hints and see if they work. Perhaps ask her if she knows any good CHINESE places, maybe some with SQUID as well? Friendly conversation about what her hobbies are, what she likes and dislikes, and see if there are any holes. A 'friendly tourist' soul guise might work too.

Finally, it would be wise to work with Lammy in terms of this. If you notice something off, have lammy back you up. If he does, back him up. Two against one works just as well in a social situation as it does in combat.
>>
No. 484514 ID: c6ce12

>>482613

Now after we move in with an opening like this one >>483126, exchange names, be flirty with it and ask what to you call a stunning vision like herself. Watch her soul to see if she's lying when she gives it, if not analyze the name. I can't predict every eventuality, but if it's not May Lee then is it a similar name that could denote a familial relationship? If not, then that's an early strike against the 'May Lee's twin' theory. Be sure to ask Labombard about the name she gives to us and have Shadowbro run the name's meaning in Chinese through one of the many language translators he is no doubt hiding in his shade, check significance in it's original meaning against what Labombard knows of May Lee. Dollars to doughnuts if it's something May Lee was known for something is afoot. When she offers a name...well I'm not entirely sure we should offer our own, I'm unsure if that constitutes a sufficient lie to break our word. In fact, go ahead and share it, we've already stumbled out here in plain sight, any number of magical servitors could be watching us now or this May Lee could be under observation through some magical means.

I disagree with the idea of asking her out to coffee, instead feel around for if she's busy, go for typical and ask her a question about what she thinks of this food stand, maybe with a teasing twist see if she likes exotic meat. If she's wide open, then we can ask her to show us around the town or make the offer for later day like Wednesday, whatever is more appropriate feeling as the situation unfolds. In the second case it even nets us a foot in the door to see her again after this. With her showing us around we can get a feel of the city from her point of view, it tells us more about her, and it gets us closer to our goal. While you're doing this set up ask her about the times shes been to the places she's shown us and why she likes them to mine for memories that could be incongruous. Resist the urge to feel terrible about how her situation seems so eerily similar to your own suspicions of tampering having happened to your mind and past.

A few questions I'd like to hit in all this. Ask her if she has any siblings, do this by being fake angry at Labombard at some point. Pretend to take him aside and argue, come back smiling, and ask if she has a sister or a friend then work that into the conversation. The family topic should give us a definitive answer on the twin sibling situation, at least the answer to whether or not she's a mundane natural twin. If it's a friend try to steer it towards Elwin Embla, she's a big question mark in all this. Where does May Lee fit in with her, especially what seems to be a copy of May Lee? She's a magical entity too, how can this May Lee not have magical taint if she's friends with this person. It's weird and it's odd and it makes me think her role as a potential mole is unintentional. But that's neither here nor there, don't mention it by name but use this is an opportunity to collect the names of other people close to her so we can observe them in the Allview later.

It is a bit much, but there is one great way to find out about her is to see her house. We're a comitted man in a relationship with a woman who could probably enslave us, so we're not going to be the bait in this honeypot. Labombard on the other hand is available, just nudge him in the right direction. He's a friend right? He wants us to figure out who this May Lee is, right? He wants to take down the Triads, doesn't he? Then he'll surely take one for the team! Tell him to keep on the lookout for a bossy cat while he's there.

Use Shadowbro to transmit information back and forth between Labombard and yourself. He's the best baseline we have for knowing how the May Lee we first met acted, so we'll need to confer with him and have him point out to us what's off and what's not. It's regrettable we didn't do our due diligence before this, but thankfully there's magic around to compensate.
>>
No. 484528 ID: 521153

>>484514
Generally solid, but I don't think we can delay this until another day, even tomorrow, now that we've made contact.

Our general approach to May Lee should be to make it look like a competition between us. We're both trying to get in her pants. One of us asks the initial question on a subject, then she answers, and then the other asks follow up questions, presumably so they don't lose. With SB running messenger between us to make sure we're on the same page as far as to the intent of the question. This should let us ask somewhat probing questions without seeming too suspicious. And it leads into Grail's argument with Lammy then asking about sisters/friends thing.

Questions we should ask: what's her name, how long has she been in the city, what's her favourite food(Lammy might know the favourite of our May Lee), what does she do for a living, does she have any hobbies, does she like animals, has she seen any interesting movies lately, does she play any sports, did she watch the Turkish wrestling tournament that happened a while back?

At some point she is sure to ask questions back at us. It shouldn't be difficult to imply we're in town on business and the kind of businessman who can't say exactly what kind of business they're on. You know, big business stuff. It's all very sensitive and one must be discrete.
>>
No. 484761 ID: 521153

Adding to >>484528

Reasons Labombard should sleep with May Lee:
1. Sleeping with her allows for observation of a myriad of characteristics, habits, and... areas of interest(her home, what were you thinking?) that mere conversation does not.
2. Labombard knew May Lee far better than Armas did and is the better man for the job.
3. Armas is in a committed relationship, Labombard isn't. Therefore, Labombard is the best choice for this obviously vital task.
4. It was Labombard's idea to pose as 'generically horny tourists' which must mean he considered, and was alright with, this eventuality. Why, if he isn't that would mean that he intended for Armas to betray the trust of his girlfriend. Which is something a gentleman like Labombard would never do.
5. This is Lo Fang we are dealing with. We can't pass up any opportunity to find intel on him or his operations, even unlikely ones. If we don't we put at risk the lives of each and every member of the company. If Labombard doesn't sleep with May Lee, it could kill members of our company; not everyone is a magical powerhouse like him or Armas, we have vulnerables. It's Lo fang, it might be a silly thing to claim dealing with anyone else, but it's Lo Fang.
>>
No. 486372 ID: b7d2cc

>>483126
>>484472
>>484514
>>484528
I smile at May Lee as I offer the first thoughts to come into my mind.
"Do I know you from somewhere? You look strangely familiar...I must be mistaken, after it's not often I see such a pretty girl mmm?"
As May Lee crinkles her brow and smiles awkwardly, her soul withdrawing from the prompt, Labombard good-naturedly slaps me upside the head.
[Labombard]"Forgive my friend-he's got an incurable disease that plagues many Americans: He lacks wit, tact and class-do excuse him."
Rubbing my head, I glance back at my compatriot in this endeavor.
"You know it can be fun to try out more eclectic openings-keeps things fresh."
>[Labombard]"Oh, and that was just such a quality opening line."
"I don't see you doing better here, bub."
>[Labombard]"I was simply staggered by the flirtatious atrocity you committed, please do give me a moment."
"Oh come on, you can't call someone out and not have a handy example of how to do it properly-that's just heckling-and that's definitely the territory of American Assholes, not the snooty French."
>[Labombard]"Ah, that's true, but you see, I've been hoping that I could take your faux pas-"
At that Labombard glances over at May Lee, who's been giggling behind her hand for the last second or so-
>[Labombard]"And use it to showcase your admittedly less deplorable skills as a comic."
"What a wingman, I tell you-well, fun as this is, we DO need food."
>[Labombard]"That we do."
I glance at the menu, and then back at May Lee.
“Hey there, what would you suggest for two famished men of comedy looking for something outside the local fare? Not the kimchi, I can appreciate it but my buddy and I are really looking for something meatier, more substantial.”
Initial barriers broken, The chinese woman in the bob cut frowns thoughtfully, before shaking her head.
>[May Lee]"Sorry, I don't know what you like-how could I give good advice?"
I gesture at her plate.
“Well what’s that you ordered?”
>[May Lee]"Oh, this? It's Topokki-dunno if you'd like it…"
As Labombard takes in a theatrical whiff with an equally theatrical sigh of appreciation, I nudge the guy in the ribs-and make a little hidden power play.

Labombard, of course, sees the elbow coming-it's not even close to a real attack, just a friendly swat-and, of course, that means that a trained and ready Loup Garou is ready for it. Which means that my arm encounters physical resistance equivalent to trying to nudge a garbage truck. But that's fine-because there's something from Duke I'd wanted to demo:
[STRENGTH]
The ready and braced Loup…. is jolted right on out of his footing like a nerd jostled by a passing jock-and the startled quiver that goes across his soul is all the reward I need. While the 'May Lee' smiles at the wounded frown Labombard shoots me, I resume our conversation with the possible clone-or worse.

“Topokki? It smells good. I guess we’ll go with a couple of those. We’re relying on you having good taste. What’re those little cakes?”
>[May Lee]"These? They're Raspberry hotteok, stuffed pancakes." On the inquiring gaze Labombard shoots her for having a plate utterly PILED with the things, she pulls the plate closer with a defiant pout.
>[May Lee]"For dessert.]
“Oh, I can appreciate something sweet and warm on a cold day. Yeah, let’s get some of those too.”
>[Labombard]"Well, I certainly doubt such a damsel would lead us astray…"
"So is it now my turn to mock your horrible-"
Labombard places the order and the three of us watch the food stand chef work, the momentary silence a lull in our (non)intelligence war.
“So, are you a visitor to this city too?”
She plops a piece of food in her mouth with the same careless gusto I remember from May Lee prior to our mission.
>[May Lee]'Actually, I live here-or do now, at least! I happen to work in import/export, down by the docks."
The location and job title could both fit 'Triad' very, very easily-but if so, she doesn't have a hint of such a life displaying on her soul, making that theory curious in its implications.
“That sounds like an interesting line of work. How long have you been here in the city?”
She looks a bit wistful at that-but for just a moment, I catch something I dimly note making Labombard tense beside me: A crackle of what feels like nothing more than static wrought of soul-scarring ripples across her spirit before it vanishes in a flash.
>[HB]"…Vexing, I wasn't able to catch what that was."
You COULD move, let her know you're a real bird, and then get a closer look while we keep talking.
>[HB]"While the jab your feeble giant mind intended was without effect, the heart of your suggestion holds merit: Yes, I shall brave her foolish cooing if it means satisfying my curiousity."
That-and I wouldn't mind knowing what the hell that was either.
>[May Lee]"Oh, years… How long have you been here?"
“Not too long, really. Work’s kept me hopping lately, on top of it.”
>[May Lee]"So, what do you do… oh my gosh!"
Clapping her hands to her mouth even as a wildly manic grin paints her face behind, May starts backwards from the brilliant flurry of motion that is my silent sentinel Hummingbird stirring from atop my tie to flit over to perch atop her half-empty drink-only a swift bit of juggling on her part keeps her from dropping anything.
Hm… general moroc coordination's better than average if she managed that with a plate piled that high…

While she's busy cooing over my 'pet bird', Labombard and I share a brief subvocal conversation.
"Pull me aside angrily?"
>[Labombard]"Need to replan?"
"Just do it."

With a snort and a scowl, Labombard shoots a fleeting smile at May Lee before pulling me aside with no shortage of terseness, HB alone staying to entertain her. Once we're a few dozen feet away, Labombard looks at me expectantly, his back to May. I scrunch up my face and look offended, before speaking in a muted voice.
"We need to ask about family."
>[Labombard]"…So needs to look like-"
"We're fighting over her, and a sister's a second chance? Yeah."
With a harrumph, Labombard gestures with vigor, before nodding at me. We go back to the food stand, smiles on our faces, wondering if our effort was wasted since May's still completely enthralled by the puissant bird.
>[May Lee]"Oh, this is just the most adorable thing I've ever seen-how'd you train him?"
"That's just how he is-you learn to live around him."
>[May Lee]"Aw, he's just like a cat!"
May Lee mentioned she had a cat before the mission
"Well, glad to see you like him-"
A cough from Labombard is my cue he's making our play.
>[Labombard]"So, do you happen to have any siblings in the area? Because I could have sworn I met someone that looks just like you.."
>[May Lee]"Hm? None that live outside of China, at least, so I don't think you could have met them."
May Lee never confirmed nor denied having siblings, but at least now I have this one's testimony.
Frowning, she perks her mouth into an 'O' of surprise.
>[May Lee]"That's right-what was it you do?"
“We’ve got a line in contractor work actually. It’s usually boring, but necessary to keep our business partners growing as fast as they want. It’s hard to get any work done when everything is threatening to come crashing down on you, know what I mean?”
>[May Lee]"You know, work's been really good to me, and-fingers crossed-I haven't had to deal with something like that yet"
“Right, right. Anyway, getting back to the topic at hand, I did take a tour of the city back in July, and I’d like to be able to see more of the sights. The touristy places, like the Blue Mosque. Schedules seem to make that harder than it ought to be. Still, I figure my buddy and I can sneak in some extracurricular activity. Have you seen anything you like?”
>[May Lee]"Well, I'm probably the wrong person to ask for sights to see-I'm a foodie, and all the art and stuff… not my thing, you know? But, if you want a place that does stellar chinese that makes me feel like I'm back home, Feng's Shop is a great place-everything they make is to die for!"
“Awesome. Another friend of mine hit up the museum of modern art recently, caught some exhibit of animals in naturalist poses, taxidermy I guess. He had quite a bit to say about it, but I’m not sure it’d be to our liking. I guess you could say both of us have been called “animal lovers” before. What’s your take on that? Taxidermy of animals, I mean. Not us being “animal lovers.””
>[May Lee]"That's a strange question, but sure: well, I think Taxidermy is a little creepy-I'd never be able to sleep somewhere with stuffed animals around. Especially if my little cobweb duster started playing with the… art, I guess… yeah, that'd be really weird."
I bark a laugh.
“I can follow you on that, yeah. I think part of it is keeping animals. Once you’ve had a pet, it’s hard not to personify most animals. Makes taxidermy seem a little ghoulish, I mean, you’re taking something that died and stuffing it with who knows what and turning it into a mockery of itself in the name of science, and- hey, our food’s ready. Want to join us at a table?”
>[May Lee]"Hm? …Yeah, guess so if we're still talking-rather not keep my hands full!"
She sits with us at one of the few nearby benches, and we busy ourselves with our food.

“This is changing the topic, but I actually hate being away from my loved ones. Sometimes it’s an inescapable requirement for a job, you know? But you live here, do you have any family nearby?”
Again, her soul has that flicker of static-
>[HB]"It's a Soul Binding of some sort, if your work is anything to go by-of that, I'm certain, but the texture of it… it's like nothing I've seen in my forays into the Deeps of this city."
…Odd. It's hardly even registering as active Soul… ANYTHING to my senses-but I have to agree, it has all the hallmarks of one of my types of magic…
>[May Lee]"Family nearby? Oh no, I left them all back home-you know, get out in the world, make a name for myself, all of that fun stuff. …So, who're you talking about, loved ones?"
She offers a coy smile.
>[May Lee]"Don't tell me you're just fooling around~"
“Oh you know, my folks back in the states. It’s just I’ve been feeling a little lonely lately."
Labombard grumps with the air of a wounded noble beside me-I roll my eyes.
"No offense buddy, you’re fine company after all, but it’s just how it is.”
>[Labombard]"And I suppose that you're not intolerable yourself, in your American way."
"Oh I am just so touched."
I turn back to May.
“Hey where are you from originally? I’m an American by way of California, and my saucy friend here is French.”
Once again, that static-and now that I know what it is, I get something of a whisper of it's sense through my magical perceptions, yet it's still far too vague and undefined-I only know that SOMETHING is happening, not what or how… or why.
>[May Lee]"Wow, an American that knows China's more than just… well, China?"
"I don't know if I quite want to be double-teamed by you two."
After a faux-scandalized laugh, May waves her hand, tearing into the rest of her meal before coming up for air-and to continue.
>[May Lee]"Kidding, kidding. Well, I'm from the Jilin Province-Tiexi District, the Tiaozihe Township."
…May Lee should be one of the Shaolin Monk trainees Lo Fang took with him, so why does she say she's from a place so far from the temple? Could be nothing-but the static-burst before her answer suggests otherwise.
“No kidding? Funny you should mention that, I knew this naval guy, a Squid, who got into some hot water with a Chinese company we did work for awhile back. He was completely in the wrong, a really poisonous dude if you ask me.”
>[May Lee]"A bad personality for harmonious business?"
“Yeah, the worst. He dragged things out until the company made him pay for his bullshit in an out of court settlement. I was a party to that suit, actually; part of the reason why I’m here instead of back home. The payoff was large enough to make being a stranger in a strange land palatable. Speaking of palatable, this topokki dish is excellent. What else would you suggest? Not just Korean dishes, any sort of food. Local, home cooking, whatever.”
>[May Lee]"This is exactly what I have a blog for!"
Looking a bit more giddy than is likely healthy, she pops out her phone with one hand, munching with the other, and thumbs over to the right page, before flashing the url at us. On her page, I see a disturbingly meticulous series of reviews, alphabetically sorted, of hundreds of places in Turkey.
>[Labombard]"Ah, I see you've been to Francoise' place by the park!"
>[May Lee]"You know that great grumpy fatty of a chef? He's great, like a pissed off teddy bear that makes candy!"
>[Labombard]"I shall be happy to let him know you think he's adorable-it will likely fluster him a great deal."
>[May Lee]"Haha!"
Pausing in surprise at the flavorful pancake I'm working on post topokki, I glance back towards our quarry.
“These pancakes are good too. Hotteok? Yeah. Very sweet, just the thing on a cold day. So, you said you were in import/export. What’s the most unusual thing you’ve had to deal with lately? Just, the funniest or most novel or whatever?”
>[May Lee]"Lately? Um…"
Once again, a flash of static across her still utterly mundane looking soul-and this time, HB has more of a report.
>[HB]"It's clear now that it's a signal of some sort-but I do not yet know if it's manual, or automatic in reaching out for updated. Curious."
>[May Lee]"Well, we recently lost a really useful contractor, and the place has been scrabbling to fill the gap-oh, and we kind of had a storage breach of some of our drinks, and inadvertantly dosed the staff."
"You dosed them? What kind of drink is that?"
She cranes her head around to look over her shoulder like someone just goosed her. She peers intently for a second or two before looking back to us in a start.
>[May Lee]"…Hm, what was that?"
So. Her cover story mimics, to a point, the actual goings-on of the Triads… but isn't all that robust in its defense against investigation.
“We had to deal with this mess in the sewers. A real problem, so to speak, the flow of, ah-hem, “certain liquids” was being interrupted by a blockage we had to clear. Boring stuff, but it pays well.”
>[May Lee]"…Huh. So, if you don't mind me asking, how high up ARE you guys? I mean, I may not be a fashionista, but I can definitely recognize a silk suit!"
>[Labombard]“We do alright. Between the settlement, the contractor work, and a few investments, I don’t really want for anything material-neither does the silly American, despite how he handles money."
"As always, I appreciate your respect."
>[Labombard]"You look like you’re doing well, if you don’t mind my saying so.”
She gestures at her clothes-which there's no disguising are lower budget than our own.
>[May Lee]"Oh please-while my job may be quiet, it's also not the best paid-clearly, risk has been good to you two."
“You have to take the good with the bad, I guess!"
>[May Lee]"Mm."
>[Labombard]"What do you do when you’re not whiling away the hours at 'boring old' import and export? Hobbies and such?”"
>[May Lee]"Well, I like to go on swims and hikes-be with nature when exercising, and all. It's really relaxing, and it's healthy enough I feel better about all the terrible stuff I eat, heh."
She's managed to pack away all of her food already, in the brief lulls in conversation-well, she can certainly EAT like May Lee…

After recrossing her legs, she gets back on track.
>[May Lee]"So, what do you like doing?"
>[Labombard]"Oh, whatever is salacious enough, I think…"
>[May Lee]"Oh stop!"
>[Labombard]"As archaically machismo infused as it may sound-hunting."
“Honestly, I like to shoot. I’m into target shooting. I know a guy with some land nearby that’s ideal for it. His girlfriend’s a real pistol fanatic, but he’s got the space for playing with long arms too. You ever handled a weapon?”
Another flicker of static.
>[May Lee]"Guns? No, I don't really care for them."
What was it about the question before last that meant there wasn't a reaction like there were for so many others?
“I wouldn’t have thought there was much need for them in the import/export business.”
Yet again, a flicker of static-and again, she seems to start, as if something's distracted her. After looking past us toward some distant point for a moment, her brow knits, and smooths in the space of a second.
>[May Lee]"…So, what are your names, anyway? I'll admit the two-man show's pretty funny, even if your come ons were… really bad."
>[Labombard]"I have the distinguished honor of being Paul-Jacques Labombard, and-"
"Really, I could have sworn you said you were John-Jacques… or was it Paul-John?"
>[Labombard]"And my loquacious companion is, of course, the ever-irreverent American asshole known as Armas Laine."
Lammy and I are both keeping a close watch on May as we make our introductions-and at both names, that same flicker of static crosses her soul, but outwardly-
Nooo, not a sign of recognition at all.
>[May Lee]"Huh. Well, I'm just May Lee-not 'the Chinese', or 'the smarmy', just, you know, May."
I keep trying to look past the mannerisms she displays to see if the core of her psyche matches the dead operative… and the differences are too jarring to be certain. This behavior might or might not match the May Lee I knew.
>[HB]"I am confident there is nothing further I can presently learn from closer study."
With a zip, the bird has darted away from his beverage perch, and resettles atop my tie, much to May Lee's chagrin. While I mull this over, Labombard decides to expand our field of questioning, clearly no more certain of what explains this entity before us than I am.
>[Labombard]"You know, I think I finally figured out where I've seen you before."
>[May Lee]"Oh?"
>[Labombard]"Yes-it was when I ran into this vision of beauty, Elwen-"
I can feel Labombard's soul react as my own does, to the Static that's… rather different than the prior examples rips through May's Soul like a ghostly freight-train.
>[Labombard]"-Emba."
This time, it's not something that disrupts her active focus, nor some as-of-yet ineffable function hidden deep within: no, this is something that grabs hold of that incoming name, and the resultant memories that crop up with it…. and twists them. With a scowl every bit as grim, black and unflatteringly ugly as the May Lee that fought and died beside me, and a far more threatening tone than I'd yet seen the girl conceive, she bites out an exceptionally unamused retort.
>[May Lee]"What about her?"
The signal can induce behaviors more like… what I personally associate with the person I knew as 'May Lee'. But then, that begs the question of whether those original behaviors were similarly caused-and I can't know, since I lacked adequate soul sensing at the time.
>[HB]"I find it unusual, then, that she lacks the feel of part of a collective being."
And she also doesn't feel like a puppeted golem, which would be the other example I could check against."
>[IT]"It's amazing what good performers humans can make if their strings are pulled just so…
When Iron Trick trails off to firmly indicate that's the extent of a taunting hint I'll get from him, I roll what I'm seeing about in my mind.
…SB, what's your take, know any ways to have an unaware host be controlled like this? This doesn't feel like how a Contract would work.
>[SB]"Indeed. Frankly, I'd say the evidence you've taken in as sensory data suggests it’s quite similar to Lyubov's Gate of Self-suggesting a transdimensional aspect."
Any more data that I could get in the here and now that would help with diagnosing this?
>[SB]"Not to my awareness, no. Unless you wish to attempt strongarming her around to talking about Elwen anyway."
Honestly, I think that might be the wisest idea-it gives me the most information to work with.
>[SB]"And leaves your magical signature on her in a way I find it entirely reasonable to assume Lo Fang could detect."
He has to suspect me enough from our recent interactions-or lack thereof-that this wouldn't-
>[SB]"And if this is as big of a thing as it appears?"
With a mental sigh I exit the speed-of-though conversation we held and bear witness to a striking performance by May Lee. I'll admit I tune out the specifics of the words-but it's all there: the coarser language, the aggressive posturing, the sharp gestures-it's definitely EXACTLY like the May Lee I knew: perfectly thuggish with just the bare minimum of professionalism. Labombard and I try to calm her back down-without me employing the magic hidden in my honeyed tongue-but it's no use: A switch was flipped, and we're on her shit-list, effective immediately.

With nothing else for it, we do the only thing we can: we get the hell out of dodge.

Regrouping a few blocks away in an alleyway so as many people can talk as possible, we have a pow-wow.
"Okay: so, unless someone's got proof otherwise, she's being controlled like a puppet, while still possessing her Self, and it relates to something like a Gate of Self. Agreed?"
>[HB]"It seems logical."
>[SB]"I only suggested that scant moments ago…"
>[Labombard]"But if that's true, then what's the point to it: Gates of Self or anything like them take considerable magical energy to open, let alone sustain-even if signals can come through it, that doesn't mean it's cost effective-and I can't see Lo Fang doing this for no benefit."
"Granted. Which is why I'm rather immediately wondering if this is proof he can… call up more 'May Lee's' through the Gate of Self-like that's running in her-"
>[SB]"Which of course begs the question, then, of what would stop him, if he could do that with one follower-"
>[Labombard]"From doing it with them all. …Yeah, that'd be a worthwhile return on investment, provided he can get extra bodies through the connection at a low enough cost-and lets him… well, lets him use his men as… pragmatically as he's always favored. And here I'd suspected it was his silver-spooned mouth and excellent connections that let him command such loyalty when demanding suicidal obedience with such regularity."
>[HB]"This is still, I must note, supposition."
"True-one example does not a system make, but if he IS doing this-Labombard, what's the penalty here-this has to be unwilling soul binding, isn't it?"
>[Labombard]"Absolutely-if we can prove he's doing it, then we have a legitimate reason to crush him-letting us dodge the Shaolin Dragon's ire, if not the entire monastic order as a whole."
>[SB]"That said, I do question why, if this is so easy to deduce with a modicum of luck and proper magical senses, why he has not been accussed and removed before?"
"You think there's overrides, or traps, or SOMETHING that would let him erase evidence if we just grabbed our 'sample', there."
>[Labombard]"It certainly fits him-he's more than happy to destroy part of his holding to protect the rest of it."
"So what's stopping someone from bringing, say, the Owner over and showing him directly?"
>[Labombard]"If it were me-and I'm under no illusions I'm as sneaky as Lo Fang-I'd set the connection to self-destruct the moment draconic magic-like that of an active scan-interfered with the system."
"And since memories can be tampered with, that'd just leave us with a he-said-she-said, which Lo Fang would likely be able to swing his way."
>[Labombard]"He certainly has enough connections for it."
"Hm."







We may or may not have the key to allowing open season on Lo Fang and his holdings, if only we can figure out a way to safely show it to those in charge.
Do I believe I really have deduced a secret of Lo Fang's practices, with which I can politically destroy him?
If so, how do I think I can get the right individuals informed of the situation without the proof going poof?
Do I think I need to do more research before I attempt anything more than observation, and if so, what should I look for, as further evidence?
What ELSE should I do with my time for the next few days-I do still have the Lyubov situation, but daily checks of the Allview's findings aren't giving me the in I need just yet.
>>
No. 486379 ID: b03965

>If so, how do I think I can get the right individuals informed of the situation without the proof going poof?

Placid's got some good Soul magic knowledge, right? Might want to put him on the case. Nice and confidential, him.


>Do I believe I really have deduced a secret of Lo Fang's practices, with which I can politically destroy him?

Let's say we have him. We blow his cover, we watch Dragons descend on his holdings, we witness him fall apart. The question is, aside from justice, what do we get out of it, and what do we lose?

The same question falls if we are wrong, somehow. We misreport, and... bad things happen. I don't really want to think about it - but if we're wrong, we've a lot more to lose. We NEED to be certain. If Placid can confirm, and we can confirm it QUICKLY, above all, then let's do it. Bust it wide open. Save the peeps we like, let Lo burn. We've gotten everything from him that we need.

>Do I think I need to do more research before I attempt anything more than observation, and if so, what should I look for, as further evidence?

We need some sort of record. I'm not sure what suffices in the magical world, but something Lo Fang can't contest is key.

We need someone else exhibiting the same symptoms. Maybe two, if we're lucky. Again, Placid might be key in all instances.

... We need to secure the evidence and work quickly.

...Guys, I think we need to kidnap May Lee.
>>
No. 486381 ID: 3274b2

>We may or may not have the key to allowing open season on Lo Fang and his holdings, if only we can figure out a way to safely show it to those in charge.
>Do I believe I really have deduced a secret of Lo Fang's practices, with which I can politically destroy him?
>If so, how do I think I can get the right individuals informed of the situation without the proof going poof?
>Do I think I need to do more research before I attempt anything more than observation, and if so, what should I look for, as further evidence?

Ok here's the deal, this might be a special case, though it's unlikely, so you can't blow the whistle just yet. We don't even know if it's him with her reaction to the Elwen thing.
Here is how you investigate, put some Allview helpers on her, let em follow her for a few weeks, days whatever, see if she is doing anything triad. If she is then you can fleshcraft and soulguise into another form and chat her up again to see if she remembers(e.g. a co workers form, that can be sorted out later). If she isn't then Lo just might have given her up or this could be a follow up action from the same people who made the golem before(however unlikely it is).

Then you need some comparing data, ideally the minions have some triad chakra training time left and you can just go with them and talk with some of the triads around, heck even check Go ping's reactions to stuff. If you can't just tag along, you might have to once again put yourself in lo fang's clutches with some chakra training(or some other deal) to have a chance to get in there without seeming overly suspicious, especially if he gets pinged each time the soul bind has to act up and thus knows you interacted with her already.

If all goes well and it's proven to be lo fang, then you can have the data from your mind copied and give it to owner, then you can do it again with him present in your mental space ( if you are willing to let him know about your capabilities). This is the only way I'm seeing to let him know without his direct interaction with the system. It would be good if you can get back luybov (or you can go visit) after compiling most of the data and have her take a look at the interdimentional stuff to see if it's really a gate of self or what.

>What ELSE should I do with my time for the next few days-I do still have the Lyubov situation, but daily checks of the Allview's findings aren't giving me the in I need just yet.
Work on getting Elwen.
>>
No. 489073 ID: c6319f

rolled 93 = 93

No idea if our suspicion is actually correct regarding May Lee, but it is a solid working theory.

We need someone with excellent senses and extensive magical knowledge to confirm and act as a witness for us in dragon court. I'm thinking Einrik. He's from a prominent house that his being our friend shouldn't invalidate his testimony and the fact that he has an Elder-based sensor should help too. There is the risk that Lo Fang could have trapped the Gate of Self system again Elder interference as well as Draconic but if the case seems likely, Einrik should have the contacts necessary to work around the impediment. Might end up owing him a favor if it comes to it but considering the stakes involved in taking down Lo Fang, I would consider that lucky.

We could ask Hillevi to phone Einrik and ask him to help out with our problem but in all likelihood he would decline. And it wouldn't be trolling him. Convincing his father to make him help out would accomplish both. So call up the Valkonen estate and get Markku on the phone/Skype.

"Markku, hello. Let me get straight to business. The local Triad leader, Lo Fang, is scheming against me and my household. I intend to strike first." "-Please, let me finish, I realize the Triad are on the list of foes you did not wish your daughter to face but I'm confident if I strike first I can control the danger she faces and afford her a learning experience she wouldn't otherwise have so young. I can even guarantee no outside Shaolin interference, no animosity from the Triad Dragon, but to achieve this... I need Einrik's talents." "I believe I could manage it on my own, but I wont take chances on this if I can help it. It is up to you if it's worth your heir's time, of course."

Concern for his daughter's safety and education should be reflected in our tone and bearing. Only spill the beans on Lo Fang's law-breaking if he directly asks after our methods.

Get the report on Lo Fang from Lammy and Svet as soon as they're done with it. Just because we have a tentative plan doesn't mean we shouldn't get all the info.

Miscellania for next few days:
-That self-soul experimentation that was queued.
-Spar with Lammy a bit to test out new Strength and observe his regeneration, may be what we need for our Hybrid Court technique.
-Spend an hour or two going over our bones again now that we have slightly better conceptual knowledge. Grab some flesh samples from the kitchen and practice some muscle augmentations while we're at it.
-Try using Strength with our Thunder. Far away from anything we don't want broken, just in case we're successful. (Rolling for it.)
-Distract self from Lyubov by spending entire day making battery soul. Restricted to only be refilled by Armas, only contain Winter energy, only contain divine energy, only be recharged by soul manipulation-format energy. basically all of the "safe" restrictions we can think up. No "Today" bindings.
-Finally learn that wall-walking chakra orientation. Look for one that would let us jump off the air while we're at it. Duke-esque leaps performed midair, in any direction, would make our mobility even more ridiculous than it is.
>>
No. 489187 ID: 263854

This is going to be a really shit post, but I haven't posted for a while, so bear with me.

>Do I believe I really have deduced a secret of Lo Fang's practices, with which I can politically destroy him?

Armas has found this apparently devastating secret of Lo Fang's, but who's to say that it hasn't been fabricated? He's a tricky one, so why should we expect him to have left something like this out in the open, something that with even a little investigation could utterly end him and all of his ambitions?

So, assuming that it has been faked, what are the options?

A: Someone else has faked it, in order to frame Lo Fang as having performed illegal soul manipulation.
OR
B: Lo Fang has faked something that's going to make it look like he's performing illegal soul manipulation when he's not, so that he can draw out those who would like to harm his operations and have them essentially screw themselves by taking it to the dragons.

To be honest, I can see either of those as being the case.

Even then, there's the possibility that it's not faked, and it's not illegal soul manipulation, but something else that is entirely legal. For instance, May Lee's body was turned into a golem, yes? And Lo Fang had it destroyed – or did he? Armas was silly enough not to watch the operation, so he can't know if Go Ping destroyed the golem or captured it. And if he did capture it, the soul in it is able to be manipulated freely and legally, since the golem wasn't born with a soul.
>>
No. 489297 ID: 252e1b

>>486379
Placid is effectively not trustworthy to a Draconic Court. He's not independent, he's not beholden to them or one of their agents, and he's something new and strange based on the Skinwalker ability set. He’s loyal, insofar as anyone can tell, to Armas.

Kidnapping May Lee is premature, at best. We do need to secure evidence, but we also need a witness we can submit to Dragon Court. We need a way to get that witness close, and we need a way to make sure that witness isn’t detected as a potential threat by Lo Fang per Labombard’s musings about a self-destruct sequence.

Problem 1: We need a Witness who won’t trip Lo Fang’s defenses, and who will be able to detect what we need to know and be safely admissible in a Dragon Court.

>>486381
I agree with gathering more data. We should make sure we have a Viewer on all the Triad lieutenants. Go Ping, Meng Yun, Li Zhou, and Jet Fang. We should also put Viewers on Diao Yuan, Long Wang, May Lee and anyone else Labombard suggests as specifically integral to Lo Fang’s operations or who Lambombard is interested specifically in saving.

Fleshcrafting and soulguising for another interaction could be useful, but Lo Fang would certainly notice a rash of people bothering May Lee (or any of the other people he’s done… whatever this is… to) with the same sorts of questions. Let’s see what we can gain passively first.

Problem 2: We need to learn more about what happened to May Lee so that we can present a solid case.

The minions don’t have chakra training time left, unfortunately. We’d have to pay for another session (likely led by Meng Yun or Jet Fang). $40,000 or so, I believe? Not a bad deal for a chance to gather information and keep the Istanbul group in presentable shape for when Camella returns.

Inviting Owner, or any other dragon, into Armas’s mind seems a very dangerous thing to do. I’m SUSTing it, but with an explanation: While Armas is entertaining, he also is privy to secrets which could be his undoing (notably, not reporting the soul manipulation we spotted earlier, Armas’s own illegal soul manipulation of the Reaper soul, and the subsequent cover-up by conversion into a chimeric engine that later became the basis of Allview).

With that in mind, we must make sure Armas himself isn’t called as a witness (and that if despite our efforts he is, Shadowbro or Satai clear out any incriminating memories beforehand).

As to getting information out of Elwen Embla, she’s apparently a business associate of the Mafia (since Rocco wanted to know who betrayed her and described her as ‘a professional’ instead of giving us any real information). Whatever we do to her, it can’t look like we did it. I think that having Satai get the schematic information from her head seems like the safest bet. Armas is a little too imprecise to be the right tool for the job.

>>489073
Einrik as a witness (or more precisely, the little Elder shard babbythulu he has in his forehead) is a possibility. The shard would have no trouble at all getting certified as a reliable witness. Einrik would not at all appreciate being dragged into a dragon court, but the extra exposure could give him the credit he needs to get into a dragon arena for another go with some dragon. Or it could get Einrik completely messed up by dragons during or shortly after the court session. It’s a risk, but it could work.

As to the Strong Thunder practice, let’s try it in varying air pressures as well. Get used to it in all conditions we could expect to meet, including nearly airless environments (like the sort a Wind user would cause once he realized we had Thunder).

>>489187
This is probably paranoia speaking. Armas has an oversized Divine Imperial bloodline devoted to soul manipulation and soul-sensing abilities to match it. Labombard has one of the most sensitive magic detection suites we have access to (possibly the most sensitive, we haven’t actually tested any of our best detectors against each other yet). SB and HB represent a sensitive general magic detector, and an exquisite soul detector. We brought Iron Trick along, too.

While Lo Fang could have planned for masking his technique against all of them (save Iron Trick), dealing with all of them at the same time seems very unlikely. Furthermore, Iron Trick saw what we saw and commented on it. He’s proven to have sensitive detection abilities of his own, thanks to Rabbit. Lo Fang could not have anticipated Iron Trick, period, thanks to the memetic masking Rabbit built into him. And I think it showed here. We can probably trust what we learned.

It’s downright concerning that no one thought to watch the raid to “destroy” the May Lee golem. Shadowbro had shade members who could have watched. Even if Armas didn’t want to watch himself (why?) he could have had Sake or Lyubov watch. The failure to watch by all of Armas’s aspects (Shadow, Self, and Sake) suggests some sort of mind control, and may merit an evaluation for such.

>>486372
>Do I believe I really have deduced a secret of Lo Fang's practices, with which I can politically destroy him?

Yes, I believe that whatever we found here, Lo Fang went to some trouble to hide it. Iron Trick obviously recognized it as some sort of extremely subtle manipulation designed to make May Lee follow lines of thought Lo Fang wanted her to follow.

There’s some transdimensional element to it, as SB said. The “feel” of the magic is similar to Lyubov’s Gate of Self, but it is not the same (I asked for clarification on that in IRC and to sum it up: it’s not persistent, it only activates when May Lee needs a bump in the right direction to believe a truth modification, and it has a different sort of ‘flavor’).

We know that Chakra are effectively just little Gates (between the soul and the body, or in Lyubov’s case between Lyubov and Tesla). We know that Lo Fang is a Chakra master. We suspect he’s used mind control on his troops before (the atrocious losses in the Reaper Raid). We know he’s used illegal soul manipulation before (capturing the souls during the Reaper Raid, which could explain why May Lee’s around again, since her soul would have lingered on the Lucky Lady until Lo Fang’s men got aboard and did clean up).

This circumstantial evidence points toward Lo Fang using chakra gates to control May Lee somehow. We know an expert in chakra, The Old Lady. We could talk to her and get her opinion.

>If so, how do I think I can get the right individuals informed of the situation without the proof going poof?

This is the #1 problem. Our options are:

A)Getting Einrik involved. This is possible (easy, even) if we manipulate Markku properly. It may not be desirable or safe for Einrik.
B)Building a witness. An Elder Contractor of some sort could build an Elder Sensor package that would be sensitive enough. It could be designed to have a memory-space that will show signs of being tampered with (thus making it effectively tamper-proof) and could be certified by an agent of the Dragons or by any other party which the Dragons would trust (Leprechauns come to mind here, the Dragons have worked with them in the past). This will probably cost a pretty penny, but it will leave us with a dedicated Elder sensor that we can use to keep an eye out for Note Writer.
C)Dragging a third party into the mix may be a viable option. If we query the people doing the database project (Labombard and Svetlana) they’ll likely suggest Allala Bagatim, the vampire sire who has a record with AORB as getting a voyeuristic kick out of spying on people who she has identified as violating Draconic law. She doesn’t report them. She just watches. It would be trivial to get her to watch Lo Fang, too (if she doesn’t already).

If AORB is aware of what she is up to, the Dragons likely are too.

Knowing Draconic predilections, whoever among them is in charge of managing data acquired from her probably double-checks her investigations and then pounces when it is most advantageous politically for him or her. Monitoring Allala with a Viewer will give us a chance to figure out which dragon’s agents are monitoring her, and thus figure out who we would need to manipulate to press charges against Lo Fang without getting ourselves involved directly at all.

D) All of the above. There’s no reason, save investment and effort, that we can’t do all these things and hedge our bets. Einrik, a purpose-built Elder Sensor, and Allala as a third party that ends up initiating the complaint are all compatible options.

>Do I think I need to do more research before I attempt anything more than observation, and if so, what should I look for, as further evidence?

Yes, more research. Talk to The Old Lady about this, and get her opinion on what we saw. Mention details like Lo Fang being an ex-member of the Shaolin school.

We should look for evidence of these gates in other triads. We can do this with arranged opportunities (education for the Russians) and ‘chance’ meetings.

We can also address Problem #2 by buying information on what happened in the Meat Packing district when May Lee’s flesh golem was “destroyed.” The fact that May Lee is running around now suggests that the flesh golem might have been re-used by Lo Fang, or that she went rogue on him somehow and was in the meat packing district because she had escaped from them and sought refuge with this mysterious enemy. We can buy enough information (“Which organizations had representatives in the following address on February 27th 2011?”) from Sometimes Merchant to follow up on this ourselves. Once we have the organization’s name, we can track down people still associated with it (use the AORB database), use Allview to track their interactions and map their social networks, and keep delving deeper until we have a good idea of who in their organization would know what we want to know about May Lee. Then we either approach them or mindrip them.

>What ELSE should I do with my time for the next few days-I do still have the Lyubov situation, but daily checks of the Allview's findings aren't giving me the in I need just yet.

Spend some more time with Placid. Make sure to do what Lyubov did, and check in with him nightly about how his day went. Introduce Svetlana to him, since she’s certainly got a knack for dealing with difficult children well (Lyubov survived childhood!).
>>
No. 489328 ID: 761a39

>>489297
Upvote. In addition to the lieutenants also try putting a viewer soul on Lo Fang. Among the alternatives for gathering evidence we should start with B) elder sensing construct since having such a construct would be very useful for other things as well. We should not cause problems for Einrik unless we need to and having a third party report Lo Fang might deprive us of opportunities to benefit from the situation.

For possible elder construct parts tell Svetlana to check for offers selling elder sensor spirit animals on the Smiling One's website.

If the Triad wards are set up not to interfere with the soul manipulation commands then it might be possible to get some hints about the nature of those commands by studying the wards.
>>
No. 489365 ID: 5d98c3

>>489297
I HAVE IT! A witness!

We can have her meet Lyubov, who is experienced with her own weird-ass dimension gate. Lyubov is divinely connected to Tesla who can presumably monitor her own sensory input. Tesla, being the Electro God, would likely be sufficiently disinterested in Lo Fang's business so as to constitute a neutral party! Then you just need to figure out how to get him to testify.

Also, as Tesla imbued Lyubov with her gate, you could get him to analyze the data, and confirm that May-Lee's soul is what it is.

Alternately, get her into the House somehow, have Amen check it out. This fails to address the problem of witnesses, but I got nothin'.
>>
No. 489372 ID: 252e1b

>>489365
Tesla is a human god, known for fighting with Elder beings (most notably the Eldrict ascendee Von Neuman and his allies). I'm not sure the dragons would actually accept his testimony, and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't really want to testify, even if Lyubov asked him super duper nicely.

That said, asking Tesla for a consultation about May Lee's soul isn't a bad idea at all. Armas could learn a thing or two, provided he asked correctly (Tesla, like most gods, is touchy).
>>
No. 489515 ID: c6ce12

>>486372
>Do I believe I really have deduced a secret of Lo Fang's practices, with which I can politically destroy him?
There's something here, but we don't know the full story. We need more of substance before I'm willing to say we have this cinched, we're barely scratching the surface here but it IS the surface.

>If so, how do I think I can get the right individuals informed of the situation without the proof going poof?
We need to tighten our informational security on this issue, keep everything quiet and covert as possible. We'll be needing to reach out to a Draconic court after we acquire the information and we want everything we say is there to be there when we report it. Memories are of course valid and we need a good witness with the memories in their mind, but let's try to prevent Lo Fang from sweeping all physical edvidence under the rug.

>Do I think I need to do more research before I attempt anything more than observation, and if so, what should I look for, as further evidence?
Yes, yes you do. First and foremost we need to see the research Svetlana and Labombard put together scanning the database. They're getting it all for us information on Lo Fang, the local Triad, it's noteworthy members, allies, enemies, contacts, known contracts, assets, strengths, weaknesses, typical respones, and all of that. They started work on that yesterday, so lets see how much they've drudged up after having a full day to work on it.

It would also behoove us to ask Labombard about everything he knows about the Triads, if it's not in the report already. Even if it is there are sensative issues to discuss, like who among them he names friends enough that they warrant being bagged and debrain washed at risk to us during the operation. He has to know plenty and we need to know what he knows, namely what he knows about the suspicious 'homeless' population attacks on his base and the rather apparent soul machine he has going.

There may be valuable information outside of looking at the Triads directly too, look at what they effect. Track instances of conflict between themselves and other gangs within the area, see if we can't find any patterns or things that look off. We've got a lot of data on our hands with Allview and our Hummingbird's swarms being able to pretty much cover the city to look over the locations of their struggles and past major events.

>What ELSE should I do with my time for the next few days-I do still have the Lyubov situation, but daily checks of the Allview's findings aren't giving me the in I need just yet.
Yesterday your mother sent over a copy of her photo albums, but you couldn't bring yourself to read through them. It may be difficult, but we really must start on that. It's aggravating to have Lyubov be missing just as we get these because it's valuable to have an outside set of eyes looking at them, maybe you can arrange travel over there and discuss them during the trip.

There's also the old tome we got from the Ghanem heir we've been putting off, it was the tale about a knight in green who fought for his own entertainment. Let's keep up with that, I'm not sure what to hope for but it must be valuable knowledge if he was so keen to get it.

Gianni asked for money more than a week ago in order to acquire a memory graft that would allow him to construct organs which would handle the sensory input from our golem's many systems and he said he'd have it all done in a week, so let's arrange for us to acquire a copy of that graft from him. It's best we understand as much of our creature as possible incase we need to fix it and memory grafts are easy as pie/

Davgon also asked for money a week ago, it's time to check up on his progress turning our bugs into living charms, it sounds absolutely fascinating.

Ask Satai when that teleporter pad we ordered a week ago is coming in, we'll need to set up some space and a particularly safe room in the mansion-if we're putting it here at all. We may need to review our protocols because Amen might do something particularly nasty to entities we teleport in at a whim.

>>486379
While Placid's would normally his ties to us ultimately end up devaluing the work he could put in. It is widely known that he is allied with us and as a matter of course Lo Fang would have begun work putting self destruct measures like the ones Labombard suspects he has for Draconic based sensory systems that try to actively scan his secrets. There is also the issue of having him as a trustworthy witness in whatever high magical court we bring this to, which is also pretty much nil with how well known our relationship with him is.

I find kidnapping May Lee would be a very rash move. We haven't even begun the essential legwork on this investigation why make such a dangerous move this early on when the risks that come with it, like spooking Elwen and tipping off Lo Fang even more are present? This is an act of desperation and we are far from desperate just yet, let's save it for another time.

As an aside I find it amusing we're doing something very similar to Adelat's job right now.

>>486381
We definitely need more intel, more intel is always good. I was under the impression we had viewers on his men already, but what with how the first May Lee incident went down I'm dubious enough to say we should do it again even if so because something weird happened already. Let's try to use Lo Fang for additional information gathering though, I much, much, much prefer the idea of having him bring in a lieutenant to us at the previously agreed upon rates. Lo Fang is too clever, I doubt there would be anything we could learn from him without him learning just as much from us, especially within his own seat of power and authority. With his lieutenants there's less to gain perhaps, but it doesn't come at a cost and we can have as many eyes as we want on them for a very long period of time.

This also gives us a better chance to figure out how we can take one down nonlethally, Labombard has friends he'd rather not see die so it's essential we know how to nonlethally take down Lo Fang's men. Which by the way, is something he seriously needs to tell us about. Ask him who he needs us to watch out for and save when the shit goes down.

Fleshcrafting ourselves into another form to ask her more question might work, but we should wait a few days at the very least. It would be mighty suspicious to go at her again after our attempt here, give it until the next update at the very least.

>>489073
This just has my upvote, hopefully we won't need Einrik but he's one of the few options we have. The experiments all see fine too.

>>489297
Upvoting this across the board. I'm highly suspicious of how we refused to watch Go Ping capture the May Lee 'golem', this requires some serious self evaluation and for each aspect of our self to go picking through each other to find out why no one did anything and if that fails we'll have to arrange for someone like Satai or the Old Lady to do it for us and then forget everything they saw. Discussing the situation with her is also great.

I'm of the mind we should just go for option D, it covers as many bases as we can and time and effort aren't issues when we're dealing with something this big and important. You've provided solutions for everything but how we go about getting that Elder contractor, to which I suggest we have Labombard and Svetlana do a search on the AORB database because surely they have information on Elder Contractors due to how essential having knowledge of non-draconic agents with Elder power must be to maintaining their power.
>>
No. 490952 ID: b7d2cc

>>486379
>>486381
"Before we do anything though… thoughts on that Elwen reaction? Logically, there doesn't seem to be an initial reason for her mention to incur such a reaction, given our assumption this is Lo Fang's plot. So why the apparent Red Herring?"
>[Labombard]"Maybe he's trying to protect her?"
"Lo Fang?"
>[Labombard]"Not for any altruistic reason-could be a Contractual obligation, could be a purely pragmatic choice."
>[SB]"Then the proposed mission against her means… what?"
>[RRRRRR Trait activated!]
"…Could be our indication as to which of the admittedly many and conflicting reasons for such a reaction exists."
>[Labombard]"To borrow from the inferior English: just say it you pretentious twat'."
"So I'm thinking Elwen was probably involved in setting up at least May Lee's Gate of Self-and, assuming we find more, in setting up others as well. Lo Fang has contracts for acting against Elwen because he wants her to be removed, and thereby keep the secret to himself."
>[SB]"Certainly fits the cold persona he has, and his expendably-minded approach. But the problem is that, if that is true, it's nearly guaranteed contacting her would be as bad as attempting to actively manipulate a Gate such as the one in May Lee: if he'd trap her, he'd most certainly trap Elwen. He doesn't even need to hide his surveillance of her, thanks to those contracts."
"So if Elwen is indeed involved-which seems logical, but we have no actual proof of-then she's likely more tightly guarded than the kind of evidence we just found. …Fine, not something we can act on here and now, especially since I haven't caught her doing anything of note, so let's move on to other trains of thought. I'll admit I'm tempted to just put May Lee under constant passive surveillance, and wait to see if she does any Triad work-whether or not this is a split personality deal, and May Lee actually works, or is just a… civilian factory, if you will, to produce the Triad-minded May Lee's."
>[Labombard]"Not that I don't agree that the more data we get the better we can analyze this, aren't we going to lose more than we gain, if we let this matter rest that long after the point of first contact?"
>[SB]"Likely-Lo Fang is not known for indolence."
"Okay-that's in the 'Plan B' category, pending the creation of a 'Plan A'."
>[HB]"So what else, then, do you propose as an alternative to this passive observation?"
"Get personal exposure? I can certainly still acquire more personal and company-wide training time for several people who have the means to collect telling data, and it'd give comprehensive exposure to those that would be impacted, if this is some sort of pervasive system Lo Fang has set up, with the Gate of Self thing."
>[SB]"Two problems there: one, I can't see you suddenly wanting personal AND group training after a break, after Labombard went 'missing', and after we may well have pinged him via that May Lee over there as being seen in any light but a suspicious one, and I question the logic of intruding into his place of power while actively working on a plot to remove him."
>[Labombard]"I'm normally rather ambivalent to risk, but I have to side with your Shadowfiend-"
>[SB]"Soul Shadow."
>[Labombard]"-with your Soul Shadow here: I don't think the risk is worth it, when we could well get incontrovertible evidence before every stepping foot on his turf."
>[IT]You know, you have a Wizard-made spiritual recording device for an eye, and a solid bit of personal evidence: clearly that is enough data to act on it alone-yes, no need to go acquire anything else, surely your good word vouching for the veracity of your findings is enough!"
…Mental note: No matter how much I may want it, there is no way just the 'proof' I end up observing will be enough: I HAVE to have corroborating witnesses.
>[IT]"[i]Yes: clearly I was ironically advising you there. Mm-hm.
"

With Iron Trick's trollish prompting, I swing my brain around to the notion of witnesses.

"So-I'm assuming your word, Lammy, won't be worth shit for the purposes of Lo Fang's removal."
>[Labombard]"A former drug-addict, former employee that, by his words, ran away after a binge? Yes, I do not think I was left in particularly reputable standing."
"SB, are you going to pleasantly surprise me with your sterling record as a witness?"
>[SB]"…No."
"Right, well Sake'd be a terrible choice-I can't see him getting much weight behind his words for something like this… what about Placid?"
>[Labombard]"Your ward?"
>[SB]"Yes, the lupine organic has a point: irrelevant of the level of data density and comprehensiveness of analysis Placid could offer, he is ultimately beholden to, and in the service of you, and as such his word is worth no more than yours-at best, he'd make any testimony you give marginally stronger if he can corroborate it, but that would be it."
"A pity-I'd hoped that would swiftly resolve this issue of proof."
>[SB]"That doesn't seem probable."
"Killjoy. …I feel like we're running in circles. How exactly are we going to get incontrovertible proof of wrongdoing to present?"
>[Labombard]"Incontrovertible? Hah. We're moving to oust Lo Fang-there is nothing we could say or show he wouldn't at least attempt to subvert. We will simply have to make due with the 'best' proof we can acquire, and find an optimal way to present it."

I briefly consider kidnapping May Lee, to use as physical evidence-then I remember how I literally just got done deciding she's likely trapped against being taken as evidence/observed by those powerful enough to be 'perfect' witnesses, and as such it seems almost laughable, in retrospect, to think she wouldn't have such a defense against out and out kidnapping. And even if I attempted to magically preserve her, I don't know the ins and outs of how to prevent any form of magical taint brought about by the stasis method from corrupting the proof I want to preserve.
>[IT]"Or to be more succinct: if just looking at evidence is risky, how would TAKING that evidence not be far, far worse?"
So are you just going to keep mocking, then?
>[IT]"That is my preferred methodology and what I was designed to do, yes."
Good to know.

>>489073
"…What about Einrik? Old family, has interacted with dragons before, has an Elder Fetus for an Eye, excellent sensory ability, in no way beholden to me: would he work?"
>[Labombard]"Einrik Valkonen? Hm… It could well work if we get him here in a timely fashion to similarly observe what we percieved."
>[SB]"It does still have the issue of getting him here to provide his services."
"We could just ask Hillevi to phone him."
>[Labombard]"You'd really loop a seventeen year old in on something this delicate?"
"Hah, no: really, I think it'd be best if I called Markku myself and tried to get this as above-board, formally-worded as possible."
Labombard stares at me expectantly.
"What, now?"
>[Labombard]"We might as well find out if he can be used as soon as possible."
So with a sigh, I place a call. It takes something around half a minute for Markku to pick up-as always I get the impression he's uncomfortable with technology in general. But during that delay between the call being placed and received…

>[SB]You haven't yet had time to assess it-but according to the AORB database access level you have, the Bagatim clan leader, Allala, is a hobby voyeur with a prediliction for catching people in the act of breaking Draconic Law. Given she's a Vampire Sire that you've met all of once, maneuvering her into assisting could be unfeasible. That said-
It's a pertinent factoid. Another option on the table… thanks bro.

>[SB]Mm.

Markku's gruff voice breaks me out of my inner consultation.
[Finnish]"Markku, hello. Let me get straight to business. The local Triad leader, Lo Fang, is scheming against me and my household. I intend to strike first."
Exactly as predictable for such an insular and prickly man-
>[Markku][Finnish]"I made it abundantly clear I do not want you dragging my family into conflict with an established multinational dragon-backed syndicate like the Triads."
"-Please, let me finish, I realize the Triad are on the list of foes you did not wish your daughter to face but I'm confident if I strike first I can control the danger she faces and afford her a learning experience she wouldn't otherwise have so young."
>[Markku]"Many hold such confidence, unfounded, before collasal and indelible blunders brought about by their hubris. What evidence do you have that this would not be one of those dark occassions?"
"I can guarantee no outside Shaolin interference-"
>[Markku]"How?"
"Specifically? Can't say over the phone. Generally? By showing that Lo Fang's been the first to 'start things', which would mean no animosity from the Triad Dragon since it'd be insulting to back someone inept enough to get caught by a newcomer, but to achieve this... I need Einrik's talents."
The Head of the Valkonen clan says nothing, which I take as an invitation to continue.
"I believe I could manage it on my own, but I won't take chances on this if I can help it. It is up to you if it's worth your heir's time, of course."
>[Markku]"And how would this benefit my clan, for the risk and association brought by providing you such assistance?"
"Besides the feather in your cap that is reaffirming the Valkonen's relevance on the international stage by being integral to removing a highly visible and known member of the magical community that prides himself on being unassailable by his opposition?"
>[Markku]"Besides that, yes."
"And besides giving your… not dragon hunting, or obsessed son, but shall we say your draconic researching son more notoriety in the social circles he wants to move in?"
>[Markku]"You won't convince me with examples of how this will help my Heir continue to defy my will."
>[MMM,MMMM Trait auto-activated!]
"Besides giving Einrik more exposure to the esoteric details and tidbits of magical mechanics honed by combat aesthetics like the Shaolin Monks, to eventually use when he is Head of the Clan, for the betterment of the Valkonens?"
>[Markku]"…"
"Besides giving Hillevi far more of a safety than can be reasonably expected when 'breaking into' inter-group contention dynamics, in the form of her brother's presence, in addition to letting Einrik act to moderate any concerns you may have that I'll approach this, where Hillevi's concerned, in some way you find unpalatable? Oh, and besides getting the Valkonens a preferential mainline connection to a soon-to-be reappropriated major trading hub in Turkey? I know, tawdry to bring up actual financial gain, but ease of access for goods is never something to be sneezed at."
>[Markku]"…Can you truthfully say this is more than yet another of your idle passions?"
"This is something I've wanted to do, but lacked the means to accomplish, for quite some time."
>[Markku]"…When Einrik returns from his extracurricular consultation with Monk Gore, I will inform him you have suggested this…"
And his judgment-
>[Markku]"And that I will not forbid it."
Markku speak for 'go with my blessing', excellent.
"Understood. Do you have an estimation on when that could be?"
>[Markku]"He anticipated being occupied for at least another two days."
"I see. Thank you for your time."

I hang up, pondering how to optimally use my time before the only person I personally know and trust that seems eligible to be a serious and credible witness (hopefully) gets here.
>[SB]Especially given we don't know how swiftly he'll travel once he's back in the circle for communication-he could be days past his return, for travelling down here.
I clap my hands together as I keep verbalizing my thoughts for Labombard's benefit.
"So you heard?"
>[Labombard]"Best shot at a workable second opinion'll be available in a few days? Yeah, I overheard. So… until then?"
I idly reconfirm May Lee is in sensory range, and that she hasn't spontaneously combusted or something. …Nope, my 'evidence' is still there. Great.
>>489365
"So: Anyone familiar enough with the reception Witch Saints get to-"
>[Labombard]"Even assuming getting her here to provide assessment went so well we can ignore the potential difficulty, I think she'd be questioned for the same reason Placid would-she'd be considered 'yours', in the eyes of most forms of authority we could go to."
"Then I guess 'get Placid and Lyubov to see and corroborate' would only really be helpful as supplements to, say, Einrik's assessment, or that of some other reputable source that Dragons would be likely to respect."
>[SB]"Accurate."

>>489297
Okay, okay.

Let's break down what critical points we know right now.
Problem 1: We need a Witness who won’t trip Lo Fang’s currently undefined defenses, and who will be able to detect what we need to know and be safely admissible in a Dragon Court.
Einrik will probably be able to be that guy, but we'll have to see.[/i]
Problem 2: We need to learn more about what happened to May Lee so that we can present a solid case.
That, I want to address in the time before Einrik presumably gets here.
Problem 2: If I personally am called as witness, I'm boned.
The Accords-violating Soul-Sculpting I have neglected to immediately report, my own dabbling in the flagrantly spiritually enslaving ways… point is, unless I went so far as to do some actual mind-wiping or memory removal, there's no way it'd be safe to personally testify-which ties nicely back into having Placid testify in place of me-or Lyubov. …Assuming that, you know, I can get her back from that Witch.
Critical Point: Iron Trick's special properties as a Trickster God's Divine Artifact means that Lo Fang couldn't have anticipated it, so his corroborating my sensory input is a strong indicator I don't need to go on a paranoia spiral about how deep Lo Fang's obfuscation might go.
We know that Chakra are effectively just little Gates (between the soul and the body, or in Lyubov’s case between Lyubov and Tesla).
We know that Lo Fang is a Chakra master.
We suspect he’s used mind control on his troops before (the atrocious losses in the Reaper Raid).
We know he’s used illegal soul manipulation before (capturing the souls during the Reaper Raid, which could explain why May Lee’s around again, since her soul would have lingered on the Lucky Lady until Lo Fang’s men got aboard and did clean up).
Based on the above, I suspect that Chakra Gates are the root of how Lo Fang controls these Gate-of-Self individuals he's presumably producing.


..So, that's what I know and/or strongly infer… now, to concretely define all of my options for catching Lo Fang at his Chakratic Gate Fuckery…
Einrik: The 'plan A' of primary witnesses, so far as my plan goes.
Allala Bagatim: The Vampire Sire SB mentioned as having a hobby tailor-made for our purposes. The only problem is how to get her to watch who I want… and not me.
Allala's Watchers: Given what little I know of how Dragons operate, I can't imagine Allala goes unobserved by draconic watchdogs, double-checking her findings. If I could find those individuals, I might be able to sway their attention where I want. Ideally, I could get Allala and her watchers looking Lo Fang's way-but for both options, there's the risk of backfire if they ferret out my own criminality.
Build-A-Witness: An Elder Contractor of some sort could build an Elder Sensor package that would be sensitive enough. It could be designed to have a memory-space that will show signs of being tampered with… point is, it's feasible, but would undoubtedly be staunchly costly-quite possibly beyond just simple wealth.

Of course, it's smartest to just take all options as carefully as possible to hedge the shit out of my bet here. I am playing against Lo Fang, after all.

Which is when SB makes a comment I find myself loving.
>[SB]"I believe now would be the pertinent point to mention that some of our followers encountered a Dragon that was openly seeking mercurial aide. As I am currently replete with servants that are utterly expendable, I believe I will… seek an accord with the Dragon, in exchange for his agreement to certify whatever sensory data we bring him as evidence."
>[Labombard]"Which dragon?"
>[SB]"Seonsaeng"
>[Labombard]"Well now that could be rather ideal-he's very in with the 'Chauns, and has a reputation for being even more rigid about deals, contracts and legality than most of his ilk. I can't guarantee it, but I think he's either in the same circle as, knows of, or maybe even is one of the dragons that assesses Allala's findings."
>[SB]"Yes, please do bask in my-"
>[HB]"How do the Deep Roman and the Rakshasa-Feaster rate, in terms of credibility?"
>[Labombard]"The Deep Roman's been known to have Owner's ear from time to time, so he has to be well connected, and Rakshasa-Feaster's got dealings with Oggmum."
>[IT]"With that kind of combined reach, those three dragons should be plenty…. assuming the bird can back up the audacious claim he is making."
"You could get them to become witnesses?"
>[HB]"I feel confident of such: both seemed to enjoy what I have done with the Light Eater."
>[SB]"I still say-"
>[HB]"I find it a fitting fixture of the settlement I lead, and still espouse the view that its permanence there is non-negotiable."
>[Labombard]"Valkonen Heir, three dragons-well, I think I might be able to talk with Allala. She's known for liking to deal with the Divine, so I have a shot. And if I go, she can view the remnants of Lo Fang's workings in my own form-it'd make her more likely to listen than your own silvered tongue, would it not?"
"Observable proof is a class of coercion all it's own, this is true. Hm-so, Labombard will get Allala passively watching Lo Fang, Shadowbro and the Hummingbird will contact three separate non-ruling Dragons they know who they are confident will testify if called on thanks to past relations, and I've got Einrik coming soon to be our primary witness. Other than figuring out how widespread this is before Einrik does his assessing and we get those other Names involved… anything more?"
>>489515
>[SB]"What about that project-"
>[Labombard]"Well, per what Svetlana and I found in AORB, there wasn't anything unusual, or that I can see as being related to the indiscretion we're investigating. That said I could be missing something so I'll lay out some generalities. The local Triad IS Lo Fang, there is no higher authority in all of Turkey, and he's effectively subsidized control of other cities to local gangs, rather than expanding actual Triad numbers-"
>[HB]"How does he insure loyalty in such a format?"
"We are investigating him for what appears to give him infinitely respawnable minions-"
>[SB]"Soaking up inter-gang fatalities for locals-"
"And in exchange he gets a cut and deference-Lammy, that sound possible?"
>[Labombard]"At face value it fits him and the setup as-seen to a T, but I have to wonder why there wasn't any AORB mention, nor rumors that I've had chance to encounter, involving Triads, or even Asians in general, fighting for groups like that-and with how widespread his net of control is, I'd have to assume this would need to be a consistent and sizable undertaking."
>[HB]"While I grasp this suggests something should be slipping through nets of secrecy when cast so widely, we have been paying keen attention to the presumed competence of this particular giant-is it so unreasonable to think he could accomplish such an obfuscation?"

And doesn't that just give us a moment's pause.
"So? What else did you find of note"
>[Labombard]"There really aren't Noteworthy members beyond Lo Fang's disciples, all of whom you've met. The reason it's so rare for all of them to be present in the section of the docks Lo Fang occupies is because they are his representatives to the… criminal fiefdoms, we'll call them. It had been assumed there was an information exchange taking place to incur the witnessed loyalty."
"Hm."
>[Labombard]"They're frankly surprising, in that for such a magically aware syndicate, this particular branch does not use much active magic."
"And it wasn't questioned, by AORB or rumor, that Lo Fang of all people would buck the trend of exploiting such a resource?"
>[Labombard]"He presented a perfectly understandable setup of maximizing profit over hoarding of power-something that's usually encouraged, in someone of his position. In point of fact, those gangs that swear to him around Turkey, comprising his allies, all see substantial growth in Chakratic competence in all members following their joining of forces."
>[SB]"How are fatality rates for these minions of his?"
Labombard sighs, surrendering the point.
>[Labombard]"Considerably lower-drastically enough that AORB noted it-than before, and yes I know that strongly supports the Triad meat-shield hypothesis. But more importantly, as I said the other individuals of note-amongst them Go Ping and the rest-have to travel around Turkey-"
"So by tracking them, I can get the additional data I need."
>[Labombard]"While you do that, I think I can shadow some of the no-names in the Triads, at least confirm if I'm sensing anything similar in them while I'm going after the Allala route. …That, and there's a few amongst them I'd rather like to see survive, and that's not guaranteed even if we do approach this surgically."
"You know… you might be able to clear a couple concerns of mine up, wolfey."
>[Labombard]"Hm?"
"The homeless population that periodically-"
>[Labombard]"Attacks the docks-yes, he's harvesting their deaths, what about it? Magic powered by death is permissible, even if it is widely considered crude."
"Well, I was concerned about how that related with the special warded soul-absorbing rooms he's got."
I am gifted with a bald, nubian look of incredulity that I will treasure for weeks.
>[Labombard]"And you didn't think to mention soul-capture at an earlier-no. Hah, okay, well that would fit far, far too well. He uses death rituals to hide soul-rituals, and makes sure my nose couldn't pick up on it: not like Loup Magic Scenting is an unknown field, or anything."
"Seems we have our homework, then: passive observation on officers and grunts alike in Lo Fang's service, while getting a Vamp Sire, a Clan Heir and a trio of Dragons in place."
>[Labombard]"I have to admit, I'm starting to see why Lo Fang so loves to manipulate things-this is rather satisfying, idly constructing his doom from our aggregate connections."
"We haven't doomed him yet: daily meetings with Placid to form total replicas of our findings? Sure, he's not a perfect witness-"
>[SB]"Backups are expedient."

And there it is: a plan's been made, agreed to… and put in motion. We break, and go our separate ways, with effectively everyone but myself having to personally do things…. ah, I love the Allview's utility: auto-surveillance is great.

With the time I suddenly find myself possessing, and the elevated mood I have from contemplating Lo Fang's fall at my machinations, I decide to return to my experimentation with my cobbled-together powers. …Well, that is, after making sure I redistribute the souls in the Allview to track Jet Fang, Meng Yun, Go Ping and the gang.

I start my experiments… by first, sequestering myself into a deep part of the mansion, and then attempting to let loose a Strong Thunder shout.
>[93/100]
I immediately notice two things.

(1)-The shockwave I produced was solid enough it effectively vaporized several layers, each more than a meter thick of the surrounding room's stone walls-no, I suppose it turned it to dust, rather than vapor. It only really stopped when it finally hit some… bonelike wall structure which I have to guess is a more literal part of Amen's body than most of the house is. Point is-WOW, bit more impact there. Would be way more useful against hardened targets that way… that is, if I could direct it with even the slightest amount of precision.
(2)-Reworked biology or no, Reinforcement or no, I ended up blowing off my head, and most of my upper chest doing it. Lungs, esophagus, mouth-all of it was forcibly converted into fragmentary explosives by the sheer force they were subjected to, creating such a shout.

HYBRID HEALING
After regrowing an upper body and physical manifestation of the Allview, I ponder the physical and magical data I got on that. …There wasn't even a moment's delay, between shout creation and self-detonation. My modifications and efforts did not so much as slow down my impending destruction-I simply went from pre-shout health to a conventionally fatally exploded state upon shout creation. While it's certainly possible there's some way to suppress that destructive recoil, it's certainly not close enough I could weaponize this as is. No… I have the feeling that I'd need to have firmly solved the precision aspect of Thunder Shouting, before I could even have a hope of tackling the recoil of Strong Thunder. For a moment, I find myself thinking of a theoretical discussion of wave cannons that got passed around back in the Rangers… and then it's gone. Well-at least I know that, should I need to, I can pretty much instantly create a respectable shock-based explosion centered on my person, at the 'low' price of needing to regen from ostensibly fatal wounds.

…Weird, there's nothing wrong with how I rebuilt my brain, but I needed two doses of Brain Coffee to feel properly alert. Hm. On review… post double-Coffee, I'm perfectly back to normal levels… eh. …Well, moving on with the experimentation.

Next, I take my recent foray into applying the Concept of Strength to my magic, and do a comparison against a different power-boosting method I'd devised: Artificially inflating the size of my soul. It certainly seems possible: I've recovered lost soul mass, and produce an effectively limitless amount of Soul Radiation-I should be able to contain and collect that radiation to temporarily boost up my soul's total mass. I know that soul radiation's too… transient? Yes, transient to permanently boost my soul, but on a per-spell basis… well, it should work just fine.

I end up devoting the rest of the day to this particular pursuit while the rest of the anti-Lo Fang squad actually have to work. It's good to be king.

Here's what I learn-and man, am I going to abuse the fuck out of it.
-Soul Bulking as I'm arbitrarily calling it seems to have no real downside that I can detect-I can keep on containing power and letting my soul swell as much as I like, no spiritual strain, no recoil to my body, any of it.
-I don't catch all the Soul Energy I radiate, which is something of a boon, as it means that, externally, it's hard to tell when I start Soul Bulking in preparation for an overpowered spell.
-Near as I can tell, I can double the amount of soul energy my soul contains with Soul Bulking in about one second-but the growth isn't even linear. I get about two thirds the next second, then a half of my original soul weight on the third second. It keeps tailing off past there.
-In three seconds of prep, I can Soul Bulk to more than triple my base soul volume/capacity.
-If I stop actively Soul Bulking, but do not cast a spell, my soul will experience an increased rate of energy radiation as it disposes of the pressurized surplus of energy. It leaks it at more or less a rate equal to 3 times the time it took to store the energy-so, for comparison, if I Soul Bulk for three seconds, I have nine seconds in which to cast before all that energy has slipped back out of my grasp.
-Casting a spell while Soul Bulked immediately resets my soul to its normal size, while expending all the surplus to cast the spell.
-Since not all spells I cast are cast with the entirety of my soul's weight behind them, but Soul Bulked Spells perforce get all the energy I stored put behind them, Soul Bulked spells cannot really be cast at anything but full power.
-I can't find any reason to not cast Soul Bulked spells as much as I want-even after hundreds of repetitions at varying levels of Soul Bulking, other than the fact that I can't cast while Soul Bulking. Really, seems to have no innate cost to use other than adjusting one's tactics.
-Strong Spells are an entirely different sort of beast. There is absolutely no prep-work: it's far more like pulling a trigger, as opposed to the deep inhalation of Soul Bulking.
-Strong Spells DEFINITELY have a cost-one quite similar to the cost of a Strong Thundershout. If I use a Strong Fleshcrafting, I end up superheating the tissue and within a second or two of the crafting the altered part becomes an organic bomb. If I'm working soul magic, then portions of my soul detonate-in either case, I need to actively play damage control for every single Strong spell I cast, no matter it's format.
-The recoil damage of a Strong Spell is proportionate to how big of a base spell is made Strong. If I make a tiny soul bubble, the recoil is far less than if I crank out my best.
-Strong Spells aren't simply larger, or expanded in a directly visible fashion like Bulked Spells. No, Strong Spells look more or less the same: if I grow a limb, or make a Soul Bubble, there isn't any innate difference that leaps out. That said… Strong Spells seem to impose weakness, or fragility, on what they hit: A Strong Soul Bubble will make a regular Soul Bubble behave like it was feebly cast on contact, a Strong Thundershout will 'break' soundwaves it comes into contact with, a Strongly fleshcrafted limb will punch through a hardened bone plate like it's cardboard.
-Strong Spells do seem to have a cooldown, but from a single day's testing I'm not sure I've concretely nailed down what that cooldown is based on. It seems like some mix of time and required levels of soul radiation, but in the end, the general rule that I can't use Strong Magic again until at least ten seconds have passed post-recovery from the last casting.
-The unavoidable recoil and the considerable delay before it's safe to recast definitely makes Strong Spells something you have to pick your moment for, and drive towards making an opening worth using such a cumbersome combined magic.
-Combining the two tricks is something I refuse to do on principle: if the damage is proportionate to the size of the spell, and Soul Bulked spells are guaranteed to be more potent than any of my base spellwork, I can very, very easily envision complete and total soul destruction as the result of the spell. Yes, in theory I could remanifest from an HB body-but this directly involves using Conceptual magic, and thus far I have to say I've grown something of a respect for the dangers that field of magic can pose. So no combining the two unless there's nothing to lose.

After telling Amen to straighten out and clean up the room I was practicing in-and vacuuming up every drop of blood and bit of bone I shed during the course of those experiments-I head back upstairs, throwing on new clothes as I reclaim my phone. …Hm, seems it's past midnight already-I suppose that was more time consuming than I expected. I check in with Placid to give him a total copy of all the Lo Fang data I've yet accrued, with the express understanding that he is to share it with no one without my direct say-so… and then I knock out for the night.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS:
$7,936,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $9,242,094.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 50%
WINTER ENERGY: 163
SUMMER ENERGY: 61/61


I check on the Allview's results: so far, I've got confirmation the same thing's going on with Jet Fang… but not Go Ping. Definitely going to need to wait for the results on Lo Fang's other lieutenants. I also find a text from Lammy waiting for me:
A.B. front going fine, nothing so far on generic.
…No evidence Gate of Self fuckery's going on with the general Triad rabble. Okay.

Since SB and HB aren't reporting any success to me yet, I have to assume they're still at work on the Draconic front.

…Well.

With my time almost entirely my own, I decide to spend the morning paying exceptionally close attention… to my bones. I did, after all, cobble into them Giant bone tissue-and while I've certainly grasped that the bones are far, far more durable… what else is there to them? I wiffle-waffle between ludicrously overcharged Reinforcment, Fleshcrafting and use of Strength to apply stress to them… and learn a few things.
-I can make my bones vibrate like a tuning fork, in case I ever need to. It DOES literally shake off the flesh on said bones, but… hey, it's an option.
-My bones take zero magical energy to adjust in size-and while doing so, they totally black out to my magical senses, as if I lost ownership of them. They still behave exactly as I want them to, but the lack of data under specific circumstances is frankly disconcerting.
-When I grab a few chunks of meat from the kitchen to try replicating in my body, I find that, interestingly, the more I personally deviate from my current form, the less ably the bones will interact with the surrounding flesh-and I don't really know why. I can certainly force them to work together-but that's active effort, compared to passive affinity-obviously, the preference is the latter.
-While it's not a big thing, I've noticed that raw actions of growth seem to get innately boosted, if the interact with or involve my bones. I have to chalk that up to the Giant bone's innate Concept-too bad that it's still black-boxing me when it comes to the actual mechanism. For now, I can just use it, not understand it.
-I spend the afternoon with Duke and Hillevi, working on a simpler, and far more flexible application of Strength: that is, honest to god super-strength. With Duke, I work on how to aim the prodigious leaps one becomes capable of with Strength, and with Hillevi I work on my ability to chuck large and oft-irregularly shaped objects. I have to say-her ice sculpted van replica was pretty nice. By the end of our lessons, I can't say I'm a dead eye like Hillevi is-but I could certainly bean a moving target from the far side of a block with a car, telephone poll or piece of construction equipment, if I so chose. …Assuming said target's moving at speeds a normal human could achieve. Like I said: room for improvement.

While I find myself a bit grumpy that Labombard's not available to spar with as he works on our Lo Fang project, I spend my evening doing something that I'll admit I've wanted to do since placing the order: driving Rolls Royce Phantoms, each painted eye-bleeding orange and handling like a dream. The Greek, a fat man of a Devito-esque build delivers the vehicles at four o'clock: I've finished 'breaking them in' by ten, and employed M7 to get out of no less than seventeen speeding tickets over the course of the test drives.
[TWO ROLLS ROYCE PHANTOMS ADDED TO GARAGE]
After both vehicles are put away and I firmly decide I'm only driving those swanky-ass sports cars now, and not the shitty-ass vans

After the delightful fun of flouting every traffic law I came into contact with, I feel the flickers of fascinatingly wrought soul energy from Dávgon's workshop, and decide to visit him to check up on his project. As per usual, I find him on a small stool before one of the many ceramic jars, carefully maneuvering his hands scant millimeters above the jar's surface.
"Status report on the bug-charms?"
He stands up at that.
>[Dávgon]"I think it would be best to give you a visual assessment."
"You've got some in the golem already, or am I thinking too big here?"
>[Dávgon]"For now, just some of Gianni's golems. …Such as this one here."
We stop before a golem within whom I can detect insectile souls crawling about. Sake is the only other occupant of the room, and he waggles his tail in our direction as greeting.
>[Dávgon]"Please observe."
>[Sake]"Oh, should I do it now?"
At Dávgon's nod, Sake swipes his little shovel-paws at the golem from point blank range in quick succession. Two things happen while he does this.
(1)-One of the two insect souls I detect within flares in a fatal bit of spiritual spellwork, forcing the first wave of wind-sickles to phase through the golem's flesh to exclusively harm the insect itself-who was already dying from powering such a spell.
(2)-The followup sickle attack shreds the golem's body-and it immediately starts regenerating as the second bug within begins to slowly die-pulling the wounds to itself.
"…I see."
>[Dávgon]"I fully expect to have reusable living charms for use in the Wargolem, but as of now I'm stil finding more effective means of claiming partial ownership of incoming harm to thereafter manipulate, either to ignore or shunt."
"So you expect the end product to repeatedly be able to remove injuries to the host body, or simply soak up the attacks before they can even harm said host."
>[Dávgon]"Yes-and on the off chance I can't solve the remaining problems with reusing the bugs, either by durability to auto-resurrection, then I can at least find ways to implant modified Kudoku jars to act as storage space for sufficient numbers that their expendability is a nonissue.
"Implanting Kudoku… I'm assuming you've got a way to shrink the jars proper, then."
>[Dávgon]"Indeed-though it would still be preferable to have reusable creatures."

Dávgon and I shoot the shit about his experimentation, and he shows me some frankly grotesque 'mistakes' that he's still studying-bugs where the magic wasn't contained and they mutated into a cancerous pile of disease, or ones where the delicate balance of poison and death-fueled supremacy fell apart and the bugs rot alive… the fact he has a wall's worth of such examples is an excellent demonstration of his diligence to the task he labors over-and something I'm happy to see. I share a few of his bottles of hallucinogenic deerpissbeer with him in the late evening, and eventually we part ways, with Sake following me to, apparently, curl up on Lyubov's pillow in her absence.

Sleep.

THURSDAY, MARCH 17th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS:
$7,936,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $9,242,094.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 45%
WINTER ENERGY: 163
SUMMER ENERGY: 61/61


My morning starts a bit earlier than I anticipated as Matvey knocks on my door. Brain Coffee is applied, and I go check to see what he wants. He greets me with a weighty sack slung over his shoulder.
>[Matvey]"Einrik Valkonen's at the door-well, in the lobby now, as he's already been labeled a guest. Said he's here to talk with you about something."
I nod at that, moving to meet with Einrik-as Matvey continues.
>[Matvey]"Additionally-"
The bag on his shoulder is made to clink-
>[Matvey]"Rostislav and Feodor defied direct orders to engage in an arena trip: as of right now I've confiscated the funds that resulted from it, and they are being turned over to you. If you wish it I can use a portion of these in order to ease tensions with the Tongs over Lev's earlier indiscretion, something that the order was supposed to prevent from being further agitated."
"…Did Feodor and Rostislav generate enmity with their visit?"
Matvey grimaces as he proffers the bag.
>[Matvey]"No, but-"
"Well, given we'll soon have reason for the Tongs to desperately want to be our friends, I don't think the funds will have to be used for that."
Even as I say that, I push back the offered bag.
"Anyway, you should probably hold onto that until we get some results from my current project, so… can you hold off a couple more days while I wrap this up?"
>[Matvey]"That's doable."
"Great, well-do excuse me."

Matvey nods and heads off on his own as I head down to the foyer-en route, I check with SB and HB alike, to find that HB's got the Deep Roman, and SB Seonsaeng-HB's still confident he can get the third dragon on board to check Einrik and Placid, once he's been given all the data. Labombard's not quite got Allala on board, but he's confident now that none of Lo Fang's mooks are Gated-which matches my findings, mostly, as the Allview's showed that, besides Go Ping, all of Lo Fang's officers have 'doubles' to be found that are Gates, if one is willing to really look. Finding around a dozen people hidden throughout an entire nation… not exactly easy.

I push all that aside as I finally run into Einrik-finding him neck-deep in a drinking contest with Duke and, on catching my eye, simply shrugs at his current state.
>[SB]"Should it matter, it IS entirely Duke's fault"
"When isn't it."

While I'm waiting for Duke to get bored, I get a ping from my Viewers about Lyubov as I'm checking our progress on the Lo Fang front. I speed up my thought and jump in right away, followed by Sake, who's been tailing me since I woke up.

We're treated to a view of Lyubov standing in a very traditional looking Japanese bedroom, tatami mats, futon, and all, playing a bright red electric guitar hooked up to a portable amplifier that looks like it saw a lot of travel at one time, its plastic body scarred with numerous minor scrapes and scratches from being loaded and unloaded and set on concrete and whatever other surfaces were handy. Hyougo is sitting opposite Lyubov, and the two are chatting in what looks like a very casual manner while Lyubov plays. Both of them are dressed in kimonos.

I still can't read lips or hear anything in Allview, but-

>[Sake]”Oh, oh, oh, Lyubov's playing Scuttle Buttin' for her.
“How can you tell?”
>[Sake]”I can read the chords she's playing on the guitar.

Lyubov asks a question of Hyougo, and gets a short answer in return. Lyubov then inclines her head at the guitar neck, and stops playing. She points out worn spots on the fretboard to Hyougo, and taps the amplifier with her stocking clad foot.

Hyougo looks briefly troubled, and says a couple of sentences. Lyubov asks a question, and Hyougo responds with a frown, and says something. Lyubov points at her own head when she responds, and Hyougo nods, perhaps a bit sadly.

Then Lyubov sets the guitar aside, and before Hyougo can stop her, my girlfriend has wrapped her arms around the little witch. The witch looks conflicted, and is obviously stammering a little, but she also isn't pushing Lyubov away. A moment later, she returns the hug.

>[Sake]”They're hugging.
“I can see that.”
>[Sake]”No, you don't get it. Close contact like that, hugs and kisses, don't usually happen between even good friends. That's for family members, best friends, and other more intimate relationships.
“So Hyougo considers Lyubov close. Do she have any other friends we know of?”
>[Sake]”I don't think so. The Viewer records don't show her spending time like this with anyone but Lyubov.
I give the Viewer records a glance myself. Hyougo's days seem to consist of:

* Holding court for about four hours a day in the morning, where petitioners are allowed to visit and ask for favors, or in the case of her lieutenants, further assignments.

* About two hours a day of dealing with issues elsewhere in the country arising from the earthquake and tsunami (some of which happened in appropriately warded areas, some of which appeared to just be the “usual” witch work of going around and personally making an appearance so people stay on task, and some of which appears to be actual work repairing damaged wards and corralling ghosts).

* An hour of what I can only describe as tutelage from a positively ancient wizard (who on closer examination I realize isn't even breathing as he instructs her). He looks like he was born a pile of gnarled wrinkles and got worse from there, and he carries himself like he's seen everything, and he has quite frankly the largest hat I've ever seen, it's brim more comparable to a parasol than anything. I can tell he finds Hyougo difficult to work with.

*Three meals a day with her parents and Lyubov. It looks like Hyougo's parents are dutiful about making sure she always has a nice meal to come home to.

*While the parents were not directly observed with Viewers (an issue I rectify by assigning one to each of them), from what I can tell it appears they spend any time when Hyougo's not around tending to the fox farm, with no personal pursuits of their own. It's a little odd, but they don't talk to Lyubov much. I'm reminded of when Lyubov tries to talk to our more taciturn members- the parents here are polite, and they positively dote on Hyougo, but apparently they don't have a whole lot to say.

*Hyougo's afternoons and evenings the past couple of days tend to consist of a lot of time spent talking to Lyubov. Some of it appears to just be chat, some of it discussions of magic or topics looked up on Hyougo's computer, and some of it is the two of them reading comic books together.

*In the evening the two of them have watched movies each night, and last night Lyubov tucked the kid in before borrowing that electric guitar from Hyougo's father and playing without an amplifier (apparently just for her own enjoyment, as Hyougo's dad retreated to bed as soon as he'd lent Lyubov the guitar).

*In the past three days, the only person to hug Hyougo was Lyubov.

Even if she's a witch, with the power to reshape reality at will, I'm reminded that Hyougo is still a fifteen year old girl. I feel a pang of sympathy for her. It can't be easy being a teen and being avoided, utterly feared, or at risk of being used all the time by the people around you... of course Lyubov would want to try to be a friend to her.

For Lyubov's part, it looks like she studies the law books (plural, there are two more on the table Lyubov spends her mornings at now) during the time Hyougo's occupied with holding court and with witchy duties. In the afternoon and evening though, she's usually with Hyougo.

“Lyubov's treating her like she's a friend. Or maybe like a little sister. I don't think she's made any demands of her.”
The pile of green fur draping itself over me bristles at that.
>[Sake]”Why can't they do that here? Why does she have to hog Lyuba?
“She's a witch; I'm pretty sure she's used to just getting her way. But I have a feeling whatever solution we pick for talking Hyougo into letting Lyubov leave is going to be a lot easier to sell if we make sure that it's easy for Lyubov to spend time with Hyougo.”
>[Sake]”We can't be explicit though, it's got to be couched as something else but still obvious that it's really just time for Lyubov to play with Hyougo.
“I'll keep that in mind.”
>[Sake]”This is where I whine and tell you to hurry up and figure out how to get her back.
“Got it furball. I miss Lyuba too.”

We step out of the Allview's control room that metaphysically exists inside my eye, just in time to see Einrik affably chop the back of Duke's neck without any warning, knocking the belligerant man out. Without missing a beat, the Valkonen heir turns my way.
>[Einrik]"Apologies for getting entangled so swiftly after arriving. So-we could do small talk and catch up on our respective activities, I suppose, but I find myself far, far more curious about how I can provide services that will see to it you profit, and I get more ins with the Draconic crowd. Care to explain?"






What DO I tell Einrik about the Lo Fang plan?
With the extra data that's come in, and the plan as is: do I think we're ready to strike, or do I want to sit on this and look for more information first?
What else am I going to do?
>>
No. 491457 ID: 252e1b

>[Einrik]"Apologies for getting entangled so swiftly after arriving. So-we could do small talk and catch up on our respective activities, I suppose, but I find myself far, far more curious about how I can provide services that will see to it you profit, and I get more ins with the Draconic crowd. Care to explain?"

Before anything else, we have to bump knuckles with our bro! He’s had our back through thick and thin, explained everything he could, and given us a helluva lot of help.

“Gimme a brofist, Ein-man!”

Pack everything but Soul Bulking into that brofist. He can take it. He’ll sense what we’re up to long before we even finish saying ‘brofist’ but that’s cool.

Then after that male bonding moment… “Let’s talk about this in a more private room.”

And then we take him to that soundproofed room where he did the work on the chimeric engine, and where Amen can’t see.

>What DO I tell Einrik about the Lo Fang plan?

In a word: everything. He’s another brain on the case, and we can use his input. But we need to give him the option to not hear things, which means the presentation will need to be compartmentalized.

On the way to the secure room, we should ask SB if he has verified if there are any existing contracts that would allow Lo Fang to fuck with his people the way he has. It’s an obvious thing to check on, but since the Gate of Self lieutenants are so important to our case it’s worth making sure. The other part, the illegal soul capturing (and presumable use to keep the Gates of Self running), is the other half of our case but it’s going to be much harder to get Einrik close to.

“Alright Einrik, your Babbythulu there, it can store sensory data independent of your mind, right? And I’m guessing it could serve as a credible witness to a Dragon Court without giving them any reason to dig around in your head, right?”

[Confirmation or correction]

“Ok, so, that’s the Draconic-in there. We’re going to blow the lid on some very interesting and very illegal activities that have been going on with the Triads, and we’re going to make sure it happens in the Dragon Court, because Lo Fang’s got the Triad dragon backing him.”

[So what are we looking at?]

“I want to tell you everything, but if in the course of the conversation you think I’m getting too close to something that you think you shouldn’t know, bearing in mind that I’d like your Babbythulu there to be the star witness in this court case, please cut me off.”

[Of course. Nice to see you’re getting better about information management.]

“Being thrown in the deep end is a heck of a multiplier on lesson effectiveness. Anyway, Lo Fang’s gone and had Gates of Self built in a dozen of his lieutenants. That’s observable, and it’s my sincere hope that you’ll be witnessing the real articles for yourself soon. We figured out that he’s been using these Gates of Self lieutenants as the templates for disposable fighters that he uses to help keep control of gangs all over Turkey.”

[Sounds energy intensive.]

“Which figures in on something else I figured out: He’s been using a supernatural drug to addict the local homeless population, then cutting the supply back sharply so that they attack his holdings at the waterfront when new shipments arrive. When the addicts attack, he apparently harvests Death energy for rituals, but that’s actually a cover for harvesting the souls themselves. My guess is that’s the power supply for the Gate of Self projects. Trouble is, it’s behind a set of wards on the docks. If you think you can observe around the wards somehow, perfect. Otherwise, we’ll need to figure out an insertion method during a ‘raid’ by the drug addicts.”

[Who did the Gate of Self work?]

“I’m pretty sure it was Elwen Embla. He’s been preparing to act against her, and tried to get me involved in that. There’s an item in her warehouse in fact that he wants very badly, and which likely has evidence pointing toward what she did for him.”

[Is there evidence that the Gate of Self work is illegal?]

“Some. We spoke to one of the Gate Lieutenants-“

[So he’s aware of what you’re doing?]

“Probably not fully aware. We hadn’t put together the pieces at the time. We were just trying to figure out why a woman we thought had been killed and turned into a flesh golem, which we were told was destroyed, was walking around with an apparently civilian soul. He’s got a lot invested in this and I have no doubt he’d be loath to scrap everything just because xiǎoguǐ Armas got curious and tried to figure out why a dead woman was walking around again. But I’m also pretty sure he would scrap everything, at a moment’s notice, if he thought he was being observed by a dragon who was unfriendly to him.”

[Thus, my involvement as a witness. What did you notice when you talked to her?]

“We noticed she didn’t recognize me or Labombard, the Loup Garou who’d worked with her multiple times in the past. Her Gate of Self was set up to be in what I’d call a semi-dormant mode, activating whenever sensitive topics came up, and only then just enough to push her to think in ways conducive to keeping Lo Fang’s secrets. We mentioned Elwa Embla and it set off her Gate; she thought Elwa was a horrible woman and wouldn’t have anything else to do with us after that, even though I know she’s been hanging around with Elwa and behaving like her friend.”

[Your Soul Shadow has shared a memory packet of the data around that. I see what you mean. This could be properly Contracted though.]

“Shadow Bro’s asking a favor of a dragon he’s done some mercenary work for to clear that up. Besides that though, there’s circumstantial evidence it isn’t Contracted. A few weeks ago I was hired to find a “flesh golem” based on the supposedly dead woman, and that “flesh golem” had a soul suspiciously mortal-like. No signs of being reworked or re-attached that I noticed, and in fact it looked almost exactly like the “disposable lieutenant” version of her soul I recently found. I now suspect that it was a Gate of Self clone who managed to escape whatever controls he puts in them as they’re being pulled through to our dimension. No solid proof, I didn’t get to talk to her or observe her closely, but what I did see, in context, paints an ugly picture.”

[It does. What about the evidence Elwen Embla has?]

“I was planning on gaining access to it by getting the ward schematics so we can easymode our way into that warehouse for a look, but now I suspect that Elwen’s under such tight observation from Lo Fang that getting the schematics is going to be problematic. It’s three sets of defenses: divine wards, mortal wards, and electronic defenses. Maybe Lyubov could break in, she practically breathes divine and electronics, and I know she’s been working on her ability to read and work on mortal wards.”

[Where is Lyubov? I heard about her being named Youkai Shugo.]

“Lyubov’s off in Japan right now, getting some education that Hyougo thinks is critical to performing her duties as Youkai Shugo, and just spending time with her too. They’re friends, and Hyougo’s dealing with her first real national-scale crisis. I don’t know if I can actually get her here to help or not. I’d like to, but if Hyougo puts her foot down I don’t want to hold things up.”

[What’s our time table?]

“As soon as we can, really. I’ve got other secondary witnesses that are being lined up, and as soon as I’m sure they’ll be observing, I’d like to get you into place. We need to get a record of the soul collection and a record of at least one Gate of Self going off. The first requires we wait for a shipment to arrive, or we stir up the homeless population early somehow. The second requires that I play the foil with appropriate fleshcrafting while you and other witnesses watch me interact with these Gates of Self. I really don’t want to tip our hand, but I don’t see a way of showing that Lo Fang’s fucked with their minds otherwise. There’s further complication in that we want to preserve as many of the Triads as we can. Lo Fang’s the only one we want, he’s the spider in the middle of this web of mind control and Gates. I’d hate for him to decide to kill a bunch of people just because they represented potential evidence against him. So when we move, it’ll have to be pretty fast. Ideally the dragon court would convene just as we collected the evidence, and we would provide it before Lo Fang could do anything to cover his ass.”

[When will the other secondary witnesses be ready?]

“Depends on a trio of dragons, mostly. I was also thinking of finding an Elder contractor and getting an Elder sensor with tamper-resistant memory space built and certified as a witness as well, which would let us be able to submit multiple articles of high-fidelity evidence. Of course I’d need to allow time for that, and I’d need to find an Elder contractor who could do it. Also, I need to talk to Hyougo and make my case for interrupting Lyubov’s visit with her.”

Einrik will likely have suggestions, and it’ll be fun to hear them.
>>
No. 491817 ID: c6319f

>>491457
Basically this. We should, though, under no circumstances reveal Allview's existence or capabilities to Einrik. Not even cleverly referring to it. We can speak of 'detection methods' or 'surveillance', we don't need to get more specific than that. If Einrik asks for more details we beg off, everyone needs some secrets, after all. He wont begrudge us that. Plus there's a decent chance he figures it out on his own but we don't need to help him do that, nor should we. Hell, he wouldn't want us to, for a variety of reasons.

Once we're in private we should say:
"So, tell me about this 'Monk Gore' guy haha no really..." and then segue into our actual business. As great as it would be, there's no way he's giving us solid details about his business. It's still fun to poke him about it.

Afterwards we should say, "Right, well I think it's time you got a hug before we do anything else." And Einrik can have a bit of a visit with Hillevi while we get things rolling.

>With the extra data that's come in, and the plan as is: do I think we're ready to strike, or do I want to sit on this and look for more information first?
I think we're good to go but final decision follows Einrik's input, we brought him in for a reason.

>What else am I going to do?
[08:03] <Arkeus> Damn, i really want Armas to look at every single minion's bodies thoroughly.

Besides that delightful suggestion there are only two things I want to do.
1)Read more of that book about that green warrior guy.
2)Finally get Einrik to check out that charm that Camella touched that one time that gave her a little shock and seems like it changes the user or something. The one we got from the Nazi base we raided. He's got the senses and knowledge to actually know what it does.
>>
No. 491851 ID: c6ce12

>>490952
One thing that bothers me here is Go Ping, unlike all of Lo Fang's other lieutenants, lacks a similar scheme built into him. I'd like to investigate that further in case there is some unknown pitfall. We discussed the possibility of using training to acquire in depth information on Lo Fang's people, but we really only went over why it would be bad to ask for group and individual training at the same time or to do it so suddenly or why going to Lo Fang's domain would be bad, but not why we couldn't just get what he gave us before and have him send Go Ping to us. With Einrik and the others here and him in our own domain we could afford to subtly poke and prod to find out more, the only risk is letting any information leak and I'd be flabbergasted if the combined powers we have at our command cannot prevent that.

We seem to have entirely bypassed the need for an Elder Sensor package what with acquiring multiple dragons as witnesses, but I feel like it would still be valuable to look into for the sake of trying to work around the Note Writer. We know that the Undersewers is home to crazy giant Elder magic based heart monsters and that Hummingbird has connections down there, ask him to look into the pricing of that for us.

If we're going to act now I'd also like to get one last update on what the Triads seem to be doing and more over what the other gangs are doing. After we unveil this everything is going to be a flurry of action, I want to see what the Mafia, the Nazis, the Tongs, and everyone else is currently on and have at least some idea of what they will do in the coming days so we can prepare for that too. Let's be proactive here.

And while Einrik is here can we please fucking tell him about Kazadora being in the country? We need to tell the Valkonens about her, they have a vendetta against her and it'd allow us to finally get assistance from them for a very large potential threat to us and our holdings. I've suggested this one about four times now, Einrik is right in front of us, there is literally no reason it can't happen now.

Largely irrelevant to the current plots, but seriously ask our QM about that teleporter pad. It's been days and days, is it coming?

>>491457
This has my support. It is however missing one detail we need to mention to Einrik and that is that Camella is involved in a standing contract with Lo Fang which boils down to one gaining ownership of the others soul upon their death. We should touch on that issue with Einrik, it comes with it's own set of consequences naturally, like making sure if Lo Fang comes under majorly due to this that the contract will be honored, which it should be given it's backed by a Wizard. He should be aware of any potential problems with it we have not foreseen and naturally we should ask for his thoughts on it.

>>491817
I definitely agree with the caution espoused here. I also agree we're about ready to go at this, time is of the essence, the only thing we need now is for Einrik to ready himself and hopefully for Labombard and Hummingbird to bring in the witnesses they're seeking out. If Einrik is faster we may just need to go without them, but I'm really hoping we don't.
>>
No. 493743 ID: b7d2cc

>>491457
Now, I could welcome my good friend Einrik professionally. Formality isn't something I prefer, but I am able to employ it, and he is the heir of an established clan with a decidedly austere Head. Officially, I should, and I'm certain my shadow brother will be happy to remind me of the lapse at a later point. That said… Einrik's irreverent entrance, including gratuitous amounts of drinking and sudden, playfully unanticipated violence… makes me yearn for a different kind of salutation. I cock a fist as jaunty as the lopsided grin I slap on my face.

“Gimme a brofist, Ein-man!”

Even as I say it, I rampantly overcharge my Reinforcement orientation as high as I can before applying 'Strong' to the localized Reinforcement my arm is subjected to. As always, I find myself smirking, just a bit, at the way that Einrik's scar-riddled brow quirks the very instant I begin using magic. Even as I note his assessment, I can practical smell overcooked chakra, like tea made from the tree of the Soul, crisp and distinct even with my magical focus. I watch as a cold so pervasive it encroaches on spiritualism envelopes the towering Valkonen's own fist, just in time for him to cycle chakra through his arm like fuel through an engine. The sound of ominously cracking ice pervades the are dominantly, a swirling auditory maelstrom coalescing about the magic Einrik so casually grasps. My eyes sting, physics be damned, at the ephemeral cold that my brazen greeting has brought.

And I love every facet of it via a potent spasm of accelerated thought. Wouldn't want to miss the fun.

Both of us let fly with an improvised, nonlethal Sunday Punch. With it's metaphysical might so amplified, my punch doesn't feel normal in the slightest: compared to the whipcord lash of muscle and sinew, my arm mockingly shatters the sound barrier, an organic bullet uncoiling straight for it's target. My blood feels like it skips right past boiling and vaporizes as part and parcel of my limb's supersonic journey, a new flavor of pain to taste and dismiss. And every bit as impressive as I find my bullet of a punch… Einrik's artillery shell of an answer leaves me in a masterfully disguised awe. His supreme martial speed is achieved not within, but without: the air before him, the space betwixt us is frozen between slivers of an instant and shattered just as quick, his arm pulled along a sub-zero vacuum made just for him. The roaring, crackling thunder of Einrik's fist utterly drowns out the sharp report of my own fist's passage.

To those precious few in the house who yet have human eyes that might be watching, there is no actual moment where we commit to a fistbump: we simply go from having magically prepared fists... to the collision. Where empty space was, a pair of fists, the larger of which bears scars enough for an entire arm, come into calamitous contact, the wholly mundane shockwave of which blasts out and spins my tie over my shoulder, my jacket billowing behind me as the few bits of glassware in the room crack and shatter under the shockwave's might. In the single instant where our fists exert their force on one another, I feel my entire hand freezing into a useless chunk that begins to shatter-and my soul rends itself apart, by increments, in recoil for the potent force I just exerted. But, while my arm was ruined in that fatal instant where we collided, rendered into nothing more than chunks of frozen and not-so-frozen flesh that shred and explode their way out of my jacket's arm… I switch to my summer line, and fleshcraft organic tendrils to swiftly snare the flying debris before I swiftly trigger a-
HYBRID HEALING

As Amen does as he is wont to do and repairs the few damages to the foyer from our 'greeting', one full second after the Knuckle Event the only proof we did anything more than shake hands… is my blood-stained and utterly destroyed right sleeve.

That, and Rostislav's frankly jealous look of awe.

The moment having passed, I clap my freshly de-sleeved and regrown arm on Einrik's shoulder, tilting my head towards a back room.
“Let’s talk about this in a more private room.”

And then I escort the scarred, feather-vested man to that soundproofed room where work was done on the chimeric engine, and more importantly where Amen can’t see. While leading the giant of a man towards our secluded destination, an odd thought strikes me, and I pose a quick mental question to my Soul Shadow.
Have you verified if there are any existing contracts that would allow Lo Fang to fuck with his people the way he has?
>[SB]"No such contracture exists."
I didn't think there was, what with how basic such a snag would be.
>[SB]"It is good to see you are beginning to grasp my competence's reach."

Back in the physical realm, I've wrapped up my exposition, and hunker down for the nitty-gritty with the Ein-man.
“Alright Einrik, your Babbythulu there, it can store sensory data independent of your mind, right? And I’m guessing it could serve as a credible witness to a Dragon Court without giving them any reason to dig around in your head, right?”
A scarred and callused finger idly taps on the ever-glowing, royal-purple crystal hemisphere in his forehead that enshrouds the seat of his sense.
>[Einrik]"It can, and has been used in several trials before, for exactly this reason-and no, I cannot talk about them. Suffice to say, it will most certainly serve ably to record any transgressions you wish to submit to a Draconic court of law."
“Ok, so, that’s the Draconic-in there. We’re going to blow the lid on some very interesting and very illegal activities that have been going on with the Triads, and we’re going to make sure it happens in the Dragon Court, because Lo Fang’s got the Triad dragon backing him.”
>[Einrik]"Father did mention this involved the Triads, yes-so, what can you tell me?"
“I want to tell you everything, but if in the course of the conversation you think I’m getting too close to something that you think you shouldn’t know, bearing in mind that I’d like your Babbythulu there to be the star witness in this court case, please cut me off.”
>[Einrik]"Given I can compartmentalize memories and have experience in establishing what is and isn't relevant to Draconic Arbiters I think there's little that would require such censure, but your caution's accepted as the show of severity this situation entails that it is meant to be."
>[IT]"Circuitous wording much?"
“No kidding? Nice. Well, being thrown in the deep end has proven a heck of a multiplier on lesson effectiveness. Anyway, Lo Fang’s gone and had Gates of Self built in a dozen of his lieutenants. That’s observable, and it’s my sincere hope that you’ll be witnessing the real articles for yourself soon. We figured out that he’s been using these Gates of Self lieutenants as the templates for disposable fighters that he uses to help keep control of gangs all over Turkey.”
>[Einrik]"That… sounds uneconomically energy intensive at face value-do you have contextual details that would show it logical for him to have employed such measures?"
“The energy concern figures in on something else I ferreted out: He’s been using a supernatural drug to addict the local homeless population, then cutting the supply back sharply so that they attack his holdings at the waterfront when new shipments arrive. When the addicts attack, he apparently harvests Death energy for rituals, but that’s actually a cover for harvesting the souls themselves. My guess is that’s the power supply for the Gate of Self projects. Trouble is, it’s behind a set of wards on the docks. If you think you can observe around the wards somehow, perfect. Otherwise, we’ll need to figure out an insertion method during a ‘raid’ by the drug addicts.”
>[Einrik]"Depends on the ward type-I'd like to say I'm confident, but given his status as the Shaolin Dragon's protégé-one of them, at least-it's not unrealistic to predict Lo Fang actually has anti-Elder warding in place. I shall have to see the place myself to be sure-at least I can determine which it is without passing a point of no return. Do you know who did the Gate of Self work?"
“I’m pretty sure it was Elwen Embla. He’s been preparing to act against her, and tried to get me involved in that. There’s an item in her warehouse in fact that he wants very badly, and which likely has evidence pointing toward what she did for him.”
>[Einrik]"Well, the big question: Is there evidence that the Gate of Self work is illegal?"
“Some. We spoke to one of the Gate Lieutenants-“
>[Einrik]"So he’s aware of what you’re doing?"
“Probably not fully aware. We hadn’t put together the pieces at the time. We were just trying to figure out why a woman we thought had been killed and turned into a flesh golem, which we were told was destroyed, was walking around with an apparently civilian soul. He’s got a lot invested in this and I have no doubt he’d be loath to scrap everything just because xiǎoguǐ Armas got curious and tried to figure out why a dead woman was walking around again. But I’m also pretty sure he would scrap everything, at a moment’s notice, if he thought he was being observed by a dragon who was unfriendly to him.”
>[Einrik]"Thus, my involvement as a witness. What did you notice when you talked to her?"
“We noticed she didn’t recognize me or Labombard, the Loup Garou who’d worked with her multiple times in the past. Her Gate of Self was set up to be in what I’d call a semi-dormant mode, activating whenever sensitive topics came up, and only then just enough to push her to think in ways conducive to keeping Lo Fang’s secrets. We mentioned Elwa Embla and it set off her Gate; she thought Elwa was a horrible woman and wouldn’t have anything else to do with us after that, even though I know she’s been hanging around with Elwa and behaving like her friend.”
A flicker of not-light passes through the violet glow of Einrik's forehead fetus.
>[Einrik]"Your Soul Shadow has shared a memory packet of the data around that. I see what you mean. This could be properly Contracted though, even if there's no conventionally accessible records of such."
“Shadow Bro’s asking a favor of a dragon he’s done some mercenary work for to clear that up. Besides that though, there’s circumstantial evidence it isn’t Contracted. A few weeks ago I was hired to find a 'flesh golem' based on the supposedly dead woman, and that “flesh golem” had a soul suspiciously mortal-like. No signs of being reworked or re-attached that I noticed, and in fact it looked almost exactly like the “disposable lieutenant” version of her soul I recently found. I now suspect that it was a Gate of Self clone who managed to escape whatever controls he puts in them as they’re being pulled through to our dimension. No solid proof, I didn’t get to talk to her or observe her closely, but what I did see, in context, paints an ugly picture.”
Finally shifting his thus far fairly rigid posture, Einrik tilts his head as if a bird of prey considering a challenging meal-to-be.
>[Einrik]"It does. What about the evidence Elwen Embla has?"
“I was planning on gaining access to it by getting the ward schematics so we can easymode our way into that warehouse for a look, but now I suspect that Elwen’s under such tight observation from Lo Fang that getting the schematics is going to be problematic. It’s three sets of defenses: divine wards, mortal wards, and electronic defenses. Maybe Lyubov could break in, she practically breathes divine and electronics, and I know she’s been working on her ability to read and work on mortal wards.”
>[Einrik]"Speaking of your Witch Saint lover, where is she? I wanted to ask her about this whole Youkai Shugo business."
“Right, that. Lyubov’s off in Japan right now, getting some education that Hyougo thinks is critical to performing her duties as Youkai Shugo, and just spending time with her too. They’re friends, and Hyougo’s dealing with her first real national-scale crisis. I don’t know if I can actually get her here to help or not. I’d like to, but if Hyougo puts her foot down I don’t want to hold things up.”
>[Einrik]"Ah, pubescent holders of penultimate power-as always entertaining to have to move around. Well, if Lyubov's likely off the table-what is our timeframe here? How fast does it seem we need to act?"
“As soon as we can, really. I’ve got other secondary witnesses that are being lined up, and as soon as I’m sure they’ll be observing, I’d like to get you into place. We need to get a record of the soul collection and a record of at least one Gate of Self going off. The first requires we wait for a shipment to arrive, or we stir up the homeless population early somehow. The second requires that I play the foil with appropriate fleshcrafting while you and other witnesses watch me interact with these Gates of Self. I really don’t want to tip our hand, but I don’t see a way of showing that Lo Fang’s fucked with their minds otherwise. There’s further complication in that we want to preserve as many of the Triads as we can. Lo Fang’s the only one we want, he’s the spider in the middle of this web of mind control and Gates. I’d hate for him to decide to kill a bunch of people just because they represented potential evidence against him. So when we move, it’ll have to be pretty fast. Ideally the dragon court would convene just as we collected the evidence, and we would provide it before Lo Fang could do anything to cover his ass.”
>[Einrik]"The timing sounds right, for trapping him with evidence he can't get rid of. When should I aim to have my assessments done by, so everything can come together as swiftly as possible?"
“Depends on the trio of dragons we're pursuing as support witnesses, mostly. I was also thinking of finding an Elder contractor and getting an Elder sensor with tamper-resistant memory space built and certified as a witness as well, which would let us be able to submit multiple articles of high-fidelity evidence."
>[Einrik]"Respectfully… good luck on getting that done in a matter of days-Elder Contractors that are known, and haven't fallen prey to their powers are not easily contacts-I should know."
"Of course I’d need to allow time for that, and I’d need to find an Elder contractor who could do it. Also, I need to talk to Hyougo and make my case for interrupting Lyubov’s visit with her.”
>[Einrik]"I… question Lyubov's worth, insofar as the prospective legal campaign goes. Whatever she may gain in the eyes of a Draconic Court for being a Witch Saint-which I must stress they view as less credible than orthodox Wizards-she easily loses for being entangled with you-and past that, her recent employment under Hyougo's domain exacerbates the situation. While I am in no way implying you shouldn't act to get her returned-as with what little I know of the Japanese child-Witch indicates she'll likely try to keep her for herself-I do not think it would be a productive investment of time or effort to try to reacquire her prior to the events that you needed me for."

I frown at that, digesting a wrinkle in the plan I've been endlessly refining for the last day and change.

"It's off-topic to what I requested your presence for, but I'd like to know more about-"
>[Einrik]"Hyougo, of course. So: A Child Witch, one of the youngest to be initiated in some eight hundred years or so, family was attacked by an enterprising mercurial Mentalist seeking to control said witch, Mentalist slain, but ever since Hyougo's shoved away all but a few-and those that she doesn't shove away, she clutches to tightly, rather like a jealous child. Ah, the perils of dealing with the immature with superpowers."
"No kidding. People have gotten comrades back from her before though, right?"
>[Einrik]"Well, yes, some."
"Define 'some'."
>[Einrik]"Something around a third, if second-hand reports are to be taken as credible."
"Not exactly stellar odds."
>[Einrik]"Yes, but you have to understand what happened that lead to the others not being reclaimed. It's not that Hyougo still holds them-in fact, it's widely known she's the lonliest Witch, and largely due to her own inability to grow up since no one can make her do so. If she's presented with the notion of NOT getting to keep her new playmates in an improper fashion that sparks feelings of betrayal in her…"
"The Mentalist was someone they knew, from before Hyougo was a Witch, weren't they."
A sorrow filled countenance makes its way through the scarred and burned tissue that makes up my conversational partner's face in a rare break from his clinical analysis.
>[Einrik]"It is truly regrettable, when one learns, too late, that trust placed, was trust misplaced. End we can't look to other Wizards and Witches to address her issue-the loose community that they comprise only sees to attempting to provide safety during the ascension of new kin, and to training said kin in their power-they do not question, reject or change the mindsets, quirks or beliefs of those that join them beyond the bare minimum necessary for the acquisition of competence with their power."
"…Okay. But if you don't try to pull them out at all-just for reference, here-"
>[Einrik]"She has a few long-term vassals that fit the scenario you present, and seem to be quite safe, after a few entrepreneurial individuals not unlike the Mentalist made their plays. Hyougo's retaliation in each case thus far has been so… pervasively excessive, that even the Neonazis have standing orders to not attempt such with her-and when have they ever been a bastion of reason?"
"Okay-so she's safe for the moment, or as close to it as I could offer her anyway. Fine. Retabling that-"
>[Einrik]"In regards to Lo Fang, I… shall make a personal admission about an aspect of my sensory state that I would appreciate you keeping to yourselves-yes, you too-" he says, with a glance to the shadow lurking beside me, "But that is not grievously damaging should it get out. For negligible amounts of spiritual damage, I can create simulacrums, fabricated ghosts of my Eye's sensory range… think of them as intangible, omnidirectional security cameras, if you will. If you can define for me places that those you need me to view will for certain be at least once over the course of the day, I can prepare for them, and capture data without personally being present-and without using any active form of scanning. It is the most hands off sensory method I can offer, which I am amenable to providing given the cautious reputation Lo Fang has acquired for himself."

I lean back in my chair, hands folded as I delve inward to peruse my ever-growing archives of Allview data.
"I can provide that for all but two of the Lieutenants-one of which is the unafflicted, Go Ping. The last two don't seem to have any regularity in where they go, on a day-to-day basis."
>[Einrik]"…Tell me: you seem to hold a measure of respect for Go Ping marginally larger than that for the rest of the Lieutenants: is it your intent to see him be able to walk clear of this unharmed?"
"It would be preferrable-and the same for the rest of the lieutenants, if feasible: it is only Lo Fang himself with whom I have issue."
>[Einrik]"Well, to be blunt, we will most likely be ending the existences of the afflicted by bringing this into Court: between Lo Fang trying to erase evidence-and I have to assume he has remotely triggerable means as well as automated-and the courts fully divining the nature of the magic through invasive and non-sustainable means… Go Ping, we can likely save, but the Gates of Self are effectively lost causes, going this route-particularly because the root Gates don't seem to at all match the Triad-involved manifestations, suggesting the criminal aspects of their behavior are likely fabricated. Even if they don't die, they'll be restored to their original minds and remerged with the original-the person you knew doesn't exist, I'm afraid, for any of them… save Go Ping."
"Which just brings every more focus to the question of why Go Ping was excepted from this."
The mass of brawn affably shrugs in a manner wholly incongruous with his burly frame and countenance.
>[Einrik]"I don't have enough data that I feel comfortable making estimations-they'd be pure guesswork at this point. That said, having a partial but considerable sample like this could be safer for Ping in any event: it would provide enough proof this isn't somehow a one-off that they wouldn't need to investigate further for Lo Fang to fully be trapped, and as such they wouldn't see, thanks to disinterest in thoroughness, that Go Ping is such a stand-out exception."
"Silver lining to it, then. …I don't suppose you can think of an alternative authority we could take this to that might leave those I know amongst the Lieutenants as-is, rather than restoring them to civilian mindsets?"
>[Einrik]"Lo Fang has no Clan we can appeal to. He's no longer officially part of the Shaolin Temple, so that's out. The Shaolin Dragon that backs him won't be held off if we appeal to a Wizard or similar individual entity of extreme power. No Elder Arbiter is available for Mortal use period, so that's out. The Seasonal Courts would look deep enough to see Go Ping's an exception which you seem disinclined to having happen. Leprechauns would be prohibitively expensive even by my families standards. …No, I think this is your ideal solution amongst the possible options open to you."
"I see."

I stand, pacing away from Einrik for a moment.
"And I have to ask-does it strike you as a good plan? I've been operating under the assumption it is, but I'd like to hear if that's logical to someone with… more breadth of experience, like yourself."
>[Einrik]"Hm. I Don't know that I personally feel removing Lo Fang is advantageous-but then, he's not interested in me, and I've only had a few professional dealings with his vendors, rather than with the man himself. Assuming he's made himself such a nuisance that picking up reins of the Triads in his wake is tolerable to you-"
"What-seriously, they'd hand that over to his ouster?"
>[Einrik]"Seems counter-intuitive, I know, but the Triads-their magical branches, at least-are very, very keen on 'best man for the job', and removing someone in a… nearly legal fashion like this is exactly the type of discreet competence they desire. I'd venture that the Shaolin Dragon would take the opportunity to be offended, should you not capitulate to such a change of position."
"That would happen to make me beholden to the Shaolin Dragon."
>[Einrik]"Exactly-that one is one of the leaders of the Triads as a whole, and has a history of being fair to those that removed past favored pawns. While I will not claim they will be a party you will love being responsible to, I doubt you'd hate it compared to the many, many other potential bosses out there. And, as national head of a criminal organization… you will find options expanded for yourself."
"Which is amazing, and why I'm almost definitely still going through with this-but to level with you, I question whether I could, right off the bat, run this as effectively as Lo Fang did."
>[Einrik]"Doubtless you won't-but that's anticipated. You'll likely end up with at least one advisor who's capable of running minutia effectively enough you can focus on larger events-macromanagement, as it were."
"Well, I can't say I'm averse to the idea of being 'The Boss' like that-hell, having that many bodies at my disposal could really change the weight classes I can run in."
>[Einrik]"Indeed. So: your shadow has provided me with the list of locals in which I should leave my sensor nodes-was there more you wanted to discuss before I begin preparing as witness, or…?"

>>491817
"Yeah, actually."
I beckon towards the titanic form of the Valkonen heir as I walk towards the Armory, intent on showing him a particular charm that's mouldered, untouched, since it… triggered… on contact with Camella. It still buzzes with vaguely unintelligible energy to my senses, as I indicate the device to my tagalong.
"Mind telling me what that seems to be?"
The big man hunkers down into an easy squat, resting on his heels as he cups a scarred chin in contemplation.
>[Einrik]"Mn. Well, I doubt you'd want to use it-it's a very niche charm."
"Which does…"
>[Einrik]"It creates a perfect copy of the state of one's soul, for later use in resetting the state of one's soul. It doesn't change magic levels attached to said soul, so really it's only useful if you have personality dynamics you want to shift. It's also meant exclusively for non-bloodlined mortals-"
"And as such I couldn't use it for convenient memory lapses."
>[Einrik]"Indeed."
"Okay-one more question, then."
>[Einrik]"By all means."
"So, tell me about this 'Monk Gore' guy: sounded pretty interesting."
>[Einrik]"Oh, him? Not much to say… A Chakra-Grandmaster Giant that founded a school of Conceptual martial arts focused on 'Breaking', who's claim to fame is punching a Hekatoncheires to death, and fashioning himself a necklace from it's hands. Quite the philosophical guy, when occasion allows a meeting. It's my understanding that Labombard's a fellow student there-and I heard Labombard invited a mortal that took a single visit and hasn't been back since-someone who sounded like your fellow, M-something?"
"Matvey?"
>[Einrik]"That was it. I'd venture that, if you got Labombard and Matvey to provide you with copies of the parts of their minds dealing with the concept, you could give yourself a solid groundwork to build on, should you wish to later take up tutelage under Gore. I will stress though, that even among Conceptual magic, Breaking is… dangerous to learn on your own. There is a reason Gore's school is one of the premier places to learn magical martial combat of subtantial worth."
"Your concerns are noted for what they are-though I must ask, why didn't you include yourself in the copy-list?"
>[Einrik]"…Pretty sure your Mentalist would laugh in your face if you told him to crawl in my head, invitation or no." He taps the glass orb that houses the glowing eldritch creature that provides him with information on the world around him, and continues, "Since this little guy does NOT make any Mentalist's visit to my Mindscape enjoyable, or anything short of horrific."
"I see. So… say I wanted to meet Gore myself-"
>[Einrik]"I've told your Shadow the words to say-just have a quarter mil on hand-preferrably in Gold, since he does his trade mostly through 'chauns-and say the words, and he'll pick you up for a week's worth of time-disassociated training. Not advisable as a 'break' while you're neck-deep in planning something, that I must stress."
"Got it-I'll bug my bro about that later, then. Well Einrik, I think that's it I had to ask you just this moment-"
He rises before I can continue.
>[Einrik]"Then I'll get started: it's going to take some time to discreetly seed the places I have to seed."
As he starts walking away, he makes an offhand remark without turning back to face me.
>[Einrik]"Oh, and Armas: not a bad plan that you've made and looped me into. Really-clap clap."

And with that, he's off.
SB, status on-
>[SB]"Seonsaeng will be available on the day after tomorrow to peruse Einrik and, upon data integrety, be available as a corroborating secondary witness. …Also, I'm not going to be able to provide disposable members of my Shade for the immediate future-I have rebuilding to do."
Anything I can do?
>[SB]"Your offer is unneeded… but noted, all the same."
Ever-present on my shoulder, HB flicks his wings in a swift buzz to draw attention before projecting his own thoughts.
>[HB]"I have lost nothing in the course of gaining both dragon's willingness to testify."
>[SB]"It's not a contest?"
>[HB]"What ever gave you the impression that things can not be contests in which to establish dominating supremacy? Well, I can't fault you your belief, given you had to compete in such an unfair matchup as this."
>[SB]"…Indeed."

I spend the rest of the day reading in the same room where Gianni and Dávgon both work on the War Golem. The Giant's remains still partly protrude from it's opened up torso, and it's not uncommon at all to feel severe agitation flaring across Gianni's soul as he struggles with the project, but not once does he even seem to consider asking for assistance, and I won't offer if he's not at least receptive to begin with. If he's chosen this to be a mountain he will climb with as little assistance as possible, I will not begrudge him that. After all, my spiritual senses compliment my fleshcrafting ones enough that, combined with my existing intimate knowledge of the War Golem's history, building and current status I can continue building my knowledge of the art of sculpting organic matter simply by being in the presence of their active work. I'll admit I particularly enjoy assessing the interactions of War Golem Soul Seed and Insectile Souls as Dávgon tests his proposed enhancement again and again.

But really, that's just the backdrop to my literary undertaking. Once again, I find myself with the book plucked out of a Ghanem's hands open before me as I take in more of that fascinating scaled knight's tale. I've come to realize, after my initial perusal, that the entire piece seems to old that… lonely, hollow feeling that Gilgamesh began to evoke after reaching his zenith in his own myth, as no matter how desperately the green warrior searches, he doesn't seem to find anything to truly push him, to make him struggle. Oh, he can cut in twain as many seas as he wants, he can heft and hurl as many mountains as he wishes-and to be sure, his obscene might is great enough both acts seem trivial to him-but rather than take pride in his capacity, he laments it, he mourns his dearth of weakness in a world meant for smaller, less profound beings than he. And he can find no solace in those that likewise are so mighty that the commonfolk are as ants before them-for even they get to see pinnacles yet before them… such as the green knight. They cannot fathom his boredom as he sits at the top for ages beyond count, a standard which countless lesser great beings try and fail to surpass. He loses hope that he'll see a challenger that can give him the deadly yet thrilling surprise he wishes to experience again, and he feels depression as not one of the rare and precious few close enough to his pinnacle desire to test the gap remaining-or indeed, interact with him at all. His very boredom and lack of interest in what's left of Creation around him has made him decidedly unpopular amongst those rare few most likely of all to understand him-and for all his world-sculpting might, he lacks the power, the means to get what he wants. Civilizations rise and fall as the knight continues to agonize… before something new happens. One of the many types of chattel he and his people raise begins to become self aware-and while ants even to the civilians he wishes weren't so beneath him, something of wondrous value to the green knight transpires: some of those ants-of-ants…. gain a power without limit or logic, something that surpasses his might along with everyone elses.

For a time, all is as the Green Knight wanted: his power is found wanting, his best, let alone his previous paltry efforts, cannot keep up. Even as his civilization is rocked to its core, even as his world begins to shrink and be diminished by the animals that have just gained self-awareness… he delights, and revels. But eventually… the first, the original, the greatest of these gifted animals, the most monumental challenge he ever set for himself…. is slain. The crucible overcome… and with it, a profound sense of loss, as the techniques he had to invent to combat that true monster now make those that gains such power thereafter… entirely manageable. In his glee, he did not pace himself, aimed too high, too fast… and left himself in the place he'd just escaped.

And so the green knight, paragon and hero of his people and the one they understood least of their mighty warriors… erased himself. He set aside his power, his love of combat-he abandoned his passions so as not to be left with such bitter hollowness on the summit, alone, and chose to become a social creature. It was a pale, pale imitation of the joys in life he once held… but it was better than that purgatory in which he'd once langoured for so long-and only just now returned to. And so the green knight's tail ends not in defeat, but with the unsurpassed warrior… losing interest upon realizing he'd run out of road on the path of the warrior to walk down. It is a sad, ephemeral ending… and I find myself enjoying the tome about the unnamed warrior a great deal. Surprised at the late hour, I go to bed, my mind whirling both with imaginings of this peerless, ageless warrior of yore… and of magical minutia absorbed and only now fully analyzed from Gianni's work that day.

FRIDAY, MARCH 18th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS:
$7,936,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $9,242,094.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 40%
WINTER ENERGY: 163
SUMMER ENERGY: 61/61



Einrik's back in the house at 2 AM, and I decide that I ight as well go meet him now rather than keep sleeping. He's currently still under glamor, having just gotten in the door, and greets me from beneath a modest bowler.
>[Einrik]"Well, all the spots have been seeded, and I'm confident Lo Fang is not so prepared as to have a means to detect such sensors. So I suppose we'll have to wait and see what happens. Now, if you'll excuse me-I need to kidnap my sister, and spoil her rotten for the day."
"Hey, go for it."
>[Einrik]"I'll come by tomorrow so we can go over what I found."
And with that, he's off.

>>491851
Even now, one thing that bothers me here is Go Ping, unlike all of Lo Fang's other lieutenants, lacks a similar scheme built into him. While it's certainly unlikely, the chance that he represents an as-of-yet unidentified pitfall to my trap is… worrisome.
>[MMM,MMMM Trait auto-activated!]
Over the course of a fifteen minute phone call with Go Ping, I lament to him how disasatisfied I was that I couldn't get some personal time with him when he was assisting in training my people, and what a shame it would be if such an issue langoured unaddressed…. and effectively guilt him into personally offering to meet, at least to chat, on this very day. Naturally, I accept, but only after getting him to assure me he won't be disrupting his schedule for it. Good… a chance to pick his brains where he'll still be going to places Einrik's seeded for observation. We plan to meet at a relatively new bistro with eccentric french chefs always happy to try to reinvent the culinary wheel, to have ourselves a pow-wow over brunch. I arrive in a flashy, neon-orange Rolls-Royce that draws an immense number of looks, and seat myself while clad in a blue silk suit patterened with the repeating phrase 'This is orange' forming faux-pinstriping on the ensemble, with solely my signature tie showing off my favorite color. Go Ping awaits me, as always clad in a well-fitted, slightly loose and utterly unremarkable drab black suit, the very same that the Triads seem to favor so very much. He orders Tuo Cha Pu Erh tea, I order Kopi Luwak coffee after hearing no less than two diners faun over the beverage just in the time it takes me to find my way to my seat, and likewise order a natto wrap (Go Ping) and a pork belly BLT (naturally, mine). When our drinks arrive and the waitress departs… we converse.
>[Go Ping][In Chinese]"Once again, I must apologize for the lapse. I had been operating under the clearly mistaken assumption that my visit was to be purely business, and that there was not time for daliances such as personal conversation."
[In Chinese]"Really Go Ping, that's quite the lapse on your part."
>[Go Ping]"Indeed it is-and again, I apologize."
"Well so long as you know not to do it again. So-how has life been treating you? Or if that's too small-talkey and you're inclined to talk about it right out… how have you been, post-May Lee golem? That can't have been an easy job to do."
With a wanly zen look, Go Ping just barely avoids frowning.
>[Go Ping]"It was… not unlike lancing a boil. Unpleasant, and certainly not looked forward to, but wholly necessary. I can truthfully say I feel more comfortable now that the situation's been resolved, than I did before."
Only that's not the whole story. Just idly looking at his soul I can see the consternation and self-recrimination, the baseless blame of 'if only' that pervades him. In a very real way, he feels that May Lee's ignoble post-death fate was his fault… but I can't see any memories flitting across his soul that would indicate he was actually involved. So far, doesn't look like he knew Lo Fang's plans. Okay…
"It must have been hard."
>[Go Ping]"To look an old friend in the face, to see the person you knew twisted into a mockery of what was, to hear them plead for their life even after slaying several of our own… yes, it is not an easy thing."
There's a discrepancy there-if I wasn't watching and fully expecting something just like this, I might have missed it: a moment where the color, the texture, the depth of Go Ping's soul-recollections shifts, just a shade… exclusively for the memory of the May Lee copy killing Triads. So. Likely a false memory to make him more at peace with what he was made to do. Interesting. I nod at Go Ping as he continues, my Soul Guise slowly taking on the tones of a sympathetic ear, someone you want to pour your soul out to.
>[Go Ping]"Past that, there's been considerable issue as several dragons have been speaking with Lo Fang about a recent wager he made."
I'm pretty sure I know which one he's talking about, but to be sure…
"Should you be telling me this?"
>[Go Ping]"Given the wager was struck with your associate Camella? Absolutely."
And there's the confirmation I needed it's what I thought it was.
"What do the dragons want from him?"
>[Go Ping]"His public recognition of the contract-they were insinuating he'd be so dishonorable to ignore a contract that would bring him harm simply because few knew of it-can you imagine Lo Fang doing that?"
I really can-in a heartbeat, in fact-and, carefully analyzing Go Ping… I can see that he, himself, genuinely thinks Lo Fang wouldn't do that. I have to assume, then, that Lo Fang's tried to keep Go Ping loyal with a minimal amount of magical alterations, or has invested heavily in getting forms that are unrecognizable even to considerable talents. Either option is telling of their relationship.
>[SB]It makes me wonder if Go Ping was being groomed as a protégé, but Lo Fang has not at all struck me as the type to plan past their own rule.
It's certainly curious… but does, so far, seem to rule Go Ping out as a trap.
>[SB]As of yet, I tentatively agree with you.

I might have turned the Soul Guise up a little too high, as I inadvertantly end up listening to Go Ping talk about quite a few recent stressful events-sadly, all of them above board-that have been eating up his time, and even get him to admit he's rather relieved to be taking a break at all. I find my coffee and my fatty BLT to both be delectable-paragons of mundane culinary expertise-and Go Ping comments to the benefit of his own meal. Eventually, he runs out of steam to vent with in his incessantly polite and proper way, and we part ways, with me quite comfortable that Go Ping really is just an exception, and not a cleverly hidden trap.

On my way back from the outing, I recall my briefly made plan to acquire an Elder Sensor Package-the plan that was formed prior to acquiring Einrik's assistance. Even though I don't need it anymore to address the Lo Fang issue… I'm already seeing why it'd be useful to have anyway, in the long run. Which leads me on a bit of a curious mental route, considering the only non-Einrik source of Elder Material I could locate: the Elder Hearts along the way to one of several arenas in the undersewers, all reported and documented on by those that encountered them. Which of course… makes me think of a certain ally, in mass duplicate, that's disseminated iterations of himself through the Undersewers, thoroughly enough he has not one, but two draconic contacts.
"Say Hummingbird."
>[HB]"Yes, human?"
"Besides the Elder Hearts, what have you encountered with Elder abilities?"
With a buzz and a soft crack of thunder, the hummingbird that sat atop my tie vanishes, as the flashily feathered avian warps into being roughly a foot before my face, hovering in perfect sync with the velocity of my skull, paying no heed to the minor detail that he's flying backwards.
>[HB]"The magic wrought by the avian relatives has been encountered in several forms, most combative-but you do not ask after the imperfect detritus I encountered, but competent practitioners Very well, I shall indulge you. As I do not think the Deep Roman, by far the most amenable to conversation of the distant kin I've yet spoken with, that effectively leaves one known source by which you could encounter a being possessed of Elder faculties and amenable to conversation with a giant simian such as yourself. Odd the Everwondering has the abilities that you ask after: comprehensive understanding and command of this… Elder force-"
I correct him without thinking, much like a child keen to show off recently gained knowledge.
"Elder magic-"
And am rewarded with a burst of Soul Bubble reinforced beak to my forehead. Rather than being drilled neatly through, my continued practice let me just barely form my own Soul Bubble in response-not that it fully stopped his own precisely defined armament, but it was softened enough he only sank beek-deep in, before sharply pulling back.
>[HB]"It is rude to interrupt, most especially when asking for information-and particularly when addressing my birdage. That said, I shall forgive your transgression, and return to your request, now that chastisement has been administered. I called it Elder force, rather than magic, because it functions as an artificial set of additional rules governing reality, much like gravitic, electric or magnetic forces. So, irrelevant of its magical origin, I correctly typify it as a force, due to it's function, rather than it's origin. Returning to Odd, it's demonstrated the ability to preferentially, partially manifest such rules to it's own benefit far in excess of blanket application-Odd's is the surgeon's touch with the art, compared to the area-encompassing hammer that most I've encountered employed in their crazed state. Should you have Elder needs, Odd could theoretically meet them but… has a burdensome desire for a most specific type of payment: Secrets. He desires dark things that if let out could ruin us, that which consumes the fettered mind at night, that which we most wish kept private. Naturally, as unfettered as I am I cannot deal with him as I have nothing personally to offer, and my honor dictates I not barter my associate's secrets such as I know them. But you seem dishonorable enough you might be able to strike a deal to your benefit with Odd."
…The funny part is he sounded like he really meant that as a compliment.
"…That answers that, then. For reference, how quickly can you have a body to Odd from which I could remanifest?"
>[HB]"Roughly ten minutes-he can be notoriously difficult to find, and I yearn for the day I can make the claim in seconds, not arduous minutes."
"I'll hope with you buddy."
He flits back to my tie's top.
>[HB]"You have my thanks, trusty mount."

A grin paints my face the rest of the drive back.

Once there, Gianni, his soul quite petulant about it, asks for my assistance with the Golem-Dávgon's certain Divine magic will function equivalently to purely mortal at this current juncture, and my raw power could finalize the Giant integration. Always up to expanding my flesh crafting experience, I devote the rest of my day 'till evening to the undertaking.

-Or I will, after I answer my phone.

My phone is ringing, and being the responsible, sensible, suave, totally cool person I am, I answer it, project be damned. Gianni goes full on primadonna pantomiming despair, but doesn't really seem to mind. But I forget a bit about being totally cool when I hear the voice on the other end, static or no.

[Lyubov] "Hey Armas! Sorry I couldn't ---- sooner, actually I just got off the phone with -- mom. But it seemed fair to call her first since you got informed -- person I was leaving and anyway uh. -- How're you?"
"I've been worse, could be better. You know she got informed, rather expediently- rather personally too, in fact. In the middle of the night."
I promptly orient Allview on Lyubov. She’s still in that same bright red and white kimono she was wearing when she was playing guitar for Hyougo earlier today. She's sitting in the garden, her back to the table of books, apparently alone. No phone in view, and... she's not moving her mouth when she speaks, and she seems to be squinting fiercely, not unlike someone trying to will a price lower during a sale.
[Lyubov] "-She mentioned that. I didn’t realize Labombard’s senses ---- so keen, but- yeah. She still complained about -- not telling her in person, myself, even though there was a 60 second limit I --- working with and I know it takes her longer than that -- wake up enough to understand anything.”
"Are you having fun studying?"
[Lyubov]"The books --- dry, and Tesla lumped more study material --, he was totally -- board with Hyougo's idea. I don't mind having to study, I mean, I know Hyougo needs me.”
There’s a pause there, and her expression briefly softens to something contemplative as the static surges-and then her focus, as it is, is back.
[Lyubov]”To know all ---- stuff. So I can do a good job--. But I miss you, and Sake, --- Placid and Hillevi and my mom and everyone really."
I decide I’ve had enough mincing words.
"Okay tell it to me straight, how secure is this line right now?"
[Lyubov]"It's - soul program based on a runic program -- a cellphone interface Loki did. I'm not running --- version of it though, it's original work that used his -- a reference. So, it's not even - normal phone. And I -- using an encryption package that works with what your phone has. Also that was hard -- make!"
"Right, figured it was some divine mumbo-jumbo, but Loki? That's interesting. I would have thought Tesla- ah but he doesn't like to spoil you does he?"

At this point Gianni finally stops with the antics as it's clear this'll be a long conversation, and flounces off to the golem room, knowing I'll get there eventually.

[Lyubov]"Nikola is a very firm believer -- learning the long and hard way. Anyway, Loki does lots of divinetech knock-offs -- mundane technology. Passes them off as his own ideas, which -- sort of a dick move --- I give him full credit for the implementation."
"He sounds like a perfectly upstanding businessman to me. So, you look nice in a kimono."
She smiles at that little compliment.
[Lyubov]"-Why, thank you! Hyougo's fun to play dress up with. I'd never worn a kimono before Monday, --- know. It's actually really com---table."
I put a little leer into my tone.
"What are you wearing underneath?"
[Lyubov]"Well, I'm wearing -- under-kimono called a hadajuban. It’s got padding on it -- de-emphasize my waist.”
“And what about under that, Lyuba?”
She bites her lower lip.
[Lyubov]”I’ll show --- later.”
"Aww you're no fun. Maybe I won’t even rescue you after all."
[Lyubov]"I need to be rescued?-"
"Do you like it there?"
Yet again, a surge of static as she looks inward for a spell prior to answering.
[Lyubov]"---It's very peaceful, ---- safe. It's a good place for someone who has been knocked off balance by trouble all around ---, for someone who feels responsible and doesn't like it when things don't -- her way. So it's an easy place to like. That doesn't mean I want -- be here forever, and while being taken in the dead of night --- sort of off-putting, I'm not going to let it spoil anything. I've been playing with Hyougo - lot. More hanging out with her than doing -- studies, really."
She’s kind of babbling, but she’s also not out and out saying how she feels. Is she trying to avoid tripping alerts to Hyougo, or just trying to practice general information security?
"Mmhm. Sake and your mother keep bugging me to steal you back. And to keep an eye on you."
[Lyubov]"My mother said -- keep an eye on me?"
I pause at that one.

Oh, right, she wants to be sure if I’m implying I told Svetlana about Allview. Well, I didn’t and I don’t plan on doing so, so…

“Not quite. More to keep an eye out for opportunities to get you back safe and sound. I'm doing what I can."
[Lyubov]"-I understand. It's got to be pretty crap for her, she just got me back after she thought I was dead, --- she's been dumped in the world of magic, and unlike us she was never a soldier. So maybe she's viewing this kidnapping -- me being taken permanently, when really, it's not. Hyougo's a good person, she's just used to her way being --- way things go."
"While we're on the subject of her having her way with you, how might we have you too? Because I'll do my talking thing but she is a witch we're dealing with. Good kid or no."
[Lyubov]"I'd like it -- you could just come and visit. Spend some time with her --- me together. Maybe, uh, meet her folks. They're both very... nice. I'd call them Gloomy but they're not really. Her dad ---- to play guitar, but sort of quit a few years ago because he woke -- one morning and felt like he wasn't as good as he used to be."
Gloomy. As in Gloom, our ex-employee, who I specifically told her I had ordered mind-ripped so that he couldn’t give away secrets. And the dad used to play guitar... I’m getting an ugly picture here.
"Yeah I could do a visit, maybe get her to think of me as a friend instead of the guy trying to take the only one she has from her. Her folks... I would like to meet them. They sound like they must be very... dedicated to routine."
[Lyubov]"They --- perfectly predictable doting parents. They... hm. Did you ever see ---- movie Coraline? You know, the one with the dolls with the button eyes-?"

I remember the story. Coraline was a story about an 11 year old girl who discovered a portal to a world that was a magical mockery of her mundane and quiet life, who was tempted by it, and ultimately rejected it. In the process she locked the portal to keep the monster living there from preying on others.

"I actually read the book when I was in Iraq. Well, listened to it. One of my squad mates loved to listen to books on tape."
[Lyubov]"Well, ok, so. You know how -- Coraline it was the monster who was ---- posing as Coraline's mother in the Other World, right? I was thinking the story would have been more interesting if there had been no Other World. -- instead the Other World and the Real World in the story were the same place, and Other Mother hadn't been - disguise for the monster, and --- Other Father wasn’t just a construct? What -- they were Coraline’s Real Parents, turned into - mockeries of themselves by the monster? And what if the monster had been -- hiding, and Coraline had discovered that they had been tampered with, and --- found a way to fix them? Or try to?"
I’m getting a real clear picture here now. Interesting that she’s couching this as a modification of a story we both know. In fact…
[Lyubov] [Lyubov]"And what -- instead of being eleven, Coraline was seven, and even more scared, and there'd just been - fight all around her? And then right after she 'fixed' them her saviors got mad about it and warned her off trying anything like that again?"
[RRRRRR Traid activated]
Given the way she phrased this story, and her earlier mention of what Hyougo’s house is like, she could technically claim she wasn’t gossiping about Hyougo. Does Hyougo have a lie detector or gossip detector of some sort?
"I get it. Damn. She had no idea what she was doing."
[Lyubov] "So, I think it's not so bad I'm here ---- her. I'd really like to be able to come and go and spend time with you --- everyone, and her too. But right now, I'm not mad or anything."
"Yeah it's probably a good thing you're there, maybe you can prevent… problems. So, when do you want that visit to happen anyway? I'm kind of elbow deep in Triad business for the next while."
She perks up in her seat, her posture shifting even as the scowl-like focus remains.
[Lyubov]"--- you finally making your move on Lo Fang?"
"Yep. I'm hoping three dragons and an Elder fetus is enough testimony to nail him in court for illegal soul tampering. Wouldn't mind getting you on board for some data review, but I can't use you as a proper witness so it isn't urgent or anything."
[Lyubov]"What kind of data --- we talking about?”
"It looks like most of his officers are some kind of Gate of Self, controlled and used to produce replicas. The one I observed close up was different than yours, only contextually active and it had a different... flavor to it."[/color]
[Lyubov]"Yeah, that sounds pretty ---. You would want me to look at them?"
"You would ideally make independent observations, yes. But as I said, draconic court isn't likely to put much stock in your word, because of our association."
[Lyubov]"Do Dragons understand human love? Or -- it more 'we've been burned before by mates lying --- their mate' or, uh… yeah?"
"I think they probably could understand it, but make a point of not doing so. You're also my employee, remember. And heavily divine which dragons tend to... dismiss when they can. Anyway, if you can back up other testimony as accurate it could help, but anything unique you come up with would have to be confirmed by someone else."
[Lyubov]"Well, what's the time frame -- this? It sounds really fascinating."
"We're trying to take him out as fast as we can. Days, ideally. Not sure what we'll do with his underlings once he's out of the way because I still don't know just what is up with them."
[Lyubov]"How was the Gate of Self set up -- them? I thought Lo Fang was a chakra guy."
"Nothing confirmed for setup, he might have used Elwen Embla to set them up but the theory's shaky so far. I figure he's using chakra 'gates' for his control method."
[Lyubov]"Implanted chakra gates that connect -- him. He wouldn't want them to be able to survive if he died, would he? "
"It is unlikely that he would.”
[Lyubov]"So, he could -- doing all the filtering and providing the power to keep the Gate of Self stable, and keep the Gated ones sane each time -- peels another gate-copy off."
"Worst case scenario, they go with him. But I'm hoping it doesn't come to that."
[Lyubov]"If you -- nothing, then they'll all end up dying as soon as he wants them --, or going insane and then dying not long after he does. But - Gate of Self requires some significant energy to keep stable.”
“His power source, at least, is pretty undeniably illegal if it is what I think it is, and can prove it. Soul harvesting.
[Lyubov]“Soul harvesting would work, but they'll need - replacement power source after he's gone. And -- illegal solution won't work. They're also all going to need help with their filters, if he's doing that --- them. No filters and a Gate of Self just drives a person insane, with the speed of erosion in direct relation -- how many Selves are connected, and how much they interact."
"Eh, if it comes down to it I can probably cannibalize his chakras, maybe with Whaitiri's help, and run them off my energy. SB should be able to filter using Shadowfiends or something too. But I'd have to do it in a way that didn't get ME in bad with the Accords."
[Lyubov] "Eating the flesh connected to the chakra roots would be legal, but setting them -- so they're connected to you instead would be tricky legally. If --- were a god, you could claim to be making them disciples or something. How would they, --- you, feel about them being Whaitiri's?"
"Both pretty shitty, really. Something tells me she's not the best boss and I wouldn't want to do that to them. If they just passed through her hands it should be fine though. She takes them, I buy them off of her. Looking pretty pricey though, she doesn't like sharing or giving back if she can help it. So, I assume you have another idea?”
[Lyubov]"Maybe close --- Gates?"
"Works for me, if I can do it safely."
[Lyubov]"I have -- idea if it can be done safely. Everything I know about Gates -- Self I learned from looking -- myself, from talking to Davgon, and from Tesla."
"Einrik might know something."
[Lyubov]"Einrik's not - divine specialist. Though, I suppose he's probably ---- learning way more lately, huh? Anyway, as far as I know, all Gates of Self are ultimately -- Divine origin, hence why the Gate of Self thing -- only really an issue for Witch Saints and none -- the other Conduit formats that I've heard about."
"That is an interesting bit of info there-especially with Endman out there. It would definitely be Einrik's style to seek out information on the divine recently, especially since your transition. "
[Lyubov] "If --- Gates can't be closed safely, the only other option is to hook them up -- some power supply we can keep running so they don't die."
"I could probably do it. You too, actually. Maybe even easier politically."
[Lyubov]"We could probably copy -- filter setup. Or -- they were hooked to me, just... run them through it too."
My blood runs a little cold when she suggests tampering with her own Gate.
"We aren't taking risks when it comes to your Gate, Lyubov."
[Lyubov]"Uh. Well, maybe --- should talk to Big Crazy about divine format chakra gate interactions with mortal chakra --- souls? He knows a few things."
"We'll deal with it when it comes. In the meantime, it's moot if you're stuck in Japan."
[Lyubov] "Right. Maybe you could ---- put them into stasis until you were ready to make them part -- the heart of the company?"
"Stasis is an idea, possibly a necessary one. Not too sure about the heart anymore, really. All the cool perks require pretty tight linkage and some people are pussies about that sort of thing."
[Lyubov] "Have --- been talking to people, or just re-evaluating as you get to know everyone better?-"
"Me? Talking to my employees? Surely you jest."
[Lyubov]"-- ha. I thought you --- Matvey were on OK terms."
"Better than ever, actually. Honestly though, it's part I'm seeing where people's boundaries are, and part that I have a better idea of what boundaries would need to be crossed for the idea to work. I trust my bros and don't have a problem with them being in my head, but not everyone's going to think the same. And then there's magic contamination and it would fuck over Matvey's Transcendant thingy he's got going. Probably others too."
[Lyubov]"Well. Alright. -- what were you up to?"
"Just got working on a thing with Einrik."
[Lyubov]"Sounds ---- fun. How is he?"
"He's good. He's got some fun ideas about how to do the evidence gathering."
[Lyubov]"I wish -- were talking about this in bed, in that twilight period where we--- both really feeling good and getting ready to doze off."
"Me too Lyuba. And not just because I haven't had sex since Sunday, honest!"
[Lyubov]"How's Placid and Hillevi? --- Silja, did anyone let her know what happened?"
"Uh... would you believe me if I said I've been really busy. Like super busy. And my head exploded. Honest."
[Lyubov]"What. Armas, they're your wards."
“Placid is, like, blocks away and you know how I get. And Hillevi's been working on some project with Satai or something. They're fine."
[Lyubov] "Placid is - two minute walk away, -- you're really slow and pokey. And what about Silja?--"
"It's more that he's not under the same roof. I get... distracted. Silja... doesn't want to see me for now and maybe I should have bugged her anyway but I thought I'd have had what I needed to negotiate you coming back before now and...”
I can see the disapproving frown on her face through the Allview.
“... and it's not really that great of an excuse I know."
[Lyubov]"Just keep her -- the loop, okay? She's been through so much, I would hate --- her to think another friend abandoned her. And Placid, just tell him the truth."
"I don't want to worry her either, she has enough of her own stuff to deal with. But yeah, you just not showing up one day... I'll make sure they know."
[Lyubov]"Okay. And, make ---- Placid understands that I've forgiven anything that happened that could be seen -- being wrong or rude according to the previous conversations he --- I have had about politics and politeness, and that Hyougo's my friend-."
"Alright, alright. But about that trip. As long as I'm 'on call' we should be able to do it whenever, basically."
Lyubov stands and starts moving toward the house.
[Lyubov]"Being able -- see you would make my day. I'll bring -- up with Hyougo, ok?”
“All I can ask. Going to dinner?”
[Lyubov]”-I am, they just called for me. I should ---- up, I guess.”
“I guess you should.”
[Lyubov]”I'll call --- again. Or you can call me. ---- Sake I'll give him a call tonight, ---- he's really awake. And please pl--se please check up on your wards.”
“I will. I miss you.”
[Lyubov]”I miss you too. - love you.”
“I love you too, Lyuba.”

Hanging up, I take a breath, already planning to visit Silja and Placid tonight-thankfully, Einrik's so damnably competent and wingman inclined I'm pretty sure he'll ferret out Hillevi doesn't know and break it to her gently. One of the many reasons he's basically my magic BFF. But first…. Gianni time.

I can't rightly say just how long I work on the Golem with him: time just doesn't seem to flow normally as I entrench myself deeper into the golemic refining process. I know I learn I can artificially bulk the soul/soul seed of a body to allow it to handle more rough, rigorous fleshcrafting than it normally could-a means to reinforce a subject before manhandling a problem I immediately deem as incredibly useful. But most of all, I enrich, by increments, my understanding of working with just about every magic source purely through the incidence itself: integrating a Conceptually-attuned corpse into the smorgasbord of magic that is the golem is, while not exactly difficult, ludicrously involved-and I soak it up. Eventually, the last of the corpse is gone… and Igor comes on in to reseal the armor to his satisfaction, muttering to himself about the modular plate he's expected to build. With that done…. the golem, I find, is largely complete, in terms of actually hitting the field. In the Giant Integration, I readily noted the sensory filtering custom organs Gianni implanted that feed to the three brains and a torsal quadernay data storage for maximal robustness. I also took stock of the new technorganic nerve offshoots, little more than grafted wires integrated with the nerves, feeding to tiny hard points on the exoskeletal armor no doubt for hosting cameras or other technological sensory devices.

Yep, with that Giant body integrated and Gianni's augs in, the Golem's fully ready for field testing once we get it a final Cyclops Eye. Then we can really figure out what it needs to be perfected.

With that done… I have a quite moment, respectively, with Placid and Silja alike, explaining what happened to Lyubov. Placid wasn't as panicked as Lyuba anticipated-merely introspectively contemplative. Silja, on the other hand, absolutely needed the reassurance, as she'd been certain she'd somehow offended Lyubov. ..Well, that's that.

SATURDAY, MARCH 19th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS:
$7,936,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $9,242,094.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 35%
WINTER ENERGY: 163
SUMMER ENERGY: 61/61


In the morning, Einrik meets me even as Shadowbro and the Hummingbird alike chime in that their guests are ready, when needed, to have a swift private word.
>[Einrik]"So, a swift confirmation: My findings absolutely back your supposition, so we should be fully ready to complete our legal trap. And on that note… respectfully… I think you should let me speak with them on your behalf, and not take part in the meeting with the three of them."
"What, my name and/or persona not in good Draconic standing."
>[Einrik]"I do not believe they know how to appreciate the worth in you, and while it is to their detriment they can't, the fact remains that this is how it is. Respective to yours, the Valkonen name has much more weight, and by speaking on your behalf they will judge based on that, even though they know this is ultimately at your behest."
Bro?
>[SB]I agree with his assessment.
"All right Ein-man, I'll leave you to it. And, ah… bad time to say it, but-"
>[Einrik]"Kazadora's in town? No, don't feel bad-I knew before Hillevi told me, and likely before you or Matvey knew she was here-I have kept the information personal, as she's very much the type that my father's direct methods will not easily capture for proper retaliation. So… no worries, I believe is the right phrase."
"Indeed. Knock 'em dead Ein."
His scarred visage is twisted into a devil-may-care grin so filled with bravado and confidence that it melts a decade from his countenance.

While Einrik goes out to meet the Dragons, I sit down to read the finale of the tome on the green warrior. The days of peace are pale and lacking the vibrancy he craves, but are bereft of the hollowness that he despaired over. In a sense, his change of life focus has been, if not good to him, then nondamaging, which he seems content enough with. But ever is he watchful for those moments where he could take up arms in earnest again, always eager to face a new crisis that might test his mettle… and none ever seem to measure up, each burst of hope quenched by the comparative drabness of reality. Eventually, so much time has passed that the last time he truly believed he could be challenged was beyond millenia ago-so long, in fact, that the animals that gained sapience have started to properly develop a culture, primitive as each rendition is. They are contentious and still utterly pathetic on the hole… but they continue to demonstrate remarkable divergence, occasionally producing gems… though none so great as that first. And so the scaled knight, the one time warrior and now long time bored keeper of culture and a dying hope clung to his last spark, hoping that some day, this meager race would produce a gem as wondrous as the first, and give his life the dazzling passion he craved with a hunger as old as time.

…The final galvanizing paragraph reads thusly:

And so the scaled knight, he without peer, he cursed with loneliness and apathy by his incredible might, the originator of the myths of three famed beasts of incomparable power lived. So Tiamat Bahmat Ryujin's beginnings were, he who now is famed to own humanities future.

There is no signage stating who authored the book…. and I'm only barely so awesome I avoid starting as the Amen notes I have visitors moments before Labombard shouts from the door.
>[Lammy]"Allala's totally on board, so everything's good, and hey, you have a guest!"
A cold chill goes down my spine as I realize I can't feel the visitor's soul. With leaden feet I adjourn to the entryway….


And see Owner waiting beside a clearly nervous Frenchman. His spectacle-clad eyes flit down to the tome still in my now numbing fingers.
>[Owner]"…I was wondering when you'd read that which the Ghanem heir worked so hard to track down. So, what did you think?"

…I just read the Owner's origin story and learned his Name, and he's just…. looking at me, not even a trace of emotion or tell gracing his features.


I feel very, very small.






What do I say to Owner?
After he's done, do I want to do anything besides talk with Labombard about Allala, and wait for Einrik to finish his discussion?
>>
No. 493765 ID: 5d98c3

>>493743
Dohohoho! That Ghanem, what a scamp, setting us up like this. Let's burn his house down.

As I am not really a people person, I'll just say let's try and collate all we know on the most powerful being in the entire history of the universe ever... He's good at writing books, owns a ritzy restaurant, and can throw Australia into the sun, and is older than the entirety of human existence. I suggest polite complements on his dress sense.

Also, we really should go visit our wards after we figure out how to not get killed so hard our corpse flies back through time and kills us last week.
>>
No. 494146 ID: c6319f

Seriously? Is Armas seriously shitting his pants? What happened to the man who stared down two dragons and a devil, bluffed a giant shapechanging fish monster -twice- armed with nothing but his wits and a half-effective magical arsenal, Dealt with a being who nearly killed him with conversation alone, or unflinchingly faced a Demon Prince's knight? Who went on a roadtrip with the Mad Drunk, has dealt with two local wizards, and attempted political manipulation on a fourth? Boo fucking hoo if Owner is potentially the most powerful being on the planet and killed the strongest wizard in history; Owner or "mere wizard", Armas is equally dead if they so choose. Grow a fucking spine Armas, this isn't the you I remember.

"I think I'm sorry I can't help the knight. I don't think I'll ever be able to." It's true, being the kind of being that could present Owner with a challenge would be amazing, right up until he killed us and even then, well, that's pretty awesome. I'm sorry Armas will never be that awesome. But more than that, I'm sorry that Armas can't be that awesome for Owner. His circumstances are truly tragic, not in a pitiable fashion, he is too large and too grand to pity, but he is bored. Boredom is an enemy Armas shares, a nightmare he flees from desperately and hopes will never catch up to him. And out of all the creatures on the planet if any individual truly deserves respite from it, it is Owner. And so it is that I am genuinely apologetic that Armas cannot help fight that most terrible of enemies.

"And I think there is a very good friend of mine that I would recommend this story to, if you would allow me to hang on to it for a while longer. Until they make their decision, at least. It is an inspiring story for the right kind of person." Camella would benefit from knowing just what Owner is, at least as far as her association with him goes. Really, she ought to know. And if there is anyone we know who can somehow defy all sane limitations and surpass the possible to challenge Owner legitimately, well, it still isn't Camella but she's the best shot of anyone we know.

After that goes the way I intend and totally doesn't backfire with terrible and/or ominous results, and while we wait for Einrik to conclude his discussion, we should phone up Baki and inform him that we officially accept the Yakuza offer of non-aggression between our organizations. And say it just like that "our organizations". Because that obviously includes all organizations Armas takes part in organizing. Which shortly will include the local Triad, if things go as Einrik predicts. Starting out with a non-aggression agreement with a competitor, even a tenuous one under somewhat faulty premises is a major boon.
>>
No. 494155 ID: cc2e78

tell the owner that you enjoyed the read it was inspirational, and you cant wait to be their when it ends.

Also while small now Armas will eventually be the one on top of everyone, Owner is merely a stepping stone on along the path to ultimate power.
>>
No. 494454 ID: c6319f

Addendum:

Remember that Svetlana already bought the third Cyclops eye on March 9th and that it arrived the next day.
>>476374
>She also informs me she's managed to make a Cyclops eye purchase-she's rather certain she got a solid price for it, citing market metrics she put together as indicative that Cyclops eyes normally go for 700-1000k, with her having acquired one for 620k. It's getting delivered tomorrow morning-so I know what Gianni, Davgon, Placid and I are all working on.

Also remember that she was tasked with purchasing Catoblepas lungs on the same day, a task she has likely completed by now.

>>493765
Sake and SB should still have Ghanem's secret which, if memory serves, either of them are allowed to sell. To Odd the Everwondering perhaps?
>>
No. 494517 ID: 252e1b

>>494155
>tell the owner that you enjoyed the read it was inspirational, and you cant wait to be their when it ends.

Man, that could be taken as saying, "I'm going to kill you one day." Don't do that, SUST.

>Also while small now Armas will eventually be the one on top of everyone, Owner is merely a stepping stone on along the path to ultimate power.

This is Owner, he's one of the most individually powerful beings in the world. Lucifer, maybe a couple of the God-Wizards, and maybe one or two of the really ancient skinwalkers are what are in his league.

When Armas is in the league of normal wizards, when someone like Hyougo isn't a dire threat that could end him completely, then we can start thinking about Owner. Ok?

>>493743
"The story was captivating and interesting, though the ending felt a bit ephemeral. As in, the same feeling the phrase "this too shall pass" evokes. And that's what," a glance at Labombard at this point, "what the Green Knight's hoping for, isn't it? For the fallow season to finally pass."

"I was not sure of what the magic in the book does, but I can guess now. I noticed I did not find myself readily distracted from it, once I picked it up. I wanted to give the book the attention it was due. And of course you've been keeping track of the book, as a way to know who wants to learn about the Green Knight? The language it's written in was is anachronistic for some of the imagery evoked; it initially leads the reader to believe the Green Knight is a medieval European knight, even though the language it is penned in fell out of human use some 700 years prior. I assume this is to make mundane researchers who might stumble on it dismiss it as a joke?"

Also, if we can, we should remind SB about that conversation we had with Lyubov and the suggestion that maybe we can save the Triad Lieutenants by slapping them with stasis charms. We obviously can't save them all like this, since some are going to have to be investigated by the dragon court as evidence (and thus shouldn't be 'adulterated' further by outside magic like stasis charms), but we can probably save a few (at the very least from being killed outright by Lo Fang's preventative measures). If we can get either a 'disposable' double of each lieutenant, or the Gate of Self version, without compromising the dragon court's investigation or Go Ping's safety, we should. This is keeping in mind that they probably won't initially want to work for us once they re-synch and their implanted criminal tendencies are erased, as the aim is to keep the ones we save from both Lo Fang and the Dragon Court as grateful to us as possible anyway, for future favors or even employment in non-criminal pursuits. If we have to start picking and choosing, then besides Go Ping we should go with the lieutenants who Labombard thinks the best of, and Meng Yun because face it that dude is awesome.

Again, the stasis idea is only if it's at all feasible. It may not be. SB is in the best position to judge that, at this point. Yes, SB is rebuilding, but between him and Sake it shouldn't cost more than a little energy and some wind-via-shadows shenanigans to literally slap a charm on the targets and trigger it, and then a bit more energy to shadowport the targets to a holding area where we can examine them and un-do whatever fuckery Lo Fang did, once we have his (wholly owned by Camella) soul to advise us on just what he did.

One-use stasis charms are commercially available, and we have a few in stock at the moment. If we need to buy more, they're only $60,000 or so each.
>>
No. 494557 ID: cdc7fd

Whatever you say, it needs to end with "And Orange is better than Green"
>>
No. 494586 ID: 328fa0

Alright. First thing off the bat? No provoking one of the most powerful beings in the world. We don't have to be a coward, but do not be a dick. That ends horribly.

Second, after reading ze logs in ze chat, a certain idea popped up. Why not have Blade serve as the figure head of the Triads? As is, we are going to be taking on a criminal organization as our own. One with strong ties and the like and their own allies and enemies. That could lead us into problems we are not QUITE ready yet. However, if we simply pass the buck to Blade, he can take care of THAT sort of stuff while we still remain free agents. Hell, with the right wording and plan, we could STILL get a hold of the things we want from this whole situation.

Besides, seeing Blade in Lo Fang's seat, doing nothing of importance would be a great postmortem troll at Lo Fang.
>>
No. 494719 ID: ce9629

>>494586

>Besides, seeing Blade in Lo Fang's seat, doing nothing of importance would be a great postmortem troll at Lo Fang.

The best part is we can still force him to see it.

And there's jack shit he can do.

laughingarmas.png
>>
No. 494955 ID: 6de77b

It was truly a riveting tale. Oh, where are my manners, welcome to my humble abode. Can I get you anything; food, drink?
>>
No. 495045 ID: d4d2e5

"Would have been better with orange instead of green."

>>494146
>>494517
Upvotes to these because they're good at thinking and I'm not.
>>
No. 495358 ID: 6de77b

>>494586
And we film it. Film everything. Have we been filming Blade? Why are we not filming Blade.

The number of people who would pay to see Lo Fang suffer like that? Brilliant. We don't even have to include what we were showing Lo Fang. Make them crave it, curiosity is a powerful motivator.
>>
No. 495363 ID: b439da

>>494146
>>494517
Upvote those because i am not up to date on what's going on and they aren't too dumb.

There is something that must be brought up too: Armas has a standing Deal with SM for five years of NN if he manages to kill Jet Fang- OTOH, the meeting was confusing, and he should check with SB and so on whether he needs DUKE to be the one killing Jet Fang.

About the Blade thing- the advantage there would be Armas wouldn't need to defend Triad interests, wouldn't have more complicated relations with the Mafia (Gianni could be put into a difficult position there), and wouldn't threaten our burgeoning relationship with the Yakuza either. It would also be ridiculous.

Now that Einrik is back, Armas should ask SB if he wants Armas, when he is going to have fun sparring with Einrik, to try and force Einrik to use certain kinds of techniques (SB still probably WANT to glean more info about Valkonnenn and Einrik tchs). I am sure SB LOVED the brofist.

Speaking of SB, it's been months now since he said he would soon talk to OG- how did that go?

>>482613
>I tap my ice-shrouded, metal and paper wrapped eye with a grim smile, even as I bump the total number of souls watching Lyubov-and Hyougo-up to forty.
>"I'm Watching her, observing her mannerisms, predilictions and innate inclinations. Barring an unforeseen complication, the simple passage of time should provide me what I need."

Armas should remember that he has a habit to say crucial information when he is high on emotions: his talks with Riker, telling Lyubov about Allview, and now all but showing Sveltanna that he has Allview.
>>
No. 495943 ID: b7d2cc

>>493765
Oh that Ghanem pissant heir, what a scamp. I feel like making his house a bonfire to express my enjoyment of this little debacle.

>>494146
Moment of inane levity passed, I delve more fully into quantifying how I feel. Knowing that my shadowy brother would be more than happy to chastise me should there have been actual fear in my reaction, I am pleased to note a critical distinction between what I felt, and what I might have felt. In place of fear at a superior threat, I experienced a sensation of relative scale, not unlike standing beside an elephant. You are cognizant of the elephant's potential might, of it's ease at killing you-but you don't fear the elephant for it. And with that awareness… comes the ability to exploit and manipulate, just as one might more safely do with their peers and inferiors.

…And Iron Trick, cut that shit with the memetics out or I'll give you to Igor to make rivets out of.
>[IT]"-owerful being on the planet and killed the strongest wizard in history; Owner or "mere wizard", Arm-"
Really, really now? It's worth being rivets?
>[IT]"I'm almost done anyway, and I had fun coming up with this-now, where was I-RIGHT: Armas is equally dead if they so choose. Grow a fucking spine Armas, this isn't… isn't.. yeah, lost it's flair, with you catching on."
Because I'm totally not going to notice a Divine Artifact I always have on me attempting to meld it's spiritual signature into my skull: yeah, real stealthy, there.
>[IT]"I confess I may have grown used to the secrecy my magical efforts normally are met with. I nevertheless regret nothing. Also, you're up on a third of a second realtime, now, so you might want to actually answer the lizard."

..Putting my thoughts back to the matter at hand and not how I feel about it, I answer the question of the most powerful dragon I've ever heard of.
"I think I'm sorry I can't help the knight, and that it's highly unlikely I'll ever be able to."

The funny thing is, I mean it-not technically, or barely, or any sort of just-barely-true way: I really get Owner's problem. Or at least, I feel like I do. However sorry I may feel that I'm not so blindlingly awesome that I could be the boredom breaker for a being like this-which would HAVE to be fun-what I empathize with most, is the nature of his plight. Boredom is something I became intimately familiar with in my military years, and no matter how different our circumstances, no matter how presently envious I might be of the magical pinnacle Owner inhabits… I can understand well, the neverending flight, the attempt to escape inexonerable dullness, the doldrum banality of everyday life.

My opening comment is met… with nostalgically sorrowful eyes, as if the Owner saw in my answer the answer of a hundred, a thousand past perusers of his tail-a polite refutation of their potential use to the ever-bored magical behemoth. It is an expected… and altogether depressing answer to the man, like yet again being assured a flavor of ice cream's been cancelled, and won't be coming back. I find myself comparing the look on his face to that of my uncle Arkvad, when he spoke of his old favorite whiskey producer, long since shut down, an ennui-filled stiff upper lip and a smile that can't avoid being bitter at the edges.
>[Owner]"…Unsurprising. But is that all you think about it?"
>>494155
"Frankly I'm tempted to say that it was so inspirational and relevant to me that I'd love to be there when it ends, but-"
>[Owner]"You are concerned with how I might interpret such a statement…. well, fear not: I know you aren't offering to be the solution to my woes, however much I might want you to be such a thing."
The smile he sports has a macabre imposed youthfulness that lets me see a hint of the unfathomable age the being before me has existed for, a sense of age and dispassion that has till now been expertly concealed. The moment passes, as he re-erects the barriers that implacably keep me from reading anything more than he wants known from his tone, posture or expression.
>[Owner]"Well… I shall say that your intent, in such a comment, is as well received as it could be."
He stares at me expectantly, clearly looking for more. I begin to wonder how large of a chunk of the excitement he can dredge up in the modern era comes from speaking with those new to his legend.
>>494517
And so I do my best to put my thoughts into words: irrelevant of motivations, the Owner has been far more… forgiving, and indulgent of me than any other Ruling Dragon I have yet heard of, and it is only fair, to do him this small honor.
"The story was captivating and interesting, though the ending felt a bit ephemeral. As in, the same feeling the phrase 'this too shall pass"
' evokes. And that's what…"
I glance at Labombard at this point, hoping the nebulously cloudy look in Owner's eyes isn't a portent of poor reception to my words,
"That's what the Green Knight's hoping for, isn't it? For the fallow season to finally pass."
In a voice as old and tired as time itself, a dark chuckle is offered as preamble to the Owner's response.
>[Owner]"…I do not think there is a thing I wish for more strongly, than for the… as you said, 'fallow season' to pass."
Still does the dragon stare at me, waiting, questioning, probing with his silence.
"I was not sure of what the magic in the book does, but I can guess now."
Some of the melancholy of millennia untold lifts from the dragon's countenance as he listens with his usual irreverent interest while I try to explain the nature of his intellectual trap.
"I noticed I did not find myself readily distracted from it, once I picked it up. I wanted to give the book the attention it was due. And of course you've been keeping track of the book, as a way to know who wants to learn about the Green Knight? The language it's written in was is anachronistic for some of the imagery evoked; it initially leads the reader to believe the Green Knight is a medieval European knight, even though the language it is penned in fell out of human use some 700 years prior. I assume this is to make mundane researchers who might stumble on it dismiss it as a joke?"
>[Owner]"Just so. There are… many… that object to publication of one's own legend, and while I can understand their rational, it is disheartening to see them apply it en masse, rather than recognizing there are times when one seeks their tale to be heard for reasons other than self-empowerment."
"While unjustly universally applied edicts are a topic I could no doubt converse with you on for some time, in respect to your request, I have a few more thoughts to offer."
That faint, grandfatherly smile lacking all of the warmth you'd associate with such a seemingly open expression is all the reply my preamble gets.
>>495045
"For one thing, I must note that it would have been better with orange instead of green."
Owner blinks.
"I mean no disrespect to the color green, but one of it's strengths-it's pervasive nature in the world at large-in a way diminishes it's impact. I can grasp that there's certainly value to adhering to something relatively everyday while becoming anything but, it's certainly a fascinating dichotomy, but really I feel the tale's message could actually be better served by having a color similarly dispositioned to the focal character."
The ruling dragon dressed in blue's chin mildly spasms for just a moment, a localized expression of what could well be surprise. That said it passes as swiftly as it comes, and I find myself thoroughly unsurprised I hear none of it in his actual diction.
>[Owner]"As no doubt fascinating of a transition in tone of tale that conversion could provide, I feel I am too attached to accuracy to perform such alterations."
"Understandable."
>>494955
I clap a hand theatrically to my head as I mantle my visage with the look of pure self-recriminating consternation and exasperation, my face a mildly ghastly caricature for the act.
"What an atrocious error I've committed! Please-do forgive my lack of prompt manner: welcome to my humble abode."
I step aside, welcoming Owner-and Labombard with him-into the Amen house.

The moment Owner sets foot inside, I feel… the house become a shade emptier-and I'm not thinking about my brother's cabal.

While the Owner seems content to regard the décor of the foyer in silence, the frenchman shrugs helplessly while sporting a feckless grin, heavy shoulders heaving before he grunts out a comment.
>[Labombard]"I'd recommend telling him."
I give the loup a piercing glance as I thoroughly put my full magical focus behind analyzing his soul. …Nothing feels out of place, but I'm hardly an expert.

Without having turned to face us, the dragon interjects his own thoughts on the matter.
>[Owner]"I do admit curiousity as to what you're doing, specifically. Certainly, the generalities are there: your associates contacting three separate Turkish dragons in the same timeframe, a loup spending long periods with a vampire sire-again, same timeframe, and associated with you. Certain goblin merchants have heard nothing on a topic they have previously been quite versed in. The heir to an old Bloodline, by mortal reckoning, has returned to the city, who does not frequent his usual haunts for a visit to the city-and of course, who is that heir good friends with?"
A roguish grin that makes me think of a shark circling bloody waters provides the physical punctuation to his analysis.
>[Owner]"I find myself happy I stepped back my passive detection measures not long ago, as it left me to truthfully need clarification from you."
Left unspoken is the fact that he could have leveraged any of no doubt untold numbers of contacts, or simply put more effort into his proverbial snooping… and didn't.
>[Owner]"So, what is it you plan?"

>>494586
>>494719
>>495358
As I consider how best to put my plan, my ever-present trollish tendencies, as they are wont to do, kick up an unrequested idea…

And it all falls into place.

"Well. I could tell you exactly what I'm doing, but realistically I'm confident you'd find a single aspect of the endeavor far more important than the overarching plan itself.
>[Owner]"Would this aspect happen to have been devised during this very conversation?"
"It would be my preference to neither outright confirm or deny that, if possible."
>[Owner]"Request granted: so?"
And here's where I see if I've got Owner's motivations pegged as well as I think.
"I want to replace Lo Fang with Blade, and film the entire process, as well as his bungling in the role."
The predatory grin comes back-but his eyes aren't really seeing me, so much as staring at a distant figure unseen with the relish of a slowly nursed grudge.
>[Owner]"Now that is an idea I can get behind."
He rubs at his jaw as he speculatively lids his eyes. Then, he nods, decisively, and looks at me… a little less like I'm an insect, amusing or no.
>[Owner]"I think that will merit sufficient personal entertainment that I find it wholly worth investing the effort to keep that old Ich-Hunter from orchestrating your downfall in reprisal for the laughingstock you'll make of the local Traid outlet."
Dignity and composure, years and gravitas slough off of the Owner like an avalanche baring a mountain's core, and deep within…. I see an almost childlike glee stirring.
>[Owner]"She's not outright deplorable in her manipulative skills, and can be creative on occasion… yes, protecting you from her, a shadow war against a passable player I haven't faced in quite some time, and giving one of my preferred individuals into a more prominent role in which to enjoy him… yes, this amuses me."
In an offhand tone he continues.
>[Owner]"I'm assuming you're going to bring Mr. Fang to Court over his transgressions. Are you certain you have sufficient crimes note to install Blade? If you need more, I suppose I might suffer a lapse in judgment and ramble on my own-old age, you know."
"I've got three dragons, a sire and Einrik all giving testimony about the Gate of Self use."
>[Owner]"Not an isolated incident, surely."
"No, multiple examples-"
>[Owner]"Good… and what else?"
"Assuming we can use that to capture him before he can trigger the destruction of evidence, I can at least point any investigative force at his soul-harvesting."
>[Owner]"Excellent, you noticed that. Yes, that should be quite enough-bravo, eschewing the need for me to throw you a pity clue."
I almost cut myself with the snark in my retort.
"I am utterly unable to state how profoundly grateful I am for such a compliment."
>[Owner]"You can hardly expect me to have high hopes of your competence this early into our acquaintance, and the offer was made with good intentions."

This is when I find myself emminently thankful to see Einrik stepping out of the room, nodding at the additional draconic visitor.
>[Einrik]"Has there been a change in plans, or…"
>[Owner]"Actually, I'll just excuse myself-things to set up, as it were."

The dragon takes a moment to make eye contact with me, the weight of ages once more adorning him like a mantle of consummate authority.

>[Owner]"My thanks for livening up my morning, and I'll be sure to see you at the proceedings."
With that, the dragon walks back out of my house as suddenly yet quietly as he entered it-and with his departure, the house once more, feels… full. Labombard immediately turns to Einrik.
>[Labombard]"Since that was partly my fault, I'll recap it: Owner likes the plan, provided the plan now affords Armas placing a frontman."
Amen, insure our current conversation does not carry past myself, Labombard and Einrik.
>[Amen]As master desires.
"Not specifically a front man, but yes I fully intend to snag a 'consulting' position to still have appreciable power as well as freedom."
The scarred Valkonen pauses at that: he's apparantly quite versed with how… exploitable the title 'consultant' can be.
>[Einrik]"Does the who of it matter, or is it just getting a body there?"
"Well, it does matter who, but they're not going to be a front for their power or competence, but rather their reputation… and the amusement thereof."
>[Einrik]"…Are you going to propose that mostly-mundane Owner keeps talking about?"
My answer is a Smile.
>[Einrik]"Right. Well, that should be doable, actually: in lieu of yourself, you can propose someone to take up the mantle that will be left vacant when Lo Fang's ousted. …I hope you're ready-"
"For draconic reprisal from the Shaolin? I am-or rather, Owner is ready for it, as the cost of the entertainment he'll get out of this."
>[Einrik]"That is rather useful. Did he happen to just hand you any other amazing gifts?"
"Well, if we didn't have enough to fuck Lo Fang he'd have given a bit more intel, but we seem to have that covered as-is, in his opinion."
>[Einrik]"And you didn't try to squeeze some more out of him?"
"It was tempting, but I just might value a modicum of respect from the dragon over a marginally easier trial, strange as that thought might be."
>[Einrik]"Well, not like the Owner's respect isn't at an extreme premium… okay, past that, what's the plan? We have to leave pretty much right away."
"Okay, so here's how this'll go down when we present the case…."

Even as my mouth slithers, I can feel SB departing to make contact with certain members of the Yakuza, Tongs and Mafia regarding a hypothetical change in the management of the Triads….


**********************************************


After Einrik regroups with the three dragons (All of whom are pointedly focusing on him, and not me), Labombard and I join up with the yellow-veiled, wholly obscured Allala, who seems to delight in teasing my lupine companion about being used as a bogeyman to scare some sense into dimmer-witted members of her clan. Well, now I know what 'service' he gave her.

I have to admit I'm not entirely focused on their byplay. To be sure, part of it is considering just how I'm going to phrase my arguments (as Einrik assured me my part, primarily, will be selling the Court on Blade in lieu of yours truly) and more of my distraction comes from what was said before we left. 'The Court will see to promptly securing the accused and the purported evidence' was the phrase the random-ass dragon acting as judge for this case said. I'm not too worried about whether that was heartfelt or anything-I saw the significant look Owner shared with the lizard, who was clearly a Turkish dragon. I'm pretty sure the evidence doesn't REALLY matter at this point, with the boss of the judge heavily invested in my success. Doesn't mean Einrik won't play his part. But while the verbiage and the following exchange are clearly important, ultimately, it's the path itself that dominates my focus, over company and context.


We float within a Soul Bubble of the draconic Judge's making (which I'm not only shoving every single bit of personal sensory data on into the Allview's storage, but I've also temporarily diverted the entire eye's population to assessing), and float, clearly unseen, above the streets of Istanbul, heading towards the Bosphorus. On our trip over the docks I faintly note other potent spiritual presences not unlike what I've come to associate with 'Dragon' making their existence known. Presumably, that's them collecting the evidence… and… there goes an entire baseball diamond's worth of dock. I suppose that's one way to ensure you get all the related spellwork of a tiny supply closet of soul-stealing.

I find myself growing immensely smug as I sense Lo Fang's soul interacting with one of the draconic signatures… and promptly going static. And just like that, as a bit of a mid-flight theatre, I watch the Istanbul-based Triads surgically dissected en-masse, by a rare, Ruling Dragon authorized draconic excursion. To those allowed to see it, stone flows as if molten, wood ripples like water, and humanity is subject to the whims of alien looking beings that defy simple description. With at least one of their number on the job keeping the entire event discreet, the remaining dragons revel in a chance to be above ground and in inhuman form: tentacles spotted with sensitive spines and peering eyes direct staggeringly potent forces.

…Let's say I'll have plenty to review under the file heading 'Draconic Magic' after this is all said and done.

While life in Istanbul continues unmolested in our wake, and the Triads are left with a reptilian chaperone, the diverse gaggle of draconic soul bubbles flows towards the waters of the mythic straight-

And reality promptly kicks everyone in the throat.

Instead of water, we submerse into a flow of raw magic, a torrent of overpowering force that roars to my senses…. and that I only identify as a leyline thanks to a timely comment from Ein-man, conversing with our corroborating witnesses. In this veritable vein of tera, this life stream of gaia we swim, and while the sheer majesty of what we traverse blinds me to anything but the most proximal magical stimuli, I relish the experience, privately dazzled by the garishly potent neon lights that prismatically shift and scintillate all of us travelers.

The mystique of the ride through the leylines in draconic soul bubbles is shattered by the inevitable: our arrival at the destined location of the trial. Awash with the ever raging forces of planetary magic crashing and flowing about it without pause, an obsidian heart the size of New York, a sable subterrainean death star implacably awaits our arrival. What looks to be darkened crystal of a decidedly solid nature is as vapor before our incoming party, and we float as if ghosts through the titanic structure's mass… and come to a stop in a large room, a hollowed sphere who's floor is a series of stone rings arranged in concentric circles. While the Dragons that escorted us all-stasis'd Lo Fang included-bustle about, getting themselves in order and grouping the captured triads on one side, I pay close attention to the room's existing occupants. The few I can sense are undoubtedly draconic, even if, for the moment, everyone has assumed a form that, if not humanoid, is at least euclidean. I see the coiled serpent body of Seonsaeng, the marble form of the Deep Roman, the scarecrow-esque collection of tattered cloth that is the Rakshasa slayer. I see the beasts in varying draconic form ranging in size from hummers to apartment complexes neatly arranged to fill every modicum of open space. But most of all.. I see a humanoid scaled figure in brilliant orange robes that glitter and gleam as if the sunset made solid… and what looks like a curly-haired greek in a lab coat. While I have no trouble recognizing the preexisting animosity in the shaolin color-clad humanoid, the apparent scientists' focus is… more nebulous to explain.

I end up breaking eye contact first as the judge dragon-who's name I STILL havn't heard-finishes getting everyone in position, and with a nod to the dragon beside Lo Fang's still imobilized form, rumbles out a single word in latin.
>[Judge]"Under the authority of the worshipful Tiamat, let this trial begin."
With a jolt of temporal stabilization, Lo Fang returns to the here and now-and after a brief moment where his body spasms in a smorgasbord of dozens of sudden reactions at once, he stills betwixt his chaperones, adjusting his collar as he eyes the saurian in orange before looking on towards the arbiter himself.

He doesn't even look at me while doing so.
>[Lo Fang]"Honored Draconic overseer, I request knowledge of why I have been brought before this august court."
With a glance to Owner as if seeking permission, charges that seem thoroughly unsurprising to Lo Fang are read out.
>[Judge]"We have four credible witnesses testifying to having sensed your illicit use of forcibly imposed Gates of Self on your peers. Further, we have been provided physical evidence that you've been trapping the souls of fellow mortals for personal use-none of this being under established and accepted contract."
>[Lo Fang]"I believe that ultimately, what I do with my fellow simians is inconsequential before the esteemed figures of this court-whatever I may do to them, is something that could not be leveraged upon your own personages."
>[Judge]"This excuses nothing."
Another pointed look from Lo Fang to the orange clad dragon.
>[Lo Fang]"Does that fit established precedent?"
At that, Owner decides to weigh in.
>[Owner]"It most certainly doesn't, by Chinese draconic standards… but you're not in China right now, and I do take the Accords seriously in my land."
The hobbled and broken countenance of a man destined for the gallows descends over the conniving Triad boss… former boss. Seeing his defeated demeanor-or perhaps taking Owner's word as law-the judicial dragon turns to face me for the first time in the official proceedings.
>[Judge]"Armas Laine: You have brought an issue of import before the Courts of the majestic Tiamat, and as a result of your input, a notable local figure will have to be removed. In accordance with draconic law, you are required to fill the vacancy your actions create."

I don't even need to look at the Shaolin Dragon to know that they'd just love to be my boss.

But as much attention as I COULD pay to that, I instead focus on the newest, latest, and last arrival to this decidedly private shindig that even my spirit animals and shadowy brethren were not invited to: A confused looking man named blade inexpertly hiding uncertainty at his situation behind grand-standing bravado.

Well. The final actor/stage prop needed for my plan is here-and Owner's certainly on board with the idea. That said…..






How should I present the idea of setting up Blade as the new Istanbul Triad boss to the court?
Sample options
[Go for entertainment value-play up how much fun watching Blade bumble will be!]
[Go for pragmatism: The Triads don't serve Turkish interests, but Blade's a national.]
[Go for the peace-offer: explain how you can use Blade to create peace between the local mortal criminal syndicates]
[Write-in]
(In general, write-ins are more likely to experience success, whatever it is you choose to define as 'success' here: No matter what, you can, and will, get Blade installed: Owner will see to it. The question is what message that action will be taken as conveying)
>>
No. 497143 ID: 6de77b

Pragmatism.

We're ACTUALLY doing it for entertainment, but they don't need to know that. Plus just doing things for the shits n giggles isn't very professional. These may one day become potential employers
>>
No. 497154 ID: 5bc24d

>[Judge]"Armas Laine: You have brought an issue of import before the Courts of the majestic Tiamat, and as a result of your input, a notable local figure will have to be removed. In accordance with draconic law, you are required to fill the vacancy your actions create."
“May i present another possibility, your honor? If the ruling is such that I have to fill the vacancy, I will obviously have to follow Draconic Law, but in this precise case it would seem counter-productive. As shown by the need to fill in a vacancy, Lo Fang isn't just his own person. Given the current war footing the mortals organizations of Istanbul are in, I believe that Lo Fang's organization itself should be seen as punished. After all, our esteemed Ruling Dragon take the Accords seriously here, and the other organizations could be tempted to use 'patsies' in order to break the Accords without real punishment. This is why I believe Blade, here, would make the perfect candidate for filling this vacancy. His reputation is such that no one would doubt that there HAS been punishment, but it is ALSO known that he is favored by the Turkish Ruling dragon, which means that, for all his potential lack of personal ability, people would not dare to strike at him directly. As such, I feel Blade is a perfect choice to stop the war footing: someone weak that you cannot directly attack. As long as there are enough competent Triad leaders left that could advise him and take care of the minutiae- or even a counselor he could contract out- the actual loss for the Triad as a whole could be minimal.”
>>
No. 497168 ID: 48f625

Alright. Before we do ANYTHING, let's look at the facts; For the most part, we are going to get Blade on there, but how we are going to reason it is going to change how the dragons are going to react to us. We DO NOT want to piss off the Triad Dragon, but we ALSO don't want to swear fealty or loyalty to her since she WILL make our lives horrible.

Now, the three paths given to us? Got good and bad parts there. Entertainment will give mixed results and will ROYALLY piss off the Triad Dragon. Not a good idea since while Owner did promise to protect us, our allies may be a different matter. Pragmaticism may serve the best. We are not a national ourselves, and the whole case was someone from a different country using their laws instead of the local laws. Repeating that would look pretty bad for all parties involved. Besides, Blade is pure and wouldn't preform the treachery Lo Fang preformed(partly because he can't into thinking meats.). He also works well with the local gangs which the Triads are now mostly comprised of. Finally, peace is likely not going to happen. In fact, no matter what, the other big groups are going after the areas the Triads control. This is understandable. Lo Fang artificially inflated his turf by using these tactics and this is a natural result. The question is, how big the fall out you want? Putting Armas in the mix will make the entire situation volatile and will very likely invoke a full on gang war with the magical parts of the gangs. Would probably cause a lot of collateral damage, paper work, cover ups and all that. Not very pretty and likely not something the magical community would like. Blade would provide a safer decrease. No need to get the magical stuff out, just claim whats possible with normal means. The triads would likely end up with more this way and with far less casualties than if a magical bruiser leads the Triads(even though he is quite charismatic). Besides, bringing out a Local Big Name after the last one pretty much used some very illegal methods would paint a bad picture for the Triads.

In the end, Pragmatic would be the best of the three standard choices, but if possible, combination of the three may work. Blade is a local who's leading the gangs, does not know and would not follow the laws of other lands, him taking the head position would allow the Triads to safely withdraw and fix the holes Lo Fang made in the Triads while not bringing about a bloody magic gang war, and from his current.. track record, he's actually pretty accomplished for being so young. Reckless yes, but he's growing quick and with the right people behind him, he'll work perfectly fine. We simply carry too much baggage and have too many risks with our use while Blade, as young(inexperienced, brash, and stupid) as he is, would allow the Triads to safely work themselves back up after such a travesty and betrayal of trust and law.
>>
No. 497191 ID: 252e1b

>>495943

I reject your options and choose… TRUTHFUL DECEPTION with a significant element of PRAGMATISM

>[Judge]"Armas Laine: You have brought an issue of import before the Courts of the majestic Tiamat, and as a result of your input, a notable local figure will have to be removed. In accordance with draconic law, you are required to fill the vacancy your actions create."

“Your honor is operating under a different interpretation of the facts than I am. While it is true I brought this matter to the court’s attention, I did so to further the interests of third parties, with my own benefit and profit being secondary to getting the job done. Indeed, were it not for those third parties I would have not brought this matter to the court’s attention at all. May it please the court, allow me to introduce a party I have been engaged by, a capable mortal who prefers the moniker of “Blade”, in honor of the katana he claimed from some riff-raff troublemaker who plagued the streets of Istanbul briefly before cutting his losses and making his way to other parts of the middle east.”

“Before you stands the party principally responsible for the change in leadership. I must ask the court, why not assign this position to him?”

At this I gesture at Blade. Before the judge can respond, I drive the point home.

“I am a recent arrival and known Gun for Hire, but Blade is a Turk through and through, by birth, by blood, and by every qualifier for citizenship that matters.”

“He has organized a local band of men appropriately enough called the Blades. He recognizes when he should hire out for help. He has an intimate understanding of mortal matters, and the Triad are principally a mortal organization. And most importantly, he sought my services in the first place. It wouldn’t be right to deny him his due.”

"And besides, who better for an organization like the Triad than someone who managed to keep out of the court’s notice entirely until the critical moment? Blade was never at risk of being discovered by the defendant throughout this entire evidence gathering phase and trial. Not until this critical moment, when he was invited in to stand and be recognized."

“Of course I do benefit from this. I’m a mercenary leader. I fully expect Blade to hire my company often; to be a repeat customer, so to speak, so I can help him keep the Triad running in the manner Lo Fang did. The model Lo Fang picked is not a bad one, and has encouraged a net decrease in gang activity through the country. It just needs some tweaks to really be legal and sustainable. But that is really a matter for Blade to decide, as the new head of the Turkish Triad.”

>>497154
Not really a usable approach, the dragons will (correctly) cite that the Triads are beneath their notice unless the law is being broken. It also calls attention to the Owner connection to Blade, which is just rubbing their faces in it. SUST, but only because of the cited reasons.

>>497168
A Pragmatic approach to the problem, but one which ignores that Dragon Court has its own rules. Specifically, HE WHO SMELT IT, DEALT IT (i.e. if you point out a problem, you inherit the organization).
>>
No. 497235 ID: c6319f

>>497191
I want to marry this post, will you give the bride away to me Buttz?
>>
No. 497237 ID: f164bf

>>497191
Upvote for this plan.
>>
No. 497412 ID: 5d98c3

>>497191
Anything that would cause rage on this scale has to be good. Although admittedly the Triad Dragon may literally hate us to death, I say it's worth it to upvote this plan.
>>
No. 497464 ID: c30a1a

>>497412
Hate beams from his eyes? We can regen from soul damage.
>>
No. 497879 ID: b7d2cc

>>497191
>>497235
>>497237
>>497412
>>497464
I theatrically clear my throat whilst adjusting my tie, with all the noble dignity and gravitas I continually find hilarious in others.
>[MMM,MMMM Trait auto-activated]
“Your honor is operating under a different interpretation of the facts than I am."
There isn't a hint of a glance at Owner-but I can feel the judge's attention on the currently immobile ruler.
"While it is true I brought this matter to the court’s attention, I did so to further the interests of third parties, with my own benefit and profit being secondary to getting the job done. Indeed, were it not for those third parties I would have not brought this matter to the court’s attention at all."
There's a murmer at that-ah, how being truthful helps, when you twist the truth without breaking it.
>[WORLD LIKE GOLD has ascended from use in a draconic court to the level 5 trait, Word As Good As Gold, which allows Armas to serve as a credible witness in any form of mortal court, and force draconic ones to acknowledge his observations for legal proceedings, provided he continues to tell the truth.]
"May it please the court, allow me to introduce a party I have been engaged by, a capable mortal who prefers the moniker of “Blade”, in honor of the katana he claimed from some riff-raff troublemaker who plagued the streets of Istanbul briefly before cutting his losses and making his way to other parts of the middle east.”
Even as I see several of the dragons in attendance clearly recognizing my nonchalant reference to Blackbeard's recent presence in the city, I look past the narrowed eyes of the Shaolin Dragon to Blade himself, currently frozen in the proverbial headlights. At a gesture from Owner, one of the Dragons standing in a loose circle about the court like guards gently prods the gangster forward, and he just barely avoids tripping over his own feet. In fact, he's thereafter so focused on NOT falling on his face in front of monsters, that he doesn't even seem to notice when he's made his way to my side, and I clap a hand on his shoulder whilst continuing my pitch.

“Before you stands the party principally responsible for the change in leadership. I must ask the court, why not assign this position to him?”

At this I gesture at Blade, who up close has turned a fascinating blend of yellow and green. Before the judge can respond, I drive the point home.

“I am a recent arrival and known Gun for Hire, but Blade is a Turk through and through, by birth, by blood, and by every qualifier for citizenship that matters.”
His mouth moves to open for a moment-but I can see the veracity of my claim in his soul's surface, so its no wonder he doesn't actually objected.
“He has organized a local band of men appropriately enough called the Blades. He recognizes when he should hire out for help. He has an intimate understanding of mortal matters, and the Triad are principally a mortal organization. And most importantly, he sought my services in the first place. It wouldn’t be right to deny him his due.”
At my last comment Blade looks at me again, his eyes finally widening in recognition-before a clear thought flitters across his soul. He has now decided this is either a dream or a hallucination, and is convincing himself to run with it. Works for me.
"And besides, who better for an organization like the Triad than someone who managed to keep out of the court’s notice entirely until the critical moment? Blade was never at risk of being discovered by the defendant throughout this entire evidence gathering phase and trial. Not until this critical moment, when he was invited in to stand and be recognized."
The Owner clears his throat, and my speechification is put on hold: I'm not talking over a man that can turn every head in the room with a cough.
>[Owner]"Mr. Fang, is it true that you were not previously aware of Blade's association with the events that brought you here until being informed of them as of this moment?"
Another glance is shared with the Shaolin dragon, before the captured Triad replies with more dignity than seems proper for his plight, and I act to ignore the ever-growing deathgaze being thrown my way by a certain asiatic lizard.
>[Lo Fang]"That is correct."
I nod as if it was never a question.
“Of course I do benefit from this. I’m a mercenary leader. I fully expect Blade to hire my company often; to be a repeat customer, so to speak, so I can help him keep the Triad running in the manner Lo Fang did. The model Lo Fang picked is not a bad one, and has encouraged a net decrease in gang activity through the country. It just needs some tweaks to really be legal and sustainable. But that is really a matter for Blade to decide, as the new head of the Turkish Triad."
And at that, Blade opens his mouth.
>[Blade]"That’s right-and just in case there's any yet that doubt my qualifications to be a crime lord-"
Oh god did you really need to phrase it like that?
>[Blade]"Then I ask the room this: raise your hand if you've ever duelled the guy that goes by 'Owner' and walked away from it without a scratch?"
He then promptly raises his hand, the only one in the room to do so.

The claim sounds ludicrous-and is, to those that know the open joke involving the event. But, happily, Blade has stuck to something that is strictly true-and we are both rewarded for his luck.

A deep, booming, rolling wave of thundering laughter makes itself known. Something biblical, something mythic, something godly and all-encompassing: the amusement of a titan bubbles out of T.B.R.'s mouth and I know the day is won.
>[Owner]"Pragmatic plus passionate- a pair of arguments that fit rather well together, I would say."
In truth, it's just a comment-a single utterance. But just like that, the interest in how the case will go shifts in the eyes of nearly every audience member to the interest in how the result's fallout will fare. Before the judge has even begun speaking again, it seems clear it's a foregone conclusion-and I see Lo Fang's shoulders staying firm as he looks resolutely ahead. For his part, Blade is sporting the proud, consummately cocky grin of someone convinced of his own invincibility-rather appropriate for someone that's decided this is all a dream.

The judge clears his throats, all four of them.
>[Judge]"Given the logical presentation of why a national as decorated as Blade would be a preferable choice to a migrant mercenary, this court finds the substitution in replacement acceptable. …Human Blade, you are to assume the duties previously held by Lo Fang, who reported to the individual over there-" The judge gesturing at the orange-robed saurian, who irks out a clearly fake nod to their new underling, "And manage the Triad syndicate's interests in Turkey."
>[Blade]"I'll be the best boss there ever was-they'll tell legends about my exploits, and I will be the gold standard all other bosses are compared against. Monk Dragon Dude, your mooks are in good hands!"
Did he just…. oh that is hilarious

The Shaolin dragon stands up as the air begins to taste of death-

Owner stands as well.

There is, briefly, a staredown. Even as other dragons largely act to keep themselves out of the potential line of fire, Blade boldly continues to look utterly convinced nothing could so much as mar him-and I look on with interest, reasonably confident in my comprehensive regenerative abilities and node-based existence being able to keep me 'safe' in a worst case scenario. Ultimately, however… nothing comes of it. The Shaolin Dragon sits back down… and look at me. The dragon doesn't blink or waver in its focus even as Lo Fang's sentence is proclaimed-and his death enacted. With a crackling thunder of power, his soul wrenches its way free of his body, struck down without a single blemish, and is hauled off by chains quite infernal in appearance… and shortly, my phone buzzes with a text. I find it rather unlikely that's anyone but Camella texting me to confirm she's received a certain owed soul. I don't feel particularly inclined to be the one to look away first.

Eventually, with Lo Fang's nigh-automated demise and Blade's official enstatement, the quibbles of the case come up: that being, what to do with the Gates of Self themselves, currently present in Soul Bubbles that seemed to have locked them in stasis. The Shaolin dragon says nothing-nor, in fact, does Owner. Interestingly, though, the very moment the Judge has finished explaining that their fate is not guaranteed but strictly should be vaporization, there is a dragon that speaks up: the only other humanoid shaped saurian in the room besides Owner and the Shaolin Dragon, he of the greccan curly hair, and the rumpled lab coat, who preambles his comment with enthusiastic arm waving and a bright smile.
>[Science Dragon]"Yes hi hello: I utterly comprehend why the protocol is as it is-but I suggest lenience in this case, given the newly instated Triad Boss, no matter how… profoundly competent he is, will still need knowledgeable advisors from within the organization he's taking over, as Armas Laine-fan of your company's work so far, by the way-will be acting in a more objective, less Triad-oriented consultant role, which isn't the sum total of what a new boss would need, and as such it would seem wisest for the nation's magical interests if he had that support, isn't that right Ryu?"
After the breathlessly energetic stream of consciousness the unnamed dragon spewed I am gifted the singularly rare sight of Owner… frowning in general consternation, but waving a hand in permission to the suggestion.

Just like that, with ZERO effort on my part, all of the afflicted Gates of Self have been remanded to Blade's care… which just so happens to mean they're mine in all but name. Still… who IS that, and why'd he push for something like that? It's a question that bothers me through the remaining official diction of the Trial's closure with it's judgement exactly as I hoped.

The moment the case has ended , the Shaolin Dragon is gone without even a ripple of pressure or a flash of light to denote his departure, while Owner simply smiles bemusedly at me, not unlike a man nostalgically watching a boxing ring being set up before the fight. I turn to Blade, intent on getting my hooks deep in his psyche while he's still convinced none of this is real, starting wi-
>[Science Dragon]"Laine-Armas Laine or I suppose you might prefer Mister Laine since I certainly can't call you boss, I must say what an excellent performance that was: it's not often you see humans handle themselves that well in a draconic court and why, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're a dragon in all but name now, aren't you-and isn't that fascinating!"

That… doesn't seem to be a question, but I don't need Owner's sudden sobriety to tell me that the one I'm speaking to is… anything but run of the mill, even by draconic standards. I take a better look at my accoster-and prior judicial ally.

He's not a particularly tall one, at five foot eight, if that, and I'd wager he doesn't weigh more than a hundred and forty pounds, assuming he's actually built like a human under the hood at the moment. He's got an aquiline nose that I suspect could crack walnuts without issue, and cheekbones sharp enough to shave with. In fact-from his dynamically pointed chin, to his bobbing adams apple, to his bulging eyes-every bit of his human form looks… exaggerated, hyperbolized, dramatified in a way that just barely doesn't push him into the Uncanny Valley. His hands have been perpetually in his pockets for the entire exchange, and this close I can see what looks like a smorgasbord of stains, tears and hairs dotting his white coat. The total ensemble, taken together, is insidious: even KNOWING he's a dragon, even knowing owner pays attention to him, I want to think of him as just being some science geek, a test-tube flunkey of no importance.
>[Science Dragon]"Oh where are my manners I can't assume you know my name can I-no, it'd be rather interesting if you already knew, but you can't-so I'll tell you: Pre-Civilization Independent Dragon number Six Hundred Sixty Six, Promethian Lucifer at your service!"






How do I respond to this… eccentric dragon?
And past that: what AM I going to tell Blade while I bring him over to the docks, now that the trial is over?
>>
No. 497890 ID: c31f72

Offer the dragon a brofist. Claim its the companies traditional greeting to magical entities capable of surviving it. Don't hold anything back with the brofist.
>>
No. 497894 ID: 9b3d17

>>497890
Ah, the joys of practically being unkillable!

Agreed. Brofist him, don't hold back, and WATCH HIM.
>>
No. 497896 ID: 5d98c3

>>497879
Man, Triad Dragon is going to kill us so hard Europe explodes.

Anywho, Ur-Lucifer here seems legit. Politely greet him, without promising or implying anything whatsoever.
>>
No. 497901 ID: 14bafe

>>497894
Einrik's bro-fist destroyed our arm? This one is probably going to destroy all of us.

For Blade, I believe he hired us for a total of one thousand dollars? Man that was forever ago.
>>
No. 497907 ID: 5d98c3

>>497901
I think it's still a good idea. Maybe if we're lucky he'll punch us into last week, then we can have time hijinks with ourselves!
>>
No. 497928 ID: 48f625

>>497907
I'd rather not test that theory myself. Got to know the limits and the guy who is both Lucifer AND Prometheus is pretty much PAST those limits.. for now. Tis a goal for the future though; A two way fist bump with Owner and Lucifer.

Still, this is an honor. Be respectful, but ourselves. If he liked our work, maybe we should inquire what he liked? Would certainly be quite the experience to receive a review from Lucifer.

As for Blade? That is going to be something in of itself. Blade did see us 'die', so if he brings it up say that due to some friends, some brothers-in-arms you could say, you were able to escape the horrible fate.

In terms of talking to him about the triads, be sure to go with what works. Blade is very much the 'action now, paper work much later' sort and is quite cocky and still thinks it's but a dream. We can use this as a means to get some of the disciples we like to join us in all but name. Say that it's to train them in their job properly so they will be able to do the jobs that are beneath him. Could also be used as a sign of good faith, trust and as 'payment'. After all, what's one or two guys when Lo Fang is about to get HUNDREDS more?
>>
No. 497950 ID: 5d98c3

>>497928
Lo Fang is very, VERY dead. His soul will likely be made into a desk lamp. Do you mean Triad Dragon?
>>
No. 497959 ID: 48f625

>>497950
I actually meant Blade getting plenty more instead of lo fang, but I must admit, part of me enjoys the idea of a Lo Fang lamp when we need some 'Lo lighting'
>>
No. 497977 ID: 5d98c3

>>497959
....We must offer Camella a million dollars for Lo Fang's soul, just so we can that pun. Hopefully keeping Lo Fang awake that he may know what it is to feel nothing but puns for always and eternity.
>>
No. 498261 ID: 252e1b

>>497890
SUST, giving away that much information is a bad idea (there's a lot one can learn by taking a brofist hit like that).

>>497977
He's probably worth more than that. Let's try to figure out a value for him that's fair. Camella's our friend, business comes second with friends. Just asking "would you be interested in selling" would give her a chance to think about it. We can do some nosing around to get an idea of market values, maybe talk to that dealer in second-hand souls we know of.

>>497896
>>497928
I agree with being polite, but I'm going to take it a step further. Don't say anything of substance. Assume every aspect of Lucifer's presented personality is tailored to make us feel like talking to him. Think about the persona he's presenting here: babbling geek. Armas has never felt threatened by those kinds of people. Lucifer is an ancient power in his own right, and Owner's willingness to treat him like he's not just a peon indicates such.

"Hello. It is nice to meet you," and then just stop. Say nothing else. This guy is incredibly dangerous and it will be in our best interest to just let him do all the talking. If he asks why we're being so quiet, "I intend no rudeness, and I offer no slight or insult. I just don't have anything I wish to say."

And that's it. That's how I think we should deal with him.
>>
No. 498294 ID: 14bafe
File 136259230443.gif - (4.93KB , 237x257 , Aftermath.gif )
498294

I just want to offer up my imagining of what would happen should this fist-bump occur.
>>
No. 498349 ID: 5d98c3

>>498294
The gavel's a nice touch.

I take it you're supporting this proposal? Come on man, how often do we get an opportunity to gauge how physically strong these omnipotent beings are? If we ever fight them, they'll just erase us from history or kill us with Hate Lasers.
>>
No. 498454 ID: c6ce12

>How do I respond to this… eccentric dragon?
This >>498261 sound fine, I would like to hear what he has to say to us however.


>And past that: what AM I going to tell Blade while I bring him over to the docks, now that the trial is over?

Here's what I'd like to do with Blade, assuming the conversation with Lucifer doesn't abruptly change our plans or whose incredible power and pull causes massive ripples that push us like a wave towards other, more important things.

The main objective for our walk/drive with him towards the docks is to establish our new working relationship with him and spin it in a way he'll both understand and be, if not extremely happy with, then comfortable. It's mostly a formality, all the pieces have been set in place and the dragons have officiated the part we'll play, but this is the kind of formality that's important. So maintain the front that we're here to take the unimportant tasks off of his hands and make it so that he can just be him and do his new job.

As we arrive at the docks we should have him allow us to conduct an inventory of his new holdings. There is a lot of potentially valuable and interesting things Lo Fang had, we shouldn't need to take any of them from the facility. Our position as advisor should allow us to openly use them and move things around at our leisure if we spin it right. So while this flurry of activity is going on mention that we'll need to take several /long/ hours looking through his predecessor's belongings, cataloguing supplies, disarming wards, and that he's perfectly welcome to join us as we facilitate the grunt work for him. Basically after making it sound as unappealing as possible he will hopefully decline and leave us tour Lo Fang's former facility and examine things. I'd like to see what's left of his disarmed death factory, where he got those rage drugs that got Labombard addicted, what he was doing with those hopping vampires, and generally see everything he kept hidden from us. We can have a couple people sent over to assist the process for appearances. And under the guise review or disposal we should eventually get Savoy's arm if that's still around, look through all the tomes on magic Lo Fang has and have Shadowbro use our memories afterwards to transcribe a set of copies and do the same for various files.

>>497890
As amusing as the thought is we should not give Lucifer a brofist. SUST.
>>
No. 498522 ID: a37cd4

>>498454
Upvoting the whole of this sensible post. I'll also add that if we do go to the Triad soon, making sure to recharge/filter/control the gates of selves so that they don't immediately die is of import.
>>
No. 499025 ID: c6319f

>>497890
SUST brofists. They are a precious resource that must be conserved for the worthy.

>>498261
>>498454
Upvoting both of these posts.

We should be polite but non-committal in our communication with Lucifer. He's up to something and I doubt it's good for Armas. We can't operate in his level of political arena at this point, but it's possible we can delay his machinations by not waltzing directly into them.

As for Blade, as fun as leading him to believe he's part of some kind of secret anti-dragon freedom fighting organization and that Ich-Hunter is a traitor to their own kind or something, objectively, it'd make it more of a hassle to control him and make sure he doesn't step on all the wrong toes. Part of making him the Triad Boss instead of us was so we didn't have to constantly manage everything. For now, let's keep it simple. We can confuse the hell out of him as time goes on.

As we take stock of Triad resources, we should make special note of their research on the Reaper shock gauntlet. Titus might be interested in that.

We should also phone Camella back. Ask for a report on the soul, explain how we put Blade in the seat of power(with our typical trickster flair), and offer her $2,500,000 for Lo Fang's soul. Yes, yes, it was $5,000,000 that was the figure involved in her and his little wager, but Armas making sure it settled in Camella's favor is surely worth half of that already, isn't it? Of course it is.
>>
No. 499049 ID: 47a120

SUST Brofist: you just met him and every dragon in turkey is watching and will you see regenerating from a node.

Lucifer is on par with Owner, its a stretch to assume he is trying to trick us into something; the only reason for him to trick someone as lowly (relatively) as armas is personal amusement or to get at armas' high tier contacts like tesla, ogg, or Owner.
>>494146
This post applies equally to Lucifer as it did to Owner. Being rude to him out of fear of giving out a secret and giving him the cold shoulder when he is being friendly is uncalled for and not wise or beneficial. Sure, don't go spilling secrets in-front of all dragons of turkey, but the ideal approach is to get him to do most of the talking. The more he reveals about himself the better equipped you are to deal with him verbally. Since he declares to be a fan of Armas' work I would start by asking him more about that, such as what are his favorites and what he liked most about them, and from that veer to third parties that he also finds amusing to watch; while paying attention to his likes and dislikes.

Camella: I would first ask her what she intends to do with the soul before making an offer. And keep in mind she has her morals so no "I am going to soul-sculpt him into a lamp for the lulz".

Also, you have been given an open contract on lo-fang's life by an arms dealer, don't forget to collect.
>>
No. 499221 ID: 252e1b

>>499049
I can get behind this. Just so long as Armas doesn't give anything away or commit to anything, I'm cool with pumping Lucifer for information.
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No. 499660 ID: b7d2cc

I find myself, briefly, possessed of an insidious urge to bro-fist this dragon I literally just met. It's such an inanely jocular idea that I know SB would jump down my throat for even considering it.

>>497928
>>498261
Well-a dragon Owner seems to think is of genuine note is currently expressing severe interest in me-and is in an appearance that feels so relatable and nonthreatening that I'd be a fool to assume it incidental. Maybe he’s trying to be polite. But I doubt it. It just doesn’t match the way every dragon in the room is paying Attention his way, nor does it seem befitting of a being who pre-dates draconic civilization and states it in his introduction. I incline my head in recognition as I make a concise-but polite-greeting to he-whom-babbles.

"Hello. It's nice to meet you."

If he's bothered by the brevity of my reply he doesn't show it, practically exploding back into gleeful breathless rambling the moment I've stopped speaking.
>[P.Lucifer]"Well I'd hope it's nice to meet me! I mean it's not like I can really meet me myself you know-making Self replicas just isn't the same and I don't have an external viewpoint and really utterly cogitating the motivations of a being makes an encounter a bit different than a normal how-do-you-do doesn't it-"
At this point the dragon slaps a palm to his head and drags it slowly down his face. I watch Blade in my periphery, his face incredulous at the last wave of babble-fu which washed over me, as Lucifer reaches into a pocket to pull forth a tiny replica of earth. The curio is complete with a floating moon, and both planet and moon observe lighting that doesn’t at all match our current surroundings. At a guess, it's a real-time display of where the sun's light falls on each celestial body: a curious format for a timepiece, to be sure.
>[P.Lucifer]"Oh my these kinds of trials always take forever to go over every bit of minutia- and really I'm not sure I have the time what with the verdict already rendered and really it was absolutely smashing seeing Owner sitting in again, I mean he hardly does that-really, a treat to be enjoyed anyway how are you?"
Finding the fact that it's still hard to even consider this guy -this dragon- as a potential threat as vindication, I remain dedicated to my path of silence. And Lucifer, it seems, abhors the conversational vacuum I allow to exist, swiftly acting to fill it.
>[P.Lucifer]"It really can be hard to quantify how you're feeling can't it-I rescind the question it's far too multifaceted and bite-sized chunks of data verbal confirmations or numerical values either way it's better than something so nebulous right?"
I grunt noncommittally. Oddly, the longer I don't talk to him, the more profoundly I find my idea to talk no more than exactly required to be completely rational. Curious indeed-and still I can't detect any traces of a memetic effect or any sort of pervasive magic.
>[P.Lucifer]"Is something wrong-you know I still didn't hear how you preferred to be addressed and I'd hate to unwittingly call you a Name you don't care for since what's the point of calling you anything other than random sounds at that point, I know I certainly wouldn't like someone addressing me as Glorpledink or the like, it'd just be plain strange."
Nothing for it-I actually HAVE to respond now, or risk being rude to a Dragon of substance. As of yet, that's just not worth it.
"I intend no rudeness, and I offer no slight or insult. I just don't have anything I wish to say."

Lucifer blinks at that like an engineer pondering a social dilemma, before a smile as nefariously Cheshire as any I've seen slowly curls across his face. And just like that he doesn't look so affably harmless.
>[P.Lucifer]"Hm-goooood. Caution- I like it. Well, best of luck on the rest of the experiment!"

And with a folding of space, Pre-Civilization Dragon 666 simply stops being there. I don't need to look at Owner or any other dragon to confirm the tension in the room reduced markedly with that one’s departure.

I take a deep breath and turn to Blade, still at my side and currently frowning at his hand while waving it back and forth.
>>498454
>>498522
>>499025
"So Blade, we'll need to head to the docks so you can see what you're working with-oh, and I'll need to take possession of the Lieutenants you see frozen around you to do some observation and potential modifications before you can use them-you'd hate to have faulty underlings, right?"
>[Blade]"…Shouldn't my hand be all wibbly-wobbly? Normally when I dream, things move like they're in water."
I get the distinct impression he didn't hear me- which has very interesting implications for the method of communication Lucifer was actually using, since Blade seemed to comprehend him just fine and the dragon did not seem to be speaking any louder than I.

Still, I really do need Blade's attention- and so I speak up.
"Blade, we need to get going shortly."
>[Blade]"We do? And how come you're alive again? There's usually a reason for that in dreams."
"Really, does it matter?"
"Guess not."
"So, let's see about getting you set up there."
>[Blade]"Sure, I guess having a dead guy show me where my new job is sounds reasonable."
At that, I glance over to Owner, who smiles at Blade's delusional ambivalence.
>[Owner]"Well, if you happen to need a lift, I can provide that."

And before I've had time to accept, Blade, Einrik and Labombard-all four of us reappear in a familiar section of the docks of Istanbul, not far at all from where I hid in a crane's control box while firing on a Reaper… ah, good times. I smile at the memory. That, and that I get to watch Blade fall on his ass from the sudden change in location.

Einrik makes his farewells, thanking me for the chance to make more draconic contacts before he starts hoofing it back to the mansion, citing a previous engagement that he's now at risk of being late to. For his part Labombard plays the enthusiastic tour guide, mildly confused rank and file Triads parting like water as the Loup Garou takes it on himself to show Blade where everything is; meanwhile I find myself dealing with Go Ping, the still-frozen Lieutenants behind me.

Go’s face is impassive, but his soul is anything but tranquil. He’s host to a riot of questions and emotion he’s schooled into submission
>[Go Ping]"So."
"Yeah."
>[Go Ping]"Dragons came and took everyone-and now you're here. I can't help but wonder at a connection."
"Yeah…. You're probably not going to believe it just yet, but Lo Fang was doing some very heinous stuff, including, but not limited to using your fellow officers as factories to produce disposable copies; which is very, very illegal, what with the unwilling formation of Gates of Self and mind tampering. So, the Draconic courts intervened, Lo Fang's been ousted. By that I mean they killed him because that's apparently the only kind of judgment they render, but hey, it's okay; he had that deal with Camella, so now she owns his soul."
Go Ping the normally-zen openly blanches at that.
"Did I mention he was also harvesting the souls of those derelicts that incessantly attack here in search of drugs? Because he totally was. ANYWAY, I think the important part to focus on here, is that thanks to my interference in the matter, the Triad as a local group will not be disbanded. After I get them fixed, you'll even have the rest of your fellow former disciples back. May Lee among them."
>[Go Ping]"That's not possible, May Lee-"
"Was copied, and thus only the copy died- in fact, most of the people you knew as fellow students were copies, what with how the Gates were used. The individuals hosting the Gates of Self still exist, as do the last set of copies Lo Fang made. Anyway, point is all that's really changing is who holds the position Lo Fang held."
If I couldn’t see his soul, I’d think he was being impossibly cool about a delicate subject. As it is, his soul betrays his muted consideration of the implications- and the swift decision to focus on more immediate matters.
>[Go Ping]"So. You are to be our new boss, then. I should have-"
"Hah, nope: no way I want to deal with the headache and hassle that an organization this big would demand to keep afloat. No, I'm just a consultant for the real Head-that guy."

Go Ping looks past me to Blade, still dressed in a ripped leather jacket and dusty jeans, his police caution-tape-wrapped sword as always close to his side. The Triad raises an eyebrow at me questioningly.
"Yeah- dragon politics, what do you want me to say? Anyway, you can either help by showing me all the wards and such that are going to need to get reset to acknowledge Blade, or let me find them myself. Your call."

Thus I incessantly make small talk with Go Ping, distracting him from really considering who that May Lee 'golem' really was, as he meticulously shows me to ward node after ward node, built into walls and anchored to the pier piles. Though it takes me the entirety of the rest of the day, I get Blade set up as the Primary user for all the wards… and myself as the Root User, or admin. Because hey- when you can SEE soul magic and 90% of the wards are nothing but, it's not exactly hard to slap in a new binding. It's not even like I'll taint them Divine, as Lo Fang favored that magic format for his wards. Small favors, it seems. Entertainingly, the wards fire warning messages to Lo Fang's soul as I forcibly re-configure them. The moment I'm done Labombard sidles up beside me, and gives me a rundown of what the place has as Blade continues to bemusedly gawk.

-For one, they have something along the order of seven hundred tons worth of assorted mundane munitions in storage, so it's safe to say the Triads are well armed, at least by paramilitary standards. M-16s solve a whole lot of problems in big enough numbers, after all.
-Lo Fang HAD a Soul-Catching Room that is now an empty hole in the warehouse-the 'evidence' was appropriated by the dragons, so that's out.
-The Triads have an impressive set of magic drugs that make a whole lot more sense now that I can actually look at them with proper senses. Pretty much all of them are derived from the Einher seed model, and use a sliver of a Gluttony fragment to power the effects. Not unlike a magical knockoff of PCP- and excessively addictive. This seems to be what has been marketed to the homeless population, and it's produced off-site by another Triad base in nearby Greece.
-The 'special' drugs Labombard took are not here. I can rely on Labombard for confirmation on that. He tried to tear the place apart (figuratively) when he couldn't find them, but the shipping manifests show that the specially made still that produced the alcohol-based narcotic was shipped out not three days ago to China. It seems unlikely that will ever be seen again.
-I get a headcount, which is handy: Lo Fang had a total crew of 486 Triads, counting the lieutenants. Not too shabby.
-There's a large basement that has cots that were occupied by a couple of dozen Triad vampires who are currently all dead. No really, and it seems fairly unrelated to what I've been doing. There was a magical disease that targets vampires that infected the populace-and Lo Fang being Lo Fang instituted absolute quarantine, leaving all the vampires to his name to die, rather than being responsible for spreading the disease any further. Go Ping is able to confirm the disease is called 'Falling Blood Syndrome' and that the disease has run its course. As long as no vampires come in contact with the corpses, there should be no problem. Lo Fang was going to burn them today.
-I find no less than a full one hundred and eight separate Ward Nodes, layered concentrically around the office Lo Fang used to occupy. With the wards reset, all those defenses now bow to Blade… and to me. Not too bad when it's a bevy of divine wards and sensors designed to alert interested parties of potential breaches. While the wards certainly couldn't keep out a dedicated foe, their sheer number and variety assuredly would detect the intrusion, one way or another. A quick review of the Viewer records confirms my suspicion that the linked nature of the various wards was the critical factor that kept Allview from being able to see the compound previously: as soon as I had tampered with the first ward, Allview had the ability to see in. Perhaps it was a side effect of the Divine nature of the wards that resulted in a synergy effect once 108 of them were linked. It probably bears investigation.
-Lo Fang’s high end communication system and switchboard is unmolested in his office, a part of his desk.
-There is an extensive collection of dossiers on file in Mandarin, which I earmark for Svetlana to copy and index in our ever-growing database. Shadowbro obliges me by playing courier.
-Also on file are various research reports. Of note, there are a couple of reports specific to the Reaper gear: both the high voltage gauntlet, and the older research that dead-ended on their time dilation charms. There are also notes on some sort of resurrection ritual. I give everything a once-over and forward the papers home with dossiers. Titus, Lyubov, Labombard, and Dávgon are the obvious choices to review this stuff in depth.
-Most importantly of all, I find a mummified Italian arm lingering forgotten in a cabinet, and claim the last remnant of my old foe Galileo Savoy for myself.

And it's right around when I've decided I now have the world's best butt scratcher that my phone rings again. Right, Camella tried to call me before-surprise, it's her. I sit down at the desk to take the call.
>[Camella]"Armas? Can you talk?"
"Sure. You caught me when I was rather thoroughly occupied before, but I have a moment. I'll go ahead and guess this is about a certain contract."
>[Camella]"Yeah. Soul just popped up, and I'm not sure what to do with it."
"Frankly? Sell it to me."
>[Camella]"Honestly, fine-you want it, it's yours, I don't even need this really, so-uh…."
"What is it?"
>[Camella]"The soul is… is now gone."

I had every intention of asking further questions past that, but as I see a certain familiar spirit whizzing through the air at hypersonic speeds, I can figure out what happened.
"Yeah-yeah that's not a problem. It's over here now."
>[Camella]"No shit? Hold on…. huh. The Contract has your name on it under mine now, so…"
"That would seem to make the soul officially mine. Second guessing just giving it away?"
>[Camella]"Heh-hm. Nah; you do better with magic stuff than I do, and you don't have to worry about contamination rates or anything. Think of it as… prepayment for inevitable future bitchiness, because we both know you've probably let things slide while I've been away."
A smile as wide as any splits my face at that.
"Do my ears deceive me, or are you mockingly making self-depreciating comments like a properly snarky person?"
>[Camella]"What can I say? I actually needed a vacation, and this town's been quiet enough that I got just that."
"Careful saying things are going well-"
>[Camella]"Psh. Something bad happens, I'll just sic Grisha on it until I can contact you. And if you can't stop it, we were fucked anyway. By the way, did you know they heard about you out here? I don't know if you've heard of them, but the Savoy family, the Italian royal family, is a big deal here-and they're magic to boot. Who knew?"
I knew.
>[Camella]"Short of it is, they asked us about you- and everyone did what they should. Andrei and Lev were the first asked, and they both reported it to me. I made contact, provided your number, and advised them to ask you, if they had questions, owing to the whole 'you are the one they were asking about' part. Right about when they were getting insistent I answer questions is when Lo Fang's soul showed up, and when I tried calling you. Well, after you didn't pick up they left, and none of ours have seen them since-it's like they up and disappeared. I… don't suppose you know more about them than just 'they're magical' so I at least know what we're potentially dealing with?"
"Yeah, happens you're in luck here. Basically, when no one's looking at them, they can be wherever they want. So, so long as you're watching them uninterrupted, they don't outright have magic, but…"
>[Camella]"OH! That clan that you called in to help the guys with their home problems, back in Russia! I could not for the life of me remember their surname, so I wasn't sure why the name seemed more familiar than it should have."
"They seem to have any tone or anything readable in how they spoke with you, what they asked?"
>[Camella]"Well, given they showed up pretty much right before Lo Fang's soul showed up, I'm going to make a wild guess, and say that you did something big and public?"
"Draconically public."
>[Camella]"Armas what did you do to Owner."
"Ah, I'm totally telling him you said that-probably get a laugh out of him. No-he was actually just there to watch a show. I jimmied the Draconic courts into ousting Lo Fang, and installing someone else."
>[Camella]"This wasn't just a hit, this was… what, a sanctioned execution?"
"With real reasons for it. Anyway, we're 'consultants' for the new management-who I happened to get to pick. Oh, and I currently have possession of 90% or so of the Triad's officers, and will be giving them spiritual care until they're well enough to return to their duties."
>[Camella]"…I can completely envision him just sitting there, watching you take over in all but name like that-hah, okay, guess I'll need to ask him about this when I get back."
"What, you can't call?"
>[Camella]"He's not a phone person. So-we've got an indefinite source of steady work that we can cherry-pick to suit our abilities and needs, and have semi-unlimited access to masses of more traditional footsoldiers, is that right?"
I eyeball Lo Fang's soul in all it's ire-filled glory, it's eyes transmitting a silent wish for my demise that puts a little extra curl on the ends of my leer.
"Yeah, that's about right."
>[Camella]"Okay-I'll think about how to switch things up so I have something for you when I get back."
"Sounds excellent."

After we say our goodbyes and hang up, my Brother From No Other Mother makes himself known.

Thank you for not getting yourself entangled by Lucifer's probing.
What can I say, the guy came on kind of strong.
I spoke to Sometimes Merchant. The exclusivity and privacy lease on the sewers under the Triad docks is due to expire on the last day of the Wyld Hunt. That's November 8th. He's open to negotiating an extension. Just call him when you're ready.
Excellent.
I also confirmed that if we kill both of Jet Fang's bodies we will have met the requirement for the five years of NeverNever time.
I'm not sure how I feel about murdering a guy that's under our indirect control now. I'll think about that. What did the Yakuza and Tong have to say? And Rocco?
The Yakuza send their congratulations on a clean take-over. We've been invited to negotiate territory lines tomorrow morning so that we're not stepping on each others' toes. The Tong were less cordial, more passive-aggressive in their wording, but the message is essentially the same-and it seems they'll be part of the same talk as the Tongs. Rocco's invited you and Gianni over for drinks and dinner tomorrow night, to talk about this. He alluded to wanting to talk about other topics as well.
What do you want to bet the Savoys leaned on him to get more information?
Seems likely. But he's also going to want to make sure the territories stay clear.
Anything else?
Lyubov sent me a text message that she's working on finishing Matvey's gauntlet before his arena fight next week.
That's right. She wanted to work on it with me. I guess she's getting help from Hyougo?
She indicated such, yes.
How do you think Matvey will do?
Between Lyubov, Sake, and I he'll have a fair amount of resources invested in him from the company. He's learned the basics of the Breaking concept and he has his sword and biosuit. He'll have access to some of the shadow-killing thermite Igor is now making, as well as the contents of the armory. The fight is not to the death, so even in the worst case we won't lose him. All in all, I approve of placing bets on Matvey.
Fantastic to hear. What's this about Igor?
Igor has developed thermite which can burn shadows and souls alike. It's extremely lethal to shadows.
Right. I can think of all sorts of ways that would be handy. I take it you're pleased.
Very.
How about the Triad disciples?
I've moved them to the mansion for now, Gates and Clones alike. They're in a draconically-imposed stasis, and will remain so until we pump enough energy into them to break it. At that point we'll have to hook the Gates up to some power supply, and evaluate their filters like Lyubov suggested. Considering that we have Lo Fang's soul we should be able to deal with this at our leisure.
I don't want to wait too long, Blade's not competent. He will need the disciples' help.
Agreed. Do you want to make contact with Elwen Embla, or simply rob her?
I have to think about that. Maybe I'll feel Rocco out on his opinion of her.

At this point Blade wanders into the room, and, with a look of grave consternation, asks me a simple question.
>[Blade] “This isn't a dream, is it?”
“This is as real as anything else that's happened to you.”
>[Blade] “What?”
Oh for crying out loud...
”I said, it's real.”
>[Blade] “But, how are you alive again?”
"That is an interesting question, isn't it? My death and how I came to be here standing before you very much alive. Well, simply put, I managed to fake my death at the hands of that... assailant- and no I won't tell you what I did, it wouldn't be a very useful trick if everyone knew it, would it? No, of course it wouldn't.”
>[Blade] “What happened in that room?”
“Certain events were put in motion, and today is a result of them. Did you know, Blade, that you are one of the few I've met to fight a dragon and survive? It is true, few possess your character. Knowing that, I knew I had to help you gain the tools necessary to accomplish your goals; tools both martial and political. Speaking of which, you work for a dragon now. Don't worry, I honestly believe she poses no risk to your wellbeing.”
I really do, at that. Ich-Hunter knows I'm the one who did this, and that Blade's one of Owner's pets. She may be pissed, but she'll have to treat him seriously.
“Blade, the world is a larger and more wonderful place than you may have ever imagined, and now you've got more tools at your disposal."
>[Blade] “Well, yeah. It'd be easier if everyone recognized I'm going to be a great crime lord. Thanks.”
”Seeing you in place as the Head of the Turkish Triad is its own reward, believe me.”

At that, we shake hands-not of my volition, but because that's how Blade thinks this should happen, and that's that. Labombard implies he'd like to stay in the Docks for now so someone of substance besides Go Ping is there until I've got the rest of the lieutenants fighting-fit. I make my way back to the mansion in the deep of night, and find a smile persists on my visage the entire way back. In all, I can't say the plan could have gone better-and even if I have to wonder why Lucifer helped me, the point remains that I'm entering a very profitable period of my life, with this Triad Setup. On my return to the mansion, I reward myself with some of Dávgon's beer.

Really, the hallucinogenic fermented deer piss tastes pretty good.

On my way to my room, I spy a certain secretary busy burning the midnight oil as she works through the dossiers from the Triad compound. Beer in hand, I enter.
"Svetlana, I heard you got a chance to chat with Lyubov?"
>[Svetlana] "Briefly, yes. Does that mean she called you too?"
"She did. Did she try using non-standard phrasing about certain topics with you?"
>[Svetlana] "...Yes, she did. How she felt about her situation in particular."
"Did she talk about Hyougo's parents with you, at all?"
>[Svetlana] "She didn't, is there a problem?"
My eyes flick toward that frowney-face charm memory-shielding she's wearing.
"An old problem that explains a lot. I'm just guessing, but I think you and I are free and clear to say whatever we want, and that Hyougo's... gossip detector, or whatever it was Lyubov was trying to avoid tripping, just was on Lyubov. Besides that, we're in the mansion, and besides that we've both got mental defenses in charms. So I'll be candid, but this is pretty sensitive material."
>[Svetlana] "I understand. Is this problem something I can help with?"
"Maybe. You've got a unique perspective here. Besides Hummingbird, you're the only one in the house who has been a parent."
Her eyebrow quirk along with the corner of her mouth briefly. Hardly more than a twitch.
"Einrik passed this along, and some of what Lyubov mentioned to me corroborates."
>[Svetlana] "Am I correct in believing the issue relates to Hyougo's parents in some way?"
"Yeah. She was seven when she was turned into a witch. Apparently one of their family friends decided that instead of being a loyal and true friend, he would fuck with Hyougo's parents' minds."
Her expression shifts from serious to grim.
"Probably left loads of hidden directives, hooks he could use to control the new witch. We may never know all of it, since Hyougo realized something had been done and... tried to fix them."
>[Svetlana] "She was seven, how could she understand a mind's... complexity? She didn't succeed, did she?"
I take a pull from my beer and continue.
"Lyubov used the phrase 'perfectly predictable doting parents' and hinted that they'd lost a great deal of themselves in the process. They're polite, they're text-book nice, but they're not very complicated. And they're not who they were, and my guess is they probably aren't the parents Hyougo needed, just what she thought she wanted when she was seven."
>[Svetlana] "They don't say no."
She's clearly speaking from the experience of raising a seven year old.
"There's a lot they don't do. Lyubov's probably Hyougo's best friend and substitute big sister figure right now. Probably Lyubov's the only source Hyougo's got for getting all the normal interaction and approval and validation a kid needs. Eight years of having parents who are mockeries of themselves, and she's one of the most feared and powerful beings on the planet. At a guess she's had nearly zero face-to-face interaction with anyone who wasn't asking favors, her parents, or an old fart centuries old wizard- until Lyubov poked her nose into her life."
>[Svetlana] "I feel... conflicted about that."
"I know what you mean. On the one hand, she kidnapped Lyubov. On the other, she's a kid, acting like a neglected kid would."
>[Svetlana] "I can't fairly say it is a bad thing Lyubov is with Hyougo; but if she makes a mistake, if Hyougo feels betrayed...."
"Then at the very best she's got a hurt teenager who could kill the entire company in a fit of pique, yeah."
>[Svetlana] "How much of a deterrent would Tesla be for Hyougo, if she felt like doing... something? In practical and political terms."
"Wizards and top tier gods like him are in the same power bracket, practically speaking. Lyubov would likely be his instrument in that fight though, that's why he's got a witch saint after all. Also, Hyougo's proven to be bad at making high-power friends. Odin cooperates with her in her own territory, but most of Hyougo's allies are far weaker than she is. If it came to a fight... I don't know. And hopefully Hyougo feels the same way."
>[Svetlana] "Hopefully she pauses to think if it comes to that. But that is the worst-case scenario and we can only work to prevent it, right?"
"That's the absolute worst case scenario where everything goes wrong, yes. And I'm having trouble thinking of things I wouldn't do to try to prevent it."
>[Svetlana] "Likewise. Without meeting her, I don't know what I can do."
"Lyubov's going to see about swinging an invitation for me. I figure we'll ask the same for you, and try expanding Hyougo's circle of friends. Turn us from 'those people who want to take Lyubov back' into 'Lyuov's family and friends.' And maybe even 'Hyougo's friends' too."
>[Svetlana] "I would be more comfortable remaining as 'her friend's mother'."
"I've only dealt with wizards and witches four times, that I know of. Besides Hyougo, the others were all adults, and two of them had been wizards for a century or more. Standards for politeness among wizards tend to be on the abrupt side."
>[Svetlana] "Teleporting in the middle of the night."
"Yes, that's a good example. Apparently Hyougo was playing dress-up with Lyubov, whatever that means. I'm hoping it was just benign fun, but..."
I shrug and polish off my beer, idly enjoying the flickering distortions in my vision. Ah, the wonders of a metabolism that can be set to any speed I want.
>[Svetlana] "I think she would say something if she was really bothered by anything. Eventually."
"Do you want me to bring up the idea of you meeting Hyougo? I can understand why Lyubov would want to start with me. I'm tough, I can roll with weirdness, and I'm not bad at making friends in dangerous situations. You meeting Hyougo could be valuable, could remind her that there's more to Lyubov than just Lyubov being her friend."
>[Svetlana] "I am... wary about the idea. If Hyougo does not want to be reminded that Lyubov is more than just her friend, I could upset her. Which is something I don't wish to do."
"Right. Well, as a parent, do you have any tips for socializing her?"
She sighs.
>[Svetlana] "Be patient, talk about things she is interested in, indulge her, but only to a degree. And do not condescend to her."
"Act like Lyubov, in other words."
>[Svetlana] "She is good with children. I'm proud of the job she has done helping you raise your wards."
The news about Lyubov and Hyougo, being what it is, is a little depressing. I decide to compliment her, to offset it a bit.
"As an employee you're doing good work. If there's anything you want to bring up, or think I should hear, lay it on me."
>[Svetlana] "Well, there are some security issues that... concern me."
Uh oh. More news that's no bueno?
"Worry you, or are about you?"
>[Svetlana] "Both, actually."
She sighs, and I nod at her to continue.
>[Svetlana] "The AORB database contains some sensitive, and troubling, information. Matvey's sword belonged last to the Yorgin head, which could cause tension or invite retaliation as it was implied that it was stolen. Further, it is noted as having a degeneration effect on its wielders. Satai has been identified as having a fondness for... exotic women of magical leaning, and it is proposed as a possible means of subverting him. Big Crazy is under consideration for AORB Agent status, which could cause conflict in the future, I don't know how well you trust him. Arena records are generally available on company members, which may be more information than you are comfortable with existing, though it could also be seen as advertisement. And..."

She pauses for a long moment. I let her catch her breath.

>[Svetlana] "I was the target of mental interference while I slept, from what I believe to be a Fae source."
Fuuuuuuck. Lyubov will kill me.
"When?"
>[Svetlana] “Three nights ago."
Okay. Okay. Damage control.
"Has anyone checked you?"
>[Svetlana] "Your brother agreed to do so under terms I found acceptable."
Ok bro, why didn't you tell me?
You were focused on other concerns, I patched the security hole in Amen's defenses already, and she's fine.
We need to talk about keeping me in the loop, later.
“Any damage?”
>[Svetlana] "...I should tell you that while not harmful, my mind was altered. Knowledge of how to perform Contract magic was implanted in my mind and I had a... strange dream. I don't remember all of it, but I believe I'm under contract to write a contract for an individual. I don't know who, or when, or any specifics. I simply don't remember them."
"Any hints in the dream?"
>[Svetlana] "I don't believe I am required to write a specific contract, the terms have yet to be decided. Most likely. And I feel like it is a contract that binds me to complete it, rather than punish me for breaking it. But I don't know for sure, I'm sorry."
"I'm guessing the only way out would be with proper application of Conceptual magic of some sort. Breaking, maybe."
>[Svetlana] "Perhaps, Satai may know better, my understanding is that the Contracting package he acquired is more robust than mine."
"His is Devil contracting, as I understand it, and yours is Fae, but they both rely on the same mechanism of being written in the NeverNever itself, correct?"
>[Svetlana] "That is my understanding, yes."
"...and your price was agreeing to fulfill a contract of the Fae's choosing, to his specifications, when he wants it, with someone of his choosing."
>[Svetlana] "Possibly. I don't know to what degree the Fae can dictate the terms of the Contract, or the parties it concerns, only that I am required to write a Contract."
"Do you know if you were targeted specifically, or if he was just looking for any mortal?"
>[Svetlana] "I don't know."
I nod.
“I'm not objecting to my brother giving you your checkup. I think it's fine, I know he's done a good job, and I know he's inclined to treat you well because he values Lyubov very highly, and he values your work at least as much as I do. However I'm curious why you didn't tell me personally."
>[Svetlana] "I intended to inform you of the situation personally, but your brother examined me and I was under the impression he would notify you."
"Right. Anyway, it's the implications that concern me. I generally let people do what they want, but I expect them to work together and cooperate. I normally don't get involved unless things have escalated to punishments and damage control. But now we've got two Contract writers in the house, and it's probably time to take some preventative action. A crash course in Contracts for everyone under my authority is probably overdue anyway."
>[Svetlana] "I can put together an information package on what Contracts are, and the more common risks. We could also employ Contractual measures, but that may be a little overbearing."
"A printed information package for study, and memory downloads offered to our less... studious members so they'll actually know these things. What kind of Contractual measures were you thinking of?"
>[Svetlana] "The most straightforward and effective measure would be a Contract that limits how members of the company can enter into new Contracts. As I said, an overbearing measure."
"Quite. Education first, and perhaps an offer of voluntary preventative measures."
>[Svetlana] "Are you concerned with Satai or myself abusing our skill to take advantage of the others?"
"Not so much you or him. There's plenty of other parties out there who can make Contracts, and a general education will help if people encounter them. I want you to draft a test on it. Passing the test will be mandatory, but employees will have the option of getting memory downloads or studying traditionally."
>[Svetlana] "I should be able to put together the material in the next few days, with input from Satai. I assume it is a high priority."
“Yeah. We'll send copies of the test to Camella too, so she can administer it to the Italy group."
>[Svetlana] "Is there anything else you wanted to discuss with me, sir?"
"How's the Cookie Lady? I haven't seen her in a couple of weeks now, but Lyubov mentioned you'd made friends with her."
>[Svetlana] "She was doing well the last time I saw her. I told her Lyubov was out of town for the next while, but nothing else."
"Setting aside the whole employee-boss relationship, and just talking as girlfriend's mom and daughter's boyfriend, how're you doing?"
She heaves a small breath.
>[Svetlana] "I could be doing better."
"Pretty much how I've felt this week, too. Want to talk about it?"
>[Svetlana] "Not... particularly. But I don't object either. My issues are simply... wearying."
"Sometimes talking about it can help."
>[Svetlana] "I suppose that's true, but I'm not sure how comfortable I am with complaining to my employer about my personal issues."
"Try a test issue and see."
>[Svetlana] "Last it was measured, eleven percent of my soul's magical signature was Amen's energy. If I don't out pace the contamination with my own soul growth I will mutate spiritually, and then physically, into something other than human."
This again? Didn't we go through this with all the soldiers?
"I thought Lyubov had gotten you to get chakra lessons?"
>[Svetlana] "I have been since Go Ping was available as instructor for a week and Labombard has helped me since. But I still have the smallest soul in the company, I am the most vulnerable to magical contamination."
"Have you talked to Davgon or Labombard about your options?"
>[Svetlana] "I decided to give myself a week of proper instruction, and to compare relative contamination to see what degree of response is necessary."
"What options are you aware of?"
>[Svetlana] "Fast enough personal soul growth, spirit animals, and purposeful counter-contamination. I'm sure there are others though."
I remember something Arkvad mentioned to me that would be relevant to this.
"There are. In fact, there are techniques in chakra use that let a person eject energy. Their own, or another person's. I happen to know of a massage parlor run by a Yakuza who also happens to be a highly skilled masseuse. The parlor is all above-board, or so I've been led to believe, and the Yakuza's other work doesn't intersect with his parlor."
>[Svetlana] "That sounds... more than ideal."
"Gianni and Arkvad have gotten massages from him before. Arkvad specifically to eject excess magic energy."
>[Svetlana] "Thank you, that is a worry off my shoulders."
"His name is Baki Yamada, and if you have trouble getting an appointment feel free to drop my name. He's met me, we respect each other."
She nods.
"Mind you, it's still a good idea to pursue chakra. Baki's not always going to be available."
>[Svetlana] "Of course. Learning an energy dumping technique of my own is my goal."
"Check out the 7777 Methods of Chakra book. Just don't touch chapter 13, that's the whole reason we leave the book locked up."
>[Svetlana] "I'll speak to Labombard about it."
I pick up my glass of beer and polish it off.
"Anything else you feel like talking about?"
>[Svetlana] "We've already talked about Lyubov's kidnapping, and my... Mental issues."
"Sake's been sleeping on her pillow at night. He just curls right up on it and sleeps there with me."
I don't know why I blurted that out.
>[Svetlana] "Lyubov expressed concern about him, when we spoke."
"Just general concern?"
>[Svetlana] "She asked me to make sure you two were okay while she was gone."
"I miss her. I figure, keep busy, don't dwell on it. But I miss her."
>[Svetlana] "I do too. But, ah, I suppose it is your first time losing her."
"This isn't permanent. It's just... the house isn't the same without her. It's weird, not hearing her chatting with people, and her lab being deactivated- it was funny, she was just starting to get into the Science part of her conceptual nature. And I miss her help with Placid and Hillevi, and her keeping an eye on things. For most of the household she's way more approachable, so she'd notice issues before I did, usually."
>[Svetlana] "I can be more diligent in reporting issues as I notice them, if you would prefer. I haven't been quite sure what your policy is."
I laugh a little.
"I haven't thought out a policy yet. But if you see something you think is a problem I'd like to hear about it. Or for one of the officers to hear about it, if you think they're more suitable for the issue."
>[Svetlana] "Understood. Actually, I do have a question."
"Yeah, shoot."
>[Svetlana] "It is about your.."
She makes a face of distaste.
>[Svetlana] "Your slave. Do you know if she is being cared for properly?"
"I left her in Satai's care expressly so that she could have some portion of will. The binding schema on her is so complete that she'll respond to subtle cues and even poorly worded statements from me. Do you know the role she plays in Silja's recovery?"
She shakes her head.
"Probably for the best. Just know that Stacey's continued health and well being is important to Silja's progress, and that the medical procedures she goes through are performed so that she feels no pain or discomfort, and only mild disquiet over it. That's the only reason she was purchased."
>[Svetlana] "I am more concerned over her behavior. She is... extremely reclusive and refuses to engage in conversation while maintaining the utmost of courtesy."
"You're a witch saint's mom, she's probably aware of that. Or is this is a problem she has with everyone?"
>[Svetlana] "I think the latter. The only person I have seen her interact with at all is Satai."
“You think he's told her to keep to herself?"
>[Svetlana] "I don't know. It's possible and would fit with his tendency to share information only as required, but that doesn't mean anything."
"I set the policy of her not joining us at meals, mostly to keep things low-key until Silja's better. Honestly I'm not very happy about owning her, but it seemed like the best solution to a problem Silja had. Well. Nearly best. The very best solution would have required Silja giving up some options before she had any freedom of movement or much context. And even then I'm really not sure it would have been the very best solution, since it would have meant someone else would get infringed on. And even if that's all well and good under the laws magic people follow I'm not required to like it."
>[Svetlana] "I understand that some things are necessary, but she isolates herself far more than seems healthy. And if I'm saying that...."
"Right. Alright. I'll ask about it."
>[Svetlana] "Thank you."
There's a lull in the conversation, and just as I'm getting ready to leave and retire to my room, she asks me a question.
>[Svetlana] "...Is there anything you would like to talk about?"
And my mind goes to something I've put off this week.
"I got a photo album from my folks earlier this week. I wanted to go through it with Lyubov, share some of my past with her. And I'm just putting off even opening the album now. I didn't realize how much I was looking forward to sharing it with her."
>[Svetlana] "That's... sweet actually."
"I bet you'll like my folks. I'm sure they'll love Lyubov."
She looks mildly surprised.
>[Svetlana] "Hmm. You know, we have all of our photo albums and things here. When we have Lyubov back, you can go through each others' pasts together."
"That'll be fun."
>[Svetlana] "Do you have an idea of when Hyougo might approve a visit for you?"
"No, could be any time. Lyubov's supposed to call and elaborate on it."
>[Svetlana] "Well, thank you for that talk. I do feel better now."
"Yeah. We should do this again sometime."

I think I've made a friend of her. Or at least, she sees me as more of a person. And her own issues and suggestions were quite relevant.

Fucking fae.

With my mind in a rare sustained state of complete (for me) sincerity, I find a concern regarding the Triads driving me towards another stop, in search of answers to problems yet-to-be.

I slip through Ivan's door on something of a mental limb, wondering if my read of the guy's character from spiritual observation and personal exposure is on the money. At the moment he's in a dead sleep and making not a whisper of noise or shifting an inch, as silent and unobtrusive as if he were on the range lining up a shot.
"Hey, Ivan, I need mister stoic professionalism, get up."
In the darkness a pair of eyes snap open as steady breathing shifts. He sits up, eyes bereft of grogginess, and looks at me without a whit of concern at my sudden appearance.
>[Ivan]"What for?"
"We're effectively taking over the Triads. I'll give you a sec to digest that before we move past that."
I commence with some theatrical foot tapping as I wait. It's not long.
>[Ivan]"I'm relevant how?"
I recall the mess that was the Triads trying to gun down a few Reapers, all of them scrabbling like normal people, lacking coordination or overwhelming firepower-and being mowed down like leaves for it.
"Triads are mostly Chakra and nothing but-maybe some charms. If they're to really be of use against magical targets, they need to know how to engage them from a distance and pour on the pain as fast and hard as possible. I'm wondering if you can give a mostly-human perspective to that, and come up with potential training plans for them. It'd be nice to be able to mass-deploy them as a hammer against foes outside their weight class. Think you could do it?"
A few more seconds pass, visions of sniper armies briefly flitting across Ivan's soul.
>[Ivan]"Yes."

Man, I love Ivan.

"Excellent. You won't be restricted to mundane armaments completely, but the goal is cost effectiveness of outfitting and minimalization of timeframe to train. The faster and cheaper they can get off a sucker punch to a magical heavy from a dozen-odd blocks away or more, the better. Talk to me when you have some proposals, we'll see where we stand."
>[Ivan]"I will."
"Great to hear. Oh right-how's the lip reading coming?"
>[Ivan]"Better if Lyubov was here."
This time Ivan's soul shows a pair of lips moving almost too fast to read.
>[Ivan]"But still good."
I briefly find myself wondering if I could trade some of my minions in for more Ivans-no, bad Armas, bad!
"Good work Ivan. All right-"
And with that 'farewell' issued, I ghost back on out of the room as a soul vigilantly sets itself to pondering in my wake.

Well, that was a day.

SUNDAY, MARCH 20th, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS:
$7,936,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $9,242,094.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 30%
WINTER ENERGY: 163
SUMMER ENERGY: 61/61


I wake early, and cook breakfast for everyone and ghost the meals into their rooms before I head out for the Docks. En route I call Labombard-and big surprise, Blade's awake. …Not so surprising, when Labombard admits to… 'laboring to impress upon him the need to be a light sleeper and assist in the training therein'.

For his part Blade's hands jitter more than a little as he nurses a cup of coffee. He starts a bit at my arrival, but his urge to bluster shoves him back into the bravado drenched mannerisms I'm more accustomed to seeing on him.
>[Blade]"A-ah, is there something up?"
"You could say that: A discussion of borders and territory, with the Tongs and Triads."

Naturally he has some complaints to voice-and they're really irrelevant. I just whip up a Soul Guise to make him want to listen to me, to do what I say, and apply, on top of that, a honeyed tongue. He shortly finds himself confused why he's sitting at a meet with representatives of two massive criminal organizations, the room's air heady with cigar smoke. Interestingly, no one of magical significance was sent by either side-and the men introduce themselves with titles that indicate they're more than one notch below leader. Interesting-in a way, that could be taken as an insult, but in another… it could be indicative how likely they think the conversation will give way to violence.

I watch Blade talk with them-and find myself frankly a bit astonished. Both of his conversational partners are far more eloquent and insidious than he, yet his near-deafness forces them to abandon the softer, subtler tones of speech they'd prefer, and they seem to flounder, when forced to shout as if in response to a drill sergeant. And beyond that, he makes utterly outrageous claims as casual reference to fictitious past accomplishments, so astoundingly wrong that they no doubt desperately want to call him on it… but they can't. I find myself enjoying my current role simply as observer.

In the end, however, one particular snag comes up, rather independently of Blade's action. It seems the Tongs and the Yakuza both think they have claim to the same section of territory-a five mile stretch of the bosphorus, not too far north of the Docks that are the heart of the Triads in Istanbul. And at first, it's looking like they're going to get into the same old stalemate over the issue that they clearly are used to-until Blade, again, steps in because that's just what he does.

So now Blade's got to decide who's got a right to the land, and is looking to me.

And it struck me that frankly neither of them have a better claim than the other. The Tongs held it first, but lost it for thirty years-and then after that, it's been in limbo for another five past, with no one getting the rights because the other party'd inevitably attack. I'm getting a distinct Hatfields and McCoys feel from this entire little dispute-and I wonder….





How CAN I get two stubborn groups to let a long-standing grudge over a section of territory go, and actually get the area put back into protection racket use?
And am I going to be the one saying it, or do I advise Blade to say it?

DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS:
TRIADS: Puppet Organization
MAFIA: Very Good
SAVOY HOUSE: Intrigued and Confused
TONG: Neutral
YAKUZA: Respected
BLADES: Respected
WYLD GOBLINS: Profitable
DIMIRKAN CLAN: Wary, but Happy that Marriage Arrangements are In-Progress
MUBARAK: Poor
ZOSIMUS: Good
NEONAZIS: Livid
AORB: Neutral
POLICE: Suspicious
OWNER: Amused
ICH-HUNTER: Livid
HYOUGO: Happy
DORJPALAM: Neutral
MAMMON: Covetous
WHAITIRI: Happy
TESLA: Good
ODIN: Neutral
SHEN: Angry
MOM & POP: Not Worried
ARKVAD/H&H: They'll Toast Your Health
WINTER COURT: Unknown
SPRING COURT: Unknown
SUMMER COURT: Unknown
AUTUMN COURT: Unknown
WYLD COURT: Unknown
>>
No. 499805 ID: 9b3d17

V ALREADY DONE ADDED FOR CONTEXT
T> Become aware that dealing with the Laine Corp gets results.
T> Fast results. As in, within the past fucking week he's twice as strong as before, lined up for a suit of armor, gets special blood to filter it in to vampire blood for Squiddy, and other benefits, just from being with Bagga as his minion.
T> Realize that if blood is a vampire's soul, then altering the metal in the blood might alter the soul.
T> Obtain incredibly fine shadow-metal powder from Igor.
^ ALREADY DONE ADDED FOR CONTEXT

T> Talk to Gianni, Feodor, and Davgon about possibly replacing his current blood with a different metal. Offer interested parties an audience to what will likely be a hilarious and painful experience at the minor cost of keeping him from dying horribly.
T> Wonder how one goes about getting something like Squiddy for himself.
T> Train with Bagga! Beyza! Whatever she calls herself!
T> Prep for GIANTLAND trip.
T> Prepare to find another place to live - unless Feodor manages to secure him a room in the manor.
>>
No. 499831 ID: 14bafe

Speaking of the WYLD GOBLINS being under Profitable status, is there anything that we want in particular from selling them first hand information on the trial of Lo Fang and the subsequent change in management of the Triads? Because that sounds like a thing we can sell.

For the dispute, I dunno. How about they settle the matter once and for all with a game of Janken, or basketball.
(The idea that they share it, or the Triads would take it crossed my mind, but naw)
>>
No. 499882 ID: 76c597

As they say, compromise is the art of making sure no one is happy with what is decided. Presumably Tong, Triad and Yakuza all have different interests and favored businesses. Prostitution, drugs, gambling, things of that sort. Suggest they share the stretch of prosperous Bosphorus (heh) businesses along their traditional business models. Protection racketeering is discontinued, but they weren't getting any of that ANYWAY, and the stretch of street is open for ‘business’ from any group. The other two will fall on whichever group breaks this together.

So guys, what’s the plan for Lo Fang’s soul? We need to do something with him. I suggest we have a talk with him. Yes, we basically had him killed and assumed control of his 70 years of hard work. Yes, he hates us with all the burning ice of the Buddhist hells. But he’s stuck with us now, and he knows it. We literally own his soul. And he’s an ice-cold businessman. He should see where we’re going with this, right?

Use him as a resource for the company- his knowledge and skills are exceptional. We can make him a golem body that still allows him the myriad pleasures of flesh, and he can continue on as he was- except that he works for us, now. Being an officer of vast wealth and prospects isn’t the same as the boss, but its better than being a disembodied soul slaved to a madman’s will. I’m assuming the soul contract makes it feasible to accomplish this without a chance of him stabbing us in the back, but if not, we can have our Contractors or SM draw up a new contract.
>>
No. 499913 ID: 6868bc

The classic solution for two different parties bickering over an area of land is to have one party divide it into two parts... and the other gets first pick. That might work.
>>
No. 499988 ID: 76c597

We could also offer them two glasses of wine, one of which contains deadly poison.
>>
No. 500059 ID: c6319f

Armas is ultimately indifferent as to which organization walks away with control over the territory, but it is in his best interests for both parties to walk away at least accepting of the decision. I suggest that the matter be decided with a test of strategic prowess, to determine which of the two organizations is most capable of administering the territory in question to its full potential. A fair and unbiased competition that both groups can walk away from with their honor intact, regardless of outcome.

The matter will be settled with a single match of Go, to be played immediately between the representatives. And Blade will be the one to suggest it.

It is a thematically appropriate contest to decide the territory's master, the goal of the game is to control more area than your opponent. A reflection of the broader contest between the two groups. Armas will also benefit from being able to closely watch the representatives of either group and how they tactically approach the game, how they respond to different tactics, loss or victory, and ultimately, concession. A small sample size, but still quite useful. If either party objects to the suddenness of the game, Armas can interject that life's complications are often sudden and unexpected and it is primarily the ability to navigate these troubles that determines one's competence, in his experience.


After the meeting, phone Rocco and set the time for the dinner at 8:00PM. Then phone up the Savoys and call in that meeting we have pending with them. Dinner, 8:15 on the dot. We'll be waiting. My hope is that we can keep the conversation to idle chit-chat until just before the 15 minute mark, at which point we turn to Rocco and say something like "Oh, I invited a guest, I hope that's okay." and then have the Savoy representative teleport in and make us look cool. They should be punctual, what with the teleporting.

Other stuff:
We should really talk to or read the memories of Lo Fang's soul to confirm a few things.
-Elwen Embla's role in the Gates of Self setup
-Learn what the 'very red, and very pole-like' object inside of the Triad terracotta soldier that was stolen was
-Find any personal hidden accounts or stashes of valuables or the like. I would like to give Camella half of anything gained this way, since she did do us the courtesy of simply giving the soul to us.

Svetlana Orders:
-Receive Mandarin language package, devote primary database building efforts to incorporating Triad dossiers.
-Go to Baki Yamada's massage parlour for excess magical energy removal.
-Begin learning energy ejection chakra orientation with Labombard's help.
-Construct magical contracting awareness education package and test with Satai's contribution, distribute to company.
-Negotiate terms of Contract for providing contracting services with 'Sir Shadow'.
-Worry over Lyubov's situation and phone her every few days to make sure she's alright.

Igor Orders:
-Finish Labombard's pocket watches. Hope they're okay for a first try.
-Invite Patere to visit the mansion and ask her more about what he has to do for the wedding.
-Try to gain a better understanding of how his Dark sight works by using shadow metal to isolate shadows in specific, static, states and observing them closely. Mostly use rivets.
-Ask that smith-friend of Boss' that Boss told him about to help him meet other smiths in the marketplace. Since he didn't do very well by himself. Keep an eye out for noteworthy smithing techniques and magical wares.
-Receive commission from Gianni.
-Keep working on Golem and company armors while practicing rituals.
-Finally make HB those Matryoshka Nesting Hummingbird dolls, spaced to allow liquid shots be stored between layers. Be surprised at how little trouble he had with what originally seemed like a really tricky project. Worry that means he messed up somehow.
>>
No. 500098 ID: c98119
File 136332100141.png - (33.17KB , 750x723 , Igne.png )
500098

I have to agree. A game of Go would be an obtuse, but meaningful way to decide it without causing any real strife. For the most part, I agree with the plans for the Mafia meeting as well, but other than that, here are my thoughts.

While I agree that we should make use of Lo Fang's soul, I am highly against giving him a body. At least in the short term. Scour his soul for as much information as we can before we do anything. Safely if possible. We should burn the diseased vampire bodies. Maybe one sample to make a vaccine, but we do NOT want to keep the bodies around. The implications would only rot our opinion with the vampires and we don't want to cause a huge problem which would draw ire. They make better money as job providers than enemies.

Also, make SURE to visit our wards. Seriously. We need to do this. We keep pushing it off but we honestly need to.

Beyza Bagga plans.
>Spar with whomever is available and willing at the mansion. Push yourself as far as you can, then a bit more, get healed and recover, then push yourself again.
>Water the pitcher plant and "water" Igne. Music, chatting, proper care, the right soil, temperature, moisture levels and neutrients. You are going to do whatever you can to make sure those plants are properly cared for and that Igne grows nice and strong.
>Socialize! Enough being a whiney git! Intereact with the others and try to learn some proper social skills.
>Look into finding some magical florists. If found, see what's available, what they do and how much they cost. Need to see if they have what he's been thinking about.. Maybe Satai and Matvey know some people?
>Train footwork with Lyzyrd. Bit of light sparring too and make sure to socialize with him as well. At the least, this will be good training for keeping track of highly mobile rivals. Make the most of it!
>Beat Ito's training into your body! Grit your teeth, clench your gut, and steel your will! Learn everything you can from the impeeding smack down!
>Look into going to the arena. Talk to Matvey about it, see if a ride can be found. Need to get the gear required to properly learn the footwork.
>Keep promise to Tyrone and Zhenya and help them learn some boxing.
>>
No. 500109 ID: cf49fc

>>500098
>Didn't visit our wards
WHAT THE HELL ARMAS?

Go visit your damn wards, right the fuck now! Seriously. Gawd, if you don't do it this time, I forward the motion that he's been geased.
>>
No. 500113 ID: 14bafe

Oh right, and might as well call in the payment from Mr. Jung for killing Go Ping. Free two million dollars for doing something we were going to do anyway.
>>
No. 500219 ID: 933f92

Upvoting Go like a motherfucker.
>>
No. 500536 ID: c6ce12

>>499660

Armas, don't you think what Lucifer said to us was strange? "Best of luck on the rest of the experiment?" What experiment? Ask your brothers about it.

Let's spend our evening talking to the Wards. Hillevi, Placid, and Silja. The first two are easy enough to reach out to. We can talk to Hillevi after lunch and see how she's feeling, ask her about the little things like if the food is good, if she's bored, what she thinks of our lessons so far, if she'd like anything, you know the basics. And feel free to share within reason, we've been a blabbermouth lately, but Hillevi's variety of inopropriate questions aren't the politically damaging kind thankfully.

We should take Placid out somewhere interesting, I'm thinking a carnival but if one isn't in town then maybe a sports event. It's about time we teach him a little more, I think there was discussion about teaching him what business transactions are and can be since he's starting to offer his services to others when they're in need. I feel we should try to keep our own sensibilities on the subject a bit keyed down. And of course we'll do the normal talk too, ask him about life and how he is, if he has something he needs of us.

Silja is the tough part, we'll need to break her out of the funk she's in with us and cheer her up. I recommend tickling and cheerful small talk, carry in some of Hillevi and Placid's youthful energy...man it's weird to think we need that when we're in our twenties. Time acceleration and the burdon of being a handsome, hilarious, totally amazing guy, right?

And we have our plans with Rocco tonight, we'll need a nice suit and we should probably bring over a delicious beverage to share. Unfortunately for us Duke drank us out of alcohol so maybe a quick trip to Bonzi's is in order before we grab Gianni and head to wherever Rocco wants to meet. We probably should have learned that, whether or not we'll be in a Mafia controlled based or say, his home.

Anyway, the basis of the meeting is that Rocco is going to be an ear for the Savoys so we'll need to be careful with what we feed him. I can't really imagine what the Savoy's would want or what we could really say that's specifically a secret to them, but hopefully preparing for it gives us some leeway. He didn't come upfront with what he wanted to discuss besides territory so that will be something we'll have to deal with at the moment. On our end we want to learn a couple things. For one what the territorial boundries the Mafia claims are, what they do in them, and how it interacts with what Blade is doing. We also need to ask him about Embla, get a feel for what he thinks about her, we'd be better off asking Lo Fang's soul what she did specifically so we have some idea going into this. In general gather useful information and see where things go, ply our skills where possible to maximize our political gains and make sure we don't cause an incident.

Make a mental note we still need to talk to Stacey later, that Go Ping was not pleased with us and if left alone may fester a negative opinion towards us, and that Big Crazy should probably be talked to later so that we can learn about what he did and see if he knows anything about AORB.

>>499882
I agree on all points, upvote.

>>499913
This is a nice back up plan, Armas can voice it if our other ideas fall through.

>>500059
Your plan for the Savoys seems very unlikely to work and it makes discussing important matters with the Mafia, which this meeting is designed to do, strained and difficult because we have an outside party sitting in and even worse one we owe a debt to. So for that I'm SUSTing that portion of your post. The rest is good though, I favor Guile's suggestion but your Go plan is amusing.

>>500098
One of the main points of this post is flawed. Those bodies would not be significant counts against our relationship with the Zosimus clan, let alone 'rot' their opinion of us. We are by our nature a divine being, anything that is exposed to us for significant periods could become a weapon against us. A small drop of our blood could explode a great many vampiric beings. This is not to mention the fact one of our men has been producing gauntlets powered by divine lightening and been distributing them out to anyone who is willing to test them. All of this they allow and have not raised any qualm. I say we keep a sample around, some to use against others but preferably kept secret to maximize its effect (not for our reputation) and some to develop a vaccine. Burn the excess we have.

Matvey
M-Run self ragged through an intense amount of training as your fight against Samson Aegis draws closer. Draw on extended Eye of the Tiger to advance in swordsmanship, chakra, conceptual magic, and footwork as you can and consult your teachers with the time you have left.
M-Get back to Gianni and Labombard and admonish them for trying to skip out on educating their coworkers on how to socially interact with the supernatural and trying to pawn off memory packets while several individuals are still very wary of acquiring such things. They need to teach them, if Gianni had time for Satai and Labombard has time to go out to magical bars for parties then they have time to make sure we don't get more of our number accidentally shacked up to dwarves and requiring we pay up restitutions.
M-Review the collected information from the database so far, discuss with Svetlana and Labombard.
M-Call Camella in Italy for a check up, coordinate several items like training schedules and your duties as officers.
M-Plan to approach Armas sometime this week to discuss the back pay from several missions that has not been accounted for and the future payment of the company's soldiers, which at this time is paltry compared to risks and the increasing skills involved. The new paradigm with the Triads should change things up, but if he is willing you can go and seek out jobs for the company outside of the Triads.
M-Take Jack Churchill up on his offer for drinks and tap your new sigil. He offered and it's about time you took him up on it, it sounds like an adventure.

Iosef
I-Enjoy the new sandwiches Johan is providing you for the new set of boring rituals he has.
I-Look into purchasing a new fridge so that everybody stops putting their stuff in there.
I-Ask Davgon and Gianni what they know about demons while lazing about their workspace.
I-Assist Igor in producing his new brand of thermite
I-Pick up news around Bonzi's place and gossip about it over text messaging.
I-Visit the Zoo again
>>
No. 500537 ID: f58080

>>500536
Upvoting this well thought-out post.
>>500059
Downvoting the savoy 'meeting' plan there.
>>
No. 500546 ID: 490792

Boris Orders

>Spend most of the time remaining in Italy working with Italian cooks. Thank Angelino for the training. Refuse any payment unless they insist.
>Have plans for the food cart to be sent to Istanbul. The world has yet to see the end of ‘Boris’s Borscht.’
>Grab a gift for the Cookie Lady. Shop around and try to find something that suits her. If nothing catches the eye, buy her a necklace. Old ladies love jewelry.
>Try and spend time with the other Russians before leaving Italy. (Drink copious amount of booze with Vlad, party with Grisha, watch Dmitri do ten whole piles of drugs, etc.)
>>
No. 500555 ID: 47a120

>>500536
upvote
>>500113
upvote

>vamp corpses
Study them with placid and anyone else in the company that wants to take a look, learn how to cure said disease as well as recreate it; have placid scan everyone afterwards to make sure nobody is carrying the disease. Then trade them to SM for meat you can use; the disease is a feature to be harvested, if he doesn't think so offer to purge them of it first.
>>
No. 500746 ID: 252e1b

>>500059
>Make them play Go
I like the idea of using a game like go as the way of solving this dispute, but there has been no mention of how Armas will bring this up.

Drag Blade to one side, and whisper-bellow in his ear sotto voce style so that the other two people in the room can hear the 'confidential' conferring, "You know Blade, this is a chance to either do one side a favor and implicitly be owed one in return. Or you could demonstrate to them both you're going to be a fair judge and split it up fairly yourself. Or you could show them you're going to be conservative and traditional, and use the classic solution of having one divide the turf into two parts and then the other gets first pick. Or you could use this to send a message that you're a savvy and serious crime lord worthy of respect up the line by picking a novel way to solve the dispute."

That last line predisposes him to want to take the novel option. He's not conservative and traditional, he knows he's not fair, and while he might want a favor he will want respect more. The best part is that it makes it look like we actually are advising him.

"A game would work. Turkish Oil Wrestling maybe, I could have a couple of pairs of lederhosen delivered right away for this-"

Armas would get a half-second or so to savor the horrified look on the Tong and Yakuza reps' faces, and then can relent.

"-but that's just a test of strength. You care about strategy and intellect right?"

Of course he does.

"You could pick a game like Go. It's thematic, since it's all about territory control. You could pick some other game, but Go shows you're savvy and culturally aware."

Then let him openly proclaim it like it's his idea. Because that's how Blade rolls.

>>500536
>Wards
It's still morning, and I see this meeting wrapping up as soon as the game of go is over. We can call Hillevi and find out if she's got plans with Einrik today. If she doesn't, we'll budget some time to spend with her. If she does, we won't pre-empt it. Placid may not want to be around a lot of people yet, and if he doesn't want to go to a busy event then we should not force it. Instead we can take some time with him and find out everything we can about the other War Walker who he wanted freed. We need to figure out where the other one likely is, and plan an assault to recover him.

Silja's harder, but we can check in on her and try using soul guises to make her feel less adverse to spending time with us (a new aspect to the guise like "doesn't remind you of Armas Valkonen very much" might do the trick. If she feels comfortable with that, we can learn what she's come up with so far for describing her desired new look.

We should have a short chat with Bagga, and learn he's decided to have a sex change and why.

None of this should take more than six hours total. Figure we'll be done by three in the afternoon.

>>499882
>Talk to Lo Fang's soul
Yeah, we need to learn a lot but an interview should do it. Before we talk to him, we should evaluate his existing bindings and see if there's anything there requiring him to tell the truth. If there isn't, install a "always be honest to Armas and act in his best interests" binding. Also, we should ask SB to pick up the paper contract from Camella if he hasn't already, and read it over ourselves.

"Tell me everything you know or suspected about me, my operation, and the most important people involved in my operation."

"Tell me what you were going to do with Camella if you won your bet with her."

"Tell me what Ich-Hunter said to you when you talked to her about your bet."

"Explain truthfully and in depth what you did to the disciples you installed Gates of Self in, and what requirements will need to be met to keep them stable and sane. The soul-consuming box you set up is gone, and the disciples are in stasis at the moment."

"Elaborate on what Elwen Embla did for you, and what you wanted to steal from her warehouse."

"Tell me anything you know about Elwen Embla which is not in the dossier you had on file for her."

"How could I re-establish the stability and safety of the disciples' Gates without harming them or breaking Dragon Law, in your opinion?"

"What happened to that awesome helicopter that came out for the Lucky Lady job?"

"Tell me what you would have done last year if you came into a sample of a Royal Summer Teleportation Bloodline. Say, an arm-sized sample."

"Help me transfer assets you had hidden away in numbered accounts, in safety deposit boxes and caches, in safehouses, hidden as the property of aliases, and otherwise concealed from mortal authorities to my control. Tell me how to avoid any legal, contractual, or magical traps or disputes which may be involved in gaining control of your hidden assets. Tell me who your heirs are for assets which you openly owned and listed in your will, and what assets are going to who."

"Tell me what you would want in a golem body."

>>500059
>Get the Savoys in on this meeting
Ha ha what? No way, they won't ever go for that. They're trying to learn more about us without outright asking us. If they want to play coy, they're not going to go for playing along with that plan. What we CAN do is ask Rocco if he knows of any parties which will be attended by mutual friends of ours. He'll get what we mean, and we can plan on swinging invitations for either ourselves or some of our people so that the Savoys can actually meet and mingle with us/them in a neutral setting. That's far safer.

>>500536
>Stacey, Go Ping
Make an appointment with Satai to have dinner and discuss shit later in the week.

Make an appointment with Matvey for the same, but for a different night.

Give Camella a quick call and find out exactly which day she expects to return from Italy. Find out which night she would like to have dinner on to discuss company issues and shoot the shit. Ask Camella if she would like us to sound Lyubov out on getting her an appointment to speak to Hyougo about her slider issue.

>>499805
>Giantland?
Zhenya's got a plan and a map to go visit the giants to find a teacher, and she'll likely approach us for permission to go on the trip. There's no reason to deny the trip, but make it clear that she's responsible for anyone else she brings with her and that we'll want a report about it when she's back.
>>
No. 500818 ID: 252e1b

LYUBOV WEEKLY GOALS
L*~Keep up with law studies. Ask Hyougo for e-book versions for studying while on the move (exercising or doing other tasks).
L*~Work on the gauntlet/bracer and extensively repair and upgrade it and bug-test it. Get it ready to go back to Matvey by Tuesday afternoon (Tuesday morning Istanbul time). One of the new features: gauntlet will have a contact patch that can accept those lightning gems Titus gets from Karangya.
L*~Build a very stripped down divinetech generator spell, tuned specifically to generate lightning, and hook it up to personal chakra to convert personal energy directly to electricity.
L*~Give Beyza, Hillevi, and Zhenya each a call during the week. Give Matvey a quick call to explain the new gauntlet functions and to wish him luck.
L*~Talk to Sake twice during the week. Talk to Silja at least once, perhaps twice.
L*~Talk to Mom and Armas at least three times during the week, even if all that’s said is “I love you.”
L*~Talk to Placid every day of the week, checking on him shortly before his bedtime (4 a.m. Japan time, so just before the morning jog).
L*~Text back and forth with SB about different things, provide advice and get help as needed.
L*~Get Mom to make $250,000 in purchases for outfitting a completely mundane workshop in Istanbul. Get Adib to help with getting it set up properly by directing his work via phone and web cam during his afternoons (in the evening Japan time, after Hyougo’s bedtime). This is an ongoing project.

>>
No. 500825 ID: 14bafe

>>500746
>Talk to Lo Fang's soul
>"Tell me what you would want in a golem body."

Personally, I think we should keep Lo Fang's soul in Allview most of the time, letting him roam the city as he pleases and keeping a look-out for anything important (by Armas standards, or those of the Triad), unless we need something destroyed utterly. That's when we put Lo Fang in THE golem, with all of his owned soul restrictions to obey us and whatever in place.
All of the Golem's inbuilt weaponry, with Lo Fang's knowledge of Chakras, whatever it is that he uses to make him a heavyweight (straight up martial arts?), and complete control of all of it for Armas in one package.

Ideas (sorry if these have already been discussed):
Armas still has self-mythic flesh-grafting. Phoenix hearts have gone well with everything else so far, might as well add one to his own body. In addition, infinite hearts once it's conceptually a part of him.

As with Reenforcement, can other chakra orientations be overcharged past what have been used in the past? A massively overcharged stealth orientation sounds like an interesting thing to try out.

If the Meat Circus job is still open, can we use a golem of some sort to carry out a suicide mission from the inside? Seems fairly simple, if the demiplane collapse with it inside there's no way to trace it back to the Laine corporation. Those 'flesh golems from tribute' that the mere can make sound like a perfect match for the job, and if we discuss it with Whitari before-hand instead of just doing it, we can probably just convert some meat directly into golem in a couple of seconds.

Units of blood. I don't think Amen ever actually defined what the were measured in, it could be gallons, barrels, person-worth, or even ounces. Also, knowing how many 'units' of blood the factories produce would be nice.
Speaking of Amen, now that we have infinite regeneration, could we get a copy of those sniping memories from Simo Heya's ghost implanted into us? We could probably get a graft into anyone in the company who wanted one as well.
>>
No. 500862 ID: c98119

>>500825
Alright, SUSTING putting Lo Fang in the golem. Likewise SUSTING the MC plans. I do not suggest putting Lo Fang into anything more powerful than a human body. If we over bound him, he is going to be severely weakened and for the amount of control required to keep him from using the golem against us? Not worth it. Never give the guy wiggle room until we are honestly sure it won't bite us.

As for the Meat Circus, this is a Very Bad idea even if we pull it off flawlessly. We will be causing a HUGE economic shift that will pretty much directly empower SM by a lot. As much good as he's done, he's a businessman first. Practically Lo Fang +.

Also, I believe Amen rates his blood supply by the barrel. Mentioned it in a previous thread.
>>
No. 500988 ID: 31aaf2

>>500059
I support them playing a game of Go, it's a lovely thought and they won't rightly be able to back down without looking scared or surrendering the other plot outright.

The other option of course is a martial arts tournament held 3 days from now, but I doubt they will go for that.

As to who will say it, get blade to. Ask SB if he can communicate it to him without alerting the others. If not, use that M7 trait to tell blade what to do while making everyone else think that he was the one to suggest it in the first place. i.e. Drop on a soul guise to make them want to listen to you, lead with something like 'I remember you once saying' and buttering it up.
Hopefully Blade catches on or the others jump on it before he gets confused.

Go hang with your wards, give the kids a call.

SUSTing putting Lo Fang in the golem or Allview. He is still a dangerous entity and should be given no freedom at all until we make that no longer an issue.

ZHENYA ORDERS
>Approach armas for permission to go to the Land of the Giants to continue her Strength training, following the map Einrik gave her.
>Ask if others can come along
>Inform armas about the true nature of her Gate revolver and the demiplane attached.
>Invite other members of the company unburdened with current tasks to come along for ADVENTURE and training(and company), make a special note of inviting Matvey.
>Propose special magitech headgear idea to Igor, Satai and Lyubov if she calls. Get advice on what would be needed and start production as soon as possible.
>Ask Labombard about the Loup blood addition when mentioned by Igor to have regenerative properties, see if he'll donate.
>Hang out with the newly female Beyza and introduce her to life as a woman. Try not to break her bones while learning core boxing principles.
>Tell duke about trip to Giant Land if approved and see what he thinks, ask if he has any recommendations or requests(a special giant liquor perhaps?) and see if he wants to get in some more spars for old times sake.
>Hang out with Sake and make him know about the upcoming trip.
>Try and spend some time with everyone in the 'company', including Stacy and Placid(can't ignore him forever, and Lyubov seems to like him anyway). Give Amen a wide berth.
>Purchase a new violin and hope this one (finally) stays completely mundane.
>Do some solo training with guns and new strength at max power to get used to them all.
>>
No. 501959 ID: b7d2cc

TYRONE ORDERS
T> Become aware that dealing with the Laine Corp gets results.
T> Fast results. As in, within the past fucking week he's twice as strong as before, lined up for a suit of armor, gets special blood to filter it in to vampire blood for Squiddly, and other benefits, just from being with Bagga as his minion.
T> Realize that if blood is a vampire's soul, then altering the metal in the blood might alter the soul.
T> Obtain incredibly fine shadow-metal powder from Igor.
T> Talk to Gianni, Feodor, and Davgon about possibly replacing his current blood with a different metal. Offer interested parties an audience to what will likely be a hilarious and painful experience at the minor cost of keeping him from dying horribly.
T> Wonder how one goes about getting something like Squiddly for himself.
T> Train with Bagga! Beyza! Whatever she calls herself!
T> Prep for GIANTLAND trip.
T> Prepare to find another place to live - unless Feodor manages to secure him a room in the manor.

SVETLANA ORDERS
-Receive Mandarin language package, devote primary database building efforts to incorporating Triad dossiers.
-Go to Baki Yamada's massage parlour for excess magical energy removal.
-Begin learning energy ejection chakra orientation with Labombard's help. As part of this, he recommends a change in your chakra-inducing yoga, which seems to work just as well.
-Construct magical contracting awareness education package and test with Satai's contribution, distribute to company.
-Negotiate terms of Contract for providing contracting services with 'Sir Shadow'.
-Worry over Lyubov's situation and phone her every few days to make sure she's alright.

IGOR ORDERS
-Finish Labombard's pocket watches. Hope they're okay for a first try. Wonder why he's impressed with them-they're just things you made.
-Invite Patere to visit the mansion and ask her more about what he has to do for the wedding. …Find out the entire CLAN won't step foot in Amen. So. She counters with an offer for lunch to chat. Naturally, you accept.
-Try to gain a better understanding of how his Dark sight works by using shadow metal to isolate shadows in specific, static, states and observing them closely. Mostly use rivets.
-Ask that smith-friend of Boss' that Boss told him about to help him meet other smiths in the marketplace. Since he didn't do very well by himself. Keep an eye out for noteworthy smithing techniques and magical wares.
-Receive commission from Gianni.
-Keep working on Golem and company armors while practicing rituals.
-Finally make HB those Matryoshka Nesting Hummingbird dolls, spaced to allow liquid shots be stored between layers. Be surprised at how little trouble he had with what originally seemed like a really tricky project. Worry that means he messed up somehow.
BAGGETTE ORDERS
BREAD--Spar with whomever is available and willing at the mansion. Push yourself as far as you can, then no more because you can't push harder then you can.
BREAD--Keep being obsessive about caring for your two plants.
BREAD--Socialize! Enough being a whiney git! Intereact with the others and try to learn some proper social skills. Continue being annoying to many. Frustrating.
BREAD--Look into finding some magical florists. Find there's supposed to be plenty in the Bazaar, but it doesn't sound like there's any gung-ho specialists or exotically minded florists there.
BREAD--Keep training footwork with a lyzyrd.
BREAD--Continue to think being mangled by an overenthusiastic Ito is a good kind of training.
BREAD--Look into going to the arena. Talk to Matvey about it, see if a ride can be found. Need to get the gear required to properly learn the footwork. Be told that's allowable so long as she just does shopping-no more arena fighting for the moment.
BREAD--Keep promise to Tyrone and Zhenya and help them learn some boxing. …It hurts when Zhenya keeps accidentally breaking you.

MATVEY ORDERS
M-Run self ragged through an intense amount of training as your fight against Samson Aegis draws closer. Draw on extended Eye of the Tiger to advance in swordsmanship, chakra, conceptual magic, and footwork as you can and consult your teachers with the time you have left. Dangerously bloat soul from overuse but eh, details. Not like you'll sustain this.
M-Get back to Gianni and Labombard and admonish them for trying to skip out on educating their coworkers on how to socially interact with the supernatural and trying to pawn off memory packets while several individuals are still very wary of acquiring such things. Receive rebuff that the sheer number of things they might need to reference is simply too high to conventionally pick up in a short time frame, and that if you want comprehensive coverage for 'just in case' then a memory packet is the only efficient solution. Argue back that it can't take that long. Intake retort that given you're talking about several thousand magical sub-cultures with their own taboos and ways, any of which could be encountered in a magically active city like this, yes, it would take that long, barring memory packets. Digest this.
M-Review the collected information from the database so far, discuss with Svetlana and Labombard. ( http://tgchan.org/wiki/Guns_for_Hire_Database ) Learn they're still sorting out which bits of data are relevant for many of the profiles, but that quite a few contemporaries are already documented.
M-Call Camella in Italy for a check up, coordinate several items like training schedules and your duties as officers. She seems less rigid now-interesting.
M-Plan to approach Armas sometime this week to discuss the back pay from several missions that has not been accounted for and the future payment of the company's soldiers, which at this time is paltry compared to risks and the increasing skills involved. The new paradigm with the Triads should change things up, but if he is willing you can go and seek out jobs for the company outside of the Triads.
M-Take Jack Churchill up on his offer for drinks and tap your new sigil. He offered and it's about time you took him up on it, it sounds like an adventure. …Wake up next day splayed spread eagle balanced atop a radio antenna that is digging into your back atop a highrise, wearing an inside out kilt and nothing but as NNS tries to keep Ohotnik from happily tackling you. On attempting to yawn, realize your wallet is in your mouth.
M-What. Find phone in kilt. Find Jack recorded the evening and sent you a highlights reel…. ah. You're going to go ahead and let that stay forgotten.

IOSEF ORDERS
I-Enjoy the new sandwiches Johan is providing you for the new set of boring rituals he has. This is awesomely smokey meat!
I-Look into purchasing a new fridge so that everybody stops putting their stuff in there. Decide said acquisition entitles you to partial ownership of the kitchen on delivery (-$4,000)
I-Ask Davgon and Gianni what they know about demons while lazing about their workspace. Get a half hour conversation that you don't really listen to since a funny show's on. Pick up 'Don't talk to Demon Gods, and always ask any infernal if they ARE a Demon God since they have to answer.' Sure, sounds simple.
I-Assist Igor in producing his new brand of thermite. Delicious fire that hurts shadows, hahaha!
I-Pick up news around Bonzi's place and gossip about it over text messaging.
I-Visit the Zoo again. A three legged crow with an annoyingly familiar caw keeps perching on your shoulder when you visit. Doesn't poop on you or peck you, so you leave it be. Doesn't look tasty anyway.[/orange]
[color=brown]Boris Orders
{B}=Spend most of the time remaining in Italy working with Italian cooks. Thank Angelino for the training. Refuse any payment unless they insist.
{B}=Have plans for the food cart to be sent to Istanbul. The world has yet to see the end of ‘Boris’s Borscht.’ It shall return by boat!
{B}=Grab a gift for the Cookie Lady. Shop around and try to find something that suits her. Find hand-crafted baking trays from a local craftsman. Surely she'd like that.
{B}=Try and spend time with the other Russians before leaving Italy. (Drink copious amount of booze with Vlad, party with Grisha, watch Dmitri do ten whole piles of drugs, continue to laugh at Vlad's tiny pocket dog, etc.)

ZHENYA ORDERS
(Z)-Approach Armas for permission to go to the Land of the Giants to continue her Strength training, following the map Einrik gave her.
(Z)-Ask if others can come along. Find out there's a limit on three total peeps, since Armas needs bodies for the Triad shindig.
(Z)-Inform Satai, for Armory documentation, about the true nature of her Gate revolver and the demiplane attached.
(Z)-Invite up to two other members of the company unburdened with current tasks to come along for ADVENTURE and training(and company), make a special note of inviting Matvey.
(Z)-Propose special magitech headgear idea to Igor, Satai and Lyubov if she calls. Get advice on what would be needed and start production as soon as possible. Be disappointed the answer from all of them is variations of 'well that depends'.
(Z)-Ask Labombard about the Loup blood addition when mentioned by Igor to have regenerative properties, see if he'll donate. Be forewarned loup-blood treated material is not, innately, something you want to keep around your head. Take advice to heart.
(Z)-Hang out with the newly female Beyza and introduce her to life as a woman. Try not to break her bones while learning core boxing principles. …Break her bones.
(Z)-Tell Duke about trip to Giant Land if approved and see what he thinks, ask if he has any recommendations or requests(a special giant liquor perhaps?) and see if he wants to get in some more spars for old times sake. Duke decides he is going on your trip, irrelevant of your wants. Good job, this probably won't end in tears maybe.
(Z)-Hang out with Sake and let him know about the upcoming trip. He gives no fucks past telling you not to die so he doesn't need to replace a bandmate.
(Z)-Try and spend some time with everyone in the 'company', including Stacy and Placid(can't ignore him forever, and Lyubov seems to like him anyway). Give Amen a wide berth.
(Z)-Purchase a new violin and hope this one (finally) stays completely mundane.
(Z)-Do some solo training with guns and new strength at max power to get used to them all.

LYUBOV ORDERS
L*~Keep up with law studies. Ask Hyougo for e-book versions for studying while on the move (exercising or doing other tasks).
L*~Work on the gauntlet/bracer and extensively repair and upgrade it and bug-test it. Get it ready to go back to Matvey by Tuesday afternoon (Tuesday morning Istanbul time). One of the new features: gauntlet will have a contact patch that can accept those lightning gems Titus gets from Karganya.
L*~Build a very stripped down divinetech generator spell, tuned specifically to generate lightning, and hook it up to personal chakra to convert personal energy directly to electricity. Find this tingles excessively.
L*~Give Beyza, Hillevi, and Zhenya each a call during the week. Give Matvey a quick call to explain the new gauntlet functions and to wish him luck.
L*~Talk to Sake twice during the week. Talk to Silja at least once, perhaps twice.
L*~Talk to Mom and Armas at least three times during the week, even if all that’s said is “I love you.”
L*~Talk to Placid every day of the week, checking on him shortly before his bedtime (4 a.m. Japan time, so just before the morning jog).
L*~Text back and forth with SB about different things, provide advice and get help as needed.
L*~Get Mom to make $250,000 in purchases for outfitting a completely mundane workshop in Istanbul. Get Adib to help with getting it set up properly by directing his work via phone and web cam during his afternoons (in the evening Japan time, after Hyougo’s bedtime). This is an ongoing project.




>>499882
There are plenty of ways I could handle this dispute, as the Triad consultant. As they say, compromise is the art of making sure no one is happy with what is decided. and that could hardly be difficult to achieve here. Presumably Tong and Yakuza both have different interests and favored businesses, just like the Triads. Prostitution, drugs, gambling, things that can put territory to all sorts of different uses. And so I could suggest via Blade that they share the stretch of prosperous Bosphorus (heh) businesses along their traditional business models. Though if I suggested a shareplan, protection racketeering would need to be discontinued, but then they weren't getting any of that ANYWAY. This way the stretch of street is open for ‘business’ from any group, and no one can claim they were singled out. The other two will fall on whichever group breaks this together. It's a simple, logical, and relatively well thought out option.

It's also totally boring, so I label it 'Plan B'

Now, how to give a solution that's both viable, and actually produces good footage for my Allview's database…
>>499913
The classic solution for two different parties bickering over an area of land is to have one party divide it into two parts... and the other gets first pick. That might work… but would still not be too interesting unless I inadvertantly prodded someone into an insensate rage or the like.
>>499988
Oh! I could crib off old lore and offer two glasses of wine, only one of which contains deadly poison. I do, after all, have the ability to secrete exactly such a substance, what with the Doonongaes glands. …But that would likely be rejected unless I leaned on them, and the goal is to leave Blade as much in the commander's chair as possible.

>>500059
>>500098
>>500219
>>500746
…And that's when an idea hits me.

I tap Blade's shoulder an gesture for him to walk away from the table for a brief discussion-something he's more than happy enough to do. He cockily swaggers over and we put our heads together. Mindful of his clear deafness, I 'whisper' in the theatrical sense, my words anything but obscured from the no doubt attentive Tong and Yakuza representatives.
"You know Blade, this is a chance to either do one side a favor and implicitly be owed one in return."
I'm paying more attention to the clearly curious souls of the two watchers as they highlight on my choice of topic than I am to Blade's nodding beside me.
"Or you could demonstrate to them both you're going to be a fair judge and split it up fairly yourself."
Yeah-they want to know what I'm doing here-why I'm bothering to explain this. Is it just for their benefit, is it actually for blade's, do I want them to think Blade needs the reference, is this actually Blade's plan… their own insidiously deep realms of operation with layers of subterfuge keeps leading them on a merry chase as I continue speaking to my audience of three, given HB's simply napping on my tie's top.
"Or you could show them you're going to be conservative and traditional, and use the classic solution of having one divide the turf into two parts and then the other gets first pick."
I can see Blade's disinterest in being what he'd consider old and stodgy-but really, none of my suggestions save the last are really supposed to matter-and so far, I see zero evidence anyone's picked up on it yet. So, with a measured tone and a silvered tongue-
[MMM,MMMM Trait auto-activated!]
"Or you could use this to send a message that you're a savvy and serious crime lord worthy of respect up the line by picking a novel way to solve the dispute."

And I have him. Of course he'll pass on a possible owed favor to prioritize getting out an image he liked, and all it took was some preferential phrasing. With a speculative eye, Blade whispers back to me even as I see the souls of both reps veritably boiling in contemplation.
>[Blade]"So… say I do want to send a message here," He begins with, admirably keeping his voice down well below the levels he could hear it at, "What might be a good way to do it, so's it's all Asian and such?"
"A game would work. Turkish Oil Wrestling maybe, I could have a couple of pairs of lederhosen delivered right away for this-"
There is a delicious moment where I bask in the horrified shock and frantically scrambling souls of both the Tong and Yakuza rep, but one can poke fun for only so long.
"-but that's just a test of strength. You care about strategy and intellect right?"
Blade nods at this as if he'd already considered it all before, if nothing else doing rather well at being committed to faking competence.
>[Blade]"Okay-so, say I do want to use a game, and I'd rather it be all proper, and send the message I'm prioritizing strategory and all of that-which game would I pick?"
"You could pick a game like Go. It's thematic, since it's all about territory control. You could pick some other game, but Go shows you're savvy and culturally aware."

And so that's what he does, in his falsely intellectual way, full of pomp and narcissism-and they have little choice but to go along with it. The offer is fair, ultimately, as neither side knew in advance that such a challenge was forthcoming… and so they sit down to play a game I personally have no idea of the rules of-and by the look on Blade's soul, he's got no clue either. So we let them self-moderate, lest our ignorance give us away-and enjoy the show.

In the end, it's the Yakuza that win. This is, officially, the end of the meeting, as the turf distribution was the only real item on the docket. That said…

I am reasonably sure that guns being drawn are not conducive to an equitable parting of ways.

Which is why I neatly wrap each gun in a Soul Bubble, step up and push down on their raised arms. Naturally, the unexpected input to their stalemate makes both pull the trigger-only for their implements to warp and heat, the bullet-and the gas-unable to escape. I watch both of their souls flash through a myriad of memories at the near death moment, and speak in a measured tone.
"Now, I understand that it is upsetting to learn your opponent was in the Go Club when he was a young lad, and that his recollections of that beat out your hobby skills. But the point remains the match was given, and accepted, in fairness. You wouldn't want to disrupt that, would you?"

Both men jerk their hands out of my grasp, saying nothing to my comment… all the same, that's the end of the hostilities, as well as the talks as a whole. After both reps have left, Blade and I make our way outside, and with a wave part ways.

>>500536
While I'm walking, I find my thoughts returning to a comment made by Promethian Lucifer, just before we parted ways. He said 'Best of luck on the rest of the experiment' just before leaving. …But why would he say that? Even assuming he can see every active project I'm working on, what exactly could he be referencing? The War Golem? The Laine Company as a whole? My personal experimentation?

The question is vexxing, and so I implore my brothers to weigh in with their own thoughts on the matter. Naturally, shadowbro is the first to offer any sort of feedback at all.
>[SB]"There are effectively so many possible things that he could be referencing, both within your work and involving you in general, that trying to pick specifically what was being referenced appears to be a fool's errand to me. It is not at all uncommon for magical beings to be unwittingly used as test subjects, just the same is it's fairly normal to crib off the research of others where you can access it. Simply put, I don't think there's a point to considering this matter presently, as we have no way of reducing the number of potential answers and finding the actual truth."
As far as advice goes, 'Don't worry about it' isn't exactly my favorite, even if I am quite familiar with it. So I take it under consideration, as I wait for Sake's input. The Green furball, as ever, is succinct.
>[Sake]"Well, why not just do that job for Owner, and then get that favor, and then use it to ask what Lucifer meant? He'd have to figure it out for you, right? Way less effort!"
And, other than blowing a favor from Owner on it, it's not a bad plan, persay. Just… not exactly a good one. Hmm.

Well, for now there's just not enough data to make a strong conclusion about that statement of Lucifer's… that said, I'm definitely planning to keep it firmly in mind.

Shaking off the business with the Triads, considerations about draconic plotting, all of it, I instead focus on how I'm going to spend the rest of the morning and the afternoon: I'm going to do something with my wards. Hillevi, it would seem, is out of the running right from the start: I find a note she hastily scribbled stabbed into her room's door with a knife, detailing how she's out sightseeing with her big brother. There are copious doodles of hearts, which make the blood-stained knife holding said note all the more hilarious. Still, this leaves me with Silja and Placid to entertain and use to reaffirm to myself I do give half a crap about people dependent on me.

…Perhaps my honesty is rubbing off on my thoughts, if I'm being so blunt about the rational behind what on the surface could easily be taken as altruism. The brain is a funny thing.

Silja, who initially was averse to the idea of going out for a drink is quickly brought around to the idea by dint of mercilous tickling and liberal wheedling. Placid, of course, says yes the moment I finish asking the question. And so, with Silja held in a Soul Bubble so she's not flopping on the ground with a freshly wetted 'horn', the three of us visit Bonzi's, right when the time's best for those looking for a meal, rather than a good time. It turns out to be every bit the good idea I had hoped: Silja constantly shifts about to inspect the story-filled doodads Bonzi decorated with, and Placid's eminently pleased with the uniformly positive attention he's getting. My choice to attend a bar well versed in irregular customers and quite accustomed to the presence of my companies members proves well made, as Placid, for the first time outside the Laine Company, meets those that grasp he's not normal by any definition and don't seem to care so long as he's not trying to chomp on them.

As I'd hoped, Bonzi is readily available to point us all towards something of a circus event-a Dragon with a rather impressive magical creature menagerie is holding an open house, and there's no cover charge to get in. And so, after Silja's done drinking in the sight of a pub out of a fairy tail and giggling all the while, Placid helps me get her discretely to the dragon's place-a penthouse suite in downtown turned into a portal to a private Demiplane. I can't deny that I'm a bit grumpy that spiritual sensing and all of my magical senses, just like Placid's, shut down on entrance, but after a brief talk with the staff, the host makes an allowance for Silja's bloodvision, and we get on with the sightseeing. The living gallery, as it is, is fascinatingly a collection of 'fake' magical animals-that is, things imagined by mortal minds-or others-that were never actually real. Flying Pigs, Pink Elephants, formless numbers (I am told they are a sort of draconic bogeyman), all sorts of magical oddities can be found, and nearly every one of them is comically irregular and utterly enjoyable. The whole time, Placid is utterly fascinated by the fabricated beings, while Silja takes a delight in the event's entirety. My only regret is the Allview does not function in the demiplane, and so I'll only have my base senses to use, if I ever want to try and recreate the day's outing.

After having snacked at Bonzi's bar and then toured a dragon's menagerie, we finish off with a suggestion from Placid: it would seem he wants to make ice cream for us. While he's busy crafting it out of thin air much to Silja's delight, I phone Rocco and set the time for the dinner at 8:00PM. And while I watch Placid serve the ice cream into bowls of bone he likewise fabricates on the spot, I also phone up the Savoys and call in that meeting we have pending with them. Dinner, 8:15 on the dot and they know I'll be waiting. My hope is that I can keep the conversation to idle chit-chat until just before the 15 minute mark. If I can pull it off, I can do a great reveal with the sudden Savoys.

Confident in my plan, I escort Placid back home and bring Silja back to her roost, of sorts…

And run right into Matvey, who's clearly walking my way with his hilarious mix of swagger, march and mosey. I note he's got a manilla file tucked under one arm. I come to a halt in the hallway, waiting to see what he wants.
>[Matvey]"Boss, there is an important matter we need to discuss."
"Oh? I can think of a few things that could be the point of such a talk-care to narrow it down?"
He flips open the folder in his hands and begins reading. Oh, this'll be good.
"There has been a mission we have undertaken where appropriate pay was not given to those who signed on for the job, namely the mission to siege a Hobgoblin base. Furthermore the current payment structure leaves something to be desired, our men have to split the 25% of the pay they receive amongst themselves which at the current measure of our jobs leaves them risking life and limb for several thousand dollars apiece."
What. That can't be right, I-
>[SB]Actually you didn't.
And if you knew that, you didn't tell me… why?
>[SB]You're an adult, you can fix your own problems and properly learn from them, I believe is the phrase.
Gee thanks.
"...Ah. That is an excellent point. Let's address the unpaid jobs first, then."
Let's see, eyeballing the svartelf, rechargable charms I got-all fifteen of them…
"Let's say each charm's worth around a hundred, just to stick a price on it, so a quarter of the sum value would come out to a four hundred… so eighty thousand apiece would seem appropriate. And before you object to the way the payment distributes, this mission was before you brought your concern to me-and while I'm happy to talk about a restructure, I'm not going to open the door to retroactive pay raises. Besides, we've secured easy access to missions I can assure you will have million-plus payouts courtesy of the Triads."
BUSINESS FUNDS: -$400,000.00 $8,842,094.00
The lack of any surprise in his soul confirms my suspicion he already knows. I find myself rather pleased with my awesome officer's attentiveness-don't need to tell him shit!
>[Matvey]"Yes, the Triads. I have overheard that we have a new arrangement with them. Would those jobs be regular and would there be enough of them to comfortably pay out to every employee?"
"Shouldn't be hard to arrange-their leader's the quintessential figurehead, and knows he has to lean on me hard to not screw this up, bravado or no. For one, he's completely amenable to comprehensive overhaul of the Triad's entire operating methods, just because he 'likes the idea of being a visionary'. So yeah, we're effectively the leaders of the Triads, in that we're what's going to keep it afloat. And wouldn't you know Lo Fang was running a staggeringly profitable enterprise?"
>[Matvey]"Then I would ask you consider putting the whole company on a salary if we are going to funnel their funds into the company's, it would be easier to manage in the long term and not require you manipulate both their job offers and which employees have to go where to keep up appearances."
I rub my chin at that. Hm… if I put them on salaries, then I can lease them out to the Triads at my personal discretion, and it wouldn't be hard at all to make up the cost and then some of funding rather competitive pay. After all, a well paid minion's a loyal one.

I clap a hand on Matvey's shoulder, shoving my Soul Guise straight through the less controlled memetic effects about his own soul as I reinforce his sense of fair-play prior to an order. Not that much reinforcement's required in the oft-grumpy man. Wouldn't want any personal onus of his skewing the results.
"I like that idea-in fact, I'd like you to draft up a proposal on what would be a good rate, in your eyes, for what will ultimately be primarily part-time workers. I'm not really expecting you guys to be married to the triads, and I want them to properly value our time. Say, a per diem rate, so I can freely lay claim to weekends barring pre-arranged and approved vacations and the like."
>[Matvey]"It will be in a sealed envelope and in Svetlana's hands waiting by tomorrow morning, but speaking of being married to the Triads. I had another proposition that I would like you to consider. My personal web of contacts has expanded considerably since arriving in the city and I believe I could bring in more work for the company. For instance the Kheazi clan is willing to name our company as one of the highest repute amongst dwarven circles if we can provide them with the location of the Owner's private arena in a way that he would have no objections to. If you would grant me permission to, I could go out and arrange for more jobs and bring them forward to you for approval and assist in arranging deployment of our employees."
"While I would normally be all for new work, I'd rather focus on getting our image out there successfully by being the Triad's crutch first, and look at that in a few weeks, maybe a month or so after consistent performance with the Triads."
Matvey nods his head at the request, my order already filling his thoughts.
>[Matvey]"Understandable, I will hold off on bringing it up again until then. That's all the business I had to discuss today. Ah- before I go if I haven't extended it already, you are welcome to come see my bout against Samson Aegis in the Owner's arena. I believe you've seen the directions already, it is my understanding that they don't do typical bets there, they trade in favors and the like between the magical elite."
Well now doesn't that sound interesting.
"What's the date?"
>[Matvey]"It is set for next Sunday, the 27th."
"You need anything for the fight, or have you got it handled?"
>[Matvey]"Both your shadow and Lyubov have provided me with some form of assistance, but I won't turn down any aid you feel like offering."
"Sure you wouldn't turn it down, but who wants to see you steamroll someone? Do you NEED anything at this point?"
>[Matvey]"Then no, I'm adequately prepared."
"Excellent. Best of luck, then, though I doubt you need it."

And as Matvey toddles off, I file away these thoughts of putting the company on salary, and focus on a different soul approaching me-Zhenya.

The diminutive Russian that thinks she's a bullet princess approaches me with Giants on the mind, of all things.
>[Zhenya]"Ah, Armas, glad I caught you. I have a few things to ask you about my Strength training. Well you said you couldn't really teach me and Duke has reached the limit of his teaching me as well, so I asked around and your friend, Hellivi's brother told me that I might find some leads in the lands of the giants"
"You want to learn how to use Strength from innately Conceptual beings tied to a different concept? …Okay, sounds fun. But exactly how are you getting to the Giants in question? It's not like many of them bustle about pretending to be human."
>[Zhenya]"Einrik, he gave me a map. I'm hoping he took my humanity and ability to follow it into consideration, so I'll follow that"
"…Have you not looked at the map yet?"
The tiny wannabe titan proffers forth a page of Einrik's vexingly precise calligraphy.
>[Zhenya]"A map to the land of the giants"
I start referencing the directions as I read them against the Allview, stopping after having crossed multiple national borders and more than one passively open demiplane.
"Did you even look at how far this path is on a map? Sure you don't have the tools to figure out demiplane travel times, but there's enough conventional travel… unless you're planning to ride Grisha or a gaggle of Hummingbirds-"
>[HB]"An offer I am not extending to you, female."
"-Big surprise there anyway the point is that this is going to be a considerable time investment. That said, I won't say I'm against it innately, or anything of the sort-but I would have a few stipulations, since, and I don't know if Matvey mentioned it to you or not, we kind of own the Triads now, and that is going to make our immediate future rather busy."
Zhenya is struck speechless for a moment by the 'ownership' I so casually mention.
>[Zhenya]"Wait a minute, you beat the triads?"
I wave a hand dismissively at the claim.
"No no no-the Triads are fine, well and under the control of a personally appointed puppet. No, who I beat, was Lo Fang. None of the details are particularly pertinent here, but the point is there's work to be done."
>[Zhenya]"How did...ok I guess we might be really busy. SO what kind of stipulations?""
"That if you have any plan at all of taking other employees with you, you'll need to convince me that it's worthwhile for them, and for the company."
I can feel a simple form of smugness settling about her soul, as if she's certain she has just the right kind of wordplay ready for me. Cute.
>[Zhenya]"...Well, I had asked Beyza-"
"Baggette got that sex change did he?"
>[Zhenya]"Yeah, she… 'Baggette'?"
"Bagga, Baggette, male, female. Anyway."
>[Zhenya]"…So I asked… Beyza and hi-her friend Tryone as well as Matvey to come, and I think it would be an excellent opportunity for them, and us as an organization. Beyza hasn't been able to power up as much as a lot of the company members and if she can come she'll certainly be able to get something out of this herself, not to mention getting a good read of her new...state. Having strong soldiers is useful for you right? Also this is a perfect opportunity to spread your name around a little more. The most important thing for a company is its name so us spreading word about you to the land of the Giants can only help-"
"First off-that's just not true. Bad PR is absolutely a thing, and if you're not the most rockstar magic types in the area, there's zero guarantee you can avoid such a negative view, not to mention actually getting your ass squished-Giants, remember? If you're going to try and convince me of your idea, at least be factual, hm?"
I chuckle as Zhenya looks a bit perturbed at that.
"Past that let me see if I've got this right. You still want to pursue this now, rather than table it for some later point when the Triads are stabilized and there's plenty of free time again-admittedly not predictably far off, with how amorphous our current work will be-and you don't just want the vampires-which is fine-but you also want Matvey, who is still, for the next few days, my highest ranking officer. As to Matvey: absolutely not, at the very least until Camella's back. Frankly I don't know why you're asking now and not in a week when everyone's back."
She… seems to wonder at that a bit herself.
>[Zhenya]"Well, the map I got will only last a fortnight and I guess that deadline kind of made me want to get this done as soon as possible. I don't really know if there's some kind of magic in the map or some window of opportunity or if it was just the limitation of the method."
"The only reason that would at all make it reasonable to not wait the week would be if you think the route itself would take nearly the entire fortnight to complete. Do you anticipate that?"
>[Zhenya]"I do expect the trip to take a long time, yes. "
"…Why? We've got several mobility enhancing methods, not the least of which being several methods of teleportation you could use to massively cut down on travel times-and you're making quite the assumption, thinking I'll okay what is effectively a vacation no matter how you phrase the potential company benefits, that would span more than a month. I do need workers, after all, so you'd have to sell me, if you want to take it slow and easy, as you seem to be proposing."
She's definitely having to rethink her position on the fly by the spiritual tumult I observe.
>[Zhenya]"I wasn't expecting it to be easy, I didn't know we had ways to teleport other than the help that witch gave so I didn't think that was a standard thing. If we have faster methods to travel, and you are offering them, then I will accept with your thanks. I plan to work myself to the bone to become stronger once I find a way to do so, I never had a vacation in mind at all. If you see it that way well," she deflates a bit "a don't know how to convince you otherwise"
I wave my hands in mock surrender.
"Alright alright, enough with the deep, soul-baring commentary and such: look, if you want to go because you want to get stronger-sure, we can make that happen, but there's a problem, here: relative safety of investment. As nice as seeing you pick up the rest of the Strength Duke and I can't teach you without really messing you up would be, that's not a potential gain worth more than your life. So exactly how do you plan to deal with that? If you end up dying over there I will do my utmost to bring you back just so I can chastise you for wasting assets."
Zhenya smirks a bit at that, and I can see she liked the snark.
>[Zhenya]"Well, I do have a few protection and healing methods available. Lyubov told me about a way Sake used to make healing potions and I was thinking I could carry those as emergency stock. I also plan to purchase some more charms... and I was wondering if the valiant hummingbird would allow me to go unattended."
While hummingbird is busily fluffing his feathers on my shoulder, preening under the attention I hold up a hand.
"Yeah wait woah there: unless you want to keep them, why would you buy charms? We've got reusable ones and the like on stock, just sign them out. …Unless you're afraid you'd lose them or some shit, then yeah, go buy your own, since you're definitely paying it back if you lose some of mine."
Zhenya straight up smiles now, she is enjoying a thought.
>[Zhenya]"Thank you for the kind offer sir, I'll make sure to make use of them when I'm in the land of the giants. I'll have naught to fear with your boon and the might of master bird"
Oh, archaic speech: she's got HB by the balls now-

And sure enough, he makes exactly the call I'm expecting. With a commanding flap of his tiny wings he begins to expound.
>[HB]"I will send a node along the path you've provided, and with the brothers of my mount we shall provide you instant passage. That said, it must be made clear that I will fight only my own battles in this land you giants call the home of your kin, and that beyond attempting to claim you before you can fall in battle or returning you on completion of your venture, I shall offer you no aid. Is this clear?"
Zhenya continues smiling
>[Zhenya]"You are most generous, I thank you for your kind offer"
A piece of HB pull free and forms into a new bird, which promptly vanishes in a thundercrack, already hot on the trail.
>[HB]"It will take some time to complete the path."
I turn to look back at the tiny Russian.
"So, that it? You'll have to wait, obviously, for HB to get the path ready."
>[Zhenya]"Well you extend this favor to all who travel with me?"
>[HB]"It will depend on whether they display suitable manners."
I can already see Zhenya thinking about a certain vampire that didn'y get a sex change.

…Man my life's become weird.

The tiny soldier snaps off a salute with gusto.
>[Zhenya]"I have no doubt it will be ready in the fastest time it could possibly happen. Thank you."
She probably had something else to say, but she's forgotten it now, blown out of the mind by supersonic birds and foul-mouthed vampires. Well, I'll leave her to that.

After the curious conversation with a fellow student of Strength-and, incidentally, the tiniest of Russians-I check the clock…. it's getting close to when I need to head out and meet Rocco. I change-once again adorning myself with a neon orange tie because hey, that's my thing, and with Hummingbird properly on his perch, I'm off.

The meeting's at a restaurant, naturally one that the Mafia owns. it's reserved, in an italian sense that only pays service to the bare minimum of the idea, and the dark wood tables seem to swallow the dim candle light filling the room. Despite it being evening-prime time for a meal out and about, the respectably sized eatery is bereft of occupants, save for Rocco, slowly working on a snifter of grappa as he eyeballs a file before him where a meal would otherwise be. I make my way to his table, picking up the word 'Triad' multiple times in the upside-down words he studies. As I take my seat, having noted how far away the door is, Rocco speaks.
>[Rocco]"So. The Triads have had a change in ownership."
"Yes."
>[Rocco]"Official story with many endorsements by big names stating this is all above board, and that this... Blade is the new leader."
"Mm-hm."
>[Rocco]"And that your company is on board as a consulting firm, for this group."
I don't bother saying anything since this is all clearly rhetorical. Rocco will get to a point soon enough… I hope.
>[Rocco]"But that's not exactly something that seems… accurate. Especially given what I've heard of this morning's territory discussion. No, it seems far more likely to me that Blade is, exactly as should be expected of a person like him in a position like that, a figurehead. What seems accurate to me, is that you are now in control of the Triads-that a prior contractor I have hired, and that was involved with my predecessor's passing, now controls a national criminal operation that operates in the same territory I do."
Still no point yet, I'll just keep waiting.

Rocco carefully puts down the grappa, and closes the folder, leaving us the only ones in the room as he looks me levelly in the eye.
>[Rocco]"So. Lo Fang was a man that… in his way, demanded respect not for ability or power, so much as competence, and reliability, in his fashion. By no means was he an ally, but he was an enemy that was.. familiar. The current shift has, as a matter of course, created a large amount of contention, over how this is to be addressed. The Tongs, the Yakuza-those who come from places more strongly controlled by their dragons are choosing to pretend things are exactly as the official story states. I don't like that-and even if I did, the general views held in my circles contends this can't be done."
He taps a finger on the table betwixt us, his voice still gruff and soft in the starkly quiet room.
>[Rocco]"The biggest concern, is that you are going to perpetuate heavy draconic influence, just like Lo Fang did, and that as a result of the resources you have that Fang lacked, this is going to make a problem. So. The reason your presence was requested, was this: wonder, over whose interests you're planning to serve here."

There are many ways I could answer that, most of them utterly truthful, so many options and possibilities, ranging from placation to threat… and really, the answer that I most want to give-is the most true of all.
"Rocco, I can assure you that I'm pursuing my own interests here, and that my motivations for acquiring such unofficial control are entirely opportunistic. So, unless I've somehow missed being a dragon, I can't possibly be serving their interests, unless they want me to live an amazingly wealthy and influential life."
Rocco rocks back at that, carefully mulling my statement over.
>[Rocco]"Let's pass question that or semantics of wording: let's just get straight to the presumption you're being straight with me here. In that case, what, exactly, is in your interest, then?"
"And that's a question that more than a few would like to know the answer to, isn't it? I'll readily tell you that I have no qualms with your organization, and have quite enjoyed working with them. In fact-"
I check my phone-one minute to go till quarter past-
"I'd say you might be able to benefit, as an organization, from my providence. And as such, you should view my new position as favorably as possible."
A steady set of eyes cautiously probe me, his soul continuing to give signals that would seem totally in place for a nigh-unmagical man when I know mister Armani as anything but. Several seconds pass, and I truncate my planned verbiage to ensure a proper delivery.
>[Rocco]"And what, exactly, is the benefit you are referencing, here?"
And it's 8:15 on the nose now, so I start getting up, still looking at Rocco.

There's a sound not unlike a doorbell that resounds throughout the restaurant.

I smile disarmingly at Rocco's widening eyes.
"Oh, I invited a guest, I hope that's okay."

And then there the Savoys-

There the Savoy is-and I immediately recognize her as the clan's current Head and Matron from the AORB files: Camella Savoy, the woman I briefly considered fucking for no other reason than to send a taunt to Galileo, a final mocking as is my way. And here she is, in the flesh and swaddled in a silk gown that I'm confident would look more at home in a museum documenting classical styles than in a modern setting. I go ahead and chalk that up to excessively traditionally-minded Bloodliners, and offer her an incline of my head to the Savoy Head I frankly assumed would send a delegate rather than attend personally.

With all the dignity of a queen, the venerably aged matrion dips her head back in turn, and sweeps over to smoothly take the seat I vacated, even as I move to claim a third chair for the sole occupied table in the room.

It's Camella Savoy that speaks first, with Rocco's soul every bit as incredulous as his face at her sudden appearance.
>[Camella]"I must say, Mister Laine, that my clan has found itself intrigued. The same day that you make a rather remarkable stir in international politics that my family has a… history, shall we say, of paying attention to, you call in a meeting marker that had langoured for some time-and you use it on a meeting with those our family used to work most diligently with. I wonder, Mister Laine, do you perhaps wish to see the Savoys resume their association with the Mafia?"
I don't need to read Rocco's soul, I don't even need to look at him to see just how badly he wants that.

But of course, the question is if that's what I even want-and to be blunt, I'm more intrigued by the fact Camella herself came when she had to know the meeting would be with Rocco… which suggests that, in this world where Galileo no longer existed, the Savoys would not mind in the slightest to 'once more' work with the mob. Why not facilitate it, if both parties want it and I can get gratitude most valuable for the undertaking?

I consider how to swing my frankly capricious choice to invite the Savoys to a meeting with Rocco to my favor, given how the cards have fallen.





What do I say to Camella/Rocco: what is my goal, now that both are at the table together?
>>
No. 502137 ID: 7dbd6b

I would say that the goal is to have sex with Camella, but you have a girlfriend. Probably the goal is to get these two factions to work together, while making them both as indebted to you as possible for arranging the set-up.
"Well, I was hoping that we all could come to a profitable arrangement for everyone involved."
Actually, now that I think of it, if we still have favors owed to the Savoy clan from the General job, now might be a good opportunity to have one of them scratched out. For putting together this meeting and starting Mafia-Savoy relations again, one favor ticked off.

Anyway, since Sake brought up what to spend the favor on already, I'd like to suggest having the Owner find out the story behind the month of missing memories and retrieve them, without harming or allowing harm to befall any of Armas' associates or family.

Also, in a more immediate sense, we'll want to check what bindings exactly are on that ownership of soul contract for Lo Fang. I was going under the assumption that it was like Stacy's, with the soul locked down harder than a vault, but it seems just like him to have set up the contract in such a way that the soul was free to do as they pleased. Why else would he write a contract that had even a chance of selling his soul to someone on death, if not as an insurance policy against his eventual death? It might be his form of resurrection, and the longer we leave him unattended, the more likely he's gonna be able to pull a body though his own gate of self and possess it or something.
>>
No. 502205 ID: 9b3d17

>>502137
>Anyway, since Sake brought up what to spend the favor on already, I'd like to suggest having the Owner find out the story behind the month of missing memories and retrieve them, without harming or allowing harm to befall any of Armas' associates or family.

First of all, that excludes Armas HIMSELF from protection against harm. Secondly, that information should be OURS ALONE. Seriously, you want to just hand Owner the information we've been seeking for so long? HELL, You want to walk up and tell him, "Hey, Owner, I'm missing a month of my memory! :D"

Hell naw.

>Why else would he write a contract that had even a chance of selling his soul to someone on death, if not as an insurance policy against his eventual death?
Slightly paranoid, but it woulodn't hurt to check.

As to the update: Why the hell are you flipping out over Lucifer's simple salutation? He's a mad scientist dragon, it's not that silly to think he assumes everyone is experimenting on something. Especially among his fellows. Sitting there and thinking "WHAT DOES HE KNOOOOOOOW" doesn't really accomplish much.

Right now, I agree that we should work to get the Savoys and the Mafia back in bed together. Be the massive criminal organization wingman here, it'll reap many rewards.

As for dialogue I have NO FUCKING CLUE.
>>
No. 502703 ID: c6319f

First thing we should do is perform a quick scan of her for any magical items she might be carrying and take a look at her soul. As subtly as possible, don't want to be caught probing.

Our goal here is to get the Savoy and Mafia working together but that shouldn't be difficult, the Savoy's internal situation isn't as stable as it could be. No heir and 7 potentially ambitious branch-kids is a situation that could turn ugly, this is a great way to keep them entertained and preoccupied and Camella knows it. Being a mysterious up-and-coming power player has been working well for our Savoy rep so far, so I think it's the best way to continue until we have something more concrete to go off of.

"I do and I'm prepared to expound on the reasons that they should at length. But unless you need me to provide explicit politically plausible deniability for your seeking out the resumption of association with a socially inferior organization I would opt to not waste the time we have together."

[If she insists(It can probably be broken up into 4-6 sections with Camella's responses to make it more of a back-and-forth. Whatever seems most natural:]
"If you insist. As you implied earlier, your clan has an interest in local politics, something working with the locally present Mafia would allow you more freedom to survey or influence as you would. My significance to local Mafia operations means that the favors I owe the Savoy family can be used to even more completely control the nature of your dealings with the Mafia than usual. The Savoy branch clan has a number of youths who would benefit from the externally focused experiences and entertainment steady work with the Mafia would provide- it is no secret that their Hand's grip is not as strong as it could be. Now, I don't think it's necessary to convince Rocco here of the benefit that could be had for his organization. And of course, though less relevant to you, I would personally enjoy seeing a more active Savoy clan."

"If that's settled, I'd like to move on to another reason I arranged this three-way. Rocco, we need to discuss Mafia/Triad borders, and it only makes sense that your prospective close associates be privy to the details of dealings with your existing Istanbul contacts, wouldn't you agree? Ms. Savoy what do you think about...."
And then we talk Mafia/Triad business stuff nobody wants to bother with.

Other stuff to slot into the overarching conversation:

"I have a male ward of excellent pedigree that I have to consider finding a suitable wife for down the line and I noticed your extended family has a surplus of unmarried daughters."
Just to see the reaction on her face. Though if she does express interest, respond in a non-committal fashion, Placid is too young and impressionable for that kind of thing and political marriages are kind of... eh. Maybe one day. If her response is negative, we play it off as a joke since it actually is one.

On the subject of marriages, Veiko and Tuomo are unmarried and Markku isn't quite so protective of the twins as he is of Hillevi. The Savoy branch clan has half a dozen unmarried daughters and the Valkonen need to think about building up their own branch families again, as well as branching out politically. At least planting the idea of relations between the Savoy and Valkonen during this conversation would do quite a bit to further Einrik's goals with his family and should increase Armas' worth in the eyes of the Savoy. We need tread lightly, of course. And I don't have dialogue for this one.
>>
No. 502718 ID: 248b9f

(different internet provider, same old butt)

>>502137
>Favors owed
I doubt the Savoys will see this as a favor paid. In any case it would be best to give them time to get used to being more active again before presenting it as being such a boon to them that it could be considered a favor. So, don't push claiming it's a favor yet, wait and see first.

>>502137
>Owner Favor
Don't count your chickens before they're hatched. This isn't the time to really think about it. Wait for after we finish the mission. It's totally cool to bring it up in the discussion thread, but stuff in the game thread is what's going on in Armas's head.

>>502137
>Lo Fang's plans
Remember, Lo Fang and Dorjpalam both are from cultures that require saving face. Once Lo Fang had the audience with Dorjpalam, the wizard could set terms and Lo Fang wouldn't really be able to turn him down. Lo Fang's best option, from his perspective, would have been to remain hidden and secure while waiting for Camella to get herself killed or to repay the loan, while collecting more information about what was going on and preparing for opportunistic actions against Camella which did not violate the terms of the Contract. Getting the contacts required to get out of a wizard contract is something even we would have trouble with, and we've got way better magical contacts than Lo Fang did.

>>502703
>Take note of Miss Savoy's magic
The Viewers are made for this, and no doubt Shadowbro is paying attention. And if he isn't, now's a good time to make sure he is. ALSO of note: We got a partial reading on Rocco by not paying Attention to him. We're aware that he wants this partnership through inference, but we know just how badly he wants it without looking at him (soul or body, since we're paying nearly full Attention to Matron Savoy right now). We know that Attention sensing can be baffled by sheer stupid luck (like how drunks and children can look in the wrong place for absolutely no reason at all), or by willful unreasoning observation (like how Lyubov counter-trolled in the kitchen), and we can guess that enough deliberate Intent modification (like what we did with the Splintered Intent trick) would work too. Obviously this is related, with us being able to retain information on Rocco's soul state by putting almost all our Attention on the Matron here.

So, it's a good idea to pay Attention to Matron Savoy. Just be sure to coincidentally pay attention to the space where we last saw the other occupant of the room, too. Not to him, that's a waste of time, but to the space he occupies, and anything in it. That'd be good.

>>502205
>Be the massive criminal organization wingman here
>>502703
>Dialogue about this

It's really the only good reason we have for bugging her like this. So we better make the pitch good.

>>501959
>[Camella]"I must say, Mister Laine, that my clan has found itself intrigued. The same day that you make a rather remarkable stir in international politics that my family has a… history, shall we say, of paying attention to, you call in a meeting marker that had langoured for some time-and you use it on a meeting with those our family used to work most diligently with. I wonder, Mister Laine, do you perhaps wish to see the Savoys resume their association with the Mafia?"

"Yes, I'd say that's accurate. While normally I would have taken time to feel out both parties and be sure it could be workable, I felt I could and should be expedient in this case. It's no secret that the Savoy House has cooperated in the past with the Mafia to the mutual benefit of both parties. Renewing old ties seemed very possible, even in light of the comparatively recent... lapse in relations. Especially given that there's a Finger slot free, or was last I heard at least."

"Well, mostly I just keep my ears open. Oh, before I forget, there was another matter I wanted to bring up when I met you, Matron Savoy."

[And that is?]

"Your nieces and nephew. They're single, in their twenties, and all bearers of the Summer line correct? I happen to have friends who are both elligible and from a magically potent bloodline family. In fact, the youngest is my ward for the year. Her chance to learn a bit about city life, under trusted supervision. If you would like, I'd be happy to arrange opportunities for the Valkonens to meet your kin in chaperoned situations."

This next line is fairly important. It spells out what Armas gets out of this (Savoy will react better if she knows our motives include an element of self-interest).

"Yes, the Valkonens. They are my friends, and frankly I like most of what I've heard about your family. Enough that I'd be willing to facilitate this. Besides that, it would be nice for there to be children of the appropriate peer group and... power bracket, I suppose, to be playmates with my kids. When I start having kids, I mean."

At this point the conversation could go into sensitive territory. These answers may not be used, depending on how much Rocco and the Matron know and choose to say.

[Children with your witch saint girlfriend?]

"You're well informed. And, isn't that one of the goals of any successful relationship? For both partners to find fulfillment together? I know in her case, and mine, that would mean having kids and raising a family properly at some point. Incidentally Rocco, I hope this helps you understand my earlier answer a bit better."

[What are the Valkonen boys like?]

"Let's see. There's the twins, Veiko and Tuomo, and Einrik the heir. If I had to sum each of them up in a sentence, I'd say Veiko is cheerful and affable, Tuomo is blunt and fond of jokes, and Einrik is clever and driven. What about your nieces, what are they like?"

>>502703
>Placid as a prospect?

"It may not have escaped your notice that I have another ward besides the aforementioned Valkonen girl. He's very young, and it remains to be seen how he feels about things. Still, I've found myself continually impressed with how he is emotionally developing, and it would be remiss of me to not plan ahead for him in the same way I'm planning ahead for my future biological children."

[Why do you mention this?]

"...no specific reason. Just food for thought."

Which is a better troll than just saying it outright, in my opinion.
>>
No. 502721 ID: b263b0

>>502718
Sounds like a solid post, so upvoting this generally.

>So, it's a good idea to pay Attention to Matron Savoy. Just be sure to coincidentally pay attention to the space where we last saw the other occupant of the room, too. Not to him, that's a waste of time, but to the space he occupies, and anything in it. That'd be good.
We have seen the effect of a 108-partitionned ward against our viewers previously (the Lo Fang one). It could be interesting to use 108 viewers to analyze Camella savoy (and the space of the meeting), to see if a comparative improvement in efficiency can be felt.
>>
No. 502774 ID: c6ce12

>>501959
We need to discuss a business associate of his before the conversation concludes, Elwen Embla. Ask Rocco what he thinks about her, since it is rather apparent the Mafia has interest in her and keeping information security around her controlled as shown by their job offer. We may have need to go into business with her shortly and some insight from someone with a close working relationship would be wonderful. Phrase it in a very easy way, by bringing it up at all to Rocco we complicate the task of robbing her at all, but lets try to mitigate that and keep the two options we had in our head as open as possible. We really do want his opinion here, would she be a valuable contact, how she works, and a contact number if he could provide one.

>>502703
>>502718
Upvotes.
>>
No. 503652 ID: b7d2cc

>>502718
Well, if Cammy's going to forgo most of the opening wordplay I'd expected from someone as blue-blood as her, hey, I won't complain.
"Yes, I'd say that's accurate. While normally I would have taken time to feel out both parties and be sure it could be workable, I felt I could and should be expedient in this case. It's no secret that the Savoy House has cooperated in the past with the Mafia to a mutual benefit of both parties. Renewing old ties seemed very possible, even in light of the comparatively recent... lapse in relations. Especially given that there's a Finger slot free, or was last I heard at least."
Rocco silently nods in affirmation to my assertion-not that I really needed it, since a Thumb's appointment is supposed to be a big deal. For her part, the Savoy Matron regards me blandly, not a hint of speculation getting through her mask-and her utterly invisible soul is solid testament to the quality of her charms.
>[Cammy]"And may I ask what lead you to such an interest in the Hand that you'd dug up old records of past practices?"
"Well, mostly I just keep my ears open. Oh, before I forget, there was another matter I wanted to bring up when I met you, Matron Savoy."
I refuse to grin, I will not show the glee what I'm about to do inspires in me, I will remain professional-
>[Cammy]"And that is?"
"Your nieces and nephew. They're single, in their twenties, and all bearers of a Summer line correct? I happen to have friends who are both elligible and from a magically potent bloodline family. In fact, the youngest is my ward for a year. Her chance to learn a bit about city life, under trusted supervision. If you would like, I'd be happy to arrange opportunities for the Valkonens to meet your kin in chaperoned situations."

The Matron of a royal bloodline and actual Queen-at least magically speaking-arches a single well-manicured eyebrow before measuring out her words.
>[Cammy]"That's a rather… internally-oriented subject to bring up at a table such as this… but no matter. I've found myself rather frustrated at their lack of marital progress to such a point I'll entertain your forward approach. But truly… the Valkonens? I was under the impression that old clan was doing nothing much at all, ever since the change in practices to… insular focus two decades ago."
For all her informalized tone, there's a glint of something deadly cautious in her eyes, and I insure my words stay measured lest I ruin it all on account of not accommodating a prickly persona.
"Yes, the Valkonens. They are my friends, and frankly I like most of what I've heard about your family. Enough that I'd be willing to facilitate this. Besides that, it would be nice for there to be children of the appropriate peer group and... power bracket, I suppose, to be playmates with my kids. When I start having kids, I mean."
>[Cammy]"My, how family oriented of you."
"Hardly: I just have a healthy respect for the value of playmates."
>[Cammy]"Is that so… what are the Valkonen boys like?"
"Let's see. There's the twins, Veiko and Tuomo, and Einrik the heir. If I had to sum each of them up in a sentence, I'd say Veiko is cheerful and affable, Tuomo is blunt and fond of jokes, and Einrik is clever and driven. What about your nieces, what are they like?"
I find I wasn't expecting a sigh every bit as exasperated as a busybody aunt's, and a roll of her eyes.
>[Cammy]"Where to even start. Jenna's calm and collected in the calculating sense, but her younger sister Cianna is an absolute mess at planning. One supposes she makes up for it with prodigal skill in the family arts. Grazia is… obsessive in anything that interests her, and as a result has quite a wealth of knowledge. Ziara and Stella are both in touch with the pulse of the modern world and quite capable of using the internet-"
Wait seriously she thinks that's a point of pride that's amazing-DON'T LAUGH DON'T FUCK IT UP

Cammy continues, unaware of the mirth I'm rigidly stifling.
>[Cammy]"-and Paola is the most flexibly minded niece to my name. Though I expect that if Old Markku's thinking about reversing his viewpoint, he already has more than enough information to assess my clan's progeny on his own, without such a blasé discussion as this-is that not so?"
"I'd rather say he's simply particular about how he portrays caution, but you're correct: he does like such information before making a judgment. And to that end-what exactly do you think is the point of me bringing it up?"
Let her draw her own inevitably inaccurate conclusions from that-oh magical truthsensing and double-talk, I love you so.

>[Cammy]"So, you take your duties to the clan that now calls you Ally seriously, hm?"
"Why wouldn't I? It strikes me as utter foolishness, to disregard or belittle the sheer worth of a strong, dependable bond between allied families-or companies, as it may be."
>[Cammy]"By that, I take it you feel the Valkonens have done well by you?"
"Were it not for the Valkonens, I doubt I'd have had the chance to do many of the things I've done."
At that, she finally stops bothering to hide the frank appraisal she's giving me, and continues with a smirk. For his part Rocco's doing an admirable job of accepting that Camella Savoy and I have commandeered this meeting.
>[Cammy]"Well, I've no doubt that Markku wanted a frank opinion rather than the normal formalities of child description, so do feel free to convey my personal views on them to him."
"I'll be happy to advise him as best I am able when he's planning marriage."
A thin lipped smile is my reward for that.
>[Camella]"Hm, quite. Well-that was interesting food for thought, and we'll have to see what comes of it. Now, to the matter at hand good little Rocco here has been waiting so patiently for."
The bald, goatee-clad man of heavy musculature is only too happy to rejoin the conversation.
>[Rocco]"Well, as the topic was raised by Mr. Laine, I have to admit curiosity as to the Savoy view on possible restored relationships. There's no denying the bosses have made it known they'd like to know what went wrong."
A stenciled brow bounces at the admission, as a stately eye briefly catches my own even as she responds to Rocco.
>[Cammy]"….Armani, was it? You aren't from a particularly old family, are you."
Yet again Rocco proves his competent in the realm of self effacement.
>[Rocco]"I am not, Lady Savoy, and I'll have to ask your forgiveness if that offends you."
An airy hand of command is waved, urging the man to continue.
>[Cammy]"It is no matter-the point you raised is curious, for I admit that part of what occurred to me, when seeing what the meeting with Mr. Laine would request would be, was that my own family likewise lacks a recorded reason, for the cessation of contact."
The two share a long, pregnant look at that, while you act as blandly unnoticeable as physically possible.
>[Cammy]"…Did the bosses present you with any suggested explanations for this, should my answer have been what it was?"
>[Rocco]"Draconic influence, a Wizard's curse, the usual possibilities."
>[Cammy]"So they know nothing."
>[Rocco]"They do not have any theories in which they invest confidence, no."
>[Cammy]"I see."

>>502703
While the Savoy Matron and Istanbul Mafia head continue to share knowing glances, I perform a discrete and utterly passive assessment of the magical signature from Cammy-or the lack thereof. Interestingly, there are six specific places where the signal feels even less 'there' than the rest of her-and I can't help but suspect that to be indicative of charms related to whatever obscures her soul.

The shared gaze shifts at Cammy's impetus from mutual to decidedly one-sided without much delay. It transforms into a decidedly privileged glare, as if C deigning to give him attention at all is leveled on Rocco by the Savoy Matriarch as she briefly inflects a hint of almost British poise into her verbiage.
>[Cammy]“As to the open Thumb-and Ring Finger, don’t think I wasn’t aware-the Savoys would find it amenable to claim both positions….”
A cautious grin precedes Rocco’s interjection.
>[Rocco]”That’s excellent, I’m sure the bosses would-“
A dainty hand is slapped upon the table with all the pomp and gravitas as a judge banging their gavel.
>[Cammy]”I was not finished speaking, and do not recall you as holding such status you can presume to interrupt me.”
>[Rocco]”Yes-my heartfelt apologies Lady Savoy.”
A sniff is his ‘reward’ for a quick placation.
>[Cammy]”See to it that such does not become a repeat transgression-now, as I was saying, the Savoys would like to claim both open positions as rotating work placements, so that all of the youngest generation can be put through their paces.”
Rocco looks keen to speak, but wisely bites his tongue.
>[Cammy]”Further, it is my desire that the serving Savoys be directly beholden exclusively to their Clan Head-“
Rocco’s face goes stony-
>[Cammy]”While I, in turn, network with the Confessors and Dons.”

Oooh, this is great-she is laying the proverbial smack-down on Rocco. Hah-so happy I’m recording this.

For his part, the man who’s so keen to be underestimated and NOT draw attention to himself that he need not mantle is eminently cautious in choosing his response, slowly swirling a now empty cup.
>[Rocc]”…I do not believe I have the authority to approve something like that, nor do I have the pull to sway the Dons or Confessors towards such an arrangement.”
The Lady Savoy looks rather disappointed by that-but thoroughly unsurprised.
>[Cammy]”I see. Well, that is why our family is so keen to have people with certain skills amongst our number. If you’ll excuse me gentlemn…”

Cammy has a hushed phone call using a slim-and somewhat bafflingly bejeweled with actual diamonds man my phone feels cheap as shit now-smartphone, and turns a grin as pleased as a Cheshire cat on the Mafia representative as she shortly hangs up.

Five seconds later, his phone rings, and Rocco, his eyes locked on Cammy, steps away from the table-and nearly drops the phone the moment he opens it. With a progressively graying visage he slowly returns to the table, and puts his mobile on speaker. A voice I haven’t heard for quite some time echoes forth, with all the dignity and professional monotone you recall.
>[Confessor]”It is the opinion of the Dons that the arrangement offered by Lady Savoy by House Savoy of Sicily is satisfactory to our requirements, and that in light of certain administrative weaknesses in Istanbul-“ And oh how Rocco’s hand tightens about his goblet at that, “The Ring Finger will be assigned on temporary placement to assist in the management of local business.”
A throat as reedy and weak as the whispered last words of the dying clears itself, filling the line with a brief wave of static.
>[Confessor]”Is it correct to say that Mister Laine of the Laine Corporation is currently present?”
“Present and accounted for.”
>[Confessor]”Mm-hm. I have been ordered to convey to you the knowledge that the Dons are quite aware that this change in working conditions with an old ally is a result of your purportedly benign interference, and that as such you are offered an invitation to call upon the Dons for a meeting, should you so desire one and are willing to travel to Sicily.”
“A meeting marker-I assume that would be a one-time token.”
>[Confessor]”Correct: it is not in the Don’s interests to make themselves easily available to petitioners given the amount of attention their positions demand of them.”
“Is there any time limit on this, or other requisites to employ the marker?”
>[Confessor]”You wo-“
>[Cammy]”Your caution’s admirable Mr. Laine, but wholly unnecessary: you have a favor in the form of a meeting, to call in whenever and however you want, so long as you’re willing to go to those you wish to meet, rather than demand their presence. The epitome of simplicity, is it not?”
>[Confessor]”…As the Lady stated. If that will be all?”
I share a glance with Cammy-who only rolls her eyes again as she doesn’t quite watch Rocco refilling his goblet to the brim.
>[Rocco]”…Thank you for your time, Confessor.”

The line goes dead.

For her part, the now exceptionally smug looking Savoy Matriarch stands, inclining her head all of a hair’s worth towards me… and me alone.
>[Cammy]”If you’d be so kind as to walk a lady out, Mr. Laine?”
Totally necessary for a teleporter, right-let’s see what she wants.
As you exit the closed restaurant, you glance back over your shoulder-and catch, for just an instant, Rocco’s face contorted not in distress, but unadulterated glee-and he looks quite content to let me witness it.

>[SB]”He’s quite keen on letting others underestimate him, isn’t he.
Indeed. I wonder how much of that was him actually being overridden by the higher ups, and how much of that was planned for just such an event.
>[SB]”I don’t think we have enough data to be certain, but I’d still feel confident the majority of the altercation was staged-and curiously, not for your benefit, but rather-“
The Lady's. Oh, what I’d give to crawl inside the heads of those that can’t even comprehend that Galileo ever existed, just to make sense of the skewed sense of history they have.
>[SB]”Regrettably-
Yes I know-completely unfeasible to accomplish.

Finishing the blink I began during that brief moment of accelerated thought communication with my Soul Shadow, I turn back to the front, and continue escorting Cammy out-

That is, until my phone rings, much to Cammy’s delight.
>[Cammy]”My, we are all so busy today, aren’t we?”
“So it would seem. Do you mind-“
>[Cammy]”Not at all-I’ll wait.”

I step aside and pick up the call from… from Camella. No, the other one.
>[Camella]”Armas?”
“Speaking.”
>[Camella]”I have Grisha with me, and I’d like you to try and explain something to her.”
“…Okay? What?”
>[Camella]”Well, you’re aware that she’s… rather capable of making people enamored with her.”
“Sure, couldn’t help but notice all those new pheromone implants and such.”
>[Camella]”Right. Well, she’d been using them to control-“
There is a brief bit of rumble over the line as a conversation is held beyond a covered mouth piece.
>[Camella]”… using them to assist in keeping the population pacified.”
Little bit of mental manipulation for the greater good (that being my own benefit) sure that makes sense.
“Right.”
>[Camella]”Well she is being resistive to the idea that she needs to disentangle her control of the populace before we leave, or else-“
Again the line shunts into muffled noises, before Camella returns. It’s not hard to figure out what’s going on.
>[Camella]”Or else there could be-“
“Put her on the phone.”
There is a brief break in communication before an innately cheery voice tempered with more than a hint of put-upon grumpiness chimes in.
>[Grisha]”Hi boss-are you going to yell at me too?”
“Not unless you want me to.”
>[Grisha]"I don't, really. Can you tell Camella to stop being ridiculous, then?"
"Why don't you first tell me what she asked you, in your own words."
Her response is a Lyubovian deluge.
>[Grisha]"Okay, so I was eating lunch and Camella was all 'Grisha, we need to leave soon, so undo all your mind magic' and obviously that was ridiculous, because I'm using like the tiniest slice most of the time now, and when I said I didn't need magic I was just awesome she was all 'That's bullshit!' and 'half the town would lick your feet if they saw you had mud on them and when I pointed out that it's good that I can't actually get mud on my feet then because of my charm against being dirty that just pissed her off more and she was all 'you went into hundreds of peoples' heads and rewrote them to love you!' but I'm not actually a mind manipulator, it's just you know memetics and pheromones and footwork and general gorgeousness and if you make someone think that you're wonderful for a couple weeks then, guess what, they start actually thinking that you're that wonderful! So there's not really anything to undo here and she won't believe me, but she's all worried about problems when I can just tell them that I'm leaving and they should be good and then why wouldn't they?"


…Aha.

"...Did you actually tell Camella that you were going to talk to everyone before leaving-specifically lay it out?"
I swear I can feel her backtracking through the phone.
>[Grisha]"Well, no, but why wouldn't I say bye to everyone? Are we like sneaking out in the middle of the night or something?"
"Is it in any way fair to say it's assumed, then, that when leaving you'd do anything more than just say goodbye? That's usually in the 'afterthought' category, the farewells, rather than involved discussions-particularly with civilians, which the locals clearly classify as."
I keep an eye on Cammy as she hides a pert smile at what she can overhear behind a well manicured hand, making no move to pull out of audible range.
>[Grisha] "Man, boss, you're doing that yelling-without-actually-yelling thing like someone's mom."
I can't help but chuckle a bit at that.
"And you're doing a pretty good job of being the kid that forget to tell someone they were going to put their toys away. So how 'bout we call it settled and you just let Camella know you already have a plan, and it's all good. Oh, by the by: Got a soul that I totally own now, and it's gonna be a company playtoy eventually. So start thinkin' what you'd like to do to a very high-minded Triad Boss, yeah?"
>[Grisha] "Um, I tried to tell Camella that I had a plan like five times already and then she called you."
>[SB]"For your edification: she made two swiftly aborted attempts that explained nothing, from an outsider standpoint."
Noted.
"Grisha, I know you can't tell me you laid it out in full-but you will, after this phone call, right?"
>[Grisha]"I think maybe she'd believe you more."
"Are you seriously asking your boss's boss to talk to your boss on your behalf, because you can't be bothered to talk to someone? Little miss beauty pageant 'you better love me'? Come on…"
I distinctly note the sound of more than one stifled giggle from behind that obscuring hand-and listen to Grisha grumbling.
>[Grisha]"Camella doesn't like me when I smile."
>[SB]"Well that's entirely accurate."
"Are you telling me you can't make a scowl satisfactorily cute? I thought you were better than that."
>[Grisha] "I did too! I think she might hate cute things, because her cat is ugly and farts on everything but she still likes it better than Vlad's puppy."
There is a soft sound of strangled disgust from far away from the reciever-most certainly NOT Grisha.
"Have you ever considered using political double-talk based assessments of people you don't like when they're in the room with you? It's really quite a bit less likely to blow up on you."
>[Grisha]"Nope!"
And doesn't she just sound so cheery saying it.
"Well, prepare to learn a new form of mental torture: give it a go-and yes, these are 'boss's orders', but only with her, okay?"
>[Grisha]"Fine, fine. Hey, speaking of that, I'll show you this awesome trick that Anguisher had with making souls scream while you almost-but-don't-really pull out little bits of them when I get back with that Triad guy, okay? I can't even see souls and I could still feel it. Very cool."
"I look forward to it-hell, bonus Cookies if you can make the guy's voice crack mid-scream, spiritually speaking."
>[Grisha]"You're the best, boss!"
"All right, you go have that talk now-see you soonish."
>[Grisha]"Bye~!"

There is a brief break in the contact… and Camella's on the line.
>[Camella]"…I'll call you back if it's still an issue."
*CLICK*

As I hang up, Cammy clicks her way over on the heels beneath her full-length skirt, a pleased smile keeping her cheeks faintly dimpled.
>[Cammy]"I must say, you have a very open and… novel way of directing those you claim the obedience of."
"I can't deny that I'm not particularly big on the formalities unless I have to be without quite a bit of tricky wordplay."
>[Cammy]"Mm, and I'd call you a liar regardless if you did so. Tell me: what are your rates, should I wish to hire your services?"
"Well that'd depend on the services rendered, wouldn't it?"
Aaaand you're pretty sure you recognize that particular predatory glare.
>[Cammy]"…Indeed it would. Hm, I've decided: You shall accompany me to Sicily."

She doesn't seem keen to wait on my response before reaching for my hand-

Which is why I'm curiously pleased to feel the familiar cold of Ogrimmir's magic wrap about me.

I give the lady a shrug as I vanish in a puff of frost.

[DISCONTINUITY]

I stand atop a mountain that I instantly recognize as Mount Fuji, not because I'm a geography buff or anything but because the name's written into the mountain with Soul Energy, so, you know, it's kind of easy to tell.

Before me is a shard of ice the shivers and trembles in undulating waves, emitting sound that becomes spoken word.
>[Ogrimmir]"Armas Laine. It is time for you to-"
"Yeah yeah, another job-great timing, actually. So, what's on the docket?"
I'm a bit disappointed the flippancy doesn't even make a hiccup in the Godly fellow's shpeil. Ah, maybe next time.

>[Ogrimmir]"I require your services as a courier, for a piece of mail most pivotal and secret. You are to both safeguard it throughout delivery, and are forbidden from any attempt to divine the message's content for your own perusal, and while so doing make all possible haste to effect said delivery."
"Sure, respect the mail, okay. What's the packag… ah."
That's when I notice the white envelope within the icy obelisk.
"That would be it, I assume."
>[Ogrimmir]"Just so. It is to be placed specifically in the hands of its intended recipient, and no other."
"Accept no substitutes, right."
>[Ogrimmir]"This letter is intended for the hands of Wizard Lunastaroth the Great and Ancient."
"Normally I'd question why you need a physical courier when a Wizard could just will the message to arrive in his hands personally, but hey, you wouldn't explain anyway, right?"
>[Ogrimmir]"Precisely."
"Right, right. So, where's he at then?"
>[Ogrimmir]"The moon-as the only permanent resident he shouldn't be hard to find."

And with that the block of ice shatters into swiftly dissolving motes, the vellum letter of what appears to be hand cut shaping easily caught in my fingers before it hits the ground. Thankfully, the letter seems to utterly block my senses so I don't have to worry about accidentally reading it.

…Right, so, mail for a Moon Wizard-
>[Cammy]"My, that's quite a task you were set."
It doesn't help to detect a Savoy after they're already at your back all that much, but still.
>[Cammy]"Did you know that even Dragons have given up on getting a meeting with Lunastaroth? I do wonder how you plan to complete such a task as this…"
I can't help but notice how much her eyes are fixated on the perfectly blank mail in my hands.






So, what exactly am I going to do about this?
>>
No. 503657 ID: 933f92

The first thing you're gonna do is think about how the fuck you get to the god damn moon. Certainly half of it is Shadow, but it's no insult to our brother to think he can't do it. Ask him for flattery and input but expect nothing but grumbling. Other options include having Duke toss you, somehow doing the Hummingswarm + Soul Bubble for god knows how many miles (from 356,700 km (221,600 mi) at the perigee and 406,300 km (252,500 mi) at apogee), again, no insult to HB but it's highly unlikely it's possible. None of the minions know a way to launch you into space, as far as I know, and Lyubov (Our resident Mad Scientist) is indisposed. A shame, this would probably really interest her.

Finally, the Wizard probably has all sorts of fucking protections and guards against his digs. Let's assume the worst for now: If we go unprepared, it's Final Death. Given the rarity of visits, info on this is likely so rare as to be priceless and unbuyable, and our wonderful eye can't see the moon.

I think.

So that brings up the following issues:

1) The distance is enourmous, and you'll be fighting gravity the whole way.

2) Lack of air, comically, is one of the few ways we can still die. There's a shortage of it in space.

3) Huge unknown security.

4) Return trip, meaning the solutions to 1 and 2 must be repeatable.

5) Finally, talking to the Wizard without dying horribly. Possibly related to 3.
>>
No. 503659 ID: 933f92

>>503657
Scratch point 2.
>>
No. 503663 ID: 6de77b

TIME TO RAID NASA WOOOOOO
LETS STEAL US A SHUTTLE OR TWELVE
IT'S GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN
>>
No. 503750 ID: 3f12fc

Well, a new OG Job!

He is smart one, too, teleporting us to a place a few hours ahead, as it wasn't quite spring yet in Istanbul. Still, Armas should wonder as to why it was so urgent to give that mission -then-.

Given the exact timing, it might have to do with Camella Savoy here, who just hinted to be able to bring us along on a teleport: she might have been, ahem, invited to over-hear our mission and thus have her curiosity piqued, and as such OG might have presented us with a beginning to a solution on how to accomplish our mission.

Other possible ways to get to the moon:
-if HB could fly to the moon (Fly me to the moon~).
-Somehow stealing a rocket with Lyubov's help, but this is, while fun, DECIDLY an invitation to later problems.
-Likewise, learning Draconic methods of flight (possibly Hybrid-tech).
-Getting to convince Hyougo or other people to send us there.

Speaking of, our girlfriend is supposed to be a warden against people popping in Japan uninvited. It might be...polite... to call her and explain what's going on, so that it doesn't prove to be a problem later.

Whatever our choice is, we still have to answer the Savoy Matron her question, and she MIGHT be key to this, after all:
>[Cammy]"Did you know that even Dragons have given up on getting a meeting with Lunastaroth? I do wonder how you plan to complete such a task as this…"
>I can't help but notice how much her eyes are fixated on the perfectly blank mail in my hands.
Put the Blank mail in our body via a bit of fleshcrafting, and answer lgihtly "Well, assuming that getting to the moon is the easiest part of the job- which i might need some help for- , i might have to present the Lunar Wizard with something that would pique his interest, be it something he wants, or something that amuses him. Even as young as i am, i can already see that most older powerful being like being entertained."
>>
No. 504126 ID: c6319f

"I'll admit this does seem rather trying. If it were as simple as just reaching the room there wouldn't be a problem," gaze upwards at the rather larger than usual moon, "Hmm, I don't suppose you would offer me any hints on how I might acquire a slice of the man on the moon's time?"
[She questions why she would offer such a thing]
"That's true I suppose, you have no real motivation to help me. In my eagerness to see this job complete and free myself up for other work - a valued but demanding client, you see - I may have presumed to much, I meant no offense."
[Hopefully she relents]

Our goal here is to get out of this conversation without making any firm commitments - because she wants the dick and we have a girlfriend - while hopefully getting some valuable intel for our task at hand. Securing a minimum of interference/surveillance from her would be the ideal, as well. If she gets pushy about the letter, we should store it in a nice little carrying pouch inside our torso and say:
"Please Lady Savoy, I'm a professional and it would be inappropriate to let you peek at my package."
Actually, let's store it like that regardless.

Once we've hopefully persuaded her to let us be for the remainder of the job, we have some people to talk to.
-Tease Sake 'Hey Sake, guess where I am and you're not? Japan!' 'Aw don't worry fuzzbutt, we'll swing you a visit sometime.'
-Ask SB to look into Elwen Embla more and find out what's needed to bring the disciples back up and running. Hopefully this task wont take so long that we wont be party to the implementation. Ask him to inform Matvey, and Camella when she gets back if we're not back by then, that we're on a personal job. Priority is to keep the situation with the Triads from deteriorating.
-Phone Hillevi and ask her to keep an eye on Placid and Silja while we're away for a while on a job, we're not sure how long.
-Phone Labombard and Einrik to ask if they have any info on Lunastaroth. Any known personality quirks or foibles that might hint at a way to gain his audience, that kind of thing. More general knowledge on his modus operandi.

After that we... hmm. Well, we're in Japan and we need to secure a meeting with the moon wizard to hand deliver some mail. Dragons can probably fly to the moon, or an appreciable number of their kind can, so the difficulty in attaining an audience with Lunastaroth must be more than simple transportation. We could probably get to the moon ourselves anyway. The real challenge is somehow convincing him to see us, and not gathering as much intel as possible before making the trek to the moon would be foolish. Our resources in that area are pretty limited sadly. The best I can think of is accelerating the Hyougo/Lyubov situation and trying to find out if the Witch knows anything about him.

But before that, it's the middle of the night and there's probably a reason Ogrimmir teleported us to Mount Fuji. We should spend an hour or so looking around the area before running off to go talk to Witches.
>>
No. 504185 ID: c6ce12

We're escorting the package to its destination, the package is of the utmost importance here so it must be kept safe at all times-including both those in the line who would show interest in it and for instance the prying eyes of a young witch. Our pants, however stylish they may be, is not the safest of places. There are a few good places we can hide it. Inside of our body is what first comes to mind it should mask its magical signature so long as Ogrimmir did not intentionally make the letter stand out. Another would be to ask the Leprechaun Bonzi who could store it, unless that requires him to touch us in which case we will have to ask him to store it with a set of our arms wrapped around it or something equally bizarre. This is all assuming he can store or retrieve at range.

Abeo has the majority of who we need to call about what sorted so I'll just add we should call Svetlana and get what our access to the AORB database can tell us about Lunastaroth. Oh...and MASSIVE note to self. We need to secure passage up to the moon for Big Crazy when we're done, we will not speak of the job but we will send him a picture of us, on the moon and we are going to find a way to take him up here with us after we finish. He always wanted to be an astronaut, right? Let's let him live part of that after this job is over. We NEED to secure Hyougo to teleport him to the moon while asking her for passage up ourself. It's our friend's dream.

There's also the matter of getting to Hyougo. We can't show up unannounced so lets call ahead to Lyubov with something like "Hi, Lyubov. I'm in Japan right now on a very important assignment, need to get to the moon. I'll be dropping by soon, I need an audience with Hyougo so I can ask her teleport me there and put in a word with the wizard who lives on it. Can you ask her about that for me? Thanks, you're a life saver!" in a suitably quick and amusingly abrupt manner. I disrecommend walking around in public. Let's having Hummingbird turn us into a cloud of himself and fly over there. He isn't native nobody will notice, hopefully.

>>504126
Valid points all around, upvote.

>>503750
We don't actually HAVE to see Lyubov, her job is to prevent people from trying to transport live goods like animals from Japan outside of its borders. We will because she's our girlfriend and in area.
>>
No. 505472 ID: c31f72

Now that we own the triads, there's something I think we should check on. Our noble steed, the Emela-Ntouka we rode on while fighting Doony. Since we're obviously too important to spend time looking through Triad records, we should tell whichever minion is going through the records to keep an eye out for it.
>>
No. 505477 ID: b7d2cc

>>504185
>>504126
"I'll admit this does seem rather trying. If it were as simple as just reaching the moon there wouldn't be a problem," I begin, gazing upwards at the rather larger than usual moon, "Hmm, I don't suppose you would offer me any hints on how I might acquire a slice of the man on the moon's time?"
With dainty grace Cammy hops about to a more solid perch as she ticks off her fingers.
>[Cammy]"Well, I suppose I know a few ways - but really, I'm quite befuddled at why I'd share them so simply as that: generosity without purpose is rarely a wise choice for one in a position of power."
"That's true I suppose, you have no real motivation to help me. In my eagerness to see this job complete and free myself up for other work - a valued but demanding client, you see - I may have presumed to much, I meant no offense."
She smiles at that-because of course she's that valued and demanding client, not Blade. Ah, narcissism: so wonderfully exploitable.

>[Cammy]"Well, I suppose if it's in the interest of encouraging good business practices, I could say a few things," she begins, holding up a hand to start ticking off fingers, "For one, Lunastaroth's very much so a classical Wizard - whimsical, irreverent to any and everything except other Wizards, crass, impulsive - really, you've met one of their kind… anyway. I suppose there's three real ways you could approach, if you want to try and emulate a method that's worked. What interests a daring scoundrel such as yourself: A bold way, a patient way, or a messy way?"
I can't help but smile at that.
"Is that even a question? What audacious plan would you suggest to the bold, Lady Savoy?"
>[Cammy]"I'd hoped you'd say that. Well…" she teasingly drawls, buffing her nails with a slender thumb, "The bold way's rather simple: get in his domain - that is, within what he considers his home."
"I take it that such an endeavor is not known for its ease of accomplishment."
>[Cammy]"No, I'm afraid not. He does live quite literally in the center of the moon's core, and the only official entrance - well, there's something of a queue to deal with."
"And patiently waiting in line's not exactly my cup of tea. Right, so what besides 'just get inside' is there to the tip? Any existing knowledge about wards, defensives, any of that?"
>[Cammy]"Well, naturally there are rather vexingly potent anti-teleportation wards that are quite comprehensive: Divine to Demonic, Dragon or Shadow, the way is most assuredly barred - but, curiously, the moon itself has no such wardings."
"So I'd just need to tunnel the length of the moon's radius, then."
Brilliantly even teeth are flashed in reward to your comment.
>[Cammy]"The specific fraction's unknown, but you seem to grasp the gist of it: now, was that all you wanted to know, or was there perhaps another way that interested you?"
With the non-too-discrete flirtatious tone she used, I pick my words carefully while replying.

I ponder that carefully, weighing many heavy factors at once.
"There is… but I find myself hesitating while contemplating how literal your description is. The 'messy way', it wouldn't happen to be likely to ruin my suit, would it? I am trying to make a good first impression after all."
I nonchalantly brush an imaginary mote of dust off my shoulder as her eyes twinkle at the comment.
>[Cammy]"Hm-mm, well. The 'messy' way, would be to remove, or otherwise disrupt the queue, such that insofar as his front door's concerned, there's no one waiting to meet him-such a curiously unusual event he'd simply have to check what's going on."
"Naturally, that would put me afoul of all those in the queue-"
>[Cammy]"Naturally - hence 'messy'."
"Right: And the patient way was-"
>[Cammy]"The line is there for a reason."
"So: bust into his house, bust up the line, or… play nice and be ready for a long game."
>[Cammy]"Those would sum up the possible entry ways I know, yes."

While I consider the sealed envelope in my hands, Cammy yet again leans over to peer intently at it's folded form.
>[Cammy]"You know, I can't deny I'm quite fascinated by what kind of message that is."
With a patently fabricated frown, I unbutton my shirt a few rows - noting a slight dilation of Cammy's eyes as I do so - and feed the envelope into my chest, sealing it within a personalized pouch.
"Please Lady Savoy, I'm a professional and it would be inappropriate to let you peek at my package."
She hides a predatory grin behind lightly spaced fingers that waver in the air.
>[Cammy]"Oh my, and we wouldn't want anything inappropriate to happen, would we? 'Twould be a terrible thing for one's image."
"Precisely."

With a curiously stately giggle, Camella dances back a few steps with the sharp click-clack of heels on stone.
>[Cammy]"Well, you have some work to do, no doubt, so I'll leave you to it. Do call on me when you're… available, will you? I find I need a consultation on a topic I'm certain you're well-placed to advise on."

And with that, she ducks behind a rocky outcropping - and without a perceivable soul, off of my grid of awareness. I don't need to head over to verify that she's gone - that's kind of the Savoy forte, there.

Right, now that I'm alone… I call Sake.
>[Sake]"Murgle… wha? It's early-"
"Oh suck it up, Sake."
>[Sake]"Nnngh… why'd you call?"
"Guess where I am and you're not? Japan!"
Just like that his lethargy is gone.
>[Sake]"What you went to Japan without me oh brother that's really mean you know I totally-"
"Aw don't worry fuzzbutt, I'll swing you a visit next time - wasn't really a chance to get you a lift on the Og Express."
>[Sake]"Oooooh, it's that stuff, huh? Well what's the mission, huh?"
"You're talking to the guy's temporary mailman-or courier… messenger? You're better at anachronistic terms, what'd I classify as if I'm delivering a one-off message, in writing?"
>[Sake]"I've always liked 'runner', it just sounds so energetic, you know?"
"Sure sure… just not sure 'runner' applies when I'm definitely not running the whole way to the destination."
>[Sake]"Is it necessary to make this complicated?"
"Meh. So hey, you don't happen to know anyone in Japan that could maybe chuck something into space, or similarly get things out of orbit do you?"
>[Sake]"Not that's not a total jerk, nah."
"Right-o. Okay, gotta go, we'll talk later fuzzball."
>[Sake]"You better bring some sort of cool presents!"
*CLICK*

…Well.

I clear my throat and decide to elocute something that strictly could stay all internal.
"So-"
>[SB]"Your flair for theatrics must still be quite strong if you'd give up faster and more secure communication methods just to parlay."
"I'd tell you to bite me-"
>[SB]"But you're disinclined to see how I interpret it, yes, yes I know. What do you want?"
"So: I'm assuming you heard the Og mission."
>[SB]"Naturally."
"Any possible travel methods?"
>[SB]"Short of sacrificing the majority of my Shade? No."
"What I'm hearing here is 'find another way'."
>[SB]"Precisely."
"Anything outside of that?"
>[SB]"Nothing I could arrange without considerable asset expenditure."
"Right. Hey, ask Hillevi to call me will you?"

My reply is silence - for about ten seconds, and then my phone rings.
>[Hillevi]"Uh, Armas? Your shadow said you wanted to talk with me?"
"Yup. How was the outing with your brother?"
>[Hillevi]"Oh, it was the best! I got to see a ogres do Turkish oil wrestling while trying to possess one another - it was very informative!"
"…What'd you learn, then?"
>[Hillevi]"That ogres are really easily tricked into doing silly things, and that it's totally okay to exploit that."
"I see Einman’s been giving you top-notch tutelage.”
>[Hillevi]"Yeah, it was great! He also told me a few things about how to make chakra more like the, um, ‘shadow of the family bloodline’, which I guess means you can’t use the chakra but it boosts the family style so... yeah! Seems like a good idea to me.."
"He’s rather sharp, so I’ll have to agree with him.”
>[Hillevi]"So how about you - um, when are you getting back? Kinda wanted to watch some Tee-Vee with you or-"
"That would be why I called. So, got a job I have to prioritize, and it really can’t wait at all. I’m going to be out and about for at least a day or so, maybe a whole week, I don’t really know yet.”
>[Hillevi]"...Oh."
"And I was wondering if you could do me a favor: you like Placid, right?”
>[Hillevi]"Oh he’s the best little brother kind of guy ever!"
"Good, I’d really like it if you kept him company while I’m away - him and Silja, actually. With Lyubov out too they’ll be hurting for some interaction, and you-”
>[Hillevi]"Think they’re both really nice, sure Armas, I’ll do it no problem!"
"Great to hear. I hope to be back soon, so how about a movie marathon when I’m done here?”
>[Hillevy]”That’d be the best! I heard about this guy, uh... ‘James Bond’ that sounds really neat for a mundane!”
“I will most certainly watch James Bond movies with you - until then.”
>[Hillevi]”Do good Armas!”
*CLICK*

...Well, that’s my wards taken care... of... right.

“Hey Shadowbro-”
>[SB]”Naturally, Camella and Matvey have both been informed - I understand Matvey was looking forward to a Giant trip-
“The thing Zhenya mentioned. Yeah no, not until the Triads are solid. So he and Camella will be networking on it?”
>[SB]”He plans to - he’s also curious if he should follow the... aggressive pricing benchmarks suggested by Satai.
“You buying what Satai’s pushing for numbers?”
>[SB]”It is... staunch, but ultimately affordable by the Triads and, provided we keep them from diminishing, is likely to be viewed as acceptable.
“More money it is then - give Matvey the go-ahead on that.”
>[SB]”...If you’d rather not call him, then so it shall be. He’s been informed, and will call you only in the case of... complications in sustaining the Triads. I explained you will need to be... focused while on this particular job.
“Okay then...”

It’s time to make a call - to Labombard.
>[Lammy]”Yes, you American-”
“Asshole, yeah. Hey furboy, got some business talk here.”
>[Lammy]”By all means then, fire away.”
“So, I need to get to the moon - need some ideas on that - and also any intel you have on Lunastaroth.”
>[Lammy]”Oh, an interesting job, I’d say.”
“Looks that way.”
>[Lammy]”Hm... well, I’ll start with Lunastaroth himself: I’ve never met him, and this will all be simply hearsay and rumor-mongering, I wish to be clear on that.”
“Sure Frenchie, now what’s the scoop?”
>[Lammy]”Well, he’s eccentric - in fact, more along the lines of the Mad Drunk; geniunely out there, if you will - a global menace rendered safe only by isolation.”
“No tweaking the psychopath’s nose, then.”
>[Lammy]”He’s big on mind reading, but with a caveat - only does it if he thinks you’ve... initiated... an intelligence war, if you will.”
“So not even passive scanning.”
>[Lammy]”That is what my understanding of the safe approach, is.”
“How about personality quirks, mannerisms, taboos, turn-ons, any of that stuff?”
>[Lammy]”Frankly too much conflicting material to vouch for any of it on that front - though there does seem to be a consistent sense he’s not very materialistic.”
“So breaking his stuff’s not an instant death sentence.”
>[Lammy]”If you have a reason and don’t personally irritate him, possibly - not that I’d recommend testing him.”
“Right. So, lunar travel plans.”
>[Lammy]”Where are you?”
“Mt. Fuji, Japan.”
>[Lammy]”Ah... I am afraid that’s an area I know little about. Despite the large divine community, Loup Garous are even more stigmatized than normal.”
“...Got it. Okay, thanks for the Wizard tips, I’ll chat later.”
*CLICK*

And on... to Einrik. Who picks up with silent expectation..
“Ein-man, Einster, Einstein-a-rooney, I need to pick your brain.”
>[Einrik]”I hope you aren’t being literal - I rather need it.”
“Cute. So, ways to get to the moon from Japan - specifically, from Mt. Fuji.”
>[Einrik]”You have a curse that requires you to kill Einher, yes? What’s the specific conditions?”
“Have to end their life-”
>[Einrik]”So already spiritual Einher: would killing their living, golemic body suffice?”
That... sounds right...
“I think so.”

...I don’t feel like I broke my magical good word with the utterance, so that makes me more confident on that.
>[Einrik]”Good. Then since Thor, at Odin’s behest, has set up a massive work-placement program training new Spiritual Einherjar in Japan’s abundant Divine community as a free policing force, they should be present - and the Norse pantheon, besides being quite powerful, is rather pragmatic: You could get a ride on the Rainbow Road or some similar service.”
“Sounds expensive or quest-inducing.”
>[Einrik]”Possibly, but then Thor’s keen on picking the curious sort as officers, so it’s not impossible you could get them into a contest of words - and let’s face it-”
“Those who get picked to be Einher aren’t in general masterminds. Okay, a possible, then. What else.”
>[Einrik]”Well, Hyougo is there, and does like Lyubov, but...”
“Yeah. Dicey. Okay, still an option if I can make it clear it’s a professional coincidence I’m here.”
>[Einrik]”Then there are some less... conventional options. I’m actually reasonably certain Duke could hurl you up, were you to get back and ask him.”
“...That’s hilarious, and definitely now on the table.”
>[Einrik]”Well, flight could happen-”
>[SB]”With what air?
>[Einrik]“No, I mean just go get a missile or rocket, ensoul it, and juice it enough it can get you to the moon. Flagrantly reckless, but in general the defenses around mundane arms of the non-nuclear caliber are effectively non-existent, magically speaking.”
“Hah, being a rocket-man’s creator, I like it. You still got more?”
>[Einrik]”Well, you’ve started to grasp a Concept - Strength, right?”
“Started to? I grasped it right and proper.”
>[Einrik]”You can regenerate, and are not averse to crudeness when it can be utilitarian.”
“...Are you telling me to strongly fart my way to the moon?”
>[Einrik]”Yes.”
>[SB]”NO.
>[Einrik]”It’s an option, should all others fail. What else... Oh, you could just ask a local Dragon to help - they love getting favors owed by local divines to the point they have automated magical-aid systems for accruing favors. It’s quite likely you might be able to fool the system into assuming you’re a local, and then getting a favor owed in a place you only visit-would let you control the favor’s repayment.”
“Tricky - and also dickish, which I like. But you don’t think that’d properly enrage the afflicted Dragon?”
>[Einrik]”I’ve done it more than a dozen times now, and it seems to be something of an accepted practice... provided you aren’t easily squishable.”
“Right, sounds doable.”
>[Einrik]”If you want to get all creative with the fleshcrafting and have time to blow fixing issues, I’ve heard good things about Hydrogen Peroxide propulsion. You’d likely need to markedly change your form, and I’d question your ability to be presentable, by human standards - which Lunastaroth holds - on arrival.”
“...I suppose I COULD fleshcraft up some clothes on arrival, make silk and such-”
>[Einrik]”Not so likely - off of the Earth, you’ll have to make due with what magic you have access to. I’ve seen the node system you’ve got going with your Spiritflesh Familiar - very nice, by the way - and it’ll let you still get some power but the distance and the sheer capacities the birds have’ll keep you from having anywhere near the power available you’re used to. You could run on empty damnably fast if you’re not prudent in your magic usage, post-atmospheric exit.”
“...So-”
>[SB]”If you must jet there, I could power a single port of new clothes for you - there’s enough energy bleed to do it.
“Great.”
>[Einrik]”And I suppose you could just ask the local ruling dragon to do it, rather than using one of her citizen’s automated systems. She’s big on public requests, but... how to put it. She’s not that different from a Glurichaun or a Drunken Oni.”
“...Sounds like she could be exploitable.”
>[Einrik]”Utterly - but she is also inconsistent. I’ve had good results from two meetings, but a third... well. She won’t kill you, but don’t be surprised to find yourself inconvenienced rather than assisted. Still, the asking’s free.”
“Interesting. And you know how to reach her?”
>[Einrik]”Of course: I know where you should go for any of my suggestions.”



Hm....
[1]-Shadowbro could get me there without outside help, and it hasn't taken him all that long to fill out his Shade - he can always rebuild.
[2]-Getting more owed questions from Ogrimmir makes whatever hoops the Norse route entails entirely worth it.
[3]-I can totally talk a little girl Witch into getting me to the moon, yup! It has nothing to do with seeing my girlfriend.
[4]-Being thrown into space sounds hilarious, and more importantly sounds free.
[5]-Who doesn't want their own sapient rocket?
[6]-A strong fart would be absolutely hilarious, and I don't care what Shadowbro says.
[7]-I'm a huge troll, not to mention hard to kill, so being a dick to a random Japanese dragon is perfect.
[8]-I haven't really practiced my internal fleshcrafting all that much. Making myself into a rocket sounds like a perfect opportunity to use it.
[9]-I’ve been missing interacting with capricious drunken magical monsters-this sounds like an excellent time to reacquaint myself with one of the funnest sub-groups of magical superpowers.
[10]-I totally have a better idea than any of that! (WRITE IN!)

Trying out a new prompt system
>>
No. 505480 ID: 933f92

>[1]-Shadowbro could get me there without outside help, and it hasn't taken him all that long to fill out his Shade - he can always rebuild.
Personally, let's reserve this as a last resort. SB's shade will be a great resource in time - IF NOT ALREADY. Destroying most of it for something you've other options for is just a waste, really.

>[2]-Getting more owed questions from Ogrimmir makes whatever hoops the Norse route entails entirely worth it.
True. It might also mean fighting more Einher, which is always great. Man, when was the last time you had a challenging fight, man? Seriously. Number 2 seems best - for now.

>[3]-I can totally talk a little girl Witch into getting me to the moon, yup! It has nothing to do with seeing my girlfriend.
Eh. I don't want to push our relationship with Haruh- er, Hyougo any further than absolutely necessary. Similar to [1], it's a consideration in case others falter. Second to last resort.

This reminds me - we might want to get a dimensional checkup on Camella (the shifter) for later, if Lyu can leverage it.

>[4]-Being thrown into space sounds hilarious, and more importantly sounds free.
Total agreement, right behind [2] for best idea.

>[5]-Who doesn't want their own sapient rocket?
True dat, putting it behind [4]. Otherwise, though, other options are more efficient, safe, or so far entertaining.

>[6]-A strong fart would be absolutely hilarious, and I don't care what Shadowbro says.
Hilarious, effective, powerful, safe... Really, SB can learn to stuff it where the sun DOES shine, here. Seriously, it's practical.

>[7]-I'm a huge troll, not to mention hard to kill, so being a dick to a random Japanese dragon is perfect.
Antagonizing a dragon? Well, we can catch up to Lyubov in that respect, anyway, if we want, for something else.

>[8]-I haven't really practiced my internal fleshcrafting all that much. Making myself into a rocket sounds like a perfect opportunity to use it.
This and [6] together seem to be strong.

>[9]-I’ve been missing interacting with capricious drunken magical monsters-this sounds like an excellent time to reacquaint myself with one of the funnest sub-groups of magical superpowers.
Given present options, I doubt this registers on the scale.

So, ideas I like most:

[8]+[6]: Turning ourselves into a goddamn fartrocket. Hell. Fucking. Yes. BEST IDEA. Also, trolling SB is something we do so rarely.

[2]: Seems to be the one with the most interesting outcome and biggest rewards on the side.

[4]: Getting tossed is interesting, and we should be able to correct on the way with various techniques.
>>
No. 505481 ID: c6ce12

[9]-I’ve been missing interacting with capricious drunken magical monsters-this sounds like an excellent time to reacquaint myself with one of the funnest sub-groups of magical superpowers.
>>
No. 505483 ID: c31f72

I'm gonna go with 9, because drunk magic monsters are the best.
>>
No. 505491 ID: 333c1d

>>505477
Quick no-nonsense summary: I think [3] is the best bet (maybe even with a side of [10] if we ask if Lunastaroth ever visits Earth), with [5] being the next-best option (because it means we can bring B.C. with us). Then [8] (it would work, but would leave us short on magic available when we got there), and [2] (which would leave us owing a favor). The other options don't really rate except as emergency options if we completely fuck this up.

>>505481
>>505483
I'm SUSTing anyone in favor of option [9] because that sounds like it could be a potential disaster, and we've got far better options available.

Arguments:
>[1]-Shadowbro could get me there without outside help, and it hasn't taken him all that long to fill out his Shade - he can always rebuild.
Since we only have a vague idea of how involved rebuilding a shade is, we should not make him sacrifice members unless we really need to. Like, if we're in a serious "going to lose people I love or major assets without the help" situation. This doesn't qualify, yet. If we can't finish this by the end of the week, then we'll be looking at begging him for the help.

>[2]-Getting more owed questions from Ogrimmir makes whatever hoops the Norse route entails entirely worth it.
An option, and one we shouldn't rule out, but don't count on getting Answers for killing the golem bodies. We tried that with Abolec, remember? He lost that nifty shadow-aligned golem body, and we didn't get anything from it besides him thinking we weren't a turd (because we were careful to destroy the body with plausible deniability, and we told him what we knew about the Craftsman's involvement in the Rage Fragment fiasco). Call this "Plan C", since we'll end up owing a favor of some sort to the Norse pantheon.

>[3]-I can totally talk a little girl Witch into getting me to the moon, yup! It has nothing to do with seeing my girlfriend.
Besides getting to see Lyubov, this option offers the opportunity to get better intelligence on Lunastaroth straight from a full fledged Witch. Hyougo may have met him, or heard better information about him from other Wizards. Call this "Plan A" since it should get us there safely, better informed and prepared, and with all our energy intact. This is what we should try first.

>[4]-Being thrown into space sounds hilarious, and more importantly sounds free.
The initial throw would have enough force turn us into a paste, and then ablate that paste to ash with atmospheric friction. This is the same way you would shoot an artillery shell into space, and there are lots of good reasons mundane space agencies don't do things that way. In Armas's case, this would be the option that leaves him starved for available magic, as he would need to rebuild whatever damage he took. It also assumes that Duke's throw will hit the moon without correction, a tall order for anyone. Call this the "Plan E" option.

>[5]-Who doesn't want their own sapient rocket?
Doable. There is a launch facility in the south islands of Japan, specifically in Tanegashima. We're about 1,500 km from there, but I'm sure SB wouldn't care if we begged a shadowport from him to get there. The bigger problem would be getting the rocket ready. They may not even have anything on the pad, if they're not launching any missions soon. Get intelligence on this from the internet, or Andrei, or something. Call this "Plan B" and use it if Hyougo doesn't want to help for some reason. BONUS: WE CAN TAKE B.C. WITH US THIS WAY AND HELP HIM FULFIL HIS CHILDHOOD DREAM OF BEING AN ASTRONAUT.

>[6]-A strong fart would be absolutely hilarious, and I don't care what Shadowbro says.
SB's against it, and we would probably vaporize most of our ass in using it as a rocket. As long as better options are available, we don't need to consider this. Table it as an emergency option. In fact, if we do need to pick between this one and [1], make SB pick.

>[7]-I'm a huge troll, not to mention hard to kill, so being a dick to a random Japanese dragon is perfect.
This would limit our ability to operate in Japan, if we wanted to dodge having to repay the Favor. I'm against it, we've got no reason to restrict our options.

>[8]-I haven't really practiced my internal fleshcrafting all that much. Making myself into a rocket sounds like a perfect opportunity to use it.
It's funny, but it'll be magic expensive. Make this another "Plan B" option.

>[9]-I’ve been missing interacting with capricious drunken magical monsters-this sounds like an excellent time to reacquaint myself with one of the funnest sub-groups of magical superpowers.
What. No, why is this even here? SUST, this trail will end in tears.

>[10]-I totally have a better idea than any of that! (WRITE IN!)
Check with Hyougo if Lunastaroth ever visits Earth for any reason. For all we know, he could be her Wizard tutor.
>>
No. 505495 ID: c6ce12

>>505491
I'm actually going to switch my vote to option five because I forgot about my plan to take BC along with us. That said trying to SUST within this system is stupid.
>>
No. 505515 ID: c6319f

>[3]-I can totally talk a little girl Witch into getting me to the moon, yup! It has nothing to do with seeing my girlfriend.
This is my favourite option. We're trying to see a Wizard, she's a Witch. I don't want to play into stereotypes or anything, but shouldn't she have the greatest chance of being personally acquainted with Lunastaroth of any of the options? We could bypass the challenges of meeting him completely if we play our cards right and we're lucky. There's also the chance we can get Hyougo to possibly help Camella get home, which isn't an opportunity I think we can pass up.

>[5]-Who doesn't want their own sapient rocket?
This is a... quirky option, but would indeed offer us the chance to bring Big Crazy along for the ride. Which would be hilarious. Second choice, for me.

>[2]-Getting more owed questions from Ogrimmir makes whatever hoops the Norse route entails entirely worth it.
This is a solid option, but not the best in my opinion. It seems like more headache than it's worth and also that we could end up owing more favors to higher powers. Which is always obnoxious, as our current situation aptly demonstrates.

The rest have significant flaws with them with [1][4]and[9] being the worst.

>>505491
I upvote this in full.
>>
No. 505531 ID: 98378e

>[5]-Who doesn't want their own sapient rocket?
Taking BC along with us this is my favoured plan.
>>
No. 505532 ID: 6de77b

At the very least we should call Lyubov and let her know we're in town. Even if we cant see her because it would just cause problems it's better than her finding out after the fact and being pissed at us
>>
No. 505553 ID: 86c700

[2]-Getting more owed questions from Ogrimmir makes whatever hoops the Norse route entails entirely worth it.
>>
No. 505558 ID: 84b152

[2]-Getting more owed questions from Ogrimmir makes whatever hoops the Norse route entails entirely worth it.
>>
No. 505616 ID: 333c1d

>>505553
>>505558
We only get Answers for killing living Einher. Not spirit einher ensouled in golem bodies. Which is practically all that are in Japan at the moment.

See this post for more details:
>>/questdis/69954
>>
No. 505619 ID: 47a120

Why make an ensouled rocket when you can make an ensouled biocybernetic divinitech reusable space pleasure yacht?
With access to Amen, Placid, Armas, and Lyubov its certainly doable... and a project you SHOULD get on LATER.

You should NOT go to the moon there YET.
Because getting to the moon is easy, its getting to the wizard on the moon that is problem. How are you going to get past the queue?

So before you leave what you need to do is:
1. Go visit lyubov and Hyougo, you are already there. the mission gives you a good excuse to visit, you get to socialize Hyougo a bit (poor girl needs it), you get to visit lyubov (both of you need it), and Hyougo is on in the wizard's networking so we could either get her help in securing an invitation for a visit (bypassing the queue) or leads on other wizards who /witches who are friends with moon-wizard or know more about him.

2. Consult the fleshcrafters you know (starting with placid) and practice adjustments for moon's gravity and lack of atmosphere. By making such physical changes to your biology you can vastly decrease the magic power costs of surviving vacuum (which are an issue due to diminished regen). Remember that the wizard requires a visitor to appear spiffy. So grotesque yet efficient changes should not be used.

3. If the queue is not organized by the wizard himself but by the various interest groups standing in line then finding out (see #1) who has agents standing the queue on their behalf and if they would allow to skip their agent's place in line. (we could thus combine fighting some in line, skipping others with permission, and standing patiently behind one or two).

4. You need to solve the loss of power issue, HB and soul brothers draw power from you and furthermore without constant power regeneration you would have a much harder time on the moon... Carry a bunch of high magic meats with you to replenish from (thanks to CaptainButthead for idea). Also craft 1 soul battery to test out feasibility (spending a week making soul batteries on earth to shave off a month of waiting on the moon is a good tradeoff). I think also perhaps if one of HB's nodes was made giant in size and just sitting in the mansion it could act an anchor to siphon magic into the node system through. Something to suggest to him perhaps?

5. Need to get a way to return from the moon which isn't wasteful. To that end we need to verify (by reading the manual or asking the manufacturer) that the blood teleporting pad would not be harmed by teleporting you back from the moon and then getting some of your blood to someone in the mansion who can be trusted to operate it. My first choice on who to trust with our blood who is currently a the mansion is einrick or maybe it can be trusted to SB's shade.
>>
No. 505733 ID: 08c00b

We haven't been in a good fight for a while and i think Armas needs to get the rust out of his system while also play testing all his new tricks (like thunder shouting) in battle.

I say we wreck every Einher we can find, feed their bodies to the flesh god (cant recall her name), buy absurdly expensive/useful info from Ogrimmir's boons, and sell the info to SM.

In other words:

>smash
>loot
>???
>Profit
>>
No. 506006 ID: c870c5

Throwing my vote in for a lazy post.

[3]-I can totally talk a little girl Witch into getting me to the moon, yup! It has nothing to do with seeing my girlfriend.
>>
No. 506032 ID: 1401db

[2]-Getting more owed questions from Ogrimmir makes whatever hoops the Norse route entails entirely worth it.
As seen with Abloec, we don't get questions for killing spirit einherjar. Sust this unless we check with Allview and only go after living ones.

[3]-I can totally talk a little girl Witch into getting me to the moon, yup! It has nothing to do with seeing my girlfriend.
I call this PLAN B.

[5]-Who doesn't want their own sapient rocket?
Plan A, because it enables us to take BC with us (who always wanted to be a astronaut). If we do that, we should see if, during the travel, SB could shadowport HBs outside of the rocket to make a 'HB road' of nodes and such improve our regen while on the moon.


[8]-I haven't really practiced my internal fleshcrafting all that much. Making myself into a rocket sounds like a perfect opportunity to use it.
Plan D.

[10]-I totally have a better idea than any of that! (WRITE IN!)
Plan C: learn how to step on soul-bubbles and combine this with internal fleshcrafting rocket-Armas as well as strong-jumping and Hummer'(s momentuum to get to the moon. If we do this, don't forget to make a HB road.

Whatever we choose, we NEED to make sure to get a charm with meat storage space in stasis, and pack it full of fresh meat (possibly go hunting for magical meat) for regen purposes.
>>
No. 506240 ID: ca1229

Votes:

[1]
None

[2]
>>505553
>>505558
>>505733

[3]
>>505491
>>505515
>>506006

[4]
None.

[5]
>>505495
>>505531
>>506032

[6]
>>505480 (with [8])

[7]
None

[8]
>>505480 (with [6])
>>505619

[9]
>>505483

Winner: Three-way tie between [2], [3], [5].
>>
No. 506244 ID: ca1229

“I don't think I'll need directions, actually – or at least not yet. I'm going to go with Hyougo for now, and if that doesn't turn anything up... the Rainbow Road looks like a palatable option, although I wouldn't mind stealing a rocket. I might end up doing that on the way back anyway.”

... and I'll get the chance to score some more Answers, per Ogrimir's promise

Shadowbro ought to pop in here to remind Armas of the events of his fight with Abloec, and the fact that killing the golem bodies of Spirit Einherjar does not trigger the “killing einherjar” part of the deal with Ogrimir. Reply to it mentally.

“Oh yeah, that's right. Well that makes that particular option rather more unappealing. So Hyougo's a-go, unless she's not, in which case I'll just have to find a rocket or something... they have a space program here, right?”

This is where the information from Buttz' post (>>505491) comes into play

“Perfectly viable backup plan, then.”

Switching back to speech, finish up with Einrik, “Thanks for the help, Einrik, I'm going to get moving.” While the phone is still out, give Lyubov a call. (Buttz gave his input on Lyubov's side of the conversation)

“Lyubov, hey, sorry for waking you, it's Armas. Yeah, I know it's early but I'm in Japan on a very important assignment – need to get to the moon. Very cool, I know, but I need a favour from you: I need an audience with Hyougo so I can ask her to teleport me there and see if she has any information I could use about the Moon Wizard. Think you can get that organised for me ASAP?”
>"If you want to wait until seven you can petition her properly like everyone else does, when she makes herself available for that. She won't be up for awhile anyway.
“I suppose I can wait, if it means she'll be more amiable about it.”
>”Why do you need to get the moon anyway?"
"I can tell you when I get there, since it sounds like I'll have a few hours of nothing, otherwise."

From there, it's hummingswarm time (we could take a shadowport, but it is 3:30 and we don't want to rush Hyougo). Send a hummingbird off to Tanegashima to wait, just in case Hyougo falls through, while the rest head up to Hyougo's place in Hokkaido using Allview to navigate as necessary. Assuming that Hummingbird flies a little under the speed of sound, to avoid making a scene, that should take about an hour and twenty minutes as long as there are no interruptions.

Upon arriving, give Lyubov another call to make sure everything's good and that you won't be incinerated as soon as he steps onto her land or anything. Remember that you were going to go through your photo albums with Lyubov before she came to Japan. Get Shadowbro to grab them and to ask Svetlana for anything like that of Lyubov's, so you can all go through them together – even Hyougo, if she wants; it's the perfect chance to get her to see you as less of a rival for Lyubov's attention.

Lyubov might even ask Hyougo's parents to bring out her baby pictures, and you can all giggle like the schoolgirls that you are about how cute she was. You could even see about Hyougo bringing Svetlana around.

“You know, Lyubov, I bet your mother has some great stories to go with these pictures. Too bad she isn't here... Who wants something to eat? I'm a great cook, Hyougo. Tell her, Lyubov”

Take a break from the fun to make breakfast for everyone, sending out hummingbirds for any ingredients you're missing. Have hummingbirds deliver everyone's meals to them as a novelty.
Continue the conversation, talking about things a lonely kid might like; Placid's animal collection, Rosti's puppies, Sake being super-jealous that you're in Japan and he's not, your idea about making a were-tank. In general, follow Svetlana's original advice and act like Lyubov.

Having buttered the young witch up with delicious food, friendliness, and hilarious stories about Lyubov getting into life-threatening situations as a kid (yes, those stories are hilarious, I've heard plenty of them from my fiancée's mother), it's time to start working on getting that teleport.

Start off by just inquiring about Lunastaroth with Hyougo, and explain (mostly to Lyubov) that he's a wizard that lives in the moon, he's a very hard guy to get to, all that. If either of them ask why you're asking, tell them about the job – getting a letter to the moon and its wizard inhabitant, all within a week. Tell them about the rocket idea, but make the plan as convoluted as you can. Don't ask Hyougo for anything, just treat it like it's no big deal and that you'll get there with or without her. Ideally you'll manage to manipulate her into volunteering the help.
>>
No. 506246 ID: 1401db

>>506244
>... and I'll get the chance to score some more Answers, per Ogrimir's promise
>Shadowbro ought to pop in here to remind Armas of the events of his fight with Abloec, and the fact that killing the golem bodies of Spirit Einherjar does not trigger the “killing einherjar” part of the deal with Ogrimir. Reply to it mentally.
SUST, as Armas is well aware that while he still needs to kill Spirit einherjar they don't net questions (that was a big goddam disappointment upon killing Abloec's golem form) unless, say, he does it in a way that amuses Ogrimmir (but he can't count on it). This 'feature' about spirit einherjar has been on our mind many a time after all, and wecan think about it by ourself
>>
No. 506337 ID: 697a72

Gonna vote for [5] since no one is voting for [4], which is the best option. Secondary vote is for [2], because I want Armas to fight again. Don't care if we wont get any answers.
>>
No. 507024 ID: 47a120

>>506240
You put me down as voting for 8 on >>505619
But I was voting for 3
>>
No. 507038 ID: f31e57

Right. Let's try 3 first, then go with 5 if it's a no go. We'd need to see Lyubov anyways since science is her thing and this is a good way to chat with the young witch.
>>
No. 507169 ID: b7d2cc

>>505515
>>505532
Pssht, no matter what the other options are, a free-to-try dragon-free option’s available right here in Japan. I can totally talk a little girl Witch into getting me to the moon, yup! It has nothing to do with seeing my girlfriend. But more importantly than any potential personal considerations, this option offers the opportunity to get better intelligence on Lunastaroth straight from a full fledged Witch. Hyougo may have met him, or heard better information about him from other Wizards. And if that info’s warped by a childish perspective... well, it’s still a damned sight better than what I have now.
“Think I’ll go with the Witch path.”
>[Einrik]”Well, I wish you the best of luck with that. She’s a Witch I have not personally met, so I can’t offer you any advice on how to approach her.”
“I’lll make do, I’m sure. Thanks for helping me spitball this.”
>[Einrik]”Any time.”
*click*

“So, SB: can you get a shadow near Hyougo’s lodgings?”
>[SB]”Depends. How near do you need?
“Near enough I can get to her in short order. I do have a deadline, here.”
>[SB]”...Then I can place you off of route 333 in Hokkaido. It’s not on her personal territory, but close enough (and isolated enough) that some magical mobility should get you to her demesne swiftly.
“Sounds good then. Any ti-”

[DISCONTINUITY]

“-me... okay, guess I’m there.”
>[SB]”Did the highway and mountains give it away?
“Be fair, I was already on a mountain so that second part’s hardly a cha-”
>[SB]”If you want to quibble do it with someone else. Now, I’m going to be unavailable for a while; Dark politics thing, don’t bother asking.
Such a secretive brother I have.”
>[SB]”One of us has to be.

I blink my way free of the personal conversation as Hummingbird manifests from my shoulder, rejoining me post-Og ‘porting with a keen and discerning eye roving over our surroundings.
>[HB]“Hm. A large amount of flora, but little of it palatable. A shame. Will you need guidance to your target, Giant?”
“I don't think I'll need directions, actually – or at least not yet. I'm going to go with Hyougo for now, and if that doesn't turn anything up... the Rainbow Road looks like a palatable option, although I wouldn't mind stealing a rocket. I might end up doing that on the way back anyway.”
... and I'll get the chance to score some more Answers, per Ogrimir's promise
>[HB]”Rockets... pah. The childish attempts of Giants to breach the realm of the avian master race. If you must persist in obsessing over such lackluster toys, that is your right, though personally I cannot fathom why you would not wish to travel the path of warriors that Einherjar employ.”
“Eh. Reasonably certain, on reflection, that I wouldn’t get squat out of offing Spirit Einherjar golem bodies, so it’d be a goodly bit of work without much payoff. Far better if I can take my ride with me when I’m done, you know?”
>[HB]”No, I wouldn’t: I’ve never been without the greatest of rides-”
“I’m just going to interrupt before you give me too good of a line to work with; you’re a phenomenal flier Hummingbird, I get it.”
>[HB]”...So long as you are aware.”

The way he huffily ruffles his diminutive plumage is adorable and I am never telling him that.

>[SB]”I admit to being surprised you even remembered that detail, Armas.
I can’t help but smirk at that.
“Oh yeah, that's right, I didn’t give you a chance to call me an ignorant idiot there, did I-my bad. Let’s see... *ahem* Wow brother, that’s amazing-I totally didn’t think about that! Well that makes that particular option rather more unappealing. So Hyougo's a-go, unless she's not, in which case I'll just have to find a rocket or something... they have a space program here, right?”
>[SB]”Sake has informed me there’s a facility that would meet your needs in Tanegashima.
The Allview pings my soul as SB places a marker on the world map for personal reference.
“Great-well, I’ve got a place to go if the Hyougo route doesn’t work. Now then...”

So, I learn something pretty handy while Strongly jumping about, Hummer’s Momentum throwing my form this way and that as I follow Soul Sensing and Magic Item Detection. Specifically, I learn that while Witches and Wizards can elect to hide themselves, that is not the norm, and that Hyougo’s mere presence has been enough to turn one entire farm’s land into a massive Siedis bedecked in thousands of vigilant Land Gods, scores of them more magically potent than yours truly. It’s rather interesting that I couldn’t really grasp the sheer potency present here, and I wonder if perhaps...

Indeed, on referencing against the Allview in realtime, I find a considerable discrepancy between the remotely perceivable level of magic, and what I can feel ‘on the ground’, as it were. Still, there’s no questioning this is the place I sought. So feeling rather confident in my pre-dawn analysis, I touch down outside what’s sure to be the Hanmaki farm and see a pair of people (mundanes, specifically) just exiting a rather modest-looking wood house, completely oblivious to the spiritual entities parting like water before them.

One of the two, a stoop-backed woman with a gentle smile, waves a hand on seeing a stranger just outside the property-she has rather keen eyes. She bumps an elbow against her partner, and both of them begin toddling down to the gate that I patiently wait outside of. I assume they think I’m being polite, but mostly it’s that there’s no way I’m just going to intrude into the territory of so many Land Gods when a little patience will work. There are limits to my impulsiveness, after all.
>[Woman](In Japanese)”Oh... good morning! May I ask your name?”
(In Japanese)”Armas Laine, at your service.
>[Woman]”Hanmaki Haruno-”
>[Man]”And Hanmaki Jinbe. May we ask why you’re visiting?”
Absolutely. It’s my understanding your daughter is something of an expert in certain circles, and I’d like to confer with her, if she’s willing.
>[Haruno]”We can certainly ask her if she’s amenable to that.”
>[Jinbe]”I apologize for the rudeness, but would you mind waiting here? It is very early after all.”
Given the gatewatching spirits present alongside them?
I understand completely. I’d be happy to wait here and admire your lovely farm.
>[Jinbe]”Oh, it is just a small family farm. But we will hurry back with your answer.”
Japanese sensibilities satisfied, he and Haruno head back up the driveway.

I occupy myself giving a charming smile to the masses of Land Gods, their forms varying from fiery foo dogs to lightning clad raijū wolves with all manner of beast between. If Sake were here, I’ve no doubt he’d ramble on and list off every single variety of spirit present. As is, I just indulge in a liberal helping of Soul Sensing, cataloging the common traits I see amidst their number that bear future consideration. Never know when I might need to forcibly unbind a Land God, after all.

It’s not long before the wife Haruno returns, with what can only be Kitsune dancing and gamboling about her feet, the little multi-tailed furballs so sickeningly cute they have to be a toy breed or... something.
>[Haruno]”Our daughter would be happy to receive you in the foyer, Mr. Laine. Would you follow me?”
I regard the... the standing down cadre of supercharged spirits, disarmed by the Witch’s mother’s comment. They literally make way, waiting on either side of the driveway.
But of course.

I walk through the plain-looking pleasant farm, and reach the sliding door just behind Haruno-

And stare into what is clearly a Demiplane entrance, the house’s interior swapped out with what looks like a zen garden wrought by Escher on acid, and then scaled up twenty fold. Gravel paths neatly raked into perfect zen order craze and crawl through the air without the slightest regard for gravity, titanic rocks and surreal bonsai the size of normal trees catch at the eye, all arranged together into what I can only term a wildly imaginative rock garden. I follow Mrs. Hanmaki without hesitation as she trundles down the paths, and smirk as Allview and Soul Sensing alike go perfectly dark the moment I’m inside.

We walk up walls, along ceilings, down valleys and, rarely, on flatlands across twisting paths that crunch underfoot, watching as insects the size of pigeons flit lazily about, the flow of time itself seeming to vary depending on which fractal-inspired snarl of twisted space we currently occupy. I do my best to not get distracted from the path given the lack of railings along the open edges of the twisted reality. I’d rather not find out what happens if one ‘falls’. That said, I pay careful attention to what I can see. First and foremost, I see the familiar glitter of that gold beyond gold that denotes a Leprechaun's presence, the mercurial vagabonds scurrying about, each in conversation with one Japanese spirit or another. Out in the distance, in koi ponds stocked with whale-sized fish, I see water spirits dancing and singing, and in the skies that are not overhead, but within the snarled mass of twisted space I see thunder gods roaring their cases at one another, my own blood rumbling mutedly in resonance. All of this and more I see-

And still I focus most of all on the toddling old form before me. Hummingbird would not let me hear the end of it, if I lost my way.

Eventually, Haruno leads me up a set of branches wrought into natural stairs, and into a knothole atop one of the many engorged bonsai, and within....

I find a Japanese teen with bubblegum hair clicking away on her phone, and looking decidedly bored. She doesn’t look up as her mother ushers me into her realm.
>[Hyougo](In Japanese)”So. You’re that Armas Guy that found my Yōkai Shugo.”
(In Japanese)”That’s an accurate enough way to describe me.
>[Hyougo]”So... what do you want?”
I can’t help but note she still hasn’t looked up from her phone-in fact, she’s rather pointedly ignoring me-which kind of defeats the impact of the brushoff. Ah, kids.
Well, I wanted to say hi to the Witch my girlfriend works for-
>[Hyougo]”I’m not giving her back-ah, yet, I mean yet.”
Of course, of course. I understand that you’re going to need constant access to her while she learns her duties-to insure she provides service you feel comfortable attaching your name to.
At that she looks up, a bit confused by my phrasing.
>[Hyougo]”I... yes, of course.”
And so with that straightened out, I’d like to ask you about Lunastaroth, if you don’t mind.
She rolls her eyes at that, slouching back down into her smartphone addiction.
>[Hyougo]”Pfft, that crazy old guy. What about him?”
Well, I would love to hear your thoughts on what kind of Wizard he is.
>[Hyougo]”I don’t know why you’d even care, he’s just some crusty old fart that doesn’t do anything that matters. He doesn’t even leave the moon, like, ever!”
Is that so.
>[Hyougo]”Yeah, he’s super-boring and just sits around being a butthead. He hosts parties for Wizards and Witches like, all the time, but it’s really lame things where it’s all these time-displaced Wizards, where multiple of the same person are right there, but they’re different, and some have power and some don’t... ugh, they talk about the dumbest stuff. Really dry, boring, lame and everything.”
Does he happen to have non Wizard-only parties?
>[Hyougo]”Hah, no. What he does do is just... watch the line. All those people that want to talk to him, laughing the moment anything happens... honestly? I think he’s gone nuts up there-or maybe he was always wacko, I dunno. Doesn’t really matter to me.”
Are there particular types of things a person in the line can do that are particularly entertaining to him?
>[Hyougo]”Yeah, he really likes it when people in the line horrify and terrify the others, instead of starting fights-when people run screaming from the line that’s like, his favorite thing. Real sicko, right?”
He certainly sounds eccentric, to be sure. If you don’t mind me asking, how are things now that things are hopefully settling back down?

At that she finally meets my eyes and very nearly cares enough to smile, before a tweenish obsession with being ‘cool’ makes her look bored again.
>[Hyougo]”Okay I guess; I mean, no one’s trying to start trouble now, and it’s not hectic or anything, so that’s good.”
Happy to hear it. Is Lyubov working out for you?
Her eyes spark a bit at that.
>[Hyougo]”Yeah, she’s great! ...I mean...”

...

Two hours later, after liberal attempts to activate an unreachable magical sense for diplomatic wordplay and being stopped cold in the Witch’s realm, I find an indulged teen’s bossy whims, for the moment, unbreachable. I can neither see Lyubov, or get a free trip to the moon. But that’s fine; I got an insider look at Lunastaroth’s behavior, and critical hints at how to attract his attention that I wouldn’t have otherwise have had access to. Completely worth a couple hours, given the high stakes of the mission.

>>505491
>>505495
>>505531
>>506032
>>506337
Welp. Witch way’s out... but hey, that’s why I decided on back-up plans. I wrangle up Big Crazy and Sake on a conference call, and feel SB listening in on the side.
>[Sake]”Man what is it, gonna rub it in my face again that you’re in japan and I’m not?[code]” >[BC]”And I’m not sure why I’m on the line here.” “Answer to both: I’m going to space, and I want to commandeer a Japanese Rocket and maybe ensoul it-I need directions on where to go in Japan-” >[Sake]”[code]Tanagashima down in the South Islands-
“Thank you Sake-and I happen to need someone that has the slightest idea about astronautical matters, since I imagine pure magic would only go so far. Big Crazy, know anyone?”
>[BC]”...You magnificent bastard, you remember that?”
“You drunkenly confiding that you tried to be an Astronaut before you learned they auto-reject the magical? Yep.”
>[BC]”So, how am I gonna get there, then?”
“SB, feel free to chime in here.”
>“I already have a shadow ten kilometers from the launch facility Sake mentioned, and can ‘port both of you to location.”
>[BC]”Wait is that safe for non-Armas people or-”
“Oh it’s fine, don’t worry about it-Bro, hit it.”
>[BC]”Hold -”

[DISCONTINUITY]

>[BC]”-on... dammit. I hadn’t even packed anything.”
“All the more reason to show off the cool new hydra magic you got then, right? Anyway let’s go.”
>[BC]”So we’re just breaking in?”
“What, noooo... I’m talking my way in and convincing them we belong with some potent persuasion. Then, we’re commandeering a rocket and we’ll be out of here before they know it.”
>[BC]”Seriously, you think that’ll work, just... wing it?”
“Well, they obviously have a rocket on the tarmac right now, so what’s really stopping us? Are magical guards going to pop out or something, huh?”
>[BC]”This is such a bad idea; it’s not gonna work!”
“Bet you ten bucks it will.”
>[BC]”You’re on.”

[TWENTY SEVEN MINUTES LATER, IN THE PRESSURIZED POD OF A CARGO ROCKET WITH NO LESS THAN ELEVEN UNCONSCIOUS GUARDS IN OUR WAKE]

>[BC]”Christ-”
“Ten bucks.”
>[BC]”We just-”
“Nope, get that money and pipe down while I install a better OS.”

And with that, I get to dumping every single bit of Soul Energy I can produce in raw venting, shaping the flow and holding it fast in the purpose built orbital vessel. Cannibalistic Divine Magic floods and seeps into every nook and cranny, more and more as I swiftly build the vessel to thrice my own soul’s size-

And throw a Binding on it right after performing a brute force mimickry of the general principles of a Familiar Binding. It’s not exactly a clean job, but working with my own magical essence makes cleanup of the inevitable mistakes a thing of mere effort, not challenge. I’ve stabilized everything and are ready to script the Bind’s command within fifteen seconds of having begun.

>[BC]”Armas-”
“Not now.”
>[BC]”Look I get it impressive-ass Godling domination magic and all but the alarms are going now-”
“Well, that just means I can’t dawdle.”

I return to my labors, double and triple-checking the spiritual energy suffusing the ship, the vessel’s collective form, rocket engines, fuel tanks, stages, and orbital module all tied into a coherent spiritual mass. This is all one body, albeit one designed to fall to pieces and be reunited. With the soul’s structure and subservient spectral position confirmed, I place the binding that I know is going to make this fun down the line.

WILL BE AN OBEDIENT MISSILE THAT SERVES ITS CREATOR ARMAS IN ALL REQUESTED WAYS WITH LOYALTY

It’s a long Bind, but thanks to the facts that it’s the same spiritual energy as the soul it binds, and that both were created by your’s truly, I’m able to slot what would normally be a dangerously clunky binding into a smooth fit, spiritually speaking. I find it hilarious I’m at the point I can MacGuvyer up ensouling a spaceship but still have absolutely no form of sophistication or elegance to my grasp of terminology and esoterics for my magical ‘arts’. They are merely tools I use and use with familiarity and a rough competence. And funnily enough, that’s okay, so long as I get to keep playing with them.

-Right, distracted-okay, the binding... still holding, good no fluctuations, I can bulk the soul larger now that I’ve confirmed the dominance while I build a basic interface... okay, let’s go with a Kudoku bug based system, real simple and I know how to uninstall it if I have to without collapsing the soul-it’ll do for a maiden voyage.

>[BC]”Armas-”
“Just handle it man I need a bit more!”
Even with accelerated thought it’s just not quite enough running through all the minutia-there’s so much power I can pump into this thing, but every jolt has to be evenly spread, meshed with what’s there. When adding more, I have to ensure it doesn’t disrupt the tenuous balance that needs time to stabilize... and that demand makes this exceptionally labor intensive.

...pretty sure I hear people shouting-well that’s not good, they’ll need to-
>[SB]Focus on the ship I’ll handle the civilians.
Right. Okay. Four times my energy. A little more. Five times... careful... by six times my energy, I’m starting to lose track of how to weave this all together and the binding’s starting to look loose-

>[BC]”ARMAS!
I snap my eyes open: the work is as good as I’m gonna get it.
“And...”

I give a spiritual prod to the now wholly living, by magical standards, rocket in which we reside... and with a pleasing rumble, engines sputter to life without a whit of input on the controls. Both Big Crazy and I ignore the abrupt gravitic pressures on us as the solid fuel boosters kick in, taking the ride in stride. Even better, the diagnostic terminal screen one of the technicians forgot (still hooked up to a data jack in the cargo section’s less-than-roomy pressure module) sports a smiley face as the vessel quakes.
>[BC]”The people outside-”
>[SB]”Taken care of. And I destroyed the footage of you. The fallout from this will be magical if anything. Best of luck on the trip.
I ignore the sarcastic comment as Big Crazy pulls the hatch shut, looking a bit befuddled.
>[BC]”So...”
“Yes?”
>[BC]”I can’t help but notice we don’t have space suits.”
“Why, do you need one?”
>[BC]”Breathing is something people generally need to do, and vacuum’s not exactly healthy.”
“Psh. So we have to suck it up for some pain and regenerate for a while, big whoop. Or are you telling me a hydra can’t handle asphyxiation?”
>[BC]”....I did not think to test that one.”
“Oh. Well... guess we’ll find out then.”
>[BC]”SO not how I saw myself going to space.”
“Just run with it-and if you happen to have any Familiar based fleshcrafting tricks that’d help when we reach the moon, well... now would be the time.”
>[BC]”Just so it’s on the record...”
“Yeah?”
>[BC]”You’re a total dick.”
“You could have gotten ready before agreeing-”
>[BC]”Oh, like it’s fair to teleport someone mid-conversation!”
“It wasn’t mid, so much as... during a transitional period.”
>[BC]”Totally a dick.”
“Ah come on-you’re more happy you’re here than mad.”
>[BC]”[Native American Silence]”
“Oh come on, you know I know you’re happier than mad. I can totally see your soul and you know that.”
>[BC]”FINE, ridiculous methods or no I’m still happy, even with the ‘complications’.”
“There, was that so hard?”
>[BC]”Prick.”
“You’re using a lot of phallic terminology; are you asking for tutelage in the great and noble art of Phallomancy?”
>[BC]”Wh-”
“I assure you that it’s unlikely you will find a more prodigal teacher than I. Perhaps Familiar-control via the penis?”
>[BC]”Man w-”
“Or maybe you could be quiet, and I can properly Name my sort-of-alive rocket.”

While I have all sorts of ideas, only one of them matters, because I also thought of “Kim Jung Boom” and internally designate it as a female name. And just like that-

“Hello Kim Jung Boom.”
>[BC]”Seriously man what is up with y-”
The computers squawk and gargle, the din combining into the parody of a human voice.
>[KJB]”HELLO ALL IMPORTANT CREATOR.”
>[BC]”....Oh hell no, you just made it-”
“Now now Big, that’s no way to talk to Miss Boom here. How are you Boom?”
>[KJB]”PLEASED TO NOW EXIST SO THAT I MAY SERVE THE CREATOR.”
>[BC]”Are you kidding...”
“Excellent-SO, if you’ll fly us to Lunastaroth’s part of the moon-”
>[KJB]”THIS WOEFUL CREATION LACKS THE CAPACITY TO DETECT SUCH A THING!”

I glance at Big with consternation as I slap a fist in my palm, eying the passing clouds out the window.
Knew I’d probably forgotten something-one second...

A bit of spiritual fiddling cribbing off my own spiritual senses, and-
“Aaaand how about now?”
>[KJB]”THIS CRAFT CAN SERVE IT’S CREATOR AND FEELS FULFILLED IN THE CAPACITY TO BE USEFUL.”
>[BC]”I can’t believe I’m not recording this.”
“I know, it’d make great footage!”
>[BC]”[Texan Silence]”

...

MONDAY, MARCH 21st, 2011
PERSONAL FUNDS:
$7,936,660.00
BUSINESS FUNDS: $8,842,094.00
CASH: $0.00
SHADOW PATIENCE: 35%
WINTER ENERGY: 163
SUMMER ENERGY: 61/61


Kim Jung Boom, the magically manhandled previously Japanese cargo rocket comes about over a section of the Moon’s dark side... and I see a spiritual signature-scratch that. Shittons of them.
>[BC]”...Giants, Leprechauns, Elves, Liches... yes, that’s... quite a line, there. What’s the plan, here?”

Well that is a good question, especially given I’ve detected that not only am I regenerating magic more slowly now, but that Kim Jung Boom, bless her metal heart, is decaying fast. She has at most a day’s worth of magic in her!

What’s my plan?
[FOLLOW RULES] “Well duh, we fly Miss Boom here on up to the line, form an orderly queue...”
[BOLD] “Well, I was thinking of crashing Miss Boom into the front of the line, you know, some pizzazz for the entrance to get the Wizard’s attention...”
[DESTRUCTIVE]”I bet if I siphon all the magic out of Miss Boom here I’d have enough to blow a goodly sized hole in the moon-that’d help, don’t you think?”
[DECEPTIVE]”We’ll just go to the front of the line and say we were invited-I can totally sell that.”
[DISGUSTING]”Well, I had a tip that he likes spectacles...” (Write it in)
[CUSTOM] (Write it in, bucko)
>>
No. 507333 ID: 6de77b

[DISGUSTING] Three way. Rocket; Big Crazy; Shadow Bro.
>>
No. 507335 ID: c31f72

[Disgusting] Time for the penis trolls triumphant return!
>>
No. 507374 ID: c213a6

>[DECEPTIVE]”We’ll just go to the front of the line and say we were invited-I can totally sell that.”

I wonder how many of them you could scare off by saying "Ever heard of Armas Laine? I'm him."
>>
No. 507397 ID: 47a120

[TERRIFYING]
According to our Teen Japanese Witch (TM) he gets a kick off of people TERRIFYING the other people in line without harming them.
so that is the obvious solution.
Time to mix darkening and a silver tongue.
>>
No. 507398 ID: 98378e

[DESTRUCTIVE]

I wanna blow things up.
>>
No. 507448 ID: c31f72

Oh, we should also grab some moon rocks as a souvenir before we head home.
>>
No. 507450 ID: 08c00b

>>507397
yes and...

Id like to use this idea from the chat:

"ArkeusI wonder if we could make the rocket's soul go into catastrophic failure with a soul-guise that makes it look even more terrifying.
17:58LukethanukeYES, that sounds fun. If we can soul-guise the rocket we just have to make it LOOK Dangerous enough to scare the line. In fact it turning out to be a dud would be even more funny than it actually killing everyone; witch is our best bet to get the moon wiz's jollys up for us.

ArkeusSomething like catastrophic-failure => making it look like an explosion => using our intimacy with Lyubov to copy a tesla-like pattern to it and add a "like a nuclear-explosion/like a tesla designed-bomb feel to the soul-guise could be properly terrifying. "

So soul-guise the rocket to give off an immensely powerful feeling of imminent destruction and doom. Then have it crash with LESS force than a normal rocket would.
>>
No. 507802 ID: c6319f

[TERRIFYING]
I propose that we try building a soul guise into Kim Jung Boom. We were able to replicate in her our spiritual sensory capabilities, at least roughly. Likely because she was made from our energy, by our hand. There's simply an amazingly high degree of compatibility.

The soul guise should be something like "A NUCLEAR DEVICE THAT IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE." ramped up as high as possible. Whatever rate Armas regenerates energy at up here and cannibalize some of her remaining energy to sell it if need be. Members of the magical community who know about nukes know that they are dangerous, highly so, but hopefully don't know so much that they'd be able to easily differentiate between one kind of mundane rocket and another.

And hey, if it doesn't work it probably wont get our asses killed and we can try for something else.
>>
No. 507804 ID: 2da9b3

[TERRIFYING] Soulguise the ship as owner
if you've never seen the soul, all you have to do is make it so that anyone in the area that can sense it receives an image of him looking cross as hell and in a hurry.
>>
No. 507810 ID: f31e57

[Oh god why]
Soul guise the ship so they will think: "THIS IS LUCIFER'S NUCLEAR DICK GOING SUPERCRITICAL WATCH OUT IT'S ABOUT TO BLOW!"

Because why go for just ONE reaction?
>>
No. 507814 ID: cf49fc

>>507810
I agree on this count. GIANT MAGICAL NUCLEAR PLANETBUSTER INBOUND is a really great way to scare people off. And if we're REALLY lucky, we can crash at the head of the line, and land right in front of his door ready to hop out and dramatically stride forward.

I just want Kim Jung Boom to be okay! Oh well. We can always put her soul into other things...
>>
No. 507854 ID: 9d4181

>>507810
>>507804
>>507802
>>507450
Well, i guess if we are going to do [TERRIFYING], we might as well try to do it well.

The first thing to do would be to check if we can take the rocket's soul into our eye: While we have never soul-sculpted or otherwise done a soul-guise on another soul, As a soul created by us, if she is also IN us and thus subject to our internal soul-manipulation as well as to our demi-plane homebase advantage, it should be possible to actually do a decent job of it.

The soul guise to choose should be something like "A NUCLEAR DEVICE ABOUT TO EXPLODE". As someone who has been VERY intimate with Lyubov, both pre and post her witchification, we are probably one of the top expert on Tesla's working 'feel', and as such should be able to do such a soul-guise with acceptable expertise. In fact, given the ejaculating nature of such...

Now, this is supposed to be [Terrifying], not [Kill Them All]. Especially as the Wizard of the moon was said to not like killings in his queue. As such, While the soul of the rocket should be bulking/pretending to go into catastrophic failure, it shouldn't actually explode.

This means that there is no reason it needs to die, and as such we don't need to break the accords. We can totally talk to it and convince it that, in exchange for us soul-sculpting it, we'll try to save it (without actually promising anything, even trying).

From there, we could put it into our eye the moment it look like it would explode during our 'show'. There is a possibility that simply putting it into our eye could save it (no deterioration of soul there, at least?), and it would also make it much easier to bulshit the people around in the queue.

If putting the soul into our eye is impossible or otherwise unsustainable (maybe it drains our own regen?) then another possibility for saving it could be if Bonzi's pot could take it remotely.

Around the queue, depending on whether we want to look like a sportman or provoke them into a fight (where they'll begin the first blow), we could use a soul-guise of "nice winner" or "smug jackass".
>>
No. 508569 ID: b7d2cc

>>507397
>>507450
>>507802
>>507804
>>507810
>>507814
>>507854
“So, I have an idea.”
>[BC]”You really shouldn’t be able to make that sound so ominously disastrous. Well, what is it?”
“Convince the people in the line this is a malfunctioning nuclear missile that’s about to crash.”
>[BC]”Explain to me where that makes sense.”
“Well for one Miss Kim here is obviously a missile. Aren’t you Kim?”
>[KGB]”AS THE CREATOR STIPULATED A MISSILE AM I!”
“So, there’s that, and then there’s the fact that most people in that line are not exactly experts on what are and aren’t missiles, and-”
>[BC]”You know what? Just do whatever soul magic bullshit you’re planning, and let’s see if it blows up in our face and we die, or it works.”
“That’s a bit defeatist of you, isn’t it?”
>[BC]”Well I’m frankly tired of playing the straight man for...”
“Nineteen-”
>[BC]”Yes, nineteen hours. So just do what you’re gonna do, and I’ll either get to mock you before our mutual end, or I get to walk on the moon. So yeah, I am a bit distracted from the argument at hand.”
“Just long as you can admit you have a problem.”

While Big Crazy mutters to himself, I’m neck deep in spiritual skullduggery. I badger and bully what is still a part of me into doing my will. I twist and tease spectral force into matching my desires. It is not a science, by any stretch of the meaning. I am not performing clear cut if-then alterations that lead to a desired result. I am abusing raw power and magical synchronicity to sit my missile-ship’s soul down, slap it in the face and tell it to hurry up and grow a Soul Guise.

And it does. After a grueling ten seconds worth of accelerated thought to badger it into life. And I have to actively maintain a connection to make it do anything. But hey, Soul Guise, there it is.

...And I’ve drained out a good half of my own magic in the process.
WINTER ENERGY: 71/163
Well, that’s not quite true. What actually happened is that I drained myself at breakneck speeds, and had that energy supplemented from afar each time I neared empty. In fact, it was almost like-

A beak manifesting out of my chin answers that train of thought, as a voice as melodiously high-pitched as it is implacably cold chirps forth.
>[HB]”I grasp that this is an important venture for you, mount, but you cannot be a wastrel with the power I’ve meticulously saved and allocated.”
Except I totally can.
“I’ll keep an eye on errant use of our magic when next I’m flying among the stars, okay?”
I feel acknowledgement through our spiritual connection, and the beak schlorps out of sight.

Well, what matters is that I installed the necessary spiritual software for my plan. And to that end...
“So, hey: if there’s any spiritual mayday signals you know of, hopefully ones you can broadcast real hard, now would be the time.”
>[BC]”So you’re actually doing this?”
“What gave you the impression I wouldn’t?”
>[BC]“Idle hope all of this has been a hallucination.”
“Maybe you ought to lay off Dávgon’s beer for a spell.”

With a grumbling mercenary at my side, I give Kim Jung Boom a rather tall order. I warp and twist her Soul Guise like it were my own (which it is, sort of) and crank the output up so high that I can feel magic gushing out of the ship’s soul and into fueling the spiritual signature.

‘Imminently exploding malfunctioning missile/rocket of a nuclear persuasion’ isn’t exactly as complex as I’d like, but it’s the message I’m confident will get across to the most viewers.

It’s a curious thing: I’ve put a plan in motion, and I won’t see it unfold. All I have to go on is Soul Sensing, and there’s hardly a being down there that can’t obscure their souls well enough to keep my prying eyes out. I just have to trust that Kim Jong Boom can tell what she’s doing. She’s got some cameras in her nose, maybe I could-

I find my train of thought broken by Big Crazy interrupting.
>[BC]”We’re coming in too steep.”
He’s flying just as blind as I am, he’s got no way to know that.
“Pssh, no. We-”
>[BC]”We are going to crush the missile-the rocket’s nose against the moon, and oh yes, we are in that nose.”
“We can both regenerate.”
>[BC]”On the moon, without direct access to...”
His face freezes in a look of surprise as he realizes something.
>[BC]”Son of a bitch you’re still recuperating magic, how are you-”

I don’t have to answer that exceptionally invasive question (which I had a flippant remark all ready for) because that’s when Miss Kim gets concerned.

>[KGB]”IS IMPACT DESIRED OR IS IT TO BE ARRESTED, CREATOR?”
“Arrested-”

There’s a helluva thump, like someone kicking the whole rocket from the bottom, and then the entire room yaws and performs a turnaround. I get enough of a warning through my spiritual connection that, unlike Big Crazy, I’ve already flipped about and land feet-first on the cramped room’s floor, while he smashes in headfirst. Naturally, he seems to somehow think this is my fault.

>[BC]”You’re a dick, Armas.”
“The very best.”

I would say more, but the rockets built into Kim Jong Boom’s cargo module fire, and I’m briefly shocked to see most of Kim Jong Boom fall away. Then I remember, this is a staged rocket. It’s supposed to fall apart as its tanks run dry, and the last of the fuel must have just run out. That was the thump, that and the cargo module’s engine kicking in. We’re now putting some space between us and the much larger jettisoned rocket.

I still can’t see any of this. Soul Sense alone informs me of what is going on outside- and to my senses, the falling rocket stage is a big bright piece of soul bleeding energy from raw tears in the body. Just like the first stage we left on Earth, it’s rapidly sealing up, as though it were designed to break into pieces. Now that I really think about it, the Name I picked helped make the soul appropriate for being a missile, and all that entails.

A web of tenuous connections between the falling stage and the more important parts of Kim Jong Boom’s soul seated in the cargo module’s computer mean that I get a handful of seconds, at most, to keep both parts of the rocket emitting the Soul Guise. But that’s all I really need, considering our ship is careening towards the planet in two pieces. The last stage of the rocket is on a more-or-less ballistic arc toward the middle of the line, while the cargo module we’re in is going to arrive near the front. I go for broke, cranking the spiritual signal up even higher, both the spent rocket stage and the cargo module broadcasting the same overwhelming Soul Guise of being a malfunctioning weapon of mass destruction.

As we near, I can feel the souls in the line actually moving and reacting as a ship that had (again, presumably since I couldn’t see most of it) threatened to crash with a soul-scouring conflagration into the Moon’s Dark Side instead settles down with only a modest sound of crunching metal and regolith. The moment the ship’s rockets cut out, I leap toward the hatch (now the roof of the landed cargo carrier) and give Miss Kim a spiritual tap just before my head would hit. She unlocks the hatch for me, and all the air in the room explodes out in a single shocking thunderclap that leaves my ears ringing. I grab the lip of the bulkhead as I pass it, and land on the lunar soil on my feet.

A few things catch my notice, at that point.

There’s the actual members of the line proper, now that I can actually look at them. While there isn’t much in the way of surprises thanks to my flyby spiritual assessment before touchdown, I do get to match faces and figures to souls. But that identification isn’t really what I’m focused on, so much as the fact that they’ve left the line.

I can feel the gas in my body, including in my mostly ignored digestive tract, doing its best to get out. I let what would have been a monster of a fart rip- but in space, no one can hear you pass gas. I can feel a chill in my lungs as liquids evaporate and most of the gasses in my blood escape into space- fact is, I’m suffocating. I can feel the fluids boiling off of my eyes and mouth, and oh yes blood is trying to seep out of my flesh as blood vessels break under the sudden lack of pressure.

It’s all admittedly a distraction, but not one that prevents me from claiming the prize I so irreverently created for myself. I dart into the line after a jaunty wave and take up a position at the very front before anyone’s quite resettled after my ploy. Unsurprisingly enough, this gets me just a few sets of malicious Attention but hey, I’m on the clock here!

...And...

And the... the simple wrought iron gate that the line waits before remains... rather firmly shut. Not surprising, in and of itself, or even innately problematic. But if I factor in all that Attention... Suffice to say I am damnably happy to see Big Crazy climbing out of Kim Jung Boom, and soaking up some of that nefarious focus. It’s not like he’s as receptive to such Attention as I am. He can take it.

I watch as Big Crazy takes stock of the scene, a veritable sea of eyes from the now fully reformed line on him. I notice that his ears, nose and mouth are all covered by skin sacks (which I swiftly emulate, though I leave the membrane over my eyes translucent). And... I notice that he stands very clearly outside of the line, making his intentions clear without the need for a single spoken word.

I am once more host to aaaaalll that fascinatingly hate-stricken Attention. Hm.

I take the evil obsession of the assorted crew of Giants, Leprechauns and other extremely potent magical creatures, and factor it in with what I know about Lunastaroth. Not in general (or even as it directly pertains to my mission) but rather, what his existence means for those who are willing to personally wait. Some would be couriers not unlike myself: magically able and pressed into service, by coin, debt, threat, or otherwise. Others would, like Big Crazy, simply want to see the Moon up close. I don’t know how many theoretical visitors are just here for the line’s gossip and the moon itself.

But most of them would be like-

Like the multi-armed hulk of staggering Divine magical presence that taps me on the shoulder while a spiritual voice like a groaning mountain tries to be threatening.
[Titan]“Hey.”
I distinctly keep that rule about violence in mind, and factor in my recuperative abilities. Depending on how I do it, I could ‘turn about’ from a lethal attack to instill more unsettling experiences in the queue. While I don’t yet have personal proof it’s true, I was told of Lunastaroth’s penchant for the nonviolently horrific. And maybe Mc-stonetongue here could be my assistant.
[Titan]“Hey, asshole!”
Just as I’m feeling that narrowing pressure of Attention that heralds a critical mass of aggression and the start of a fight, a spiritual voice like the dust-dry whisper from a crypt’s confines interrupts.

[Lich]”You know the rules.”

That which speaks is a collection of partly-powdered human bones, wrapped with mole fur to fill out a bodysuit made of thin red leather, with a half-open zipper down the chest. I’m vaguely reminded of Eddie Murphey for some inexplicable... wait no, not so inexplicable of a reason! The bodysuit has to be inspired by a certain iconic outfit that the comedian wore for his routine.

The palpable air of readied magic suffusing a quartet of raised fists is dispersed with a frustrated grunt, even as the Titan continues to glare death at me.
[Lich]”An interesting entrance. Were you trying to exploit his affinity for irregular horror?”
I’m actually having trouble being concrete about how much stronger than me that bag of bones is, spiritually speaking.
[Lich]”I wonder if you think this is something that would suffice to attract the good wizard’s favor. A hastily assembled and shoddily executed bout of spiritual guesswork and skullduggery, a piece of unimportant mundane equipment crudely aped as a credible threat. Did you think anyone of substance cared about your plan?”
“Yet here I stand, at the front of the line.” Is what I try to say, but talking proves just a little bit hard to not muffle with a mouth-flap. Thankfully, the bag o’ bones understands my intent just fine.
[Lich]”So you do. The front of a line that had not shifted in two days, and in a manner that allowed me to likewise jump ahead. So in a sense, I should thank you; but that still does not change the fact you will not enter.”
“And what makes you so sure of that?”
Yeah, I’m digging this. I just have to think about what I want to say like I mean to say it- actually, this is exactly what Lyubov does, isn’t it? Except that here, thanks to the low magic environment, it doesn’t require the same massive amount of energy backing it to be easily detectable.

While a pair of what look like Angels (of the many limbed bodies and burning wheels within wheels classic biblical style) approach Big Crazy, the Lich’s skull jitters and clatters in an analogue for laughter. If there were air, I’m sure it would have sounded like a ghastly maraca, but as it is, I only understand it to be laughter by his spiritual signature’s intent.
[Lich]”Because no one gets in until they have satisfied Lunastaroth’s whims, and he requires visitors to wait. So in essence, just by being at the front of the line you have saved yourself no time, and have earned the ire of every other visitor. Not for infiltrating the line, but for slowing its progression with your very presence. And so, I look forward to seeing who it is that decides violence is worth it to remove you from the line, hm-mm-m.”

That’s a dickass bit of commentary from the Soul Skelly, but he seems to know his shit. Yeah, I miiiiight possibly maybe want to replan things, or maybe do something a bit different here. I could end up with a drunken Glurichaun somehow sodomizing my soul or something here. And I’d rather avoid getting lynched by a magical mob on the moon.

Well. Kim Jung Boom’s... idling there, conserving her spiritual existence in the hope of once again being useful to me. I think she’s even got a little fuel left, which is good if I want to have a hope of returning to Earth aboard her. Big Crazy’s busy having a pow-wow with Angels that are currently looking distinctly feminine despite their monstrous forms. A Titan, a pair of Giants, four Leprechauns and a whole mess of other things are glaring death at me in that special way that is proof positive they’re stewing in hate and eventually going to bubble over. My magic’s regenerating at a painfully slow rate, and is still below half-power. While I could abuse Hummingbird’s flock and take what I need from them, I’d still rather not fight. Especially if HB’s going to starkly belittle me for reverse-pirating my own energy back. Even under the best of circumstances, any one entity in line would be an iffy prospect to fight with, and more than three is nearly a guaranteed death sentence. Given more than double that are glaring daggers at me...

Yeah, I need to do something here.

What’s my plan?
-[Bullshit these guys] This had to get the Wizard’s attention, he might change his mind now!
-[Reason with these guys] Violence isn’t the answer on Lunastaroth’s doorstep.
-[Organize these guys] Learn who needs what from Lunastaroth and figure out how to go about getting people who don’t need to see him out of the line.
-[Fuck these guys] Avoid whatever they dish out, use Shadow Pinning to buy time, and wait for Lunastaroth to intervene. Have Hummingbird hold your place in the line.
-[Intimidate these guys] You’re on good terms with gods and a witch saint, sling around a few prayers to show it. Ask how to get your rocket gassed up again.
-[Butter up these guys] They’re just extra cranky from having to wait out in the open. There’s a big rocket stage that’s just sitting empty now. Turn it into a waiting room, fill it with air (you can totally synthesize air with fleshcrafting), and start serving drinks.
-[Disgust these guys] Make your soul look like Labombard’s!
-[These options all suck] I want to do this (write it in).
>>
No. 508570 ID: 933f92

>>508569

>[Bullshit these guys] This had to get the Wizard’s attention, he might change his mind now!
A good lie assumes you know more about the situation than the victim. Whether it's about you cheating on your wife (You know where you went last night, she doesn't) or your progress report as a kid (You know what the grade is, they don't. Yet.) you need more info to gain leverage, or else your bullshitting will make you look like a goddamn idiot.

As the Lich so handily demonstrated, bullshitting will make you look stupid, here.

>[Reason with these guys] Violence isn’t the answer on Lunastaroth’s doorstep.
Possible - but again, this has likely happened BEFORE, and with similar results. Since you don't knowe Luna's policy on violence - and he even LIKES implied violence, this is unlikely. I really doubt it would work at all.

>[Organize these guys] Learn who needs what from Lunastaroth and figure out how to go about getting people who don’t need to see him out of the line.

Yeah, nah. These people are really probably very stubborn. Consider how much effort it took to get here, how hard it is to get back, how long they've been waiting, and, oh, how savvy you have to be to get here. These all combine to making it really hard for someone to admit "Yeah, I'm just here for shitsngiggles".

>[Fuck these guys] Avoid whatever they dish out, use Shadow Pinning to buy time, and wait for Lunastaroth to intervene. Have Hummingbird hold your place in the line.

First of all, We don't have that much ready access to energy up here. We're inhibited, weakened, even if it's not by much. Hell, even the gravity is different here, so moving well might be an issue! Plus, evasion of multiple enemies is tough for even awesome acrobats. This is an easy way to get wrecked.

>[Intimidate these guys] You’re on good terms with gods and a witch saint, sling around a few prayers to show it. Ask how to get your rocket gassed up again.

Ahahahahahah! We're hardly on good terms with Tesla. We're a murderer and a violent fucking eater of men. Our girlfriend HAPPENS to be a devotee to him, one he prizes. That we're the reason she is capable of handling her situation with him is our only chip, really. Maybe hype up our witch saint - who is currently stuck with a witch and can't really help us at this juncture. Finally, we'd be intimidating these people with power that is practically useless here, since the Moon is so distant and owned by a Wizard.
So yeah, nah.

>[Butter up these guys] They’re just extra cranky from having to wait out in the open. There’s a big rocket stage that’s just sitting empty now. Turn it into a waiting room, fill it with air (you can totally synthesize air with fleshcrafting), and start serving drinks.

Actually a great option.
(Also what does air have to do with fleshcrafting? What, do we fart oxygen or something? Eh.)
However, what drinks would we even serve? Especially to the Lich? Does a lich even drink? I'm assuming this is the "Stick your soul in something else so that it doesn't get destroyed when your body does so you can study magic forever" Lich, so... Maybe? Still - Socializing is one of our top-tier things, so go 'one minute' and pull the thing over next to the gate and hop in. Serve drinks, maybe food. Get stories, contacts, and entertainment, while defusing issues with them.

Soulguise "That guy at the bar, you know the one, who is a great listener" sort of deal.

>[Disgust these guys] Make your soul look like Labombard’s!
Ahahahahaha. No. Easy way to get killed, see [Intimidate].
>>
No. 508977 ID: cf49fc

>>508569
I'm willing to go with [butter up], but we need more energy. Is there some way we can acquire energy on the Dark Side of the Moon? Can we build an organic fusion reactor powered by Regolith? Is there a monolith we can plug into? MAN we didn't think this plan through.
>>
No. 509026 ID: 464550

>>508570
Got to agree. Buttering up is likely our best bet. Our social combat is pretty good and as is, we ARE the newbie. Better to offer some basic things to help brighten the mood than let them stew for too long. Besides, this sort of thing may intrigue the wizard. We came here on a rocket/missile, crashed, trolled, and all of a sudden are serving up drinks and being chummy.
>>
No. 509079 ID: 1f5548

[Butter up these guys] They’re just extra cranky from having to wait out in the open. There’s a big rocket stage that’s just sitting empty now. Turn it into a waiting room, fill it with air (you can totally synthesize air with fleshcrafting), and start serving drinks.
>>
No. 509190 ID: 82785d

Just throwing this out there: How big is the rocket and how big are the creatures? How many are there? Might not be that good of an idea if a large portion can't even enter.

Also way to continue acting dumb, Armas. This whole energy crisis could have been averted by building some big souls to stuff into allview that you can reabsorb here. Or building, or buying magic batteries. If those would be too big we could have stored them back on earth and send the energy up via HB like he does with his stored energy.
>>
No. 509227 ID: 888df6

>[Butter up these guys] They’re just extra cranky from having to wait out in the open. There’s a big rocket stage that’s just sitting empty now. Turn it into a waiting room, fill it with air (you can totally synthesize air with fleshcrafting), and start serving drinks.
Because I think it's funny. And there's no reason we can't [Organize] while we play barman. Any of the other social approaches would work with this, really, if we wanted them to.

I also want to try summoning Bonzi to the moon so we can store Kim Jung Boom who is totally an object. Probably wont work, but we're hardly harmed by trying. At worst we'd look a bit silly and... well, nobody up here right now is inclined to respect Armas anyway, I think it is worth the risk.

>>509190
That would have only slightly mitigated the problem, surely not enough to actually seriously impact our actions up here. In soul guising Kim we spent our natural energy reserve several times over. It is clear that any relevant expenditure of energy is going to eclipse what we would have been able to bring with us, and sending it through HB runs into efficiency issues or we wouldn't be experiencing energy drain in the first place. Logically, we should forego any significantly energy intensive plan so far as is possible and it would remain true regardless of whether or not we had brought more energy with us to work with. It isn't like fighting them would have become an option with more energy. Even if it had, we have the letter to not get destroyed and couldn't risk battle even if at peak self-restorative form.
>>
No. 509237 ID: 760fe0

>>509227
>we should forego any significantly energy intensive plan so far as is possible
>Turn Rocket into waiting room

Those are mutually exclusive. So far Armas has not seriously tried to conserve energy. Yes, he flesh-crafted himself to use less energy by merely existing, but that was only after having that idea figuratively thrown into his face by BC doing it. Doing that before entering the moon proper would have been way better.


>It is clear that any relevant expenditure of energy is going to eclipse what we would have been able to bring with us, and sending it through HB runs into efficiency issues or we wouldn't be experiencing energy drain in the first place.

So instead of storing up our practically unlimited energy and sending it through HB, or even buying and extraordinary large pile of magical meat for HB to absorb on earth and send us the energy (which we could still do btw) we instead just ignore the energy problem and take the energy that HB had stored himself?

If our energy expenditure really were to eclipse any energy we could have stored beforehand (and we are talking about thousands of points here) then we are fucked anyway. Really I don't see your point here. You are saying "We will need even more energy then we can save up. Therefore we won't store any energy at all." Doing nothing is not solving the problem but relying on others to solve our problems for us (as HB did here). HB did the very thing Armas should have done and saved our ass that way. How can you say that iv Armas had done that intentionally it would not have worked?

>summoning Bonzi
Worth a try at least. Seconding.



Regarding the update:
>[Organize these guys]
>[Butter up these guys]
Both of these are good and can be combined. I'm really interested in why those guys are here, if there are so many more easily accessible wizards on earth. Either Lunastaroth is really special even for a wizard and you can't get the same service from other wizards or he is cheaper. Maybe he doesn't even want ordinary payment and considers the entertainment value of standing in line enough to offer his services. Both would be interesting to know, the first because it might help us deal with him and the second because we could ask for a wizardly boon ourself once we get to him.
>>
No. 509271 ID: 464550

>>509239
Woah there, going to have to SUST the whole making a run back to Earth. First off, a lot of those things take time. Days just getting in contact with some of those people. We REALLY do not want to delay this any more than we have to and leaving as soon as we popped up is BOUND to piss off people more. Giving them time to stew would be even WORSE. No, we stay on the moon and we work with what we get for now. Really though, we can likely pull through just with what we have plus maybe some pot luck skills. Have them pay for the drinks with food and then use the food to get more food.

Besides, he might like fighting, but that still runs great risks. Why not draw his attention by simply having a party on the moon? But as is, don't push ourselves too much. We are the newbie, our first impression was bad, and being too eager will probably mess us up BIG.
>>
No. 511255 ID: 9ec929

>>508569
I'm voting for a combination of [Butter up] and [Organise].
>>
No. 511426 ID: 62ad09

Stupid ideas to get things happening:

Summon Bonzi and invoke his item storage deal to get to KJB without having to leave the line.
Summon Grigori for drunk Wizard shenanigans.
Summon Dorjpalam for trying to get a shenanigan-less Wizard drunk.
Summon Oggmum for no reason at all.
Summon Hyougo because now you're just trying to collect them all.
Summon Abloec because all of those other ones failed and he's the only one you know you can actually summon.
Use as much energy as you like, and tell Hummingbird that if he's got a problem with having to put his plans on hold to provide you with energy, then he can damn well regenerate his own magic and stop mooching off of you. It's time to get him in line.
Ask Iron Trick whether it'd be possible to Darkening the moon. Threaten Lunastaroth with removing the moon from existence.
Ask Iron Trick whether Rabbit would like to speak through him to Lunastaroth, assuming you get in there.
Mix drinks for everyone and surreptitiously try to put your blood in it to make people (if they're human) cannibals.
>>
No. 511428 ID: 47a120

>>511426
SUST
>>
No. 511430 ID: 888df6

Stealing an idea from someone else but who cares:
Form a HB body inside of our body and give it a soul guise of "small and insignificant object not worth noticing". Conceal this process with appropriate use of our own soul guise. Then we shrug at the lich and leprechaun footwork away while extruding the hummingbird to keep our spot in the line for us while we go hide slash escape anyone angry enough to try to squash us.
>>
No. 511863 ID: 08c00b

I'm for the calm an "peaceful" route so up-vote for the swag talker deal first. But in the good chance of shit hitting the fan lets first get some preliminary info first.

1. Ask lich guy what the rules are up here as we don't know them and stuff like holding a place in line for someone might not be allowed.

2. Act in accordance with said rules. Then find loop holes to exploit.

3. Call Amen, see if we get signal

4. Call GF, see if she get signal.

5. Play dark side of the moon album the hole time.
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