>>27467672
<Yeah, let's head back. Take it slow though, wedon't want to get ambushed.>

>>27467672

we already looted everything in the last trip here so we should probably just head back, those new Remnants make it to risky.

>>27467672
We already searched this district. Let's go back to Tarda and ask what the fuck was up with that giant time dragon.

<Yeah, let's head back.> You say. <We already searched this district, and that new remnant make things too risky to stay.>
<I agree.> Mal responds, stretching and rubbing his hands together. <Though from what you told me before, that remnant was hunting you specifically.>
The two of you pack up your makeshift camp, put out the fire, and load Steve up with all of the packs he carries.
<Let's take it slow, though. We don't want to get ambushed.>
Mal nods.

The two of you- three, with Steve- make your way down the tower, and head onward, walking through the streets. The two of you eat some more of Mal's spongy rations as you walk through the streets, careful to keep a close eye on your surroundings. You do see sparse remnants hiding in the streets, but they're the small, mutated kind- too wary to attack you in such small numbers. They keep back, and stop following you when you leave the city.

It takes you a few hours to walk, as the sun finally comes over the horizon. You and Mal walk, joking with one another and making sure you aren't being followed- when a sudden loud crunch catches your attention. You're less than an hour from reaching the village, and there seems to be something or someone fighting in the trees.
The roar of a jackolope makes you even more worried. You meet eyes with Mal, and the two of you shrink down into the brush, skidding carefully closer.

>Continued!

>>27467926
Marcus stands in a clearing, a wickedly curved dagger in his hand. He's holding it upside-down, and a thin silver cable is attached to the weapon's hilt. Several feet of cable coils outward, and at the other end is a thick, heavy weight. He spins it quickly, over his head. A bloodied, beaten Jackolope roars again, most of its antlers cracked and broken. It limps forward, the enormous beast's fury still stronger than its pain... but Marcus's expression doesn't change.

He twists his arms, and the cable SLAMS the heavy weight down onto the jabberwocky in front of him, smashing through the rest of the creature's antlers and cracking its skull. The creature is dazed, confused- and the boy leaps into action. He sprints forward, taking both ends of the cable in hand, and sends himself flying past the creature's head, skipping up its shoulder. He finds himself standing on it's back- and the cable looped around the monster's head. With a twist and a tug, he starts strangling it. The Jackolope struggles, trying to push itself to its paws... But collapses and goes still.

You've just watched a boy half your size fight a monster with nothing but a single weapon.

>>27467926
>>27467935
>DAMNIT, I lost my trip for the first time this entire quest! These posts are me.

>>27467935
<That was cool. Let's head back.>

Okay, plan time. We should go to Cromwell and see if we can make a fake book that looks the same, then, give the fake to Tarda and see if she lets anything slip.

>>27467935

yeah we don't want to fight Marcus if we can help it.

that might have been the parent Jackalope, now there will be no one to care for the babies.

we should check out the den, also we need to ask the secrecy of his mission but with the book in out possession let's not do that now.

<That was cool.> You say, in a low tone.
Mal nods. <That was impressive.> He says.
<Let's head back.> You say. <But we should check on that den first.>
<You're thinking that could have been the mother?>
You nod.
<Possibly.> You respond, as the two of you make your way back to the road.

You get to the den- and you can see flashes of something snarling in the den, white fur and anger whirling around. A few moments later, something dog-sized comes rolling out, covered in white fur. Six nubs of horns are sticking out of its head, and it's scratched and bleeding. It snarls, glaring back into the den, but four smaller jackolope heads peer back out, snarling and roaring at it.

You don't see a proper adult creature anywhere... But the cubs do look angry.

<I don't see anything.> Mal says. <But it looks like these things are getting to be old enough to care for themselves.> Then he tilts his head. <Might be smart to put them down, anyway, so that they don't bother the farmers later.>

>>27468104

approach the den with caution, hand on our spear.

>>27468104
>all this delaying
<They sure do grow up fast.>
Maybe we should just do an Earth rune to cover the entrance to the den.

<They sure do grow up fast.> You say.
You and Mal creep closer. You take your spear in hand, and gently creep closer to the den entrance. Nothing comes out roaring, at you, and the pups in the cave that notice you squeak in fear, their heads disappearing. The pup standing outside, the larger one, turns around to face you. It growls, huffing and lowering its head- as if preparing to charge with the nubs of horns it has. It paws at the ground.

<The squeaking isn't calling their mom.> Mal says, looking around. He raises his musket. <This one's probably female, since it's bigger.>
It seems the man knows a lot about animals- being galdian, where creatures of all kinds rampaged the land.

The female pup's snarl grows louder. You do have a bit of meat in your bag, if you're willing to try to tame the thing, but Mal seems to think it'll be a better idea to kill all of them- as the adult jackolopes would cause more problems in the long run.

>[] Try to tame a pup [Female, male?]
>[] Leave them be.
>[] Kill 'em all!
>[] Try to trap them in the den with Earth, like >>27468169 suggested.
>[] Other?

>>27468272
>[] Try to tame a pup [Female, male?]
lets be the ranger hopfully

>>27468272
>[x] Kill 'em all!
Always the best option. Except when it's not.

>>27468272
Tame it.

I want to ride a Jackalope into battle.

>>27468272
[x] Kill female pup. Steamsling it.

>>27468272

>[] Try to tame a pup [Female]

The female might be harder to tame but it might look at us differently if we give it food.

we should off the rest though, they'll become dangerous on their own.

Gently, you push down on Mal's musket.
<I'm going to try to tame one.> You say. <Then we can off the rest.>
Mal nods. <Be careful.>
<I will.> You say. You step foward, and kneel down, spear where you can quickly grab it if you need to. You reach into your bag, and pull out some meat. You unwrap it, and throw it out next to the jackolope female. The cub bats at it- and then snarls, pouncing on it. It quickly tears the meat apart. You throw another chunk, this one closer to you...

>Roll Taming! Unskilled, Difficult Difficulty!

>>27468272
[x] kill all of them except for one of the baby ones

Rolled 38

>>27468393
For Jackalope Mounts!

Rolled 68

>>27468393

tame! or not.

Rolled 19

>>27468393

Rolled 8

>>27468393

rolling again for maybe a 100.

Rolled 8

>>27468393

last try!

>Since this is the first 'Unskilled' roll you guys have made, I should explain how they work. Instead of taking the average of best two rolls like with 'mediocre skill', I take the median- in this case, the 38.
>DC: 55. Failure!

Piece by piece, you whittle away at your meat, luring the female jackolope closer and closer. Its fuzzy white cottonball of a tail wiggles as it walks closer to you. It's stopped snarling entirely, its claws sheathing and unsheathing as it gives you a Look- begging for more food. You hold out a hand-

And, pleased, at more meat, it sinks its teeth in, legs springing up so that it can pounce at you. It snarls again as you pull your hand back, and claws at you.

The sudden crack of gunfire knocks the jackolope cub off of you, and it collapses next to you, bleeding. Mal swiftly reloads.
<Don't try to feed it your hand.> He says. You wrap your hand, hissing at the pain- it's bitten pretty badly, though it shouldn't hinder you in a fight. <It'll think of you as food. Do you want to try one of the others in there?>
He looks down to the dead cub next to you. <It's not like we aren't gaining food out of this, anyway.>

>[] Try again on one of the other cubs! [You'll need to roll again]
>[] No, no, it's fine. Let's get rid of the rest, and skin these.

Rolled 4

>>27468538
<Well, the males aren't as aggressive. I think>

Try again!

>>27468538
Just kill them all. Throw them against the wall as hard as possible or some other hilarious method.

Rolled 32

>>27468538
AGAIN! We still have another hand!

Rolled 93

>>27468538
>Try again on one of the other cubs! [You'll need to roll again]

>>27468595

quick and painless, we're not a scumbag.

>>27468538
Let's just not bother with trying again. We know nothing about taming, we are starting with something that gets really dangerous when it is full grown and we already got hurt once.

>>27468538
>>[] No, no, it's fine. Let's get rid of the rest, and skin these.
Who's fucking dumb plan was this anyway?

>>27468538
kill 'em, we dont even need them tamed anyway, just a waste of food and time

>>27468538
Tame again please!

>>27468538
Jackalope Mounts ftw.

Tame.

>>27467672
>enormous breasts following in her wake.
What?

<Well, the males aren't as aggressive, I think.> You say. You crouch closer, wrapping your hand more tightly- the bite isn't deep, but you don't want the smell of your blood to make the creatures think you're food.
<They aren't. It might make things easier.> Mal says. <Might. Probably not.>
<You know much about taming?> You ask.
<I know the basics, but I'm pretty mediocre.> Mal says. <Jackolopes are pretty infamous for being difficult to train, though.>

You reach out for one of the cubs- and they snarl, bolting toward you and hungry for blood. You stumble back, and Mal raises his musket. as the jackolope cubs amble toward you.
With a sigh, you raise your own steamsling, and start to fire.

Eventually, you have a small pile of jackolope cubs, you and Mal both with knives. Your hand is okay by this point, though the bandage is getting in the way. Both of you skin and butcher the jackolopes as best you can- their skin is incredibly soft, though- you're surprised jackolope furs aren't more popular.

And then you remember the wreath of bone and intense fury of a proper adult jackolope... and you're not as surprised anymore.
While you work, eventually Marcus walks across the road- and turns to you two.
"Hello." He says, with a wave. "Hunting little ones? I came across a large one back in the forest. I see what you mean when you say this is a dangerous land."

>>27468829
>Forgot to give you guys the DC message.
>DC: 50. Failure!

>>27468829
"Yeah we almost got iced by a smoke remnant. Nasty stuff.>

>>27468829

"Yeah, these cubs would have grown in to real terrors eventually."

"If i may ask, how much secrecy are you bound to regarding your mission?"

>>27468829
Finally.

Tarda time?

>>27468829
Grab the fur. We can make some pretty bitching clothes.

>>27468904
This. Or at least sell them for a little extra pocket money.

"Yeah, these cubs would have grown into real terrors eventually." You say, continuing to carve. You're going to have some *really* soft underclothes after this. Mal's better at grabbing the furs than you, so you focus on butchering the things. "If I may ask, how much secrecy are you bound to regarding your mission?"
"Not much, sir. I'm to prevent any witches or the first or second hands learning anything about my mission." He says. "I'm encouraged to get whatever help I can, though, even if I have to give away a copy of my findings. A certain mercenary group was mentioned to me. Word is that they have an agent somewhere in kystara with a similar mission."

>>27468983

"nice to meet you, let's try and get along."

>>27468983
"What a coincidence! You're looking at him."

>>27468983
"Mercenary group? Wouldn't happen to be headed up by a man who goes by E.E. would it?"

>>27468983
"Mercenaries eh? Seem to be all the rage these days."

"What a coincidence!" You say. "You're looking at him."
Marcus pauses- and then nods. "I hope we can work together." He says. You notice that the cable wrapped around his waist is stained in blood.

You and Mal finish up, all four of you carrying jackolope meat and furs, and you make your way back into the village. When you bring the meat to Miriam, she smiles widely and thanks the three of you for them, glad for extra meat.
"There's never quite enough." She says, pleased with them. "Young jackolopes have notoriously good fur, though. You should be able to make quite a bit of money with them."

After dropping the skins in your wagon alongside the rest of your and Mal's treasures, you sit down and think. You have Tarda's book, but it's closed and locked- and you don't know what's inside. Or even how to open it- the keyhole is strange. You could take it to Cromwell, or even try and make a duplicate somehow. And what should be done with Marcus...

>What SHOULD be done with Marcus? Do you want to tell him, hide it, or lie to him about what's going on?
>What should be done with the book? Do you want to go to cromwell to try to read it, make a duplicate, or simply take it down to Tarda?

>>27469188
I don't see any reason to tell Marcus about shit yet.
I want to talk to Tarda some more before deciding whether to give her the book.

>>27469188
How about we carefully ask Marcus how much does he know and then decide what to do with him?

>>27469188
Personally, I want to make a duplicate of the book, give it to Tarda, and watch her initial reaction. We can just pass it off as a joke/test.

I don't really want to do anything with Marcus.

"Well, it seems I'm going to be a bit busy with things." You tell Marcus. He nods. Mal goes back to the furs, and continues preparing them.
"I'll be scouting." He says. "There are some ruins to the south with what looks like unnatural beings. They don't look like remnants were described to me either, so I'm going to go check that out."
"Take care." You say. He nods, and makes his way out of the village. You wait until he's out of eyeshot and make your way up to Cromwell's tower.
You knock on the door, and he opens it instantly.
"You think we could make a fake duplicate of this book?" You ask, holding it up.
Cromwell looks at the book. "It should be fairly easy." He says. "It's just made of leather, loose paper, and an unusual clasp." He says. "What's going on?"

>>27469188

don't tell Marcus about the book or Tarda, from what I understand about Tarda's magic she can only cast spells under very strict circumstances, I'm not against just giving her the book.

we could however make a look alike and present her that or at least ask her about the other guy with the flying remnants.

>>27469412

"long story short, a lady trapped in one of those portals asked us to get it, she seems nice enough but someone else warned me about her, so I want to see how she reacts to it before actually deciding whether or not to give the real thing to her."

>>27469412
"This is top secret, okay, but there's a wizard in a portal under the temple. She wanted me to get this book for her, but she might be the evil wizard who killed everyone. Seems nice enough so far, but I want to give her a duplicate fake to test her reaction."

"This is top secret, okay?"
"I'm sworn to silence." Cromwell says, and a small smirk appears on his face.
"There's a wizard in a portal under the temple. She wanted me to get this book for her, but someone else said that she might be the evil wizard who killed everyone." You say. "Seems nice enough so far, but I want to give her a duplicate fake to test her reaction."
"Reasonable enough." He says. He smiles. "I'll help. It's not every day I get to fool a wizard. But I'll need your help. Start binding these pages-" He brandishes a hand covered in scrawled notes. "-together, until it's about as thick as the book. I'll go commission Dalton to do a rush job."

Cromwell darts out of the tower, grinning widely, as he storms down to Dalton's smithy.
You turn to the notes, and start to pile them on eachother, binding them together with some thread.

Some time later, the sun is high in the sky, sometime past noon. Cromwell's done faking the cover, and using tea to stain it with age, before he hammers the clasp on. "It looks right." He says. "And since they're mostly my notes, it smells right."

"But the best part is that, from what you say, she's been in the portal for years upon years." He says. "Any changes between the book and what she remembers could be attributed to age."
You take both books in hand- and weigh them. They're about the same weight, too. Cromwell's better than this than you thought.
"My sister's nobility." He says, as if reading your mind. "I've learned forgery. It comes in handy."

>>27469566

"Thanks Cromwell, if i don't make it back I just want you to know that you are alright."

well, moment of truth?

>>27469566
"This is perfect. Is there somewhere safe we can store the original for a bit?"

>>27469566
It's go time.

Let's head to the temple, stash it somewhere safe inside, then head into the portal.

>>27469644
By 'it', I mean the original book.

"This is perfect." You say. "Thanks, Cromwell. If I don't make it back, I just want you to know that you're alright."
"Of course." He says. "But you'll make it back. You're a survivor."
You give him a nod, a smile, and make your way out of the tower, both books in hand. You make your way down and into the temple. For a moment, you think about asking Mal to join you, but that'd put him at risk for no real reason. You continue on alone, save for Steve.

Inside the catacombs, you stash the true book under a small pile of bricks, not far from the main chamber... And, with the book in the crook of your arm, you press your gauntlet against the portal.

It blazes into violet, swirling light, and your spine tingles with power.
You step inside.

You find yourself on a dais in the middle of an enormous room, dimly lit, red torches covering the walls. Someone is playing simple music somewhere, and the rest of the room is covered in pillows. It almost reminds you of a galdian chieftan's harem. When you were young, you remember pretending to be a concubine...
"You're here!" Tarda says, sitting up. She'd been lying in the pillows, wearing as little lace as possible, a transparent silken shawl over her shoulders. The remnant keeps playing the drums, somewhere in the back of the room.

Tarda beams up at you. "What's up?" She asks. "Did you find the book?"

>>27469768
"It was a trouble, failure came after us, and there was the helldome of infinite screaming I stuck my hand in, and a dozen or so traps, but yes, I got the book."

>>27469768

hold the book in plain sight.

"So many traps."

>>27469768
"You should mention the dangerous things in future when you need us to get things, like that dome with that dragon thing in it. That was pretty painful, my ears are still ringing."

"So many traps." You say. "It was trouble. Failure came after us, and there was a helldome of infinite screaming I stuck my hand in, and a dozen or so traps, but yes, I got the book."

You hold up the fake duplicate.
"Yes!" She says.
Tarda's eyes widen, and she gives you the most brilliant smile you've ever seen. The small woman essentially pounces on you, hanging on you as some attempt of a hug.
She starts giggling. "Thank you! Thank you thank you!"

Then, quite suddenly, she pauses.
"... Helldome of infinite screaming..."

She steps back and looks up at you.
"... You *touched* it?" She asks, eyes widening. Her tone starts changing- to something more serious- a scholarly tone, or something similar. "Are you okay? How's your head? Have you had any visions or nightmares? Did it come through? Which hand did you touch it with? Does your hand hurt? Has it changed in appearance since you've touched it?"

>>27469940
"Everything's pretty much fine. Head is fine, standard dreams, no change. Why do you ask?"

"Ah, but, now that you're free, what's the first thing you're going to do?"

>>27469940

"no pain, my head is fine, saw a dragon inside, one unlike I have ever seen before didn't touch it, just the book, the entire room was completely clean, the inside of the dome was really dusty. I'm getting sort of worried, please tell me what is going on."

>>27470015
"Everything's pretty much fine. Head is fine, standard dreams, no change. Why do you ask?"

Hold up the hand for inspection.

...wait, DID we touch the dome? I don't remember.

>>27470146
Yeah we tapped it.

Also, seems like we should go grab the book now that she didn't turn all evil.

>>27470168
Let's hold off on that.

"Everything's pretty much fine." You say, and hold up your hand. "Head is fine. Saw a dragon inside. Standard dreams, no change, no pain. Why do you ask?"
"Because most people who touch it go blatheringly insane." She says, without hesitation. She examines your hand. "Lost in their own memories. Or someone else's memories. But you seem to know who and where you are. Strange... Why is it bandaged?"
"Jabberwocky attack." You say, and shrug. "Ah, but, now that you're free, what's the first thing you're going to do?"
"I'm not free yet." She says. "I need to figure out how to get free."
She holds out her hand to take the book. "And the first thing I'm going to do is explain the runic project to you. That was part of our deal, right?" She asks.
You hand her the book.
"Alright!" She says. The pillows around her melt away into sand, and she writes something in the dirt behind her- a kystaran symbol for 'blade'. She curls up her hand, and a small sphere of energy appears in her palm.

Your spine blazes with power. She's just casually casting something powerful... And then the sphere turns into a small, simple dagger of glass.
"Be careful, this can cut you really easily." She says, and slices off the clasp.
Then she pulls open the book... And starts reading Cromwell's notes on runes. Very intently.
And then she visibly pales.
"... Someone else has been in the runic project." She says, and starts to shake. "This is bad. This is really bad. Kaedri's been stealing my research."

>>27470178
Yeah, alright.

It might be my paranoia speaking, but I have a sneaking suspicion we'll head back to grab the book, and we'll see one of those remnants controlled by the other wizard flying off with it, though.

>>27470194

"Who is Kaedri?"

>>27470194
"Ah, well okay. I'd best explain this, then. I just wanted to make sure I could fully trust you, so we made a fake duplicate of the book. In my experience it's always best to verify things, you know? I'll go get the real one."

>>27470248
Not yet!

>>27470223
This is a decent question.

>>27470248
No not yet!

"Who is Kaederi?" You ask.
"He's the wizard who created the domain project, based on the anomaly in that basement." She says. "He made that gauntlet you're wearing. These were supposed to be his notes, and give me a hint on how to modify his spell..."

She looks down at the book again, and starts flipping pages.
"But it's full of research on the runic project. But he's doing it all backwards, though. Working on the logic before the magic." She says. "It's like he's ignoring everything about wizardry itself. Which is the*key* to it, but how would he know that...?"

>>27470294
"Wait, how do you know those are his notes?"

>in b4 Cromwell is dead an Kaedri has been masquerading as him

>>27470294

>is now a good time?
>if it is,

"I have to admit to something, I actually have the original, but I wasn't sure about giving it to you."

>>27470351
Let's try to milk her for more info.

>Captcha: Hung Mammaries

No Captcha, not that milking.

"Wait, how do you know these are his notes?" You ask.
"Because that 'helldome', as you called it, is his research laboratory." She says. "That's where his notes are. And it looks just like he does. But it's like he coded it or something. Most of it's in lelan, for some reason, which is making it a hassle to understand. There's *nothing* about the domain project anywhere in here, though."

A moment later... She drops the book and the dagger. They collapse to the dirt, the glass dagger point-down, and then she essentially collapses into the sand, staring down at it.
"Nothing I can use to get out." She says, staring down at the book. "Thank you for bringing this to me."
She hugs her knees, and bites her lip.

"A deal's a deal." She says.

She's trying not to cry.
"Ask what you want about the Runic Project."

>>27470294
"Is he a wizard? Kystaran? Why wouldn't he come to free you?"

>>27470420
"Look, I have to confess. That wasn't the real book. The real book is stashed right outside the portal. I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to go all... 'Yess, ultimate power is mine!' and stab me in the back of anything."

>>27470420
>by 'And it looks just like he does.' I mean
>And it looks just like his notes did.

>>27470420
Go over and hug her.

"Wait, don't cry. Is this Kaedri a wizard? Maybe the notes on the domain project are elsewhere?"

>>27470194
>Jabberwocky attack
His claws went snicker-snack!

>>27470420

confess to forgery, feel horrible about doing it.

"I'm really sorry, I'll be back in a moment."

>>27470478
>Jabberwocky is *totally* just another name for jackolopes, both interchangable. It's not that I keep accidentally confusing the two, nuh uh.

"Wait, don't cry." You say.
"I wasn't going to cry." She responds. "Well... maybe a little. Maybe his notes are somewhere else."
"Look, I... I have to confess." You say.
She looks up at you. Her brilliant red eyes, almost glowing due to the tears welling up, meet yours.
"That wasn't the real book." You say. "The real book is stashed just outside the portal. I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to go all... 'yes, ultimate power is mine' and stab me in the back or anything."
"I'd wait until I was outside of the portal before I'd do that." She says. She picks up the fake, and holds it out to you. "But you're helping me. Why would I hurt you?"
You struggle to fight down the guilt welling up inside. You take the book.
"... I'm really sorry." You say. "I'll be back in a moment."
"Okay." She says. "Hurry back."

You make your way outside the portal again- and hear a smash outside. You rush to where the book was- and the pile of bricks, where the book hides underneath, are entirely untouched.
But just around the corner, you hear another smash.

You look- and Steve is locked in mortal combat with another remnant. This thing is slim, powerful- perfectly angular, its skin shiny and pointed. It's like a humanoid rhino, complete with a horn. It has powerful digitigrade legs, and as you watch, its hands interlock with eachother, creating a strange lance out of them.
It charges Steve again. Your remnant rolls out of the way, wings spread. The remnant barrels past Steve and slams against the wall again. While it's stuck, trying to pull its arms out of the wall, Steve stabs at its back with his tail. The charger remnant pries itself out of the wall, and turns around. On the front, its exoskeleton is so strong that Steve's stabs are doing nothing to it.
Then, with a huff, it turns to you.

>Plans?

>>27470643
Run back into the portal. Let the golems take care of it.

>>27470643
Jesus christ, grab the book, dodge, and get back into the portal. Lure the knight remnants toward it.

>>27470643

grab that book and throw it in to the portal, turn around and battle the Remnant together with Steve and hopefully the Guards.

You skid around the portal again, and kick aside the bricks. You pick up the proper notes, and make your way toward the portal again. You hear something charge at you- and leap to the side on instinct. The remnant barrels past you, down the hall. You dart back toward the portal. The charger remnant howls, and you hear it grind as it stomps around the corner.

Two of the knights in the chamber stand under the archway, blocking the way in. You put your gauntlet up to the portal. It blazes into light once again, opening...

and then you hear the sound of rending metal. One of the knights collapse back, the charger remnant's hands in its chest. It twists its hands, tearing it out of the knight's chest, and parries the second's sword slash.

Its head turns to you- and its eyes lock on the notes.

You dive into the portal.

You land on the sand- it's a desert again, with nothing in it except for a handful of useless remnants. Tarda looks up at you.
"Do you have it?" She asks.

You hold up the book. She smiles.
That's when, behind you, you hear something similar to thunder.

The charger remnant bursts into the portal.
"That's not yours, is it?" Tarda asks.
You shake your head.
"I'll get rid of it, then." She says. "Keep it busy."
With a smile, she starts to write something in the sand with her heel.

The charger remnant barrels at you, its hands locked into lance form.

>Roll dodge! Mediocre skill, Easy difficulty!

Rolled 13

>>27470806
Thanks, Tarda.

Rolled 8

>>27470806

shit.

Rolled 6

>>27470831
>>27470822
Fuck

Rolled 77

>>27470806
Dodgeroo.

Rolled 64

>>27470806

this isn't funny dice.

>>27470860
It actually kind of is.

>>27470860
We have to get hurt at least once per thread.

>>27470860
>>this isn't funny dice
>What do you mean? This is hilarious! To me!

>DC: 35. Failure!

"Get in his way, minions." Tarda says, still scrawling with her heel.

The enemy remnant charges. It roars, barreling toward you. Tarda's remnants leap into the way, one by one, but the rhino doesn't seem to care, knocking them away as it charges toward you.

You leap out of the way. The remnant veers past you, and turns around on the spot, it's hooves grinding against the sand and kicking up a large cloud of dust, sand in the air. You take a deep breath- and cough, blinded by the sand. The strange Domainsand and the stale air is making it hard to breathe.. or even see.

You don't notice a shadow tearing out of the cloud in time. It SLAMS into you.

In slow motion, you fly back and up. Something quite clearly pierces through your chest, and out of your spine. You promptly lose all sensation in your legs. The remnant, all four red eyes glaring at you, seems to laugh. You fall back, your held notes in hand, and collapse to the ground.

You gurgle as it tears one of its hands out of you, and reaches for the book-
When a flash of light slams into the beast. And then a second, and a third. And then a fourth, and a fifth, and a dozen, two dozen, eight dozen...

An uncountable number of spheres of light start tearing through the remnant, tearing their way out of the sky- like stars. Eventually, it's pinned down, barely able to block most of the attacks.

Tarda kneels down to you.
"Hold on." She says- she's panicking. "Hold on. Breathe. Breathe!"

>Critical Existence failure check! Skilled. Difficulty- Easy.

Rolled 26

>>27470969
Nat 1 time.

Rolled 77

>>27470969
You know we're going to fail this as well?

Rolled 70

>>27470969

this is exactly why it isn't funny!

Rolled 97

>>27470969
>We're skilled at existence failure checks.
How often has this happened before?

>>27470997
A lot. That's why we have so many bitching scars.

Rolled 90

>>27470969
Well since the dice gods are in our favour tonight I might fuck up as well

>>27470997
>Everyone is skilled at these checks. It's about not-dying, and everyone not-dies every day.

>DC: 40. Success!

You breathe. You take a deep, shuddering breath.

You don't feel your heartbeat.
"Oh, gods." Tarda says.
She snatches up the dagger from before, and pins down one of her nearby minion remnants.
"Stay alive." She says, and starts stabbing at the remnant's chest.

Everything grows dim, and you hear Tarda say your name.
You're not sure how she knew your name.

===

You wake up to a pounding in your chest, and take a deep, deep breath.

Carefully, you open your eyes...
And something terrible stares down at you.
Terrible as in pathetic.

A dragon.

Bruno squarks loudly, and Miriam rushes into the room.
"You're awake." She says, eyes wide. You cough. "You're awake! What's my name?"
"Miriam." You say- your mouth is dry. She smiles. "And what's his name?"
"Bruno."
"... No, it's Gareth." She says, worried. You shake your head.
"It's Bruno." You say.
Your chest hurts- like it's pounding too hard in your body.
"If you say so." Miriam says, finally. "There was a chance you wouldn't wake up."

>>27471104

"Tarda? what happened, where is she?"

>>27471104
"Oh. So, uh, what happened?"

>>27471104
>everyone not-dies every day
You know, I'm pretty sure some people do die.

Rolled 95

>>27471175
Probably a lot of people. come to think of it. Maybe we should roll ever morning to not be one of them.

>>27471104
"Last thing I remember is getting gored by a rhino remnant out of nowhere. Pretty sure my heart stopped beating for a bit. I'm not paralyzed am I?"

[upon response that we're not paralyzed]

"Good, that would mean I couldn't get back up and work anymore."

"Oh." You say. "What happened? Where is she?"
"Who?" Miriam asks.
"Tarda." You say.
She gives you an uncomprehending look.
"So, uh, what happened?" You ask, finally.
"A large remnant dragged you here." Miriam says. "You were bleeding, and badly hurt, but..."

She reaches down and unwraps your chest. You look down at it, and there's a huge hole there, where you have no skin, no bone... But instead the black rubbery remnant-stuff that the creatures are made of. You touch it softly- and feel your fingers pressing at your chest.
"That replaced the wounds on your back, too." Miriam says. "I don't know what it is, but it just... grew there. While I was working on you. You lost so much blood I didn't think you would wake up. It goes all the way through you."
"I'm not paralyzed, am I?" You ask.
She touches your leg. "Can you feel that?"
You nod.
"Then you might be fine. Try lifting your leg."
You lift it. It feels fine. Almost better than normal, even.
"Good." You say, and relax. "That would mean I couldn't get back up and work anymore."
Miriam frowns at you. "Maybe you would have been better off paralyzed, then." She says.

>>27471247
"Maybe. A remnant that looked like a rhino came out of pretty much nowhere and put its horn through me. Tarda would be the one that used another remnant to patch me up."

>>27471247
"If I was paralysed I wouldn't be able to run away from things."

>>27471247
"Yeah, but then I would have had to retire from all the fun and games."

>>27471247

"I'm sorry, you keep taking care of me, while I go out and almost get myself killed in a staggering number of ways. if there is anything I can help you with, just ask."

"The person who that guard belonged to probably saved my life by putting this stuff here." poke at the Remnant rubber.

"If I was paralyzed, I wouldn't be able to run away from things."
"Now that's a better way to look at it." She says, approvingly.
"Maybe." You say. "A remnant that looked like a rhino came out of pretty much nowhere and put its horn through me." You say. "Tarda would be the one that used another remnant to patch me up."
"That... makes sense, I suppose." Miriam says. Based on her expression, it makes no sense at all. "Are you hungry? We have some jackolope meat for you. It's really late, but it's still good."
You nod.
"Okay. It should be fine if you sit up, but rest for now, okay?" She asks. You push yourself to a sitting position, leaning back on the pile of pillows behind you, and absentmindedly scratch Bruno's head. Eventually, Miriam returns with soup, and pushes it into your hand.
"I'm sorry, you keep taking care of me." You say. "While I go out and almost get myself killed in a staggering number of ways. If there is anything I can help you with, just ask."
"No, it's okay." She says, quietly. "You helped me clean yesterday, and the night you arrived, you protected me from those remnants. This morning, you took care of a jackolope den so that they won't bother us when they grow up. You've done plenty to help."

>>27471408
"Really, you're too kind."

Hug her, if we can manage.

>>27471408
"I could try to get you out of E.E.'s employ."

>>27471408

"Well, I'm not done yet. How long was I out?"

>>27471435
yay hugs

"Really, you're too kind." You say, and give her as much a hug as you can manage without spilling your soup. "How long was I out?"
"Half a day." She says. "By all rights, you should have been out longer, but magic messes with that kind of thing... And you heal fast enough for me to assume you're partially mutated."
You nod, and look out the window- it's late at night, and you're starving.
"I could try to get you out of E.E.'s employ."
"I'm not in his employ." She says. "I just owe him a few favors."
She sits down next to the bed, and relaxes. She looks tired. You start to eat.
"Actually, he saved my life." She says, while you eat. "Of course, he did it in the bloodiest, most gruesome way possible. I'd just lost my title as a doctor, and was looking for a new apartment to live in. Ruffians arrived. Saw I had money, drew weapons to take it from me. Then E.E. arrived. I've never seen a gang of ruffians collapse into limbs like that before. And I've seen a lot."

>>27471514
"Yeah, when he moves, it's best to get out of his way."

"So, this title loss, do you want to talk about it?"

>>27471514

"yeah, he's very good at what he does, but it's never easy to watch him do it." suppress a shiver.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I have." You say. "When he moves, it's best to get out of the way."
She nods.
"So, this title loss." You say. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Nothing much." She says. "Someone needed my help. A child with a terminal illness. There wasn't much I could do, so I traveled to Delura. I'd learned my trade there, but I wasn't... well, *insane* enough to live there as a doctor. They end to embrace the eccentric doctors. But anyway, I went there again, and traded away... some very important things of mine to a witch. She gave me the cure, in return. I gave it to the child. She lived."
Miriam gave a tired smile.
"Of course, the capital didn't like that at all. I lost my title for using magic on a patient."

>>27471621
"What was so wrong with Delurian doctors? Too much magic?"

>>27471621

"You did the right thing, may I ask what you traded?"

"So what was wrong with delurian doctors? Too much magic?"
"No, it's just too hectic." She says. "Too many patients avoid their doctors because they enjoy doing human experiments. Grafting limbs, putting electrical components inside people, capturing nystaran shroud to pollute someone's body... Some of them pretend to fail and kill their patient just so that they can have more parts for their constructs. I just didn't want to be in that kind of place. If you get sick in Delura, go to the witches instead. Trust me."

She closes her eyes. "This place is much better. It's easier to help people. I just have to cook and keep a warm place for people to stay."
"You did the right thing."
"I know." She says, still smiling.
"May I ask what you traded?"
She doesn't respond, her eyes closed. You eat some more soup, and give her another look. She's asleep.

~Are you awake yet?~
Tarda's voice enters your mind. You look around- but you can't see the source.
~Helloooo. It's me! When you wake up, come on down to my domain again. I need a bit more help, if that's fine. But mostly I want to see if my spell stuck. These kind of experiments are pretty fun.~

>>27471737
~Test. Test.~

Tuck Miriam into bed.

>>27471737

Put Miriam in a more comfortable position with a blanket covering her, write a note before leaving,

'Gone to talk to someone, I promise to take it easy, will be back in a bit.'

let's go see Tarda again.

>>27471737
~I am glad to know my life is fun~

>>27471737
~Do I even want to know?~

>>27471737
Put a blanket over Miriam
~Okay, but give me time. I have been like really injured and I probably shouldn't move today.~

You take a deep breath, trying to ignore the constant pounding in your chest, and stand up. You grab your various equipment, and test your body. You seem like you're able to move perfectly fine. Like you'd never gotten a huge lance through your body at all.

You pick Miriam up and take her to her room, absentmindedly trying to figure out how to respond to Tarda. there's no obvious way- even saying her name and your phrase aloud- so you assume it's only one-way.

You write a note, set it on your bed, then pat Bruno on the head and make your way out of the tavern. Mal is sleeping on the wagon again, and no other lights are on- except for the lights in Cromwell's tower. Careful not to strain yourself, you walk down the steps of the temple into the catacombs, and enter the chamber.

There are only two knights left, and one's covered in blood. Your blood, you assume- and there's a lot of it. More than you knew was in your body, at least.

Carefully, you put your palm on the portal, and walk in.

"You're okay!" Tarda says, grinning up at you. You're somewhere in a forest, and the stars are twinkling overhead. The air's fresh, easy to breathe... It feels like you're not in a domain at all, anymore. She has two identical books in front of her- one of Cromwell's notes, the 'fake' you'd given her, and the other, the true book. "I was worried. Your entire heart was gone. Like, completely gone. I had to gut one of my minions and stick his into you."

Your- well, *a* heart pounds in your chest.

>>27471864
"... That's more than a little disturbing, to be honest. Will there be any side effects?"

>>27471864
"That's...I'm not going to lie, that is extremely unnerving."

>>27471864
"Gone? Oh, that sounds bad."

"Thanks for saving me! Does this mean you can order my heart to stop, though? It won't degrade after a few years like the other remnants will it?"

>>27471864

"Not one of my finer moments, Sorry about the fake book."

>>27471864
"Well I would thank him but I think that's not possible anymore."

>>27471864
"Karmic retribution for tricking you with the fake book, I suppose."

"That's..." You say. "I'm not going to lie, that is extremely unnerving."
"You're alive, aren't you?" She asks. "Better than not."
You look down at your chest.
"Does this mean you can order my heart to stop, though?"
"Not after your lifeblood's been through it." She says. "Lifeblood's a powerful thing. Not even wizards can mess with that kind of influence."
"It won't degrade after a few years like the other remnants, will it?"
She shrugs. "No, probably not. Normal degredation is caused because of a logic overflow. Since your new heart doesn't need to think like servants, it won't have a logic overflow."

"Karmic retribution for tricking you with the fake book, I suppose."
"Probably." She says. "But I don't believe in karma. Who'd you get these notes from, anyway? I'm starting to think they aren't even a wizard. Whoever they are, it's impressive."
A wave of dizziness attacks you, and you find yourself sitting down.
"Here, some water." She says. "You're probably low on blood. I doubt aetheric smoke does the same thing for you as blood. At least, not for long."

>>27471995
"Artificer in the town. He'll be overjoyed to hear those notes are good. I imagine him, and the little girl, will probably want to meet you."

"Hey, Tarda, you know you asked if I'd had strange dreams? What classifies as strange?"

>>27471995
"A man in the village who's been trying to reverse engineer Kystaran magic. He doesn't have any particular background in it except that he's a scholar and just a little bit crazy.

Figured out how to get some golems up to protect the place from insane remnants though. Had to use some of my blood to reprogram them for some reason."

>>27471995

Drink delicious water

"His name is Isaac Cromwell, he has been studying runes for longer then I have been staying at the village, and you are correct, he's not a wizard. I think you will like him."

>>27471995
"Well want to tell me why did you summon me here before I pass out due to having too little blood?"

>>27471995
"He isn't. He's trying to reverse engineer runes and golems."

>>27471995
"Ah, aetheric smoke?"

>>27472094
The smoky stuff that comes out of remnants when we hurt them.

"A man in the village who's been trying to reverse-engineer kystaran magic." You say. "He doesn't have any particular background in it, except that he's a scholar and just a little bit crazy."
"Crazy ones are the fun ones." She says. You drink the water. It tastes flat, and a bit muted. Almost fake, somehow.
"He figured out how to get some golems up to protect the place from insane remnants, though. Had to use some of my blood to reprogram them for some reason."
"You're the only person in the world left with kystaran blood, right?" She asks. You nod. "That's it, then. The golems have a built in friendly-fire detector. They sniff out kystaran bloodlines, and refuses anything that doesn't conform. You probably do, in this case." She says. "So your blood would as well."
You sit back and drink water- the glass, for some reason, doesn't quite empty itself, no matter how much you pour. Eventually you hold it upside down, and water trickles out of the glass.
"What do you mean, aetheric smoke?" You ask.
"When you stab a servant, that's what comes out." She says. "It carries energy, but not much more."
You nod, as if you understand.
"Well, want to tell me why you summoned me here?" You ask. "Before I pass out due to having too ltitle blood."
"Oh, right, I forgot!" She says, and turns to you. She tears a book out of cromwell's page, and writes a simple glyph on it. "I need you to carve this on the domain portal. Right where you normally put that glove."
She smiles. "And then I'll be able to enter and exit it as I will."

>>27472142
I got a bad feel about this...

>>27472142
"Ah, alright. Is this the bit where you call us all fools and suck out our souls as well?"

>>27472186
You and me both buddy.

>>27472142

"I really hope I don't regret this."

>>27472142

"I don't have the right tools so it'll take a little while but I'll get to it."

>>27472142
"This looks too simple. What's the catch?"

>>27472142
"Don't you have Kystaran blood as well?"

>>27472236
Of course she does. The fuck kind of dumbass question is that?

"Is this the bit where you call us all fools and suck out our souls as well?"
"Of course." She says. "But you'll have time to run as I do my evil laugh."
"This looks too simple." You say, looking down at the glyph. "What's the catch?"
"The catch is that that rune is a very complicated arrangement of balances that taps into the heart of the runic project and allows me to borrow quite a few different fragments of the spell in order to catalyze everything." She says. "It's not simple at all. It just looks simple to you because it's just a little doodle. It's just too intricate for me to trust my minions to do it."
"I really hope I don't regret this."
"You won't." She says. "Promise."

She gives you another brilliant smile. Her beady red eyes look out at you.

>[] Carve it.
>[] Do not carve it. Do something else. Other?

>>27472287
>[] Carve it.

>>27472287
Carve it.

Might as well.

>>27472287
Carve it

>>27472287
Eh what the hell. Carve it.

>>27472287
Carve.

WIND UP THE STEAMSLING

>>27472287

>[] Carve it.

File: 1380409781126.png-(136 KB, 679x522, Polished all my fucks away.png)

136 KB PNG

>What could possibly go wrong?

"Alright." You say, and get to your feet. You make your way back to the portal, and give Tarda a wave.
"See you soon." She says.

You step out, into the real world proper. Your body's still uncomfortable, but you can move properly. You turn around, and look at the slab of stone, strange glyphs carved over every surface. You wind up your steamsling, and draw out one of the bolts. you take a look at the glyph she wrote, and slowly carve it into place, at approximately the same depth as the rest.

As soon as you complete the mark... It glows. Light surges up around it, and the glyphs, one by one, all start glowing in a strange, particular sequence.

Your spine tingles powerfully... And you take a few steps back.
It's singing. The stone slab is singing a strange, alien tune, all of the glyphs almost like... notes.

And then, with a few white sparks, the grand slab of stone is gone. The chains holding it up clatter down.

A moment later, Tarda sparks into existence, falling on her butt.
She giggles. Her eyes are a brilliant, brilliant sky blue.
<It worked!> She sings, in Kystaran. She pushes herself to her feet. <Come on! I'll show you the runic project proper.>

She turns toward the grand double doors at the back of the chamber, and brandishes an arm. <This way!>

Well, you think, dryly. What could go wrong?

>End of session!
>My twitter is at @futureexabyte
>The IRC is #Exabyte on Rizon.

>>27472432
>No soul sucking

Hooray!

>>27472432
Now we've got a Kystaran Wizard who can help us fix the country!

If she doesn't kill us all first.

>>27472432

we're not dead, so i guess tonight's thread was a success.

>>27472451
At least we'll be killed by a cute girl. Beats being killed by a jackelope or a remnant.

>>27472432
She's fine with helping us, but she's got her own nefarious plots, hasn't she?