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> Head out to see what Boand wants.
> Distribute the totems to the villagers, or send one of your spirits to do so.
> Check on Quinn.
> Check on Terra.
> Continue experimenting with Binding.
> Other

---

You are Osyki, journeyman Totemist and first line of defense for your village against the rabid Behemoths wandering the land. Your master, the previous Totemist, fell in a battle against a terrible Behemoth, leaving the duty of defending your settlement to you. In a period of relative peace, you have elected to train yourself and your apprentices for the winter to come. You have just successfully hunted an Avatar residing in an abandoned Behemoth's lair, ridding your village of a potentially potent threat.

[[Previous Threads: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=totem

Plot Summary (Current up to thread 53): http://pastebin.com/dqBSNUTM

The Cast Thus Far / Binder's Log (Current up to thread 50): http://pastebin.com/VsJpEUx3

Ask: ask.fm/DiarcaEXE

Wiki in progess: http://totemistquest.pbworks.com

Quest Twitter: @TotemistQuest]]

>>36162488
Hello.

Check on Boand yo, send spirits to distribute totems.

>>36162488
>Distribute totems to villagers, ourselves.

Time to earn them brownie points

>>36162488
> Distribute the totems to the villagers
As a group. More hands ought to make it go faster.

>>36162488
>> Check on Quinn.
>> Check on Terra.

>>36162488
>Distribute the totems to the villagers, or send one of your spirits to do so.

>>36162488
>> Head out to see what Boand wants.
>> Distribute the totems to the villagers, or send one of your spirits to do so.

>>36162488
>Head out to see what Boand wants.
Do this after the totem stuff.

Oh hey I started reading banished quest thanks to this quest. Real fun read. When the fuck do they learn how to make golems though?

>>36162812
when they get gud with enchantment

>>36162812
Not yet

>>36162488
> Check on Quinn.
> Distribute the totems to the villagers, or send one of your spirits to do so.

>>36162823
>>36162827
Balls.

>>36162488
> Distribute the totems to the villagers, or send one of your spirits to do so.
followed by
> Head out to see what Boand wants.

You tap your chin, pondering your options. Whatever Boand has for you is likely fairly important, or she wouldn't have bothered to call. On the other hand, the sooner you get these totems to the villagers, the sooner they can make good use of them. The miners, in particular, will benefit greatly from your flawlessly crafted lenses.

You suppose you'll have to make the best use of your time. Besides, it's more than past time that some of the villagers got acquainted with a few of your minor spirits.

You summon Tryd and Amal from the aether around you, handing each of them a small bag. It's strange to see Amal carry the bag-- he doesn't have any real appendages to speak of, so he makes do by encapsulating the sack in a nimbus of indigo light.

"I need you to distribute these amongst the homes toward the outskirts of the village," you tell Tryd. "The charms should help them keep their homes warm and lit."

He nods, eyeing the sack appreciatively. "Nice to see you putting your skills to proper use," he quips. He's out the door without further complaint, to your surprise.

To Amal, "These need to get to the mines. Distribute them amongst the miners, with the proviso that they share them with the woodcutters and farmers as the need arises."

He pulses once in acknowledgement, taking off on Tryd's heels.

You shrug on your cloak (still made a little uncomfortable by the revelation of Thane's true power) and grab your spear. As you head toward the door, Quinn finally strides into the workshop past you.

"Tomorrow," he says as he points a finger at you. "Same thing. Until I can hold my own."

You nod, feeling the edges of a smile creep onto your face. He's more determined than you were, you'll give him that. "Tomorrow," you agree. "I'm off to Boand's pond. I should be back shortly."

He gives you a wave, as does Terra. You make good time with Cloudwalker's Stride and Bulwark Aurum, putting the village to your back at speed.

(cont.)

You arrive at the pond to find Boand waiting for you. Her tail carves lazy swaths in the water behind her as she leans against the rim of the stone-lined pool. Her lips quirk upward as you approach.

"Prompt, Osyki. You must have missed me," she says with a lilt in her tone. "Come on in. Water's fine."

You raise an eyebrow (properly visible this time) to her request.

"You still owe me company Osyki," she points out. "You've racked up something of a debt on your trip over the mountains. Since I'm generous, I'll allow this to count toward that. Now, come on. I have something for you on the other side."

You set down your pack and drive your spear into the earth beside it. Without bothering to strip your cloak or your boots, you lower yourself into the water beside her. The spring is pleasantly cool at this time of day, the waves of mist rolling from the nearby waterfall caressing your face. Boand wraps her arms around you, and the two of you swim down toward the bottom of the spring.

When you surface in the Spirit World, sputtering for air, you see that Boand's home has undergone some renovation. The waterfall-ringed grotto has significantly expanded since your last visit, and what appears to be a long, thin valley lined in sparkling sapphires leads away from the formerly enclosed circle. The river seems to have grown her domain on this side of the mist, too.

Boand hauls herself onto the island, gesturing for you to folllow. Her tail shifts into a pair of shapely legs, and he strides purposefully across the central island to the shrine at its apex.

"Now, before we begin," she says, "how was your trip to the swamp? Everything go alright?"

> Free.

>>36163165
"Excellent, to say the least."

Also, we need to check out the gemstone we got at the Basilisk's lair.

>>36163165
>It was eventful, the area should be safe for yet a while longer.

>>36163165
"I didn't die, so I guess it went pretty well."

>>36163165
>Without bothering to strip your cloak or your boots, you lower yourself into the water beside her.
The boots that spark with electricity?

>>36163165
"Some interesting dreams, but aside from that, I think it went well."

>>36163165
"First of all, I just want to say that I love what you've done with this place. Magnificent. As for my trip, it went quite well. Defeated and bound two dangerous creatures before they could become threats, negotiated with the Mother of the Swamp for assistance with the road, and even found some of Ayren's personal effects he must have lost in the Basilisk's lair. Only black mark on it was my accidental spirit-walking to the Shade last night, I'm not sure what that was about. I need to have a talk with Thane, I think. But at least I got out of it intact and unharmed."

You shrug. "I didn't die, so excellent, to say the least. It was eventful. The area should be relatively safe for a while longer. Dropped two major spirits before they could become threats."

Boand nods, and you think you can sense a minor slump of relief to her shoulders. "Good," she says. "I got worried when I felt the link slip. Same thing happened when Ayren--"

Her voice breaks, and she coughs once. "Swallowed some pond-water," she mumbles. After a moment to compose herself, she continues on as if nothing had happened. "I've had a few of my birds watching the border between the swamp and the Brush, at Sylvia's request. They found something that I think -might- interest you. It seems up your alley, anyway. Watch."

She places her hands on either side of the shrine, closing her eyes. An aura of deep blue illuminates the air around her, a rippling pattern light light playing off the surface of crashing waves. Two of the waterfalls before you suddenly surge over, flowing together until there is a perfect sheet of water arrayed before you. A small light spring from the tip of the shrine, projecting an image onto the wall of liquid.

A bird's eye view, moving at high speed over the forest. A flitting, distracted perspective. It takes you a moment to adjust to the rapidly changing view on the screen, to reconcile the point of view of an animal with eyes on either sides of its head, but once you do you note that the bird is flying remarkably close to your path over the forest just the day before.
(cont.)

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The perspective shakes violently for a moment, then returns to normal. Boa looks at you, her grin fox-like. "Weird, right? I slowed it down, and it turns out that my link was momentarily tampered with. Bird's fine, if you're worried. I did a little digging, and turned up..."

The view on the screen of water jumps backward in time. There, between the violent tremors that shook the screen, is a still frame. The bird looks toward the earth. You narrow your eyes, scanning the screen--

You see it at once. There, in the clearing. A lanky, broad-shouldered figure. An unseeable visage, refracting light in eye-burning waves. You feel as though something is missing. The smell of lilac, perhaps.

"Just looking at this thing warped my spiritual connection to one of my birds, Osyki," she says. "It was heading for the swamp. Do you know of it?"

> I do. We've met before.
> Not as such. It looks familiar, though.
> Can't say that I do. Any ideas?
> Other

>>36163664
I just realized that when Boand talks about her "birds" she was referring to actual birds. I always thought she was just referring euphemistically to her network of contacts.

>>36163708
>> I do. We've met before.

>>36163708
> I do. We've met before.

>>36163708
> I do. We've met before.
> Other
"It is here to deliver a message from a world before time. It is a vessel through which is sought one such as me who can release the evils plaguing it and restore order to this world. I shall know it's hand by the passing of truth across the sky, and its mark shall be as frontlets before my eyes. Or so it said when last we spoke."

>>36163708
>> I do. We've met before.
I remember this thing only very vaguely. Somebody care to refresh my memory?

>>36163733
You are not the only one.

You nod, folding your arms in front of your chest. "I do. We've met once before. It delivered a me a cryptic message. Some warning of a world without order and the truth passing across the sky. It wasn't exactly clear. Concise, though."

Boand snorts. "Leave it to you to downplay, Osyki. I did some digging, called in a few favors from some spirits in the swamp. This thing has been stalking the mountains and forests all around your village. The timeline I put together suggests it's been doing so for around a month. I couldn't get much on what -kind- of spirit it is, no one's seen anything like this, but I did manage to get a start."

She removes her hands from the shrine, and the image lingers, staring at your with void-blank eyes for but a moment before fading as the waterfalls split once more.

"An old book, left discarded in the mountains. Had a description of something similar to this, though it specifies the sounds of 'gnawing, unrestrained hunger' to accompany it. It's supposed to be a Herald. Of what, I don't know, but gut instinct tells me nothing good."

You sigh. Another potential threat. Just when you felt like you were running short of them, too. "I've seen it in a dream, too," you tell Boand. "Seemed liked a vision. Lots of fire and screaming."

She folds her arms across her bust, cocking one hip out to the side. "Comforting. What do you think it is?"

> Something from the deep parts of the Mist.
> Something not of this world.
> Some overblown spirit, too big for its britches.
> I don't know. But I intend to find out.

>>36162812
Hopefully not anytime soon. There are a whole lot more important things to do before even thinking of messing with artificial souls.

>>36164247
"I don't know, I intend to find out."

>>36164125
It just showed up out of nowhere one day to deliver us a message, of which we only caught the tail end. Here's what it said:

>The sound that issues forth is akin to the screeching of Modi Magni's wings, slowed down and played over the scraping of bone on rock. This piercing noise sounds out for approximately five seconds before it resolves into a recognizable sound, halfway through a word.

>"-ld before time itself." the creature finishes, its words like the wind hissing through a gap in the rocks. "Now the message is delivered. I had hoped that you would catch up. I have been shadowing you for some time now."

>"So. Here we are. And now the question stands before us: Are you strong enough?"

Then we told it that while we're still young and inexperienced, we consider ourselves fairly strong. And then we asked it to please repeat its message It said this:

>"Again," it says, mimicking the tone and cadence of your voice unnaturally efficiently for the single word, "I am here to deliver a message from a world before time. I seek one such as you through this vessel, in hopes that you might release the evils plaguing me and restore order to this world. But if you are yet unexperienced in the ways of the world, perhaps education is in order. You will know my hand by the passing of truth across the sky, and my mark shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. Expect me, Totemist. I will find you."

Then it disappeared, leaving behind a stone carving of a flower made with exquisite detail. We still have it somewhere around the workshop.

>>36164247
> I don't know. But I intend to find out.
Where in the mountains did she find the book? That might be a good place to start.

>>36164277
I thought you just needed animate and permanency. I thought this because I just read Soma saying it ten minutes ago.

>>36164350
While it sounds easy and stuff, it took us what...30ish threads to reach the temple.
Not saying that it'll take us that long for sure, just a though. Also we may need a golem core to create golems, which we're either lacking or have only a few corrupted with delerium and shit.
Also, this is not the place to discuss.

>>36164293
Thanks anon. It was at least as vague as I remember it to be.

>>36164247
> I don't know. But I intend to find out.
but
> Something from the deep parts of the Mist.
> Something not of this world.
> Some overblown spirit, too big for its britches.
are alllikely. It is probably some of each.

>>36164499
just to close this discussion, we have a single corrupted core, which probably has animate runes and shit on it
>>36164350
he whole deal with permanency and animate is that it might be creating artificial souls, which is a pretty big responsibility, and probably not somethig the gods like very much
>>36164247
>>I don't know. But I intend to find out.

>>36164247
>Something not of this world

A spirit stalking your village. An unseeable, faceless monster circling your home. The thought sets your teeth on edge, puts your blood to boiling. Just when you thought it was safe to explore. You glance sidelong at Boand, your face a grim mask.

"I don't know," you admit. "Something from the deep Mists? Something not of this world? I intend to find out."

She smiles at that. One hand finds your shoulder. She squeezes it gently. "I'll keep some birds in the air to look for it. An ear to the ground, so to speak. You alright?"

You nod. "Yeah. Fine. Just getting a little tired of the 'mysterious threat' routine orbiting the place where I sleep. Makes a guy wonder if the rest of the world has to put up with this, or if I'm just that lucky."

Boand laughs, removing her hand from your shoulder and shrugging a cascade of cerulean hair off of her shoulders. "Probably a bit of both," she says. "I guess you'll find out for sure, soon enough. You're set to depart soon, right?"

You nod. "Soon as the message comes. Another jaunty trip through the mists to parts unknown. Hopefully this time I'll land in a more hospitable environment."

"I've been thinking, Osyki," she says. "We don't know how far away Eluneia is, or what you might find there. I don't know how far the range on my pearl will extend. I worry about you, off in some big settlement all on your lonesome. Maybe..."

She turns, shrugging. "I don't know. Maybe we ought to revisit the terms of our contract. I don't like the idea of you being there without a friendly pair of eyes."

> Is that concern I hear in your voice, Boand?
> That sounds like a smart idea. What did you have in mind?
> Our current arrangement worked for Pointsmar. Eluneia will be no different.
> I don't understand.

>>36165003
> Is that concern I hear in your voice, Boand?
> That sounds like a smart idea. What did you have in mind?
Our little vanishing acts lately have her spooked, huh? Okay, Boand, let's revise the contract.

>>36165003
>> Is that concern I hear in your voice, Boand?
>> That sounds like a smart idea. What did you have in mind?

>>36165003
This sounds like a good point to talk about celestial binding.

>>36165003
> That sounds like a smart idea. What did you have in mind?

A friendly pair of eyes is always handy, especially since we aren't that experienced with how the Eluneians fight, or what to watch out for.

>>36165003
> Is that concern I hear in your voice, Boand?
Has the spirit grown fond of the mortal?

>>36165003
>> I don't understand.

[[ Sorry, folks. Internet is being spotty, but I think I have it wrangled. Post coming up.]]

You smirk. "Is that a note of concern I hear in your tone, Boand? I didn't know you cared."

Her concerned expression drops, and she slugs you in the arm. Hard. You wince, rubbing at your shoulder. "Please," she says, flipping her hair over one shoulder. "You're my link to the outside. You keep pulling this disappearing act, I'm cut off. I don't like being cut off."

You nod. "Right. Of course. Sounds like a smart idea, anyway. What kind of revisions were you thinking?"

She gestures to you. "The pearl was a good first step. A trial run, if you will. Test the waters, see what we've got. The trial run's gone well, so I guess it's time we take it to the next step. Get a proper binding worked out. Your master ever teach you how to do that?"

You shake your head. "Not quite, but I think I managed to puzzle it out for myself. You're talking about a Celestial pact, yeah? A real link. Not through this intermediary," you say, thumbing the chain round your neck. Boand nods. "I've only just started studying the language, but I think with your help me could work something out."

She smiles, a kind of smile that tells you she knows something you don't. You blanch. "W-what?"

"Nothing," she says. "It's just impressive to see you come so far, in such a short time. When we met, you were just a stripling. Now you're doing real Totemist work. It's kind of impressive."

You're not sure whether to smile or roll your eyes. You settle for a little of both.

"Alright. I know you're a little novice at this, so we'll work it out together. A proper binding. Question is," she says, gesturing airily, "What do we both want out of it?"

> Protection
> Surveillance
> Power
> What do you think?

>>36166695
>Surveillance
Power and protection we can gain ourselves. It would be nice to have more eyes.

>>36166695
A mixture of all three, depending on the situation really.

>>36166695
Surveillance, and more specifically information in general. Boand has been a valuable resource on spirit info. We should also ask what she wants.

>>36166695
> Power
I mean, we can still use our link with her to communicate and all that, right?

>>36166695
>> Surveillance

>>36166695
> Surveillance

>>36166695
> Surveillance

>>36166695
> Protection

When in doubt, defense is good.

>>36166695
> Surveillance
Primarily, Osyki needs better access to information. And Boa always wants to expand her network. It's a logical basis for a pact. Besides, Boa's our friend, we're already willing to provide her with protection. And honestly, we're not likely to get much of that from her, if only because it's not her purview. She's not a fighter, she's a negotiator and invetigator.

"I only want from you what you've already given me," you say with a shrug. "Information, consultation. A knowledgeable friend. Someone to keep an ear to the ground."

She nods. "To be honest, we've only really scratched the surface of what we can do together. With your spiritual reserves and my admittedly potent sanctum, I could do a lot more than keep birds in the air for you. I'm not much of a fighter, but Sylvia tells me that I'm not a dab hand as a spy."

"And what would you want?" you ask. "You said it yourself, I'm your link already. What more can I do for you?"

There's a strange look on her face for a moment before she sighs. "Still a kid after all, I guess," she mutters to herself. "A proper binding would effectively remove the limit on that charm's range. I'd be right there with you wherever you went, more or less. Able to see and hear the world. And, in the interest of full disclosure, Osyki, I'll be needing a little more from you than attention and the occasional trinket. As a spirit, I have needs and wants, and a lot of them focus around expansion of my metaphysical territory."

"Like the Mother?" you ask.

She nods. "And Sylvia, and the General. Difference being, I'm not interested in slugging it out for territory. What I -would- like is to find a relatively unoccupied body or water or six and set up a summer home there, if you catch my drift."

"So you want me to negotiate with, what, lake spirits and river nymphs for cohabitation?"

She nods. "More or less. I don't want their domain. Just free use of waterways. If you can get their consent, I can open a hole in the mists from here," she says, gesturing to the grotto, "and travel around the world from this side."

> That sounds fairly reasonable.
> I have some reservations.
> Absolutely not.
> Other

>>36167916
> That sounds fairly reasonable.

>>36167916
>> That sounds fairly reasonable.

>>36167916
> That sounds fairly reasonable.

>>36167916
> That sounds fairly reasonable.
Though now I kind of want to change the terms to the power option.

>>36167916
> That sounds fairly reasonable.

Ask about measures she could take to protect us, you can never have too many protective charms, and help us get passage through waterways or at least not drown while going swimming.

>>36167916
> That sounds fairly reasonable.

Though it would probably involve negotiating with a lot of mortals as well, given our propensity to create settlements near sources of water. Just... Make it seem like we're doing a slightly larger favour than we actually are.

You nod, extending a hand to Boa. She takes it in hers. "That sounds reasonable," you say. "Is being up on land uncomfortable for you? We can return to the water, if you like."

She shakes her head. "No, not at all. We're in my sanctum, so everything's basically one big comfortable chair for me. Like waking up in a comfortable bed in the morning, surrounded by all of your sleep-heat. At least, that's how it was described to me. I don't do beds, obviously."

You crack a smile. "Obviously. Alright. How do we do this?"

She waves her hands in the air, pulling at half-visible strands of spiritual energy in the air. "Most of the onus is on you, unfortunately. We need to carve the seals of binding into something nearby, and a proper object to use as a binding focus. We could re-use the pearl there, unless you've got a better one in mind."

"And the seals?"

"That's up to you, like I said. I can help, but I only know a few words of the Celestial tongue. I'm not some high-minded language spirit, after all."

> The Pearl will do.
> I have something else in mind. (What?)

> Start the binding now.
> Hold off for the moment.

>>36168643
> The Pearl will do.
> Start the binding now.

>>36168643
> The Pearl will do.
> Start the binding now.

No time like the present.

>>36168640
>> The Pearl will do.
> Start the binding now.

>>36168643
> I have something else in mind. (What?)
Could we expand the Pearl before we start? It doesn't have much surface area to write on. I was thinking Boand could dissolve the nacre it's made of and form it into a sheet. We inscribe the runes on the sheet, then roll it into a cylinder and have the ends fuse together into a solid object to cap it like a scroll. The result would look like a pin made of mother of pearl, that if meticulously dissected would reveal the contract.

> Start the binding now.

>>36168643
If Boand doesn't feel confident of all the words that we'll need to use, could we just get Amal to fetch the big dictionary of Celestial words for reference? This is Osyki's first Celestial binding, after all, and having some security for this is a good idea, since we aren't pressed for time.

>>36168820
I'm pretty sure magic shit would take care of that for us, no need to look like a fool by worrying about this.

>>36168895
Osyki has it on him, actually. After reading up on Celestial Bindings he resolved to keep it in his pack at all times just in case.

>>36168974
Celestial Bindings aren't a standardized thing like Feral Bindings are, I don't think we can rely on the process being so accommodating as it usually is.

>>36168643
>> Hold off for the moment.
Let's just read up, just in case. We can do it today, but let's look it over to make sure nothing can or will go wrong

>>36168995
Ah, that's useful.

So, there's really nothing to hold up the binding. If Osyki and/or Boand are uncertain of the precise wording, then they'll consult the book.

"No time like the present, I suppose," you say with a little shrug. "I've got a few hours to spare, if it comes down to it. My book is on the other side of the pond, though. The one with the runes in it."

"With the--" She stops, then scoffs. "Of course. Hardest language in the world to learn, and he's got a dictionary squirreled away in that mud and straw library. Why am I not surprised?"

You stare at Boand as she closes her eyes. "A moment. I'll have it brought over."

"You can do that?"

"It's on the edge of my domain. I can do that."

There is a momentary bubbling at the edge of the island, a tidal surge, and a dried pack--yours-- is deposited on the shore. You reach down, plucking it before the surf can drag it back toward the sapphire depths.

"Alright," you say, shrugging one shoulder. "Let's get to work."

> 1d100+5 for Celestial Binding Research

Maybe we should whip out the summoning circle?

Rolled 92 + 5 (1d100 + 5)

>>36169957

Rolled 89 + 5 (1d100 + 5)

>>36169957
>>36169964
Guess I was lucky this time

Rolled 52 + 5 (1d100 + 5)

>>36169957
roll

Rolled 87 + 5 (1d100 + 5)

>>36169957
love me dice gods

Rolled 74 + 5 (1d100 + 5)

>>36169957

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>>36169994
That'll do er.

>>36169994
>>36170000
The dice gods approve.

I almost want to roll a nat 1 at this point just to see what it would do

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>>36170180

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The two of you sit next to one another, Boand's shrine at your back, and begin poring over the Grimoire of Binding Threads. Boand's eyes are wide as she scans the pages and pages of detailed, illuminated script. There are chapters devoted to single characters of the language and their interactions symbolically with other runes. Fortunately, Boa seems to have a much more detailed grasp of the mechanics than you do.

As she explains the significance of each rune she scratches into the soft sand of the shore, your understanding grows. Each character is a word unto itself, and combined in certain orders with other runes their meanings are modified in ways that, to you, seem esoteric leaps of the imagination. Still, you begin to catch a hold of the kinds of links that exist between a few of the characters. It's a learning experience for the both of you.

The benefit of having so much meaning packed into so few characters is that the binding oath itself doesn't take up very much space. No voluminous roll of vellum is required to hold your agreement. At the end, it boils down to a scant three lines of minutely etched characters. A detailed exposition of mutually beneficial alliance, negotiation, and power lent in equal regard. Boand double-checks the grammar for you ("don't want to mix up your pronouns in this sort of agreement," she explains,) and you produce the pearl from your shirt. Boa takes it from you, and it warps and grows under her touch with a surge of blue light. She blows the pearl up to over four times its size, holding an apparently lightened sphere the size of a melon in her hand.

"You make the inscriptions," she explains, "then seal it with a drop of your blood. It'll invest your essence in the agreement. Ordinarily you'd need your partner to do the same, but the pearl's made of my essence already, so we can skip that step."

(cont.)

You nod, pulling a knife from your belt. With Boand's careful coaching, you copy the branching iterative runes from the sand onto the sphere, inscribing it in a tight spiral that orbits its circumference. When you carve the last break, you run the edge of the knife along your finger and fill the spherical depression of the stop with a few drops of your blood. The entire orb pulses a vibrant silver for a moment, then settles to glowing a familiar blue.

"I, Boand del Ti-Grisoch sas Sylviannis, do agree to this binding contract," she intones aloud. You follow suit, echoing her words, your name in place of her own.

The runes lift from the pearl, spinning in holographic rings around it at blinding speeds. Your hand and Boand's are forced together atop the apex of the inscription, and a pair of blinding white rings bind your hands together in a dazzling display. When the brilliance fades, you're left with your fingers clasped in hers, the (now ordinarily sized) pearl resting in the valley where your hands meet. She glances up, smiling at you.

"Nice work," she says quietly. There's a touch of tenderness to her tone. Pride, too. The link between you feels stronger for the pearl's presence. You almost feel as though you can feel her thoughts swimming just beneath the surface of your own.

> Stay a while.
> Head for home.
> Experiment with your new... binding?
> Other

>>36170648
> Experiment with your new... binding?
Let's see what the Link Pearl can do now. We've never had a Focus that didn't contain the spirit physically, before. What will it be like for her when we're using it?

>>36170648
>Experiment
Why not

>>36170648
> Stay a while.
> Experiment with your new... binding?

>>36170648
> Experiment with your new... binding?

Fish gotta Swim and Osyki's gotta play with his new bindings.... For science.

>>36170648
>Experiment with your new... binding?
Heads Up Display, version Boand.

>>36170648
>> Stay a while.
Maybe ask her of something she remember of our master

>>36170648
> Experiment with your new... binding?

And go for a swim, take a bit of time off to relax.

> [[Focus Acquired: Boand's Whirlpool Pearl. The nacre of this gem is shot through with veins of opalescent blue light, and a mermaid-tail silver setting wraps it. Tiny runes line its length.]]

You separate from Boand after a moment's lingering and more than a moment's tinge to her cheeks. You do your best not to shoot questioning glances her way as you inspect your new focus. It does feel like your previous Foci in the power it radiates, an almost electric tingle that shoots from your fingertips to the crook of your elbow, but it's not precisely the same. There is an aura of intentional restraint, almost. A cloud of Boa's intent. You turn it over in your fingers, then take an amulet from the pocket of your pack.

Boand watches with rapt interest as you chant the litany of unity. That same flare of cerulean light plays around her as the objects become one.

> [[Binding Discovered: Jewel of the Maelstrom. A brass amulet covered with green patina, with the pearl at its center. Wearing it, you can sense the movements of the tides around you and the presence of anything lurking beneath them. With concentration, it is possible to alter the currents of bodies of water.]]

Interesting. Boa's voice explains the mechanics of the amulet to you in the back of your mind, even as the flare of blue around her fades to a film of spiritual energy wrapping her curves.

"Wow," she says quietly. "That's a rush. Not what I expected. I can feel your spiritual reserves. It's like tucking into a six-course meal."

You, on the other hand, feel a little more drained than expected. The pearl leeches spiritual energy from your reservoir faster than a Focus born of feral binding does, it would seem. Nothing insurmountable, not with your stamina, but something to keep a careful eye on.

> Keep experimenting. (Choose up to three bindings)
> Relax with Boa.
> Head for home.
> Other

>>36171268
>Mask
>Gloves
>?

Armor cloak gloves

>>36171268
> Keep experimenting. (Choose up to three bindings)
Mask
Gloves
Mirror

>>36171268
> Keep experimenting. (Choose up to three bindings)

Mask, Knife, Boots.

>>36171268
Gloves, Boots, and Mirror please. Also, Boand needs to get freaking laid already.

>>36171268
>> Relax with Boa.
>> Head for home.

>>36171268
> Keep experimenting. (Choose up to three bindings)

Mask, Boots, armor.

>>36171268
> Keep experimenting. (Choose up to three bindings)

Mask, Mirror, Armour.

You spend some time binding Boand's pearl to various objects. Her aura bends and shifts with each new shape that the pearl manifests in, and she watches with rapt interest as a little piece of her essence stretches to the contours of your panoply.

> [[Binding Discovered: Aria Nymph. A semi-translucent half-mask crafted of luminous blue crystal. Looking through the eye slits in the mask bolsters second sight, especially in the sensing of elemental energy. Speaking while wearing the mask adds a touch of serenity and regal bearing to the speaker's voice, even whilst screaming expletives.]]

> [[Binding Discovered: Maelstrom's Eye. These elbow-length blue silk gloves are ridged with crystalline blue fins, razor-sharp to the touch. Touching a pool of water with these gloves bound invests a small charge of spiritual energy into it. Any time thereafter before the gloves are unbound, another pool can be similarly charged to scry upon the original location. The area around the pool viewable through this method depends on the amount of energy invested.]]

> [[Binding Discovered: Ripple. A metal wave-wrapped sheet of silver light, dangling on a small, thin-linked chain. Highly reflective to spiritual energy, easily capable of reflecting dematerialized spirits and assaults composed entirely of energy alike. Each assault thus reflected causes the waves to contract further around the mirror's surface.]]

(cont.)

By the end of the experimentation, Boand is positively glowing with a silvery-blue glow, while you find yourself gasping for breath. She inspects the spiritual power leaking from beneath her nails, humming thoughtfully.

"I think you ought to pick a form and stick with it," she says as she helps you to your feet. Her touch is electric, like the pearl. "You'll wear yourself out if you keep this up much longer."

You nod in wordless agreement. Perhaps it's time to head home. You go to lift your pack, wincing at the weariness that echoes through your frame. Boa catches you as you stumble--stumble? You're more drained than you thought--and sets you upright once more. Her face is lined with concern, the waves of energy pouring from her causing her hair to float in a nimbus around her.

"Maybe you ought to bunk down here for the evening," Boa suggests. "I can get a message to your village for you. You look absolutely knackered."

> No, thank you. I can make it.
> That would be lovely. I don't suppose you have a hammock?
> Other

>>36172471
>> That would be lovely. I don't suppose you have a hammock?

Sleepover, go! We need to be in top form for training tomorrow. Quinn deserves it. Maybe this grotto will also offer safety from weirdos hopping all up into our head space.

>>36172471
> That would be lovely. I don't suppose you have a hammock?

At least take a short nap. And this should count for time spent with Boa.

>>36172471
> That would be lovely. I don't suppose you have a hammock?

>>36172471
> Other
"I don't know, I spent last night sleeping in a female spirit's sanctum, too. I'm worried Quinn's going to start making jokes."

>>36172471
> No, thank you. I can make it.
Last time I slept in a spirit's domain I got a case of the spookies.

After a moment's consideration, you nod gratefully. "That would be lovely," you tell her. "I feel like I'm due to keel over any second. I guess training today took more out of me than I suspected. I don't suppose you have a hammock or the like I can string up here, do you?"

She smiles again, shaking her head. "I'll do you one better," she tells you. "Come with me."

You follow her into the water once more. She dives below the surface, and as you dip downward to follow her you find yourself surrounded in a six-foot bubble of pleasantly scented air. She guides you to the sandy floor of the pool, where a mound of soft sand in the rough approximation of a bed emerges.

"You'll sleep soundly down here," she tells you. "No waterfall noise to keep you up, and the bubble will keep you warm."

You glance around, bewildered. Sleeping at the bottom of a lake. That will be a new one for the books. "Thank you, Boa," you tell her. "I do appreciate it."

She waves her hand dismissively. "Don't mention it, partner. Get some rest, and call if you need anything else."

> I will.
> Actually, before you go... (write-in)
> Other

>>36173036
> I will.

Rolled 41 (1d100)

>>36173036
>> Actually, before you go... (write-in)

I'll be training Quinn tomorrow. If you don't have anything to do, do you want to come with? He seems to do better when there's pretty girls looking over his shoulder.

>>36173036
>>36173086
I kind of like this one. Supporting.

>>36173036
> I will.

>>36173036
> Actually, before you go... (write-in)
Do spirits sleep?

>>36162488
holy shit those look cool!

>>36173036
>> I will.

File: 15o9f2u[1].jpg (332 KB, 920x995)

332 KB JPG

>>36173240
Yeh they're pretty rad.
I assume the same dude did this.

>>36173036
>Stay, it's not often I have company falling asleep.

>>36173405
oh man that's awesome.

>>36173036
> Actually, before you go... Would you mind sticking around, i'd like to just talk about stuff.

You chuckle, settling onto the sand-bed. Despite the materials used in its construction, it feels spongy. Giving. "I will," you tell her. She gives you another smile and turns to swim away, but you catch her by the wrist.

"Boa, before you go--"

She turns, her expression unreadable.

"I'll be training Quinn tomorrow," you say with a small smile. "If you don't have anything to do, do you want to come with? He seems to do better when there's pretty girls looking over his shoulder."

She waits a moment to respond, a mixture of expressions on her face. She finally settles on an embarrassed sort of smile. A contrite nod.

"Well, you know how to butter me up, Totemist. I don't have anything better to do, so why not?"

You release her wrist, slumping back onto the bed. "Perfect. Thanks, Boa. You sleep well. If you, uh, sleep."

She winks. "See you in the morning." Then she's off, swimming for the surface.

That went better than expected, you suppose.

> Get some rest.
> Do some reading.
> Talk to one of your spirits.
> Other

>>36173926
>Attempt to communicate with the Avatar

>>36173926
> Get some rest.

>>36173926
> Get some rest.
Just get some sleep. Anything else I can think to do is best done outside Boand's home.

>>36173926
>Do some reading.

Osyki 'Smooth Moves' Totemist

>>36173926
>Read for a bit, then Get some rest

>>36173926
>> Get some rest.

>>36173926
> Other
Contemplate

Boand why so lewd

>>36173926
I'll also second this >>36174527
Why so lewd, water nymph?

The possibility of reading up a little more on the Celestial language crosses your mind, but even pulling out a book seems like tempting fate with a lake's worth of water hanging a few feet over your head. Boand's assurances aside, you'd hate to fall asleep and drop the book out of your safe bubble. You settle back into the warm sand pile, allowing your eyes to drift closed as you turn over the day's events in your mind. Quite a day. Experimentation, training, crafting, contracting--a full plate. And very little rest between that and a pair of pitched battles the day before. No wonder you're so exhausted.

This time, you hope, you'll be allowed to get some sleep.

You are, in a way. Though dreams visit you, they're not unpleasant, nor memorable enough to stick with you upon your awakening.

The sand feels strange. You sit up, glance around, and find yourself staring into a sea filled with dancing, phantasmagoric lights. Sounds of soft song lilt their way down through the water. Boand's voice from the island above. It's quiet, the words inaudible through the veil of water.

It seems night has fallen while you slumbered, though you feel much refreshed with your short nap. You could stand to sleep a little more, though.

> Swim up and investigate.
> Head back to sleep.

>>36174576
> Swim up and investigate.

>>36174576
>> Swim up and investigate.

>>36174576
> Swim up and investigate.
How could we not?

>>36174576
> swim up and investigate

>>36174576
> Swim up and investigate.
Find her masturbating to pictures of our master sodomizing us

>>36174576
>> Swim up and investigate.

>>36174576
> Swim up and investigate.
What else would we do? Come on, it's not like we're going to walk in on her in an indelicate state, she's never not been naked the entire time we've known her. Wait, no, she wore a top made of leaves when we brought the potential apprentices around for her help evaluating them.

>>36174714
we find her fully clothed and she acts like someone when you walk in on them naked?

You sit up, take in a deep breath, and plunge yourself upward into the water. The bubble stays behind at the bed. Seems Boand wasn't expecting you to be awake at this hour. Swimming through the waters of her domain is an exercise in dodging through curtains of sweeping illuminate currents and clusters of vibrantly colored pods of fish. When you surface, you do so with a muffled gasp. Much harder, moving up through the water.

Boand is sitting on the island, perched atop her shrine. Her tail has split into legs once more, which she curls around the seashell spiral of her communications array for balance.. She holds a pearlescent comb in her hand, adorned with small runes and metal charms. Singing quietly to herself, she runs the teeth of the comb through her long, wavy locks. Her back is to you, but from the angle of her head you guess that she's staring down the long gem-studded valley that the river has added to her domain.

Her song continues, unabated. Quiet.

> Listen for a moment.
> Swim to the island.
> Head back to bed.

>>36174714
That's what makes this more fun.

>>36174835
>Listen for a moment.

>>36174835
>> Listen for a moment.

Man, I just realized. Poor Osyki doesn't get to listen to music very often does he? He probably gets a few tunes like, every couple of months. Real good stuff by human standards every half year. And here we've got sirens and forest spirits whatnot doing inhuman stuff; no wonder the kid is a bit dazzled.

>>36174835
listen a moment

>>36174835
> Listen for a moment.

>>36174835
> Listen for a moment.
If only we had our harp, binding the Lord's Lyre to accompany her would be pretty awesome.

>>36174835
>> Listen for a moment.
A rare opportunity to relax and listen to something beautiful, no thought required.

>>36174932
We'll have to bring it along another time.

And get Quinn binding something too.

Then form a traveling spirit/totemist band.

>>36174932
It really would be, but ah well.

>>36174835
> Listen for a moment.

You tread water as a pod of golden jellyfish drift past you, ears perked toward the island. Above the water, once your breathing is becalmed, the song echoes off of the rocky walls and curtains of plummeting water, harmonizing and intermingling with its own echoes in a mesmerizing chorus.

The language isn't one that you understand, but the tune is familiar. You're entirely sure that human lips aren't capable of forming the complex tones, the multi-layered syllables of those lyrics. As you tread water and listen, movement from the corner of your eye catches your attention. Images flit across the surface of the waterfalls, ethereal and indistinct.

You slowly make your way closer to the island, keeping yourself away from Boand's field of vision as you swim. As you make your way closer to the island, the shapes dancing across the falls become more and more recognizable. Faces.

Still, nagging at the back of your mind, is that familiarity. Where have you heard this before? Why does this tune sound familiar? It's something you've not heard in a long, long time. It scratches at the edges of your awareness--if only you could let it in.

Boand's shoulders slump, and the comb plummets again through a wave of azure hair.

> Try to remember. (1d100)
> Approach the island.
> Just wait.
> Head back to bed. This seems private.

Rolled 38 (1d100)

>>36175304
> Try to remember. (1d100)
Perhaps we saw her once as a child and don't remember it? Something she was helping Ayren with?

Rolled 86 (1d100)

>>36175304
> Try to remember. (1d100)
> Approach the island.

Rolled 78 (1d100)

>>36175304
> Try to remember. (1d100)

Rolled 82 (1d100)

>>36175304
> Try to remember. (1d100)
> Approach the island.

Rolled 21 (1d100)

>>36175304
> Try to remember. (1d100)
> Approach the island.

Boand is delightful.

>>36175340
Nice roll.

If we plugged the spring, would she die?

>>36175472
Not now that we've given her a river to fill the pond, too. Either way, why would we even want to think about that? Boand is our friend. A friend with a weird connection to our past, which is confusing, but still our friend.

>>36175472
That question is so dumb, I demand you go plant something to replace the oxygen you wasted.

>>36175472
the spring is her vagina.

In the end, it's the sounds of a hitch in Boand's voice-- a slight breaking of the melody which brings the memory flooding back. The dusky sky above gives way to a poorly illuminated wooden roof in your mind's eye, the waves around you crafted into a sea of blankets.

Candle-light. That's what you remember best from that night.

Four, perhaps five months into your training under Ayren, you had caught a fever going around the village. Combined with the intense training you were undergoing at the time, intensified by your daily spiritual exhaustion, the sickness festered within you at unbelievable speed.

Swaddled in blankets, beads of sweat running from your forehead. He'd had to use candles. Light totems were too bright for you, spiked the migraine nesting in your skull like a viper's fang.

You had been awake for nearly fifty hours, at that point. A racking cough and violent tremor-like shivers had kept you from rest.

He looked strange with the beginnings of a beard, your master did. He always took pains to keep himself clean shaven, well kept, but he had been so busy attending your bedside that he'd hardly had the time. Behind him, a trio of shadowy spirits roamed, moving things around the workshop, but in the hazy light of your memory only his face remained with any kind of clarity.

(cont.)

Kind. That's the word you'd use to describe him in that moment, and precious few others. A mug of steaming tea on the stand beside you, nursing a cup of his own, he'd taken to singing a gentle lullaby in an attempt to lull you off so the medicine could do its work. The song was strange, the syllables harsh on your ears, but the melody was soothing. His deep, rich voice had slowly but surely pushed you under, your shivers stilled, your throat soothed by the herbal tea.

You were so young. You had forgotten.

But how did Boa come to learn that song?

Her shoulders are bunched together, now. The comb dangles loosely from her fingers, and the song wavers ever so slightly. The water around you has dimmed. The fluorescent fauna are absent. But the song continues, and she has not moved from her perch atop the shrine.

> Haul yourself onto the island. Approach Boand.
> Head back below. This is definitely alone time for her.
> Is she... alright?

>>36175544
4u

>>36175570
>Haul yourself onto the island. Approach Boand.
>Hug it out.

>>36175570
> Is she... alright?

>>36175472
She's a big spirit

>>36175570
> Haul yourself onto the island. Approach Boand.

What a memory!

>>36175570
>> Head back below. This is definitely alone time for her.
>contemplate on the way down: Is she... alright?

>>36175570
> Haul yourself onto the island. Approach Boand.
> Is she... alright?

>>36175570
> Is she... alright?
> Haul yourself onto the island. Approach Boand.
Remembering Ayren, I assume. Would talking help?

>>36175570
> Haul yourself onto the island. Approach Boand.

>>36175570
> Head back below. This is definitely alone time for her.

>>36175570
I think she's afraid of losing us like she did Ayren.

>>36175570
Call out to her.

Your feet make contact with the sandy slope of the shore, and you slowly wade up the beach until you can step out of the surf. Boand is either ignoring your approach, or too absorbed in her own thoughts to sense you. Either way, you quickly find yourself standing behind her, and--

The images around the waterfalls were unintelligible from other directions before, but they were clearly meant for this perspective. It's difficult to recognize your master looking so young, and the images are brief, interspersed with other memories, but...

She had known him for a longer time than you knew. Years.

The comb in her hand is covered with now-familiar runes. Marks of a binding, the celestial tongue. A long, thin crack runs down the polish of the handle from top to bottom, neatly bisecting the writing.

Tentatively, you reach out. Her shoulder is warm to the touch for once, not the cool-spring feeling that usually lingers when she brushes against you. She starts as you make contact, her shoulders tense. The song cuts out abruptly, mumbled though it was, and she's silent for a moment behind that curtain of cerulean locks.

"I didn't mean to wake you," she says. There's a hoarseness to her voice that seems almost human. "I'm sorry."

You shake your head. "Nothing to apologize for," you tell her. "Are you alright?"

Another long moment of silence.

"Yeah," she says quietly. "Yeah, I'm okay."

> You really miss him. I'm sorry if I stirred up bad memories.
> Come. Let's talk.
> Sorry to disturb you. Sleep tight.
> Did he teach you that song?
> Other

>>36175864
> Come. Let's talk.
> You really miss him. I'm sorry if I stirred up bad memories.

>>36175864
> Come. Let's talk.
> Did he teach you that song? Or was it the other way around?
> I miss him too.

>>36175864
> You really miss him. I'm sorry if I stirred up bad memories.
> Did he teach you that song?
> Come. Let's talk.

Welp, she's obviously been holding up a whole of grief behind that cheerful facade. Which is absolutely unhealthy. Like, freaking seriously. My aunt an heroed herself after my grandma's death when everyone thought she was fine a few weeks after. Shit's whack yo'.

>>36175864
Tell her about our memory of Ayren singing us that song

>>36175864
> You really miss him. I'm sorry if I stirred up bad memories.
> Come. Let's talk.
> Did he teach you that song?

>>36175939
> I miss him too.
Seconding this

>>36175864
Once again, I regret that I forgot to ask Ayren's ghost or our brain's approximation of one, if there was any message he wanted to convey to Boand.

>>36175939
Yeah I like this. Both for the song because I'm pretty sure she's been around longer than he was, and saying that we miss him as well, to make it so she can share the grief maybe?

>>36176066
Make it a bonding moment, yeah.

Dammit boner, stop making me want to lewd this quest up!

>>36175864
"What you were singing, that meant something to me too."

You fold your arms over your chest. It's not cold, despite the water still dripping from your clothing, but you feel a shiver run over you all the same. Boa sits silent, a still image on the surface of a placid pond. You inhale slowly as the images around you fade away, as the lights from the water below dim. After a few moments, you're left standing on an isle illuminated only by the watery glow coming from your spirit friend and the waxing moon above.

"I'm sorry if I stirred up bad memories," you begin quietly. "I didn't realize how-- you really miss him."

She nods once, sending a ripple through that stilled waterfall of hair. No indication of which statement that was a response to. Not a sound. She may have trembled slightly, but it just as easily could have been a trick of the hazy light.

"Did he teach you that song? Or was it the other way around?"

Your innocent query is a pebble dropped into that placid pool. Boand crumples forward, elbows on her knees, face in her hands, and sobs. The sound echoes again and again off of the walls around you as her composure shatters into a thousand fractured needles of grief. It's a heart-wrenching thing, just quiet enough to tell you that she's still trying to hold it in. You put an arm around her and she slumps against you.

For all of your training, this is not a matter of the spirit you feel equipped to handle.

(cont.)

The two of you stay like that for a few moments as the sobs wrack her body. The water around you grows choppy, the waterfalls surging over. The moon overhead dims as mist fills the air.

"I miss him too," you tell her quietly. Her breath hitches, though her face is still sequestered away behind the wall of her hair. Her hands balled into fists, legs wrapped tightly under the ledge of the shrine to keep her from toppling over entirely, she finally speaks up again.

"I wish I could've done more," she mumbles. "Useless. Couldn't do a thing to keep him safe, and now--"

She gestures limply with the hand that holds the cracked comb. One of Ayren's Foci, you realize. Hers.

"Just going to keep happening."

> No. No, it isn't.
> It's no one's fault but his, Boa.
> Keep happening? I don't understand.
> Other

>>36176266
> Keep happening? I don't understand.
Oh no it's going to be the cyclic life where every village totemist dies but leaves an apprentice behind

>>36176266
I'm at a loss. Does keep happening mean that this has happened before with whoever Ayren's teacher was? Or is it specifically with us dying as well?

>>36176266
> Keep happening? I don't understand.

Woah, do we blame Aryen for his death?

>>36176266
> No. No, it isn't.

>>36176266
changing >>36176333 to > No. No, it isn't.

You don't ask question when someone is sobbing in your arms. You reassure them its going to be alright.

>>36176266
>> No. No, it isn't.

We're not going to get any answers and what few jumbled sentences we do get, we get at the cost of Boand spiraling deeper into depression. Reassure now. Reassess later.

>>36176266
>No. No, it isn't.

Osyki might not be as strong or clever as old Overwake, but he's got the drive to come back to those he cares about.

>>36176266
> No. No, it isn't.
> It's no one's fault but his, Boa.
Ayren was a great man. But he could be stupid, sometimes. If he had gone in with allies, or with having acquired the boons of powerful spirits before hand, he might still be alive. We are Osyki the Prepared. We won't make that mistake.

>>36176266
>>36176266
"It doesn't have to. I'm not Ayren, but I can learn from him, and one of the ways I'll do that is realizing just how wonderful you are. You're not useless, and I'm sure you've saved him in the past, and now aren't you stronger? Aren't I going to help make you even more connected? It's not your fault that Ayren is gone, but, if you can bear it, if I can help you bear it, you can stop it from happening again. We can stop it."

I don't know, I'm shit at comforting people. This probably will just make her worse.

>>36176474
Like I'm trying to say that Ayren should have relied on Boand more than he did, he should have been the one to connect her spring to a river.

And that she shouldn't sell herself short and give up, because she's really neat.

>>36176266
> Other
"Nothing is eternal, Boa. I am mortal, I will pass one day. But I'm not going to make the same mistakes that he did. Aryen...he took too much upon himself, and refused to rely on others. He distanced himself so that they wouldn't have to share his burden. But I'm not like that, Boa. I'm not going to leave you, or anyone else for as long as I can."

You shake your head, arm tightening around her. "No. No, it isn't. I promise you that, Boand. What happened was--" you can feel a lump rising in your own throat, now, but you swallow hard. She doesn't need you crying on her. Not now. "What happened to him is not going to happen again."

"You don't know that," he mutters, and there's a note of bitterness in her rebuke. "Gods, Osyki, I thought-- when you disappeared into the swamp just like he did, I didn't know what to think. Fucking -Totemists-." She spits the word with something approaching venom. "Never ask for help when you need it, never think of the consequences. Just f-fucking dive in whole-spirited."

You bite your tongue. She needs to vent. Arguing with her will get you nowhere at the moment, even if she is wrong. She raises the comb, as if to hurl it out into the dark waves, but her arm slumps again before she can throw it. She looks up at you, and finally the messy curtain of hair falls from her face. Her eyes are rimmed with red, her lips so commonly shaped into a wry smile distorted into a slash of anguish across her features. There are small tears still spilling from the corners of her eyes, dappling her legs, feeding the thirsty sands below.

"M'sorry," she croaks. "I know you're not him. I know." Her head falls, and the curtain sweeps into place once more. "You give a d-damn."

New images flicker, hazy through the mist now. Tear-distorted images. Your master's back, laden with weaponry, stalking away into the woods.

"Promise me you'll be careful, alright?"

You nod. "I promise."

She sniffles. Slowly, she raises a forearm to scrub at her eyes. The shudders shaking her body continue, but the wretched sobs have ceased.

> Stay with her on the island.
> Take her into the water. She should stay with you tonight.
> Let her be. You've intruded long enough.

>>36176648
> Stay with her on the island.
Just sit with her, keep her company for as long as she needs it.

>>36176648
> Stay with her on the island.

Uh, so, this seems like a good time to ask. Osyki....he's not "experienced," is he?

>>36176648
> Take her into the water. She should stay with you tonight.

>>36176648
> Take her into the water. She should stay with you tonight.

>>36176648
> Take her into the water. She should stay with you tonight.
I'm not trying to make this lewd I swear. Shut up boner.

>>36176648
> Stay with her on the island.

>>36176648
>Stay with her on the island.
I really don't think it would be a good idea to do anything with Boand right now. Might cause her to conflate us with Ayren even more.

Remember lads. We've got a date with her tomorrow. Let's wait a bit until making our move, yeah? We'll get to know her better then, so let's move from that point onwards rather than blitzing now, yeah?

>>36176648
>> Stay with her on the island.

>>36176648
>Stay with her on the island.
No dickings, just friends.

>>36176825
I wanna see what was in Ayren's drawer we unlocked, just because I figure that he would figure our first celestial binding would likely be with Boand.

>>36176648
Is taking her into the water the lewd option?

>>36176874
Not necessarily, but it's more likely to turn lewd than any other option.

>>36176874

It's definitely the first step toward that route.

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>>36176874
What do you think Anon? What could possibly be the implications of taking, no, carrying a girl onto your bed? Huh?

>>36176648
> Stay with her on the island.

>>36176903
Sure, sure. Definitely.

But would Osyki have the foresight with women to interpret is own actions that way?

>>36176648
> Take her into the water. She should stay with you tonight.

>>36176648
>> Stay with her on the island.

>>36176934
Last time I checked, Osyki didn't have shit leaking from his ears and had a certain appreciation for more shapely proportions of the female form. Also, he knew pretty much the exact state of Boand's and Ayren's relationship.

>>36176648
> Stay with her on the island

>>36176763
>>36176825
>>36176874

Shame on you Anons when we have Elana to deflower first.

>>36176693
>>36176698
>>36176766
>>36176779
>>36176827
>>36176857
>>36176910
>>36176955

> High and Dry

>>36176720
>>36176753
>>36176763
>>36176948

> Stay with Me

>>36176984
We don't even talk to her at all anymore for some reason

>>36176984
Oi. The fuck you playing at mate? I'm trying to get these sots to slow their galloping stallions. Hell, I'm the guy who suggested we take her with on our training session to begin with so that she'd be able to interact with people who *don't* treat her like some sort of siren liable to suck their souls out when the mood strikes her.

You stay there with her for a long while. She doesn't offer any more conversation or arguments, and you're loathe to break the silence lest you conjure up a fresh wave of tears. She makes room for you on the shrine to sit, and the two of you recline against the seashell surface in unbroken quiet. The waves around you grow quiet, the waterfalls slow-- eventually, the surface of the water all around you is placid in its entirety. The moon overhead shines wide and bright atop the lake before you, bathing the both of you in silvery light. It's peaceful. The calm before the storm, or maybe the eye of it.

You'll take what you can get. In the placid quiet, sleep eventually claims you.

---

You awaken with a start. The soft, warm sand falls from your cheek as you bolt upright, casting your gaze left and right. Back at the lake's bottom. Streamers of weak morning light filter down from the surface of the water, casting a wavering web of illumination across the air bubble's surface. You rub your eyes, thinking back to the night before. Did you dream it? It certainly seems a surreal scene, in your mind's eye.

As you prepare to ascend, the air bubble rises with you. It pops after ferrying you to the island's edge. You step dry onto the beach where Boa sits, carefully braiding a length of her hair.

"Good morning," she says, flashing you her customary smile. "Sleep well?"

You nod, rubbing the sleep from your eyes with the heel of one palm. "Better than the last time I took a snooze in a spirit's domain, for sure." You stifle a yawn, still prepared to tread on eggshells around the water spirit. She seems much recovered, but...

"Good," she says, tying a tiny knot at the end of her braid. "Let's get you back to the village then, hmm? You've an apprentice to torment--train, I mean." Another sly smile. She flips her hair over her shoulder, staring at you expectantly.

> Right. To the village.
> You're alright, then?
> Listen, about last night...
> Other

>>36177003
>You're alright, then?

>>36176994
Osyki's been busy the past few days. He still spends time with her when he can.

>>36176994
We've barely been home long enough to see her. And when we are, people opt to play with their new Foci or train Quinn/Terra. Not saying those are bad decisions but we are a busy busy Totemist.

>>36177003
>> You're alright, then?

>>36177003
> You're alright, then?

>>36177003
> Right. To the village.
> Other
"You coming?"

>>36177003
> You're alright, then?

>>36177003
>Right. To the village.
She's not alright, we know she's not alright.

And, well, that's alright.

>>36177003
> Right. To the village.

>>36177026
This works.

You pause, turning your head to shoot her a questioning glance from the corner of your eye. She seems alright, of course. The same Boand as ever, bubbly as a mountain stream, but you're fairly sure you didn't dream last night's events. You open your mouth to question her when you note something.

Sticking out of one of the flaps of your pack is the barest hint of a pearlescent handle.

You close your mouth, nodding. "Right. To the village. You coming along?"

She nods. "Of course! How could I miss the chance to watch you whip your apprentice into shape?" She steps into the water, legs melding seamlessly into her jewel-scaled tail, and extends a hand to you. "We'll travel up the waterway. Quicker than walking by far."

You take her hand, striding into the surf after her. Her tail flexes in the water behind you, and you find yourself surging through the water rapidly. Soon, the grotto is behind you, only the gleaming walls of the river valley flashing past.

"You're alright, then?" you ask her quietly once you're under way.

She nods once, glancing back at you. "Never better," she responds at the same volume. "Thanks."

The transition out of the spirit realm is less abrupt than your entrance. You don't even note the walls of the valley receding until the walls of your village come into view. Boand pulls you down through the river gate, surfacing just within the walls in a plume of water. A few of the villagers nearby gasp, though their momentary surprise seems to fade as you pull yourself up onto the riverbank.

> Head straight to the workshop.
> Stop in elsewhere first.
> Ask Boa... (write-in)
> Other

>>36177218
> Head straight to the workshop.
Let's check out the drawers, then grab Quinn. Oh, and breakfast. We need breakfast.

>>36177218
Let's go visit Elana

>>36177218
>> Head straight to the workshop.

>>36177218
Ask Boand if there's anywhere she'd like to see.

If not, go to the workshop.

You've run for over twelve hours Diarca. In terms of providing a good questing experience, you've gone above and beyond.

Might be a good idea to get some sleep though.

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>>36177410

[[ I was thinking the same, anon. I'm getting to the point where I'm pretty tired. Apologies for the slow thread earlier today, my internet company has been less than sterling of late.

I think I will head to bed. We'll pick up next thread at the Workshop for training. Thanks for playing tonight, anons, and as always I hope you have a good evening. See you next week. Ask page as usual for any questions, comments, concerns, and requests.]]

>>36177474
Yeah, I really should go to bed, too. Thanks for running, Diarca. We got some nice character moments with Boa, it was pretty enjoyable. See you next week.

>>36177474
Thanks for running mate. You're a real champ. G'luck with the wifi woes.

>>36177474
Thanks for the thread.

>>36177474
Thanks for running, Diarca. Couldn't be here yesterday, but waking up to this has brightened my day a lot.

>>36177474
Thanks for running.