>>42565583

You peer over the contents of the letter.

>”Your new neighbor is holed up at the following address. Unfortunately, I’ve got extended and important business to attend to, so consider this a going away present. I look forward to our next meeting. –A”

You sigh and immediately burn the letter in your hands. Given the information you received isn’t false, then Manolo is actually
occupying a place that’s quite close to your own home, and that is too much of a threat to go unattended to for long.

Matthias had told you earlier that eliminating him could potentially bring up a whole new source of problems, so perhaps a less violent approach might be best. But, given his strange demeanor and pets, you wonder how well that will go.

Izu comes rushing down the stairs and stops at your side. “Are we going to take care of him now?” He shadowboxes with the air. “I want to show you just how strong I am.”

“You get a chance soon enough..” You laugh slightly and deftly grab one of his punches. You hold it tightly as you’re lost in thought as to what you should do about this new information.

“Is something wrong, Sophia?” Laurent walks in from the kitchen and approaches you with concern.

>Ignore the letter for now.

>Set up an attack.

>Visit Manolo normally.

>Write in

>>42565628
>>Visit Manolo normally.
>Get a sense of Deja vu'
>Realize Izu shouldn't be here at this time and Ali was still working the stall. Something is wrong here.

>>42565628
You make a mistake, auri? This is stuff from a long time ago.

>>42565726
Anon, Note that Izu should not exist yet, And Ali's hold over the market was not yet complete.

>>42565747
Omfg. fuck you auri, seriously.
>>42565712
Seconding this because I can't trust myself

Hello and welcome back, everyone!

>>42565726
Hehheh.

>>42565712
>>42565800
Continuing on, but something's amiss.

>>42565848
>Writing, of course.

>>42565726
>>42565800
thread 14-15 anon go from there.

>>42565583
pffhaha, right, we were staring straight at a primordial fragment. Part of me is really curious about what would've happened if we brought along that mind thing.

>>42565955
Maybe we did?

>>42566086
We left the baby abomination outside to play with Izu.

Just gonna drop this here

>“Any advice?” You ask, thinking about the task ahead of you.

>She sighs pensively. “It doesn’t exist like us, so it can’t be reasoned with using any emotions we’re familiar with. It’s more of a force than it is a creature, but it can still affect your mind in very profound and horrifyingly permanent ways. “She stops and her piercing blue eyes look directly into your own. “But no matter how much it warps itself and your thoughts, there will always be a sign to where it’s rooted in your mind, and that’s where you’ll be able to bind it.”

>>42565870

You wipe the ashes off your hands. “Nothing to get too worried about.” You paint a small smile on your face. “Just rest up, the two of you. We’ll be heading out soon.”

Laurent’s concern and Doubt still shows on his face, but he eventually relents.

Izu sits on the arm of your of your chair. “I learned some new stuff just for this.”

“Well then, it’s good that I’m bringing you along, isn’t it?” You push him to the ground. “Now go get yourself ready.

He heeds your words and rushes back to your up the stairs toward your room, while you still sit in the parlor room, formulations Of plans heavy on your mind.

~

The low light of the afternoon sun extends the shadows of all the things you walk by, darkening and obscuring them from plain sight.
Your dagger taps lightly at your hip as you walk with Laurent and Izu in silence. Your destination is Nearby.

A strange wave of déjà vu comes over you, so you rub your eyes in hopes of making it go away. You need to focus on the Task at hand.

“We’re just going to talk to Manolo for now. But if he tries anything foolish…” You smile confidently. “Then I have the both of you to protect me.”

“Without a doubt.”

“Roger!”

[1/2]

File: 8.jpg (86 KB, 648x399)

86 KB JPG

>>42566586

Your destination suddenly appears before you. Leave it To that creep Manolo to pick one of the most foreboding houses in the area. The setting sun behind it makes the entire face of the building veiled from view, like a memory. The trees around it extend their branches ever upward, their leaves swaying uniformly in the breeze.

You approach the large wood door and almost instinctually Reach for the handle, and are overcome with another wave déjà vu. The hollow thumping goes largely Unheard by you as, you’re lost in thought.

Words are spoken that you felt that you’ve heard before and you reply emptily as if reciting lines.

“I was hoping that we could talk.” You reply flatly.

More words are exchanged and you’re lead into the house. The Shadows all around you, just as you knew they would, and everything feels familiar, like you’re watching a play of your own life, except for one Thing.

Suddenly, you have him pinned to the ground as he spits insults at you in his own language. How did you get here...? Laurent’s rushing to open the curtains, but..

“IZU!” You shout to the boy who just finished off one of Manolo’s pets.

He instantly rushes to your side and hands you your dagger. “You have to do it, so we can leave!” His eyes turn to the intensely stirring shadows.

You suddenly remember the task at hand as you stare down at the tears streaming from Manolo’s eyes. Your grip tightens around the dagger.

>Kill him.

>Write in.

>>42566620
Welp, This is going out on a limb.
>Bind Izu

>>42566620
Nah. Why would Izu even HAVE the dagger, when it was at our hip?
>Keep dagger, seal Manolo in place, pick Izu up for an interrogation/roasting

>>42566620
Seal Izu in place

Oh, and keep an eye on Laurent. He's the only one who's been keeping to the script, right? Maybe he's faking it.

>>42566620
Oh hell no. Dirty fucker trying to use Izu to get to us.

Bind and interrogate "Izu"

Guys, if you read the words that are capitilized that shouldn't be it spells
Dont trust
But we don't know who yet

>>42566709
>>42566715
>>42566760
>>42566773
>>42566785
Something's REALLY amiss.

>Writing~

>>42566810
>>42566855
>using the oldest trick in the book
For shame Auri.

>>42566810
Notice how Izu's name is Bolded all the way across.

>>42567116
DONT TRUST IZU

>>42566855

The task… This isn’t right, this isn’t where you’re supposed to be.

The palace! You’re supposed to be underneath the palace binding that being. This is nothing more than one of your memories, and that thing is using it to make you forget your real task.

But if it’s just a memory, then someone isn’t supposed to be here.

You immediately turn to izu to bind him, but he simply laughs and disappears into the darkness of the manor.

“Figured it huh?” Manolo laughs lightly under your hold.

You press the tip of your dagger to his throat. “Let me out or else you will sorely regret it.” You spit coldly at him.

He only laughs harder. “I don’t have any power to do anything besides what I’ve done already, Sophia.”

“What do you mean?” You press harder with your dagger.

“I’m only a part of your mind.” He holds up his hands, signaling his intent on not fighting. "Just an aspect of a memory."

You let him slide out, but keep your blade focused on him. “Why wasn’t I able to seal that thing?”

He fixes his ruffled hair. “Let’s see…I would say it’s because you’re limited to what you were capable of when this memory occurred. Thus, no sealing. Entiendes?”

[1/2]

>>42567553

You stand. “Then how do I find where it’s rooted?”

He shrugs again. “I guess following him would be your best bet.” He looks back to Laurent, who’s completely frozen in place, yanking a curtain open. “There’s nothing left here.”

You turn to the shadowy hall that Izu disappeared into. “What’s beyond there?”

“How the hell would I know that?” Manolo scoffs. “As I am, I’m limited to this room, so from there on, I can’t help you.”

You sigh. “Well, I guess this time you live.”

“Yeah, thanks.” He responds sarcastically and leans back on the ground. “Do be careful, Sophia. That thing had its eye on some of your other memories, important looking ones. While you were able to spot him early this time, who knows what you might lose if you miss him…And maybe not just your memories.”

With Manolo’s words heavy on your mind, you proceed into the shadows and suddenly find yourself falling into a void.

Your eyes snap open, and you find yourself back in your quarters in the palace.

That thing must be somewhere nearby, after scanning your room and finding nothing in sight, you proceed toward the door.

This time, you find that the doorknob is annoyingly out of reach.

You’ve got to kidding…

Not only the doorknob, but everything is larger and much more imposing than it ever was before. Not letting that stop you, you pull up a chair to the knob.

You’re suddenly overcome with a vague memory of being told to stay in the room until someone came back.

This is a memory, so surely you’re limited to what you did when you were actually this age. Whatever that was, you’re not quite sure, but the more time you waste, the harder that thing is going to be to find and bind.

>Leave the room.

>Stay where you are.

>Write in.

>>42567587
>Leave the room.
We were never a good girl.

>>42567642
Going with the single vote this time.

>Writing~

>>42567587
Find your doll

>>42567779
dammit

>>42567837
I'll add this.

>>42567854
Sounds good.

We cant even fly, huh?

>>42568291
Not quite yet.

>>42567779
You doubt you’re going to find anything by sitting around here, so you press your weight on doorknob and try not to get pulled along with it swinging open.

The emptiness of the long and ornate hallway sends chills running through your body, so you flee back to your bed.

It’s just a hallway!

But you’re scared.

There’s nothing there.

But you’re still scared.

You tremble in both fear and annoyance at very young body you find yourself limited to.

Your eyes wander over to immense wardrobe standing in your room. You don’t know how it will help, but you rush over to it, and open the hidden compartment.

Inside you find the doll carved in your likeness and grasp it firmly with both hands. For some unknown reason, you find yourself much braver than you were a few moments ago.

You step out into the gargantuan hallway and find no one in sight. You small bare feet slap against the tile, echoing softly all around you.

A soft light emits itself from the main room at the end of the hall, so you make it your target, still tightly clutching the doll to your chest.

Every step you take hastens the beat of your tiny heart, until you can feel its lively pounding clear in your chest.

[1/2]

File: tid1.jpg (210 KB, 995x1329)

210 KB JPG

>>42568524

You step into the grand room, and a feeling of comforting warmth washes over you, as you feel the heat of the flames in the small lanterns upon your skin. The lanterns’ light shows two figures sleeping peacefully in their bed as you scan the room.

The sight of the massive moon through the balcony opening catches your eye, and without much thought, you head over there.

The whole city of Impel lies beneath you, and the dull light of the moon illuminates the city that you’re kept so securely secret from.

A strong wind suddenly blows past, snuffing the light behind you. Suddenly silhouetted against the moon is a strange creature who descends upon the wind.

You flee from the balcony and watch as it lands. It’s strange human-sized body moves slowly as it senses its surroundings. Its many mandible jaw writhe before it as it steps into the room.

It approaches the bed where the two figures sleep. You try to scream out, but you voice in caught in your throat out of fear.

It pins the two figures under its massive claws, and then seems to notice you. “What are you going to do, petite fleur?” It mocks in a familiar voice. “Your parents will soon be my food, and it will all be your fault. So run, coward. Run!”

It turns back to the bed and opens its mandibles wide.

It’s all your fault.

You try to ignore its words. Surely this isn’t where you need to be right now. This isn’t even a memory and there's nothing you can even do in this small body!

>Flee.

>Write in.

>>42568582
Flee

>>42568582
>Flee

>>42568582
>Stand your ground.
It wasn't your fault when your parents really died, and this isn't your fault either.

>>42568582
Seal/burn/scream at it, It's a representation of us running when we were small and weak later in the lands of humanity.

>>42568643
>>42568676
and
>>42568689
>>42568703
These two are grouped together because they involve similar actions.

I will be waiting for a tie-breaker for this one.

>>42568643
>>42568676
Guys this is obviously a trap come on vote smart.

>>42568689
I think we can at least agree that it happened and we have to accept it right?

>>42568872
We are voting smart

>>42568947
Yes, but it didn't happen to mantis monster in a palace, it was done by human bandits.

>>42568954
It wants us to flee, Just like Izu wanted us to kill Manolo.

>>42568947
Accepting it means facing it.
If we run, we'll never overcome that mental trauma that auri mentioned.

>>42568981
Were they killed by bandits? If they were,

>>42568852
Ill change my vote

>>42569016
Could you link to your original vote, please? Just to make sure I don't mess something up.

>>42568582
attack

>>42568981
Or it's goading us into confronting it when we're weak and tiny

>It told us to run so that must be what it wants. Lies? What are lies?

Think a little man.

>>42569042
>>42569037
since this is a new ip post does it count?

>>42569042
It's a new vote and I'm pretty sure that other person was changing his vote away from fleeing so...

Attacking/standing our ground.

>Writing~

>>42569089

You’re not a child anymore, so you can’t keep believing those words.

“It’s not my fault…” You barely manage to mumble.

It stops and holds its head in the air. “Silence, child. You know nothing so-“

“It’s not my fault!” You shout as loud as your little lungs will allow you to.

Memory or not, this is your mind and you’re not going to let it run rampant here.

You grab a lantern with a small ember of flame still burning inside of it, and hurl it as hard as you can at its head.

It connects directly, and the creature immediately begins to fall back from the bed.

You throw anything and everything you can get your hands on. “You will not stop me from getting what I want ever again!”

With nothing else left to throw, you throw your doll directly into its face, hearing the meaty squelch of the impact.

It shrinks smaller and smaller from your assault, until it hardly stands taller than your foot.

You raise your foot to finish the memory as it’s supposed to be, and slam down upon it, feeling it come apart underneath your toes.

You shudder in disgust at the feeling and scrape your foot off on the tile.

Your senses begin to warp, as the space around you distorts into blinding light, and reforms around you.

“You’re almost….It’s…There…going.” A faint voice calls out to you just before you find yourself standing in your old room in the human realm.

[1/2]

>>42569823

Your grandfather lies in the bed, coughing and gurgling heavily as he struggles to catch some air.

You walk over to the window and see that the outside sky is mosaic of random colors, all pulled from various vestiges of your memory and hastily put together.

A hacking wet cough sounds out through the room, as your grandfather drastically struggles to speak. “deAL” He eventually spits out.

So, here you are…How appropriate for an end.

His skin twists and pulls in various directions, struggling to keep together. His irises are a deep black as he speaks to you, and a thick black liquid leaks from all of his orifices, staining the bed with its color.

“PowER. YoU WANt.” He hacks heavily again, sending a black spittle into the air, and writhes as if the mere act of communicating with you is agonizingly painful. A heavy and loud bubbling sounds out from beneath the covers, and fetid smells fills the room.

It’s trying to negotiate with you. You continue to watch as your grandfather heaves with wide bloodshot eyes, and blood trickling from the side of his mouth.

“nO prisOneR, I StaY HeRE thEN Deal.” He manages to squeeze out in between wheezing and shallow breaths.

Your eyes wander over to large heavy pillow near the bed. Is it time to end this memory as it was supposed to end or to pursue a different path?

>Smother your grandfather, and end this.

>”Deal.”

>Write in.

>>42569876
>Smother your grandfather, and end this.
It's desperate now so lets not fall for it.

>>42569876
>>Smother your grandfather, and end this.
We already got our own. We dont need one that can cause us problems.

>>42569876


>”Deal.”
Time for one hell of an upgrade.

>>42569984
>>42570020
Good-night.

>Writing~

>>42569876
A L E R U W A N O O R Y H R E E N D

A L P E R Y U W A N O O R I S Y H R E E N D

Darn it I can't decode this

>Smother your grandfather, and end this.

>>42570089
anagram

>>42570214
Decode it for me then please.

>>42570228
A L E R U W A N O O R Y H R E E N D

U R --- A L E W A N O O R Y H R E E N D

U R A --- L E W A N O O R Y H R E E N D

U R A FAGET

Decoded.

>>42570341
Yes, yes, and you're a dick anon. If you can't be helpful shut the fuck up.

>>42570420
Well I tried to be helpful with humor, but it didn't work, so here's a hint:

You're trying too hard.

>>42570075

Your grandfather handed you pillow originally, but this time, you’re going to have to take the initiative.

As you grab the pillow, it does its best to try to flee from you, but the old and decrepit form that it occupies now hardly allows it move a few inches before you’ve already set upon it.

The old body struggles weakly underneath your pressure for several long moments, before it finally stops, but you keep holding on.

Suddenly with more vigor, the old body twitches and tightens in various parts, but this spark of life is short lived as your grandfather finally slumps down again, never to rise again.

“I refuse.” You announce aloud and watch as the world it constructed in your mind begins to shatter, and glimpses of that forbidden pit crystallize around, until it finally becomes whole.

Your hands are tightly wrapped around the skin of the useless body where that being is bound inside, it’s warmth with life, but other than that it lies perfectly still.

The Empress laughs wearily next to you. “It put up a fight on this end, let me assure you of that.”

For the first time ever, you see small speckles of blood on her clothes that don’t belong to someone else.

“This better be worth it.” You grunt as you rise to feet, which are surrounded by piles of mashed organic matter. “I need a bath.”

You hand the body to The Empress and the two of you leave the pit without looking back.

[1/2]

>>42570762

“You’re changed.” The Empress comments, knowingly.

“Irrelevantly. I will still do what needs to be done.” You answer back, immediately.

“I don’t doubt it.” The Empress’s eyes turn to the path leading back to the palace. “The main army will be arriving very soon. With it, our vehicle to be rid of that thing in The Maw. And this…” She holds up the useless body. “Will be our weapon.”

“We’ll be busy then?” You ask with a small laugh.

“Terribly so.” The Empress smiles briefly, but her face hardens again. “It’s bound to have its own plans in motion, so this conquest will almost certainly require more of us than this previous siege.”

The two of you proceed in thoughtful silence until you reach the top of the forgotten tower and are about to go your separate ways.

The Empress sighs heavily. “Rest, Sophia. I know I will.”

You bow your farewell before heading down your own path.

The wheel is in motion, and it won’t be stopped now. Only a few more steps remain until the time where you reveal your true hand, but first and foremost, a bath. You can still practically feel all the sensations you went through, while binding that creature, on your skin.

~

>>42570790
Okay, that's where I'm going to be ending it for tonight. I apologize for briefer run, but I want to thank everyone that played today!

It's almost certain that there will be no thread this Saturday, and the next week is going be very hectic for me, However! This doesn't mean that I won't try to fit in time to run, but it might occur on different days than the usual.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post them in the thread, and I will do my best to respond to them.

If not, then I wish you a good/night, and hope to see you again next time!

>(Twitter)
https://twitter.com/QM_Auri

>>42570850
thx 4 runin budi gud thred

>>42570877
You're very welcome!

>>42570850
So besides no longer blaming herself for her parents death, what else changed for Sophia? We going to level due to control? Did we catch everything fast enough to avoid the large changes?

>>42570919
We gonna get aother cloak upgrade for that?

>>42570923
While I can't list exactly how, the change in Sophia will have a chain effect. I haven't yet decided whether or not to allow another level with Control, but it is a possibility. Yes! All of you did very well, which made me quite glad, because the consequences of extensive failing were going to be very harsh.

>>42570986
I'm still considering that.

>>42571010
we did just mentally beat down an Old One

>>42571010
Would you say it made her more stable or less? Also will she be even bitchier and colder now?

>>42571010
what was the last anagram?

>>42571027
>>42571010
I wanna put it into our pyro for our fight with aya. We still aint good enough

>>42571047
That was just the armor shit. It shouldn't affect her base personality much

>>42571048
We have hard to redirect flames and they're explosions now. Sophia is starting to exponentially level, which should be scary as fuck for everyone.

>>42571027
Kind of. For one, it had a very powerful person to deal with physically, so that took away a large portion of his attention. Secondly, it was your domain, so you had more of an advantage because of that.

>>42571047
I would say not much of an effect in terms of that, but maybe a little more stable. Her cold attitude is firmly part of who she is, and will remain so.

>>42571048
I am very sorry! But those random capitalizations were simply there to signify a widely quaking and varying in pitch voice.

>>42570850
In our younger form, were we as cute or cuter than Izu?

>>42571163
A bit of a one sided question there, but disregarding what Sophia would say, the closeness would make it come down to individual opinion.

>>42571111
How badly hurt was the Usurper?

>>42571260
The injuries were superficial, but the simple fact is that she got hit.

Okay, I'll be stepping out for the night. Until next time!