>>3377689
Previous Thread:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/3356154/

>Character: Tristan - A Knight of the New Covenant Temple
>Rank - Knight

>Equipment:
>1 crucifix
>1 black Kevlar stab-proof jacket
>1 pocket radio headset
>1 Tactical Knife
>1 Folding Straightsword
>1 Pocket Grimoire
>1 Pocket Bible

>Traits
>Pious: 1

Some of the equipment wasn’t mentioned in the last thread because it wasn’t very relevant. Sorry.

Previously on Modern Fantasy Quest
Tristan infiltrated the headquarters of a dangerous Cult, headpatted a Loli, and convinced the Cult’s Pastor to follow him out of a room, leaving behind a potentially dangerous non-human.

May 20XX
The Pastor was rushing forwards ahead of you towards what you assumed was the front door to the Farmhouse. He already sounded out of breath, but it was still impressive how such a large man could be so quick. Already, you you were in the hallway leading out of the basement.

>You’re right behind him, this is your change. Stab him.

>Wait for him to go down the hallway a bit so you have room to use your sword

>Continue following him

>>3377724
Also, as almost always
>Other

So based on feedback from the last thread, I'll be trying to hold regular sessions as well as updating sporadically throughout the day.

Tonight, I'm lurking 8-12 PM Eastern Time, and I'll write updates as soon as I get enough votes that I think I have a majority.

My planned schedule is 10-2 PM Eastern Time on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays as that is the most convenient time for me, but if it doesn't overlap with everyone's schedules, there's no harm in shifting it back one or two hours.

As always, feedback and questions are welcomed pls no bully

>>3377724
>Continue following him

>>3378005
Eh, a vote's a vote
Just to make sure, you're up to date, right anon?

>>3377754
Shit, I meant 10 PM to 2 AM

>Continue following him

You decide to bide your time. With his guard down, The Pastor might as well be helpless. So you follow him down the hallway and up the stairs. You follow him through the unlit house to the front door. The door was framed by windows, letting the moonlight into the room. Save for the moonlight, the foyer was completely dark.

The Pastor hurriedly opened the door, stepping outside. Just outside the patio was the sprawling camp, now completely dark, it’s Cultist residents having retired to the insides of their tents and trailers.

Of course, contrary to what you had promised him, there was no one waiting outside for The Pastor’s judgement.

When he saw that there was no one outside, he turned to you in confusion.

“Tristan, what is the meaning of this?” He asked, serious and very nervous.

>Your cover’s blown. Kill him (With what?)

>Talk you way out (What say?)

>Run away

>Other

>>3378243
Talk your way out (convince him you overheard nathan speak about double crossing the pastor thats why you had to find a way to get him away from him. You hope you can glean some intel throughthe pastors own loose lips)

>>3378272
Well, since you're the only reply for a while, I'll take your vote

>>3378272
“I’m sorry Pastor,” You quickly apologize. If you wait any longer and allow his doubt to grow, your spell on him might unravel. “I needed to speak to you in private.”

The next thing you said was an elaborate lie, woven on half-truths based on your theories about the guests in the House.

“I overheard Nathan speaking to the other guests behind the doors … They were talking about killing you.”

The Pastor’s face quickly falls hearing your words, at first seemingly grieved, then filled with rage, before settling on a forlorn expression like that of a lost child. Seeing him falter to your words, you hurriedly rush on, injecting a note of nervous apprehension in your voice. “T-that’s why I needed to get you away from Nathan, I had no idea how to tell you … I-I’m sorry.”

Your fake stammering seemed to work as The Pastor clamps his hand down on your shoulder and squeezing it affectionately. He seemed to have gathered his resolve.

“Don’t worry, Tristan.” He said in a fatherly voice. “It’s good that you told me. Don’t worry, our family will pull through it together. Remember, Christ with us.”

Waves of magical influence crash onto your mental shields again. You fight off the urge to shrug off his hand in disgust. But your mentor did well in cultivating your sense of self-control. It wouldn’t do to blow your cover, you had a goal to accomplish and The Pastor was a valuable source of information.

>”How are you planning to deal with Nathan?”

>”Why is Nathan visiting you?”

>Your cover’s done enough for you, It’s time for him to die … in front of his Camp … surrounded by a sleeping army of his followers.

>Other

>>3378574
Reminder of the spells Tristan has temporarily memorized
>Sleight of the Mind - Tristan can lace his words with arcane influence, convincing people to overlook small things
>Minute Sanctification - Tristan can sanctify something he touches, diminishing the flow of magic around it. The effect is limited in both size and scope.

>>3378574
>why is nathan visiting you?

>why is nathan visiting you?

“Pastor …” You haltingly begin “May I ask you a question?”

The Pastor’s small mouth crinkled into a smile. “Sure, as long as I can answer it.”

You pause as if apprehensive before asking, “Why are you meeting such dangerous people? Why did those guests come here in the first place?”

The Pastor sighs, before squeezing your shoulder. “Let me worry about that, Tristan … although I’ll give you a small hint. Let’s just say it has to do with my work … Now, Tristan, I want you to wake everyone in the Camp up. I want to mob Nathan and the other guests before they have a chance to escape.”

>Wake the camp up to mob Nathan and The Pastor’s suspicious guests

>Continue pressing The Pastor for information (What say?)

>”Pastor, are you sure it’s … safe to attack Nathan?” The Pastor probably knows that Nathan isn’t exactly human, but he probably doesn’t know how dangerous they can be. You do.

>Other

>>3378774
Kill the Pastor

It's twelve so I'll leave this up for the night
See y'all tomorrow night.

>>3378774
>>”Pastor, are you sure it’s … safe to attack Nathan?” The Pastor probably knows that Nathan isn’t exactly human, but he probably doesn’t know how dangerous they can be. You do.

>>3379345
>”Pastor, are you sure it’s … safe to attack Nathan?” The Pastor probably knows that Nathan isn’t exactly human, but he probably doesn’t know how dangerous they can be. You do.

>”Pastor, are you sure it’s … safe to attack Nathan?” you ask. From the information you had, you were sure The Pastor was an amateur to the world of the Esoteric, unfamiliar with the danger it’s denizens could present. It was unsafe to gather a mob to antagonize Nathan, depending on what exactly he was, dozens of lives might be lost in the attempt without even successfully subduing him.

The question was, how would you convince The Pastor to deal with Nathan more cautiously without blowing your cover?

>”H-he’s not human, right? I-is it safe to attack him?” You aren’t sure to what extent the Cult at large is aware of the unnatural, but at this point, this is the safest way to convince The Pastor to be more cautious.

>”I-I thought he was working for a boss … W-wouldn’t his boss get upset if we attacked him?” You try to avoid the topic of the supernatural, but still reveal that you overheard some of their conversation.

>”B-but he seems pretty dangerous … I-is it safe to attack him?” You reveal nothing, but your argument has no concrete reason to be taken seriously.

>Do what The Pastor says.

>Other

>>3380047
>”I-I thought he was working for a boss … W-wouldn’t his boss get upset if we attacked him?” You try to avoid the topic of the supernatural, but still reveal that you overheard some of their conversation.

“I-I thought he was working for a boss.” You mock-stutter again. “W-wouldn’t his boss get upset if we attacked him?”

“Ah, you heard us talking didn’t you?” The Pastor sighs. “Well, it can’t be helped. Hopefully, Marion will understand when I explain Nathan’s intentions to him. Besides, we won’t kill Nathan. We can keep him as a hostage to demand I get the chance to talk safely to Marion … Now, Tristan, we can’t waste any more time. Wake the men up quietly and gather them in front of the house. Send a group behind to block the back door.”

>Ask more questions. Hopefully you don’t aggravate The Pastor’s temper. (What say?)

>Gather the men of the Cult together

>Kill The Pastor as silently as possible before he can rouse his Cult, you’ll have to deal with the risk of potentially waking members up and getting mobbed

>Other

Sorry for the frequent short updates, but you’ve been engaged in a lot of conversation and information-gathering so it’s hard to write anything other than that. Good job in avoiding a potential bad end by the way.

>>3381020
>gather the men of the cult together

>gather the men of the cult together

>>3381020
>>Kill The Pastor as silently as possible before he can rouse his Cult, you’ll have to deal with the risk of potentially waking members up and getting mobbed

Vote Called. Writing.

>gather the men of the cult together

You worry that if you delay your actions any longer, The Pastor will grow suspicious. After all, he was using mind-controlling magic on his followers and probably not used to being questioned. Besides, restraining Nathan would be a minor victory. At least it would neutralize a potentially dangerous non-human.

First, you walk to the closest tent and whisper into it, “Wake up. The Pastor told me to gather the men outside the farmhouse.” You imbue your words with magic. Even though you normally wouldn’t be recognized by any Cult members, no one will question that you do, in fact, carry an order from The Pastor.

There is rustling inside the tent.

“Dear, where are you going?” You hear the sleepy voice of a woman.

“Outside. I think The Pastor needs help with something,” replies a deeper voice.

“Huh, where’s daddy going?” The squeaky voice of a young boy. Their son?

“Go to sleep Andrew.” The female voice again. “Your daddy just needs to step outside for a minute.”

Then, you hear the sound of a zipper. A flap opens and a thin, balding man steps into the cool night air, still zipping his windbreaker shut. Briefly, you catch a glimpse of a tired-looking woman and a very small child hugging her side. You inwardly shudder at the vacant look in both their eyes.

But you have a role to play. “Go to the other tents and wake the other men,” you tell him. “Once you’re finished, gather them in front of the farmhouse. The Pastor has something he wants to tell you.”

The man nods obediently and pulls a small flashlight out of his windbreaker. He turns it on, illuminating the path in front of him.

The Templar recruited for near-perfect eyesight and excellent night-vision. You had not even noticed how dark the night was.

***

The camp was bustling with silent movement as it’s men woke themselves up and slowly congregated in front of the Farmhouse. You personally selected four of them and sent them to guard the back door while the others organized themselves.

The Crowd was growing restless. “Why are we getting together in the middle of the night?” You heard one man ask in the crowd.

“The Pastor wants us for something …” Another replied.

“But what does he need us for?’

“Dunno ...”

But just as the restlessness of the Crowd was about to reach its peak, The Pastor stepped out the front door of The Farmhouse. Clutched in both hands was the battered form of a double-barreled shotgun.

Any other crowd would have just grown more agitated by the glistening barrel of a gun, but at the sight of The Pastor, the crowd immediately calmed down.

1/2

“Everyone, I have something very important to discuss with you.” The Pastor said. While others would have roared and boomed to rile up the crowd, The Pastor spoke softly, forcing everyone to listen carefully to him.

“Time is of the essence, so I shall be brief.” No preamble, he just got to the point. “We have dangerous criminals who lied their way into receiving my hospitality staying in this house right now.”

Sounds of shock and indigance came from the crowd. The Pastor waited a bit for everything to quiet down. Once his congregation was quiet again, he continued.

“Let me remind you all why we abandoned our homes, our jobs. It was to protect the way of life we knew was righteous. If we had stayed in our homes, we would never have been able to work towards the service of God’s kingdom. But we persevered! We sacrificed wonderful homes, promising careers, all to move and live together as one body. We put the sum of our lives on the altar as a burnt offering to further our Great Work. We knew the cost was nothing in the face of the coming kingdom. Truly, we store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

The Pastor stood silent, waiting for the impact of his words to settle. Then, he finished his impromptu midnight sermon.

“Tonight, we must rise to protect the treasures of heaven.” Suddenly, The Pastor’s tone was all business. “I want half of you to form a cordon around the house. The other half, go into the house. Split into two groups, one for the guests on the upper floor, one to catch the one in the basement.”

“Gentlemen?” The Pastor paused dramatically, “That is all.” He finished.

Under his direction, the men of the Cult moved quickly to their positions. You wonder how much of their coordination was really theirs and how much was compulsion from The Pastor.

But you had to join in, if you didn’t want to stand out.

>Join the cordon

>Join the group storming the upper floor

>Join the group searching the basement

>Stay with The Pastor. You might be able to get in some questions while everyone was working.

>Other

>>3382463
>join the group searching the basement.

>join the group searching the basement.

You followed the group of two-dozen or so men going into the basement. At least Nathan was a known threat, a non-human. It was best to neutralize the threats you knew about first, wasn’t it?

The small mob of men surged down the basement stairs and dispersed throughout the basement. They were determined to search every nook and cranny. As for you, you head straight to the strange room where you found The Pastor, sharpening your senses, listening to the airflow and glancing in every shadow in your path. You knew how dangerous a non-human could be.

Entering, you find The Pastor’s room untouched. Not a single book had been moved in his study, nor a single beaker in his laboratory overturned. Unfortunately, it is also empty. Nathan is gone.

Just then, a cry rang through the basement. “Everyone! I found something!”

You exit the room, joining the recongregating mob, intrigued by what could have been found. You and the mob go to where the voice was heard … a storage room. The same room from which you entered the house.

“Look boys,” One of the searchers gestures towards the window. Of course, it it still open from when you entered. It had been too high in the wall for you to close. Outside, no one would have noticed as the window was hidden in a shadow, but it was clear that someone could have wriggled out from inside the basement.

“They must have escaped!” a man exclaimed. There was no other explanation, there wasn’t a trace of Nathan in the basement.

***

“There was an open window upstairs as well?” The Pastor questioned a member of the upper floor search party.

“Yes,” He confirmed, “We found an open window in one of the bedrooms. All the guest bedroom doors were open when we went upstairs to catch them as well.

The entire search party recongregated outside the farmhouse. Not a single guest was found. The searchers even woke up the Cultists who were staying in the farmhouse to question them, but they claimed to not have noticed anything strange in the night.

But you knew they had been here! At least Nathan you had seen, and your mental shields should have protected you from any illusions. They couldn’t have gotten past the cordon unnoticed … that meant that all the guests had escaped even before the search had begun. Had they heard the preparations of the Cult to catch them?

But The Pastor seemed to be too tired to continue to pursue the matter. “Men,” He says wearily, “Have a few of you guard the house. Sleep in shifts. The rest of you, return to bed.” He sighed. “If anything comes up, I’ll be in my room.”

With that, he went back down into the basement.

You have nothing to do.

>Join the night watch

>Go to your room upstairs (Not that you have one)

>Investigate upstairs

>Follow The Pastor. You still have some questions.

>Follow The Pastor. He’ll be alone, now’s the chance to kill him.

>Other

>>3383045
>Join the night watch

During our shift we should have the perfect opportunity to slip in and kill the pastor

>>3383045
>Follow The Pastor. He’ll be alone, now’s the chance to kill him.
If Nathan's gone from the immediate vicinity, that just leaves the Pastor to deal with.

>>3384391
>>3384418
Guess I'll have to combine the options. Writing.

File: Door1.jpg (3.45 MB, 4000x3000)

3.45 MB JPG

There are still too many people for you to investigate or follow The Pastor without drawing attention, and you doubt you could cast a Sleight of the Mind powerful enough to influence an entire crowd. At the same time, you need a reason to stay up and not return to your room. Not that you have a room, per say.

So you volunteer for the night watch, along with ten other men.

You volunteer for the first shift so that you would be free before morning comes. You and the four other members of the shift split up to watch the doors, broken windows, and living room.

“I’ll take the living room.” You volunteer. Of course, your words are enhanced by a spell. The other sentries agree worthlessly before dispersing throughout the house to their stations. It will be a few hours before the shift is relieved.

You are all alone.

You wait for a few minutes to make sure everyone has settled down. Then, you leave your post, as silent as a shadow. This is your chance.

You know The Pastor is still in the basement, he headed down there right before dismissing the mob. You follow his path, slipping down the stairs and down the hallway to his room. Thankfully, his room is on the other side of the hallway than the room where you broke in, you won’t have to deal with the sentry there.

It is barely half a minute before you reach the closed door again.

>The door is probably locked. Kick it down and take on The Pastor before he understands what is happening.

>Try opening the door yourself. Kicking down the door will draw too much attention.

>Listen to what he is doing inside before you make your move

>Knock on the door and see if he invites you in

>Other

Also

>What weapon does Tristan choose?

>>3385980
>Listen to what he is doing inside before you make your move
Don't want to go in unaware.

>>3385980
>Listen to what he is doing inside before you make your move

>>3385980
>Listen to what he is doing inside before you make your move

>Listen to what he is doing inside before you make your move

Vote called. Writing.

>Listen to what he is doing inside before you make your move

But something makes you pause before kicking down the door and killing The Pastor. It’s the sound coming from behind the door.

It was a grotesque sound, a slurping, sucking sound punctuated by a blood-curdling grinding. Was what was behind the door even human?
You waited behind the door, trying to make sense of what you are hearing, but no matter how long you wait, all you ever heard was the hideous sounds of slurping grinding punctuated every so often by a phlegmy cough, as if whatever was behind the door seemed to hack and wheeze like something was stuck in its throat.

>Kick down the door

>Open the door

>Knock on the door and see if whatever is behind it invites you in

>Other

Also

>What weapon does Tristan choose?

>>3387337
Kick down the door

Sword

>>3387337
>Open the door
Hopefully it won't notice us so we can get more of a drop on it.
>Bible
Given it's likely supernatural we might be able to exorcise it.

>>3387481
Just to let you know, Tristan is a knight, not a priest. While he currently knows a minor exorcism, a bible isn't anything other than a book in his hands. It's more carried because Tristan is religious than because it grants him powers.
Sorry if I didn't make it clear.

>>3387519
Ah, I was thinking it could improve the power of the exorcism somehow. Sword it is then, I guess.

>>3387337
>Open the door
Sword

Vote Called. Writing.

File: Imagine This Sharper.jpg (26 KB, 500x336)

26 KB JPG

>Open the door
>Sword

You reach into your pocket, and pull out your folded straightsword. Folded, it is barely more than an handle. You flick your hand, sending the full length of the blade shooting out. A meter-long length sharpened steel, it will let you handle almost any supernatural threat from a relatively safe distance. You give it a few experimental swings. As always, the blade is securely locked into place.

Then, as quietly as possible, you try the door handle. Of course, it’s locked. Who wouldn’t lock their door after being threatened by an intruder in the night? Well, there are always other entry options.

>You knock on the door. Hopefully The Pastor is inside and will open it for you, where else would he be? Besides, kicking down the door would attract attention from the sentries inside the house.

>You kick down the door. Whatever it is that’s behind the door, you don’t want it to welcome you, or even see you coming. Besides, since when did a few cultists compare to a fully trained Knight of the Templar?

>Other

>>3387793
You kick down the door. Whatever it is that’s behind the door, you don’t want it to welcome you, or even see you coming. Besides, since when did a few cultists compare to a fully trained Knight of the Templar

> Try to pick the Lock, if we fail kick the door down.

> I think we should use the Grimorum and load up the minor exorcism in our Brain before trying the door, even if it is not a powerful enough spell on it's own, it may cause enough distraction to make use of our superior Swordplay skills with a good opening.

>>3388151
If you have an idea on how to pick the lock without any equipment, I'd love a write-in, since I have no idea how I'd write that.
Also, you already have the minor exorcism loaded up.

>>3378594
>>3388151
>>3388164
Welp, I just realized I copypasted the wrong thing. Tristan has the Minute Exorcism, not the Minute Sanctification. That's a big mistake on my part.

Corrected list of spells Tristan temporarily memorized
>Sleight of the Mind - Tristan can lace his words with arcane influence, convincing people to overlook small things
>Minute Exorcism - Tristan can exorcise something he touches, dispelling any magic intrinsic to that object’s nature. The effect is not very strong against highly magical things.

>>3388151

Thanks!
Here are my Lockpick suggestions.....

> Try to pick the lock with a Paperclip you were using as a bookmark in the Grimorum or use the Crucifix while praying for aid in your task.

By use crucifix I mean use as a blessed lockpick..... You never said how large or thin it is so we may just be lucky enough to have the perfect item for the job..... or not.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

Due to a lack of votes, we'll decide which option to pick via 1d6
>Odds - Kick down door
>Evens - Pick lock

If subtlety didn’t work, there was almost always a forceful alternative. You give the door an almighty kick, knocking it off its hinges and sending it flying a good three feet into The Pastor’s room. You were pretty sure anyone in the house would have heard that, but since when did a Knight of the Templar worry about a handful of Cultists? The biggest potential threat on the entire farm was right ahead of you.

Before the door even fell to the ground, you sprang into the room, sword held deftly ahead of you, ready to counter anything that came your way. Immediately, you were greeted by a smell that seemed like a cross between sweat, melting fat, and coppery blood.

Quickly, you scanned the inside of room for potential threats … The study seemed untouched, as did the laboratory on the other side of the room. Then you caught sight of The Pastor.

He was seated on the sofa facing the wall, just like when you had seen him first, except for the shotgun leaning against the sofa, within arms reach.

But the state he was in …

His eyes were glazed over. His skin was glistening with beads of sweat. The wet stains spreading across his clothes told you that his body was sweating just as profusely. Protruding out of his mouth was a human leg. Slowly, inch by inch, it was being drawn into his face. The sound of pulping flesh and pulverizing bone … that had been it’s source.

The Pastor’s small mouth normally would never have been able to swallow a human leg whole, but his fleshy cheeks had been torn open, exposing the yellowy-white fat accumulated inside. Dripping down his chin and pouring onto his chest was a rivulet of blood mixed with some kind of runny, clear, fluid.

But you didn’t have time to feel nauseated. As soon as you entered the room, The Pastor noticed you, his glazed eyes, catching sight of your face. He reacted immediately, but sluggishly. Fumbled for the shotgun just at his side, his sweaty sausage-fingers struggling to grip the smooth wooden butt of the shotgun …

Too slow, you were already lunging across the room.

>Use your sword to smack the shotgun away from The Pastor.

>You’ve seen enough. Kill him.

>Attempt to subdue and capture him.

>Other

>>3390756
>You’ve seen enough. Kill him.
Suffer not the heretic to live

>>3391224
Yeah I forgot to vote earlier, sorry Mole

>You’ve seen enough. Kill him.

>>3391231
Understandable since I know I this quest takes forever to update.

>You’ve seen enough. Kill him.

Roll a 1d100 too see how Tristan does

2-25 - You barely graze him
26-50 - You wound him
50-75 - You mortally wound him
76-99] - Any human would die from this

Also, for implementing future dice mechanics, how many people are following and willing to roll?

Rolled 9 (1d100)

>>3391596
Here we go.

>>3391596
Test

Rolled 57 (1d100)

>>3391596
Rollan

Rolled 71 (1d100)

Fighto!

>>3391623
>>3391819
>>3392107
Welp, I guess from now on I can expect to get at least three dice rolls.
From now on, outside of some combat situations, I will take the average of the rolls. I'll allow people to save criticals (100s) as fate points to reroll bad rolls.
Objections may be voiced and will be considered.
Writing.

> (9 + 57 + 71) / 2 = 45
>The Pastor is wounded

In a single bound, you cross the distance between you and The Pastor, clearing the coffee table completely. Your straightsword is a silver blur, barely visible.

Unfortunately, clearing the coffee table prevented you from getting a clean blow.

You manage to plunge half of your sword into The Pastor’s gut. Normally, that would have been enough to kill a man from shock, but you aren’t sure if you reached anything vital before his folds of fat stopped your blade.

With a savage twist, you rip your blade out of his gut, sending a spurt of blood spraying across the room, including you. The Pastor tries to scream, but the leg lodged in his mouth stifles his cry in his throat.

Slowly, The Pastor tips off the sofa, collapsing onto the ground, struggling to spit out the leg from his mouth and squirming feebly. His shotgun falls off the sofa and splashes into the pool of blood growing around him, staining your pant leg. Almost casually, you kick it away.

You feel surprised that such an affront before God would even bleed red blood.

>You might as well finish The Pastor off

>He’ll have to wait, you know that you’ve already attracted attention

>You tried, but help is coming. You have to escape before the Cultists find you

>Other

> You might as well finish The Pastor off.

>>3392479
You might as well finish The Pastor off

Vote called. Writing.

>You might as well finish The Pastor off

The Pastor somehow summoned the energy to flip onto his back, before just lying in the pool of his blood, gasping exhaustedly.

“Tristan … Who are you?” Ah, it seems the shock of being stabbed by you has broken the spell you cast over him. It wouldn’t matter for long anyways.

The Pastor was slowly struggling to get up, so you walked over to him slowly and planted your hiking boot on his chest, forcing him back down to the ground. You will stare him in the eye as he dies.

“I am a servant of … “ You almost say before your words stifle in your throat. “Good Lord!”

It had been too small to see when he had been speaking to you, but now with the fatty curtains of his cheeks gone, you could see into his gaping, greedy mouth.

Every inch of available space in his mouth was occupied by tiny, cone-shaped teeth all the way down to his throat. The mutation would have been hidden by his normally-tiny mouth and set of human teeth.

His entire mouth was pulsating, the teeth contracting back in waves, as if to draw food down to his throat. It resembled nothing more than the greedy maw of a lamprey.

“Servant of … Go … Guh!” Before The Pastor could finish whatever he was going to say, you plunged the tip of your sword into the back of his mouth. There was a soft thunk as it penetrated into the other side and sank into the floor. The Pastor gives a final spasm as you pull out the tip of your sword.

It has barely been half a minute since you kicked down the door.

As if on cue, an investigating Cultist appeared in the doorway. Seeing the bloody mess in the room, his face distorts into an expression of panic.

“Help!” He hoarsely screamed. “Intruder!”

>Try to talk your way out (What say?)

>He’s only one man. Knock him out of the way and run.

>He’s only one man. Cut him down and run.

>Wait for your coming attackers to approach you. Let them try.

>Other

>>3394774

>Try to talk your way out (What say?)
He tried to eat me! Look at this thing! Is that a human leg in his mouth!?!

>>3394774
>Try to talk your way out (What say?)
Use the spell we learnt to persuade him that the Pastor was actually a demon taking his form and the real Pastor is safe and well asleep. Then proceed to run away as fast as possible to prevent getting killed by everyone in the compound.

>>3394886
>>3394998
Since these are compatible with each other, I'm combining them
Writing

>>3395116
Writing from abroad, I mean

>Other

Now that you had eliminated the main source of malicious magic-use, your task was basically finished. Cleanup would handle the rest.

You preferred to leave without any collateral damage. From what you had seen, the Cultists were more victims of The Pastor’s unnatural manipulation than accomplices in his heresy. But leaving without having to injure any of them would be hard.

Especially because one was backing away from you at the moment. He definitely had friends coming.

“Wait!” you said, enforcing your appeal with your own magical influence, “Please. Let me explain, this isn’t actually your Pastor.”

“What do you mean?” the man in front of you wails, “You killed Pastor Jones!”
Well, him actually listening to him was a start.

“Listen,” You say in your most imploring tone, “That thing wasn’t The Pastor, it was a demon taking his form!”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s true,” You desperately continue, “It tried to eat me. It’s a man-eater! Don’t you see the leg on the floor next to him?”

“Monsters don’t exist!” The scared Cultist continues wailing, “You killed him!”
His distress from seeing his Pastor dead must have been interfering with the workings of your spell. Or maybe trying to convince someone that Demons existed was asking too much of a simple cantrip.

“Trust me!” You plead, “The Pastor’s probably asleep in his room or something. This thing was really a monster!”

“I don’t believe you … I don’t believe you” The poor Cultist backed away, shaking his head. “I don’t believe you at all!”

Suddenly, he doubles over, his hands clutching his stomach. Noisily, he vomits on the floor of the basement. He must have been entering shock.

>He’s not blocking your path anymore. Run away.

>This is your chance. Kill him and make your escape.

>Hold him hostage so you can exit the compound

>You should help him, the poor man’s collapsing from shock!

>Other

>>3395166
>>3395166
>He’s not blocking your path anymore. Run away.

Now is our chance! I am sure the guy will be fine, and if anyone questions us running away we can tell them that Nathan came back and killed the pastor and we are running to alert the men

>>3395428
This sounds good. Hopefully we won't run into too many more people considering he probably alerted others.

Vote called, writing

Just noticed that >>3383045 says the windows are open while >>3385980 says that the windows are broken. I forgot to say, but the window upstairs was broken while the one in the basement was open.

You would have found out the difference if you investigated upstairs, but I forgot you didn't. Sorry for being unclear guys.

... not that it would affect your escape much. Still, it's a mistake on my part.

>He’s not blocking your path anymore. Run away.

No one ever died from some minor shock. You barge past the Cultist and rush silently down the hallway, already having planned your escape route.

You return to the room you entered from. The window was still open, it was set too high in the wall to reach without a footstool. Whoever had designed the farmhouse had obviously not spent a lot of the effort on the basement. Then again, it [i]was[/i] a rather old building. Some quirks were to be expected.

It was strange how no one questioned how Nathan had been able to escape. But then again, it wasn’t really clear that the window was almost too high to even reach until you tried to and failed. The window ledge however …

You hear people going down the stairs, towards the room the man had called for help had come from. It was now or never. Sword under arm, you jump, catching the edge of the windowsill with your fingers. Quickly, you draw yourself before wriggling out the window. Immediately, you are greeted by the cool nighttime air. Again, you find yourself outside, in the tight space between the Farmhouse and the Warehouse.

Oh wait, the Warehouse … The one The Pastor was so worried about intruders getting into. The one you hadn’t investigated yet.

>Investigate the Warehouse. Your work isn’t over until you do, you’ll just have to deal with the Cultists

>Don’t investigate the Warehouse. It’s getting too dangerous.

>>3395640
>Investigate the Warehouse. Your work isn’t over until you do, you’ll just have to deal with the Cultists

>Investigate the Warehouse. Your work isn’t over until you do, you’ll just have to deal with the Cultists

>>3395640

>Investigate the Warehouse. Your work isn’t over until you do, you’ll just have to deal with the Cultists

Vote called. Writing.

>Investigate the Warehouse. Your work isn’t over until you do, you’ll just have to deal with the Cultists

The warehouse was definitely strange. All the windows were boarded up as if to hide something. It wasn’t something that you could responsibly leave alone. At the same time, there was a shadowy door right next to the side of the Farmhouse, sealed by an imposing, heavy-duty padlock.

Quickly, you considered how to get in. You couldn’t kick down the door, that would cause too much noise. There was probably no one inside to open it for you. You would have to pick the lock.

Quickly, you draw your Grimoire from your pocket, but not for any spell contained inside. Instead, you drew forth a paperclip that had been holding in a small sheet of paper containing your Mentor’s notes on the recommended applications of many of the spells. The Grimoire had been a gift from him after all.
You stuff the Grimoire and notes back into your pocket before bending the paperclip out of shape. You would have to pick the lock.

“He went that way!” You heard down from the basement. It appeared that the Cultist that had found you first had pointed out the way you had gone. Time was short.

Roll a 1d100. The first three rolls will be averaged
2-25 - You fail to pick the lock
26-75 - You just need a little more time
76-99 - You succeed just in time

Thank you to >>3388276 for his suggestion earlier on. I totally didn't shamelessly recycle it.

Rolled 74 (1d100)

>>3397686

Rolled 54 (1d100)

>>3397686

Rolled 66 (1d100)

>>3397686

>(74 + 54 + 66)/3 = 65
>26-75 - You just need a little more time

Templar usually didn’t teach their Knights how to pick locks, the situations they put themselves in rarely demanded the skill. There were few things of worth that were sealed away with something as mundane as a lock, after all. Still, your Mentor had encouraged you to pick up practical skills as the opportunities to came and went. One of these skills had been lock picking.

You bend at the padlock, fiddling with its mechanism with your straightened paper clip. There was little time left.

“He must have escaped through the window!” You hear someone’s words float up from the basement.
“Search outside!” You hear another voice cry out.

This was the your last chance to get into the warehouse.

Roll a 1d100. I will take the first three rolls.
2-25 - You fail to open the lock
26-75 - You open the lock, but are seen entering the Warehouse
76-99 - You slip into the Warehouse completely unseen

Rolled 36 (1d100)

>>3399248
Save us dice lords.

Rolled 7 (1d100)

>>3399248
I mean we could always just run away and call in the clean up crew

>>3399313
Other is always an option unless I state otherwise or it's really obvious it isn't

Rolled 95 (1d100)

>>3399248

>(36 + 7 + 95)/3 = 46
>You open the lock, but are seen entering the Warehouse

You fiddled with the lock for far too long before it opened. Then again, it wasn’t like you were an expert on picking locks.

It was impossible to relock the door behind you, but it didn’t matter. You only intended to briefly investigate the Warehouse before leaving. The shadow cast by the Warehouse would hide your entrance for long enough.

The warehouse was dark. You didn’t dare turn on any lights, that would have broadcasted your temporary hiding spot to everyone in the Camp. Your only light source were the beams of moonlight which streamed through tiny cracks in the walls. Slowly, your eyesight sharpened, adapting to the low light conditions.

After a second, you began to be able to see blurry shapes. Another second passed and those shapes resolved themselves into row after row of shelves. The entire warehouse was filled with bare iron shelves, stocked with everything from wonder bread and powdered milk to toilet paper and soap. You explored the warehouse, going deeper in. There was nothing esoteric about it’s contents, it seemed the Warehouse was being used to communally house the Cult’s basic living necessities. But then you came to the far side of The Warehouse.

The far side had been remodeled into what looked like a makeshift chapel large enough to hold the entire Cult. The shelves had been cleared away and wooden benches put in their place. A skylight threw a pillar of moonlight onto the raised dais where the pulpit was and …

The sight of what lay upon the pulpit crashed into your skull like a sledgehammer, sending you spiralling towards madness. A pulsating mass of flesh, flowing outwards from the wall across the dais like a grey blob of melting wax … with a bone-white female torso growing seamlessly out of it’s center …

1/2

>>3400064
2/2

You instinctively begin meditative breathing exercises.
“I shall put on the whole armour of God, that I may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For I wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world ...” You muttered under your breath over and over. Slowly, your sanity reestablishes itself and you gaze more clinically at the eldritch abomination lying next to the pulpit.

You knew it was eldritch since all you could see was an indistinct blur only hinting at its outline. The mental conditioning you received in your training blocked off the maddening horror of it’s sight.

Thankfully, it seemed too undeveloped and incomplete to notice you, but eldritch abominations were far above your weight class. Left alone, it would eventually grow into something that could threaten everything alive in the area. Something on this magnitude would have to be tackled by the Exorcists … But the fact that such a sacreligious creature was found by a minor Cult unexperienced in the practise of higher sorcery … what did this mean?

Just then, a voice interrupted your thoughts: “The lock’s unlocked! He’s in the Warehouse!” someone cried. You would have to leave your theories for later.

>Let them come. You will meet and fight them in their own sanctuary.

>Be more aggressive. Charge in amongst the shelves and meet them there.

>The wall is only plywood. You could easily kick your way out.

>Talk your way out (What say?)

>Other

>>3400073
>The wall is only plywood. You could easily kick your way out.

>>3400300
Is there anything we can thow on it to burn it down?

>>3400503
You could look in the shelves for something. It would require a roll though.

> Be more aggressive. Charge in amongst the shelves and meet them there.

> Burn the Place down with whatever is to hand. Focus on looking for Alcohol, Hair Spray, Paraffin Oil for Lamps, Petrol etc to Burn or go Boom!

> While looking through stores, Loot and arm yourself with any Firearms or Projectile Weapons.

>>3400708
Supporting

>>3400300
This sounds like a good idea, no point in dying surrounded by people and unable to get out.

Rolled 1 (1d6)

It's been a tie for an entire day so I'm going to put it to the roll of a 1d6
>Odds - Kick your way out
>Evens - Charge into the shelves and look through stores

File: tegaki.png (10 KB, 400x400)

10 KB PNG

>The wall is only plywood. You could easily kick your way out.

Your highest priority was no longer to surgically remove the practise of magic from the Cult anymore, it was to report to your superiors that a Eldritch Entity on this level had found its way into the world.

This was something that would have to be tackled by specialists, perhaps even from outside the Templar. If it was as bad as you suspected, it might even be a job for an exorcist. It definitely wasn’t a job for a Knight on his first solo mission.

It was time for you to leave. The Warehouse was big. With the addition of the shelves, it became a maze. It would take a few seconds for your pursuers to find you.

You run to the wall of the warehouse facing away from the farmhouse. You were lucky that the Warehouse was primarily made of a wooden frame with gaps filled in with cheap plywood panels.

A single, well-trained kick punched a hole through the flimsy plywood. A second and third one reduced the entire panel to splinters, creating a hole large enough for you to crawl through. Although now you could escape at any time, you had also broadcasted your position to your pursuers.

>You can leave whenever you want. Search for a way to start a fire (write-in required for how to start a fire)

>You don’t know if a fire would even hurt the monster at the pulpit. You need to escape now and survive to make your report.

>Other

>>3403387
>You don’t know if a fire would even hurt the monster at the pulpit. You need to escape now and survive to make your report.

>You don’t know if a fire would even hurt the monster at the pulpit. You need to escape now and survive to make your report.

Lost the opportunity for fire now

>>3403387
You don’t know if a fire would even hurt the monster at the pulpit. You need to escape now and survive to make your report.
As much as i love fire

>You don’t know if a fire would even hurt the monster at the pulpit. You need to escape now and survive to make your report.

You consider staying to light a fire, but quickly abandon the idea as you have no idea how to start. Even if you did, the Cultists had almost found you and, judging by The Pastor and his his shotgun, some of them might even have firearms. A fire might hurt the monster at the pulpit, but the Warehouse wouldn’t have been able to fuel a blaze large enough to guarantee it’s destruction.

Eldritch horrors were among the most tenacious foes of the Templar - If any of its mass remained untouched by the fire, it would remain unbanished and simply regrow given time. At best, even if completely destroyed, it’s ashes would ensure that the land around the farm would wither into a blasted heath unsuitable for human habitation.

There was no cowardice in running. Your duty now was to report the emergence of a serious supernatural threat.

So you quickly crawl through the hole you made before breaking into a sprint for the edge of the farm. You hear a shout behind you as the Cultists find the hole you made but you’re already vaulting over the chicken-wire fence at the edge of the farm. The crack of a gunshot rings out behind you, but you don’t look back. An untrained shot aimed at a figure dressed completely in black was never going to be accurate enough to worry about, especially if there was an entire field between the shooter and the target.

Just to be safe, you zigzag a little bit in your mad sprinting before your path brings you out of line of sight. Free, you blend into the night and disappear. Until cleanup did it’s thing, you’d have to lay low for a while.

You have survived the tutorial stage of Modern Fantasy Quest

View Tutorial Epilogue?

>Yes

>No

>Get on with the fucking quest!

>Other (What?)

>>3404699
>Yes

>>3404699
>Yes

>>3404699
Get on with the fucking quest

> Yes

Epilogue 0: In Earth as it is In Heaven

The trail had been long and bloody. It had been a subtle, devious battle where neither side ever laid eyes on their opponent. It was one fought with lies and false trails where the price of defeat was not death, but rather misdirection and surrender.

A burning warehouse was the backdrop to her pondering. Aside from lighting up the night air, it served to temporarily incapacitate the crawling heresy within.

As unlikely as it had seemed, the trail had led her here, to this dilapidated farm filled with ignorant Cultists. “It seems he was here before me …” She muttered under her breath. What a travesty of a night this had been. Still … it could have turned out far worse.

“Exorcist,” a voice said behind her. She turned, almost unwilling to give any of her attention away. “Exorcist!” the voice said again. She turned around, looking into the angular metal visor of her companion. In contrast, all she was dressed in was her nun’s habit, her cowl hanging from her hand by her side. She found it easier to work that way.

“The Cultists?” She abruptly asked.
“We’ve restrained the mutated ones. The rest, we mind-wiped.”
“How about the authorities?”
“I thought that was your people’s job to cover up large incidents.” Her companion replied.
“You have better connections. You do it.” She insisted. Her companion had no choice but to agree. After all, it was they who had tracked her down and approached her on such a short notice to acquire her specialized skills.

“We’re wasting time,” She complained. “Your people have poured the quicksilver where I specified?”
“Yes.” He confirmed. “The mirrors and charms are in place as well.”
Her temporary allies were specialists in their field, but she still didn’t trust their competency in large-scale exorcisms of this nature. However, to do all the work herself would have taken at least a day. With a team, it was sloppily finished in an hour.

“We’ll be finished working together once I finish, correct?”
“The information you requested will be forwarded to you as soon as it is compiled.” Her companion promised. At least he understood how to do business.

1/2

2/2

It was time for her to get it over with. Slowly, she drew out a well-worn Bible, it’s leatherbound cover carved in sigils of sealing and divine power. Carefully and lovingly, she flipped to the appropriate pages before beginning her exorcism.

“Adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra.” She chanted. It was a relatively simple exorcism, a platitude to The Lord, her God. Out of her mouth and channeled into the arcane network of mirrors and quicksilver, the simple exorcism grew into a mighty spell.

For a split second, a circle of power blazed around the burning warehouse, a mesmerizing pattern of not-blue light. In an instant the fire snuffed out and the ground turned white with frost as the Exorcism leeched away not only the supernatural power within the warehouse, but the energy of the earth itself.

Exorcist Isolde closed her bible calmly. As on earth as it was in heaven indeed. Her work here was done.

“It was a pleasure doing business.” Her companion behind her joked.

“Let’s hope it never happens again.” She turned away brusquely before walking away calmly into the night.

“I can’t believe I just missed him!” She muttered under her breath. Things would have been so much more convenient if she had found him before he had launched his raid.

He’d have to lay low for a while, she was familiar with the procedures for acting solo. However, she hoped he came out of hiding soon, she had a lot of questions to ask.

Second thread over! Next thread on Saturday.

Sorry for taking my sweet time in making updates. Thank you for putting up with that.

Questions/Comments/Criticisms pls no bully

>>3406017
Thanks.
But we must bully the qm

I very much enjoyed things!
Will we be able to learn more Magic?
Was the Sort of Nun talking about missing our PC or talking about the Creature that was in the Room with our Target?

>>3406013
>Exorcist Isolde
Don't think I can't see what you're doing there.
>>3406017
Good job, looking forward to the next thread.

>>3406476
>Will we be able to learn more Magic?
Technically, Tristan already knows quite a bit about the theory of magic, if not it's practice. If you have a question, just ask and I'll respond if it's something Tristan would know and say so if it isn't.
>>3406571
>Don't think I can't see what you're doing there
Nuts

Last post lol

HAH Got'em