>>5236717
>>Insist that she takes it off.
>If you take it off, you can ask me anything once we are out of here

>>5236717
>Insist that she takes it off
She CAN handle it, that's what I'm worried about. Can we please not piss off the super powerful magic woman right off the bat?

Also
>no Chester in OP image

>>5236734
Dang it

>>5236731
Support. Carrot and stick.

>>5236717

>>5236717
>Shrug and leave it at that, if she wants to be annoying about it.

>>5236717
this>>5236734

>>5236919
>>5236731
this too, a little question won't hurt.

>>5236731
Support

>>5236731
this

>>5236717
William. Please, can you try not to say anything? If you manage to not say anything, or nothing impolite while here, I will teach you something interesting.

>>5236717
>>Shrug and leave it at that, if she wants to be annoying about it.

>>5237239
Our humans are scarcely more civilized than our actual monsters.

>>5237239
>>5236731
>>5236734
Support
>>5237316
Arguably less so

File: fancy and regal.jpg (1.01 MB, 800x977)

1.01 MB JPG

"I'd still insist. The problem is that she CAN handle you, with ease. It's kind of part and partial of being a wizard, after all."
"See, that right there is what annoys me about them. They're just... they have it so easy, all the damned time. Just a thought, and bam, they get to have reality their way. The rest of us actually have to work for our results!"
"Please stop insulting the archmage inside her own castle." You say, placing a hand on Paracelsus' shoulder.
"...Fiiine. Fine. I'll try to be nice."

There is a short pause, and then she realizes why you were just staring at her.
"...Do I have to take off the mask?"
"Yes. That's not really negotiable, I'm afraid. Listen, if you play nice, I'll give you a free questionnaire. You can ask whatever question you want, and I'll be as truthful as I can."
"You've already been doing that... but fine. I'll hold it over your head, why not." She says, and you can hear the smirk even when you can't see it. Then, she takes off the mask, and the hood, revealing her raven's nest of a hairstyle. It looks a little less greasy than usual, at least. You also turn to william:
"William... Please don't say anything stupid. I'm begging you."
He flinches, and then harrumphs before saying:
"I'm not one of your kobolts, you know. I know not to act stupid without you telling me."

You sigh, your face and your palm colliding, and then you just... leave it at that and enter the Study. The chairs in the room quickly begin to rearrange themselves, and the chair in front of the fire flips around, revealing archmage Ogg, at last.
She looks a tiny bit displeased, but as soon as she takes a sip of her tea, she seems to take on a somewhat softer look.
"...Welcome, Ser, and guests... Please, have a seat. The servants will bring in refreshments in just a moment. I pray you don't mind me enjoying my tea... You've caught me during teatime."
She takes another sip, exhaling loudly as she enjoys the warm tea.
"So, you have a problem with a curse?" She then asks, cutting straight to the point. You don't mince words describing it.
"Indeed, Ma'am. I need your aid to get it removed before I'm turned into some giant monstrosity."
She doesn't say a word, and instead closes her eyes for a second... and when she opens them, they glow brightly. She raises an eyebrow.
"Hmm... Yes. The amount of magic inside of your is rather... intense."

She takes out a scroll from under her chair, which was only possible because she allowed it to float, raising herself up as well, before it carefully puts itself down on the stack of scrolls the chair apparently houses beneath it's hollow interior.
"Let me see, here..."
She draws a circle in the air, with her fingers, and then "pushes" the circle towards you. You feel something akin to water splashing over you, only without the feeling of actually being wet, afterwards.
She looks at the scroll, and she raises an eyebrow when the scroll starts growing...
and growing.
And growing!
(cont)

Before long, the scroll reaches the ground, and the archmage has started giggling. In that sort of "I can't believe this is happening" sort of manner. It's a very high-pitched laugh, you notice, and there's a certain cadence to it that makes your hair stand on end.
"My goodness! What a spell!" She says, when the scroll finally stops.
"This... This is indeed quite the curse, my good ser knight!" She says, her tone having switched from icy and to-the-point to much more excited. "My goodness, this curse actually solves several problems that others have struggled with trying to create a similar "curse". In those cases, it was for medical purposes... and in one case for sexual one, but we don't talk about him."
Okay, oversharing a little bit, there. She keeps talking, hopping out of her chair and revealing just how short she really is. Matter of fact, she looks... impossibly young. As if she couldn't be older than 16, really. Her mannerisms don't quite match her visual age, but... It's uncanny, when you notice it. The rest of the room remains quiet, for now, the kobolts being in awe of the room, Paracelsus just staring at the mage in an unimpressed manner, and William staring at the magic scroll like it's about to tear his face off.
Everybody's in one of the comfortable chairs, however.
"Hmm... Hmmm!! Yes! I've decided, ser knight! Rather than paying me, I have this proposal. You allow me to study you, and I'll remove the curse from you free of charge! I'll... only need a few days. Two days, I think! In the meantime, you and your friends can remain here. Don't worry about anything you left in my hamlet... Two days in here is but eight hours for the rest of the world!"

Oh, that's... useful?
"So, everybody will be housed?"
"Of course! I've got some things to look over on some of them, anyhow. Your pink slave, for instance. She's got the taint of magic on her, but she seems to be quite sane. How old is she, I wonder?" She says, but Pink quickly shouts the answer:
"I'm two hundred and sixteen years old!!"
This makes archmage Ogg clap her hands excitedly:
"Ohh~delightful! Yes! I'll just want to research this post-haste. Copy the spell, change some parameters around, and soon... ohh, this will be good!"

...You're not too sure about her researching this spell,though! Copying it... that could be disastrous.
Do you... complain?

>No. Just let her do her thing, it'll let you get yourself cured for free, right?

>Insist that the curse is far too dangerous to be copied! You'll pay whatever she needs!

>Breathe fire on the crazy bitch before she makes things worse! Quickly, you ape!

>>5238380

> "Not a slave. Follows of her own will."
that said.
>No. Just let her do her thing, it'll let you get yourself cured for free, right?

I'm sure there's SOMETHING that's gonna go cockeyed from this but I can't think what exactly.

>>5238380
>>No. Just let her do her thing, it'll let you get yourself cured for free, right?
Her magic scroll surely details the mental issues associated with the curse right? Perhaps bring them up just to be sure. As a wizard (witch?) she surely knows how to make us of the "solved" parts of the curse, just make sure she's aware of the invasive lizard brain parasite.

>>5238380
>No. Just let her do her thing, it'll let you get yourself cured for free, right?
Also I'm not sure we could really stop her if we wanted to. She's a powerful mage in the middle of her personal fortress.
Though I would also ask
>Can you slow or remove the mind parasite right now?

>>5238380
>consult paracelcus like the last time we had studies done

>>5238450
Supporting this.

>>5238383
But my instinct is this, if Paracelsus has no objections.

Definitely mention that Pink is no slave. It's only right, and will annoy Dreygaun besides.

>>5238380

>>5238380
>Insist that the curse is far too dangerous to be copied! You'll pay whatever she needs!
Pink is not a slave, but you would need to ask for her permission. This examination won't hurt her will it?
Guys we really shouldn't let anyone have this. We best let the curse lay dead forever than let it transmit through experiments.

>>5238450
+1

>>5238557
We have no reason to think that Archmage Ogg will spread it around willy-nilly, or use it for any sinister purpose.

>>5238380
>before I can agree to the study or copying of this curse, I have some concerns I want to address, first any examination or study done on any member of my group has to be done with there consent and I want your binding word that it will do no harm to them, Second I would like to know what you plan to do with a copy of this curse and how something of this nature could do any good, having experienced the temptation and corruption of this curse you can understand why I would be hesitant to allow its reproduction, as deeply as I want to be cured I am still a knight and my first duty is to the people to protect others before myself. So I hope you can understand my concerns and that through this dialogue redress them.

you guys know I have been pounding the ground for the cure, but there is a price to high and her getting a copy of the curse maybe it. I am willing to hear out her reasoning, but not blindly agree. I meant it when I said that reynolds first duty is to the people and would we be protecting the innocent by allowing this curse to be copied? I think not at least not without understanding the why of her request.

>>5238636
with a curse of this caliber it's better to be safe than sorry, before we agree blindly I think it is reason able to ask her why she wants a copy and what she plans to do with it.

>>5238760
Supporting the obvious best course of action

>>5238760
Long winded but it covers the bases

>>5238380
>Insist that the curse is far too dangerous to be copied! You'll pay whatever she needs!

>>5238870
You mean through and thoughtful

>>5238380
>>No. Just let her do her thing, it'll let you get yourself cured for free, right?
Maybe ask her to please be careful and whatnot, since it is a very poweful curse that is apparently better than similar curses she's dealt with before and might have a dead man's trigger.
But ultimately we can't be too snippy about it, she has all the power here unless we want to have a barbecue, and then she still has all the power but we might be able to pull off MAD. Pointing out that Pink isn't a slave and asking if Celsie can sit in should be fine though.

people we lose nothing by asking follow questions, literally nothing. but do you know what we do lose if we blindly agree? the ability to say we did everything we could to ensure this power does not fall into the wrong hands. I am not saying to deny her a copy I am simply asking to get a solid reasoning as to why she needs it and why she is trustworthy enough to have it.

>>5239106
Calm thyself.

>>5239106
>"Guys, please, be polite to the archmage, we don't want to insult her."
>5 minutes later
>"Hey, are you sure we can trust you with this ultra dangerous curse?"
The only reason I'm not saying no to that is because it's so in-character for Reynauld.

>>5239140
that greentext is a strawman and you know it. there is a marked difference in antagonizing the mage and asking reasonable follow up questions to the statement oh yeah I'll do this for free as long as I get to copy the curse.

>>5239116
I'm cool as a cucumber anon

"...I agree, but I do have some requests. Nobody here is my slave, they're here of their own free will. I know that's hard to believe when they're kobolts, but it's the whole truth. Is regards to that, I would ask that you... don't do anything they don't consent to."
Ogg smiles, politely, and then agrees. Her voice is softer than before, you notice.
"Of course, ser knight. I'll ask, first. Anything else?"
"...Would it be possible for you to remove that parasite in my mind right now? The... sort of representative of the curse."
The archmage strokes her chin for a moment, thinking as she looks at the scroll, but then she shakes her head:
"Not without a lobotomy, no. If I understand the curse right, however, it's hardly anything that stands on its own. It's pretty much just your inner thoughts, the part of you that wants to be big and strong. The more it aligns to you, the smarter and more underhanded it would be... The fact you refer to it as a parasite is likely a good indication."
If you're understanding this right, you're about to be very, very amused:
"So..." You begin to say, but the archmage quickly put it in layman's terms:
"It's stupid, because you don't want to be a dragon."

A giggle comes from the kobolts... and William.
Well, that's good to hear, you suppose. But there's one more question:
"What would you want to do with a copy of this curse? Having suffered through it, I'd say it's very hard to imagine any good coming out of it."

The archmage... leans back in her chair, at that question. She's trying to think of a good reasoning behind it, but eventually, she settles on this:
"Right. Well... There are a few elements to keep in mind. Many people would love to be something that they're not, of course, that's the obvious course of action, but the main thing that comes to mind here is this... Are you aware that you're immortal? Or... at least, you won't die of old age?"
"As a giant firebreathing lizard? Not exactly keen on that little caveat."
"Well, dragons aren't too good at timescaling. It looks like it would take about a century before you'd be a full-on dragon. Not to mention, even when I cure you, I'm thinking that longevity is here to stay. I... can't quite wring that part loose from a transformative curse, but if I can think of something... you understand the value, yes?"

What.

Your mind kind of skips over the immortality bit to move on to the dragon part:
"A century. A full one-hundred years? Truly?"
"Indeed. I don't know if you've had visual encounters yet with this... well, the package attached to it according to the scroll shows it's designated itself as Dreygaun."
You're not happy to say it, but:
"I've seen it, yes. It's... quite proud of its looks, yes. Big, scaled, large wings... long neck. What you'd about expect for a dragon and human mix."
"That would take about a year or two to come to fruition, I'd say... maybe more. I... believe I remove the automatic conversion process, however. So it would be completely up to you... Anytime you do something that it could use, you'll transform a little more. Of course, it might make the changes more... intense, whenever they happen. It's a decision. A slow constant trickle and relatively minor adjustments when giving in, or no trickle, but major adjustments when you do something it likes. "
Well... that's indeed quite the choice.
"Well, you'll be curing me soon, yes?"
"Of course! But in case it takes me too long, it might be interesting to consider. After all... you've got time. Unlike most of us."

Well...
You're not sure it makes a big difference for you, the immortality thing.
You weren't exactly going to die of old age.

But, back to the point:
"Well, with all that in mind, I suppose that's everything. I..."
Then suddenly, you are pulled closer to the archmage. Your chair moved under your feet, and going from standstill to a high speed leaves you reeling... and you feel as though you slammed into a wall as that same force prevents you from smacking into archmage Ogg.
"You WILL say yes, of course?" She says, clasping your hand and suddenly sounding a lot less... calm. There's a shake to her words, as if she's terrified of something, and you hesitate for a moment before saying:
"O-of course!? What's gotten into you?" You ask, concerned for the lady's well-being, but as soon as you agree, your chair moves back... more gently, this time.
"..Good. Good. I want everybody to leave my study, immediately. I'm starting now, and I do not wish for any distractions."

Paracelsus sniffs, and says:
"Please... I'm Reynauld's personal physician."
"And lover, I'd assume." Archmage Ogg says, rolling her eyes. "You can rest assured nothing will happen to him."
Paracelsus turns red for a moment... Though whether it be because she's angry or flustered, you're not certain.
"I'd rather insist that I remain here for study." Paracelsus says... Slowly. She's actively holding back an angry comment, you can tell. Ogg looks at her for a moment... and sighs:
"Ahh, fine. You decided to be polite, despite what you had planned. You can stay, but don't make a sound. The other servants can leave."
The kobolts and Anna all hop off their chairs when you nod, but then...

The worst possible thing happens:

"I'm no servant! I'm a squire! I'm not one of these... P-people."
There is a moment where the whole room angrily stares at him. Except for the archmage, who instead smirks at him.
"Uppity, isn't he? Especially for being a former bandit... His mind isn't nearly as prepared as the rest of you, you know. It's like an open book."
Paracelsus turns pale for a moment.
"You... you read our minds!?"
"You gave your minds to me when you entered. But don't worry, I've got no more than surface level thoughts on most."

This is turning a little disturbing... But, then again.
An archmage does as they please, unfortunately. She's at least sane, and you suspect the potential immortality has archmage Ogg bewitched, somewhat. She seems to realize that she's coming across as crazy, at least:
"....Wait. I... I realize I'm coming across as... rather uncouth. I'm sorry, it's just... I haven't had a new avenue for longevity in such a long while. Time dilation has let me keep my looks, but it leaves me feeling... stretched, somewhat. So... I'm perhaps more excited than I've been in a few decades."
You blink twice, but just as you're about to speak, she keeps talking:
"It's not an excuse, merely my reason. I won't be peeking in anybody's mind any more. Please understand, it lets me catch potential witchhunters, as well."

Well, that much you can understand. The crusades had quite a few of those around, and they're...
Rather zealous.

After that... you tell the others to leave, except for Paracelsus, who takes out her notes and a pen, preparing to write.
It's hard to say WHAT, exactly, happened for the next few hours. Mostly, it involved you being mostly naked and on a (mercifully warm) slab of stone that the crystal golems brought into the room. Then, lots of sigils, magic symbols, Ogg talking out loud so both an floating pen and Paracelsus can write things down...
Eventually, Ogg asks that you maybe try to talk to somebody about something. She needs your mind occupied, at least somewhat, as excessive boredom might throw off some calculations about your brain.

Fortunately, Paracelsus is here, so you can talk to a friend if you have nothing for Ogg.

>To Paracelsus: ...Pardon for asking, but did Ogg get that "lover" idea out of your head?

>To Paracelsus: So how are those notes coming along?

>To Paracelsus: I think you'd get along with the archmage, if you bothered.

>To Ogg: How old are you, exactly?

>To Ogg: I apologize for William. I don't know what he's doing, but I'm sure I have to apologize right now.

>To Ogg: would you be able to help the goblin in our party? Her face has been torn, and the flesh was then burnt shut.

>>5239170
>To Ogg: would you be able to help the goblin in our party? Her face has been torn, and the flesh was then burnt shut.

I do not like this archmage.

>>5239170

>>To Ogg: would you be able to help the goblin in our party? Her face has been torn, and the flesh was then burnt shut.

>To Ogg: I apologize for William. I don't know what he's doing, but I'm sure I have to apologize right now.

>To Paracelsus: So how are those notes coming along?

>To Paracelsus: ...Pardon for asking, but did Ogg get that "lover" idea out of your head?

in this order saving the fun wammy for last hehehe

>>5239174
>I do not like this archmage.

and this, is why we ask follow up questions

>>5239170
>To Ogg: would you be able to help the goblin in our party? Her face has been torn, and the flesh was then burnt shut.
It's worth a shot, right?

Also, since Ogg can read Reynauld's thoughts, does that mean she can hear us?

>>5239189
Supporting.

>>5239189
+1

>>5239189
Sure, backing.

And the archmage seems fine. Just bad with communication a little. Honestly, I expected far far worse.

>>5239189
This, but I'd save the asking for a moment where Archimage leave the room or something

>>5239170
>To Ogg: I apologize for William. I don't know what he's doing, but I'm sure I have to apologize right now.

>To Ogg: would you be able to help the goblin in our party? Her face has been torn, and the flesh was then burnt shut.
So....we're still getting cured, but we're gonna turn into a full dragon in roughly a century, without the mental hangups of a dragon?

>>5239271
I'll nip the misconception in the bud:
Reynauld is immortal by default, now. The dragon curse itself needs a full century to actually turn Reynauld into a dragon. This seemed reasonable to the dragon you killed at the time, because a century isn't that long when you're immortal, right?
It takes far less time to turn into an anthropomorphic dragon, however, which is still something to look out for.
So, the cure will fix the transforming part. You're stuck with the immortality.

>>5239274
Is the curse panicking yet? I wish to taste its tears.
.....aaaanything we can do to still become that anthropomorphic dragon? I crave a bigger sword.

>>5239170
>To Paracelsus: So how are those notes coming along?
>To Paracelsus: ...Pardon for asking, but did Ogg get that "lover" idea out of your head?
>>5239274
>You're stuck with the immortality.
Ah well, as our dear protagonist pointed out his occupation might limit that.
>>5239307
Im sure we can keep the musclemass without the scales.

>>5239274
thanks for the clarification

>>5239189
Supporting. I am curious about all of these responses.

>>5239170

>>5239170
Wait, are we Reynauld thoughts?
Can the arc mage hear "Us"?
Can she hear the curse since it apparently lives in our brain?

>>5239189
I wouldn't talk about the lover part in public man, save that for later my guys. Everything else? I'm down

>>5239467
But her reaction will be funny. We can whisper it?

But fine, let's hold off. I'll remove that part from my vote.

Original vote: >>5239430

>>5239464
Reynauld's mind is like a steel trap, she doesn't get much.
He hunted his own fair share of witches during the crusades, though that was war rather than religious zealotry.

Also, i'm afraid your voices aren't real in this world.

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Immortal Reynauld sounds great but Sara and the gang aren't, and if he doesn't plan on living to a ripe old age, what's the point of any of it when he'll just outlive everyone he cares about...

>>5239464
Ooh, meta...

>>5239479
Reynauld has a bit of a death wish, yeah, but there's no reason he can't work through that and settle down with his kobold knights. And Sarah... Well, it'll suck to outlive Doc Paracelsus, but we have more to live for than a waifu. We can right wrongs, teach good values, shelter and rehabilitate outcasts... Dick down Pink.

>>5239476
>i'm afraid your voices aren't real in this world.
thank god, didn't want to share space with the curse.

>>5239467
+1
reasonable

>>5239479
While it's not exactly the same people outlive pets all the time. Just because you know you're not going to be with someone/thing you love for your entire life doesn't somehow invalidate the love you feel or prevent you from moving on to the next once the inevitable happens.
Outliving people will suck buy I don't see why it has to destroy us.

>>5239467
as the anon who posted the option I support this

>>5239479
Immortaility is a blessing and a curse. He shouldn't kill himself because he's sad all his friends eventually die, but he shouldn't stop what he's doing. There's always new friends to be made.

>>5239170
Can Ogg take a loot at Teensy? She drank an off colored healing potion, and we want to make absolutely sure she is okay.

>>5239476
>Also, i'm afraid your voices aren't real in this world.
Would have been pretty funny if they were and lady Ogg just thought Reynauld was a little bit schizo.

>>5239476
Well, that's a bummer. I was hoping for some fourth wall-breaking meta jokes, but I understand the reasons not to do that.

>>5240050
Dude the most anons are in Reynaulds head are little impulsive thoughts that carry no weight

>>5240235
I'd say they carry great weight, considering they influence Reynauld's decisions. And fleeting surface thoughts like what you're describing should be easily readable by Lady Ogg.

"In that case, Let me ask a few questions to you, if you don't mind."
"Of course."
"You've seen the goblin in our party, yes? Her face has been mutilated by religious zealots, from back when she was a lycanthrope. As a result, she's been... trying to deal with it. Could you help her with that?"
"Hmm..."
She takes a moment to open up another glyph, and you notice her book writing things down with a quickened pace for a moment... And then she settles on an answer:
"I... suspect I might be able to. It won't be hard, and as I'm not much of a sculpter, it's unlikely to still resemble her old face. Is she fine with that? A completely new face, not at all like how she once was?"
...You'd assume so, but you'd prefer to ask, obviously.
"I'll have to ask her, I suppose". You say, and then you ask a more important question:
"How much would this cost?"
"She has precious little to offer me in magical studies, so I'm afraid I'll have to ask for money. I'm offering a rather unique service, but it doesn't take me too long... I'll need a hundred rosarians."

Perfect. You should still have that amongst the party, thanks to the trip with Oldfield. Of course, you'd have to ask somebody to give up their share, but... Well, you're sure they can live with it. Again, it comes down to consent.
Well, on to the next:
"I'd like to apologize for William... Ahead of time. The boy isn't very smart."
Archmage Ogg nods, accepting that this is sort of a fact of life. Then, she starts explaining more:
"I noticed. He does mean well, if nothing else. He respects you very much, but he speaks too fast... And he really dislikes kobolts. Ironically, because of his respect to you. He fears being put equal to a servant race... Heh."
The archmage laughs a bit. You don't see the humor in it.
"He could do with abandoning that level of pride, really. It's rather unbecoming."
"Or, at least, he could try to be more reasonable to his surroundings." Paracelsus adds, not impressed by William.
Considering she still calls him "Bait", you figured that she wasn't exactly a fan.

Well, alright then:
"How are those notes coming along, Paracelsus?"
"They're coming along very well. Lucky for me, plenty of the stuff shown here has appeared in some of my old rune-reading classes. "
"From Oileano, are you? They don't teach that in this country." Ogg adds.
Paracelsus shuffles uncomfortably at having been caught like that. After a moment, she snaps back:
"Yes, I suppose you figured me out. Good job. Any more wonderful ways you're going to cheat information out of me!?"
"Paracelsus..." You say, resisting the urge to rise up to tell her off a little bit, but Ogg merely grins.

"Oh, I'm not cheating anything, my dearest Luddite. You know, I'm sure you could try being a mage. It's just a matter of willpower to not go crazy, after all, and you seem to think very highly of yourself!"
The atmosphere is turning hostile. And you're wondering what the hell a Luddite is.
(cont)

Trying to distract the conversation, you ask:
"What would be a Luddite?"
"Ludd... An old mythical figure from very long ago. It was a mighty warrior that saw the creation of gunpowder as an affront to what he did. So he did whatever he could, along with some followers, to stop it in its tracks wherever it might spread. The story changes what he was fighting against quite often, but it comes down to this: He was a man stubbornly set into remaining in the past, refusing any advancements, just so he could retain his own power. Hence... Luddite, for out dear alchemist."
This... did not help the hostile air.
"You little... No. No! I'm not going to get mad at you. But for your information, as an alchemist we make all out tools available for the public. We don't request people to catch mana poisoning if they wish to survive an infection, you see."
"Again... It's all about willpower. If you simply *dared*, you'd be a fine mage, I bet. Or perhaps not, but I'd consider it proof you didn't know what you were talking about."

...Ogg is clearly trying to get on Paracelsus' nerves, but she just leans back in her chair, instead. You're also out of patience for it:
"I was thinking to just start a conversation here. If you ladies want to bicker, instead, I could just bloody leave."
They both cry out "no!" at the same time, and then glare at eachother for doing so.
"...Fine. Fine. I'm sorry. I just detected some rather mean thoughts about me when she entered. She'd hard to read... but that part was easy."
"What, you'll attack me for a thought crime!? You're no saint to my profession either!"

There's another pause... but Ogg seems to understand. For a moment, she seems to turn almost demure.
"I... you're right. I apologize, sincerely. I'm just... easily annoyed, recently, I suppose. For personal reasons, I should add. Now, uh... do you have anything else to ask."
It's here you decide to make a mistake.
"Paracelsus? Was the lover comment Ogg made from your thoughts, or was it merely a-"
Paracelsus stops you. While her voice is tense and quick, she remains calm... And if it wasn't for the fact that her face isn't covered, you would have never guessed that she's turning beetred as she talks.
"Yes. Obviously I've grown very fond of you... and I figured you returned the thought. You did call me pretty on the night I got drunk, and we've both seen eachother... in detail. So, yes, I do fancy you in that sense. I understand if you don't want to move further than that, but I like the way you look and act, and I'll assume you return that... opinion."

She huffs.
The archmage doesn't say anything, nor does she even look at the two of you. She's deeply engrossed in her work.
...You might have turned the silence deafening.

>I do think you're pretty, yes. But I'm not ready for a relationship

>...If you'll have me. You may consider this is a confession from me, as well. Tentatively.

>I do think you're pretty, but I don't think we're much of a match

>...This tapesty is nice.

>>5240358
>>...If you'll have me. You may consider this is a confession from me, as well. Tentatively.
>However, I want to take things slowly

>>5240358
>...This tapestry is nice.
>then whisper: "But you're much nicer to looks, and your mind even more intricate."

Come on, we can confess better than THAT.

>>5240358
>>...If you'll have me. You may consider this is a confession from me, as well. Tentatively.

>>5240411
Probably, but it is honest.

>>5240358
>>...If you'll have me. You may consider this is a confession from me, as well. Tentatively.

>>5240358
>>I'm sorry, for being so tackless need a troll failed I am your man, slay a dragon no problem, but when it comes to the intimate social cues well being a wandering knight who has spent much of that time alone and I am lacking. So please know I am being honest when I say If you'll have me. You may consider this is a confession from me, as well. Tentatively.


>pinkfags on lifesupport

>>5240358
>I do think you're pretty, yes. But I'm not ready for a relationship
>pretty lady is too scary for confession
>also like pink

>>5240358
>...This tapesty is nice.
Gosh, lady, way to put a guy on the spot.

I guess it's a good thing that we're not actually real in-universe. I don't even want to imagine what would happen if Lady Ogg was to just casually mention "Reynauld's" attraction to Pink.

>>5240358
>>...If you'll have me. You may consider this is a confession from me, as well. Tentatively.
Go for it! We might have to take things slowly but that's okay. Plus that might give her the push she needs to become a mage, so she can stay with us longer.

>>5240481
>wanting her to risk magical madness and to betray her principles to be with us longer
>After we risked so, so much to avoid that fate ourselves

Anon...

>>5240485
Just putting it out there as an option. Her medical advances are still better in a lot of ways because she can teach them to other people, but learning how to use magic would potentially be able to improve her research potential if she had all the time in the world, and could examine your guts without having to cut you open first. She got in trouble for that. It's definitely a conversation for a different day.

>>5240358
>I apologize. Not that I find you attractive in mind, body, and spirit, that is. Moreso that I'm so lacking in the social graces these days. That is to say...if you'll have me, then you may consider this is a confession from me, as well. Tentatively.

>>5240358
>I do think you're pretty, yes. But I'm not ready for a relationship


>I'm sorry I only desire pink thighs

>>5240411
+1

>>5240474
we put her on the spot first

>>5240575
Yeah, I am aware. The hypocrisy makes it funny.

>>5240358
>team Pink!

>>5240358
>...If you'll have me. You may consider this is a confession from me, as well. Tentatively.

Pinkfags btfo

>>5240358
>...If you'll have me. You may consider this is a confession from me, as well. Tentatively.

this is so stupid.
why did he had ask?

>>5240358
>>...If you'll have me. You may consider this is a confession from me, as well. Tentatively.
best girl coming through

>>5241169
Spine decided he was Team 'I wanna say that in public' rather then Team 'a Knight is tactful enough to wait'. But strange but we've established Reynauld is not a social butterfly, so it's not too out of nowhere.

"...If you'll have me. You may consider this is a confession from me, as well. Tentatively."
Somehow, despite her ever so polite tone, she finds a way to turn even redder. It's more akin to purple, at this point, and she takes a shuddering breath.
"...Very well. Then I suppose, with this, we are officially... An..."
She covers her face with her noteblock, and Ogg decides to rescue your dumb ass.
"I appreciate your attempt to distract the conversation with something a little more shocking. But I have to admit this is very cute."
You don't say anything, you assume "it seemed like a good idea at the time" is kind of inherent.
"At any rate, I'll leave you to catch up later, I'm almost finished writing down the basics, and then we're taking a short break. I'm actually ahead of schedule here... I have to say, the dragon you murdered must have been a genius when it comes to magic, this is absolutely wonderfully written. I was expecting spaghetti code, to be honest, but every last bit here is well thought out, re-uses whatever it can... Even using the victim's own thoughts to create the Magical Intelligence instead of making one from scratch is hard to imagine, but so well thought out."

She takes a breath, and cheerfully tells you this:
"The only issue with it is the dragon mindset! They don't consider years to be that very long, and they were so proud that they assumed you'd love to be a dragon. The revenge still comes from you being unlike yourself, of course... Dragons are rather attached to their individuality, which is what the dragon was trying to remove from you."
Seems that Ogg is reading a lot into this. Still, Krazinkos being a wizkid at magic is something you've heard before, at this point.
Why could you just get a regular curse. Something that just makes you rot or something. That'd just be painful, and easily cleansed. Instead you have to struggle to retain your humanity, which is harder.
...Though, you do wonder.
Why DID you ask the lover question out loud? It was just a surface level thought of yours, you're not one for blurting it out like that. You're glad Paracelsus agrees with it, but it could and possible SHOULD have gone much worse.
Strange.

At any rate, Ogg wasn't lying. Just a few more moments, which were spent in silence, and you can redress yourself and go through the castle as she figures the information out. Of course, you are instantly sent somewhere:
"You were right to apologize about William, by the way. He's currently trying to make your pet mimic cough up one of my candelabras, and all that's done is ruin some curtains... The creature can keep the candelabra, but I'd prefer if he could hang up those curtains again."
Your palm and your face have their fated meeting, and you apologize again before making your way there, Paracelsus hot on your heels.

You find William being more than halfway inside the mimic, only his legs sticking out, while the mimic sways from left to right.
Seems the teeth are retractable.

>Watch William for a moment.
You want to see if he's stuck, or if he'll actually manage to retrieve the candelabra.

>Pull William out.
He's stuck, obviously.

>Look around for your kobolts, and see if they wouldn't have a better idea.
This involves "treasure", in the sense. Maybe they have some idea on how to handle Chester better than William does

>>5241345
>Pull William out.

>>5241345
>Look around for your kobolts, and see if they wouldn't have a better idea.
Maybe being saved by the kobolts (again?) will finally teach him some humility.

...right?

>>5241345
All three really, this bout of silliness requires more hands in case we fall in the Mimic.

>>5241345
>Watch William for a moment.
give the boy a chance

>Watch William for a moment.
You want to see if he's stuck, or if he'll actually manage to retrieve the candelabra.

But if he proves incompetent,
>Look around for your kobolts, and see if they wouldn't have a better idea.
This involves "treasure", in the sense. Maybe they have some idea on how to handle Chester better than William does

>>5241345
>>Watch William for a moment.

>>5241345
>Watch William for a moment.

>>5241345
>>Watch William for a moment.

got to make sure he is ok or if we need to help him

>>5241345
>Pull William out.
Willow for the love of The Light never do that again. We dont know Chester's temperament fully, but I'm thankful you're to dead. I hope you dont make this a habit to willingly climb into the mouths of mimics.
Give Chester some skritches for being such a well behaved lad.

>>5241345
>Watch William for a moment.

>>5241345
>>Watch William for a moment.
>You want to see if he's stuck, or if he'll actually manage to retrieve the candelabra.
We have to let the boy learn how to fix his own mistakes of he's ever going to grow. We can keep an eye on him while we hang the curtains

>>5241344
I've been reading your raider and spider quest, and I finished the spider quest a week back. Currently on Ch. 12 on chocolate Latina raider queen quest, and I gotta say I'm liking it.

You decide to just... hang back and wait. The noises are amusing, if nothing else, and it's clear Chester is having the time of his life, constantly making those hinge noises and moving its stubble little legs around .It's about four minutes in that you are getting worried, but considering William's legs are still kicking, he's not quite unconscious...
Then, all at once, he bends his legs, pushing himself out of Chester's mouth, and he falls back on the floor, covered head to toe in incredibly viscous slobber... He takes a moment come to his senses, and then he wipes the goop off his face... and raises the candelabra into the air, while screaming:
"I GOT IT! I GOT IT YOU LITTLE SHITS, I TOLD YOU I COULD DO IT!! HAHAAAAAA!"
"Language." You say, which is how he notices you were here. Startled, he kicks his legs around, before he bounces up and backs away from you.
...

"C-chester took the candelabra and h-he was daring me to take it. I was inside his little, uh... stomach, I guess? Well, I guess it's not really *little*, it's like a whole room, but I had to dig through some crap to get the candelabra. But I got it! It's saved!"
He proudly places it on the table... And then flinches when he notices the amount of slobber he's getting on that lovely table. Well, all the same...
"Well. Good job. I'm impressed." You say, nodding. You actually didn't expect him to manage that. The other thing you didn't expect is when he kneels down next to Chester and pats the little chest.
"You're a naughty little boy, aren't you Chester? Yes you are! Yes you are! You're a horrible little boy!" He says, while cooing and entertaining the dog-like treasure chest. Apparently...
William made an actual friend. Chester seems to return the affection as well, and nuzzles up against the lanky man.

Cute.
Well... You suppose now you've got a bit of the day free. It's... hard to say what time it is, really, as it looks to be a little bit past noon outside, but you can certainly feel that you just kind of... had to sit on a stone slab for several hours. You kind of napped halfway through it, and then moved on to meditation when you woke up, which is something you picked up during the crusades when prayer stopped working for a lot of people. It's good for stress relief.

Anyway, you have a little bit of off time before you will be called back. Or perhaps sleep?
Hmm.
You kind of just slept, and time is still funky here.
What do you do in this house of magical mysteries?

>Nothing much. Let's just skip to the part where the archmage does more magic stuff

>Talk to archmage Ogg about... something
You can think of something interesting, no doubt?

>Talk to Paracelsus.
There are things that might need talking about. But you'd better lead the conversation on this one.

>Suplex William to make sure he doesn't get too big for his britches with this "succeeding at something" stuff.
Don't actually pick this.

>>5242731
Just a guy and his chest.
>Talk to Paracelsus.
>Make sure William and Chester don't get into highjinxs with the Bolds
I can smell a Tom and Jerry moment right in the middle of our heart to heart.

>>5242731
>>Talk to Paracelsus.
>There are things that might need talking about. But you'd better lead the conversation on this one.
"What can you teach me about anatomy?"
(Just kidding. But not really. I'm just going to coat what i actually want in a razor thin, transparent layer of irony so I don't have to take ownership of it.)

>>5242731
>>Talk to Paracelsus.

>>5242788
support

>>5242731
>>Talk to Paracelsus.
what are your plans? where do we go from here?

>>5242731
>Talk to Paracelsus.

>>5242731
>talk to Anna
Make sure she's on the up and up about the option presented to her

>talk to the new kobolts
See how well they're integrating into the group

>>5242731

>>5242851
Supporting this.

>>5242811
And this.

Also:
>lanky man
MAN? How old is William, actually? I think I've been imagining him younger than he actually is.

>>5242731
>Talk to Paracelsus
First of all, can we find somewhere more private than the middle of a random hallway? Wouldn't want to get a serious talk interrupted by random kobolt shenanigans.
Reynauld has somehow managed to pick up 14 (fourteen!) wards that he will have to take care of once the curse is taken care of. If Paracelcus isn't willing to stick around for that, now is the time to back out.
Also, she has her own goals and dreams (the tuberculosis cure being a big one), and staying with the group might not give her the space to pursue them.
Not to mention, she's seen the kind of life Reynauld leads. There's a very good chance she may get hurt or see someone else get hurt.
No, of course I'm not fishing for a way to weasel out, I'm just, uh.. worried.

How experienced is Reynauld with courtship and dating, anyway? I assume it is largely unfamiliar territory for him, in which case he's probably terrified, but who knows what he did during either his early years or the crusades.

>>5242851
Plas hwan

>>5242731
>Talk to Paracelsus

>Then let's talk to our Goblin friend, Anna. We haven't had a good ol fashioned conversation with her in a while, but also about possible face fixings, if she is so inclined

After congratulating William, you ask Paracelsus to please follow you to a more private room... As there's likely a few things to go over. She seems to agree, though she does so silently. If she wasn't following you, you'd assume she didn't want to, guessing from her very stern expression. As soon as you enter your assigned room, however, she permits herself to release a breath she was apparently holding in.

You turn around to her, and... Well, there's a few things to consider. Things that you should bring up now, only it's hard to talk when powerful hands suddenly wrap themselves around your neck, and Paracelsus begins to kiss you. Liplocked, at first, but soon there is some tongue involved. To your displeasure, soon find out that your tongue is longer than before, though guessing from how intensely Sarah continues to kiss you, it's not a problem for her.

Then she releases herself from you, gasping for air... Before grinning.
"You taste spicy."
You reply eloquently with "ahrmuub?"
As collected as your thoughts seemed during the kiss, it seems that your brain is perhaps just a tad fried. You shake your head, and then take a breath:
"Okay! Pleasant as that was, we need to talk about some things, if this really is getting serious. You need to consider... I have 14 wards i need to take care of, that won't change. Not to mention that I won't be an ideal test subject for you any longer. With that in mind..."
Paracelsus smiles.
"At this point, the adventure is half the reason I'm staying. I'm done with the guilds and their studies, and I'd say it's high time i do some field work!"
Well, you suppose those bridges were burnt, but...
"What about your cure for congestion? I'm not sure you'll have the time or resources for it on the road."
"We have a cart, and we can stop at any town that doesn't irrationally hate kobolts. Speaking of: fine research assistants, all of them. Immune to a lot of human diseases, besides, so that's ideal."

She's... Making this too easy for you. You already know that staying with you will slow down her research, and that things won't be peachy, exactly. You move to the final point.

"You've seen the life i lead. People will get hurt. Me, you, everything we have with us... It can all get hurt or even killed."
She just looks around for a while, as if looking for something, before she looks down. She runs her hands over her cloak, and then had an uncharacteristically cheeky smile:
"Oh look! I found a doctor! It's me!"

...she seems to be pretty set on this, you suppose. You have to admit you're glad, and the smile you give her makes it clear to her, as well.

>Anything else to add?

>>5243656
>...Sorry. I'm just not used to things going this smoothly. But it's pleasant, for once.

>>5243656
>"Oh look! I found a doctor! It's me!"
Team Pink here. I'll always like Pink more, but I will admit that was really fucking cute.

So her cure on congestion or that disease, perhaps she needs finer tools and facilities. Anything to add to the shopping list?

Spine will Reynauld keep growing in the two days hes staying here?

>>5243666
Support.

>>5243666
support

>>5243656
>Anything else you would want to tell me before we resume where we just left?

>>5243656

>>5243666
Support, this went way better than expected. There's not much to add, and more than enough time to just, you know, hang out. The house of magical mysteries can surely wait a day.

>>5243656
>congestion

She better get mad at him for forgetting it's called consumption.

This is why Reynauld wears the helmet.

>>5243666
Big support for mister Satan over here

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>>5243666
+1

You just look at her for a moment… and then take in a breath to speak, only to get stuck. A little bit later, you take in another breath, and this time, you succeed.
“I’m not used to thing’s going so smoothly, sorry. It’s very pleasant, though.”
“Good! Now, let me put in some ground rules. We’re not going to have sex until I- let me rephrase that, we both actually want to. We’re not rushing into this. But I do keep the right to snog you from time to time.”
“What does snogging mean?”
“It’s, uh…”
She blushes a tiny bit.

“It’s slang from the pidgin-language between mine and yours. I speak properly, yes, but… Well, I got distracted and forgot the word for, uh… extensive kissing. The one with the, uh… You know. Kissing but with passion!” She says, visibly frustrated at forgetting the word.
“Making out?” You eventually guess, and that makes her snap her fingers:
“YES! That’s the one. Good job.” She says, patting you on the shoulder.
“I never saw you lose a word before.”
“I… try not to. I’d prefer if people would never guess I was a foreigner. Makes things easier.”

…then, there’s a bit of an awkward pause. Neither of you know what to say, for a moment. Then, a little bit later, Paracelsus knows just what to say.
“Strip down. I should look you over myself, see if the wizard left any marks on you I should note.”
Ah, of course. The logical progression of events after saying no funny business. A medical examination.
It’s by the numbers, however. Very professional.

“...hmm. Flex your bicep for me?” Paracelsus asks, keeping her measuring lint at the ready. You do as she asks, and she clicks her tongue in response:
“Still getting bigger, I suppose. Not by much, of course, hell, if I wasn’t measuring you constantly nobody would ever notice the difference!”
She rolls up the tape.
“Other than that, nothing too major… other than you expelling a little more magic than usual. My guess? Your inner dragon is starting to panic. It’s not enough to be a danger, by all accounts, unless somebody has liver problems. Our bodies can filter out what is being expelled naturally.”

Huh.
“That’s what my liver does?”
“It’s your detoxer, yes. Magic is a toxin, so it filters it. It can’t handle too much, of course, but it’s the reason one can stand in a magical area without going insane.”
Noted…

Well, after that, you just spend the day relaxing a bit. You end up fishing in a pond that Ogg is keeping. You release the fish again afterwards, of course, and it’s a relaxing way to spend the time. Anna also visits you a little later, looking… troubled.
“Heya, Reynauld.” She says, and you quietly hand her a second fishing rod.
“Hello Anna.”
“...So Ogg talked to me about healing my scars. The, uh, deal she’s proposing is… It’s bothering me.”

You raise an eyebrow behind your helmet, and turn to the goblin woman.
“She said that healing past the burns is nearly impossible, so instead, she offered that I’d take on a curse similar to yours. She’d transform me into something else, though… still similar to me, I suppose. Thing is, that scares me. I don’t want to stop being a goblin, believe it or not. It’s… part of me.”
She swings out her fishing rod, afterwards, deciding to actually fish instead of merely talking.
“I want your opinion. Should I…. Should I change myself? And if I do… To what, I wonder?”
“You get to choose?”
“Yeah. I’m obviously sticking to humanoid. Preferably about the same size, even. But if she transforms me into, like… a goblin, my scars wouldn’t disappear. So it’s, you know. Non-goblin or bust.”

…That's a question and a half, yeah.

> We don't care about your scars, you know. You don't have to do this if you don't want to

> ...if that's what you want, maybe you can go for...
Most fantasy races are applicable here, except half demons or whatever.

>>5243916
>We don't care about your scars, you know. You don't have to do this if you don't want to
Well, there is an obvious correct choice, but I would feel too guilty even suggesting it if she's not totally sold on the transformation aspect.

question is if she can just cheat and become a hobgoblin

>>5243939
Hobbo gobbo is still quite a bit bigger and yellow. It's certainly quite different.
Also, uglier. Goblins adapt easy, and generally looking a little appealing was a part of that. Hobgoblins were literally bred for war.

>>5243916
> We don't care about your scars, you know. You don't have to do this if you don't want to..

> But...if that's what you want, maybe you can go for something like halfling, or even kobold? It would keep you at around Chad's height.

(The last bit is just some like teasing to take her mind off of the stress of such a choice for a moment.)

>>5243934
support we need to be totally sure she is doing this for herself

>>5243916
> We don't care about your scars, you know. You don't have to do this if you don't want to

>>5243916
We have time dilation, mind reading, golemancy, flesh-crafting (or whatever the pig chimera were made from), quite literal tech wizards, magical computer code curses but not one facial reconstruction method that works for (admittedly severe) burn scars, what the heck.

Well, not like it was essential to begin with and she's comfortable with herself.

> We don't care about your scars, you know. You don't have to do this if you don't want to

>>5244090
Technically speaking,a very skilled plastic surgeon would be fine. Those are just very rare and very expensive.

>>5244090
can't be good at everything, she's a wizard not a surgeon

>>5243916
> ...if that's what you want, maybe you can go for...
You could go a fraction towards....an elf, human, orc, halfling, gnome. Any of those buy just a small enough fraction should do it for you.

>>5243950
No hobs, got it.

>>5244002
But then she would have scales.

>>5244094
Does Sarah know where we can find a plastic surgeon instead if Anna doesn't want to go through with the magic?

>>5244215
>but then she'd have scales
She is crushing on a kobold. She may not consider scales a deal-breaker.

>>5243916
>Could you be... double-cursed or something? Surely magic isn't that limited...
> We don't care about your scars, you know. You don't have to do this if you don't want to

>>5244094
>>5244210
It's funny cause magic's the tool to make reality bend to one's will.
Makes sense though, you couldn't go get a face-lift from a theoretical physicist or an engineer (without taking severe health risks).

>>5243916
>> We don't care about your scars, you know. You don't have to do this if you don't want to
But of course, you could become a Kobolt and see how many mattress slats you and Chad can break in a single evening. Maybe also get his input since he's the one who's going to be looking at her the most.

>>5244476
>“She said that healing past the burns is nearly impossible, so instead, she offered that I’d take on a curse similar to yours. She’d transform me into something else, though… still similar to me, I suppose. Thing is, that scares me. I don’t want to stop being a goblin, believe it or not. It’s… part of me.”
Oh and just an addendum, "Kobold" was originally just "Goblin" in German, so....

>>5243916
Ultimately it's up to her, does she feel more uncomfortable with her scars or with the idea of being something else? Also would it be possible to use the spell to turn her into something else and then use it again to turn her back into a goblin?

Though if she does decide to change I'd suggest an imp - just cause flying is pretty awesome

File: 65d7408a7674fd08aa1f4bd01(...).jpg (162 KB, 1252x1690)

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One more comment then I will shut up:
What about enchanting her mask so it can have facial expressions?

>>5244679
I really like this idea.

>>5244679
Not a bad idea, instead of transforming her body just get a better prosthetic

"You know... We don't actually care about your scars. If you don't want to do it, then just don't."
Anna exhales, and you suspect it's a smile behind the mask... though you blink when she takes off the mask and puts it on the ground, before peeking at the water. She shakes just a bit as she gazes at herself, touching her exposed teeth.
"...I care about them. I..."
She stares a bit longer, tilting her head as the water remains eerily still. She's actually exploring her face a bit, you can tell.
She closes her eyes when she gets to her cheek, or what's left of it.
"Hells... I really am a wretched thing, aren't I?" She says, with a tone of sardonic amusement. "It's the first time in over a year I saw my face without the mask."
Well, You have an easy answer to it.
"Chad doesn't seem to think you're wretched. Neither does anybody else. I haven't known you for very long, sure, but you're a lovely lady, once you're out of the caves and not shooting me."
She smiles. It's hard to tell, sure, but there's enough left for her cheeks to bulge up a tad, and some shreds of her lips curl. At least nothing's hanging loose, you suppose.

"Well, I'm not apologizing again, if you're fishing for that. But, yeah... It's been nice. Being on the road. With kobolts that hate the mask more than the scars, a doctor that doesn't see it as anything other than a medical oddity... and, I suppose, one idiot."
"Did William ever apologize for his reaction?" You decide to ask.
You're surprised with the answer.
"Actually, yes. At night, he woke me up and told me he's really sorry about my face. Which is... I decided to take that as charitably as I could, so I count it."
Anna leans back a bit, pulling her fishing hook out of the water and pulling it back, having realized she didn't place any bait on the hook. You hand her some of it, something that reminds you of a very crumbly bread, and she puts it on the hook.
"You know I didn't take you as a fisherman."
You shrug.
"I hunted for most of my food. Fishing is easier, and I do like eating fish... Though, I tend to use a spear when I fish out in the wild. Fishing rods are for sport."
Anna scoffs, playfully.
"Some sport, sitting on your buns and waiting."
"Mmm-hmm." You agree.

You both sit there for a while. Anna's not too good of a fisherwoman, it seems. She's too impatient, and keep recasting her rod, while you remain patient. She catches a few, you suppose, and lets them go once more. Eventually...
She sighs.
"...I think I'm still going to do it. Eventually. I would have stepped right there if you didn't tell me to... You know. Consider."

"Well, it's your choice, in the end. Have you considered getting an enchanted mask, perhaps? A more advanced prosthetic."
She sniffs.
"I hate the damned mask."
"Fair enough. If you DO decide to go for it... Any ideas for what?" You ask, and she shrugs right back.
"Do you have any ideas?"
"Well, scales aren't a dealbreaker, and you obviously like Chad, so..."
"Kobolt? Hah! Wouldn't that be fun... Good idea, honestly. People won't look at me funny when I get with your squire."
Seems she isn't very flustered about it.
"Well... I wish you the best of luck on that. But, please. Don't change yourself for anybody else's sake. Do it for you, okay?"

She smiles, gets up, and leaves without a word.
She left her mask behind. You decide to keep it, for now. Hopefully, it'll just be a memento of a time that's been conquered for her, but just in case.

-----------------------
The castle slept, after that, and you decided to keep fishing for a while longer, and later on, did some martial exercises with William and Chad. They're getting there, really, and William is making some strides forward. He still doesn't stand a chance against Chad, of course, but he's getting closer and closer.
Better yet, he's politer than before. He's just saying he'll beat Chad eventually, instead of saying that things weren't fair in some way. When Ogg calls you (by way of sending a crystal golem with her face projected on it), you leave them to spar a little longer, as long as they like.
Then, here you are again, with Paracelsus at the ready.

Ogg decides to pry:
"So... Are my golems cleaning bedsheets right now, or was it a... spur of the moment confession, last time?"
"We are officially in a relationship, yes." Paracelsus says. She sounds nicer than she usually does as she says it. "Thank you for asking, and no. We decided against doing anything... too fast."
Archmage Ogg sniffs.
"Figure life's too short to be careful. Or, at least, it'll be short for us, compared to our knight here. Hehehe..."
The laugh doesn't sound too amused.
"You know, knight. You're really tossing out quite the gift here. Why not become a dragon? Hm? Do you know dragons are natural mages? They don't need to spend every waking moment holding on to sanity by the atoms on the tips of their fingernails, they're just... built different. And they grow forever, too. The older a dragon, the bigger they get, alongside their magical potential and just plain how active they are. We should be glad they're lazy creatures, you know. If a dragon had the drive the same way any of us act, why... they could take over the country in just a few decades. Lead the charge in improving the world."

You sit upright for a moment, though this fortunately doesn't seem to affect the runes she's set up.
"Interesting idea. Did you miss the part where I'm naturally inclined to act like a giant, sociopathic lizard with bad breath?"
"Agh! If you can fight off mana sickness, and I suspect you could, you can fight THAT off as well! And even then... It's not that bad of a life, being lazy a bit. Your inner dragon isn't necessarily lying."

You frown at Ogg... This feels like a bit of an outburst, despite her calm tone.
"Archmage. Are you feeling alright?"
She blinks...
She blinks again.
Then, awkwardly coughs.
"A-hum... Yes. Sorry. It's... I've been looking for immortality myself, you know. Hence why time moves slowly, here. Everything here is a quarter speed compared to the outside. My ageing process is another fourth of that. I'm already... I'm already eighty years old, you know? I look beautiful, still... Did some touchups, made sure I'm not physically older than thirty. But I'm still the oldest thing in the castle, and I'm... Starting to feel that."
...You don't know what to say to that, but Paracelsus has something to add:
"You'd be the second eldest, actually. Pink is a bit over two hundred years old. Seems whatever coloured her pink when she was born gave her some crazy longevity."

Ogg slowly turns around... and smiles.
"Interesting... Thank you, Alchemist."
"Well, I can't very well study the nature behind it, as it's entirely magical, seems only right I tell you. Oh, on that note, could you tell me how Reynauld's stomach lining works, now?"

Ogg just waves a finger at Paracelsus, and a page seems to materialize out of thin air, before drifting onto Paracelsus' lap.
"Ohhh, nicely annotated. Thank you."

Personally, you're unsure about telling Ogg about it, but... you suppose it can't be helped.
"Alright, Reynauld. Could you lay down again? I think I need no more than an hour to fully have the curse written down. Then, I can try out some tests, like with Anna."
"Did she confirm it with you?"
Ogg doesn't say anything, at first.
Then, she says:
"So you told her to wait, did you? Well. I'm patient, don't worry."
"I wanted her to be sure about it, Archmage."

You look over to Paracelsus, who... is giving you a worried look of her own.
"Are you sure you're alright, archmage?"
She all but shouts back:
"YES! Yes. It's been... I have my off days, just like anybody else! I'll... I'll go decontaminate after I finish writing the spell down, it will help me. But I can't stop here, if I don't finish it now it'll take us another day, and I might start mixing things up!"
...With that in mind, you let her work. Fortunately, she was done ahead of schedule, just half an hour later.
"THERE! There! Hahaaaa! The most advanced bit of dragon coding we've seen in a while. Why, you could start a whole programming language off of this! Now... I'll need a test subject, won't I? Need to confirm this works."

You sit up, but she waves her hand:
"Yes, yes, curing you. It's a lot easier to cast than to remove. If I can cast it, then I'll know for sure I can safely remove it."

>Alright. You've got some rats for that, right?

>You need to head to your decontamination, or whatever it was. You're acting strange!

>Sit up quickly, and take her by the shoulder so you can be clear to her that she needs to be bloody careful.

>Try to knock her out.

>>5245277
Decontaminate her, if she resists - knock her out

Weird stuff happening. Smells like curse bullshit?
How did Pink's curse talking work again? Is it innate to just her or was it because she's partly magical? If it was the latter it could possibly be the curse manipulating Ogg. The place's steeped in magic.
She'd be susceptible since she's been very eager to attain a manner of longevity/immortality outside of time manipulation. Would explain why she'd first try to cast the dragon magic code before curing Reynauld.

>You need to head to your decontamination, or whatever it was. You're acting strange!
>What's Paracelsus's assessment on her behavior
>Keep an eye on her

Knocking her out could be dangerous because the curse seemed strenghtened when its bearer isn't conscious.

>>5245277
>Sit up quickly, and take her by the shoulder so you can be clear to her that she needs to be bloody careful.
>The thing we *really* don't need is a dragon running around

>>5245277
supporting >>5245385
>Sit up quickly, and take her by the shoulder so you can be clear to her that she needs to be bloody careful.
>The thing we *really* don't need is a dragon running around

>>5245277
This is Dreygaun's doing, isn't it? Bastard is not stupid enough to be harmless, and he can offer Ogg the one thing she desires. I hate having to act on a hunch, but
>Run away. Put some distance between the devil in your head and the highly susceptible, super powerful magic lady.
>Confront Dreygaun. Hopefully he can't focus on others if he's... having a pleasant conversation with you.

>>5245470
Likely she's taking to it, less likely she's gone and cursed herself.
We might need to talk her out of whatever she's planning on doing

>>5245277
>You need to head to your decontamination, or whatever it was. You're acting strange!
You uh, didnt cast the spell on yourself already, did you? I hope you dont take this the wrong way, but my lack of in depth knowledge to the inner working of magic sorcery leaves me with little to work with. I'm partly worried about you. Don't let the whole immortality thing bother you ya know?

>>5245542
Something something about Reynauld Willpower/Wisdom attribute ironically being higher than the Archmage's.

>>5245510
I mean, I think since Ogg wants part of the curse and acknowledges it, the curse would feed off of her wanta and grow strong from it, where as Reynauld has been actively dismissing and hating on the curse every step of the way. In addition, Ogg's curse might be slightly smarter than ours since she in a sense "want" it. Plus, I dont know. The nurse's intelligence is made from the individual, and Ogg is stupid smart. What if the dragon curse she casts on herself will make her own curse able to cast spells? If I were the Archmage, I'd invest my money in learning more about Pink's longevity than dabbling in courses. Pink's magical affliction is probably safer too.

>>5245277
>You need to head to your decontamination, or whatever it was. You're acting strange!

>>5245277
>>You need to head to your decontamination, or whatever it was. You're acting strange!
>do NOT harass or possibly threaten the crazy hag in any way inside her castle
>make a plan to kill her if decontamination doesn't/won't get rid of the mana corruption
bros our quest aint ending here. she was power crazy (and plain crazy) before studying us, and now she is batshit crazy. We should end her and find someone else.

>>5245563
Support having her transform herself into a Kobolt if she wants immortality and freedom from mana sickness.
(The quest might eventually end with everyone except reynauld being transformed into a kobolt. Anna so she can have a face and bump uglies with Chad, Ogg so she can be immortal and not insane, William as punishment for running his stupid fucking mouth one too many times, Celsie in the distant future when, as an old woman on her death bed, she realizes she wants to stay with Reynauld instead of moving to the great beyond. Chester mimics a Kobolt after a while to fit in better. Naturally after becoming a Kobolt lady Ogg realizes she needs to ply her services to a dragon to truly feel fulfilled, and joins the crew. In a final act of vengeance, Reynauld uses mental self- actualization to transform Dreygaun into a Kobolt as well, just to be spiteful.)

>>5245277
>>You need to head to your decontamination, or whatever it was. You're acting strange!
Bitch is being manipulated.

>>5245660
That actually sounds nice.>>5245563

>>5245563
Supporting. That way she could easily test the curse.

>>5245632
>the curse corrupting her
she was already crazy before she studied us (>>5239169), and already had the time warping stuff before we came. what I'm getting from her is that she got into magics for selfish purposes...
but we should ask. could just be plain mana corruption, but that's dangerous enough

>>5245277
ask Ogg:
>how, exactly, does being able to cast it means you can safely remove it, given that removing is harder than casting?
>what exactly is the process of decontamination?
>why'd you start studying magic? what led you to become an archmage?

>>5245563
....trrruuuee, but Ogg or someone mentioned kobolts be a "slave race" I think, so her going full on Kobolt might change her in ways she would not appreciate, like her own need to find a "dragon" of sorts. Said dragon might either be the current monarch of this country, or Reynauld, as funny as the latter might be.

>>5245660
I'd still prefer Reynauld to finally reach the half dragon threshold, instead or being 25% there. Like if he turned Dregaun in his dream minus the avarice and autism.

>>5245679
Pro's and cons to being a kobolt here. Ogg will need someone she can trust to be her dragon if she goes down the kobolt route.

>>5245276
Can we teach Chadeous and William how to fortify their minds against mental attacks?

in addition, spine:
>Two days in here is but eight hours for the rest of the world
>aka time moves 6x the speed in her castle than outside
vs
>Hence why time moves slowly, here. Everything here is a quarter speed compared to the outside.
>aka time moves 0.25x the speed in her castle than outside
which?
my id is jumping all over the place, damnit

>>5245832
The time dilation is actually vague to everybody, including Ogg, but let me explain the idea.

While you're inside the castle, you can spend a week here, and considerably less time will have passed outside the castle. At the SAME TIME, aging and other processes are pretty much going at outside speeds.
I guess it'd be more accurate that time isn't sped up, it's just that all your actions (though not your body) are sped up. Ogg has made her days incredibly, incredibly efficient.

Time is something that shouldn't be bloody messed with when you're writing, for this exact reason. I hope things are a little more clear, now that I explained this, though.
But if you notice any further discrepancies, I'd advise not thinking about it very hard. Time bullshit is odious.

>>5245842
We should at least gain the capacity to fly, in addition to getting natural full plate armor before stopping. Make it an even number instead of an odd you know? I'd rather we get something complete than just a dude with scales everywhere.

I mean, Ogg barely knows Reynauld, but if what's she's read from everyone's mind indicated anything, he's trust worthy enough. Do you think she'll go through with turning herself into a Pink kobolt?

>>5245844
Oh that makes sense. This place would be incredible useful for training soldiers. Ergo more time training, slower rate of your body aging. You can enter at age 16 and come out age 17 a fully trained and ripped as fuck knight. I can dig it. Ogg should really considered selling that to earn more money for research grants.

>>5245660
Im sorry, but what the fuck are you talking about?
How are they going to turn into kobolds if the spell ogg is copying turns people into dragons? Also kobolts are not immortal, Pink is an exception but it has nothing to do with her being a scalie.
Also how the shit is Reynauld supposed to turn a psychological entity into a physical kobold?
>>5245679
Im also suspecting samefagging from this but i dunno man it felt like a fever dream to read that.

>>5245660
So, you have a transformation fetish, huh?

>>5245860
Ogg could probably turn herself into a kobolt through overwhelming magic bullshit by my guess. I dont recall if there was a kobolt that died of old age? But we do know that Pink is an exception.

>>5245870
It should be easy to work around that. It will be hard, and it might take a decade, but if Reynauld can build enough renown then people will ignore the dragon part, and see him more as the valiant knight slaying the evils of both monsters and men. A good man, not a half dragon mutant.
I dont honestly mind getting the head turned dragonoid. It's just extra protection in addition to any helmet we wears over his extra armor. So long as he still has a head of hair, and doesn't turn into a gay ass quadraped, we good.

>>5245894
I do recall that kobolds do age and eventually become old as we do, I believe it was during their 60s. Also there is the question of why would Ogg turn into a kobold if it doesn't equal immortality together with konolds wanting to serve a dragon.
Also I Really doubt that we can pass by looking like a monster by just having a goodish reputation in a medieval fantasy setting where witch hunts still happen despite mages being a normal thing for example.

>>5245903
It's less of a kink for me, and more the idea of "being bigger = stronger + bigger ass buster sword" that appeals to my sense of ass kickery.
And I'm aware of the curse too! It's bad and I don't like it as well, but on the other hand....bigger zwihander and greatswords.

>>5245919
File down our finger claws, wear fullplate armor to hide our features, get a big cloak and we should be set.

>>5246122
Being a bigger and stronger swordsman isn't much of a fetish is it? Being bigger and stronger means you can fight bigger and bader beast on more equal terms.

>>5246245
Went right over my head that did! Anyway, being bigger will probably be more expensive, needing an entirely new set of alchemically treated steel armor which might cost around 5k rosarians, in addition to purchasing a new sword to match the size, but I think it would be worth the investment. Only other downside I can think of (beyond the obvious racial stigma) is requiring to eat probably double our normal portion size, but thankfully we have a wagon.
Huh, we still own the blunderbuss and crossbow right? If we repair and refurbish the blunderbuss, we could probably teach William and Chad how to load and fire it.

>>5246252
True, buuut a good work around would be to put Reynauld in bodily harm. Like per say if someone were in danger, he could go out to help them, get hurt for his troubles, and not have to willingly degrade him mind to further his dragonification. Instead of his mind deteriorating, it will only accelerate his transformation a bit. Hmm. You know I kind of regret not fighting the pigtaur now that we know how the dragon thing works.

>>5245869
I mean, yeah, but this was mostly driven by a relatively straightforward subjugation fetish of making the nice mage lady into our willing thrall and also a bit of pragmatism because she'll either end up becoming a wizard or a dragon if she fucks around with the curse.
>>5245860
Kobolts have a much longer lifespan than humans and can be functionally immortal if they don't get killed. The low lifespan they have is mostly due to extended proximity to dragons, not old age. The idea is to rework the curse from dragon to kobolt and then go from there. If we're going with the idea of making anna into a kobolt (if she wants) we might be able to sell it on Lady Ogg as a way of retaining her sanity. Maybe don't mention that she'll maybe want to be our thrall until she's already done it.

>>5246259
I think Ogg is too smart. She'd probably already realized the thrall aspect of kobolts a long time ago. Couse on the small chance I'm wrong, it works more or less in our favor right?

>>5246321
Hmmmm. We should bring this up to her as a safer, albeit with it's own down sides. She might be inclined to agree possibly.

>>5245277
Let's bring up what this anon has to say >>5246321

>>5245277

>>5245448 was me, and I'd like to say I'm 100% against trying to prey on this mage's mana-madness to try to convince her to become a kobolt and join our klan. It seems weird and out-of-nowhere (as well as very out-of-character for Reynold as he's been written up to this point) to just launch into a weird speech about the virtues of being a kobolt and how we'll be a really good dragon for her even if she becomes submissive.

>>5246334
this is also true? maybe the kobolt thing is also out of character to mention.

I vote against a weird anon conspiracy to tell Ogg to be a kobolt, if that matters

Also opposing it.

"Archmage! I believe you need to head to your decontamination thing, or whatever you called it! You seem to be acting-"
"STRANGE!?" She says, turning around. "It's. Fine. I said I'd head there in an hour, it's only been HALF of one. So, I have the time to try out the spell on somebody- SomeTHING else before I go."

Paracelsus stands up, though she neatly puts her notes away, first.
"Mental health is not on an exact timer, Archmage. The spell will still be there by the time you finish, it's really not that bad."
There's a pause.
One just long enough to worry you, before Ogg sighs.
"...I suppose you are a doctor, analogue as you are. Hah! You'd make for a fine fleshcrafter, were you a mage. Perhaps necromancy would be good for you? That would merely require rituals, after all."
Paracelsus shakes her head:
"Ogg? Please. This has been a very good working relationship. I'd rather prefer if we could keep things functional. Do you want me to join you on the way to decontamination?"

Ogg sighs again... and clutches her head.
"I don't... I... I think so? I'm feeling very tired, suddenly. Very.... O-oh no."
She suddenly looks at her hand for a moment, and while you don't see anything, she seems horrified at... a perfectly smooth and manicured hand of a 20 year old.
"I'm aging, aren't I? I'm aging. That damned dragon inside of you warned me! I shouldn't have... No no no no."
She clutches her head with both hands, huffing as she moves her hands through her hair, stopping suddenly to give out a faint, despairing scream.
"Grey hairs!? Already!? I couldn't be older than thirty, physically, even if it's... no! My youth! My rose!!"

She's... having a freakout, and Paracelsus seems to understand that. She steps forward, and carefully puts a hand on her shoulder:
"Archmage! You're not growing older, you're hallucinating!"
"GET AWAY FROM ME! DON'T LOOK AT ME!"
"You need to decontaminate, you're mana-poisoned!"
"I'm... I'm too young to be affected by that. I'm not deranged! I'M NOT! I'm archmage Ogg! I know time! TIME BENDS TO ME! ME!!"
Okay this is going too far. You step in yourself:
"You won't be able to do anything if you lose your mind now! Don't listen to Dreygaun, or whatever that horrid little lizard said! Just decontaminate, and you'll be back with a clear head! You're just as pretty as always!"

She turns quiet, at that, and turns around.
"As always? AS ALWAYS!? I'M DECAYING AS I STAND HERE!"
Then, she spreads her hands out, and pushes both you and Paracelsus away, with enough force to go flying... but your momentum slows down before you hit a wall, and you are dropped carefully, afterwards.
Ogg... seems to realize her issue.
"Oh hells. Seven hells. I need to go. I need to go decontaminate."

And just like that, she sprints out of the room, slamming her shoulder against the door to open it, leaving you and Paracelsus behind.
....

>Wait here, don't bother the archmage undergoing a mental breakdown

>Follow her, for safety's sake.

>>5246450
>Follow her, for safety's sake.
Come on Paracelsus, let's make sure Ogg is okay.

>>5246450
>>Follow her, for safety's sake.
...And archmage are supposed to be "sane" wizards?

>>5246622
+1

>>5246622
+1 and send chad after them in case

>>5246719
him telling you would probably be breaking some rules, but yes dreygaun is talking to her. guess her ability to read our minds include draygaun's.

>>5246450
>Stay put, lest our proximity give Dreygaun more chance to mess with the Archmage
>Maybe see if, by meditating, we can have a little 'talk' with Dreygaun, to out him in his place

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>>5246779
>I don't think spine usually does trap options
In the past we've had Dreygaun influencing our options. Who's to say he isn't just being more subtle this time?

>>5246622
Support.

>>5246807
Talking to Dreygaun right now won't achieve anything, except maybe confirm that he's responsible for Ogg's breakdown (he's too smug not to brag about it). I'd save it for when we're having the curse lifted, maybe engaging him head on will distract him from corrupting others.

One other thing to consider: Can using Ogg's telepresence golems shield her from Dreygaun's influence? I suspect it's based on proximity, but he might be able to hitch a ride on the magic link.

>>5246450
>Wait here, don't bother the archmage undergoing a mental breakdown

>>5246845
Laughanon is right though.

>>5246719
>>5246622
These posts give me cancer. What are sentences am I right?

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>>5246845
from one of spine's other quests

>>5246947
Decent punctuation is like the minimum you could do, reddit or otherwise.

>>5243913
Wouldn't this mean rampant alcoholics have the chance to be the best wizards?

>>5247013
Rampant alcoholism tends to destroy one's liver, not stregthen it.

>>5247049
The weak die, the strong get hammered.

>>5247013
More like people whose livers could support the lifestyle of rampant alcoholism.
Anyways rule #1 of magic is to not drink and cast! Otherwise your fireball will turn into an involuntary self-immolation spell.

Damn it.

"Paracelsus. I'll stay here, to keep her away from Dreygaun. You should follow her, make sure she's not doing anything rash!"
Paracelsus just nods and runs after Ogg. With the difference in Fitness, you've no doubt that she can catch up. In the meantime... there's little else you can do other than sit here, on that heated slab, trying not to gnash your ever so sharp teeth in frustration. Who knows how that thing's going.
How did Dreygaun even do that?

"How I did that should be obvious. Somebody puts her foot in the door, it only makes sense I'd talk to her."

...He's talking. You don't see him anywhere, at least, so you're not completely insane. It sounds as if he's talking from behind you, which you suppose might be some attempt at forcing a power dynamic. You don't give him a response.

"It's been fun, you know. Giving you the occasional hint I'd want to leave this place, when all you're really done for me is offer a plaything. Perhaps, if things go right, she'll serve as a mate for us... The children would be beautiful, you know, I think her scales will be a lovely red."

You clench your fists hard enough for your knuckles to turn white, and your nails to start digging into the skin. You can't quite pierce it, despite the claws. You hate this lizard.
You hate him more than anything else in the world.

"It was so easy, as well!" He says, and you can hear the smile in his voice. "She was already so deathly afraid of her body failing. Such intense fear for death... and here I arrive. With the solution to her problem. Did you know she isn't just afraid of old age? She felt the mana sickness creeeeeeeping into her. I just had to remind her of what she knew. Dragons aren't so weak mere mana can stop them."
It laughs again.

You hope to make it a physical being, one day. So you can hang its head on the back of your wagon.

"Such anger! But, I wouldn't worry. You only sent Paracelsus along, didn't you? She's responsible. Surely nobody else is scurrying around the castle, that might interrupt a flustered, panicking wizard."
You speak up at that.
"She's an archmage, lizard."
"Ahhh, perhaps. Perhaps she'd still be one... if I hadn't been steadily pumping her full of all the mana I've been collecting. You resisted me just fine, of course, so I had a lot to sling around. She hardly noticed... she liked talking to me ever so much. She has a brilliant mind, you know... She knows everything about you, now. Every little thing I could scrounge up in your old brainpan. Oh! I should tell you of the last little idea I offered her, when she was so unsure about becoming greater."

You feel... nervous. You know it's not going to be good to hear.
"I reminded her... if she can cast it on herself? Why not cast it on the other people she likes. People that would be a shame to see wither and die like herself. It's a good thing you insisted Sarah be civil. I think, they were getting along just fine."

oh no.

>Remain here. He's goading you

>Run after Sarah!

>>5247762
>>Remain here. He's goading you

>>5247762
>Remain here. He’s goading you

>Remain here. He’s goading you

What possible benefit would there be to us charging ahead? We can't cast a counetrspell, if that's what's planned, and our proximity will only pump more magic into the already-volatile situation. Trust out friends. Pray, if we have it left in us to do so.

>>5247762
>Remain here. He's goading you
Dreygaun's biggest mistake is thinking anyone would believe he's smart enough to pull off a keikaku of this magnitude.

...or maybe it is a double bluff and everything he said is true, but in that case, as >>5247835 stated, what could running after Ogg possibly achieve? Hell, at this point I'd say Pink is better equipped to deal with the situation than Reynauld.

>>5247838
I disagree. We know mages often go mad, and Ogg warned us that she was having an off day. We know magic entities can talk to (and be manioulated by) Dreygaun, after the Pink incident. We knew the nature of Ogg's anxieties in broad strokes, qnd that she wanted to study our curse specifically as part of her attempt to gain immortality. You just missed the clues.

>>5247762
>Remain here. He's goading you

Worst case scenario, we have a cursed and long-lived doctor who'll be draconically inclined to gathering and creating knowledge, working out and getting possessive of her dragon-knight.

>>5247878
>Eternal life with Sarah, BUT you're both dragons
Can we honestly even call that a bad end?

>>5247861
>call out to pink and chad tell them to run after paracelus, pink knows our lessons how why not to listen to the curse and chad is our best student
best choice in a bad situation

>>5247890
Lighten up, anon. Life's too short to take everything seriously.

>>5247887
That would be very bad. That is ego death.

>>5247898
What if Pink is still listening to Dreygaun? After all he ought to know what path should we take to achieve greatness, right?
Maybe we shouldn't really depend on her in such critical situation?

>>5248026
I sure hope so. Things started moving very quickly now.

>>5248023
We told her not to, so hopefully she's mindful enough to ignore it.

>>5247838
>there was no indication of this happening
see >>5239169

adding on to my vote:
>tell chad and pink to follow paracelcus

>>5247856
Yeah Dreygaun was smart enough to get Ogg to curse herself but not to get her to spread the curse. Sarah can handle it.
>>5248018
The Ego Death is a bit overstated, it only happens if the victim is too weak to dominate their dragon-self. Ogg and Celsie will both prevail if it comes to that. The only one we'd need to worry about was William because he's already a lizard-brained fool.

>>5248593
>The Ego Death is a bit overstated
It 100% is not overstated. Every time we've talked to the God damn curse, it alluded to our eventually we'll come around to its way of thinking one way or another. It knows in the long run that if we allow this curse to run its course, it will win. We have to win every single time an impulse to be like a dragon comes up, and for every inch last, that is an inch we will never regain. It's a war of attrition that we are doomed to lose in the end. And that says nothing of the fact that spine has explicitly stated that if it goes far enough, we will bad end. I get that a lot of the Anons here are really gung-ho about hey, let's be a dragon. Dragons are cool. But this isn't the quest for it, man. It's just not.

"You're not making me run after them." You state out loud, and Dreygaun just laughs.
"Well, look at you. Don't we feel smart today! Or is it just to go against me? You know, a solid punch could have probably helped, but I'm sure Sarah knows what to do."

You sniff.
"You know just as well as I do that Sarah's built enough to punch Ogg out, if it comes to that. Not to mention the sedatives she most certainly carries on her. You can't trick me."
Dreygaun goes oddly quiet for a moment, and his "voice" moves to in front of you instead of right behind you. It doesn't do much to make you more comfortable, to be honest.
"You really can't see me, can you? You must be so proud of yourself."
"If it's because I've been resisting you, then I will allow some satisfaction, certainly." You say.
You make it a point to not be proud about it. Just... the feeling of a job well done.
"Yes, yes... I suppose so."

He sounds a little annoyed. Now that's funny.
"So. What will you do when this plan fails, hmm? Ogg won't be of much use to you, or anybody, in just a short while. Perhaps you should kill her, right here and now, to make sure the local hamlet doesn't get burnt to the ground or, better yet! Perhaps she'll turn all the apes to kobolts. A much more fitting and useful race, don't you think so?"
This thing disgusts you. But...
Well if Ogg is serious about being able to transform people, and she really DID make the mistake of turning herself into a dragon....
It would be something you would have to nip in the bud, isn't it? Or could you trust her to resist?
...You really hope it doesn't come to that.

You keep waiting, and waiting. You have no way of knowing how much time has passed, but... eventually, after what felt like hours, you see Chad enter the room, with William right behind him. He looks... pale.
"Dragon?"
"Chad. What's going on? How are things?"
"...Miss archmage went inside a big bathtub, and there's loads of little water bottles that turn all... glowy. She asked us to keep replacing them, and the golems showed us how. Eventually, enough golems arrived to do it for us."
William talks after that, though he sits down in one of the chairs. A comfy one, with a big pillow.
"She seemed mostly alright, but, uh... I dropped one. I dropped one of those bottles. I-it didn't shatter, but it wasn't stoppered, so..."

He wheezes.
"She got SO angry. I thought she was gonna turn me into a newt but... She didn't, I guess. Told me to leave if I wasn't going to be useful, and then she like... She pushed me out with magic."
...Well the obvious question first:
"Did you get any of that liquid on you?"
"No! No. I, uh, I jumped back. Pink cleaned it up. Twelve hells, I thought I was gonna die. That push she did, felt like she just... gripped my soul for a second, man."
You've been pushed as well, and yeah... being magically pushed is scarier than a regular push.

>Try to calm William down. It's over now, she's getting detoxed.

>Ask where Paracelsus is.

>Some other question.

>>5248854
>Try to calm William down. It's over now, she's getting detoxed.
How is Pink, Paracelsus, and everyone else doing? If we are to keep our distance, can they retrieve our swors so we may sharpen it to pass the time? Maybe even go through some techniques so we dont go rusty.
Uh, just Reynauld by himself. Dont want more magic nonsense going on until Ogg is fine. Howcare the new kobolts doing?

>>5248854
>>Try to calm William down. It's over now, she's getting detoxed.
>>Ask where Paracelsus is.
>>I need you to tell me everything that happened in detail, the damned curse has made it play and we need to get ahead of it and to do that I need information.

damn you spine dragging out this torture, making us wait and keeping us on the edge of our seats, reeeeeee

>>5248854
>Reassure William
>Ask about Paracelsus and the others
>Suggest that you all do some easy drills with lracticing meditation and proper form to calm down
It's like tai chi with swords!

>>5248854
>Try to calm William down. It's over now, she's getting detoxed.
>It's ok, William. Errors happen. This was close to handling black powder and fortunately nothing blew up. Now, imagine the black powder being inside your veins. Enough to make someone a bit jumpy. Being magically pushed is definitely terrifying. Now, you have to collect and overcome this difficulties. If you face a mad wizard one day, you'll know what to expect thanks to this learning experience.

>Ask where Paracelsus is.

>>5248863
+1

>>5248854
backing this>>5248863
Fucking lizard prick.

>>5248626
Dreygaun is a coward and a liar. There's no reason to take that at face value when we are skeptical of everything else he says. Besides, there was the one vision where Reynauld was 100% Dragon physically and still flying Celsie into town so she could treat a sick mother at the behest of her penniless children. If we are going to use the dreams to inform our actions, that one shows that we can beat egodeath and still be Reynauld even at 100% Dragon (and Dreygaun *hated* that vision.)
>>5248854
>>Try to calm William down. It's over now, she's getting detoxed.
>>Ask where Paracelsus is.
So Ogg is siphoning off her excess mana?

>>5249049
QM also explicitly confirmed it's possible to keep the mind intact while the body transforms, theoretically.

>>5248854
>Ask where Paracelsus is.

>>5249049
Don't forget that that dream got cut short because Reynauld went so far off script that it was obvious even to the dumbass that the manipualtion wasn't working. Besides, don't forget the other dream that featured untold riches and an army of infinite zombies. I would humbly suggest that anything that lizard brain cooks up should be taken with a salty grain.

>So Ogg is siphoning off her excess mana?
Looks like it. Makes me wonder, if we stick Reynauld in the detox, could that siphon off Dreygaun's mana? It would neutralize at least one avenue of attack.

>>5248854
>Try to calm William down. But warn him it might not be over yet
>Send a kobolt to tell Ogg to disable her mind-reading powers so we can approach her without Dreygaun talking to her, and then go talk to Ogg if she returns
(which will also be useful in case she really is a draconic problem.)

"Well... Try to calm down. She's getting detoxed, she'll be right as rain in just a moment."
"Yeah, but... I mean... I messed up. Again. And this time I might have-"
You interrupt him, before he works himself into a deeper panic.
"William. Please. It's alright, everybody makes errors. This was similar to handling black powder, so let's be glad nothing blew up... But, keep it relative to Ogg. It's as if the powder runs through her veins... that's more than enough to make anybody jumpy."
William just bites his knuckles, instead of saying anything back. He's clearly shaken, so you keep talking.
"Now,being magically pushed is scary, no doubt. But I need you to collect yourself, and overcome it. If you ever face a wizard, you might even know what to expect because of this learning experience."

That makes William look up at you in surprise.
"You think I might be able to do that?" He asks, and you smile:
"Come now. Did you think I was training you for no reason at all? You want to be a knight, that means you'll fight evils. It's our duty to remove as much as we can."
That seems to steel him a little, at least. Chad just smiles at the indirect assurance to him, as well.

Now, to business:
"Could you tell me where Paracelsus is?"
"She was helping her out, got her in that tube thing, and she was coordinating the kobolts. She, uh, also dealt with the biggest bottles. Like... How is she so strong, man? I couldn't lift something like that but she managed it just fine!"
"Did you not see her train in the evening? She's been doing that for a long time, has quite the body to show for it. Anyway, where is she now?"

A second later, you hear her voice call in the doorframe.
"Right here. Seems I'm not the first one? Anyway, we need to talk about the archmage, now."
...You gesture at her to take a seat, and listen carefully. Paracelsus moves quickly, and sits down.
"So. I'll cut to the chase: there's a chance her detox won't be enough. It's going to be good for her, no doubt, but factually speaking? Brain damage isn't reversible. If she's unlucky, she'll still be crazy."

...Hmm.

"So what, do we need to do something now?"
"No. I'd say we're just careful, and if worst comes to worst, we'll have to knock her out... or worse."
William says what you're thinking:
"Are you saying we might have to kill her!?"

The silence that enter the room says enough. It's from here, however, the conversation stalls. There's not much else to do, as Paracelsus is quite clear that she's likely to get out of it with just a little scare. But if she starts acting loopy, she's not an archmage, but a wizard.
And wizards have no sense of right or wrong.

The rest of the day is spent trying to distract from that looming threat. Ogg was out of her detox room in the evening, which still felt like a solid 12 hours or so.
This place needs clocks, with the way time works.

She later sent a golem, and requested you and Paracelsus come to the study.

>Do you wish to prepare somehow?

>>5250491
>tell Paracelsus to knock us over the should we start to act weird
>some sort of emergency magic blocker?

Honestly, what is there to do to prepare beyond being cautious and having your friends on backup?

>>5250491
>Bring Pink, too, as she is a magic expert (or the next best thing)

>>5250491
take a dagger. Not full armored, nor fully armed

>>5250491
>send kobolt messenger who does not know about our possible plans to tell her to disable her mind-reading powers "so Dreygaun can't talk to her"

>>5250491
>Do you wish to prepare somehow?
Send someone ahead of us to relay a message to Ogg, asking her to NOT converse with the curse, and ask if proximity to us will put her in danger again.
Wait for the companion to relay the message back to us, determine if Ogg seems stable or not. If our companion describes her as stable, we should be fine. If shes not well in the head, prepare to kill but hope for the best. That means arming and armoring up.

>>5250585
Paracelsus wont need to hit us unless gold and wealth is involved. I think she has some anti-magic powder? Like when William tried to fight that one undead and pissed his pants?

>>5250711
What?

>>5250741
suport, use pick for the message and send ana, doc and chad as security
>further have them ask if she can ward her mind from the dragons curses influence and if she can shield herself from the mana is will probably try to pump into her again/

>>5250491
>>5250741
>>Do you wish to prepare somehow?
>Send someone ahead of us to relay a message to Ogg, asking her to NOT converse with the curse, and ask if proximity to us will put her in danger again.
>Wait for the companion to relay the message back to us, determine if Ogg seems stable or not. If our companion describes her as stable, we should be fine. If shes not well in the head, prepare to kill but hope for the best. That means arming and armoring up.
Support

>>5250741
most likely ogg is talking to dreygaun by way of mind-reading powers
we are thinking we might have to kill her. we CANNOT let her read that.
by asking her to disable her mind reading, we ensure dreygaun doesn't talk to her, and that if things go bad we can plot to kill her

>>5250491
>>5250945
Good points on the mind reading part. If we're to send anyone to relay a message, it should be anyone beyond those in this room (William and Sarah), so any of the kobolts except Pink should relay our message to Ogg in addition to appraising her mental acuity. Can't send William and Sarah since we're all thinking about possibly having to kill her.
So, yeah? Kobolts talk to her and tell her to shut of her mind reading magic, because the curse will just play into her weakness and manipulate her.

Kobolts will return to us, and from what they tell us we'll determine if we need to kill her or not. If we dont need to kill her, good. If we do, then if we've done any of this right we should be able to get the drop on her with the double barreled shotgun.

"Alright... Paracelsus, do you have some way to stop things from getting out of hand?"
"I have anti-magic dust, which might slow her down for a second. No more than that, it's not meant to handle anything more threatening than a construct."
"Well, if I start acting weird, then you're free to hit me over the head. I suppose Ogg is going to have to live with that as well. Now... I need somebody to go get Ogg. Somebody that isn't in this room, besides, and preferably somebody that could also tell me if she's acting strange."
You think or a moment longer, and add to that:
"Maybe use Snikt and Pink. Snikt, specifically. She's got a good eye for things, after all."

William raises the question:
"Why, exactly, can't somebody from this room do it?"
"Because I need somebody to tell her to turn off the mind-reading first, because we just discussed if we'd have to kill her or not. Believe it or not, William, that's considered a bit of a faux pas in most households."
"The hell is a Faux Pas?" William asks, and you suppose it's to be expected he doesn't know that word.
"A social misstep." You say, before sighing...

It doesn't take long for Snikt and Pink to return with a message from Ogg.
"She says that she'll turn it off for you... and that she's coming over to deal with the curse."
"Already!?"

Then, the doors are opened with a little more force than needed, and you see Ogg... in nothing but her underwear.
It's more frilly than you expected, but considering the context, you're nothing but concerned.
"I'm killing that lizard in your brain, now. NOBODY poisons Ogg."
"Did you have to say that in third person?" You ask, and she just stares at you for a moment.
"Can't a woman have some dramatics? Anyway, I want to kill that damn dragon, right here and right now. It'll be the first part I tear out, then I'll see about getting you back to your normal monkey style."

...

"Are you sure you don't need to rest, first? You sound a little-"
"I'm ANGRY. And, not to mention, I'm quite attractive, besides! I know you don't mind seeing me in my underwear, you know. Why would anybody here mind?"
William is terrified of her, guessing from the way he's hyperventilating and clutching his chair, which Ogg notices.
"...What is his problem? I've already helped him."
"What!?" William yells, and then Ogg rolls her eyes.
"Doesn't matter. REYNAULD! Stand up."

A collection of sigils appear around the room.
...
You're.
Not so sure about this.

>Let her kill Dreygaun

>Nope nope nope, time for knocking her the hell out, she is CRAZY.

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>>5251941
>>Let her kill Dreygaun


you know sometimes you have to make a choice and none of the options are good. On the one hand, she's completely bat shit insane right now. But on the other, she's an ageless mage with more magic in her pinkie toe than we have in our whole body, curse notwithstanding. and we're not gonna win against that. And even if we do knock her out, that's just gonna allow the God damn curse more time to poison her again. If there were ever a time to believe in the heart of the cards, Lady Luck. Or the will of the dice. Well, boys, I think it's now.

in short
>(pic related)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXtujxT9rzA

>>5251941
>>Let her kill Dreygaun
Fuck him.

>>5251941
>Let her kill Dreygaun
She seems to be... motivated. Let's just let her do it. Disagreeing right now would only lead to combat and possible death of us or our companions.

>>5251960
>>5251964
>>5251966
We must tell her that it would be better if we get to torture him a bit before killing

>>5251968
No, that's a terrible idea. As this Anon pointed out, the longer he lives, the more time he has to poison Ogg again. Let's be quick about it instead.
Besides that, I highly doubt that Reynauld is the kind of person who would torture someone without strong need.

>>5251969
As this Anon has pointed (>>5251960). Forgot to add that.

>>5251969
oh well, then let's just say to him that he's as much of a failure as a dragon who created him, as a last "fuck you"

>>5251941
>Let her kill Dreygaun

...You decide to just stand up, as asked, and you can already hear Dreygaun talk. He sounds...
Upset.
"No... Nooo! You can TELL she's crazy! She could kill the BOTH of us! I pumped her so full of magical power she's a WIZARD, Reynauld! I will NOT let you kill the both of us!"

You step forward, onto the sigils Ogg is telling you to stand on. You immeadiatly feel... pain. As if a needle is being pushed directly into your brain, but apart from clenching your teeth and shaking... you don't budge.
"DON'T YOU SEE!? SHE'L KILLING US! STOP HER, NOW! ORDER THE OTHERS TO DO SOMETHING!!" Dreygaun says, and Ogg begins to make large, sweeping motions, every twist of her hand making the sigils twist and turn, like mighty cogs in an only partially visible machine. They begin to glow with greater and greater intensity, as well, and Dreygaun keeps blabbering.
Ironically giving you the strength you need to withstand the pain, which is spreading.

"No. No no no, it's a bluff. You're BLUFFING! You won't let her do this! You can't! You're letting her drop her guard!"
The needles suddenly turn visible. Translucent spikes, distorting the view through them as if they were made of glass, though they're not *quite* real. They are bright blue, and even those needles are growing thorns.
The pain is bearable. But only just.
"YOU DARE DO THIS!? YOU WOULD DARE THROW ME AWAY!? YOUR ONE GUIDE, YOUR ONE FRIEND AS YOUR BODY TWISTS AND TURNS! I AM THE GREATEST FEAT OF MAGIC THAT HAS BEEN DONE IN CENTURIES, AND YOU WOULD TOSS ME OUT BY SOME HOPPED UP APE!!"

"Yep." You say, both talking to Dreygaun, and confirming to Ogg that you can feel the pain.

"Listen. Listen! Is this about Pink? Is it because I talked to her? It's fine! It's fine! I'll never even try talking to her!! Or-or, look! I'm a magical construct, and your brain will be resistant! I could teach you magic! I could show you how to make the universe bend to your will! You could... you could do all the knightly things you like!"
The spikes spread through you, and you feel as though your blood itself is turning hot. The pain, from here, is enough to make you take shuddering, pained breaths. But you feel as though you are being cleansed.
It's sort of like disinfectant in a wound. Painful, but clean.

Dreygaun speaks;
"Twelve hells, you're going to do it. You're actually going to toss me away. ME! Dreygaun! The greatest... I... No... Noo!"
You can hear he's about ready to cry... but then his voice gains a little growl.
His voice turns cold. Firm.
"...When you die, Reynauld... I'll be waiting. Your death with be a hundred times as sweet... When you die... I'll be there. Hell awaits the both of us... and I'll carry you to the DEEPEST PARTS!"'

Then, with a screech of glass on glass, you feel as though your veins were ripped out of your skin... even if nothing seems to have disappeared. For a short moment, you see it. A small ghost, in the shape of a pathetic little lizard.
And then... it's gone.
(cont)

Did we just unlocked the good ending?

>>5251983
>Dreygaun assumes Reynauld will go to hell with all the good boy points hes accumulated
>assumes Reynauld wont achieve saint statue
>doesnt thing Reyanuld will travel all the way to hell to slap his shit

>>5251987
Dunno, but I hope we get to keep the body curse without the ego degradation.

Rolled 30 (1d100)

"There... Damned thing... I'm detoxed. I'm fine. The magic burst from his death is fine. It's fine." Ogg says, gasping for air... and she sinks through her knees.
"...I couldn't... I couldn't clear the physical parts of it. Not yet. You're still transforming. But that BASTARD is gone." She says. Ogg was clearly very, VERY angry at Dreygaun.
"...H-he might have killed me. He might have overcharged me, left me to die. If you... if you had come after me, he would have overloaded my tanks, I bet!"

Oh.
Good thing you didn't. You don't know what else to say, and you feel as though Ogg is kind of... venting.
"...But it doesn't matter. I can feel myself. Slipping... But I know just the thing. You've granted it to me... and it will immunize me against further poisoning."
Oh no.

"I know you would disagree, but I don't care." She says, but you still step forward.
"Listen to me. This is a BAD idea. A dragon is a dragon, and even if there's no longer a little lizard inside of me to push it along, the physical transformation will bring instincts with it! I can't permit you to do it!" You say, sternly, but Ogg just looks away.
"...Did you really think I'd be telling you about all this if there was a chance you'd stop me? I performed the spell thirty-five minutes ago. I lifted the time bubble, as well."
She laughs to herself, and you can tell it's a laugh of relief... and sadness. A stress laugh, so to speak.
"Time can't hurt me anymore. It won't hurt either of us."
Then, she looks over to Paracelsus... who catches on VERY quickly, and dashes out of her seat without a word, a silent panic clear on her while the kobolts and you move in to try and stop her...

Then, the needles that you thought were gone reappear in your body, and you feel them crushing you against the ground. Then, a giant wave of energy follows, and the kobolts are all pushed backwards... though you can see they're being slowed to make sure they aren't actually hurt.
"It won't hurt her, either... She's too brilliant. And she can't escape me."

...The wizard stands up from her seat, and calmly walks out of the room, sauntering after the sprinting Paracelsus.
As soon as she leaves, the magic that was holding you in place disappears.

Oh no.
Oh no no no.

>Chase her down!

>Find the others, perhaps Anna can surprise her with her crossbow bolt, or... the twins might be able to take her down!?

>Some other, better plan!!

>>5251993
god fucking damn it, do we still have our boomstick ready?

>>5251993
>>5251987
Not so good ending.

>>5251993
Lmao shotgun. I said shotgun dammit!
SHOT!
GUN!
Dang namnit Griff!

>>5251993
>Chase her down!

Game plan boys. What's the goal here? Kill Ogg since she might have, or is 100% a wizard now? Knock her out and keep detoxing her until she's a raisin? How should we handle her?
What about her golems? If we dont take her down in the first strike, how will we deal with them? We cant exactly take one down without a cannon, perhaps dragon fire? Then again a fire would risk setting the whole place on fire, but golems are slow on the move so they could be avoided.

Step 1: Kill/disable Ogg
Step 2: do not get pancaked by golems
Step 3: dont die?

We gotta round up everyone so we can smack some sense into this mad wizard

>>5251993
>Send William to find the others, rally them for a cooperative assault
>Chase Ogg down and stall her
>Dragonfire is worth a go, if we even still have it

>>5251993
So we exchanged an internal, stupid, dragon brained villain for a very much external, very much not stupid, dragon brained villain(?). Good job, us.

Anyway, here's a very stupid plan proposal. So, with Dreygaun erased, the mental aspect of the curse is gone, right? Meaning ego death is less of a threat now. Would it be possible to give in to the physical aspect, and speed up the transformation? I fear there might not be another way to even stand up to the archmage, other than abuse the draconic magic resistance it might confer. And let's face it, we do need Ogg alive to reverse the transformation either way, so there's not much to lose at this point.

Frankly, I would've been okay letting Ogg do her thing and just getting the fuck outta here, had she not also taken Doc. Though I have to admit, the scenario of a not-quite-knight saving a not-quite-princess from a not-quite-dragon is kinda amusing.

>>5252161
I kinda wish for Ogg to succeed. To propel the plot forward, would be interesting.