The attack of the Fleshweaver had dealt Fade damage, which is something all together different from regular injuries. You can heal only that with your trait, but it is a rather common type of damage when you start fighting more powerful spirits and true demons.
You can only heal Fade with that trait. There would have been something that would have made you able to heal physical wounds on yourself and others, but you didn't add the Webbing Gland.
Making the trait a bit clearer now that I add it to the frontpage.
You can only heal Fade with that trait. There would have been something that would have made you able to heal physical wounds on yourself and others, but you didn't add the Webbing Gland.
Making the trait a bit clearer now that I add it to the frontpage.
[X] Go down to Xochi.
-[X] Tell her a carefully edited version of the truth.
--[X] "The ritual blew up in my face but.. sort of.. worked. I just need to kill some animals to heal whatever it did to me now, redirect the curse on other creatures."
[X] Go down to Xochi.
-[x] Tell her a carefully edited version of the truth.
--[X] "The ritual blew up in my face but.. sort of.. worked. I just need to kill some animals to heal whatever it did to me now, redirect the curse on other creatures."
I've finally caught up, it seems like this Spider's Hunger might actually be the our path to power because it can heal the damage from failed rituals.
I think this reveal might actually go okay because she's still going to be with us for two weeks minimum and she just plain doesn't seem patient enough to be unconvinced by the end of it.
Now we just need a roll of 50+ to actually dress the wounds.
If that doesn't work we'll still have to make the trip back with Xochi wounded and likely getting infected, but at least we'll be in good shape and have our full perception to avoid predators.
[X] Go down to Xochi.
-[X] Tell her the whole truth.
1.6.17.10.10.0 - Seating of the White Storm
For the longest while, you just lay there and ponder what to do. Would she understand? Would she be frightened? You know from Matlal that the Wise Men hate everything that has something to do with spirits, but not Xochi's opinions on these things. What you did has undeniably changed you and it is hard to ignore the whisper that you are lesser for it. No longer wholly human, part something else. You could lie to her face again. Pretend that you are fine and the ritual still worked in some fashion, though cleaning yourself might be good to sell that piece of fiction. She would probably not even know how much you failed there. Could you even look her in the eyes, knowing what you contemplated to do to her? Again your name is called from below and you can't ignore the slight edge of worry that has crept into her voice. No. No more lies. You got into this mess together and you will see it finished together. She will understand why you did it and that you didn't ask for this. Maybe she will even forgive you.
So you raise your voice to answer her, but immediately regret it. Instead of words, only a gargled scream comes from your throat, which seems to rend itself apart at the exertion. A coughing fit follows, making your throat hurt even worse and droplets of blood fleck the grass before you. For an unnatural monster, you must make a pretty pitiful sight right now. Once you get your breathing back under control, you wobbly get to your feet. Every muscle and bone in your body aches and you recall the delirious voice in your mind that ignored these 'complaints of the vessel' last night. Still, you can walk, even if a bit unsteadily, and slowly make your way to the hole with the rope. As you look down, you see Xochi just getting ready to climb up, shielding her eyes from the glaring sun with her hand.
"Yaxkin? Is that you?" You don't miss that her left hand goes for her bow.
Carefully you try to speak again and this time you get the words out, through they are raspy and faint. "Yes... can't speak... I..."
She seems to hear you just fine though and cuts you off before you can rasp out anything else. "I know. Can you come down? You need some water." She relaxes visibly again and steps back from the hole. You just hope that this won't change again when she sees the state you are in.
Even though your body complains every meter of the descend, your grip on the rope is firm as you glide it down, but your landing lacks any grace. Your feet slip in the soft earth and you land flat on your back. "What... are you hurt? Where you attacked?"
"No..." You try to say more, but settle for shaking your head while a new bout of coughing wracks your body. Without prompting, Xochi gives you a flask of water and the cool liquid soothes the worst of your pain.
"Sorry. Shouldn't expect you to speak that much." You give her a questioning look as you drain the container and hand it back to her. "You screamed yesterday. A lot. I don't even know for how long, but at some point, your voice broke and you just started to gurgle instead. Why didn't you tell me that you would set yourself on fire for this? I thought you where dead when it stopped and you just lay there."
It almost hurts to hear the worry in her voice. Given that you didn't even know yourself what would happen, you didn't want to gave her any more reason to argue against performing that ritual. "Sorry." There is nothing more you could say right now. You kept her in the dark about how dangerous this would be and the reasons for why you took the risk. It's time to come clean. There is no hiding the price of your deeds anymore and you can just hope that she can accept it. "The blood... it's from animals... I..." Another wet cough, but at least this time there is no blood. Another flask of water is pressed into your hands and you carefully take just a few sips. You will need your voice to get through all of this.
She offers her arm and as you take it, pulls you up to sit properly before seating herself across from you. "Why were you hunting all alone? And why are your smeared with blood?"
You swallow another bit of water while trying to get your thoughts in order. Your mind is reeling over where to even start. Probably at the beginning. "The ritual failed..." You get a snort back at that statement. Truth be told, you don't know if success would have been any kinder to you, but it most certainly must have not looked anything like a success. "It also succeeded... in a sense... I took something from it..."
She eyes your wearily at that, looking over your body. At least she still seems calm enough. "I shouldn't have joked about turning you into a half-spider thing then, I guess? You look fine to me, though. More relaxed too, not so high strung as after the fight. But if you didn't got back what it took, why are you fine again?" At the last question, she looks at the gore staining your hands, probably already guessing most of it.
"I ate animals... I was hungry, but... not with my stomach... I was starved... for something..." Dearly you would wish for Matlal to be here to explain these things to you. Or at least for the charm to work again. It doesn't even make sense to yourself, so how to explain it to somebody else? "I ate them alive... they still twitched as... as I tore the flesh off..." Your throat tightens, but this time it is not because of your voice giving out. You couldn't just pretend that you just ate some animals. The only consolidation for you is that you didn't revel in their suffering. Their struggles where annoying. Their cries irritating. But you still recall that joy as you broke open that wolves chest and sunk your teeth into its still beating heart.
When you glance back up to Xochi, she stares into the darkness to your side with a forlorn look. "It didn't have to be animals, right? Somebody else would have done, too." You cringe at her flat delivery of that statement. With how loud, brash and impatient she could be, it was all too easy to forget that she had a rather fine mind herself. Meekly you nod, which she answers in turn. The silence weighs heavily, but no matter how much you struggle for them, no words come to mind that could be said. Xochi just shakes her head after a while. "Well, you didn't, so it doesn't matter." It startles you how she can say something like that so easily and even smile at you.
"But..." You are not even sure what to object about. That she so easily ignores that you wanted to eat her is throwing you for a loop.
"No but. You were starving and I was right there, though I don't quite get what you were starved for. You wouldn't be the first one I met." Then she shrugs and raises her left forearm to you face. "I don't see you snapping for me, so I guess it's fine." As she sees that you still can't quite comprehend her words, she lowers her arm again and looks back into the dark. She's quiet for a moment and when she speaks again, it is far more solemn than you ever heard her. "I've seen people do far worse to each other, for little reason at all. I've seen 'friends' abandon each other, just out of convenience. I'm rather happy that you didn't go through with it, but that's the point. You didn't do it. You were half crazy from that thing going wrong, yet left me alone and ran around the jungle tearing animals apart instead. It's fine. I see how you look. You were not thinking straight, but still straight enough to not do it."
You let out a deep breath as the fear leaves you. "Thank you." Yet again, there are no more words that could be said about the matter.
"So." Then she locks eyes with you again. "Why, though? You didn't seem terribly sure of it working even before you started."
"Couldn't patch you up... my head wasn't right..." You wave your hand awkwardly, trying to express the weird state you were in with as few words as your sore throat lets you get out. In the end, you give up. You can explain that later. "Can do it now."
Xochi just sighs and shakes her head. "You could have told me, you know? I don't expect wonders from you Yaxkin. Can't shake the feeling that I still owe you after all of this." Then she stands up and offers you her hand. "Then it would be good if you get cleaned up and do my wounds properly. I won't mind if you take a lick of blood or two."
You had already grabbed her hand and tried to pull yourself up, but drop back down at that statement, glaring up at her with a scandalized expression. "This isn't..." You nearly cough again with the haste you speak in. "Funny..."
"No, but your reaction certainly is."
DC 210
Yaxkin: 81 + 50 (Intelligence) + 50 (Intelligence) + 60 (Medicine) = 241
4 Degrees of Success
What now?
[] Remain here until Xochi is mostly healed.
-[] Write-In what to do in the meantime.
[] Return to Tlamaca with your spoils.
[] Keep hunting
[] Write-In
AN: For those who haven't noticed by now, Xochi is... special. It will take more than contemplating cannibalism or taking a bit of Fleshweaver into yourself to spook her.
If you leave now, Xochi will take some of the remaining parts of the Fleshweaver, since she can properly carry things again. How to split everything will be decided upon your return.
[X] Remain here until Xochi is mostly healed.
-[X] Investigate the area around the Fleshweaver's lair for any other potential threats
-[X] Continue the training that was interrupted, if it wouldn't aggravate her wounds.
-[X] If training can't be done without worsening the wounds, then do some light hunting to get skins so you can carry more Fleshweaver parts on a small litter rather than hauling it all on your back
Front page up to date. You still have 30 rations, so you can stay comfortably for a while, but you will probably use up all Wound Dressings before Xochi is mostly in shape again.
I think we should probably do another investigation of the lair given we'll be staying here for a bit longer, as it's quite unlikely we discovered everything on the first go particularly if we were under the effects of the Red Mist. Xochi is also able to help out now, with her own impressive stat line.
I'd also like for Xochi to tell her story a bit more, as it seems even for her actions in the past, a bit cavalier given what she saw. From that it seems to imply some spirit experience so I'd like to know.
[X] Remain here until Xochi is mostly healed.
-[X] Investigate the area around the Fleshweaver's lair for any other potential threats
-[X] Continue the training that was interrupted, if it wouldn't aggravate her wounds.
-[X] If training can't be done without worsening the wounds, then do some light hunting to get skins so you can carry more Fleshweaver parts on a small litter rather than hauling it all on your back.
I like this plan, if we find something the plan will be interrupted, but if we don't we won't have a very small chapter and will still get something out of it.
