LordOfMurder
Bhaal
- Location
- Australia
But the unknown is the scariest thing of all!
A Simple Transaction I
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
Rihaku
The Internet
Update in 20-30.
A new day, a new jaunt into the Temple. This time he was taking Gisena with him, as the formidable strength and speed he'd absorbed from the gargantuan wurm would better allow him to protect her against most Temple denizens.
Dawn had the sun casting ochre fingers across the stone-studded waste, the pale blue sky awash with auroras of pink and gold. Verschlengorge glinted menacingly in that light, its vast silhouette like a perilous outcropping, craggy face bristling with hazards. Its primary mouth was perked in a confident sneer, while both shoulder-heads slumbered contentedly.
"Be careful. Stay in Verschlengorge." He lectured, while biting off a ration bar.
"Don't worry about me at all!" The young duchess responded, flashing him a victory sign. "It's just for a day. Verschlengorge and I have been fighting together for years, you know. And your ghost-light seems to be healing him, bit by bit. Now bring me back something good to eat!"
"There are no fish in the Temple," he said mournfully, "But we'll do our best. Remember that Astral denizens aren't your only enemy. You're still being hunted. Don't let humans see..."
A new day, a new jaunt into the Temple. This time he was taking Gisena with him, as the formidable strength and speed he'd absorbed from the gargantuan wurm would better allow him to protect her against most Temple denizens.
Dawn had the sun casting ochre fingers across the stone-studded waste, the pale blue sky awash with auroras of pink and gold. Verschlengorge glinted menacingly in that light, its vast silhouette like a perilous outcropping, craggy face bristling with hazards. Its primary mouth was perked in a confident sneer, while both shoulder-heads slumbered contentedly.
"Be careful. Stay in Verschlengorge." He lectured, while biting off a ration bar.
"Don't worry about me at all!" The young duchess responded, flashing him a victory sign. "It's just for a day. Verschlengorge and I have been fighting together for years, you know. And your ghost-light seems to be healing him, bit by bit. Now bring me back something good to eat!"
"There are no fish in the Temple," he said mournfully, "But we'll do our best. Remember that Astral denizens aren't your only enemy. You're still being hunted. Don't let humans see..."
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Feeling a very "mom and dad on date night reminding their teenage daughter of things she already knows because they're worried about her being home alone" energy from this. Is Letrizia going to get in a wacky guerilla war against some burglars looking to steal (shit from) Verchlengorge?
Last edited:
Projectile
Thinking of Rabbits
- Location
- USA
That's a death flag, that is. 100% "Don't let humans see..." she whispers his last advice to her.
Just for a day? Bring back something? Zee, stop, he's already dead!
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
The Dreadbeast
'Twas waxting, and the wany knights
Did sold and ard upon the hill:
All lunous were the selenights,
And the moon stayed trapped still.
"Beware the Dreaded Beast, my boys!
The maw that burns, the blood that binds!
Beware the twisted mind that toys
The goliath Mountainrind!"
He took his broken sword in hand;
Longing for the piscis foes he sought—
So rested he by the shining pond
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in ligant mind they searched,
The Dreaded Beast, with breath of frost,
Came blistering as it gombly perched,
And all their hope was lost!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The heroine's blade went snicker-snack!
She left it dead, and soon its head
Came down with a mighty thwack.
"You sought to slay the Dreaded Beast?
Come join my party, Lady and Lord!
O favrous night! I'll aid your plight!"
She smiled and raised her sword.
'Twas waxting, and the wany knights
Did sold and ard upon the hill:
All lunous were the selenights,
And the moon stayed trapped still.
'Twas waxting, and the wany knights
Did sold and ard upon the hill:
All lunous were the selenights,
And the moon stayed trapped still.
"Beware the Dreaded Beast, my boys!
The maw that burns, the blood that binds!
Beware the twisted mind that toys
The goliath Mountainrind!"
He took his broken sword in hand;
Longing for the piscis foes he sought—
So rested he by the shining pond
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in ligant mind they searched,
The Dreaded Beast, with breath of frost,
Came blistering as it gombly perched,
And all their hope was lost!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The heroine's blade went snicker-snack!
She left it dead, and soon its head
Came down with a mighty thwack.
"You sought to slay the Dreaded Beast?
Come join my party, Lady and Lord!
O favrous night! I'll aid your plight!"
She smiled and raised her sword.
'Twas waxting, and the wany knights
Did sold and ard upon the hill:
All lunous were the selenights,
And the moon stayed trapped still.
I love it. Thank you.
- Location
- Pindorama
We might have a gambling problem. Might.
The Ritual Grounds
Rihaku
The Internet
The Ritual Grounds
A new day, a new jaunt into the Temple. This time he was taking Gisena with him, as the strength and speed he'd absorbed from the gargantuan wurm would better allow him to protect her against most Temple denizens.
Dawn had the sun casting ochre fingers across the stone-studded waste, the pale blue sky awash with auroras of pink and gold. Verschlengorge glinted menacingly in that light, its vast silhouette like some perilous outcropping, craggy face bristling with hazards. Its primary mouth was perked in a confident sneer, while both shoulder-heads slumbered contentedly.
"Be careful. Stay in Verschlengorge." He lectured, biting off a ration bar as he spoke.
"Don't worry about me at all!" The young duchess responded, flashing him a victory sign. "It's just for a day. Verschlengorge and I have been fighting together for years, you know. And your ghost-light seems to be healing him, bit by bit. Now bring me back something good to eat!"
"There are no fish in the Temple," he said mournfully, "But we'll do our best. Remember that Astral denizens aren't your only enemies. You're still being hunted. Don't let humans see you either."
"Take care, duchess!" Gisena waved merrily at Letrizia as they departed.
"So," she said, clutching his arm. "You've told me about the monsters within. But have you met anyone interesting inside?"
"Haven't met anyone at all," he grumbled. "That's what we're looking for today. I'm going to be traveling in the direction we saw the encampment on the way here. You do the talking so my Tyrant's Doom doesn't interfere."
"Even if I do," Gisena mused, "If the terms I bring back aren't to your liking, won't the Doom make it hard for us to negotiate?"
"It may," he admitted. "We won't be able to get around it completely, but that's to be expected."
"How stressful!" Gisena chirped. "Okay, I'll do it. At the price of a ride on your back."
He had been planning to carry her anyway, as most enemies were too fast to leave her alone. Still, he made a show of reluctantly leaning down so she could clamber up.
Gisena giggled as she got settled in, running a toe up his sternum. "Don't play coy. You're not fooling anyone, milord!"
"No distractions while we're in the Temple," he responded gruffly.
"Aye aye, captain!"
"Am I your captain or your lord?"
The Temple itself was as it had always been. Gisena had immunized herself from the call via her Nullity, but was unable to dispel it from him, observing that it'd latched on to his ring, and that was magic beyond her ability to fully countermand.
They took a slow circuit, slaying any knights in their way, running into only a few other types of monsters, none of which would have been a match for the hill-eating wurm, much less its slayer. After a brief warm up, he began to run in earnest, making in the direction he estimated the encampment to be.
"You've gotten really fast," Gisena said as she clung on tightly. "Maybe five times faster than our last piggyback ride? And that was only a week ago."
"You're imagining things."
"And always so humble, too! Is that also a power you received in exchange for bearing Curses?"
"I'm being a good role model for you. Since humility is one of the things you should learn."
"Aw, so considerate! Bet I'm always on your mind these days."
"Yes. 'How can I get rid of this Sorceress...?'"
"...Why would you say that?" Gisena sniffled, gazing sadly at him. Her eyes brimmed with crocodile tears.
"As I said. No distractions while we're in the Temple."
He began to accelerate, the hills giving way to an open boulevard of green grass that shimmered lightly in the morning sun.
"I can't help if I'm distracting!" Gisena cheered, tightening her grip as he sped up.
"Figure something out. Thought you were a genius."
"Oh, you're getting better at this. I'm such a good teacher!"
Eventually they came upon a large gathering of knights, a gleaming shield-wall ponderously clanking towards some destination in the far horizon. Gisena sent a wave of Nullity down among them, dispersing the spectral smoke that animated their armor. Their formation broken, he leapt into their ranks, a whirlwind of slashing force that severed limbs and ashen hearts.
It'd been only... yesterday, when one of the knights had fought him nearly to a standstill. So much had occurred in these past twenty-four hours. He wondered briefly at the nature of the Voyaging Realm and this Temple within it. Did it orbit a sun? Was it orbited by its moon, in turn? Or had the Foremost engineered the illusion of an Earth-like configuration for their own inscrutable purposes?
Similar ontological parameters, Letrizia had said. Gisena's world had a sun and moon as well, though she admitted her civilization had not plumbed the depths of their secrets.
The knights defeated, he ran forwards again, their death-knells erupting steadily in his wake. Though the terrain seemed to vary over time, its essential nature never changed. Skimming around its 'outer perimeter,' he wondered if it was even possible to reach the Encampment from the entrance he'd taken...
Gisena leaned down, her eyes flashing emerald.
"I've just lost my slipper," she whined plaintively. A pout graced her dainty features.
Without slowing down, he willed the Forebear's blade to hand. "How many is that?"
"My sixth! What a tragedy..."
Like lightning he twisted, pivoting and striking in a single motion at the space directly behind him, blade-wind unfurling in an arc out towards the horizon. In the midst of its travels it struck true, revealing an elderly man in the midst of some esoteric incantation, bright energies gathered about his fingertips. The mage's face was hooded, shrouded in shadow, but his robes of brilliant white and blue stood out starkly against the grass, and were wreathed in an armamentarium of defensive enchantments, circling spirits and a steely fog that pulled and sickened the eye.
Gisena swung her arm, unleashing a full-scale Tide of Nullity as the elderly magus attacked, ten bolts of lightning streaking from his fingers to lash out at them. Caught in the Tide, the wizard's magics twisted languidly and dispersed, like fish swept away by an overwhelming current. Lightning, spirits and fog all swiftly disappeared, though the mage did not so much as startle as his defenses crumpled.
"More of you," the magus grumbled, hastily erecting a shield of pink-violet light. "Like lemmings, come to your doom. The ritual grounds could not even displace ilk of this calibre? How many must I kill today?"
Hunger sprang forward, Gisena launching tripartite bolts over his shoulder. Where they struck the shield, it corroded swiftly, like wood yielding before strong acid. The magus tsked and made a curt gesture, disappearing from sight.
"Teleportation," Gisena said quietly. "It's short range, he's still around here."
He swept his blade in wide, carving arcs, launching projected force in every direction, and was rewarded by an incredulous gasp as the magus appeared again, nursing a bleeding arm. Without relenting, Hunger attacked savagely, thrust-projections puncturing the magus' robe and tearing open his hood.
Even as he closed the distance, the man was muttering, strange cadence of rapid syllables too quick to be the product of a human voice. The mage gestured again with his free hand and an array of runes appeared beneath them, subjecting Hunger to terrible crushing force. The Evening Sky swirled and snapped tempestuously about him as it attempted to fend off the attack, slowly withering beneath the force of those magics.
Gisena, unaffected by virtue of her Nullity, leapt off, emitting a wide-area burst as she landed, runes erased like chalkboard scrawlings. Free of the pressure, Hunger sprinted forward again, doggedly forcing the mage into close quarters as Gisena rained more bolts upon their opponent.
Impatiently the mage leapt back and intoned a single word, a soul-flaying spike of ill-reason that drove Hunger to his knees and which Gisena was forced to aggressively counter. The world seemed to blur, bursting rotten at the seams, his mind filled with static and clawing pain, black blood leaking from ears and ruptured eye. Hunger drew a shuddering breath and managed to fend it off, though the world spun and twisted crazily aroud him.
Though he seemed mildly surprised at their continued survival, the magus did not hesitate. With time bought, he'd invoked several spells more: armaments of sickly green light like thresher-arms descending upon them, nearby boulders bounding cheerfully together into the form of a golem, sevenfold runed haloes appearing about his head and limbs.
"Plan B," Hunger finally roared, stumbling to his feet as he fought through the Abhorrent Word, Evening Sky near in tatters around him. Without hesitation he lunged, closing the final crucial yards to the magus as Gisena blanketed the entire area in a suffocating sea of Nullity. For a moment there was stillness and ear-ringing silence, all color and magic extinguished utterly from the world, winked out like a moment's daydream.
With surprising alacrity the magus drew a knife, entering a practiced stance as Hunger attacked. Golem and thresher-arms and haloes all were gone, but the mage fought on with blind, contemptuous arrogance, face twisted in unbelieving disdain at those who presumed to delay their deaths by his hand. Magus and dagger struck out with serpentine speed, speed well beyond that of an ordinary man, but Hunger easily batted the knife aside before smashing his forehead into the mage's nose.
Mighty as Gisena's uttermost Sorcery had been, it had only temporarily depleted the protection of his cloak. Both Forebear's Blade and the ring of power were beyond her ability to fully suppress, so his abilities had 'merely' been cut by a major fraction, while the wizard's pure spellcraft was fully annihilated. Both were already beginning to recover. No time to take prisoners.
With a crack of brittle bone the man fell, face a bloody ruin, managing to lash out once more with the dagger, small glyphs of magic now beginning to materialize upon its surface.
Hunger took the blow in his shoulder and in return cut the man's throat, power of ruin slicing easily through neck and spine. Near-decapitated, still the magus gurgled resentfully as he died, eyes livid with condescending hate even as the light left them forever. The ring of power crackled, greedily funneling strength into him as he turned from the wizard's corpse to collect Gisena.
"Fuck," Hunger grunted, making his way over to the collapsed Sorceress. "If only it'd been safe to interrogate him."
She took his offered arm happily, pulling herself up but leaning against his side. "...Nope! His type wouldn't have said anything anyway. Good job, Lord Hunger! Finishing him off after I'd beaten him!"
"I can't take all the credit. Letrizia's encouragement really saw me through."
"Kind of you... to say..." Gisena mumbled, walking unsteadily. He caught her as she fell.
"Hey, hun... I hope the enemies don't get much harder... than this..." Her heavily-lidded eyes stared tiredly up at him. "It's... getting kind of difficult... to keep up..."
The Sorceress fell unconscious, reserves hollowed out by the effort required of that final, terrible blast. Hunger shook his head tiredly. Gisena had finally earned the princess carry she'd asked for, but he only had the one arm for now. Gently he hoisted her over one shoulder and set out for the antechamber entrance.
"That was too close," he mumbled quietly to himself. One close call after another, since he'd ventured into the Temple. It was a style of fighting he was used to, but it did risk those around him. This time they'd emerged largely unscathed, though moments more might have resulted in their death. Had the magus been unchecked for even a single spell further... well. Hunger still had his final card unplayed, and its strength may have sufficed to prevail, though at what cost he was uncertain.
By the grace of his Sorceress they'd escaped that fate. Yet he felt with near-certainty that their enemies would only grow more fearsome from here.
---
The winner was [X] The Magus with [X] Veterancy. What did Hunger gain from his and Gisena's brush with death?
You have 14.5 Arete and 3 picks, but choose only one option below.
[ ] Bloodmight - Domain: Life, Chief Dominion, Echo of the Forebear [9 Arete]
A powerful, focused build that is centered on improving Hunger's strengths while simultaneously allaying his greatest weaknesses. Comprehensively boosts his speed, agility, and durability while granting the awesome and versatile powers of the Ring of Blood. Influence over its broad purview permits accelerated healing of self and others (though only in forms that bleed); the power to suppress or enliven the blood of any living being, augmenting or reducing its physical and spiritual might; the creation of blood-borne diseases to ravage enemy populaces; the large-scale uplifting of allied species; and even the power to stop a vulnerable enemy's heart from beating or boil the very blood in their veins.
Though the Ring's influence does not permit so crass a thing as direct hemokinesis, its power runs deeper than reason alone, penetrating and overwhelming most lesser magics. Access to the Chief Dominion comes easily to he who bears the name of his Ring; further Advancements related to mastery over the Domain of Blood shall be considerably more powerful.
*Only 12.5 Arete away from Ruling Ring if you spend no more Arete
*H E A L I N G
*Partially solves the problem of Gisena's scaling in the short term, as you can quicken and empower her blood to somewhat match your own
*Moderate combat-speed regeneration, fairly rapid healing outside of combat, can partially heal Verschlengorge itself. Note: healing Verschlengorge will cause it to attract more powerful Astral beasts.
*Influence of the Chief Dominion is hard to resist, making it effective against a broad range of enemies
*Less useful against undead or mechanical enemies, though you can still heal and enchant yourself.
*H E A L I N G
[ ] Full Might - Opalescence, Iridescence, Echo of the Forebear, A Thousand Cuts, Undying Vanguard [14 Arete]
Fill all the holes in your build. Ramp up the Evening Sky's defenses to a level commensurate with this area, improve your offenses by an order of magnitude, and grant your companions the benefit of your supernal durability. With your Iridescent cloak capable of fully absorbing two Tides of Nullity, Gisena won't have to aim as much, and she can serve as a powerful, if relatively slow, off tank. Also improves your Charisma for the upcoming social encounter!
With offensive and defensive powers that are finally respectable for the area you find yourself in, you can be much more confident (though not overconfident) in venturing further! The combination of Iridescence and Gisena's Nullity allow you to counter most forms of enemy magic, allowing you to rely on your overwhelming strength and speed and fell-handed blows to overcome them.
*Prove that the sword is mightier than the wand
*Superb immediate power and defenses, a safe and conservative build that allows you to impart the benefits of your protection upon any party members further gained
*Well-balanced output of offense and defense
*SORD GOOD
*Good swords are expensive
[ ] Blademight - Ruinous Valor [Zweihander], Magic-Defeating Stance, Hero-Defeating Stance [14 Arete]
The Forebear's mage-slaying techniques, and an arm with which to properly carry Gisena. In conjunction with the Evening Sky, allows one to walk nearly unscathed through Tides of Nullity and hostile invocations, while putting would-be heroes and defenders of the Temple to the sword.
Magic-Defeating Stance - 7 Arete: A Martial Stance of the Forebear. Grants high-grade defensive effect nullification against all hostile effects of supernatural origin, and quintuples the power of Ruin for purposes of cutting through enemy magics. Mitigate all Curses an additional half step beyond the first. This Stance is permanently active until switched for another [Type]-Defeating Stance. One of the pre-requisites for All-Defeating Stance. You may have [Rank/2, rounded down] Stances active at one time.
Hero-Defeating Stance - 7 Arete: A Martial Stance of the Forebear. ++Might, ++Agility, +Wisdom, +0.2 external Rank. Halve the effects of enemy Rank if it is greater than your own. Halve the effects of being outnumbered, if you are outnumbered. This Stance is permanently active until switched for another [Enemy]-Defeating Stance. One of the pre-requisites for Foe-Defeating Stance. You may have [Rank/2, rounded down] Stances active at one time.
Hero-Defeating Stance's Rank bonus does not stack with Once and Future, but taking it does reduce the cost of Once and Future by 1 Arete.
*Grants formidable offensive might, especially against mages or anyone defended by magical effects
*Grants incredible amounts of defense against enemy esoteric effects that are supernatural in origin
*Good amount of stats, wisdom makes for more prudent decision-making, and Rank
*Excellent at combating enemies that are stronger than you on paper
*Doesn't directly buff your allies at all, limited noncombat utility
*Slightly discounts Once and Future
[ ] Mage Lord - Azure Moon, Linear Halo [14 Arete]
Azure Moon grants access to the domain of Soul Evocation, the power to manifest high-level conceptual effects from the font of one's selfhood, a rare power that offers unique abilities to each individual practitioner. Your opponent just felled was The Librarian, but the light of your own soul is that of the Imprisoner. How odd, you don't recall directly imprisoning anyone in your life.
The Linear Halo imparts any one formal and systemic type of magic with power beyond reckoning, allowing its wielder to stretch the outer boundaries of its capabilities half a step above what might otherwise be possible, at the cost of preventing the acquisition (though not use) of other types of magic until the Outward Halo is taken. Gain +Int equal to your +Strength, +Wits equal to your +Agi, and +Wis equal to your +Con for purposes of researching the associated magic type and crafting specific techniques using it.
*Gain access to a powerful and versatile magic system with decent immediate utility and great long-term potential
*Scale your magical research with your physical stats! Manifesting the light of your soul also allows you to directly train your Rank, though it's a slow process.
*Focus all your magical training on a single powerful system at which you become supernally gifted, somewhat compensating for the ring's training debuff. Stress no more about acquiring other magic types!
*Can't acquire other magic types until you take another 7-Arete ability, the Outward Halo
*Weaker in terms of immediate power than any of the 'Might' options.
[ ] Fisher King - Dominion: Life, Gardener's Hallow [9 Arete]
This may well be your last chance to get Gardener's Hallow, that system of food-based cultivation with near-limitless versatility. Having grown powerful enough to overcome most of the threats in the outskirts, it may be wise to take a breather and cultivate other capabilities before pressing onwards...
Arise, men of the Garden! Arise!
*The most versatile Hunger has thus been offered in this world, with near-infinite applications towards any purpose he should turn his mind and energy to
*Offers pretty much no immediate power, but access to basic Gardener's products within a few days will grant healing, permanent buffs, and so on.
*Convert downtime into power!
*Convert food porn into power!
*Convert fishing into power!
*Save Arete!
*This is gardening quest now
---
You got somewhat lucky. Veterancy was unused, though Gisena is currently unconscious. Choose one of the social encounters below, see the previous update for context:
[ ] The Wandering Caravan - You don't really need healing, but perhaps some potions would be useful. And information as well...
[ ] The Amiable Brutes - You may use the Veterancy re-roll here if you like, and possibly gain some powerful allies besides.
[ ] The Shining Paragon [1 Arete] - As she's not your rescuer, she may not be quite as positively inclined, but now you can recruit her with only 1 Arete and make your first impressions while relatively unharmed!
A new day, a new jaunt into the Temple. This time he was taking Gisena with him, as the strength and speed he'd absorbed from the gargantuan wurm would better allow him to protect her against most Temple denizens.
Dawn had the sun casting ochre fingers across the stone-studded waste, the pale blue sky awash with auroras of pink and gold. Verschlengorge glinted menacingly in that light, its vast silhouette like some perilous outcropping, craggy face bristling with hazards. Its primary mouth was perked in a confident sneer, while both shoulder-heads slumbered contentedly.
"Be careful. Stay in Verschlengorge." He lectured, biting off a ration bar as he spoke.
"Don't worry about me at all!" The young duchess responded, flashing him a victory sign. "It's just for a day. Verschlengorge and I have been fighting together for years, you know. And your ghost-light seems to be healing him, bit by bit. Now bring me back something good to eat!"
"There are no fish in the Temple," he said mournfully, "But we'll do our best. Remember that Astral denizens aren't your only enemies. You're still being hunted. Don't let humans see you either."
"Take care, duchess!" Gisena waved merrily at Letrizia as they departed.
"So," she said, clutching his arm. "You've told me about the monsters within. But have you met anyone interesting inside?"
"Haven't met anyone at all," he grumbled. "That's what we're looking for today. I'm going to be traveling in the direction we saw the encampment on the way here. You do the talking so my Tyrant's Doom doesn't interfere."
"Even if I do," Gisena mused, "If the terms I bring back aren't to your liking, won't the Doom make it hard for us to negotiate?"
"It may," he admitted. "We won't be able to get around it completely, but that's to be expected."
"How stressful!" Gisena chirped. "Okay, I'll do it. At the price of a ride on your back."
He had been planning to carry her anyway, as most enemies were too fast to leave her alone. Still, he made a show of reluctantly leaning down so she could clamber up.
Gisena giggled as she got settled in, running a toe up his sternum. "Don't play coy. You're not fooling anyone, milord!"
"No distractions while we're in the Temple," he responded gruffly.
"Aye aye, captain!"
"Am I your captain or your lord?"
The Temple itself was as it had always been. Gisena had immunized herself from the call via her Nullity, but was unable to dispel it from him, observing that it'd latched on to his ring, and that was magic beyond her ability to fully countermand.
They took a slow circuit, slaying any knights in their way, running into only a few other types of monsters, none of which would have been a match for the hill-eating wurm, much less its slayer. After a brief warm up, he began to run in earnest, making in the direction he estimated the encampment to be.
"You've gotten really fast," Gisena said as she clung on tightly. "Maybe five times faster than our last piggyback ride? And that was only a week ago."
"You're imagining things."
"And always so humble, too! Is that also a power you received in exchange for bearing Curses?"
"I'm being a good role model for you. Since humility is one of the things you should learn."
"Aw, so considerate! Bet I'm always on your mind these days."
"Yes. 'How can I get rid of this Sorceress...?'"
"...Why would you say that?" Gisena sniffled, gazing sadly at him. Her eyes brimmed with crocodile tears.
"As I said. No distractions while we're in the Temple."
He began to accelerate, the hills giving way to an open boulevard of green grass that shimmered lightly in the morning sun.
"I can't help if I'm distracting!" Gisena cheered, tightening her grip as he sped up.
"Figure something out. Thought you were a genius."
"Oh, you're getting better at this. I'm such a good teacher!"
Eventually they came upon a large gathering of knights, a gleaming shield-wall ponderously clanking towards some destination in the far horizon. Gisena sent a wave of Nullity down among them, dispersing the spectral smoke that animated their armor. Their formation broken, he leapt into their ranks, a whirlwind of slashing force that severed limbs and ashen hearts.
It'd been only... yesterday, when one of the knights had fought him nearly to a standstill. So much had occurred in these past twenty-four hours. He wondered briefly at the nature of the Voyaging Realm and this Temple within it. Did it orbit a sun? Was it orbited by its moon, in turn? Or had the Foremost engineered the illusion of an Earth-like configuration for their own inscrutable purposes?
Similar ontological parameters, Letrizia had said. Gisena's world had a sun and moon as well, though she admitted her civilization had not plumbed the depths of their secrets.
The knights defeated, he ran forwards again, their death-knells erupting steadily in his wake. Though the terrain seemed to vary over time, its essential nature never changed. Skimming around its 'outer perimeter,' he wondered if it was even possible to reach the Encampment from the entrance he'd taken...
Gisena leaned down, her eyes flashing emerald.
"I've just lost my slipper," she whined plaintively. A pout graced her dainty features.
Without slowing down, he willed the Forebear's blade to hand. "How many is that?"
"My sixth! What a tragedy..."
Like lightning he twisted, pivoting and striking in a single motion at the space directly behind him, blade-wind unfurling in an arc out towards the horizon. In the midst of its travels it struck true, revealing an elderly man in the midst of some esoteric incantation, bright energies gathered about his fingertips. The mage's face was hooded, shrouded in shadow, but his robes of brilliant white and blue stood out starkly against the grass, and were wreathed in an armamentarium of defensive enchantments, circling spirits and a steely fog that pulled and sickened the eye.
Gisena swung her arm, unleashing a full-scale Tide of Nullity as the elderly magus attacked, ten bolts of lightning streaking from his fingers to lash out at them. Caught in the Tide, the wizard's magics twisted languidly and dispersed, like fish swept away by an overwhelming current. Lightning, spirits and fog all swiftly disappeared, though the mage did not so much as startle as his defenses crumpled.
"More of you," the magus grumbled, hastily erecting a shield of pink-violet light. "Like lemmings, come to your doom. The ritual grounds could not even displace ilk of this calibre? How many must I kill today?"
Hunger sprang forward, Gisena launching tripartite bolts over his shoulder. Where they struck the shield, it corroded swiftly, like wood yielding before strong acid. The magus tsked and made a curt gesture, disappearing from sight.
"Teleportation," Gisena said quietly. "It's short range, he's still around here."
He swept his blade in wide, carving arcs, launching projected force in every direction, and was rewarded by an incredulous gasp as the magus appeared again, nursing a bleeding arm. Without relenting, Hunger attacked savagely, thrust-projections puncturing the magus' robe and tearing open his hood.
Even as he closed the distance, the man was muttering, strange cadence of rapid syllables too quick to be the product of a human voice. The mage gestured again with his free hand and an array of runes appeared beneath them, subjecting Hunger to terrible crushing force. The Evening Sky swirled and snapped tempestuously about him as it attempted to fend off the attack, slowly withering beneath the force of those magics.
Gisena, unaffected by virtue of her Nullity, leapt off, emitting a wide-area burst as she landed, runes erased like chalkboard scrawlings. Free of the pressure, Hunger sprinted forward again, doggedly forcing the mage into close quarters as Gisena rained more bolts upon their opponent.
Impatiently the mage leapt back and intoned a single word, a soul-flaying spike of ill-reason that drove Hunger to his knees and which Gisena was forced to aggressively counter. The world seemed to blur, bursting rotten at the seams, his mind filled with static and clawing pain, black blood leaking from ears and ruptured eye. Hunger drew a shuddering breath and managed to fend it off, though the world spun and twisted crazily aroud him.
Though he seemed mildly surprised at their continued survival, the magus did not hesitate. With time bought, he'd invoked several spells more: armaments of sickly green light like thresher-arms descending upon them, nearby boulders bounding cheerfully together into the form of a golem, sevenfold runed haloes appearing about his head and limbs.
"Plan B," Hunger finally roared, stumbling to his feet as he fought through the Abhorrent Word, Evening Sky near in tatters around him. Without hesitation he lunged, closing the final crucial yards to the magus as Gisena blanketed the entire area in a suffocating sea of Nullity. For a moment there was stillness and ear-ringing silence, all color and magic extinguished utterly from the world, winked out like a moment's daydream.
With surprising alacrity the magus drew a knife, entering a practiced stance as Hunger attacked. Golem and thresher-arms and haloes all were gone, but the mage fought on with blind, contemptuous arrogance, face twisted in unbelieving disdain at those who presumed to delay their deaths by his hand. Magus and dagger struck out with serpentine speed, speed well beyond that of an ordinary man, but Hunger easily batted the knife aside before smashing his forehead into the mage's nose.
Mighty as Gisena's uttermost Sorcery had been, it had only temporarily depleted the protection of his cloak. Both Forebear's Blade and the ring of power were beyond her ability to fully suppress, so his abilities had 'merely' been cut by a major fraction, while the wizard's pure spellcraft was fully annihilated. Both were already beginning to recover. No time to take prisoners.
With a crack of brittle bone the man fell, face a bloody ruin, managing to lash out once more with the dagger, small glyphs of magic now beginning to materialize upon its surface.
Hunger took the blow in his shoulder and in return cut the man's throat, power of ruin slicing easily through neck and spine. Near-decapitated, still the magus gurgled resentfully as he died, eyes livid with condescending hate even as the light left them forever. The ring of power crackled, greedily funneling strength into him as he turned from the wizard's corpse to collect Gisena.
"Fuck," Hunger grunted, making his way over to the collapsed Sorceress. "If only it'd been safe to interrogate him."
She took his offered arm happily, pulling herself up but leaning against his side. "...Nope! His type wouldn't have said anything anyway. Good job, Lord Hunger! Finishing him off after I'd beaten him!"
"I can't take all the credit. Letrizia's encouragement really saw me through."
"Kind of you... to say..." Gisena mumbled, walking unsteadily. He caught her as she fell.
"Hey, hun... I hope the enemies don't get much harder... than this..." Her heavily-lidded eyes stared tiredly up at him. "It's... getting kind of difficult... to keep up..."
The Sorceress fell unconscious, reserves hollowed out by the effort required of that final, terrible blast. Hunger shook his head tiredly. Gisena had finally earned the princess carry she'd asked for, but he only had the one arm for now. Gently he hoisted her over one shoulder and set out for the antechamber entrance.
"That was too close," he mumbled quietly to himself. One close call after another, since he'd ventured into the Temple. It was a style of fighting he was used to, but it did risk those around him. This time they'd emerged largely unscathed, though moments more might have resulted in their death. Had the magus been unchecked for even a single spell further... well. Hunger still had his final card unplayed, and its strength may have sufficed to prevail, though at what cost he was uncertain.
By the grace of his Sorceress they'd escaped that fate. Yet he felt with near-certainty that their enemies would only grow more fearsome from here.
---
The winner was [X] The Magus with [X] Veterancy. What did Hunger gain from his and Gisena's brush with death?
You have 14.5 Arete and 3 picks, but choose only one option below.
[ ] Bloodmight - Domain: Life, Chief Dominion, Echo of the Forebear [9 Arete]
A powerful, focused build that is centered on improving Hunger's strengths while simultaneously allaying his greatest weaknesses. Comprehensively boosts his speed, agility, and durability while granting the awesome and versatile powers of the Ring of Blood. Influence over its broad purview permits accelerated healing of self and others (though only in forms that bleed); the power to suppress or enliven the blood of any living being, augmenting or reducing its physical and spiritual might; the creation of blood-borne diseases to ravage enemy populaces; the large-scale uplifting of allied species; and even the power to stop a vulnerable enemy's heart from beating or boil the very blood in their veins.
Though the Ring's influence does not permit so crass a thing as direct hemokinesis, its power runs deeper than reason alone, penetrating and overwhelming most lesser magics. Access to the Chief Dominion comes easily to he who bears the name of his Ring; further Advancements related to mastery over the Domain of Blood shall be considerably more powerful.
*Only 12.5 Arete away from Ruling Ring if you spend no more Arete
*H E A L I N G
*Partially solves the problem of Gisena's scaling in the short term, as you can quicken and empower her blood to somewhat match your own
*Moderate combat-speed regeneration, fairly rapid healing outside of combat, can partially heal Verschlengorge itself. Note: healing Verschlengorge will cause it to attract more powerful Astral beasts.
*Influence of the Chief Dominion is hard to resist, making it effective against a broad range of enemies
*Less useful against undead or mechanical enemies, though you can still heal and enchant yourself.
*H E A L I N G
[ ] Full Might - Opalescence, Iridescence, Echo of the Forebear, A Thousand Cuts, Undying Vanguard [14 Arete]
Fill all the holes in your build. Ramp up the Evening Sky's defenses to a level commensurate with this area, improve your offenses by an order of magnitude, and grant your companions the benefit of your supernal durability. With your Iridescent cloak capable of fully absorbing two Tides of Nullity, Gisena won't have to aim as much, and she can serve as a powerful, if relatively slow, off tank. Also improves your Charisma for the upcoming social encounter!
With offensive and defensive powers that are finally respectable for the area you find yourself in, you can be much more confident (though not overconfident) in venturing further! The combination of Iridescence and Gisena's Nullity allow you to counter most forms of enemy magic, allowing you to rely on your overwhelming strength and speed and fell-handed blows to overcome them.
*Prove that the sword is mightier than the wand
*Superb immediate power and defenses, a safe and conservative build that allows you to impart the benefits of your protection upon any party members further gained
*Well-balanced output of offense and defense
*SORD GOOD
*Good swords are expensive
[ ] Blademight - Ruinous Valor [Zweihander], Magic-Defeating Stance, Hero-Defeating Stance [14 Arete]
The Forebear's mage-slaying techniques, and an arm with which to properly carry Gisena. In conjunction with the Evening Sky, allows one to walk nearly unscathed through Tides of Nullity and hostile invocations, while putting would-be heroes and defenders of the Temple to the sword.
Magic-Defeating Stance - 7 Arete: A Martial Stance of the Forebear. Grants high-grade defensive effect nullification against all hostile effects of supernatural origin, and quintuples the power of Ruin for purposes of cutting through enemy magics. Mitigate all Curses an additional half step beyond the first. This Stance is permanently active until switched for another [Type]-Defeating Stance. One of the pre-requisites for All-Defeating Stance. You may have [Rank/2, rounded down] Stances active at one time.
Hero-Defeating Stance - 7 Arete: A Martial Stance of the Forebear. ++Might, ++Agility, +Wisdom, +0.2 external Rank. Halve the effects of enemy Rank if it is greater than your own. Halve the effects of being outnumbered, if you are outnumbered. This Stance is permanently active until switched for another [Enemy]-Defeating Stance. One of the pre-requisites for Foe-Defeating Stance. You may have [Rank/2, rounded down] Stances active at one time.
Hero-Defeating Stance's Rank bonus does not stack with Once and Future, but taking it does reduce the cost of Once and Future by 1 Arete.
*Grants formidable offensive might, especially against mages or anyone defended by magical effects
*Grants incredible amounts of defense against enemy esoteric effects that are supernatural in origin
*Good amount of stats, wisdom makes for more prudent decision-making, and Rank
*Excellent at combating enemies that are stronger than you on paper
*Doesn't directly buff your allies at all, limited noncombat utility
*Slightly discounts Once and Future
[ ] Mage Lord - Azure Moon, Linear Halo [14 Arete]
Azure Moon grants access to the domain of Soul Evocation, the power to manifest high-level conceptual effects from the font of one's selfhood, a rare power that offers unique abilities to each individual practitioner. Your opponent just felled was The Librarian, but the light of your own soul is that of the Imprisoner. How odd, you don't recall directly imprisoning anyone in your life.
The Linear Halo imparts any one formal and systemic type of magic with power beyond reckoning, allowing its wielder to stretch the outer boundaries of its capabilities half a step above what might otherwise be possible, at the cost of preventing the acquisition (though not use) of other types of magic until the Outward Halo is taken. Gain +Int equal to your +Strength, +Wits equal to your +Agi, and +Wis equal to your +Con for purposes of researching the associated magic type and crafting specific techniques using it.
*Gain access to a powerful and versatile magic system with decent immediate utility and great long-term potential
*Scale your magical research with your physical stats! Manifesting the light of your soul also allows you to directly train your Rank, though it's a slow process.
*Focus all your magical training on a single powerful system at which you become supernally gifted, somewhat compensating for the ring's training debuff. Stress no more about acquiring other magic types!
*Can't acquire other magic types until you take another 7-Arete ability, the Outward Halo
*Weaker in terms of immediate power than any of the 'Might' options.
[ ] Fisher King - Dominion: Life, Gardener's Hallow [9 Arete]
This may well be your last chance to get Gardener's Hallow, that system of food-based cultivation with near-limitless versatility. Having grown powerful enough to overcome most of the threats in the outskirts, it may be wise to take a breather and cultivate other capabilities before pressing onwards...
Arise, men of the Garden! Arise!
*The most versatile Hunger has thus been offered in this world, with near-infinite applications towards any purpose he should turn his mind and energy to
*Offers pretty much no immediate power, but access to basic Gardener's products within a few days will grant healing, permanent buffs, and so on.
*Convert downtime into power!
*Convert food porn into power!
*Convert fishing into power!
*Save Arete!
*This is gardening quest now
---
You got somewhat lucky. Veterancy was unused, though Gisena is currently unconscious. Choose one of the social encounters below, see the previous update for context:
[ ] The Wandering Caravan - You don't really need healing, but perhaps some potions would be useful. And information as well...
[ ] The Amiable Brutes - You may use the Veterancy re-roll here if you like, and possibly gain some powerful allies besides.
[ ] The Shining Paragon [1 Arete] - As she's not your rescuer, she may not be quite as positively inclined, but now you can recruit her with only 1 Arete and make your first impressions while relatively unharmed!
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Projectile
Thinking of Rabbits
- Location
- USA
This is fantastic. I suppose soldiers are ones who sold. Is arding the act of being hard? And ligand? Ah, don't tell me, it would ruin it.
Ooh, update, I see we didn't die, now I'll read it.
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I feel like Rihaku's trying to tell us something...
But what could it be?
- Location
- US
Well, we still have Veterancy, and since we're not in urgent need of a strong ally, the risk of the Paragon is something we don't need to take. I'm leaning towards the Amiable Brutes RN, though I could see the argument for The Wandering Caravan too TBH. Information is power and all that.
Rihaku
The Internet
Great omake! I particularly liked these verses.
Hm... maybe Hunger is in need of psychological healing? He has been acting kind of suicidal as of late...
All of the social encounters can give information, it's their supplemental effects which are different.
Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
HEALING - This is a mystery box, I wonder what's inside it?
By the way, I totally claim credit for thinking up a solution everyone probably thought about anyway.
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Bloodmight
Make a beeline for the dread power of the Ruling Ring. But I'm going to be happy no matter what wins, these are all mega cool.
Remember kids, gamble your life away, you'll make it all back and more.
Nah, that can't be it. After all, taking mad risks keeps paying off! Why would we ever mess with such a winning strategy?
Make a beeline for the dread power of the Ruling Ring. But I'm going to be happy no matter what wins, these are all mega cool.
Remember kids, gamble your life away, you'll make it all back and more.
Nah, that can't be it. After all, taking mad risks keeps paying off! Why would we ever mess with such a winning strategy?
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ImperatorV
The Laughing One
- Location
- The Voyaging Realm
YES! THE TIME HAS COME! MAGE VOTERS, RISE UP!!!
Analysis of all options soon-ish. I'm going to be supporting Fisher King or Mage Lord though.
Analysis of all options soon-ish. I'm going to be supporting Fisher King or Mage Lord though.
- Location
- Omniverse #1345
I wish we could mix and match these builds a bit...
[X] The Amiable Brutes
My own analysis is that Fisher King is cool and probably grants access to the most unique magic system we will see, though the lack of immediate benefits is concerning. Mage Lord monofocuses our magic in exchange for insane research bonuses.
Though I'm not sure how much time we can actually spend researching thanks to Apocryphal and Decimator. Irritating.
[X] The Amiable Brutes
I'm assuming you're calling in the favor I owe? I'll be voting Full Might otherwise. As it finally shores up the massive gaping wound in our build.
My own analysis is that Fisher King is cool and probably grants access to the most unique magic system we will see, though the lack of immediate benefits is concerning. Mage Lord monofocuses our magic in exchange for insane research bonuses.
Though I'm not sure how much time we can actually spend researching thanks to Apocryphal and Decimator. Irritating.
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Rihaku
The Internet
Any of Bloodmight, Mage Lord or Fisher King would give you access to healing, and Full Might gives your party members regen so they can tank for you. But Blademight is the most individually powerful option right now, giving +++++++Strength, ++Con, ++Agi, +Wis, Strength scaling power of Ruin, quintupled power of Ruin against magical defenses, +.2 Rank, major resistance to all esoteric attacks including Nullity, enemy Rank nullification, free Apocryphal mitigation, enemy numbers mitigation, and the ability to properly carry Gisena.
Hm... would Letrizia say the same?
Gardening quest!
Think carefully before you vote! This is likely your last chance to spend picks & Arete before the mid Temple!
Hm... would Letrizia say the same?
Gardening quest!
Think carefully before you vote! This is likely your last chance to spend picks & Arete before the mid Temple!