Damn it, VKO; you play with our hearts... ;__;

Let's examine our (Algers', rather) leg in detail. If we can manage it, let's walk out and see what the commotion is about.

Also, Gargoyle quest?

>>14375745

(GQ up in a bit)

You can see in the dark, unlike the ripouse who would live much later. You sit up, feeling a heavy drag on your body as you grab the backboard of your bed and sit up. From about halfway down your left thigh is an armored construction resembling a proper leg that you can feel radiating heat. There are flexible portions to the armor with a very fine metal cloth filling in the gaps. You remember the previous day's excitement, and walking on it. Attempts to move it result in the stabbing pain increasing, and no responsiveness. Fortunately, someone foresaw this difficulty and placed a crutch in your room, on the wall.

You reach for the crutch by your bed, hobbling out into the hallway to see what all the fuss is about.

"Damn lizard! Keep your caterwauling to yourself!" One of the ripouse shouts, standing in the hallway and leaning into the room you know Kresis is in, wearing only a pair of light cloth pants.

>>14375819
Let's approach the ripouse.

"...is our /friend/ comfortable?"

>>14375863

"...is our /friend/ comfortable?" You ask as you hobble over towards him.

The ripouse looks over at you, sympathetic. "Oh, Algers, did he wake you? No, the idiot's fallen out of bed, it sounds like, and his whining is keeping us awake."

You can hear Kresis' pained hissing from inside the dark room.

"Are you going to be alright? Can I get anything for you?" The ripouse asks, rubbing his eyes.

>>14375886
Just to clarify: what are we trying to find out from this memory? Was it something about Algers' past, specifically?

"No...no, I'm fine; just a little agitated."

>>14375910

Something about Kresis.

"No...no, I'm fine; just a little agitated." You say, adjusting your crutch a bit.

The ripouse looks down at your leg almost automatically. "Alright. If you run out of pain medicine, just let Jopera know." He trots back off to the door next to Kresis'.

As he clears out of the way, you think you can see a bit of water on the floor just inside Kresis' room.

>>14375936
I guess we'll go talk to Kriess, despite the fact that he destroyed our leg... Do we know (what I mean is, does Paima) how his grandfather used to act when he was this age? Was it aggressively? Passively? Wisely? Another adverb here?

Knock on the door.

"Kriess; it's me..."

>>14375981

You do not know. Grandfather only talked about the sunny things from the good old days. You know him as a quiet, capable man with a slight temper.

"Kresis; it's me..." You say, quietly.

The hissing stops for a moment. "What do you want?" The lizardman says in a gasping, pained voice.

>>14376004
"I've come to speak with you..."

>>14376037

"I've come to speak with you..." You say, quietly.

"Well then, say what you have to say," He pauses, perhaps from pain, perhaps from reluctance. "Master." His voice drips with disgust as he says the word.

>>14376063
Well, shit...

"Uh..." Dramatic pause. "Kresis; why did you act out of line? I've known you to be short tempered, but never short sighted..."

>>14376104

"Uh..." You pause. You, and you as Algers, are not used to being addressed by such a title. And neither is comfortable with it. "Kresis; why did you act out of line? I've known you to be short tempered, but never short sighted..."

"Know me? We met two days ago!" The lizardman groans in pain suddenly. "What are you babbling about?"

You are sure you can see a bit of water from underneath the door.

>>14376104
Out of line? All he did was hurt himself..

>>14376153
Woops; strike one, I guess.

"Irrelevant; I'm sure the master was not pleased with your actions, and he is a man I would..." Probably difficult for Paima to say this. "...I would never want insulted."

>>14376161
I was under the impression that Kresis attacked Algers. After that, Algers' master (what's-his-name) removed his leg as punishment...that's what I remember from the previous threads, at least. Correct me if I'm wrong.

>>14376179

"Irrelevant; I'm sure the master was not pleased with your actions, and he is a man I would..." In Algers' mouth, the words flow smoothly, but in Paima's they stick to his tongue. "...I would never want insulted."

"I did as I was told." Kresis says. You hear a thump on the ground, like a portion of a body slamming back into it. "You remember, don't you?"

Your mind slips to two days ago. The man you don't recognise at the door. As you go to announce him, a scaled hand, Kresis' hand, pushes in the door. You backpedal, reaching for the switch that will trigger the alarm as the lizardman closes towards you.

"Maim him, but don't kill him. He is Murejed's favorite." The man says, cruelly.

The lizardman's muscles clench, then release as you back into a table, a brilliant pain running through your thigh as you yelp, collapsing. Your hands reaching for the wound automatically, they come back coated with red. You hear the human chuckle as you try to crawl away, your whole body shaking from the shock.

"Make him suffer." The man says. "When I rule here, there will be no room for slaves that consider themselves exceptional."

You turn back, seeing the lizardman with your ankle in his grip. You feel sick, gasping as you realize that the leg is no longer attached to your body. Your dismay is overcome by pain as you feel a horrible pain in your left leg, or what remains of it, as the lizardman prods the open muscle softly with his sword. This continues for several minutes, but you refuse to cry out.

"I have been dealt a cruel hand by fate," The lizardman grunts, and you can hear an almost stone-like sliding across the ground in his room. "Because I did as I was told."

bump

>>14376355
Well, we found out exactly how he lost his leg. Let's trying asking Kresis for some details...but, perhaps, it's better for eye-contact to occur. Is the door locked and barred? Then let's lean against the door and talk. Is it open for us to walk in (assuming he's restrained)? Let's ask politely before we enter, then walk inside.

"I wish to see you; to look you in the eyes before I continue..."

>>14376468

You test the door, noting that the lock has been removed. Kresis was put up in what used to be a communal storage room, a small one used by Alkenin's servants. The door easily swings open.

"I wish to see you; to look you in the eyes before I continue..." You say, pushing the door open with your shoulder as you step in something very cold and wet with your right foot. You can see that it is a puddle of water with a half-melted piece of ice in it.

The interior of the room is dark, with bags of flour and sundries littering the walls. Bits of barely visible ice are scattered about on the floor, and Kresis is there as well, in front of a bed that is a good four feet above the ground, converted from a loft where other things were stored.

The lizardman is clad in a loincloth, crawling on his hands and a knee. His left leg is ruined, a jagged piece of thick ice before where the knee would have been all that remains, aside from a partial foot made from ice that resembles his real one. Kresis looks up at you with open contempt.

>>14376579
Paima has to sympathize with slave-mind set, I guess.

"...I probably would have done the same thing, had my master commanded it..." Walk a little closer. "...but now my master is most intrigued by who commanded you. Tell me: who was that man?"

>>14376608
Kresis pushes the severed foot made from ice out of the way in disgust.

"And now, a dream has made me useless once more." He grunts in pain again, clutching at his left leg.

"...I probably would have done the same thing, had my master commanded it..." You hobble a bit closer, "...but now my master is most intrigued by who commanded you. Tell me: who was that man?"

"Agrus Morted. A general in the Aldini army. Though I'd think he would rather ask me himself." Kresis grunts.

>>14376684
"Agrus: why was he here? I don't remember much after you..." Look down at our leg. "What was his reason?"

>>14376727

"Agrus: why was he here? I don't remember much after you..." You look down at your metal leg, hanging limply off your body. "What was his reason?"

"Reason? He didn't share such things with me. He did say something about dragon blood." Kresis says, before clenching his fist and pounding it into the ground. "Why did this happen to me?! Why?"

Kresis grabs at a few bags of flour, trying to use them as a support so he can stand. They slip from the stack and send him slamming down onto his knee, his face in a silent grimace of pain.

You feel a stab of pain in your right knee as well, bracing yourself against the wall.

>>14376885
Try to help him if possible. "Perhaps we should rest our legs." look for somewhere to sit?

"I was a lieutenant, I was capable, strong. I had as much as I wanted out of life. As much as can be expected." Kresis says after a while, pushing himself up to sit against the fallen flour bags. "Until I was told to attack you. Why did you have to be there? Why did my master have to lose? Why can't I do anything about this?!" He hisses, leaning his head back to look up at the ceiling.

>>14376989

"Perhaps we should rest our legs." You say, scooting a pair of crates over near him and helping him up.

"What leg? It shattered when I fell!" Kresis growls, twisting up onto one of the crates. "You think I can walk on this?" He growls, his hand on the pointed piece of ice extending from the stump of his left thigh and the metal plate attached to the end of it.

>>14377028
"Im sure that you can fix it. Try to concentrate." assuming Paima knows a little about how they work from his grandfather..

"I thought I had a good lot." Kresis moans, looking down at the slowly melting pieces of his leg. "And when your master made me cut my own leg off after torturing me, then gave it back to me, I thought that maybe my punishment had ended."

"It's obvious the world has nothing but taunting in store for me." He says, cringing.

>>14377185
Try to console him if possible.

>>14377169

"I'm sure that you can fix it. Try to concentrate." You say.

"There's no way. I couldn't even walk properly on it." Kresis sulks. "Why are you trying to console me? Can't you see that this is your fault?" He suddenly grows angry, his hands clenching.

You think you see some of the ice on the ground start to move.

It's really his former masters fault, for being stupid enough to pick a fight with Alkenin, and for being so petty as to order the maiming of a rivals servant when (as he thought) the rivals servents were about to become his servants right after.

>>14377270

Do you tell him that?

"If you hadn't been there, we would both still be whole! I wouldn't be in all this pain!"

The ice off to your right starts to reform into a small cylinder about four inches off the ground, roughly as big as a man's thigh.

Kresis' muscles start to tense in his good leg, as though he's getting ready to pounce. "And now you come in here to watch me, humiliated, like the bastard you are."

>>14377387
"What have I done to you? None of this is the fault of either of us. We were only following the orders of our masters. My master may have been harsh with his judgement but that does not mean that yours was not as well. I only wish to make amends, we did not openly choose the fate that put us in this situation."

>>14377503

"What have I done to you? None of this is the fault of either of us. We were only following the orders of our masters. My master may have been harsh with his judgement but that does not mean that yours was not as well. I only wish to make amends, we did not openly choose the fate that put us in this situation." You say, quickly. A bit of anger creeps into your tone.

The lizardman's tail sways to one side, and he calms down. "I suppose you're right. I just thought that perhaps-" He looks over to your right, spying the cylinder of ice. "Strange, that wasn't there before." He mutters.

>>14377503
This.

Also, as a sign of good faith, call for a servant to bring a crutch or something.

>>14377527
Eye it carefully...

Other than that, I think we should go talk with the "master" about this.

>>14377545

You ask for one of the other ripouse to bring him a crutch.

"I will go and talk with the master about this." You say.

"Wait! Please don't tell him." Kresis says. "Maybe you're right, maybe I can fix this somehow. I just- I just don't know how I can."

He reaches out for the cylinder of ice, surprised to find that he can mold it like clay. His features take on a pained grin. "Maybe, maybe I can do something with this."

>>14377619
Paima would probably be off-guard at the sudden apologetic act. Have him sigh, then wobble over to him.

"Tell me; if I was in your position, would you tell your master?" Wait for a response. Improvise where appropriate, then finish it off with: "I will beseech my /master/ for mercy on you...I would probably want mercy as well."

>>14377639

"Tell me; if I was in your position, would you tell your master?"

Paima grunts. "My master was going to let you rot in a bed. But supposing the circumstances, I would not blame you for being mad at me. My master wouldn't have wanted me to bother him with such foolishness."

"I suppose I can understand it, but please! Give me a while to fix it, or at least try." He looks over at the icy foot that is near the bed. "I can't possibly break it any more, right?"

You sigh. "Very well. I will leave you here until lunchtime. I will beseech my /master/ for mercy on you... I would probably want mercy as well in your position."

Kresis nods at you. "Thank you... Algers."


"I will beseech my /master/ for mercy on you...I would probably want mercy as well."

>>14377762
Well, I guess we'll end the spell session and go back to the present? Hopefully, we've learned quite a bit about Kresis for when we meet him.

>>14377792

Yep, looks like your work is done here.

Now, how was it that you got out of this thing again?

...Shit.

>>14377877
How do we get back to the future?!

>>14377877
Something about being grossly out of character right? I forgot.

>>14377901
You're not gonna' like the answer, Doc.

>>14377919
I drop my pants and whizz on the sorceror lord.

>>14377919

You remember that you can act grossly out of character and it will simply affect the adherence of the "session" to the actual events that took place. Melane cannot do this because Alkenin put an extra layer of security over his memories.

You hyperventilate slightly as you leave Kresis' room. Did she tell you? You don't remember it, if she did. Shit. Is your body going to waste away while you're trapped in here? Are you going to die?

Well, probably not. Someone will have to notice that you're not responsive, hopefully they'll feed you until you can get out of this mess.

You feel some of the feeling in your left thigh and knee return, but it feels strange somehow.

>>14377982
Look down and feel for it.

>>14378034

You try moving your left leg again, and the metal twists a bit, uncomfortable but not painfully, and you find that your knee can bend again. There is still no response below that point, but your leg seems to be stuck in a fixed position.

>>14378138
Well, that sucks. Let's imagine waking up; hopefully, it's that simple. If that doesn't work, try panicking...

>>14378138

You take a seat on the edge of your bed, tapping on the metal shell around your leg. It feels exactly like you have armor over it, with a liquid beneath it that makes up your muscle. You cannot touch it, exactly, but you still feel the vibration in the liquid, as though it were your own limb. It's something like having a cast over it.

You really hope that heated lead-based compounds don't get itches.

Just past your knee, you can feel the liquid rubbing up against something cooler and solid, and realize that it's the rest of your leg. You would feel sick if it were real flesh, but for some reason, you aren't as disturbed by this, just irritated.

>>14378200

You imagine waking up.

You don't.

You rage.

A stabbing pain in your thigh puts a stop to that.

>>14378208
Imagine the present! Then panic!

>>14378242

You imagine the present, with all your imaginative powers.

For some reason, it feels quite far away.

Nothing occurs.

You flip the fuck out, throwing your crutch down and trying to run away.

You make it about two steps. Well, closer to a step and a half, really, before you scrape across the ground on your left leg, skidding into the door. Unexpectedly, it hurts.

You think you hear Kresis swear from across the hall.

>>14378285
Oh God dues ex help us; we're just a lovable oaf with no magic skills on this stuff.

Let's try to find our master and, hopefully, something will happen.

>>14378354

You have some skill in using fire-based magic. You don't know how the fuck this enchantment shit works. Necromancy. Whatever.

You calm down, pick yourself up off the ground, and grab the crutch. You may as well continue to play the part of your grandfather. And he needs to go upstairs and serve his master. Your grandfather thinking such things is a harrowing experience.

And we'll stop here, after this horrible thing has been discovered.

Tune in on monday, folks!

Aw, damnit! I just got here, VKO!

>>14378531

Sorry, bro. I'll be running on monday as normal, though!

Bumping to avoid unarchived thread death

Was the gargoyle quest archived?

>>14381203

I did before checking page 15. This was on it,