>>39054709

The slope is steep and threatens to be treacherous, with loose stones and flint slipping beneath your feet as you work your way down. Down below you at the foot of the hill is a great plain that extends off across the horizon. The faint haze of wheat fields are visible in the distance, standing tall and proud ‘ere the harvest.
In your desire to avoid any undue suspicion and wanted posters that might still be floating around, you and Hiss have disdained Melire’s highway and other main roads in favour of taking a longer route through the backlands. That is why you are now here at the edge of the flattest part of Teleran, the Hinterlands that have sprung up to provide for the cities of the duchy and beyond.

The Hinterlands are sparsely populated and mostly only by farming communities of varying isolation. Few other people live here and for good reason because not only are the Hinterlands exceptionally level, it is also crisscrossed with a good many rivers. This is a dangerous combination when the wet season comes and the whole place transforms into an immense flood plain stretching from horizon to horizon. But it’s this same natural irrigation that makes the Hinterlands easily the most fertile piece of agriculture in the whole country.
When they’re not underwater, of course.

Hiss walks down behind you, navigating the slope with a carelessness that makes it look easy. You’re a little irritated by that. You’ve been walking your entire life. How can she already be better at it than you?
It’s been two days of near constant travel for the two of you since Melire. Her stamina is improving at a steady rate and she’s barely complained at all about your unorthodox choice of route. You’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with her presence in general. It helps comfort you at night, that delusion that she’ll remain even when the wish-bond breaks.

1/2

>>39054723
2/2

You spot a small cloud of dust off in the distance, the source of it obscured. It looks like there is another traveler up ahead on the same general route as you. That could be a big help because the truth of the matter is that you have no clue how to find the closest settlement here and despite all the recent inroads you’ve made into that matter, Hiss is unlikely to take this news very well.

> She can just suck it up and you can deal with the fallout. You’re not asking for directions.

> Check out the dust cloud.

> Just make your camp here at the base of the hill. Night’s coming on quickly after all.

> Other

>>39054740
> Check out the dust cloud.
>tell Hiss not to kill anyone

>>39054740
> Check out the dust cloud.
First make some hair dye and change our hair color for a disguise, just in case we're wanted for mindfucking the mayor

>>39054740
>Consult the magic conch shell...

>>39054756
Forgot to add this:

>brew hair dye (pastebin says we can do so)

>>39054756
>>39054837
>>39054740
Supporting logical courses of action.

>>39054756
I think she's past the killing indiscriminately stage. I don't think it needs to be said

>>39054992
Better safe than sorry.

>>39055101
Prepare for offended snakegirl then

Hey, it says we can make irritating clouds and other irritants, does that mean we can make itching powder? We could do soo many practical jokes!

>>39054740
>>39054756
>>39054837
backing

> Check out the dust cloud

"You see that down there? Someone is ahead of us."

Hiss looks at you as if you had just plainly spouted the obvious. Which you had.
"Yeah, I'm not stupid. What about it?"

"If we pick up the pace a little I reckon we can catch up to them. Shouldn't be too difficult."

Hiss looks at you blankly.
"But why?"

You ponder how to best approach this without mentioning the fact that you don't know anything about the detour you suggested in the first place.
"If they're raising a cloud they probably have a cart or a wagon. Aren't you sick of walking?"

Hiss smiles, your meaning becoming apparent to her.
"We can take their cart for ourselves."

"No. Nope. We're going to pay for it."
You've still got a huge amount of money from your little scheme back in Melire.
"Also try not to kill them if they step on their toes. It's not their fault that they don't know about you."

Hiss shrugs. You don't think she particularly enjoys killing or goes out of her way to do it. She just assigns no more value to a human life (other than yours) than she would to any other animal, which does not bode well for when she feels frustrated or threatened.
"I'll see what I can do."
She starts to walk past you but stops as she sees you kneel and pull out your cauldron.
"Now what are you doing?"

"Just a little alchemy just in case."
You have plenty of subpar ingredients on hand, having foraged repeatedly in the past two days. No easy source of fire right now but you just slop some water in prepare a cold mix instead. The two have you been subsisting on restoration potions though Hiss makes an ugly face every time she has to swallow one down. You have a different brew in mind right now however, a simple hair dye that should help disguise your appearance just in case of trouble.
You rub it into your scalp, briefly staining your fingers black as well as your hair. You now have a very similar shade of hair to Hiss herself, though she doesn't seem to pick up on this.
1/2

>>39055235
2/2

The two of you pick up the pace but you had gravely underestimated either the distance or the speed of the cloud's source because the sun has set and darkness has fallen before you ever catch up.
Fortunately they light some sort of lamp, torch or other light source as night sets in so the two of you can still follow easily.

When you do finally catch up, it is only because they have stopped. It is a small cart loaded with unmarked crates and packages with a single seat mounted up at the front. A long wooden pole is sticking out of the cart, an oil lamp dangling from it by a hook. A donkey is grazing nearby, no doubt the usual source of the cart's locomotion.

The cart driver is a young blonde man wearing solid craftsman's clothes with a brown poncho. A wide-brimmed hat is held in one hand as he watches the two of you approach his small circle of lamp light. The other hand is at a small scabbard by his side, ready to arm himself at the first sign of trouble.

> Show him your money and tell him that you want to pay him for hitch-hiking.

> Show him your money and tell him you want to buy his cart and donkey outright.

> Ask him for directions.

> Offer to sell him brews in exchange for travel.

> Other

>>39055405
> Offer to sell him brews in exchange for travel.

The money could be more useful later

>>39055405
Ask him where he's headed and then if we can get a ride

>>39055405
> Ask him for directions.

> Offer to sell him brews in exchange for travel.

>>39055405
>> Offer to sell him brews in exchange for travel.

>>39055405
>> Ask him for directions.

We get these and we come out net positive, anything else is just a bonus

> Offer to sell him brews in exchange for travel.

Because why not if it works

> Offer to sell him brews in exchange for travel.

You raise both hands as you slowly step forward.
"Peace. We just saw your light out over the plains."
Behind you Hiss seems to be doing her best impression of a murderer.

"Oh yeah? And what are the two of you supposed to be?"

"My name is Cennen and this is..."
Can you really introduce her as just Hiss? That's not a proper name. And oh damn it, you shouldn't have used your real name. You're already messing things up.

"And I'm Hiss," Hiss steps up from behind you, ending that particular dilemma.
"We're traveling alchemists. Going to sell our brews to the people who live here."

The man raises an eyebrow.
"To the farming communes?"

"Yes."
You get over your surprise at Hiss actually being sociable and even with a passing cover story and decide that you really should handle this.

"Yes, as she said. We want to do a rotation around, see if they're in need."

The man nods, weighing something over in his mind.
"Good to meet you, Cennen and ...Hiss. My name is Ophi, traveling merchant. I'm actually on my way to Tedwell," he says a name that you can only assume is the closest farming settlement.

"Well," you butt in. "If you're going in that direction, do you mind making space in that cart for two more? We've walked enough."

He doesn't look too convinced.
"Anything in this cart is something to be sold. Nothing for free. What are you going to pay me in, brews?"

You nod.
"Any kind you want?"
Please no more dispel potions, for the love of all that is good.

He gives it a bit of thought, creasing his brow.
"You know, I'm not sure yet. Tell you what. I'll let you ride along to Tedwell, I'll see what I can sell there and maybe then I'll know what brews I might need."

> Sounds good! Take his offer.

> Hold on. A merchant trusting strangers enough to not pay upfront is suspicious. Ask him why.

> This is suspicious. Ask Hiss to sort it out.

> Tell him thanks but no thanks and leave.

> Other

>>39055778
>> Hold on. A merchant trusting strangers enough to not pay upfront is suspicious. Ask him why.

>>39055778
>> Hold on. A merchant trusting strangers enough to not pay upfront is suspicious. Ask him why.

Why do I suspect this guy is smuggling...

>>39055778
>Hold on. A merchant trusting strangers enough to not pay upfront is suspicious. Ask him why.

>>39055778
He knows who we are we fucked up.

>Pray to hiss to eat his memories (ONLY of our encounter with him)

>>39055778
> Hold on. A merchant trusting strangers enough to not pay upfront is suspicious. Ask him why.

> Hold on. A merchant trusting strangers enough to not pay upfront is suspicious. Ask him why.

You decide to just cut to the meat of the matter.
"Just a minute, friend. You're willing to let us use your cart without paying first? Are you sure you're a merchant? Or is there something else that you're not telling us?"

Ophi chuckles, a low and deep rumbling.
"Do you think the spirit of charity is dead, even in these unhallowed times?"

"With a travelling salesman? Yes."

His mirth dies down into a sigh as he heaves himself onto the back of his cart.
"Cynicism is an ugly mask to wear. But alright, I might have been withholding a little information. Do you see what this is?"
He opens one of the crates, revealing it to be full of small wrapped packages and sacks. He gingerly opens one of them and lets a few small brown beans fall out into his palm.
"They call it coffee. New sensation from Ra Vene that's just started shipping in now that all the Jheri embargoes are finally lifted. Already getting big in Taldenral and the other coastal cities. I was thinking I could make it big if I took a shipment around to these bloke's barons along with the usual. Get a real foot in the door before anyone else can, so to speak. You'd be surprised by just how popular this is getting."

"Okay...?"
That doesn't explain anything.

He looks around, as if making doubly sure that nobody else is present.
"Only thing is, I think I'm being followed. Maybe some other salesman doesn't like what I'm doing, maybe just some good old fashioned bandits, I dunno. But I saw something flitting about last night. So maybe I could do with two extra folks along, if you know what I'm saying? To tell the truth, I was in Melire a week or so ago so I'm not really in need of any brews."

> Fair enough. Agree.

> Ask him about his followers first.

> Ask him about the coffee.

> "How often do you come down here anyway?"

> Other

>>39056202
> Ask him about his followers first.

>>39056202
> Ask him about his followers first.

> Ask him about the coffee.
Would he mind us taking a VERY small sample and experimenting with it?
Super restore brew ho!

>>39056202
> Ask him about his followers first.
> Ask him about the coffee.

>>39056202
>> Fair enough. Agree.
Hiss is great at murdering people! By any chance do we know how to make acid? In theory acid would be a relatively simple thing to create for an alchemist who creates magical potions, it also burns like a motherfucker on skin contact.

Bases would work just as well.

> Ask him about his followers first.
> Ask him about the coffee.

Hiss wanders off while the two of you are talking to go look at the donkey, an animal you suppose she's never seen before outside of stolen memories. The donkey does not seem pleased but is unusually placid for an ass.

"Just what do you mean ,'followers'?"

"Exactly what I told you. I swear I saw them last night, out in the darkness. I'd stopped way too close to a wheat field and I should have known better because everyone knows bandits like to run around in those for ambushes but ...they didn't look like bandits. Not quite."

"How so? Too many or too few?"
You don't really know the average size of a bandit group, nor do you ever want to be given the opportunity.

"Too short, more like. Probably just the darkness but they looked like, like children. Around that size, skipping and lurking through the crops beside me. Never made a noise."

"You didn't get a good look at any of them?"

"Hell no! But it put a shiver up my spine all the same. Maybe just some kids playing a prank. But I've heard of bandits using children before."

Well that's weird. Maybe it'd be best for you not to hang around. But you ARE interested in what he's carrying.
"Do you mind giving me just a few beans to work on? Nearly everything has some sort of alchemical property and I'm feeling a little curious."

Ophi looks at you as if you've gone insane.
"Are you kidding me? I'm already offering the two of you passage with me for basically no price and now you want to nobble the merchandise? You'll have to pay for that. Real money. Signets."

> Pay him.

> "Well then I guess you don't need us."

> Consult Hiss on the creepy kids.

> This might be too deep for you. Just leave.

> You've been walking all day. Go to sleep.

> Study your books.

> Other

>>39056465
Acid is one of the recipes in the Journeyman books Master Yolan gave you. You haven't fully mastered any of them yet because you haven't had a lot of time since leaving Melire.

>>39056621
>> Pay him.
> Consult Hiss on the creepy kids.
> Study your books.

>>39056621
>> Pay him.
> Consult Hiss on the creepy kids.
>>Accept his offer. (This goes one of three ways, two of which end positively for us, one of which gets us killed)

>>39056678
> Pay him.
> Consult Hiss on the creepy kids.
> Study your books.

Seems like those are the best options

>>39056621
Fuck you Ouro it's 3 am here in Germany and I'm easily frightened.

>>39056621
> Pay him.
> Consult Hiss on the creepy kids.

Hey guys, I have a great idea... what if we became a snake oil salesman? Think about it, we could make mad dosh and everyone would believe us because we have an actual fucking snake!

>>39056621
I'm scared
>get Hiss
>run away until the sun goes up

> Pay him.
> Consult Hiss on the creepy kids.
> Study your books

You pass Ophi a signet. He bites it first to check and then passes you a small handful of coffee beans.
"Go for it, Cennen. I don't know about alchemy but if you just grind them up and mix with some hot water you don't need much else. It's half of what keeps me going these days."

You might give that a try. You don't have a lot of experience with theoretical alchemy, that field of art where you have to discern the uses for a reagent you've never seen before.
You pull out your cauldron and start building a small fire to start testing while Ophi goes back to securing his stock.
As you expected, Hiss can't resist the heat and shortly joins you in sitting around the cauldron while you work.
"What do you think of this so far?" you ask.

"I don't like his donkey."

"No, not that. I mean, this whole business."
You relay what Ophi told you about what he had seen last night.

Hiss doesn't react.
"So what? Children are weak. They'll be easy to dispose of if they come after us."

"You don't think it's creepy? Or odd?"

"I hunted prey all the time when I was younger. Never bothered me."

"Alright but what if they're actually uh, spirits or something?"

"Impossible," she states flatly. "There's not enough of them still left outside of the Dreaming to move in large groups."

"Or...wizard creations? Magic beasts? Something queer and inhuman, is what I'm saying."

She shakes her head.
"If a wizard wanted this fool's cart, he wouldn't need to mess around to do it. And as for the latter, these are very human lands."

"What does that even mean?"
You've heard her use the term before in that sense.

She shrugs, shaking her whole body in the process and threatening to send your thoughts way off track.
"I don't think you'd understand. Or that I have the words to tell it. But if you want me to, I suppose I shall spend some minuscule amount of my ever-valuable time to put your fears to rest."

1/2

>>39057226
So what exactly is the Dreaming? The Creators realm?

>>39057226
2/2

She saunters over to the cart where Ophi immediately catches her into a conversation which you can't quite overhear.

Meanwhile, this coffee stuff seems to be coming along very well. You can't say you like the taste. Very bitter. Maybe in the city they add fancy things like sugar or honey to it to help sweeten it up. And while the more oblique alchemical properties of it might pass you by, it seems obvious that this could help form a very potent restorative.

You spend the next hour poring over Master Yolan's books for information, further refining your alchemical knowledge and skill. You've been picking over them for a few days now but this is the first time you feel close to understanding some of them.

You can choose two Journeyman Recipes to unlock from what you've read from the tomes so far:

> Acid. A fairly strong acid that blisters and burns flesh and can carve tracks in stone if applied often enough.

> Farsight Brew. Enhances your vision greatly during the day and lets you see in darkness normally during the night.

> Basic Truth Serum. A basic form of a more elegant truth serum brew. Guarantees one truthful question but then wears off after a few seconds.

> Treebrew. An excellent fertilizer brew that makes plants grow stronger and more fruitful. Said to add an inch or so to people who drink it sometimes along with a strange desire to put their roots in the ground.

> Explosive Concoction. This brew explodes upon a nasty impact. Handle with extreme caution.

> Delayed Poison. Can be any of the poisons you can make normally but it now takes effect at least an hour after imbibing.

> Snake Oil. Something only you can do right now. Requires a few pinches of snake scales. You aren't sure what it'll do since it's obviously not in any of the books.

> Journey Brew. Imbibing this sends the mind on a journey into what some claim to be the Dreaming itself, to what others claim to be simply stoned out of their gourd. Very hallucinogenic.

>>39057532
>> Explosive Concoction. This brew explodes upon a nasty impact. Handle with extreme caution.
Grenades!
> Treebrew. An excellent fertilizer brew that makes plants grow stronger and more fruitful. Said to add an inch or so to people who drink it sometimes along with a strange desire to put their roots in the ground.
Farmer's you know you want some!

>>39057532
>> Journey Brew. Imbibing this sends the mind on a journey into what some claim to be the Dreaming itself, to what others claim to be simply stoned out of their gourd. Very hallucinogenic.
> Snake Oil. Something only you can do right now. Requires a few pinches of snake scales. You aren't sure what it'll do since it's obviously not in any of the books.

>>39057532

> Journey Brew. Imbibing this sends the mind on a journey into what some claim to be the Dreaming itself, to what others claim to be simply stoned out of their gourd. Very hallucinogenic.
Please I can only get so erect!
> Treebrew. An excellent fertilizer brew that makes plants grow stronger and more fruitful. Said to add an inch or so to people who drink it sometimes along with a strange desire to put their roots in the ground.
I TAKE THAT BACK!

Imagine what happens if you mix both of these and spiked a well...

>>39057532
> Acid. A fairly strong acid that blisters and burns flesh and can carve tracks in stone if applied often enough.
> Snake Oil. Something only you can do right now. Requires a few pinches of snake scales. You aren't sure what it'll do since it's obviously not in any of the books.

>>39057532
>> Acid. A fairly strong acid that blisters and burns flesh and can carve tracks in stone if applied often enough.
>> Treebrew. An excellent fertilizer brew that makes plants grow stronger and more fruitful. Said to add an inch or so to people who drink it sometimes along with a strange desire to put their roots in the ground.
An offensive brew that won't explode and kill us all if we encounter a pothole, and something that'll sell well to the farmers we're headed towards.

>>39057471

Sort of. Cennen isn't exactly hopped up on theology, even before Hiss ripped holes through his memories.
The Dreaming is the Creator's mind/will and used to encompass the entire world, allowing the Creator's stray thoughts and ideas to take form as real beings known as spirits. It was this and the work of the spirits that the church claims revitalized and gave life to the Bones of the Earth.

A very long time ago the Creator receded back to the Without from whence he had originally came, drawing his Dreaming back inside of himself. Spirits can still exist outside of the Creator's Dreaming but only with the aide of halos.

>>39057532
> Explosive Concoction. This brew explodes upon a nasty impact. Handle with extreme caution.
> Snake Oil. Something only you can do right now. Requires a few pinches of snake scales. You aren't sure what it'll do since it's obviously not in any of the books.

>>39057532
>Snake Oil
>Treebrew

>>39057640
and im guessing we have all of jack idea of what a halo is?
>>39057532
> Journey Brew. Imbibing this sends the mind on a journey into what some claim to be the Dreaming itself, to what others claim to be simply stoned out of their gourd. Very hallucinogenic.
>> Explosive Concoction. This brew explodes upon a nasty impact. Handle with extreme caution.

>>39057670
It was the glowing semicircle that we hit with the dispel potion when we killed that spirit the mayor summoned.

>>39057676
i get that, but what it is, rather why a hola is that is so useful in keeping a spirit (anyone else reminded of dagoth-ur) in reality rather than back to the dreamland.

>>39057756
Halo, fuck. dont mix your benzos and your booze, kids, it never ends well

>>39057670
> and im guessing we have all of jack idea of what a halo is?

The spirits don't advertise it, no. But Cennen has a fairly good idea that it was destroying the glowing shape above the spirit back in Melire is what destroyed it.
Without the Dreaming, they simply have no substance.

Snakes are different because they were punished with becoming part of the world as beasts, losing most of their powers and being thrown into a very inconvenient body. They don't need anything to survive in the world because they're as much a part of it as humans are now. But on the flip side, they can never enter the Dreaming.

>>39057816
Can Cennen enter the Dreaming after getting Spiritbane? Seems like it would be extremely dangerous.

>>39057816
Shouldn't the spirit just be sent back to the dreaming when we destroy the halo?

>>39057871
He could, but he'd end up getting his shit pushed in by spirits in all likelihood, in addition our soul probably has a hole or two in it now...

>>39057756
The halo serves as a sort of conduit back to the Dreaming which provides them with what they need to exist.
This gives them a sort of half-existence in the world today, allowing them to slide around being invisible and intangible by simply dampening the power of their halos

>>39057899
No. It leaves them stranded in reality without any of the Creator's mental energy so they experience the same fate of any thought outside of its thinker's head. Nonexistence.

Anyway, looks like victory for Treebrew and Snake Oil. I'll start writing now.

>Teleran is a very large island
>Has poisonous snakes
>Saw a Platypus
>Spirits come from a dream world
We're in fantasy Australia aren't we?

>>39058023
Yes...yes we are...

> Treebrew
> Snake Oil

The first of these, Treebrew should be pretty useful to sell to the farmers. After all you'll need to actually live up to your cover story at some point and what better way than this? You don't think you'll be able to ever brew enough of this to cover an entire field but surely they must have some plants to use this on.

The second brew is a bit more mysterious. You call it Snake Oil because that's exactly what it is. An oil made from snake scales. Most of the brew you make it from evaporates, leaving just a thick oily residue at the bottom. You think about giving it a taste but you don't want to find out the hard way if you accidentally replicated Hiss' venom.

Hiss and Ophi are still talking and you walk back up to him, catching the tail-end of their conversation.
"So I said," the merchant says. "Look mate, if you want a discount any heavier than this then you'll have to oh Cennen, you finished up your work on the coffee?"

Hiss is sitting on the wagon beside him, chewing on a handful of coffee beans. You eye her suspiciously. Did he give her them for free?
"Nah, I'll need a little more time on it. Just working on some other brews."

"Oh?"
Ophi leans forward, looking at the oily residue.
"What's that supposed to be?"

> "Why don't you give it a try."

> You should test it yourself! Don't be unethical.

> Give it to Hiss to try.

> Feed it to the donkey.

> It's getting late. Maybe time to get some shut-eye.

> Other

>>39058116
so what, we're headed to not!new guinea? New Zealand with snakes instead of sheep? Africa?

>>39058290
Its a mystical paste to mimic the powers of those who have gone before. We dont know exactly which power, but its certainly one of them

>>39058290
> You should test it yourself! Don't be unethical.
I'm really glad we chose alchemist. Making our own brews is badass

>>39058023
>>39058116
>>39058296

I'd not assume a perfect geographical match up here. Teleran is more of a mix between Australia and Britain, both island nations.

The world outside it doesn't match up very well.

>>39058290
>no bloody clue
> You should test it yourself! Don't be unethical.

>>39058290
>> Feed it to the donkey.
Taking it ourself isn't smart, and we do not want to enhance the problem of autocannibalism in snakes.

>>39058290
>taste it yourself
>spontaneously develop stand
>time for「Heaven」

>>39058329
do we know approximately how big it is? like, three weeks to cross from one side to the other, or six months?

>>39058382
this was a joke btw Ouro
we should rather do >>39058381

>>39058290
> You should test it yourself! Don't be unethical.
Try a miniscule amount at first to make sure it isn't poisonous. If it seems safe have a bit more to make sure we get the full effect

>>39058290
>> You should test it yourself! Don't be unethical.
What could possibly go wrong...

> Taste it yourself.

"No clue. Let's find out together, shall we."
You cautiously dip a finger into the cauldron and lick it. Yes, maybe not the safest way of testing but outside of very specific and expensive equipment that you do not possess, there's little other way to do it. Testing your own special brews is a well-known stereotype of alchemists and often given as an excuse for eccentric behavior so really, you're just walking in the footsteps of your intellectual ancestors here.

It tastes very salty. You don't much like it. But other from that it doesn't seem to have any effect. You don't feel any different.
"I'm not turning any weird colours, am I?"

Ophi shakes his head while Hiss pokes her tongue out in an attempt to taste the air, a suddenly snake-like habit. She retracts it just as quickly, looking dissatisfied.
"That smells nice!"

"Really," Ophi drawls. "It smells like bloody murder to me. What about you, Cennen?"

"It tastes awful and smells just as bad as far I'm concerned," you say absent-mindedly, still checking yourself for any strange effects.

"Well," the merchant continues, "It looks like our friends aren't showing up. Thank the spirits for that, at least. I'm going to sleep."
He starts crawling under the cart.

"Isn't that uncomfortable?"

"Not anymore than any patch of ground. And it's better if it rains."

Maybe he's right. It'd also give you an element of surprise if something did intrude upon the scene.

> Sleep under the cart too.

> Sleep outside as per normal.

> See if you can sleep on top of the cart.

> Give the oil to the donkey.

> Give the oil to Hiss.

> Other.

>>39058628
> Give the oil to Hiss.

>>39058628
Fuck this is probably one of the more important choices.

>Give oil to Hiss

>Sleep where Hiss sleeps

>>39058628
> Give the oil to Hiss.

>>39058628
>inb4 it's like catnip for snakes

>>39058628
>> Give the oil to the donkey.
It didn't kill us so it probably wont kill the donkey... If the animal actively avoids it thats a red flag though...

>>39058628

> Give the oil to Hiss.
> Sleep outside as per normal

>>39058628
>> Give the oil to Hiss.
and supportan >>39058698, as long as there is no lewd. just, y'know, conserving heat. right. good for those cold-bloodeds

> Give the oil to Hiss.

You pass the cauldron to her, unsure on just what you've created here. She sniffs it again before running her hand through what's left and stuffing her hand in her mouth.
Her eyes go wide and then drift downwards, half closing. She abruptly sits down.

"Th-that tastes really good."
She lets out a sudden giggle. Like, an actual honest giggle. Not malicious or sardonic or anything. She clutches herself and starts to gently sway from side to side before giving off a long yawn and lying down.

You can't tell if she's asleep or not.

> Drag her under the cart.

> Go to sleep too.

> Try to wake her up.

> Other.

>>39058872
>> Drag her under the cart.

>>39058872
> Go to sleep too.
>Memorize the recipe and keep some diluted amounts of it on hand for later.

>>39058872
> Go to sleep too.

>>39058872
Uhhhm... WEVE DONE IT EVERYBODY! WEVE MADE SNAKENIP!

>>39058872
>watch her for a bit to make sure there's no adverse reaction
> Go to sleep too.

>>39058872
This is really bad, we just made her drunk. And there are still those children running around
.

>

>>39058998
Ah forgot to choose
>drug under cart

>>39058872
>> Drag her under the cart.

> Go to sleep too.

You dim the lantern before letting it go out entirely and lie then next to Hiss and do your best to get to sleep. This proves extremely hard because she seems to immediately sense your warmth and wraps her arms around you, pulling you as close as possible.

Needless to say you stay awake for a very long time.

Which is why you see it when you happens. Your eyes have long adjusted to the night, the stars and the crescent moon giving you a pale half-light to see the shape crouched over the cold firepit.

You stay as still as you can, not daring to move or even breathe. It's very short and thin, a gangly childlike figure. You can't make out much more but you do see the faint gleam of the broad sickle blade held within its hands. It seems to be squatting by the empty firepit with its back to you.

When did it get here? How long has it just been sitting here while you were preoccupied? You give Hiss a nudge with your elbow, the kind that would normally wake her immediately and probably provoke an instinctual attack in reaction but in this case she doesn't stir.

What do you do here? You can't see any others. You decide to just stay as still as you can, watching it. It isn't being immediately hostile and the longer you have, the more details you can discern about it.

You keep peering at it, picking out more and more features. The sickle blade is covered in rust. The figure seems to be dressed in sacks, sacks and little plates of scattered wooden armor. The head is...the head is strange. A bloated blob that almost reminds you a little of a turnip in shape, a highly inappropriate thought that nearly makes you laugh in panic. But you bite it down, you bite it down as best you can. Because you can't let it discover you, you can't let it see you.
1/2

>>39059164
You're a bit to late Fuck

>>39059202
2/2


And then you see it. You've been looking at the back of their head for so long and yet you only see it now. The curvature of some sort of nose in the darkness, the glassy gleam of dead eyes.

This thing's head isn't facing the way it should be, oh no. Oh no. It's twisted backwards, the neck ripped in a spiral of sack-cloth and flesh.

It's back is towards you but it's been watching you the entire time.

> Other

File: All my what.gif (3.69 MB, 586x585)

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>>39059228
Start screaming.

>>39059228
Why you gotta do this? I'm scared.

>>39059228
Pray to Hiss, try to wake her up. Do not move at all.

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>39059228
Rolling for sanity check

Rolled 43 (1d100)

>>39059228
>throw your poison at it

>>39059228
Nervously start spewing wordvomit to it loudly enough to wake the sleeping merchant while trying to seem as nonthreatening as possible

>>39059277
Good news everyone! We can resolve this by fleeing inward into our own paranoid delusions!

Assuming I don't actually have the right to call for a sanity check, I support >>39059275.

Should we use a wish?

>>39059275
This.

>>39059317
Why the fuck would we use a wish now when we didn't when we were in legitimate mortal danger...


Oh shit... I just realized something... Our snake oil we made... is arguably one of the most dangerous potions in our possession, not because it actually does anything that nasty, but because it attracts and incapacitates snakes... in theory, if this were to become acquired by others, it could be used to lure and capture significant amounts of snakes, which could than be drugged and harvested for alchemical components, magic, or wishes...

And I have to go now, sorry. I know it's been a lot shorter than usual but circumstances demand that I cut this thread in half.

See ya tomorrow.

>>39059369
shit i hate cliffhangers

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>>39059369
Boss, you best not be getting an early April fools chuckle on us. 'cuz I'll shank you in your fucking kidneys if you are.

If not, thanks for running.

>>39059364
Because we ARE in danger right now. Hiss won't be able to save our ass this time and we have no offensive potions that would work on a zombie

>>39059369
If this isn't an april fools joke, thank for running. if it is we are upset.

>>39059463
pray first wish second.

>>39059441
This would be a great april fools joke. Unfortunately I don't think it is

>>39059463
We could throw treebrew on it and give it a stiffy...

>>39059369
This is "Children of the Corn" all over again isn't it