>>40889405
You spend the rest of your short journey attempting experiments with healing brews, trying to figure out a way to improve your existing potions and maybe get a better chance at restoring Hiss’ missing eye. Unfortunately you don’t have the recipe for a Heal-all so what you come up with is only a pale imitation.
You give it to Hiss anyway, the exchange still awkward from your argument just before.
“Here, if you take this enough times it should get your eye back.”

She chuckles as she takes it.
“You think I’d learn my lesson about accepting potions from you but I dares-”
She stops, her eyes going wide as she sips.
“It’s good!”

“Thanks?”

“No, I mean it actually tastes good!”

“What, and the rest of my potions don’t?”

“Let’s be honest Cennen, most of your brews taste like muck and disappointment. The fact that you like them is just you being weird.”

“Oi,” Oster says softly from the front of the wagon. “We’re getting close, act natural. Uh, if you don’t mind, your Highness.”

The wagon pulls into town. Could you call it a town? It’s certainly smaller than even Lesser Arlinton, a settlement caught on that cusp between town and village. The people on the street stop to look at you for a few moments before turning away, paying you no heed. And why should they? All of you are in your disguises and with the wagon appear to be nothing more than merchants or travelers. And at the foot of these mountains, this place must see a lot of both.

Aashenpreet whispers into Oster’s ear, guiding him down the muddy streets. It turns out that the Quedeshi have inns or at least something that approximates one. You’re not sure why you’re surprised. Hiss gives the man some of the small brown coins that she had made off your alchemy and gets two rooms for the four of you.
1/2

>>40889424
Also at the inn is something that Aashenpreet refers to as a ‘news post’, the translation of the single word coming off awkwardly. It’s a literal post, a thick upright log covered in scrolls and glyphs that have been nailed to it. The order seems completely haphazard to you but she picks through it easily.
“Oh, there’s a talijinn in town?”

“I’m sorry?”
Hiss doesn’t recognize the term and you certainly don’t.

Aashenpreet’s eyes have lit up, a far cry from her usual subdued state.
“It’s a word from the Krou satrapy just to the east, it means shadow-man. One of their desert savages, I guess you could call it. They’re travelling entertainers and fortune-tellers. You hear about them in the Songs all the time and I’ve always wanted to see one!”

Hiss shrugs.
“Who cares?”

“I care! Traveling and roaming the land, seeing talijinn and meeting new people...why do you think I escaped in the first place? They never let me do anything back home except pray and play cards!”

“Well, I’m staying here,” Hiss says. “And if you think I’m going to let our guide just wander off alone because she’s apparently a fucking child, you have another thing coming.”

Oster hesitantly raises a hand to interrupt.
“I’ll take her, if you want someone to supervise.”

Hiss stares at him for a moment before sighing, clearly tired of arguing already from her scuffle with you.
“Whatever. Cennen, you’re staying right?”

> “Of course.”

> “Actually I might go check it out too.”

> “I am but I’m going to go brew some more.”

> “I was thinking about going into town and making some more money actually.”

> “I don’t think any of us should leave the inn right now.”

> Other

>>40889459
> “I am but I’m going to go brew some more.”
I'm thinking the language brew should be a priority

>>40889459
> “I am but I’m going to go brew some more.”
She'll get bored if we don't pay attention to her and sooner or later she'll want to check out the talijinn

>>40889459
>> “I am but I’m going to go brew some more.”
I attained mastery, so figuring out what I can do.

>>40889459
> “I am but I’m going to go brew some more.”
We should tell Hiss about our mastery and the implications of the brand new field of soul alchemy that is only possible because of her

> “I am but I’m going to go brew some more.”

You give Oster and Ash a wave as they walk off, leaving you and Hiss alone in the inn.
"Well," Hiss says. "Now it's just the two of us. You ARE staying right?"

You nod.
"Yeah...I am, but I'm going to our room. Need to brew some more."

Hiss' expression freezes on her face.
"Oh. So I suppose I'm just sitting out here and eating alone then?"

"I guess so."
You leave her to it, seeking out the room Hiss rented and settling down in it, getting your cauldron ready with a brazier.

So where do you start?

> Try to cook up something language-related.

> Look into Spiritbane related effects.

> Meddle about with snakeskin.

> Meddle about with venom.

> Meddle about with scales.

> Mix all the reagents together like a madman.

> Other mix (Specify)

>>40889757
>> Try to cook up something language-related.

>>40889757
> Try to cook up something language-related.
Soul alchemy should be helpful with this

>>40889757
> Try to cook up something language-related.
I wanted to at least chat about alchemy with hiss so she wouldn't be alone. She'd probably be excited about our mastery

>>40889757
> Try to cook up something language-related.
Brew with hiss. We need her blood anyway right? It might even be helpful to involve her with the brew and add some of her natural magic into the mix but I'm not really sure if that's how it works

>>40889710
That would cheer her up, either because of her role in it or because this is a great and terrible power at her disposal

> Try to cook up something language-related.

It's time to put your newly discovered mastery to work which means...ah right, you need more snake blood. You leave the cauldron simmering while you go back downstairs where Hiss is still waiting for her meal.
"Well well well, look who comes crawling back."

"I just need some blood."

"And what exactly makes me inclined to give you some? What are you brewing anyway?"

"I'm trying to get a potion which helps me learn the language, you know, like you suggested?"

Hiss frowns, interested despite herself.
"But isn't that a little above your grade? That sounds really complex."

You look at her blankly.
"Hiss, I'm a master alchemist now."

"What? Since when?"

"Since a few hours ago? With the snake thing? I told you guys about it!"

"Oh. I wasn't really paying attention."
She does her best to look contrite and fails miserably.
"So what you're saying is that you only gained your mastery because of me?"

You sigh.
"Yes."

She smiles smugly.
"I suppose that fits. Once again, all you are is only because of me. Or my blood, I suppose. And just think of what you could make for me!"

You get a strange sinking feeling.
"What do you mean, exactly?"

"Oh, nothing too special," Hiss waves her hand breezily.
"Weapons, empowerment, more weapons. I seem to recall Oster talking about some sort of citykiller deployed in the Jheri War. That sounds fantastic."

Uhuh.
"Well, maybe in the future. But right now I'm looking for a language brew."

You reach out for Hiss' hand but she suddenly pulls it back, a smile still on her face.
"Not so fast. You need my blood to do anything, don't you? So Cennen, swear me an oath. Promise me that you'll make for me whatever I desire, no matter what it is or what it can do. Otherwise I'm afraid my blood just became a limited commodity."

1/2

>>40890107
2/2

> Swear.

> Back down. You can get snake blood from other places, Aashenpreet for one.

> Ask for clarification first.

> "Hiss, you don't hold a monopoly on snake blood."

> Back down and figure out a way to get her blood later, through trickery and without her knowing.

> Try to haggle.

> Use Potion (Specify)

> Other

>>40890128
> Swear.

>>40890128
> Swear.
I would've made anything you asked for anyway

>>40890128
"Not a chance, my Alchemy is mine and mine alone, you'll have to convince me to make your doomsday weapons on a case by case basis."

>>40890197
>>40890128

Supporting.

>>40890151
>>40890176
>>40890210
Guys What if she ask for a weapon to kill everything except her? Blind obedience is stupidity.

>>40890128
> Swear.

>>40890128
Changing my vote here >>40890210
To>>40890197

>>40890197
>>40890128
Backing

>>40890128
>>40890229
This.

> Ask for clarification
>Decline after whatever atrocities she suggests
Of course she wants to weaponize it.
We should say no, soul alchemy could cause more suffering and devastation than any army AND it would most likely put us on the top of the creators shit list.

>>40890128
> Swear.

>>40890229
This is a test of our faith in her and we need her blood

>>40890284
Obviously were gonna weaponize it even without her order. We have to fight shit all the time and soul alchemy could be a useful tool for that.

>>40890318
No, it's not and we can get blood from Ash.

>>40890318
We can use Aashenpreet's.While Cennen loves Hiss, blind obedience is just that blind. There needs to be a need, we're a man not a slave.

I'd just like to point out that someone is samefagging. There's more votes than IPs in the thread right now

>>40890350
There's a difference. She wants us to make weapons of mass... soul destruction.
I'm not saying we're not going to use this to help her, but we should draw a line.

>>40890379
Yeah somebody's samefagging to say no for sure

>>40890379
I'm counting nine votes
>>40890151
>>40890176
>>40890197
>>40890223
>>40890234
>>40890267
>>40890273
>>40890284
>>40890289

>>40890393
Do you have a single fact to back that up?

>>40890128
> Swear.

> Just say no.

You sit across from her, bowing your head. What could she even ask you to make anyway? Death, the answer rises unbidden in your mind. She'd have you make death, peddle death, to make it your legacy. If people remember you in years to come, it would be as her instrument of destruction in whatever her mad quest takes her.
You love her but you aren't her slave, just a servant. You don't think Hiss sees the distinction between those two often but you do.
"No," you say.

"What do you mean, no?"

"My alchemy is mine, it's my Art and my skill. And I'll pledge that to you gladly but not blindly. Just tell me what you have planned and chances are, I'll make it for you anyway."

Hiss sighs, a forked serpent-tongue flitting between her lips.
"I guess that's the best I can hope for. You would be a glorious weapon, Cennen."

"I don't know about that. I'd rather just be a fool."

"But you'll consider it?"

"Aye."

Hiss holds out her palm.
"You may take it if you hear out just this request."

"Sure. Like I said, I'll probably make it."
You brace yourself, expecting the worst and how best to say no.

"I want a tree-killer."

"Pardon?"

"No, that's not quite right. More than that. I want something that kills plants and poisons nature itself. To make it so nothing could grow there again. It doesn't have to spread, in fact it can lose its potency after a few days for all I care."

You peer at her suspiciously, trying to divine her intent. What does she get out of this? What use could this be?
"What are you going to use this for?"

She just shrugs and smiles.

> "That doesn't sound too bad. As long as it can't spread." Accept.

> "I'm afraid not, not without more information." Decline.

> Other

>>40890519
> "That doesn't sound too bad. As long as it can't spread." Accept.
that poisonous plant we picked up earlier would be great for this

>>40890507
Ah whoops, I missed out on yours. Unfortunate.

Incidentally, I actually updated the pastebins a day or so ago with the stats/charsheet pastebin. I didn't finish the others though on account of being a real fucker.

>>40890519
It makes it so nothing can grow there again, yet it loses potency after a few days?

>>40890519
> "That doesn't sound too bad. As long as it can't spread." Accept.
shek+her venom maybe? I don't know if a treebrew would be necessary

>>40890556
She'd like it to salt the earth but she doesn't mind if it doesn't.

>>40890519
> "That doesn't sound too bad. As long as it can't spread." Accept.

Reverse threebrew? I can see why that would be useful against quedeshi factions.

>>40890519
> "That doesn't sound too bad. As long as it can't spread." Accept.

>>40890519
> "That doesn't sound too bad. As long as it can't spread." Accept.
I'm pretty sure her venom could do that

>give her some reverse treebrew.
>she pours it on us.
>sole purpose of the exchange was to make us short again.

>>40890716
shit that reminds me that we need to experiment with treebrew more since we can change our body with it

>>40890716
Sounds like her

>>40890754
We're gonna need another timeskip for all these experiments sometime

> "That doesn't sound too bad. As long as it can't spread." Accept.

You mull it over for a moment longer before nodding.
"That doesn't sound too harmful. It doesn't have to be poisonous to living creatures, does it?"

She just smiles and shakes her head.

"Well, I think I'll need some of your venom for that if you don't mind."

"Take what you need."

You've never harvest venom from her before and it proves to be an...interesting experience before allowing you to retire back to your room with both snake blood and venom.

You have a lot of work to do. But which should you do first?

> The language brew.

> Hiss' request.

> Other

>>40890519
> "That doesn't sound too bad. As long as it can't spread." Accept.
I wonder if we could also make this potions or a brother to it work as a shek pesticide, that way on one hand we can threaten to kill the farmland a faction has and on the other we can offer to open up vast new fields if the follow Hiss.

>>40890789
> Hiss' request.
Why do I get the feeling that we'll only have time for one of these

>>40890789
>The Language Brew

>>40890789
> Hiss' request.
Make sure it doesn't salt the earth.
Maybe she wants to destroy a tree sacred to the snakes?

>>40890789
> The language brew.

>>40890846
I'm fine with it salting the earth though. What's the problem?

>>40890789
> The language brew.

>>40890948
Permanently destroying arable land does not sit right with me, besides, if she does decide to use it on us, I don't want it to be permanent.

>>40891017
You're way too paranoid if you think she would use a plant killing brew on us. We're technically a plant remember?

>>40890789
>> Hiss' request.
Not salted

> The language brew.

As much as you wish to honor Hiss' request, you'd rather get this out of the way first.

You flick the snake blood into the cauldron as you mix in water, adjusting for temperature as you mix up a crappy Identification portion in your mortar to assist you.
It takes nearly an hour before you're satisfied, having come up with a brew that works on similar lines to Bloodkin and the Shapestealer Brew.
This potion forges a links between people who drank from the same bottle but doesn't make it so direct like Bloodkin does, instead only using it as a medium like the Shapestealer Brew does.
If you drink this, you should be able to 'borrow' languages from people, giving you fluency in one language of your choice that they know. It lasts a full day and you think you'd be able to experiment further later and get it to last longer. And all at the low low cost of significantly reducing the donator's own command of that language.
You call it the Wordtheft Elixir and leave it at that.

Roll a d100 for perception.

Rolled 87 (1d100)

>>40891150

Rolled 92 (1d100)

>>40891150

Rolled 5 (1d100)

>>40891150
.

>>40891150
Will it work both ways?

>>40890716
As entertaining as that sounds, the sort of poison Hiss is describing would actually just kill Cennen outright instead of any other effect.

>>40891224
Only if you want it to. It all depends on the order.

>>40891209
Noice.

>>40891209

You hear something tapping at your window. A-rat-a-tat-a-tat, a quick staccato that rattles the wooden bars they have instead of glass here.
You pull them aside and look out and see nothing but an alleyway below. You can't see anybody, much less someone who could have climbed up high enough to tap on your window.

Are you sure you heard it? It was pretty quiet after all. It might have just been your imagination.

> Call out.

> Climb out the window and investigate.

> Take the slower route down the stairs and out the door.

> Go back to brewing, you still have shit to do!

> Use Potion (Specify)

> Other

>>40891366
> Call out.
Can't take risks. Could be kidnappers after us.

>>40891366
Are we still disguised?

>>40891366
It's probably Ash.

> Go back to brewing, you still have shit to do!

>>40891402
Yes.

>>40891366
> Climb out the window and investigate.
Was that really all we perceived with that amazing roll?

>>40891366
>> Climb out the window and investigate.

>>40891366

> Climb out the window and investigate.
> Other. Get our knife ready, just in case.

>>40891482
Feck that we are better with a sword anyway.

>>40891497

Yeah, but in close quarters a knife is better, also we can hide it better

>>40891457
It was a roll to hear it in the first place, it wasn't loud.

>>40891527
Our knockout brew might be more useful in this situation as long as its not super visible

>>40891546
Oh shit, someone is trying to nobble us.

> Climb out the window and investigate.

You open the shutters again and ease yourself out onto the windowsill. You aren't that high up and you've still got some time left on your Alteration-granted disguise.
But even from this new vantage point you can't see anything in the alleyway but shadows. You'll have to get down.

You sway there for a moment before letting yourself drop, feeling your knees buckle and hissing with pain. Turns out dropping down like that hurts a little more than you thought you would.
You look around, confirming the alleyway to be nothing but a narrow space between the inn and the home to its side. The ground is muddy and there's nothing here.
So what's going on?

Roll 1d100 for another perception, only counting the first 3 rolls.

>>40891582
Yeah we should keep that selective knockout gas in our hand. This guy is some kind of ninja or something

Rolled 3 (1d100)

>>40891686

Rolled 76 (1d100)

>>40891686

Rolled 25 (1d100)

>>40891686

Rolled 25 (1d100)

>>40891686

>>40891686
look... up

>>40891717

Something flickers in the corner of your eye and you whirl around to see...nothing. The alleyway is still empty.
But it isn't. There's something here, something watching you. You can feel it on the back of your neck.

You look up and see nothing but blue sky. And from there, you see another flicker of movement in your peripheral vision. And that's when you see it truly.
When you described the alleyway earlier as being full of nothing but shadows, you hadn't intended to be so literal.

Stretched out on the wall behind you is a black silhouette, the shape of a thin overly-stretched tall man with jointless limbs wavering and flickering.
It's not your shadow, that one is still safe at your feet. There is nothing here to cast this shadow.

> LEAVE

> Poke it.

> Attempt to speak with it.

> Attack it.

> Use potion (Specify)

> Other

>>40891839
> Attempt to speak with it.
Ready knock out brew.

>>40891839
> Other. Pray to Hiss to please get up here.
> Poke it.

>>40891839
> Attempt to speak with it.
First drink a bit of Bloodkin and put the rest on our sword. This might be a spirit and if not we could still kill it by freezing it with our bane. I'd still like to try talking to it since it hasn't attacked though

>>40891839
>>40891908
this.


>it means shadow-man. One of their desert savages, I guess you could call it. They’re travelling entertainers and fortune-tellers.

>>40891948
It seems Ash and Oster talk too much

File: Apollonian-Gasket-2.png (1.04 MB, 2376x2375)

1.04 MB PNG

>>40891839
> Other. Pray to Hiss to please get up here

>>40891839
> Attempt to speak with it.
Ask why a shadow man would be snooping around our window in more basic quedeshi phrases that hopefully doesn't make us sound like a foreigner

>>40891839
Knockout gas time. He already knows we're an alchemist

>>40891839
> Attempt to speak with it

>>40892046
Stop fucking writing "to your dismay." Good lord man. Diverse your fucking vocabulary.

>>40892098
It is never not a good time for crazy purple knock out gas.

> Attempt to speak with it.

Come to think of it, this isn't the first time you've heard of shadows today, is it? And you're not sure if you believe in coincidences anymore.
But still, talking to it shouldn't do any harm right?

"Hello," you say awkwardly in Quedeshi. "What are you doing?"
Keeping it as basic as possible as best to disguise your own foreign nature.

The shadow writhes, moving like a puppet on strings before contorting. You take a step back without thinking as it snaps itself in half with an audible crack, the shadow filtering from the walls to the ground.
And then it lunges for you, boneless arms stretching out over the ground and extending to grab the soles of your feet. Two-dimensional fingers latch around your boots, crawling up you as it did the wall.
You can't move your legs, your boots held firmly within its grasp!

It speaks but you can't understand it, a mix of Quedeshi and distorted false words, a blare of sound that means nothing.

> Take your boots off and jump back before it climbs further!

> Slash at it with your sword.

> Grab a potion from your pack (Specify)

> Reach down and grab it.

> Pray for help.

> Make a wish (Specify)

> Other

>>40891938
I don't think this is the best time to use that but it's still a good idea for other situations

>>40892274
> Grab a potion from your pack (Specify)
Souldbind then
> Slash at it with your sword.
freeze asshole

>>40892274
> Take your boots off and jump back before it climbs further!
> Pray for help.

>>40892274
Throw the knockout gas brew at our feet. If that fails drink a bit of bloodkin, apply it to our sword and slash it

>>40892333
>Souldbind
Did you mean to say bloodkin or what?

>>40892354
I don't think shadows need to breathe. I'll second the bloodkin use though

>>40892333
>>40892451
Can we cut a shadow?

>>40892488
Who knows? The potion might work anyway if this guy is a soul bound to a shadow though because the soul is more vulnerable if they don't have a real body

>>40892524
I'd like to pray at the same time just in case it fails.

>>40892524
I think the shadow is a puppet and the guy is controling it from elsewere.
We should see if the shadow is connected to anything

>>40892601
Yeah if this doesn't work then using a souldrift brew would help us figure out what's going on

> Use the Bloodkin
> Swording

You grab the bottle of Bloodkin from your pack and drink deep before spilling the rest over your sword. You pray for help at the same time, calling for Hiss to come at once.
The shadow creeps ever upwards, seeping over your boots and onto your legs with a cool touch.

You reach down and slash at it with your sword, inscribing a line in the mud before your feet. Being cut with this sword should freeze anything that has a soul!
And yet the blade simply passes through it, the shadow lacking both a body to strike or a soul to freeze. You can't grasp it and it flows over the skin of your legs like fluid, creeping ever upwards.

You pray some more but Hiss still isn't here yet. Where's Aashenpreet? Shouldn't the wish-bond be forcing her to come to your aid?

> Use Potion (Specify)

> Try to get away

> Call for help.

> Other (Specify)

>>40892720
>> Try to get away
Use knock out potion or a potion that generates light.

>>40892720
> Use Potion (Souldrift)
Alright, it's getting close to our balls, I think that's enough motivation to repeat the Bane punching feat.

>>40892774
>a potion that generates light.

Smart, if we have any that wont explode us.

>>40892720
Souldrift I guess. Our only chance is to sever whatever connection there is between this and the shadow dude controlling it

>>40892810
I think we never learned it.

>>40892774
>>40892810
Knockout brew won't work since it has no body and we have no potions that generate light

>>40892720
> Use Potion (Specify)
Souldrift. I'm gonna be upset if theres no point to any of this and we should have just kept brewing. We're wasting some powerful brews on this

>Souldrift

You drop your now emptied bottle on the ground and reach back into your pack for your Souldrift Brew, uncorking it and drinking the lot in a single gesture.
You still aren't ready for the taste and reflexively gag, falling to your knees before all sensation vanishes.

You leave your body behind, drifting free as a spectre of churning ice, steam and snake blood. There's a cold pain tearing away at your insides and you know that just like last time, you can't linger here without freezing furthermore.

Everything around you has fallen into insignificance, even your fallen body just a blur. But you can see the shadow, as dark as ever against the frozen world. A living stain, something that cannot be hurt or killed.
And you see, extending from its twisting form, a ghastly umbilical cord that extends down the alleyway and beyond. You can't tell where it goes.

The shadow crawls over your fallen body, attempting to smother it.

> Grab hold of the umbilical and pull.

> Cut the umbilical.

> Attack the shadow itself.

> Freeze.

> Other

>>40893185
> Cut the umbilical.
Then attach the end to ourself. Maybe we could freeze whoever is controlling it

>>40893185
> Grab hold of the umbilical and pull.
then
> Cut the umbilical.

>>40893185
> Cut the umbilical.
> If there's time, pull from the end comming from the alleyway

>>40893263
This

>>40893185
> Grab hold of the umbilical and pull.

See if we can see the nigga at the other end. Then:

> Cut the umbilical.

This guy can help us make the wishbond potion

>>40893185
Supporting
>>40893275

>>40893263
Seconding.

>>40893185
Changing >>40893275 to >>40893263

>>40893185
>>40893275
Supporting.

>>40893185
How are we gonna cut it? With an ice blade or something?

>>40893526
Yeah, or we could just try and rip it

> Cut the umbilical.

You reach down and grab the black cord. It feels stringy and tough but you grit your teeth and pull, slowly ripping it in half! It comes apart in your grip not in a clean break but in a messy squelch, breaking into fragments and warm ichor.

The shadow atop your body dissipates near instantly, becoming nothing more than light.

With that problem solved, you grab hold of the severed cord before it can disappear and attach it your own abdomen.
What's left of the cord shrivels and dies, a sudden shock of cold rushing down it to its unknown destination. You don't see what happens there as the cord becomes smoke and then nothing.

"Cennen!"
The shouted word is both exceedingly loud and yet muffled all the same, as if said underwater. Hiss rounds the corner into the alleyway and gasps when she sees your fallen body.
She passes your soul-form entirely without seeing it as she kneels down by your body's side.

> Should probably rejoin my body for now before I freeze up.

> No, Hiss will make sure nothing bad happens to it. I need to make this soulform last as long as I can and track down the person behind it.

> Other

>>40893652
> Should probably rejoin my body for now before I freeze up.

>>40893652
> No, Hiss will make sure nothing bad happens to it. I need to make this soulform last as long as I can and track down the person behind it.
Try to pray and tell her not to worry

>>40893652
> No, Hiss will make sure nothing bad happens to it. I need to make this soulform last as long as I can and track down the person behind it.

>>40893652
>> No, Hiss will make sure nothing bad happens to it. I need to make this soulform last as long as I can and track down the
person behind it.

Pray attacked by shadow, had to souldrift, finding source.

>>40893652

> Should probably rejoin my body for now before I freeze up.

Our bane should incapacitate the guy for a while, we can go look for him later.

Do Hiss or Ash have pits? Would be useful here

>>40893652
> No, Hiss will make sure nothing bad happens to it. I need to make this soulform last as long as I can and track down the person behind it.

>>40893652
> No, Hiss will make sure nothing bad happens to it. I need to make this soulform last as long as I can and track down the person behind it.
lightly touch hiss's shoulder or something so she'll feel the cold and figure out what's going on. We were able to catch her in soul form last time so a touch should work

> No, Hiss will make sure nothing bad happens to it. I need to make this soulform last as long as I can and track down the person behind it.

You can't afford to waste this soulform, you don't have any more potions! And this might be your best chance to track the offender down. Nobody's sending you weird shadow..things at you, not on your watch!

You do your best to pray to Hiss and lightly touch her shoulder, causing her to look up in alarm and confusion.
Your body should be safe now, you've got shadows to hunt.

Now who do you even go about that? You've got no fucking clue what that shadow even was, for starters. It wasn't a spirit or a thing with a soul in it, like the Children or the Melach. Did somebody make it? Was it a puppet? Bah.

Where should you start.

> Just run out and do your best to follow the general direction in which the cord was pointing.

> Investigate the general area.

> See if you can get Hiss to help.

> Go check out the news-post back in the inn.

> Other

>>40893996
>> Just run out and do your best to follow the general direction in which the cord was pointing.
Check the shadowmen Encampment. Likely from there need to see if Aash and Oster are ok.

>>40893996

> Just run out and do your best to follow the general direction in which the cord was pointing.

> Investigate the general area.

How much time do we have until we freeze completely and what will happen then?

>>40893996
Follow our wishbond connection to where aash is. She's likely still near the shadow man

>>40894055
I think we'll just be returned to our body when our time is up

>>40894059
This. That's a great idea anon, I'm impressed.

>>40893996
>>40894059
this

Sorry guys, something's come up. I'm going to come back but I might be gone for an hour or so.

>>40894059
I'll second this

>Follow our wish-bond connection to Aashenpreet since she's probably still near this 'shadow-man'

You look about for a few more seconds before spotting it, the ethereal thread of your wish-bond. For some reason it's nowhere near as strong as the tether you remember tying you to Hiss.
You break out into a run, feeling the liquid (bloody) parts of your soul-form slowly crystallizing within you as your Bane-frozen heart continues to beat.
You don't know how much longer you have left.

You speed through the streets and the crowds, parting the latter without even noticing. In one hand you hold the wish-bond's thread, spooling it up as you approach.

The trail leads you out of town entirely, where a collection of brightly coloured wagons have been circled together. Colorful signs in Quedeshi litter the area, most of them trod underfoot.
You slow down when you see the blood. Dozens of Quedeshi men and women are lying about the wagons, many of them hacked to pieces. There are...There are children here, all of them just as dead, many of them clutched within the arms of the dead women.
These people aren't dressed the same as the usual Quedeshi, they wear long robes, sandals and head-coverings. Or what's left of them anyway, for whoever was behind this spree was not discriminate.

The thread still winds on, pointing into the very center, past a wall of overturned wagons. Gaudy trinkets spill out from them, mixing with the blood of their former owners.

"No! Stop!"
You practically jump as you hear Aashenpreet's voice, a hopeless wail. She's in trouble.
But there's only one problem. Her cry comes from behind you, within one of the wagons. The thread of the wish-bond points you straight ahead.

> Keep going. It's probably a trick.

> Investigate the sound. It could just as easily be the other way round for all you know.

> Pray

> Other

>>40895450
Sever the bond before we get screwed over by it!

>>40895450
>> Pray
Call out if you here me.

>>40895488
There's no way for us to be affected by it. Our soul can't be harmed

>>40895450
> Investigate the sound. It could just as easily be the other way round for all you know.
The wishbond has been tampered with or something. That would explain why it seems weaker and why aash didn't come running when we were in trouble

>>40895450
>>40895532
This. The puppeteer must have some sort of Art related to bonds and souls...
We need his blood

> Investigate the sound. It could just as easily be the other way round for all you know.

You back away from the corpses a little, doing your best to trace the sound and trying to ignore the steady freezing process creeping through your gut.
You concentrate so that you can properly manipulate the coverings of the wagon and then fling it open!

The wagon is bare, full of ripped cloth and even more sliced-up corpses. In the midst of it all is Aashenpreet in her human form, bound and struggling. She seems to be wrapped up and gagged by some thick yellow ro-it moves in the darkness and hisses.
No, Aashenpreet isn't bound at all. She's being attacked, a pale yellow constrictor wrapping itself around her and squeezing mercilessly. A very familiar albino snake, at that.

What the fuck is going on here?

> Attack the constrictor.

> Attack the girl.

> Back away.

> Pray.

> Attack both.

> Just try to separate them.

> Other

>>40895714
>> Pray.
Aashenpreet if you can here me, Blink twice.

>>40895714
> Just try to separate them.
Ok I officially have no fucking idea what's going on

>>40895714
Can we see the souls that either of them might have? Whichever one has a single quedeshi male soul is the real one

>>40895845
Oh sorry, I forgot about that. Yeah, only the constrictor has a soul in it.

>>40895714
>>40895845
What this anon said.
If that doesn't work

> Just try to separate them.
Here's hoping Oster isn't scattered inside one of these wagons

>>40895714
Pray and tell aash to become invisible. Whichever one of them can do it is the real one and the other should be attacked

>>40895845
What if none of them has it and the fucker tricked us.

>>40895714
Fuck this, go back to following the wishbond

>>40895929
Yeah I'm tempted to go with this. Somebody is controlling all of this and making incomprehensible shit happen

You keep silent and pray, begging for Aashenpreet to blink twice or camouflage herself. The constrictor pauses and then does both and as you peer in, you notice a single distorted face screaming in fear around the constrictor's head.
You've seen that before, albeit with Hiss who had many more of them. This constrictor must be the real one!

But when where is your wish-bond going?

You stand back and just watch the struggle end as the constrictor keeps squeezing, Aashenpreet's struggles growing weaker and weaker until she stops moving entirely.

The snake decouples itself and the human body...dissolves, becoming nothing more than an errant shadow that quickly reattaches itself to the snake's belly.

Aashenpreet (if that is in fact her) coils up, looking around for you. Damn, you'd forgotten just how huge she was. Longer than twenty feet and thick enough to make Hiss' natural form look like a worm. Not that you'd ever tell Hiss that.
It hisses, looking about.

> Stay with the snake. Try to figure out what the fuck is going on.

> Follow the wish-bond.

> Go back to your body and go get Hiss.

> Other

>>40895989
> Follow the wish-bond.
>Aashepreet escape now. I'll figure out what the fuck happened.

>>40895989
> Follow the wish-bond.
I don't even know anymore

>>40895989
So this guy's got no problem attacking a snake. We should get Ash out of here.
> Pray to her to go back to Hiss.
> Follow the wish bond.

>>40895989
> Go back to your body and go get Hiss.
This guy seems like he knows what he's doing with souls and shit like that

>>40896082
I don't understand how he could have known that we had a wishbond and also could do soul related shenanigans. It wouldn't really make much sense for him to have a trap prepared like this

>>40896082
Too bad for him our soul can't be fucked with.

>>40896117
Aash did say that he was a fortune teller, maybe he saw the future or some similar bullshit

>>40896123
The last bit of the souls and spirits pastebin says that the damage to a spiritbanes soul still goes somewhere so I'm hesitant to try

> Follow the wish-bond.

You quickly direct a prayer to Aashenpreet for her to bugger off and jump back out of the wagon back into the scene of the massacre.
You should be safe, there shouldn't be anything that can hurt you here.

So why don't you understand what the fuck is going on? If that's her then where is the wish-bond going? What does any of this mean?

You keep moving forward through the bloodbath, trying to follow the wish-bond. But you don't quite walk the way you want to. Your legs are slowing down, freezing up. Your soul-form is nearly entirely ice now and you realize that you've stayed too long.

Shit.

>....

>>40896159
Yeah, I guess we should return to our body before we freeze something important.
Also, when we return we should drink some dream oil to check up on our soul.

>>40896254
We can't use dream oil though. Our best bet is to learn the farsight brew recipe and modify it to a soulsight brew

>>40896230
Return to our body.

>>40896273
Maybe we could make a soul identification brew too. It should give us info about any soul we can see

>>40896230
>....

The blade comes down and you parry it, matching your assailant stroke for stroke. You try and jab forth, to make an opening but your opponent is already stepping back to compensate for your advance. Your parry has earned you no advantage. All you can do is dodge back as their own blade probes in, testing your defenses.
You have to admit, this bastard is good. Real good.
And you suppose that should be expected because he is literally you.

Your name is Oster but you have also been called Ophi, Tolan, Thessa, Mikel and a multitude of other names in your life. Names are just another mask, one to slip on and off as you choose. People have certainly called you just as many, most of them insulting.
But right now your name is shared by your opponent as the two of you fight within the very center of the Krou caravan.

Your enemy bears the same blade as you, the same clothes, even the same appearance! And, as you have unfortunately found out, the same skill at the sword.
The two of you have been at this for several minutes now and you've lost sight of Aashenpreet and the damned wizard that started all of this. But you can't afford to take your eye off this opponent for even a second.

> Think back to how all of this shit went down.

> Take up a more defensive stance and check your doppelganger's reaction.

> Abandon safety and charge the doppelganger down.

> Look for an opening to escape.

> Other

>>40896392
> Think back to how all of this shit went down.
I just wanna say that POV switches really bother me

>>40896392
> Look for an opening to escape.
We need to regroup.
I'm guessing the whole town is made up of these puppets, given the amount of bodies we saw.

>>40896392
>>40896433

> Take up a more defensive stance and check your doppelganger's reaction.

It bothers me that perspective swaps bother you, anon.

>>40896392
> Look for an opening to escape.

>>40896392
> Think back to how all of this shit went down.
> Look for an opening to escape.

>>40896433
Yeah its okay if the MC doesn't have anything to do but right now we should be controlling cennen and rushing back to fuck this dude up with hiss

>>40896566
I wanna use a shapestealer brew on him and see how he likes fighting himself. I wonder what would happen though since there can only be one wizard for each domain.

>>40896566
Thing is Cennen is probably out for the time being, either being a ghost ice statue or recovering from the trip, which probably let him unconscious

>>40896620
I think the last time our time ran out while in soul form we were just transferred directly back to our own body and we were totally fine

>>40896648
We were a lot closer to our body though.

>>40896566
I'm wondering if we can use our wishes on the wizard now but I really don't understand how he could have fucked with the wishbond in the first place

>>40896677
In some cultures Shadows are reflections of the soul....

>>40896706
That would be really shit luck if aash and Oster went and pissed off a soul wizard while we were just brewing and minding our own business

>>40896731
Pretty sure we pissed off the water wizard, and if there were friends.....

>>40896677
Seing as his clone of Oster also has his ability with the sword, he probably takes something from the souls of those he copies. If this is how he does it, maybe what he took from Ash was what linked her to us.
Or maybe it was from when we connected the umbilical

> Look for an opening to escape.

You and your doppelganger circle each other once more, looking for openings that simply do not exist.
As usual, part of your mind is near-constantly demanding to get back to the princess and to make sure she's safe but you have no reason to think that anything is wrong with her Highness so you do your best to quash it for now.

But damn, this is some real wizard bullshit right here. You hate wizards. And this bloke hadn't even had the decency to dress like one, he'd just been dressed like all of the other men in his caravan, the desert people that Aashenpreet had called Krou.
It had all been going so well at first, the man had brought up an array of tools and stencils and as the night truly set in, had shone a torch and had used his tools to conjure up shapes in the shadow.
A talijinn, Aashenpreet had called him. A shadow puppeteer and nothing more. And the python had laughed and clapped her hands at the shadow-play and you had somehow allowed yourself to become complacent. She had been so happy, so innocent.

And then the shadow-man had taken out a staff and the shadows had started moving. And there, once again, your sword had been useless. You couldn't cut the shadows, you couldn't do anything to stop them as they first latched onto Aashenpreet and then you.

You had escaped somehow, stabbed that fucker in the thigh and then his tribesmen had mobbed you for attacking him. And thus presented with enemies you COULD cut, you let yourself run off the chain for a little while.
You hadn't held back, you slaughtered all of them. Even the ones who tried to run, the women, the children.
Because fuck this arsehole wizard and fuck all of his friends.

Only problem being, you sort of lost track of Aashenpreet and the wizard both while you were lost in the haze. And now here you are, fighting your own shadow. Or at least, fighting the thing that swallowed your shadow.

1/2

>>40896767
Holy shit, Oster!
Well, at least Hiss would aprove.

>>40896767
We're fucked if shadow cennen has access to all of our brews somehow

>>40896767
2/2

The doppelganger grins with your face and lunges forward, dancing away from your counter-strike.
There's probably something deeply ironic about you having to deal with someone stealing your appearance. You're sure if that you had a bit of distance you could probably have a bit of a laugh but right now you're not in the best state of mind to appreciate it.

You don't need to fight this thing just yet. And with that thought you take another step back as the doppelganger retreats away from an anticipated attack and there! You take the disengagement as the permission it is not and run, never turning back until you've leaped over a wagon.

But still, he's probably going to find you eventually. Hell, he is you. But there might be just enough time for you to settle some business.

> Find that fucking wizard.

> Find Aashenpreet. She trusted you and treated you like an actual person and you let her out of her sight.

> Find Hiss. You must protect your princess. YOU MUST.

> Find Cennen. He probably has a potion to get around this, he always seems to.

> Set an ambush for your errant shadow.

> Other

>>40896931
> Find Aashenpreet. She trusted you and treated you like an actual person and you let her out of her sight.

>>40896931
Which brews did cennen give oster? They might be the only way to beat our doppelganger since I doubt they were copied

>>40896975
An acid flask and a bottle of smoke.

>>40896931
> Set an ambush for your errant shadow.
Use the acid at an opportune moment to gain the upper hand and finish it off

>>40896931
> Set an ambush for your errant shadow.
the doppelganger is a pretty huge threat for the others

>>40896931

> Find Aashenpreet. She trusted you and treated you like an actual person and you let her out of her sight.

>>40897102
True, but fighting it one on one is a stalemate. If it kills Oster we're fucked, since it will have the jump on the rest of the party, and if Oster kills it there's no warranty the wizard won't just make another one.
We need to regroup and then kill the wizard.

Rolled 1 (1d6)

Looks like a tie between setting an ambush and trying to find Aashenpreet. Evens for the former, odds the latter.

>>40897179
Actually now we have to worry about aash while fighting the doppelganger which will make it even harder

>>40897191
>Find Aashenpreet

What else can you do? You have to find the snake. She had put her faith in you, been one of the few that had actually treated you like a real person instead of a dog and you had let her down. What if she was dead?
You find yourself briefly thankful that for some reason the princess had relaxed her usual control and hadn't pruned you for over a week now or else she probably would have eaten all of your feelings regarding the albino constrictor.
A thought that was both vaguely terrifying and impossible to resist because you love the princess. You love her as your ruler and there is nothing that she could do to shake your faith in her.

You also know that a lot of this is something she's forced on you and you hate her for it but that doesn't make it any different, nor does it mean you can ever do anything about it.

You stop, looking about the scene of your massacre. What were you doing again? Oh, right. Just the idea of the princess in danger had nearly driven all thought of Aashenpreet out of your mind.

You find her in her snake form, coiled up underneath a torn open wagon. She lifts her head and hisses at your approach, allowing you to see that she has her shadow. Did she reclaim it somehow? Atta girl.
She starts to shed her skin, beginning to transform back into her human form while you stand guard.

Now, if you were going to attack, where would you do it from? Movement in the corner of your eye alerts you just in time as your doppelganger emerges from where he had been hidden behind a nearby wagon.
It looks like he had the exact same thought you had and you had both arrived here at the same time.

You ready your sword to guard and your shadow lunges! But not at you.

1/2

>>40897378
2/2

> Throw one of your potions!

> Throw your sword!

> Leap in and try to parry. Has a moderate chance of success but leaves you wide open.

> Leap in and try to take the blow meant for Aashenpreet on yourself. Much more likely to succeed and leaves you able to strike back if it doesn't kill you.

> All of these options are foolish. It would be wisest to let him attack her and then stab him in the back while he's doing so.

> Other

>>40897393
Hit him with the acid in his face. As far as I can tell it won't accidentally spray onto aash or anything. I might be misunderstanding the scene though

>>40897393
> Leap in and try to parry. Has a moderate chance of success but leaves you wide open.

Who gets stabbed if we fail this?

>>40897393
>> Leap in and try to parry. Has a moderate chance of success but leaves you wide open.

>>40897465
Aashenpreet gets stabbed if you mess it up, you have a high chance (but not certain) of being stabbed if you succeed.

>>40897492
Ah, dropped my trip.

>>40897506
Well, I'll stick with it and hope for the best.
Ash is a big girl and can probably hold on until we give her a healing potion if this goes wrong.

>>40897506
Could we parry with one hand while we smash the acid in his face with the other?

> Leap in and try to parry. Has a moderate chance of success but leaves you wide open.

Shit!
Without thinking you jump out, your sword swinging out in a desperate attempt to turn aside his own blade. Even if this works, it's liable to leave you wide open.

Roll 1d100.

Rolled 23 (1d100)

>>40897576

Rolled 14 (1d100)

>>40897576
What could go wrong?

Rolled 29 (1d100)

>>40897576

>>40897640
>>40897655
>>40897657
Rip Aashenpreet and Oster

Rolled 75 (1d100)

>>40897576
RIP oster. My only comfort is knowing that this means there's one less POV to switch to

Rolled 55 (1d100)

>>40897576
Nooooo

>>40897682
I find it hilarious that you rolled well while saying some shit like that

>>40897682
You almost completely fuck it up and what else could be expected, doing something so stupid? But it seems that it was SO stupid that your doppelganger didn't even realize it was possibility and you just barely turn his sword aside with yours.
But while you've defended Aashenpreet, you've left nothing to save yourself.

Your opponent simply pulls back his blade from your deflection and makes one simple thrust, stabbing you right in the gut. It hurts but you're no stranger to this pain, having felt it several times before in your life.
But none, you think, have ever been quite as bad as this. His sword is way too deep and there's no way it hasn't struck anything vital.

But you aren't done yet. There's something you have that you're willing to bet that he doesn't.
With weakening fingers, you pull a vial from your cloak and smash it into his face.
Your doppelganger screams silently as the acid eats into his face, dropping his sword. You waste no time in raising your own and stabbing him in the neck.
He dissipates around your strike, becoming nothing more than shadowstuff once more and rejoining your feet to become your shadow. It's over.

You fall to your knees, the world suddenly blurring around you. It's not over. It's not over. Where's the wizard? You can't let him escape!

The last thing you see is your blood mingling with the mud beneath you and for now, you know no more.

****************************************

You open your eyes blearily, light invading your eyelids. It's fucking unwelcome, that's what it is.
You're lying on a wooden floor by the feel of it, a sheet pulled over your body. Daylight streams in from a window.

"What's..where?"
You manage to croak out a few words, attracting the attention of Cennen. The alchemist looks none too well off himself, a strange pallor settled on his face.
"Oh, rise and shine Oster. You feeling alright? You better be, considering how many healing potions I've had to make."

1/2

>>40897871
2/2

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm feeling fine."
It's true and you're a little surprised at that.
"Is the princess safe?"

"Yeah, just really angry. Try to stay out of her way."

"And Aash?"

Cennen gives you a bit of a disrespectful sideeye, implying who knows what.
"She's fine. Says you saved her life last night."

You grunt.
"Maybe. I could have done it better."

Cennen shrugs.
"You did well enough if we're all in one piece. Not something to beat yourself up over."

You lie back, still feeling tired. But then a single thought intrudes, alarm bells ringing.
"The wizard! Where is he?"

Cennen shakes his head, looking a little angry himself.
"He's buggered off somewhere. Aashenpreet told us everything and so me and Hiss searched around but he's run off. Aashenpreet says you hurt him pretty badly, chances are he's off to lick his wounds."

"So...that bastard's still out there? What did he even want with us anyway?"
You punch the floor, barely even feeling the pain.

"No idea. But I doubt he's going to leave us alone."

"Damn it."
You close your eyes and sigh.
"This is my fault. I shouldn't have gone down like that, if I'd stayed up I could have kept going, found the wizard."

"Hiss certainly seems to think it's your fault," Cennen says cheerfully, perhaps unaware of how painful his words are.
"But I don't think there's any blame to pass around. We'll just have to take things as they come."

"Ugh. That's a bugger."

"That's life."

>>40897967
And that's that for today. Thread's been archived, next thread is probably tomorrow, check the twitter closer to the release date etc etc etc.

This one ran pretty long, didn't it? I hope you guys had fun.

>>40898000
Fun indeed. Thanks for running

>>40897967
He won't get far, we messed up both his body and his soul

>>40898000
Thanks for running. So did cennen look a bit rough because of his soul freezing or because he had to make too many powerful brews to save oster?

>>40898040
Bit of both.

And incidentally, apologies to anyone who found this confusing. It was a bit of an experimental idea I had, where you would encounter the aftermath of this big fight that happened offscreen and work your way backwards through it.
There were ways that Cennen could have been present for the actual fight and thus avoided all confusion but they were fairly unlikely, considering they were up against both A) Spending time with Hiss and B) Spending time with Alchemy.

It was a fun concept I feel but I don't think I'll try it again for a gooooood while.

>>40898097
That's a cool idea. Would like to see it done in the future

>>40898097
I get the feeling that we screwed it up when we decided to investigate in soul form without hiss