>>43490885
>Kyla didn't say she was meeting you too

>>43490885
>>You had that coming
>>Kyla didn't say she was meeting you too

>>43491006
Seriously, bro, she could've done with a "Can't wish back dead" speech.

>writing

"Yeah, well... you had that coming" You say. "Picking a Champion whose wish couldn't be granted was a bad idea"
"She had a what now?" The Scholar asks. "Sorry, I didn't really check what it was she wanted"

"She wanted to bring her husband back to life" You say.
"Oh... bloody hell" He says. "I just picked her because she had resources and a solid team. Well... had a solid team"

"We had this conversation last time, remember?" The Smith asks. "Maybe you could actually get a loyal champion if you took 5 seconds to talk to them"

"Who has time for that? The mysteries of the universe need solving, and if I don't solve them who will?" The Scholar asks.
"The mysteries of the universe could have waited 5 minutes" You say. "It's not like it's going anywhere"

>Nothing lasts forever

"I don't believe that" The Scholar says. "The bloody thing had a beginning, so it must have an end"
"What makes you say that?" Abigail asks.
"Because if it had a beginning, then that means that there was a time where it didn't exist" He says. "And if there was a time where it didn't exist, then it goes without saying that that time will come again eventually. And I'll be damned if I let that happen without first learning all there is to know"

"That sounds... oddly futile" You say.
"How so?" He asks.
"If it just ends, what does all that time spent learning add up to?" You ask.
"A question I've pondered myself many times" He says. "But learning is my domain, and my life's joy. Regardless of how pointless it may be in the end, I shall continue to track down every last bit of knowledge I can get my hands on"

You blink a few times. That was both inspirational, and depressing all at once...

>[1/2]

"S-so Kyla, you never mentioned that the Scholar would be here" You say.
"Funny, neither did she" Kyla says, giving a very pointed look to the Smith.

"Don't blame me, he just kind of showed up" The Smith says.

"So if nobody invited you, why are you here?" Kyla asks.
"I happen to like eating here" He says. "Come to think of it, I don't recall inviting any of you to intrude on my lunch time"

You chuckle. "So everybody just kind of... decided to be here?" You ask.
"Seems like it" The Smith says.

It gets quiet, until Abigail starts trying to stifle her laughter. She fails and ends up putting her head down on the table, laughing like a maniac the whole while.

"What's up?" You ask.
"Maybe... maybe it's the will of the Gods!" She says through her laughter, before it takes over again.

You sigh, and pat her shoulder.

"Is she alright?" The Smith asks.
"It's been an interesting day" You reply.
"Tell me about it" Kyla says, eyeing her current company.

>So do normal gods actually need to eat?

>Ask the Smith if Kyla's been civil

>Ask the Scholar about the Fool

>Let the gods get back to their business

>Other

>>43491602
>Ask the Scholar about the Fool

>>43491602
>Ask the Scholar about the Fool
It seems civil enough.

>>43491602
>Ask the Smith if Kyla's been civil
Not saying I don't trust her... buuuuuut...

>>43491602
>So do normal gods actually need to eat?

>writing

"So in the entire universe, there is no God called the Fool" You say.

The change in subject immediately catches the Scholar's attention. "Not a one, and on top of that the connection to the wellspring is still there" He says. "But it just sits there, collecting dust"

"Maybe the Fool died" You say.
"Gods don't die" The Smith says.

"I disagree" You say. "Is that not the reason why us champions are doing the fighting for you?"
"Well..." The Smith says.
"Exactly. Gods can die, they just don't" You say.

"I sincerely doubt that the Fool was killed" The Scholar says.
"What makes you say that?" You ask.
"What was around back then that could have killed them?" He asks. "There wasn't even another god until the Creator showed up"

"It's just a thought" You say.
"Believe me, I've been at this longer than your entire planet has been around. If you have an idea as to what the Fool is, I guarantee that I've already thought of, and debunked it" He says.

"Well... it won't be much of a discussion then, will it?" You ask. "On the other hand-"

>Come up with something crazy that he might not have thought of (specify)

>You mentioned that there is already a Guardian other than Kyla?

>Abigail is still laughing...

>Other

>>43491948
>You mentioned that there is already a Guardian other than Kyla?

>>43491948
>Come up with something crazy that he might not have thought of (specify)

He killed himself by accident, he fucked up (because he is a fool) and ended up offing himself.

>>43491948
>>Come up with something crazy that he might not have thought of (specify)


What if we are all the fool?

What if we're a figment of the fools imagination, and he is among us right now thinking hes all powerful when hes really in a coma somewhere.

>>43491948
Continued from >>43492146

The fool is the physical manifestation of the gestalt consciousness of /b/!

Smiley is the fool! Probably wrong, he is merely just a very large fool

Wait! I've got it! Your mother is the fool, hence why everyone has constantly said shes "fooling around" with other men.

>writing

"What if the Fool is in a coma, and we're all just a part of his dream?" You ask.
"Any idea that is not stupid" The Scholar says.

"It's not stupid" You say.
"Then can you prove that any of this is a dream?" The Scholar asks.
"Can you prove that it's not?" You ask.

The Scholar begins to reply, but suddenly gets a very serious expression and starts to think.

You wait a second to see if he has a response, and then turn to the goddesses. "So you mentioned that there was already a Guardian?" You ask.

"There is" The Smith says. "And Kyla here is lucky that he's not the sort to take offense, otherwise she might've had some problems"
"Pfft, as if" Kyla says. "Bring him on, I'm not scared of him"

"You should be, what with the whole disappearing act you almost pulled" The Smith says.
"H-how did you know about that?" Kyla asks.
"So it's true then..." The Smith says.

Kyla covers her mouth, uttering "Shit"
"You pushed it too hard this time" The Smith says. "Don't think I haven't noticed how much more effective the Shield is this time around"

>It is?

>Not to mention the whole 'wrong simulacra' thing...

>Abigail why are you still laughing?

>Did I break the Scholar?

>Other

>>43492480
>Abigail why are you still laughing?

>>43492480
>>It is?
>>43492480
Also obligatory notice that the whole coma thing is a conspiracy theory for Mass Effect and Breaking Bad, and also is applicable in several other cases and is the plot of the movie Jacobs Ladder.

>writing

Where'd everyone go by the way, I was waiting for more comments so I could fuck up the vote and tie it.

>>43492480
>Abigail why are you still laughing?
Take a breath

"It is?" You ask.
"Not my doing" Kyla says. "I put the same amount into it as I usually do"
"So why is it instantaneous now?" The Smith asks.

"It wasn't before?" You ask.
"It used to slowly repair the body, and it could take up to 10 minutes to get back up from a severe injury" The Smith says. "I don't think it's ever done what it does now"

"Like I said: not my doing" Kyla says. "It must be synced with Saif's time magic"
"The objects can do that?" You ask.
"They can" The Smith says. "My own object is more powerful in the hands of a pyromancer than it is for anyone else, but in your father's hands it applies some minor aspects of aquamancy"

"You lost me" You say.
"The mask regenerates you so quickly because it's tapped into your own innate abilities" The Smith says. "It can only reset you, because that sort of thing is within your power to do"
"It is?" You ask.

The Smith shrugs. "Not my expertise, but I'd say so... probably" She says.
"Whose expertise is it?" You ask.
"Probably his-" She says, pointing to the Scholar, who is still lost in thought. "or the Witch, but I doubt you could get much out of her"

"Even though my sister is her champion?" You ask.
"The Witch really hates me" Kyla says. "So, yeah... even though your sister is her champion"

"Damn..." You say.

>[1/2]

Anyone heard of the phrase "Time makes fools of us all. Our only comfort is that greater shall come after us"?

Maybe The Fool is just that: Time. The Creator, well, creates things, and works with matter. If Fool kick jumped everything, then logically he/she would represent Time.

Maybe he exists forever in the moment, or he stayed in the Wellspring.

>>43493039
That's actually...a really good idea. Maybe we give that to the Scholar before we go?

>>43492966
>The Witch really hates me

I've been curious as to what the Witch is like.

>>43493159
A bitch?

You turn back to Abigail, who still has her head on the table. You can see her shoulders rocking, as she's still laughing at her own joke...

"Okay Abby, it wasn't that funny" You say.
She looks up, and gives you an angry stare. "It absolutely was"

"You've been laughing for 5 minutes" You say.
"It has not been 5 minutes" She says.

"And who is the expert on time here?" You ask.
She sticks her tongue out at you, and then she notices someone approaching and gets excited.

You turn around to see the lady who runs this place arriving with your lunch.

"Here we are" She says, placing the two plates in front of each of you. "Two lasagnas. Enjoy!"

When the lady is gone, Abigail speaks up. "Okay, this does look good" She says.
"Told you" You say, as you cut off a piece with your fork. "Wait 'till you taste it"

Abigail smiles, picks up her fork, and snags the piece that you cut off. Before you can say anything, it's in her mouth.

"Hey" You say.
"You're right" She says, cutting a piece of hers off and eating it. "Yours is better"
"I wouldn't know" You say, cutting another piece off of yours and sticking it in your mouth before she can steal it again.

Abigail keeps eating, and a thought occurs to you...

>Should we be talking about this kind of stuff in public?

>How many gods are there anyway?

>Why is the Smith so friendly with Kyla?

>Other

>>43493039
That theory blows my ITS ALL A DREAM theory out of the water, especially since that theory is the most dickish theory in existence.

>>43493325
>Should we be talking about this kind of stuff in public?

>>43493325
>Should we be talking about this kind of stuff in public?

>>43493325
>>Should we be talking about this kind of stuff in public?
>>How many gods are there anyway?

Also
>>43493039

Witch seems like a massive bitch, considering that she picked a Champion that she doesn't give a real shit about, all for the sake of zerg rushing Kyla.

>>43493325
>>Why is the Smith so friendly with Kyla?

>>43493325
>Should we be talking about this kind of stuff in public?

>writing

"Should we be talking about this kind of stuff in public?" You ask.
"This isn't public" Kyla says.

"It isn't?" You ask.
"The lady who runs this place is a mage" The Smith says. "Normal people don't come in here when magic based business is happening"

"That... can't be good for business" You say.
"Oh! That's this place?" Abigail asks, as she wipes her mouth with a napkin. "I've heard about this place"
"You have?" You ask.

"Yeah, just about every mage based organization has made 'donations' to keep places like this open and usable" She says. "It makes a good spot for when you need to meet in public, without having your magic stuff heard by the normals"

"Is that what you call muggles?" You ask.
"Pretty much" She says.
"Why not call them muggles?" You ask.
"Because that didn't come around until later" She says. "Most mages call the regular humans normals or mundane"
"As someone who was considered one of those people up until a week ago, I find those names offensive" You say.

Abigail shrugs. "Don't blame me, I didn't come up with them" She says.
"That's okay, I was kidding anyway" You say. "So places like this exist? How do they work?"
"Mind magic barrier" Abigail says. "Stays off until someone requests that it be turned on. Once it's on, mundanes vacate the place in around 5 minutes tops, and you're free to talk about whatever"

"Neat" You say.

>[1/2]

>>43493769
We can rub this in Jessicas face, as we found one of those magical barriers she told us not to look for.

Now that she mentions it, you can feel a faint buzzing. It doesn't really feel like active magic though...

"Is the barrier active right now?" You ask.
Abigail closes her eyes and feels for it. "Yeah" She says. "It's subtle, isn't it?"
"I didn't notice it at all" You say.
"It's made that way" She says. "Mages like being able to tell whether someone else is using magic, so making the barrier too powerful would be a bad idea"

You nod, and get back to eating before your lunch gets cold. You finish up quickly, and pay the bill.

"I thought you wanted to pay for lunch" You say to Abigail.
"That was before... the incident" She says.

"What incident?" Kyla asks.
"N-nothing. Don't worry about it" You say.

Abigail giggles.

You sigh. now that you're done lunch you'll-

>Commune with the gods some more

>Head back to the warehouse

>Other

>>43493944
>Head back to the warehouse

>>43493944
>Head back to the warehouse
Thank the Gods for talking with us.

>>43493944
>>Commune with the gods some more
Once again
>>43493039

>>43493944
>Head back to the warehouse
Something something, play nice you three.

>>43493039
>>43493944
A good parting thought to Scholar.

>writing

"Well, we should get going" You say. "I'd still like to get some more practice in before tonight"

"Haven't you been at it all morning?" Kyla asks.
"There have been..." You look at Abigail, and she smiles innocently. "... distractions"

Kyla looks between the two of you, and sighs. "Right, I sometimes forget what happens when you leave two teenagers alone together..." She says. "Just try not to make a mess"

Abigail frowns as her face flares up in a lovely blush.

"Oh, and Scholar?" You ask.

The Scholar snaps out of his zoned out state. "Yes?" He asks.
"Have you ever heard the phrase: 'Time makes fools of us all'?" You ask.
"I have, why?" He asks.
"Maybe that's what the fool is" You say. "When the Creator came around, time already existed. It stands to reason that someone or something must have started time"

"You assume that there was ever a time where there was no time" He says.
"Everything has a beginning. Why should time be an exception?" You ask.

The Scholar smiles. "See, now this is why I love mortals!" He says. "What one mind cannot do in trillions of years, a few billion can do in just a few thousand. I love it!"
"Just a thought" You say.
"But it is a new angle" He says. "And certainly one with merit..."

"You're welcome" You say. "See you at home, Kyla?"
"We'll be stopping by the cafe later. Sounds like there might be another meeting there" She says. "Boss'll probably let you know later"

"Alright then" You say, offering a hand to Abigail. "Shall we?"
"Y-yeah!" She says, taking your hand as the two of you head out.

>[1/2]

>>43494294
Also smiley, if it turns out that the fool is in a coma and this is all a coma dream is the plot of this quest, I will hurt you. Seriously thats the plot of Chi quest, Jacobs Ladder, technically Vale Quest, and probably a few dozen other stories and is a terrible cop out.

>>43494430
It isn't a guy in a coma, don't worry. That'd be fucking terrible.

It's actually all the Fool's shitty fanfic, notice the self insert where he is amazing and mysterious?

>>43494452
What if... What if The Fool is space squids?

"You're awfully nonchalant about Kyla... knowing..." She says.
"What, am I supposed to be ashamed?" You ask. "Besides, it's Kyla. She's always known about our... distractions"

Abigail blushes. "W-well..." She says as she starts walking a little closer to you, her eyes fixed on the ground.
You put an arm over her shoulders, and kiss her on the cheek. "You're not feeling shamed, are you?" You ask.

"N-no!... well... I'd rather not have people think that I'm... like that" She says.
"Why would they think that?" You ask.
"Well... the first thing I tried to do with you was seduce you. But I'm not... really like that... I only..." She trails off, clearly uncomfortable with what she's saying.

>Only what?

>Change the subject

>Other

>>43494486
>Only what?

>>43494486
>>Only what?
She only wanted to start... a flame in our heart...

>>43494486
>>Only what?
Get it out in the open.

Probably ashamed that the only reason (I'm assuming) that she was interested in him was that she wanted to screw with Claire.

>>43494486
>Only what?

>writing

"Only what?" You ask.

Abigail looks at you, and then leans into you as you walk. "I only... I thought that you would end up with Claire... so I wanted to get... y'know... intimate... while I could. If I wasn't going to have you... I figured I'd go for the next best thing..."

That was not what you were expecting...

"I was kind of worried that you would think I was... y'know..." She says.
"A slut?" You ask.
She flinches at the word. "... yeah"
"I don't" You say.
"You don't?" She asks.

"It'd be like the pot calling the kettle black, wouldn't it?" You ask.
"I guess..." She says.
"So if you only decided to get intimate because you didn't think we'd stay together... why are we still doing it?" You ask.

Her shoulders tense up, and she blushes. "You uhh... you knocked my socks off that first time..." She says.

"Is that why you don't take them off anymore?" You ask.
Abigail giggles. "I thought you liked my socks" She says.
"I'm undecided" You say. "On one hand, you have nice socks. On the other, you also have nice legs"

"Why thank you" She says.

>[1/2]

"So the Scholar seems like an interesting guy" Abigail says.
"Yeah" You say. "You kinda surprised me there. I never took you for the inquisitive type"

"It's not everyday you hear about a mystery that baffles even the god of learning" She says. "And you seemed pretty wise there, at the end"

"I'm always that wise" You say. "The wisdom just tends to get bungled up in teenage hormones sometimes"
"Suuuuuuure it does" She says.
"Okay, maybe I'm not ALWAYS that wise... but... y'know" You say. "I'm no slouch"
"I get that" She says. "You think that the Scholar will ever solve that mystery?"

"Depends" You say.
"On what?" She asks.
"On whether it's actually within his capabilities to solve" You say. "If the Fool is something that he can't even observe, it's likely that he'll never find it"
"That's kind of depressing" She says. "An eternity spent searching for something that can't be found..."
"Could be worse" You say. "He could be a mortal who wastes his limited time chasing nothing"

>Eternity is a lie

"It's kind of on the same level" She says.

Your body tenses up, suddenly.

"Something wrong?" Abigail asks.

Your eyes narrow.

Someone is following you.

>Give them the slip

>Try to find them

>Keep going

>Other

>>43495010
>Give them the slip

>>43495010
>>Give them the slip

>>43495010
>Give them the slip
>Other (Text Jessica that you're being followed, or call her and give her a cryptic message about how you're going home with some friends and if we could bring them over to her place)

>>43495061
It occurs to me that we still haven't heard back from her on what that tube thing is.

>writing

>>43495088
It also occurs to me we haven't been initiated to the magic community yet, and just discovered one of the local magic communities hideouts. Didn't Jessica say bad shit happens if the uninitiated go looking and discovering this stuff?

>>43495178
Yes, but we kind've just stumbled across it a... and they can't tell the fucking difference... fuck we're getting abducted by The Coven...

>>43495178
>>43495193
Good thing that Saif's a time mage; they can't sense him.

>>43495245
Thats even worse, they think a mundane person just got exposed to literal gods and is somehow not reacting to mind magic. They are probably freaking the fuck out.

"Saif, wha-"
"Shh" You say, leading Abigail off to the side and into an alley. Then wait until no one is looking, pick her up, pull her into fast time, and run.

You don't go to the warehouse, just in case you can't give them the slip. Instead you run to a park, where there are few people and many places to hide.

"Saif, what's happening?" Abigail asks. "What was that?"
"Someone was watching us" You say.

"You could sense that?" She asks. "Do you think they were hostile?"
"I dunno... but it didn't give me warm happy feelings" You say.

"Where are we?" She asks.
"One of the parks on the Humber River" You say. "Secluded, lots of cover, et cetera"
"We couldn't go back to the warehouse?" She asks.
"We probably can now" You say. "I didn't want to run there, in case I couldn't give them the slip"

"Think we got away?" She asks.
"Well, unless they can somehow sense time-magic... yeah, we got away" You say.
"Then you can put me down now" She says.

"No" You reply.
She smiles. "If you don't put me down, I might start to get distracted..." She says, as she walks her fingers up your chest to your chin.

"Out here? Really?" You ask.
"What? It's secluded, it's got lots of cover" She says, before adding "et cetera"

You bop her on the nose. "Bad Abigail" You say. "Distractions can wait until after we know we're safe"
"I know" She says. "I just wanted to see how you'd react"
"Do I need to get the paddle back out?" You ask.
"Maybe later" She says. "And only if you don't do it so hard..."

You chuckle, and put her back on her feet.

>Head to the warehouse

>Head home

>Head to the Cafe

>Hide out here for the time being

>Other

Also

>List people to inform about this

>>43495348
>Head to the warehouse

>>43495348
>Head home

>>43495348
>>Head to the Cafe
Cafe is protected ground, its effectively magic mob territory and unless they directly did something wrong they can't kidnap us there.

>Jessica
>Boss
>Yui Oh wait thats right you idiots killed her

>>43495348
>Home
Fuck this, I'm not getting the warm fuzzies about heading to the warehouse.

>Jessica
>Boss?

>>43495393
Yeah rip

>>43495348
>>Head to the Cafe


>Boss
>Jessica
>Kyla?

>>43495348
>>43495403
Fuck it, let's go to the Cafe.

>writing

"Come on, we'll head over to the cafe" You say. "It's protected ground, kind of"
"Not kind of" She says. "Whoever it is that was watching us will undoubtedly not want to mess with the Malikovs"

"What if it was the Coven?" You ask.
"Even then" She says. "The Coven managed to pull apart the Beaumonts, but the Malikovs are a different story"

You start to walk, and Abigail follows along.

"How so?" You ask.
"The Beaumonts were a powerful mage family, but they were still just a mage family" She says. "The Malikovs are closer to a private military or a mafia"
"Right, I remember that" You say. "Never would have thought that they'd have so much pull"

"Well, they're usually pretty splintered" She says. "Mostly they just work as mercs, and each member kind of does their own thing... until the family is threatened"

"And then they all pull together" You say. "When was the last time that happened?"
"Uhh... I dunno" She says. "I've heard a few examples, but I don't remember them off the top of my head. You should ask your dad that question"

"Will do" You say.

The two of you reach the street, and you flag down a taxi. You ask the driver to take you to the mall, since you don't want to lead anyone straight to the cafe... just in case.

When the car is moving, you check your phone. You got a message from Jessica earlier... it's about the tube. You ignore it, and shoot off a quick notification about your change in plans.

Despite the fact that you doubt the driver is a part of this, you keep an eye on both him and the road. If he so much as makes a wrong turn, it is well within your ability to stop this car...

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will be sometime in the future... I'm not really sure when, because I can't plan things ahead to save my life.

As always I'll be sticking around in case anyone has questions/suggestions

>>43495657
Thanks for running boss

>>43495657
Great thread, Smiley!

>>43495657
Sick story yo
My favorite CYOA so far
Keep up the good work, and thanks for all the fun

>>43495657
Is The Fool space squids?