>>44796101
This has been a very long day.

You’re still sitting on the floor, the large snake in your arms shimmering with green and blue patterns. It tries to wind its way up your arm, tongue flicking in and out as it stares at you. You slowly shift your head back but its gaze follows you. You’re not sure if you’re comfortable with this.
Behind you Aashenpreet is dragging Zigzag out from underneath the bed. The diminutive girl is quietly gasping over and over as she struggles to breathe. You silently toss your last antivenom to Aash who stares it with just the barest flicker of distrust before forcing it past Zigzag’s lips. The ragged breathing gives way to a fit of coughing and for a moment you dread that she’s actually going to vomit the brew back out before it can take effect but the coughs die down almost as quickly as they started up. Zigzag shakes her head and looks about the room wildly.
“She got me,” she says superfluously. She’s still sopping wet, oozing about in that uniquely unclean way she cultivates.

“We know,” you say. “How are you feeling?”

If she hears you she gives no sign.
“She spat at me! In my mouth!”
She sounds much more animated than usual but it’s a strangely empty outrage as if she can’t believe it even happened.

“Are you alright?”

“I couldn’t stop her. I wanted to but…”
Her eyes finally focus, swivelling back to you.
“But you stopped me.”

Oh right, your wish.
“Sorry? I’ll do something about it later.”

“I don’t like later.”
She tries in vain to shove Aashenpreet away, her outstretched arm failing to budge the vastly stronger constrictor. Aashenpreet backs off anyway however with a look of distaste upon her face. She’s looking at Zigzag but not AT her, focusing on her visage rather than the person herself.
1/2

>>44796114
Ah, of course. Elle had been wearing Zigzag’s shape just before when Aashenpreet had drunk the potion. The priestess grimaces and throws her hands up in an impotent gesture.

“I’m going. If you need me I’ll be in the other room.”

Zigzag doesn’t so much as stand up as she leaves as she just rolls over to you. Her teeth are bared but you both know that that little defiance means nothing. She’s as thoroughly defanged as you can make her. Her eyes twitch to your pack.
“I’ve had enough of this. Either free me or give me the gunk.”

“I thought you didn’t want the g-”

“I need it!”


>Make a third wish for Zigzag.

>”Soon. You’re not ready to be released yet.”

>Brew up some Snake Oil.

>Brew up a very small amount of Oil.

>Stuff Elle into your pack.

>Tell Elle she can take back human form now.

>Follow after Aashenpreet.

>”How the fuck am I going to explain this to anyone?”

>Brew.

>Sit and wait for Oster to return.

>Make a Wish (Specify)

>Use Potion (Specify)

>Other

>>44796140
>”How the fuck am I going to explain this to anyone?”
>Brew up a very small amount of Oil.

>>44796140
>Brew up a very small amount of Oil.
>Tell Elle she can take back human form now.
>Brew.

>>44796140
>Brew up a very small amount of Oil.
>Tell Elle she can take back human form now.
>Brew.
This is stressful. Time to brew.

>>44796140
>Brew up a very small amount of Oil.
>Tell Elle she can take back human form now.

>”How the fuck am I going to explain this to anyone?”
>Brew.

>>44796140
>Follow after Aashenpreet.
>Stuff Elle into your pack.
>Brew up a very small amount of Oil.

>Brew up a very small amount of Oil.
>Tell Elle she can take back human form now.
>Brew.

"Fine. I hope you know how pathetic you sound."
You unpack your cauldron and your waterskin and start preparing a cold mix.

Zigzag responds only by grumbling something under her breath that you can't hear.

"Pardon, Ziggy?"

"It can't be anymore pathetic than what you've already made me. She attacked me and I couldn't defend myself. I can't even eat anything now. At least the gunk helps me not think about it."
That might just have been the most eloquent you've ever heard her be. You guess it makes sense, she hasn't been this sober for over a week.

You make only a very small amount of Snake Oil and Zigzag initially turns up her nose at your measly offering but then you motion as if you were going to take it away from her and she descends upon it ravenously. It only takes her seconds and after that she licks the cauldron clean before slumping in a melancholy heap.

You wave a hand in front of her face. Her eyes follow it but only barely. Looks like she's safe for now.
With that out of the way you can tend to other matters.
"Alright Elle, you can turn human again."

The snake in your arms wastes no time in tearing out of its skin and taking back her usual human form right in your lap. You sit bolt upright as she wraps her arms around your shoulders and moments later you push her off of you as hard as you can.
She keels over but sits up again in just a second, giving you time to examine her. She's back in the brunette shape that you first met her in only...was she always this curvy? She looks a few inches shorter and a fair deal softer as well. And of course she stares at you with unquestioning adoration.
Why the fuck did you use that potion?

"How am I going to explain this to anyone?"
What would Oster think? What would HISS think?
Lacking any better option you turn to the most comforting thing available, your cauldron. It's time to brew.
1/2

>>44796630
Yes, even if it is really weird to just brew while Elle stares at you constantly. You remember Aashenpreet telling you that you'd 'acted creepy' while under the love potions influence but it's not till now that you truly understand what she meant.

>Brew up the Antidote.

>Experiment with the Caster.

>It's time to start work on Hom's new body!

>Experiment with potion mixtures.

>Go back to some of your earlier brewing decisions and brew a recipe you had the option of making before but didn't.

>Brew (Specify)

>Other

>>44796689
>Go back to some of your earlier brewing decisions and brew a recipe you had the option of making before but didn't.

>>44796689
>Go back to some of your earlier brewing decisions and brew a recipe you had the option of making before but didn't.
There's one that lets us steal Art that I'm really interested in.

>>44796689
>Brew up the Antidote.

>>44796689
>Experiment with the Caster.

>>44796689
>Experiment with potion mixtures.
Regen+Heal all

>Go back to some of your earlier brewing decisions and brew a recipe you had the option of making before but didn't.

You think back to all of your previous experimental sessions and while many of them involved reagents or processes that you don't have access to now, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to recall some of them.
You unpack your full lab and begin to experiment, keeping as far away from Elle as possible.

>http://pastebin.com/H8JBC2fu
>Choose one option from the pastebin

>>44796912
Art theft brew

>>44796912
>shapeshifter's enemy
Maybe elle can help

>>44796912
> Something that uses the soul-link you've pioneered and lets you borrow individual magics from someone who's drunk from the same bottle

>>44796912
A bit off topic, but I'd like to pick your brains about some stuff (completely unrelated to snakecatcher)

Anyway I can get in contact with you for prolonged conversation?

>>44796912
> Something that uses the soul-link you've pioneered and lets you borrow individual magics from someone who's drunk from the same bottle

>>44796978
This, but can we modify it to duplicate the art instead of stealing it?

>>44797006
I'm a little curious about what you'd have to ask me about that's unrelated to Snakecatcher but sure. #Snakecatcher on Rizon irc. It's not a permanent room or anything, I'll abandon it shortly.

>>44797055
That's theoretically possible through the same method of advancement you made for the Wordtheft Brew

>Magetheft Brew

You've come across several different means to create this brew in your previous travels so it's only right that you finally give it form. This potion works along the soul-link that you've invented with several other brews and lets you borrow individual magics and Art from the recipient. You might be able to refine it further later but for now it's a one-way process until it wears off after a few hours.
You call it the Magetheft Brew because you've long since given up on coming up with original names. Stick with what works, no?

And all this time, Elle doesn't waver. The moment she realizes you're done she crowds in close once more, ready to offer her affection. You do your best to shake her off.
"What is it?," she asks. "Can I help?"

>"Yes." Use her as the test subject.

>"No, not now. I'm busy."

>"Go outside and leave me alone."

>Ask question (Specify)

>Ask her to apologize for being so rude to you earlier.

>Ask her to apologize to Zigzag.

>Other (Specify)

>>44797324
>Ask her to apologize to Zigzag.
Then
>"Yes." Use her as the test subject.

>>44797324
>"Yes." Use her as the test subject.

>>44797324
>"Yes." Use her as the test subject.
This might be useful for homunculi once we make it copy art instead of stealing it.

>>44797324
>"Yes." Use her as the test subject.
We should give her the antidote later

>>44797496
Maybe. We still need to make her undo what she's done to Oster. And she might be useful for infiltrating and destroying the group of traitors.

>>44797541
We can make her arrange a meeting with them.

>"Yes." Use her as the test subject.

"Actually, yes. Yes you can help."

She reacts with absurd glee, barely able to contain herself at the mere fact that she can be useful to you.
"I can? And maybe after that we can-"

"No thanks. Just drink it."

You pass her the bottle and she stares at it.
"I-I'm sorry, I got a little too ahead of myself. I can't believe it, I guess I was a deviant all along and I didn't know it. Are you sure th-"

"Drink it. But not all of it."

She drains half of the bottle before passing it back to you and you drink the rest. You can practically feel the link between the two of you snap into being, an ephemeral connection. But this road runs only one way. She's being siphoned already, oozing down the thread for you to drink of her power and grow strong.

What Art do you take?

>Advanced Shed Skin

>Hypnotic Gaze

>Serpent's Temptation

>Devour Soul

>Life's Blood

>Consummate Predator

>Scales

>Artskin

>Hunt Sense

>Camouflage

>Shallow Bite

>>44797541
Can't do that while she's only thinking about the D

>>44797658
>Camouflage

>>44797658
Fukken sweet
> advanced shed skin

>>44797658
>Camouflage
>>44797661
She does literally anything we ask her to. That's kind of the point of the love potion.

>>44797658
>Camouflage

>>44797658
>Camouflage
Can we do this multiple times? I also want scales at the very least
We also have permanancy on don't we?

>Camouflage

You gnaw on her Art and deprive her of her stealth magic while gifting yourself the same. Elle doesn't seem to mind but you guess right now you could do whatever you wanted to her and get the same reaction.

You hold out your hand and watch as it blends in with the wall.
"Woah."

Elle claps appreciatively.
"Amazing!"

"But now you can't do that. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Don't worry Cennen, I trust you completely with my magic. You...You can take all of it if you want."
She gestures back to the cauldron.
"Anything you want is yours."

You sit back and think about what you've just created. Think of all the different ways you could use this!

>Take another Art from Elle (Specify)

>Take all of Elle's Arts.

>Drink a Permanence so whatever you take sticks.

>Give Elle a Permanance so whatever you take from her doesn't come back, helping render her powerless without having to use the Love Potion.

>Make a Magetheft for the half-conscious Zigzag.

>Give Zigzag a permanence too. You've been keeping her locked up like this out of fear of what she might do but now you have a way to deprive her of troublesome powers for as long as you see fit.

>That's enough Magetheft for now.

>Other

>>44798067
>Take all of Elle's Arts.
>Drink a Permanence so whatever you take sticks.
>Give Elle a Permanance so whatever you take from her doesn't come back, helping render her powerless without having to use the Love Potion.

>>44798067
>That's enough Magetheft for now.
Let's not go mad with power now.

>>44798129
If Elle drinks a permanence then we have no need to.

>>44798180
Permanence only affects the side of the link who drinks it, I'm afraid. If she drinks it she'll lose her powers until the Persistence leaves but you'll only keep them for the usual duration.

>>44798067
>That's enough Magetheft for now
>Make an improved Magetheft to share powers.

>>44798067
>Drink a Permanence so whatever you take sticks.
>Give Elle a Permanance so whatever you take from her doesn't come back, helping render her powerless without having to use the Love Potion.

>Take another Art from Elle
I want at least scales, but I'm also down for hypnotic gaze, artskin and advanced shed skin.

The only thing better than being a mad scientist is being a mad scientist with superpowers

>>44798067
>Take another Art from Elle (Specify)
Scales and Artskin
>Drink a Permanence so whatever you take sticks.
>Give Elle a Permanance so whatever you take from her doesn't come back, helping render her powerless without having to use the Love Potion.

>>44798291
>>44798295
>>44798304
At least get hunt sense too for auto deflect, otherwise we're still going to have to manually raise them.

Also adding this >>44798326
to mine >>44798291

Artskin is great because one of the weaknesses of permanency is getting hit by spells and making those permanent.

>>44798444
I just hope that all these snake arts don't influence the magic of our brews.

>>44798326
>>44798444
Man, we're going to end up draining her.

Does taking advanced shed skin makes her unable to take a human form?

>>44798304
taking advanced shed skin and giving her the antidote are both awful ideas

>>44798494
I'm more concerned about physical changes, if we end up looking like the Snake Catcher right before Hiss gets here it's not going to end well.
As I understood it, that was brands, not directly taking the magic, but the human body isn't really designed to withstand it either way.

>>44798589
Same but greedy anons are being greedy same thing that got us almost eaten by God!Hiss.

>Drain a whole bunch of Art from Elle
>Both of you drink a Persistence.
>Go mad with power?

Yes, you have a way you could both strengthen yourself AND deprive the traitor of her powers, all at the same time! Granted, it involves you keeping a Persistence up which could be very bad news but still...

You start to brew, readying two Persistence brews and a whole bunch of Magetheft. Elle takes this time to cozen up to you and this time you let her sit in your lap without pushing her off. Why not? She's a traitor and she was planning on making you hurt Hiss, do you really care what you do to her?

With that in mind you feed her the Magetheft. And then you do it again. And again. And again. Until you've stolen Scales, Advanced Shed Skin, Hunt Sense, Artskin and Hypnotic Gaze. You take the skin-shedding last because you're not sure if it'll force her back into her natural form but what it seems to do instead is simply trap her in her current human shape.
Indeed after all you've taken from her, she's more or less just a weird venomous human women now.

"Don't worry," she assures you. "What's mine is yours."

And is it ever! You can FEEL the magic pumping through your veins, power itself flooding your flesh. You clench your fist and feel your stolen scales ripple over you. They're a scintillating rainbow, just like Elle's.
And then you relax and they fade. Looks like they only show when they're activated.

You don't know what to do first. What power should you put to the test? Should you take more?
Elle sighs happily and buries her face in your chest. She's tired. You slowly lift her off of you, aware of her frail and weak she is now and set her down.
You could take even more if you wished.

>Take the rest of her Arts.

>Test out your Hypnotic Gaze on her.

>Test out your Hypnotic Gaze on Zigzag.

>Test out your Shed Skin.

>Show Aashenpreet what you've done.

>Make Elle an antidote.

>Make a Wish (Specify)

>Other

>>44798671
Oh I'm still voting for it, because I want to see what happens, and if we do suffer some horrific physical changes we can manage it with advanced shed skin. But it could all go downhill really fast.

It's a pity neither of our captive snakes has the Art that allows us to regurgitate souls into bodies, so we can enbody our own Homonculous

>>44798727
>Make sure there are no side effects
>Test out your Shed Skin.
Oster and back
>Make improved Mage theft.

>>44798727
>>44798779

I will support checking for odd side effects.

>>44798727
>Test out your Shed Skin.

>>44798727
>Take the rest of her Arts.
>Test out your Hypnotic Gaze on her.
Just to make sure it works.
>Test out your Hypnotic Gaze on Zigzag.
Screw it. If possible we should alter Zigzag's soul to correct her personality.

>>44798727
We have no real reason to give her an antidote before we deliver her to Hiss, if that's what we're doing.

I'm curious as to how hypnotic gaze works with our bane, but I don't think her or zigzag are afraid of us.

So instead
>Experiment with our own blood and scales for alchemical properties
and >>44798779 for odd side effect testing

>>44798727
Try making a simple brew to make sure it's not affected
>Take the rest of her Arts.
>Test out your Hypnotic Gaze on Zigzag.
Take away her addiction and make her act and think more like a proper human or at least a snake who can coexist in human society

>>44798867
I'm already regretting taking all of this from her. Besides, keeping her under the love potion is, for a lack of a better word inhuman, she's almost powerless right now, plus we have two wishes left. I say giving her the antidote is the least we should do

>>44798727
>Make Elle an antidote

Am I the only one who thinks both Hiss and Aash are going to be pissed at us for taking snake arts?

>>44798975
>>44799002
What do you think she'll do once the love potion isn't active? How do you plan to deal with her?

>>44799100
Honestly, Hiss may actually try to kill us if we openly revealed it.
No one must ever know

>>44799100
>only Hiss and Aash
We should keep this a secret, just tell elle we blocked them trough alchemy

>>44798727
>>Show Aashenpreet what you've done.
yeesh late to the thread and already things are looking dire.

File: ziggy.jpg (190 KB, 621x1000)

190 KB JPG

Alright, calling for testing your newfound powers out along with taking some more. Sorry about the delay here I've been feeling ill all of a sudden

>>44799130
Probably Queen power us into getting rid of them but yeah. Secret for now.

>>44799120
We have two wishes left, plus we're stronger than her and she's lost most of her art

Our greed will be the end of us. Remember how Hiss got exhausted when we used a wish to give her access to her full set of Arts? This might kill us.

>>44799223
Anons don't care. The see power and go gimm gimme without thought to cost. Just like Journey brew or the mystery brand.

>>44799223
Our snake arts are all powered by Elle, not us. The link is still active and we're draining her.

>>44799243
The journey brew worked out really well for us.

>>44799313
luckily, but it also could have killed us.

>>44799243
It's called scientific curiosity I agree with you, thoug

>>44799253
We just need to keep her in our Pack.

>>44799419
She's a human and stuck that way.

>>44799434
>>44799419
she should be able to transform since that has nothing to do with persistence

the aforementioned idea is grade a dogshit though.

>>44799452
dude learn to read. we stole her shapeshifting art.

>Keep draining her
>Test out your powers on Zigzag.
>Check if your brews have changed.

Is it safe to have this much power in a human body? Elle contains so much more raw Art than you do, it's incredible. But then again they're not being powered by you? All of your newfound powers are still drawing strength from Elle and thanks to your two-way Persistence, will continue to do so indefinitely whether she likes it or not.
So you can absolutely take even more.

Elle smiles when you offer her another Magetheft.
"You just can't keep your hands off me, can you? It's okay Cennen, I've changed my mind about humans."
Which is fantastic because after you're done with her a human is more or less all she'll be.

You drain her dry, taking Serpent's Temptation, Devour Soul, Life's Blood, Consummate Predator and Shallow Bite. You'd take her venom too but that isn't Art, not for her.
After you drink the last potion, a single tear runs down her cheek.
"I'm sorry," she whimpers just a little. "I've got nothing else to give."

You sit with her for a while, letting her draw comfort from the way she clings to you. It might be cruel to give her the antidote now, she'd comprehend what's been done to her.

But you can't stay down for long, the energy and magic dancing through you won't let you. Who cares what happens to her? You can do what you want!

And right now you need to test out your new Art and your alchemy. All of this absorbed power might play havoc with your brews now! But really, is that so bad? You can't help but feel a little intoxicated.
You wake Zigzag up with a tap on the forehead and you look her directly in the eye. And...nothing. She's not afraid of you, her eyes are locked doors.

"Hey Ziggy, wake up! I wish..."

She cringes back just a little when she hears the start of what could be a wish. Just as you thought. She might not fear you but she fears what your wishbond could do to her. And that's enough.
1/2

>>44799544
And yet she doesn't move. You recognize the opening but you can't exploit it. Why? What's wrong? She's prey!
But she's a snake too and she isn't a valid target. Your predatory attempts bounce off of her without effect and you pull your gaze away.

But not before she recognizes what you were doing.
"What? What's going on?"

And I'm sorry but I'm just feeling spectacularly awful now. I can feel my writing degrade almost as fast as poor old Cennen is. Luckily the thread was pre-archived.
Sorry, I'll run 78.5 soon.

>>44799660
bummer. thanks for running

>>44799636
damn, I was thinking that wouldn't work but I wanted to be sure

>>44799660
Thanks for running!
I hope there's still a chance of redemption for cennen

>>44799804
Nope that went the way of the dodo when he a-okayed Hiss's plans. in fact he's probably going to be a worse monster than Hiss shortly.

>>44799660
ah dang, thanks for running

>>44799830
you don't have to just go along with it brosephine

>>44799924
I voted against going mad with power multiple times, but I got over ridden. Anons WANT him to be a monster now.

>>44799804
define redemption for cennen

>>44799950
relax we were just testing the limits of magetheft. I don't want to actually keep it for long. brews are infinitely better than these snake arts.

File: 1452355638737.jpg (89 KB, 698x840)

89 KB JPG

>>44799950
They are dumb and this is going to backfire spectacularly. No, we couldn't just take a few useful arts, we had to take ALL the art, including useless ones like those related to soul eating.

>>44800004
Then why did we permanence it? FAce it Anons Want Cennen to go Snakecatcher or worse.

File: hqdefault.jpg (14 KB, 480x360)

14 KB JPG

>>44800004

>>44800044
The second we want to make a brew we'll deactivate it. And it was already explained that we won't be modified by these snake arts.
>>44800064
All our snake magic is gonna fuck with our brews.

>>44800043
>>44800044
Personally, I'd rather desert and help the humans, but if we're gonna go this route, I want to see how far it goes. Like, could we endgame rival Other Hiss? That'd be fantastic.

Instead of trying to eat all of the magic ourself why don't we let someone who can handle it take it? Let Aashenpreet absorb Zigzag and Elles powers

>>44799959
I just don't know anymore

>>44800122
Our alchemy and homunculi would never be accepted among humans.

>>44800292
Tolemny's were and huamns are remarkably quick to shut up when the alchemist in question is crazy op.

>>44800354
People are instinctively unnerved by our homunculi. And there are certainly more dangerous alchemists than Cennen already.

>>44800646
So? just means they'll stay away from them.

As far as dangerous? I somehow doubt that. Snake breaker alone makes him top tier fuck everything as far as a war alchemist goes.

>>44800679
We aren't shit without snake ingredients for brews. Hell, our mastery would be useless if we weren't surrounded by snake allies

>>44800755
Well with our caster we're dangerous as hell and our art is strong as fuck. WE can make literally any potion at our level. Hell we mass produce Master level potions, most masters only make one to prove their mastery over their entire lives. We're also super strong, know how to use a weapon and are a seasoned fighter. Cennen is very dangerous.

>>44800832
The funny thing is that we've ended up with all this power that we don't really need. We could probably just ride Hiss' coattails to a cushy royal job.

>>44801024
You know what'd be awesome? Make an improved Magetheft brew that shares instead of steals art and drink it with Hiss.

>>44801067
I'd really rather avoid having snake arts. Being an alchemist is way more fun.

>>44801242
Agreed, but using it during "petting" would be fun.

>>44801067
heh, no way hiss is going to share her powers.

well maybe with a lot of convincing

>>44801371
Well even if we shared powers we'd still lack the souls and thus be intrinsically weaker. She'd lose nothing and not have to worry over us, because we'd be second only to her in raw power.

>>44801421
She's never gonna share it with us. And I don't want it.

Hey Guys. I see I got here too late to talk to you all about Hom again.

Why do I keep pushing that it's important to do shit with him? Because, do you know what sensory deprivation does to people? And to sentient beings in general?

At this point, it would be better to use our new snake powers and give him a merciful death rather than put what is an insane creature into a body again.

It's just one of those casual horrors we've committed by not paying much attention to shit I guess.

>>44803227
Yeah probably. We'd have to make another one just like him so Eva doesn't hate us though.

>>44803476
Make that brew that breaks down alchemy into it's constituent parts, then re make him.

>>44803550
That's the kind of pragmatism normies frown upon

>>44803687
save us time and ingredient gathering.

>>44803227
We should also start thinking on how we can take godhiss out of Hiss, but mor importantly, concerning both that and our homunculus research:
Why? Should we really be doing this?

>>44803550
Meh it's not like the ingredients are hard to come by

>>44803756
Faster doing this though.

>>44803735
GodHiss we're compelled to help, and She needs a soul to wrap around hence Homunculi.

>>44803735
We have no choice about the godHiss thing but making homunculi is cool as fuck and is our greatest alchemical achievement.

>>44803799
It is, but maybe we should work some more on the theory so that we're not just creating malformed beings for which living is suffering

>>44803860
Yeah obviously. The soulshape brew just needs organic material to form the body with. The first time it only had liquid brews to work with so the best it could do was a gel body.

>>44803227
Well we can alter his soul however we like with these snake arts so there's no need to eat him entirely