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>>46688354

“What do we do with him?” Howa asks, her voice drawing you out of your thoughts, “No, never mind that now, what do we even call him? It doesn't feel right, somehow, to keep calling him Saku.”

Does it really matter, you ask, what you call him? You're more interested in Howa's first point – what should be done with him?

“You could talk to him, I suppose,” Howa shrugs lightly, “Although I wonder how talkative he might be. We tried asking him a few basic questions – his name, how long he's been here, that kind of thing – but he refused to answer them. Refused to talk to me at all, in fact. You might have better luck with him, though.”

You might indeed. Thanks to the magic you took from Vulathoon, he won't need to talk – you can rip the memories right out of his mind.

“That... could work,” a note of reluctance creeps into Howa's voice, as if the idea of plundering his mind unnerves her, “I think. It's possible, however, that his mind isn't quite... like ours. There's a lot we don't know about him, or how that ring has changed him.”

But it might be the only way, you insist, and you can't pass up the chance to know for sure. If there are other cultists within the temple, you add, Saku might be able to give up their names.

“I wonder,” Howa taps a slender finger on the table, “Maybe we can use him as bait. If we wait, his allies might be forced into making a move. It's dangerous, though – keeping him here is a risk. Part of me wants to hand him over to the Emperor, just to get him out of here.”

You're not convinced he'd be any less dangerous in the Emperor's hands. The risk of escape is high enough as it is, and you're the ones who know what you're dealing with. Either way, you need to make a decision.

>I'm going to talk to him
>There's no point in talking. I'll take what I need by force
>I want to ask the Mentor about this ring
>We'll wait and use him as bait
>Let the Emperor deal with him
>Other

>>46688360
>>I want to ask the Mentor about this ring
If it's made by sorcery, he might have a way to break it.

>>46688360
>>I want to ask the Mentor about this ring
No sense in trying anything without all the facts.

>>46688360
>>I want to ask the Mentor about this ring

Before you decide on how you're going to deal with the prisoner, you want to know as much as you can about the magic ensnaring him. This ring – the Ring of the Faceless, you recall it was called – is the product of sorcery. Who better to ask about it, in that case, then a sorcerer? The Seer might not be available to answer your questions, but your old teacher is – and the Mentor would be far more likely to help.

“It's a good idea,” Howa agrees, “As much as I'd like to get rid of him as quickly as possible, I don't think we need to rush things – yet, at least. I see no harm in getting all the facts. Well... that's assuming the Mentor knows anything that can help.”

You sense something else in Howa's voice, something left unsaid. It also depends on how much the Mentor is willing to tell you. Once, you would have assumed total honesty from the old man. Now, though? You've found yourself weighing his words carefully, judging their merit and intent before blindly obeying. Even so, even with all your doubts and uncertainty, there's no denying that the old man has forgotten more than you'll ever know – and you have no other option for learning about sorcery. So, preparing yourself for the worst, you head along to the Mentor's chambers.

When you arrive, the Mentor is in his usual stance, sitting on the ground with his legs folded and his eyes closed. Normally, he'd be meditating, but some indescribable aspect of his posture tells you that this time is different. He's waiting, sealing himself away from all distractions until his full attention is needed. Perhaps that's not so different from meditation.

With a courtesy that no longer comes naturally to you, you sit opposite him and wait for him to speak. When that seems to draw no reaction from the old man, you prepare to ask the first question. Then, and only then, does the Mentor speak.

[1/2]

>>46688360
>>I want to ask the Mentor about this ring
A thing to consider before we mind fuck him, is that getting him to focus on certain things may allow us to find those things much easier. So start with an interrigation with Howa, use her to figure out if he's lying or not, then go in for the kill and drag out the evidence and information we really need.

>>46688575

“You wish to know about sorcery, do you not?” he asks, without ever opening his eyes, “In the hopes of combatting it, I assume. Needless to say, I have no intention of passing the art of practising sorcery on to another. Let THAT knowledge die with me, the land will be better for it.”

Maybe not sorcery, you answer him, but something to do with it. An artefact, some magical ring supposedly created by sorcery. The Ring of the Faceless, you add, it's mentioned in a few of the older – and stranger – tomes in the archives. Mentioned as a legend, of course, not in any kind of practical sense. You thought that he might be able to tell you more about it, and what it might do to a men.

“I don't know about this particular item,” the Mentor tells you slowly, “Sorcerers usually kept their secrets close, sharing them with as few people as possible to protect their own power. As such, there are many facts in this world that died with their sole owners. However, I can give you this warning – artefacts of sorcery are inherently unstable, tainted and harmful to their users. Those who dabble with them can grow dependent on the items, or risk having their minds unshackled. I suspect that this... faceless spy has lost much of his original identity. Should you try breaking into his mind, I cannot guarantee what you might find.”

Is that the only advice he can offer, you ask, or is he being deliberately vague?

“Do not mistake ignorance for malice, Ira,” the Mentor tells you, a faint note of reproach entering his voice, “I have no desire to see you harmed. At best, I can suggest keeping a very firm glimpse of your goals, should you choose to delve into his mind. Do not allow yourself to lose focus.”

You can be focussed, you assure the Mentor with a cold smile.

>I'd better get to work, then
>So now we've got two infiltrators. Are you taking this seriously yet?
>What do you think I should do with him, or the ring?
>Other

>>46688659
>>What do you think I should do with him, or the ring?
How do I dispose of artefacts safely? I want this thing to never be wielded again.

>>46688659
>>I'd better get to work, then
>>What do you think I should do with him, or the ring?

>>46688659
>What do you think I should do with him, or the ring?
if we take it off, he will crumple, won't he? The same as killing him. But we can't let that ring continue to exist.

Matters of focus aside, you'd like to know what the Mentor thinks you should do with the prisoner? Or, for that matter, what you should do with his ring. Is there a way to dispose of artefacts like this, you ask, a way to destroy them?

“In my experience, these items tend to be harder to damage than they would normally be,” the Mentor pauses here, as if unwilling to reveal the full extent of his wisdom, “A mere ring might resist the force of a hammer, or even a bullet, but it would not be invulnerable. Sufficient heat should melt it, and brute force would eventually shatter it. I believe destruction would be the best option – one more trace of the forbidden arts wiped from the land.”

That's what you were thinking. You don't want this thing to fall into anyone's hands, it is simply too much of a danger. What about the prisoner himself, what if you took the ring off his finger? Would be simply collapse – dead, perhaps, or his mind gone?

“It may be that the ring cannot be removed from his finger,” the Mentor shrugs slightly, his shoulders barely moving, “Once donned, it could have taken a firm grip upon him, shrinking to bind itself to his flesh. Removing the entire finger... it could destroy his mind, yes. Or, it could return everything that it took from him, I cannot say for sure. Much of this depends on the mindset of the ring's creator, how cruel or careless he was.”

What about the prisoner then, you ask, how would the Mentor deal with him? Handing him over to the Emperor's men would just be pushing the problem away, but you don't have the facilities to indefinitely imprison him here.

It takes the Mentor a long time to answer. He coughs discretely, covering his mouth, and delicately proposes his idea. “Traces of sorcery should be removed from this land,” he says vaguely, “It is no sin to dispose of such things.”

[1/2]

>>46688916
As cold as it is, it might be best course of action.

>>46688916
>He coughs discretely, covering his mouth, and delicately proposes his idea. “Traces of sorcery should be removed from this land,” he says vaguely, “It is no sin to dispose of such things.”
AHAHAHA, that's fair. Not sure what we'd tell Ra afterwards, though.

>>46688952
Since he's not here we can say we had to do it, and that the inherent instability of it made it better this way.

>>46688952
The truth I suppose. He already knows about the ring. He'd understand getting rid of the cults best agent.

>>46688916

Murder, you think. It's strange – when you first learned of Saku and his treachery, you were only too happy to kill him. Now that he's your prisoner, though, the idea has lost whatever dark charm it once possessed. But then, if removing the ring or the finger that carries it would destroy his mind, might it not be a mercy to kill him?

No, you think, there's no sense in getting lost in the ethics of it now. Not when you've still got a use for him, alive. Standing, you bow stiffly and tell the Mentor that you must return to work. You'll bring him your report later, you add, once the affair has been resolved to your satisfaction.

“I wish you luck, Ira,” your teacher declares as you're leaving, “Luck, and caution. Remember my advice, but do not rely on it. Trust your own initiative.”

You've got to, you think darkly, because you don't trust his. Not any more.

“You don't look happy,” Howa remarks when you arrive back at Saku's cell, “The Mentor wasn't much help, was he?”

Perhaps, you reply with a shrug of forced indifference, perhaps not. You know a little more than when you started talking to him, so it wasn't a wasted trip. He left the final decision of how to handle the situation up to you, of course, but he... hinted at his idea of a favourable outcome. You'll get to that later, you add hastily, once you've got what you wanted to know.

“Right. He's still useful to us,” Howa frowns a little at the hard choice of words, “So, how are we going to play this?”

>I want to talk to him, see how much he's willing to tell me
>I'm going to take what I need, not waste time on words
>I think we should leave him for now, see who comes to deal with him
>We should just hand him over to the Emperor. I won't dirty my hands
>Other

>>46689006
>>I want to talk to him, see how much he's willing to tell me
If that doesn't work then we can try plundering.

>>46689006
>I want to talk to him, see how much he's willing to tell me

>>46689006
>I want to talk to him, see how much he's willing to tell me
I'm actually not too hot on plundering his mind. Just cut the finger off later and see what happens.

>>46689006
>>I want to talk to him, see how much he's willing to tell me
And then I will progress from there as I need too

>>46689034
Mentor said that we'd need to keep focus. So maybe we have Ira completely focus on the thing he wants instead of an overall 'download' it might be safer?

>>46689006
>>I want to talk to him, see how much he's willing to tell me
If his mind is a jumbled mess, getting some focus into his mindset is important if we want to figure things out. It'd likely make the plundering easier and as is we need to remove the ring anyways.

>>46689066
it's not that, but I'm thinking that it might be a trap to begin with. All propaganda and wasted time with no information at the end.

>>46689112
Plundering doesn't take that long and if it's all bullshit, oh well. We should try it, as long as we take precautions.

You want to talk to him first, you decide, and see how much he's willing to share. Maybe he'll be a softer target than you first thought, and he'll crumble at the first question. You doubt it, though – he struck you as the type who would be endlessly evasive, leading you on an infuriating waste of time. It's hard to say for certain, though, what kind of person Saku really is – does he even know that himself?

“At least we've got the advantage over him,” Howa sighs, “He's in our cell, and nobody has come to rescue him – yet, at least. Maybe his master has given up on him, leaving him to rot. That might fray his loyalties, make him more willing to cooperate.”

You hold his life in your hands, that's what Howa doesn't want to say aloud. It's a hard reality, but the threat of death might loosen his tongue. Then again, these fanatics have been willing to die for their cause before, so his life might not carry much weight. You'll see how things unfold, you tell her as you undo the lock – a crude thing, recently applied to the cell door.

Perhaps it's just paranoia, but the air inside the cell seems odd – colder than it should be, and somehow damp. Saku, or whatever his name really is, has been bound to a simple chair, tight enough that he cannot possibly be comfortable. Still, when he looks up at you, his bland face is untouched by pain or fear – or perhaps any impression it leaves you with simply fades at an instant, another thing wiped away by his curious abilities.

“Don't bother asking,” Saku tells you straight away, “Everyone always asks, and I can't tell you.”

Asks... what?

“My name,” the bound man sighs, “My real name. I don't know it, not any more, so don't bother asking.”

So, the ring really does wipe away the wearer's identity. What's it like, you ask, not knowing who he really is?

[1/2]

>>46689288

“I don't care much,” Saku's answer is flat, refusing to show you any trace of weakness or remorse, “Whoever I was, I'm sure I was terribly boring. If I was anyone interesting, I wouldn't have thrown it all away, would I?”

Not unless he didn't realise what the consequences would be, you counter, perhaps he was misled. Turned into a tool, a weapon to be used and thrown away.

“Ah, so that's what you're going to try. I wondered,” what might be a smile flashes across Saku's face, “Attacking my loyalty, huh? More subtle than I expected from you, Ira. I thought you'd wade in and start throwing punches.”

That's still an option, you remind him cheerfully, but you're just here to talk. There's no point in making things unpleasant, is there?

“Making things unpleasant is my business, Ira,” Saku's voice offers no emotion, “My sole purpose is to muddy the waters, to mess up a nice clean situation. It's something I'm very good at, actually, and I quite enjoy myself. Ah, but why not indulge you? Ask me what you will – although I see no reason to promise you any answers.”

>To confirm, you were the one to give Jain drugged wine?
>Are there other spies within the Nameless Temple? What about the military?
>What do you actually know about that ring you're wearing?
>Here's what I want to ask... (Write in)
>This is a waste of time. I'll take what I need by force
>Other

>>46689309
>>Are there other spies within the Nameless Temple? What about the military?
>>What do you actually know about that ring you're wearing?

>>46689309
>What do you actually know about that ring you're wearing?
>Are there other spies within the Nameless Temple? What about the military?
I mean obviously there are, but I need names. Gives you the chance to muddy someone else's waters for a change.

>>46689309
go off the list completely impersonal, as if we don't care. Don't process it until we've asked everything.
>To confirm, you were the one to give Jain drugged wine?
>Are there other spies within the Nameless Temple? What about the military?
>What do you actually know about that ring you're wearing?
>To confirm, you were involved in Solitude?

Now then
>You've thrown away everything. Your identity, any friends or family. You spark conflicts and bring back bloody pasts that the gods themselves don't wish for. Tell me why.

>>46689415
>go off the list completely impersonal, as if we don't care
Why? He knows we do.

>>46689470
So he doesn't get a chance to rile us up and veer off-topic. We'll worry about traitors and whether or not he's just making us doubt actual allies later, get everything on paper first.

>>46689309
>>46689415
This

>>46689309
>What do you actually know about that ring you're wearing? Or about the person who had it before you?

Calling it now, Nigger is going to try and distract us so he can do some magic shit.

I don't think he gives a shit about himself, but he surely seems to like to prove himself more clever than other people and hopefully we can get him to do a villain monolog.

Tossing in "why work for the cultists, or are you working only for the cultists" next.

So, you ask to being, what does he actually know about that ring he's wearing? How did he get it, say, and what prompted him to put it on?

“How should I know?” if he wasn't bound, you're certain that Saku would have shrugged here, “Frankly, I don't know why the person I once was would have put this on – maybe they were ordered to, misled as you suggested. People like following orders, in my experience, and I've given a fair few orders in my time. Soldier types, you know? They just want someone to shout at them.”

This is getting you nowhere fast.

“As for the ring itself, well... I know it's nothing natural. Obviously. I mean that in a more general sense – it's not something that should really exist, according to whatever natural laws govern this land,” Saku tries to shrug again, “But I don't know who made it, or why. It's old, and it has power – what more would I need to know?”

It's a little easier now to judge his personality – he's a son of a bitch. Unless this is all a deliberate mask of indifference he's throwing out to mislead you, it's clear that he doesn't feel threatened by the situation. Confidence like that bothers you – just what does he have planned, to give him that flippant cheer?

Fine, you think, forget about the ring. You know all you really need to know about it, anyway. Clearing your throat, you ask the next question in a cold voice – this is business, now, and your personal feelings don't come into it. To confirm, you begin, he was the one to give drugged wine to the apprentice Jain?

“Correct. It was good, wasn't it?” a faint pride enters Saku's voice, “Ah, if you hadn't been there, that boy of yours would have been gutted like a fish. You wouldn't like that, would you?”

It takes a lot of effort to hold up the expressionless mask you donned, about as much effort as it takes not to strike the bound man.

[1/2]

>>46689707

Next question, you announce flatly as a hint of disappointment shows on Saku's face. Are there other spies within the Nameless Temple, you ask, or what about the military?

“Spies? Here?” Saku laughs lightly, “You're getting paranoid, Ira. Seeing enemies in every shadow. Then again, being paranoid doesn't mean the world isn't out to get you – maybe you should prepare your own food from now on, hmm?”

A possible spy within the kitchen staff, you think, something to look into just in case. What about the military then, you press, any names he wants to share?

“Oh, we have plenty of people wearing the Emperor's colours,” Saku offers slyly, “You know, if it came to a war, how many of the common soldiers would stay loyal, do you think? Why should they, when they have men like Takino in charge, all too willing to throw their lives away on a vague hope of advancing their own career?” A long silence as you both consider the issue. “That Takino is a piece of work, isn't he?” Saku asks a moment later, “I got very close to him once, close enough to put a knife in his back, even. That would have made you happy, I reckon.”

No names, then. Perhaps his cooperation was a little too much to expect. Solitude, you ask a moment later, that was his doing as well?

“Solitude was very nearly a masterpiece,” Saku sighs sadly, “I moved all the pieces perfectly, but I didn't anticipate everything. Frankly, I didn't know the plague could be contained so easily, or that Musari would be so... soft. Oh well, live and learn!”

Son of a bitch. So, you ask with a thin smile, he's thrown away everything for the sake of spreading chaos and conflict – why?

[2/3]

>>46689792

“Why?” Saku repeats the word softly, mulling it over, “You know, I never really thought about it. Of course, I couldn't say why I first set foot on this path. Now, though, it's really all I'm good at. If the world settled down into a nice stable rhythm, I'd be out of a job – no, more than that, I'd lose my reason for existing. I suppose I could devote my time to ruining people's private lives, but... ah, that's so small compared with this! I tell you, moving the pieces of the world like this, there's nothing like it. It's exhilarating!”

A cold feeling settles over you as an idea forms in your mind. This isn't about the gods, you ask, is it? This isn't about any kind of higher purpose or greater good, he just wants to cause trouble

“Of course!” Saku laughs, “I don't really care about the gods much, or for the future. You know, maybe this ring is to blame for that. You can't expect to strip away everything that makes a man who he is without leaving some scars behind. Well, maybe – maybe I was just a real scumbag before I chose to wear this damn thing.”

If that was the case, you think, he hasn't changed much. The question, then, is what to do with him. From what you've heard, you don't relish the idea of reaching into that diseased mind of his, but it might be the only way you'll get a straight answer out of him. Then again, the idea of cutting off his finger has a certain barbaric appeal – you'd like to see how smug he is when he can only count to nine.

>Plunder his mind. You need to know
>Take his finger. If he dies, he dies
>Leave him for now, consult with Howa and the Mentor
>Ask a few more questions... (Write in)
>Other

>>46689850
>>Plunder his mind. You need to know
Have Howa step inside, if it looks like trouble she severs the finger off.

>>46689850
>Plunder his mind. You need to know

>>46689850
>>Plunder his mind. You need to know
Bring Howa in case things go wrong, she can separate us from him if need be. Try to get him and us to focus in exactly what we want, in this case names of the infiltrators.

>>46689850
>Take his finger. If he dies, he dies

>>46689850
>>Plunder his mind. You need to know
No matter what, he's good as dead, might as well get whatever we can out him.
>inb4 roll for sanity

>>46689890
No don't remove the ring while Ira and Nameless's minds are connected.

It's no use talking with this slime, he'll just dance around whatever question you ask and waste your time. If you want answers, you're going to need to take them by force. Even so, you don't want to go in without taking precautions. Rapping your knuckles against the cell door, you call Howa inside. You need her to keep watch, you tell her, and to keep an eye on things. If it looks like you're in trouble, she should try to separate you and the prisoner. If that doesn't work...

“Yes?” Howa presses, glancing between you and Saku. It's hard to read her face – it keeps switching between nervous concern and absolute disgust, depending on who her eyes have fallen upon. “If that doesn't work, then what?”

You slip a small knife from your belt and hold it out to her, grip first. Take his finger, you tell her coldly, but only as a last resort. There's no way of knowing how it would effect either of you, not that you're particularly concerned about him – if he dies, he dies.

“You're taking a risk, you know,” Saku remarks flippantly as you move behind him, preparing to grip his flesh, “Even I don't know what you'll find in there.”

That's fine, you grunt, you're about to find out. Closing your eyes, you focus your mind as best you can on the questions you most need answered. Names, you think to yourself, you need the names of anyone who has infiltrated the Nameless Temple. If you can get anything related to the military, that's only a bonus.

Time to get started. Taking a deep breath, you call up Zulathoon's hideous visage and close your hands around Saku's face.

The world around you drops away.

>Please roll 1D100, aiming to beat 60, 80 or 90. I'll take the highest of the first three!

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Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>46690107
Fuck me. Here we go.

Rolled 23 (1d100)

>>46690107

Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>46690107

Rolled 10 (1d100)

>>46690107

Rolled 27 (1d100)

>>46690107
Pretty sure this dude actually wants to die. He's done nothing but talk about how horrible a person he is/probably was.

>>46690154
>>46690164
>>46690184
Lowest tier success is still a success. At least we didn't fail. Probably won't get much though.

>>46690207
Maybe we'll get a dubs bonus? Cause we're numerically focused?

Falling. That's the closest comparison you can make. Falling for a very long time, without ever seeming to go anywhere. Gradually – or perhaps quickly – the world is replaced by a blank and featureless expanse of white. When, finally, the sensation of falling fades away to nothing, a single blemish appears in the white void. It's not much of an improvement – a featureless black void, instead, one that takes the rough shape of a man.

“I did warn you,” the void says, some indescribable aspect of its posture suggesting a great and terrible humour, “Well, I don't blame you – I'd be the same, in your position. Never really was able to resist my urges, especially when it came to satisfying my curiosity. One of the advantages of being able to wear whatever face I liked, I could always indulge in little experiments. Tugging on the ties that bind people, and seeing how quickly they can collapse.”

Saku. This is... not like you were expecting. You thought you'd be reading his memories, not speaking with the man himself.

“Interesting, isn't it?” Saku chuckles, “I have a theory about that, actually. I think this might actually be my imagination, not my memory. I have a lot of trouble with my memory, you see – I think this ring of mine punched a hole right through it. Now, the things I remember... they're more like dreams or fantasies, and I can't quite say which is which. Did I really do something, or did I just imagine doing it? Day to day life is quite difficult, as you can probably guess. Ah, but we all have our little difficulties, don't we Ira? We live our lives the best we can regardless.”

[1/2]

>>46690426

He's corrupted, you decide silently, ruined beyond all hope of redemption by the sorcery used to make him what he is. The Mentor was right, you realise with a bitter sting, sorcery does deserve to be struck from history. So, you ask as you turn your attention to Saku, what happens now?

“Now?” Saku's echoing voice is light, “I try to kill you, I suppose. Who knows what you might learn if I don't!”

Then he falls upon you, his shade vanishing and reappearing in the blink of an eye. Formless black paws close around your throat as the phantom drives you down into the featureless white, pressing down on your throat. You bring your own hands up to the approximation of a neck, feeling some faint substance beneath your grip. As you touch him, you feel... vague stirrings in your mind. Answers, perhaps, but ones you'll need to wrestle from him.

You expected to rip them out of him. You didn't think it would be so literal. Snarling, you throw all your effort into the struggle. You don't know what might happen if he overpowers you, but you know that it would be nothing good. Physical combat or not, this is a life or death struggle regardless.

>Please roll 1D100, aiming to beat 50, 80 or 90. I'll take the highest of the first three, once more.

Rolled 58 (1d100)

>>46690464
Can we use spells?

>>46690470

>Not in this case, no.

File: 1456926705784.png (228 KB, 599x770)

228 KB PNG

Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>46690464

Rolled 45 (1d100)

>>46690464

>>46690470
>>46690509
>>46690508
Lowest tier success again. At least we are hanging in there I suppose.

>>46690464
> [Water] Guiding the Flow

Can we use other magic while doing this?

>>46690629

>Unfortunately, we can't. Our control over things is greatly reduced, here.

>>46690660
Whomp whomp.

You can see the answers there in your mind, taunting you with the information they promise.

You just can't reach them.

It's hard to describe just how infuriating this fight is. In a normal fight – a good, honest physical test of skill – you could snap Saku in half in an instant. Now though, in the morass of his diseased mind, you can't get any kind of advantage over him. His form is sinuous, evading any attempt at overpowering it you can make and returning with double the strength. It's all you can do to hold him off, keeping him from drowning out your own thoughts with his sick influence. With a final desperate force of will, you put all your effort into throwing him back.

The search for answers is cast aside and abandoned, replaced by the simple struggle for survival. This, at least, is something you can handle. Pouring all your effort into something you can't quite describe – like flexing a muscle you didn't know you had – you feel yourself falling back.

You hit your head on the wall behind you - a bruised skull never felt so good. The awful white persists for a second more, filling your vision with it, but that too fades as you retreat to the chaos of the real world. Someone is crying out, and another voice has lowered to a wet gurgle. Blurry shapes gradually take a semblance of form. Saku, still bound to his chair, is jerking back and forth in a wild and uncontrolled seizure, that strangled gasping escaping him.

Before you've quite got control over your muscles, you feel someone struggling to lift you up. Howa, you realise, although she herself is almost falling over. As you finally take your own weight, Saku's struggles cease. One final noise escapes him, but this is one you can recognised – a twisted laugh, sighing out of him as he dies.

[1/2]

>>46690758

“And you're definitely okay?” Howa asks, for what might be the tenth time since you dragged your mind from the trap Saku had laid for you, “You're really, definitely okay?”

You're okay, you tell her once more, but you couldn't learn anything from him. His mind was a horror, something blighted by sorcery, and you were lucky to escape with your own mind intact. You don't mention that, of course, for fear of worrying her even more. She probably realises it for herself but as long as you don't mention it, neither does she.

“Forget learning things, I'm just glad you're alive!” Howa sighs, reaching across the table to prise the cup of whisky from your hands, “I suppose this solves one question, though. We don't need to decide what to do with him, now.”

A few hours have passed, and the one good result of your struggle was that it ended in Saku's death. Although his body had no marks on it, the life had been chased from it by that last, frightful seizure. It's still bound to the chair though, for fear of it springing to life once more perhaps. It's more than the bastard deserved, you mutter.

“Don't blame yourself,” Howa insists, taking a small sip of the fiery spirit and wincing, “I don't think any of us could have fared any better. I mean, none of knew what would happen – I'm still not sure what happened! Just... focus on the positives. You're alive, and he isn't. This has taken a very dangerous weapon away from our enemies. That's worth it, isn't it?”

True, you admit, but shooting him would have been easier.

“Saves us a bullet,” Howa remarks, forcing a smile and handing back the cup, “What now?”

>The ring. We need to decide what to do
>The kitchen staff might be compromised. We need to investigate them
>I'm going for a walk. I need to clear my head
>Other

>>46690911
>The ring. We need to decide what to do
Mentor said that extreme heat could destroy it right? Do we have a forge here?

As for the kitchen staff, that could be something he said to get under our skin. We shouldn't start a witch hunt off of that. It's not good info.

>>46690911
>>The ring. We need to decide what to do
>>The kitchen staff might be compromised. We need to investigate them

>>46690911
>>The ring. We need to decide what to doWho knows who might take the ring and use it.

>Something has come up, I'm afraid, and I'll need to end things pretty soon. I'll finish up with the next post though. I'm very sorry about this.

>>46690911
>>The ring. We need to decide what to do
Melt that shit.

>>46691012
It's cool man. Shit happens.

>>46691012
Take care of yourself, boss man.

The ring, you state plainly, you need to figure out what to do with it. Where is it, you ask as an afterthought, still on the body?

Grimacing, Howa takes a small cotton bag – the drab fabric stained dark red in places – and places it down on the table without comment. Taking it, you drop it into a deep pocket and finish the last of the whisky. You'll talk to the Mentor about it, you promise, and see if he has any idea of where best to melt this ring down.

“Ira?” Howa asks as you're rising to your feet, “It was close, today. Too close.”

Too close, you agree as you lean down to kiss her cheek, but you survived.

“This time,” she murmurs, “What about the next time?”

You can't answer that.

>As I said, I'll have to finish things here. I can't stick around today, but I should have the next thread up on Sunday as usual. Thanks for your cooperation.

>>46691080
Thanks for running Moloch.

>>46691080
Take it easy

>>46691080
See you Moloch.

>>46691080
Thanks for running!