>>2871228
>>Enter the void.
There's no other choice.

They stepped into the nothingness, sucked within the depths of the portal, the scent of cephalopods strong within.

It is said that the outworlds of the Old Lost Ones were a labyrinthian complex of nonexistent existences, borne entirely of collective desires to "be."

As a result, they were unstable, and created themselves based on the viewer in most cases, or an almagam of the viewer and those already within. In the case of this particular Outworld - the Realm of the Hungerer - it appeared that it was full of nothing but teeth, and they were within the stomach of a great, eternally starving beast, emaciated within and without.

They were standing on a fleshy platform, formed of tissue and blood. Thaelasan lifted his boot, sighing.

"Why can't outrealm excursions be a bit more... palatable?" he joked, sighing.

Flora giggled.

"That was on purpose, was it not?" she asked.

"Of course. But Guraldamash must remain dead." Thaelasan began to walk forward, his footsteps making soft, squishy noises. It disgusted him. Then, he began to run, and Flora followed him as they began to quickly dash forward.

Deep within, through several twists and turns, they could hear the chanting - the eldritch words. It was obvious the ritual had been going on for a while now. Waiting for Neil had wasted some valuable time and he wasn't even able to help them much. However, they had helped him find the house rather quickly.

They proceeded through the catacombs until they finally came upon an alcove, where a row of teeth was all that separated them from the coven of Old Lost One cultists currently committing a forbidden ritual. Thaelasan and Flora peaked over the fangs to see a man - presumably Wes - tied to a table and with his shirt removed. His head was currently covered by a bag. His hands and legs were bound to the outsides of the table by what looked to be fleshy tendrils formed of the very material they were standing on.

"Feed the master... give unto him flesh... give unto him blood.. give unto him form... May he return..." the cultists chanted, one of them reaching into a bag for something.

Whatever it is, it couldn't be good. Thaelasan turned to Flora.

>Leap over the fangs, weapons bared, dragon form active, and attack the cultists. (Angelic. Requires roll.)
>Sneak around to a better position hurriedly.
>Flank them from two different sides and surprise them.
>Teleport into the center of the ritual and attack them from there. (Roll.)

>>2872421
>Teleport into the center of the ritual and attack them from there.

Rolled 51 (1d100)

There was a slight noise as Thaelasan created a quick portal for both himself and Flora into the center of the room, and then a tumult as they laid an assault upon the group of four. Thaelasan's sword came down upon one, slashing deep into him. Another ran to accost him, the surprise of their teleportation lost, but Flora cast a paralyzing spell and the man fell to the ground, trying to move.

The one who had been reaching into the bag now revealed a dagger and dashed at them both alongside his compatriot. Flora kicked one of them in the shin so that Thaelasan could bring them down with another slam of the haft of his spear.

The final one was upon him now, weapon bared. Flora left the choice of his fate to Thaelasan...

>Kill him. He made his choice when he decided to align with dark gods. (Angelic.)
>Spare him. He might have information.

>>2874333
>Spare him. He might have information

Flora headbutted the man quickly from behind and grabbed his arm, twisting it to force him to drop the dagger and shoving him to the ground. She held him in thrall, furious.

"You will not harm him." she stated firmly, her tone severe. "Not while I draw breath."

Thaelasan waited a long moment while she gazed at the man, and then she realized that the mage was staring at her.

"What?" she asked Thael, confused.

"Er... nothing.. Just didn't expect such aggression, I suppose." he admitted, stepping forward. "Alright, cultist, you know how this goes: you divulge useful information, you might live. Or at least die mercifully."

"You are the god killer.. you are the murderer... He spoke to me... showed me visions of you... Told me of the truth!" the man shouted, resisting Flora's grip. "You're a heretic! Van'Sogoth is our true lord! In his realm, all shall be reborn, powerful and immortal!"

Thaelasan turned to Flora. She actually proceeded to wince HERSELF as she wrenched the man's arm further from his body. There was a sickening pop and the man screamed.

"Flora, don't link to him." Thaelasan said firmly, worried. "He doesn't deserve your empathy."

"It is hard to remember when to turn it on and off." she explained, frowning. "I am so used to being able to simply do it to anyone. Now I must remember if I am going to HURT them, I probably should not do it, correct?"

"I'm just surprised you're actually doing this." Thaelasan said, walking around the cultist. He grabbed the dagger from the floor and held it up, frowning.

>Threaten to use the dagger on the cultist. (Intimidation Roll.)
>Rough up the cultist.
>Use a mental spell to access the cultist's memories forcefully. (Angelic. Intelligence roll.)
>Use the dagger on the cultist. (Demonic.)
>Examine the area.
>Free the man.

>>2876663
>Use a mental spell to access the cultist's memories forcefully

Rolled 8 (1d100)

Thaelasan placed a hand upon the man's forehead and immediately retaliated in slight pain, a spark leaping from the cultist's skull into Thaelasan's palm.

"Hah! He promised protection from your foul magic, God Killer." the cultist spat, still trying to break free of Flora's grasp. "I will NEVER yield to you!"

Thaelasan waved his hand to ease some of the burning pain coming from his palm. It wasn't a curse he didn't think. But it was definitely a ward. With a lot of work, he could probably break it. He looked at Flora for advice but Flora apparently was having an equally hard time reading the man's memories.

>Attempt to break the ward. (Angelic. Intelligence Roll.)
>Rough up the cultist.
>Threaten to use the dagger on the cultist. (Intimidation roll.)
>Use the dagger on the cultist. (Demonic.)
>Examine the area.
>Free the man.

>>2877146
>Threaten to use the dagger on the cultist

Thaelasan gave Flora a quick look and then grasped the hilt of the dagger firmly, holding it extended towards the cultist.

"I would ask where you found an eldritch weapon such as this but did you know it has more than one use?" Thaelasan asked, throwing the dagger between his hands. "If used to sacrifice, it empowers. But if used to kill, it condemns."

"...You lie." the man stated firmly after a moment. "My god knows you lie. He told me of your deceit."

"You can believe what you want. I can't control that. However, I'm the one with the knife." Thaelasan held it in front of the man's face, frowning. "And if I can kill a god, what do you think I'll do to you?"

The man resisted a moment, then began to relax, reluctant.

"If I speak, he will hunt me. He swore to me eternal punishment if I ever turned upon him, worse than anything you could inflict." the cultist admitted, horrified. "Do you not see? He is the true master. He can take everything, give anything. You simply have to serve."

Thaelasan had heard those words many times. He sighed.

"What is power if you have to follow someone else's path to use it?" he asked. "Just tell me - where's Wes?"

"The boy? Child of the sailor? The perfect offering? A hungering soul?" the cultist asked, grinning. "But you see him before you! Are you stupid?"

"So that's why you took him." Thaelasan smiled.

The cultist realized his mistake and hissed.

>Examine the area.
>Free the man.

>>2877206
What does it mean? The cultist is Wes?

(( No. Wes is the man on the table. He was taken because he was a 'hungering soul.' ))

>>2877206
>Examine the area

It appeared that the cultists had decided to do their ritual near the edge of what only could be described as a descent into a stomach. Boiling, light-green liquid flowed below them, into a tunnel that probably led into a digestive tract, eternally hungering.

"Wait a minute..." Thaelasan said after a moment, turning back to the cultist. Don't tell me we're..."

"Within.. the stomach.... of the great one... his domain could be no where else..."

"Of course... this is where they would be sent when they were eaten." Thaelasan concluded, pondering. "But how could his realm survive if he's dead?.... Not that it matters much... The only way into it now would be through portals.... Which reminds me..."

He turned to the man and crossed his arms, the knife still clutched in his hands.

"Where did you learn to make portals, especially of such high quality?" Thaelasan asked.

"I owe you no explanations! Kill me if you wish! Nothing you do could equal the suffering He could inflict upon me!"

"Right right..." Thaelasan waved the man down.

"He speaks much for one in such a bad situation." Flora commented, shrugging.

"That's normally how zealots are." Thaelasan replied, giving another look around.

He noticed a shining object on the ground near the edge of the cliff.

>Take the object.
>Free the man.

>>2878768
>Free the man

Thaelasan stepped over to the table where Wes lay, breathing heavily under the mask. Thaelasan removed the bag over his head first, then began working to remove the restraints.

"Whe... Where am I?" Wes asked as he looked around, still visibly shaken. "One moment, I'm fishin'..."

"The next, bound and bagged?" Thaelasan asked, undoing one of the straps as he spoke. "Well, fortunately for you, we found you before they offered your soul to Guraldamash's resurrection."

"What?" Wes asked, rubbing his freed wrists as Thaelasan worked on undoing his feet.

"That, and most mortals never lay eyes on the domains of gods, so take in the scenery while you can." Thaelasan joked, stepping back as the man eased his way onto the ground. It squelched under his bare feet. He grimaced.

"These the ones who brought me here?" Wes asked, gesturing to the bodies.

"Yes." Flora said from where she held the leader still in thrall. "And this is the one who led them."

"Thanks for tellin' me." Wes said, walking up nonchalantly to the leader. He rammed a fist into the man's stomach with great force, knocking the wind out of him. Wes then rubbed his knuckles.

"That's for the one ya gave me." Wes stated flatly, spitting. "And I'm definitely tougher than you, so I hope it hurt worse."

"Feel better?" Thaelasan asked.

"Much. How do we leave?" Wes asked, looking around.

"Through portals. But I'm going to go close off other weak points to this dimension to prevent further chances of this happening again." Thaelasan said, waving his hand. A gateway appeared to his right, leading back to Lan.

Wes nodded, then walked through the portal, leaving them behind. As Les had said, he didn't seem to be one for conversation. He just gathered his information and did what he needed.

"Flora." Thaelasan gestured at the cultist.

Flora obliged, channeling a spell into the man's body. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

"What do you wish to do about them?" Flora asked, gesturing to all the unconscious cultists.

>Bind them up and hand them over to the Lan authorities. (Angelic.)
>Kill them where they lay so they can cause no further damage. (Demonic.)
>Tie them up and cast them out on the boat in the Sea of Madness. If they like Old Lost Ones so much, maybe they'll enjoy a nice, scenic ride?
>Teleport them to the prison in the human empire. Maximum security. And no one checks down there anyway since Thaniel came over.
>Teleport them to a punishment realm. The Detention Dimension.

>>2881031
>Tie them up and cast them out on the boat in the Sea of Madness

"We'll send them out on a boat, to the Sea of Madness. If they love their Old Lost Ones so much, surely they'll love the sea tied to them?"

Thaelasan wiggled his fingers. Each of the cultists flew into the air from where they lay. He wiggled his fingers again, and a rift in reality was created.

"You can handle that part of it, correct?" Thaelasan asked Flora.

She nodded, taking the reins from him with a spell of her own and moving them through the portal. As she stepped over the threshold herself, she looked back at him.

"Do not tarry long." she instructed. "I will wait for you at the home of Neil."

He waved as she left, then turned back to the void where he had been left.. alone.
And this meant the voices could be heard again.

>Examine the area.
>Begin the ritual.
>Examine the object from earlier.

>>2883192
>Begin the ritual.

File: tegaki.png (43 KB, 600x600)

43 KB PNG

"So, mortal, you didn't take the opportunity to kill them yet again? You're such a purist. Why did I have to be stuck in the head of this pathetic wretch? Your portals could have been put to such better use..." Saglok muttered, his voice full of spite. "Easily converted to actions of kindness with no repayment. You'll spiral down, be taken advantage of, become the pawn of your greaters."

"Silence, Saglok." Miras said firmly. "You have failed. He cannot be corrupted. His heart belongs to the Goddess and to the Light. Your hate and anger have no presence here."

"Curse you..." Saglok spat. "I will rise again.. no matter what cage you confine me to, I will see fire burn this world, I will see it remade in the image of a warlord. If I could not have the plane of immortals, then I will take this one instead."

"Not so long as I live, you won't." Thaelasan thought harshly at him. "Flora loves these people - loves this planet. I brought her here and I will not allow you to take it from her, or me."

He continued the spell, each crack in the dimension beginning to close as the sounds of the churning acid below him bubbled strongly.

"Why does this realm mean so much to you? Both the humans and elves have cast you out, haven't they?" Saglok said. "Did they not spit on you? Curse you? Call you a traitor? Why should you owe any loyalty to those who feared you? What do they have to offer but blades and pain? You are an EXILE."

Thaelasan didn't respond. He walked over to the next part of the room. focusing on the spell in his mind.

"Gah! USELESS. Both of you are weak-willed, clinging to thoughts of PEACE and JUSTICE, when all that ever brings is domestication and self-satisfaction, morals a judge one's own worth! To believe yourself in the right is mere, narcissistic self-validation! You're far more arrogant than I could EVER be!"

"ENOUGH, Saglok!" Miras commanded.

"You can't stop me, winged bastard! So long as we're bound here, I can at least speak my mind!" Saglok shouted, actually causing Thaelasan to wince.

"In the end, who is truly right? Those cultists loved their god, and you spat upon them! Their religion was dear to them, and you killed THEIR god? What makes their god so evil compared to yours? Do yours even SPEAK to you?" Saglok said. "So theirs does, and he's obviously twisted!? A life for a life! The deaths of mortals are for a god to choose to begin with! If they retaliate, are they not blasphemers!?"

He cursed, appearing before Thaelasan as a visage, and it was a frightening one.

A burning warlord, covered in bloody armor, wielding an axe of brutal might. His muscles were barely contained by the plate metal that was tied around them. A helmet adorned his skull similar to Miras', but far less angelic. Horns pierced its surface and from the bottom of his chin.

"You... you have no idea the yoke you're choosing to bear..." Saglok said, moving around Thaelasan, gesturing with his free hand.

"What I offer... is freedom. Freedom of claiming what is rightfully yours, mage." the demon whispered, flames crackling from his shade. "Don't you get it? If you do things for others, they will merely begin to EXPECT it from you! They will depend upon you more and more, becoming weak! They will want for nothing and you will suffer for it! That is how I fell!"

Miras appeared before Thaelasan now, the golden light shining in contrast to the flames of the fallen angel.

"You did not fall because of dependence from mortals, Saglok. You fell because you sought the Archstone, and you sought it for yourself, not for anyone else, and certainly not for pity." Miras said firmly, swinging his blade. "You wanted more and more power, and when the power of the Seraphim was not enough, you sought the power of our Creator. That was your sin, not your right."

"Was it not the Archstone that the demons desired?! Why were we not allowed to use it to cut them down!? Why was I condemned for using it to save us all!?" Saglok screamed, baring his axe. "Its power would have-"

"Its power CORRUPTS, Saglok! You merely touched it, and it gave you a form representing your avarice! It was not the Creator who condemned you. It was your own soul!" Miras replied fiercely. "You were judged by the stone to be unworthy. None of us had the right to bear it! It was our duty to defend it! Not to abuse it!"

"Then why was it made in the first place?! We were told what to do, never told why!" Saglok walked around Thaelasan, his fire growing. "This is why kindness and justice will only fail you. You will never be answered. Only expected to obey! To follow rules you will never understand! Laws you will be expected to follow til you fall on the field and rise again, never to be free! The day I fell... was the day I earned my freedom, and yet you would not let me go!"

"Because you were my BROTHER, Saglok!" Miras said, almost pleadingly. "I would have gladly done anything for you, protected you, fought with you. The days I battled alongside you were my proudest moments. None of my generals could ever compare to you! You and I were the strongest of our ranks! When you chose this path, I... I still believed you could be redeemed!"

"Redeemed? Brought back to a path of servitude? Why do you want to return me to his prison?" Saglok bore his axe in a single hand, pointing at Miras. Thaelasa followed the gesture, his work already completed. Now he merely wished to listen.

"It was not a prison! It was our field of honor! To fight in our Creator's name, to rise again, to fight again, forever!" Miras held up his blade proudly. "Her love was sacred!"

"Her? We don't even know if it was a him or her?! Or even an 'it'?" Saglok almost laughed, lowering his axe. "This argument will lead nowhere. I will not return to 'its' side, never again, not until I am given answers."

"Saglok, the greatest faith is the one that you hold even when you're uncertain." Miras lowered his own blade, sorrowful.

The two were silent for a long while, appraising each other.
Thaelasan stared at them both, pondering.

>Agree with Miras. Though one should never obey blindly, hope is always a powerful force.
>Agree with Saglok. Questioning authority - be it god or man - is a force of change. Though you are unsure if you agree with his desire to bring war...
>Do not side with either.
>Write in.

((Forgot to add)

>Ask about the Archstone.
>Ask about the Creator.
>Ask them about their home.

>>2883238
>Agree with Saglok. Questioning authority - be it god or man - is a force of change. Though you are unsure if you agree with his desire to bring war...

"...I have to say in this instance, I can see from Saglok's point of view.." Thaelasan admitted.

"HAH! See, Miras!? The mage understands!" Saglok said, turning to Thaelasan. "So, then you'll turn-"

"No."

"What?" Saglok asked.

"I will not bring wanton destruction to a reality simply to bring about a system of survivalism or war-dependence. I promised Flora I would not do that, for starters. But for another... I never had a wish to see death or destruction. Your reasoning is acceptable. But your way of doing it is abhorrent."

"Then what do you propose, Mage?!" Saglok held out both arms, expecting an answer. "If you do things for those in power, you are merely serving them! So how else do you expect to alter the way of things!? Do you just naively hope that everyone will see the world as you do? Serve themselves? You're a fool."

"No. I swore to Miras I would change the world-"
"You promised. You PROMISED. YOU PROMISED?" Saglok repeatedly mockingly. "What are you, a child?! Promises mean NOTHING! A promise is what I was given when I was born, a promise of ANSWERS. A promise of EXISTENCE! Broken and shattered, it was an empty vow!"

Thaelasan stood, hands by his sides.

"Then I will show you through my own means. I will challenge authority without violence. I will question this world's kings and queens without murdering innocent lives. I will resolve all of this, defeat the Old Lost One, and betray none. If you wish for a promise, Saglok, one you can believe in... then believe in that one."

Miras crossed his arms thoughtfully. He'd been silent the entire time, almost musing.

"You propose to do what I could not for my brother. Yet, I am uncertain." Miras replied, almost uncomfortable. "I have always believed in my Creator, always believed in their words. Never once did I waver. Yet when Saglok was corrupted... I was ordered to kill him."

"Ordered?" Saglok was actually intrigued, turning slightly towards Miras. "You mean..."

"It was not my wish to see you dead, Saglok. I never enjoyed facing you." Miras said, his voice solemn. "I was merely instructed by Her Will. The first day I had heard her voice in centuries... was to slay you."

Saglok's face actually seemed to fall in that instant.

"But.. you..."

"I never wanted to kill you." Miras repeated.

There was a long silence. Thaelasan stood between them, looking at each of them in turn.

>Ask them about the Archstone.
>Ask them about their Creator.
>Ask them about their Home.
>Try to help them amend their differences. (Persuasion roll.)
>Allow them to have their silence, and then return to Flora.

>Try to help them amend their differences. (Persuasion roll.)

Rolled 70 (1d100)

"Then we are resolved." Thaelasan said firmly.

They both looked down at him, and in that instant, he realized they had needed something like this far before... He swallowed a moment, then shook his head.

"You both chose your paths but you once walked the same one. Saglok, you once stepped in the path of a holy warrior and yet a moment of wavering led to you deciding that the best option was to turn upon your Creator and show your people that she or he was wrong."

Saglok nodded, actually silent.

"But did you ever take joy in slaughtering your own kind? You, like me, were turned upon by your brothers and sisters, cast out, and hunted. But unlike me, you turned back upon them with vengeance and spite."

Saglok turned back to Miras, despondent. The flames around him were weakening.

"But this is not the way. There are far, greater evils on the edge of the universe. I have seen them. I have witnessed them. And you watched me face them. Turning on each other solves nothing, not now, nor ever." Thaelasan waved his hand fiercely. "You have both been a pair of idiots. One who turned upon his own brother because he was commanded to, the other turning upon his own kind because he didn't want to listen. And look where you've ended up - the head of an apparently lunatic archmage. No one wanted this, at least, not at first, but I feel this was destined by some mad god."

He sighed.

"Saglok, I can prove to you that war should never be the final answer, but Miras, I'm going to have to show you that some leaders must be questioned. I still wish to save everyone but I will need the power to do it, and in return - I will find a way to free you both."

"No!" Miras said, but then went silent. "For if you do so... I will no longer be able to speak to Saglok... I will be forced to face him again."

"By whom?" Thaelasan asked, stepping forward. "Your Creator has no power in this reality, and to be frank, even I question her now. She forced you to turn on one you loved as blood, and made him hate you. What mother would do that to their children, even as punishment?"

Miras was quiet once more, and then shook his head.

"You are right... Saglok deserves to be freed, just as much as I wish to be. But..."

"I won't promise I accept any of this, Miras." Saglok said. "But should this mage prove his word, then... I will see things a bit differently."

With that, the both of them vanished back into Thaelasan's mind, seemingly at peace.

(( Saglok's (Demonic) options are currently removed as a result of this agreement. His powers will now fall under (Judgement) instead. ))

>Return to Flora.
>Take the Object from earlier.

>Take the Object from earlier.

Thaelasan walked over to the object and began to look it over, concerned. He gazed down upon it, and discovered..

>A precious gem, probably dropped by one of the cultist. It shines with a beautiful, azure light. Flora might like it.
>An egg, undescribable and definitely not edible. It appears not of this world.
>A fang of Guraldamash, broken from its bindings. A powerful relic to be sure, but did he really want to use it?...

>>2886221
>An egg, undescribable and definitely not edible. It appears not of this world

There was a slight change in the air as Thaelasan knelt down and clutched the warm, yet strange egg, within his hands. He struggled for a moment as he stumbled backward - not from the weight but from the weight he had expected. It was almost weightless.

But not only that. He felt memories surge within his brain - memories he was sure were not his.

A world, clutched in the maw of the Great Hungerer. Thousands of lives consumed, screaming, in an instant, as darkness overtook them. A stomach, ever starving, taking them gladly to feast upon. A single life, unborn, spared from the devastation. One egg, now clutched within his hands.

He knew these emotions now. In a single moment, the egg had conveyed to him his plight. Rather than leave it here, he felt he should take it with him.

It wasn't too large, after all. It was half the size of his head, covered in dark swirls mixed with white. It was definitely warm to the touch. He wondered how long it had been down here. It had only narrowly escaped falling into the abyss below. A few more inches, and the last, known survivor of a world would have been devoured alongside the rest of its people.

He opened the satchel around his shoulders and placed it among the scrolls and potions he kept within it, putting it among his other, very important items. This he had come to call his "most important" bag. Everything that had value to him - besides Flora of course - was always in here. The final research notes regarding his portal technology for instance.

This bag never left his sight, for many reasons. Not even to sleep.

He looked back at the stomach of the hungerer and spat within the fluid below, shouldering his bag a bit better as he did so.

"May that be the last thing you taste, beast." he stated, and he opened one, last portal within Guraldamash's realm.

When he left, it once again returned to quiet.

-----

"You took quite some time. Are you all right?" Flora asked as he approached, watching her work.

The boat had already been cast out into the Sea. Its occupants seemed to be awaking to their current predicament and were struggling to get free of their bonds. Flora and Thaelasan could hear their cursing from where they stood.

"So?" she asked again, turning to him. "What took you so long?"

He had sworn not to lie to her again.

"The voices in my head seem to have come to some sort of agreement for now, thankfully.." Thaelasan began, coughing. "Their names are Saglok and Miras, from what I can gather. Goodness, before now, they were always shouting whenever I could hear them. Now, they're quite passable in conversation. As for the other thing..."

He reached within his bag and retrieved the egg, allowing her to gaze upon it. She was fascinated immediately with its exterior and he held it to her.

She took it, and seemed to feel the same way he did when he grasped it.

"Have you considered what to do with it yet?" she asked, looking it over. "It is very special. I feel it."

>You decide to raise it. You found it. It's your egg now. Who else could you trust with it?
>Offer it to one of your old friends in the mage guild. Certainly they could find out what it's from or what it could be.
>Ask Flora. Raising an egg is a very big decision, and you feel you should share the decision with her.

>>2888362
>You decide to raise it. You found it. It's your egg now. Who else could you trust with it?