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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qftQtT5aTws

Meat hooks dangling down from the ceiling and holding people who were kept alive by some sort of magic, elves being broken into wheels, men and women having their skin peeled off, exposing their entrails for the world to see, gierig being poked by glowing hot needles, nails being removed from fingers and toes by having wedges hammered under them.
These were but a few of the horrid tortures that were going on right now...
The screams of these poor wretches will not leave you for a while, that's for sure. Maybe never.

Looking to the right you saw a massive mound of broken flesh and bones towering over you. Whatever remains are in there they are entirely and utterly unrecognizable. Only one thing was for sure: Not even their bones were spared of... this.

Walking over to it, you sized up the pile of waste and found yourself unable to make out almost anything in the homogeneous mess that the bodies of these people have become... safe for one thing.
A small, white skull resting at the base of it. Probably rolled off from the top.
Looking at it you see that it's much smaller than yours.
You feel your heart sinking into your bowels.

"It's quite amazing, isn't it?"
You hear a voice coming from behind you but you have trouble making it out, your mind is too clouded.
"We managed to build this entire thing right under the empires nose... a sacrificial chamber on a scale unseen before.
We bring the homeless here, extract anything useful we can out of them, then proceed to breaking them."

From behind the male voice a female one can be heard groaning as she struggles to her feet.
"What the fuck was that?!"

"Oh sorry Jezz, I almost forgot about you.
You see our friend Simon has been hiding quite a secret from us.
He is a culter just like me."

"The fuck?"

"So Simon...
Impressed yet?"

>...Why?
>Are you all-
>I am nothing like you!
>Other? (write-in)

>>3052573
>...Yes.
>But... how?
Stay calm. Play off your shock as, well, actual shock. I doubt he'd be surprised if we were impressed into laconism. We absolutely can't afford to give the game away at this point.

What are culters exactly in this setting? I'm assuming they're basically cults that dedicate sacrifices towards some chosen god or demon out of many in the hope of gaining their favor?

>>3052603
>What are culters exactly in this setting? I'm assuming they're basically cults that dedicate sacrifices towards some chosen god or demon out of many in the hope of gaining their favor?
If that is the case, then we technically would be one because of the contract we were tricked into with the joker god.

>>3052603
Culter is a technical term for anyone worshipping a god OTHER than the Dead God.

>>3052616
And that trick is the only reason you are not currently bound to these guys

>>3052573
>>3052603 +1

>>3052618
So we are technically a culter, which is a technical term.
>>3052623
>Joker/Tzeentch-looking god, good guy or bad guy?

>>3052618
Oh. Well. In that case, we don't even have to pretend to be something that we're not, just hide our revulsion until we can take them down. Hopefully, find out which god he's worshiping too.

Thanks, Ciel. We now know for sure you aren't a figment of our junked-up imagination.

>>3052626
You'll have to decide that yourself I'm afraid

>>3052632
>Thanks, Ciel. We now know for sure you aren't a figment of our junked-up imagination.
>>3052633
Should we consume demon orbs the next chance we get?
What was Simon/the QMC's (I think Ezekiel?) rating of the experience?

>>3052647

If you weren't here, it caused quite a bit of confusion among the players.
And Zsold found it maddening as heck

Also
>writing

Something came up.
Have to disappear for a few minutes.

So the update will be delayed a bit

phew I'm back.

Sorry but I had to go annd quickly grab my dinner.
Back in full swing

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You slowly feel yourself being wrenched back into reality as you hear the chatter going on around you.
Looking at the little skull you reach down and make it stand upright before turning back to them.

Staring at the boss you turn until your right side faces them and without them noticing you reach for the sword on your left side.
Slowly pulling it free just a bit you grip tightly on the exposed blade and allow the pain of steel digging into your flesh to grant you focus.
"Yes..."

The boss lets out a big smile.
"I had a feeling you'd be capable of appreciating it.
I was a bit worried there that I couldn't ensure your silence with a contract and would have to resort to threatening you but I see it's not necessary. Any particular things that interest you?"

You look around and try to take in the sheer scope of the place.
This was not a natural extension of the sewer system, rather something they themselves dug into the stonework.
Clearly a lot of time and effort was put into this. Makes you wonder just how long they've been in operation.

"Just the matter of how you managed to do... all this."

"Well it wasn't exactly easy.
Before we had this place ready we couldn't really do any large scale sacrifices. Had to do them the old fashion way while our little family was still growing. But slowly we expanded until we could perform at an industrial scale.
In the end it was all worth it... we are making more progress in a day than we did in a year."
The boss then let out half of a snicker.
"Even if we had to make most people who worked on it disappear!"

The atrocities that these people perform are truly sickening, to the point where you can no longer tolerate it and feel the need to take a step back. Gripping harder and harder on your sword just to not loose your mind you made your way to Jez.
"And you are in this too?"

"You askin' me if I'm a culter? No.
Most of us aren't. In fact you might be the first culter we recruited.
The rest just sort of... picked up on it. And the rest are in it for just the money. It's good money though."

"I see..."

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5ATuxUnKqc

The boss then started going deeper into the facility and urged you to follow him.
Not feeling suicidal you decided not to go against his wishes.

"Come! Come! I want to show things off!
It's not oft that I encounter a fellow with a... similar taste to mine."

As you went further in you saw the soon to be victims of this madhouse blindfolded and herded into holding pens.
Poor sods are probably aware of what's going to happen to them... but they couldn't possibly imagine just how bad they'll have it.

"We have a strict code to follow.
Any and all individuals with some magical affinity are given a more... personal treatment.
As they are exposed to stress their bodies begin to produce aether which we then tap.
Once they... expire and we can no longer extract anything from them we cut out their glands and throw them into the juices.
Here, lemme show you!"

He took you to a large platform with dozens of sealed barrels and he lifted the lid on one of them.
You saw the container filled to the brim with raw, liquid aether and even saw some glands floating to the surface.

"We have some... premium clientele who pay good coin for these.
Sometimes we even trade it for some rare resources, like demons blood."

"And the rest?"
You ask him.

"The rest? They get the standard treatment.
We break them again and again... if they start growing accustomed to the procedure we shift to breaking their minds... so they can feel pain once more. If they manage to last through even that... that means they are chosen!"

Leading you to a restricted area the boss showed you what must be the pinnacle of his work. Bodies fused together and kept alive by some foul magic. Many of the men and women that make up of the entities body appear to have died some time ago but most are still alive.
They writhe and moan in agony, those that still have their senses beg for death as each moment of their so called life is filled with endless agony. Seeing this not even you could hold yourself back anymore and finally burst out in anger.

"Why? FOR WHAT REASON?!"

"Hmmm? Oh... I didn't say, did I?
You see, I wanted to ask you which god you worship. And I would've given mine in turn.
But I suppose we'll just have to ignore all that. You see... my god is Arken Razak. God of Brutality.
What's yours?"

>Tell him
>Don't tell him
>Other? (write-in)

>>3052758
>Tell him
"Arken Ciel, God of Laughter. Seems like a joke doesn't it? Well, I'm not the one who's laughing; he is. My circumstances aren't exactly usual."

I don't think we can exactly refuse to tell him and expect to get out alive, but lying on this one is hard, unless there's a God of Secrets we can claim to be a servant of.

>Tell him

>>3052778
There is pretty much a god of anything, as long as that something is common enough.
But I read you loud and clear

There isn't really a third vote but I'll take this one anyway. I wasted enough time as is

>Writing

"Arken Ciel, God of Laughter...
Sounds like a joke, doesn't it? Well I'm not laughing...
And as far as I know I may be the only one out there who worships him."

You lied through your teeth. At this moment you are willing to do anything just to get out of this situation.

"Arken Ciel you say? Hmmmm...
Never heard of him. Must be some minor deity. Oh well..."

"And... all of this? Is this your way of worshipping your god?"

"It is. Though so far my prayers seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
No matter how creative I get Razak doesn't seem to notice me or my efforts.
That just goes to show you that it's not easy to appease the gods.
I imagine you have quite a lot of experience with that... being ignored by your god I mean."

For a moment there you didn't know how to respond to that. Up until now it felt like Ciel is greatly interested in you, despite not giving a damn about him or his opinion. If anyone then this madman would deserve the same amount of attention you get, if not more.
His sickening "prayers" definitely fit under the label of "Brutality".
So you just nodded instead and got it over with.

The boss seems to completely believe it however and continues.
"But I will not falter. Once I can make contact, Razak will have his gateway to this world.
And he can set things right."

"Is that what you are after? This whole operation is just for giving a god access to our world?"

"Why is that surprising? You are a man of principle as well.
Seeing how you also follow a set of rules given to you by a higher power."

"I do... But I'd appreciate if you didn't compare 'laughter' to 'brutality'."

The deformed maniac didn't seem to like that and responded with a frown.
"But you... are forgetting something. It matters not what each god represents. If they are allowed a foothold in our realm they will irreversibly alter it to fit their needs, turning it into little more than a farm for them to harvest."

"Again, we are talking about laughter and brutality!"
You grow annoyed, not because he compares his god to yours but because this lunatic actually wants to invite such a morbid god into this world.

"And what would happen if your god took over? He'd turn every man, woman, child, animal and everything else into a machine that is incapable of anything but constant, never ending laughter.
If you think that's not going to be as bad as my world then you severely lack imagination."

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"Our world is diseased. The lives of the people are little more than numbers that the Empress and the King can toy around with.
And as they are exploited, the people sink deeper and deeper into degeneracy. Our natural principles have been erased and it has become clear that when men have to govern themselves they will bring ruin to themselves.
It is time for a higher power to step in, to establish rules and guidelines for us to follow. And maybe... just maybe humanity will stop slipping.
And we finally learn our place."

"Under the rule of a god... of BRUTALITY?!"

"WHO ELSE WOULD BE ABLE TO DESTROY THOSE TWO?!"
The boss finally had enough of you talking back and snapped.
"The King and the Empress both faced rebellions! They were defeated and killed!
But no matter what happens, they are immortal! When the ones who vanquished them perish they'll come back! AND WE GO BACK TO SQUARE ONE! It is apparent that only a god of Razaks caliber could rid us of these monsters!
And if it means that we are to follow the orders of a god whose domain is Brutality... we'd still have less atrocities on our hands than with the two nations killing each other!"

"So you slaughter these people... these innocent people. Under the pretense that it is for the greater good..."

The boss looks down on the ground with a... saddened expression.
"You think I enjoy this?
Look at me Simon. Look at me!
I... was an outcast. Just like them. Garbage that the world didn't want. I was on the same streets as they were.
And believe me. The suffering that they receive now dwarves when compared to the lifetime of misery and neglect they have to look forward to. In a way... this is mercy. And at least this way there is a reason for their suffering."

At this time Jez stepped up and patted her boss on the back while looking at you.
"Look. You don't hafta agree with us. You just need to shut up and do as you are told.
That's what most of us do. Follow suit and you'll get paid.
But talk... and we'll expose you. Contract or no, you are still bound to us now."

Though the very idea of calling yourself the comrade of these people, you are glad that Jez could seemingly diffuse the situation.

>Very well...
>Fine. But I won't be a part of this
>You are all insane!
>Other? (write-in)

>>3052878
>Very well...
"You know now that I have aspirations greater than this. There will come a time when I have to move on from here. But, for now, we are allies."

>>3052878
supporting >>3052897

>writin'

And roll 3d10s for a sanity check.
Best of 3 as always, if I don't get a third one I'll roll instead
DC: 15 no crit

Rolled 5, 1, 10 = 16 (3d10)

>>3052940

Rolled 1, 5, 9 = 15 (3d10)

>>3052940

Rolled 2, 2, 2 = 6 (3d10)

>>3052940
Hey I actually caught this session!

>>3052950
Well looks like we got a pass.
No insanity for you just yet

"Very well...
But I hope you are aware that I have no intentions of staying here for long.
I have aspirations of my own and would like to pursue them once I made enough money."

The boss seems to be a bit confused by this statement.
"Are you sure? If you leave our fold I can't guarantee your safety when our time comes.
And as you can see... we are close."

"I'll take my chances.
By your own admission you didn't have any success contacting your god yet."

*sigh*
"As you wish. I won't keep you here against your will.
You'll be free to leave once you feel like you no longer wish to work with us."
By that he means he'll kill you the second you take a step outside his little crime syndicate. It is unlikely he'd let a risk like you walk around when he can't ensure your silence.
"Now come. Your new assignment awaits."

Swallowing nervously you follow the two criminals as they lead you elsewhere, hoping that whatever they have in mind wouldn't take place in here. To your shock they took you to the pens where they are keeping their slaves and then order one of their butchers to drag out a young girl in front of you. She is in rather poor health with barely any meat on her bones. But aside her malnutrition and all the dirt covering her and the rags she calls clothes there isn't anything wrong with her, no disabilities or mutations to speak of.

"She will be your next assignment."
The boss speaks up.

"What do you mean?"

"For our next project we'll need specimens like her.
Young girls who haven't bled yet but are on the verge. No mutations or irregularities though."
The boss then reached forward and forced the poor girls mouth open.
"And make sure to take a good look in here as well. Gods know we found quite a few surprises in here."
With that he let go of the girl and ordered his men to drag her back inside.

Jezz then stepped up to you.
"We need at the very least a dozen. But twenty would be optimal. You know... for spares.
Your job will be acquisition. Get your men and round them up. How you handle it is up to you.
Pretend to be there for charity or drag them away... doesn't matter.
Each girl over twelve will earn you a bonus.
Any questions?"

"No."

"Good. Then hop to it! You have a day!"

With that out of the way your "superiors" allowed you to leave and get to work. After climbing the stairs and practically crawling out of the sewers however you found your knees giving out under you as your stomach emptied its contents onto the stone under your feet.
The retching noises you made for a solid ten minutes were enough to terrify every animal in quite a wide radius.

Finally you managed to stop agonizing and wiped your face clean.
You couldn't straighten your back however, you didn't have the strength for that.
Gazing down at your own filth you felt dirty and dead on the inside.

Raising up your hand revealed that it was in quite a sorry state, you were clenching on it so hard you almost cut straight to the bone.
Despite knowing how much this should hurt you felt nothing. And that worried you much more.
Taking a roll of cloth from your pack you bandaged up the wound and clenched your fist hard.
There was one thing you knew: You had to do something about this.

>Head to the Sleeping Wolf. The captain needs to know this!
>Go and do your job. You can't blow your cover just yet.
>Other? (write-in)

>>3053052
>>Head to the Sleeping Wolf. The captain needs to know this!

>>3053052
>Wander around until we lose any tails that are watching us, making sure to look like we're actively scouting out possible areas to search for targets. Once we're sure we aren't being followed,
>Head to the Sleeping Wolf. The captain needs to know this!

>>3053080
boi that's a long one

>writing

You took to the alleyways as soon as you managed to gather yourself. It took a great deal of effort from you not to just run for it but you had to be careful now. More so than ever before. You kept one eye on your back and with the other one you tried to pretend you are working.
Every time you turned a corner and found yourself face to face with a bunch of homeless people you made sure to carefully size them up from a distance.

Things got so out of control that you began seeing shadows trailing you in every corner and it got difficult to tell if it was a genuine threat or your paranoia getting the better of you. Regardless which one was the case you couldn't afford to be careless now of all times.
But it seems that your careful nature has paid off as you did manage to find one little rat that has been following you.

Taking a left turn you hid in the corner and waited for your pursuer to come after you.
When the poor sod finally caught up he found one of your arms covering his mouth while the other one tightened around his neck.
Try as he might he couldn't let as much as a whimper as you leaned in close and started whispering in his ear.

"I'll tell you how this is gonna go. I ask you a question and you either nod or shake your head. Anything else and you die.
Understood?"
He nodded.
"Good... Did the boss send you?"
He nodded once more.
"Thought so... When you meet him among the stars, tell him I don't appreciate when people meddle in my business!"

His eyes opened wide as he realized what was about to happen to him. He squirmed and wriggled in a desperate attempt to escape but it was already too late for that. You started focusing intently and felt the blood gushing from your palm flow out and come alive as you poured aether into it. The blood made its way into your pursuers nose and through it into his throat where the sanguine syrup began to thicken up and block his windpipe. His body began to convulse as it was slowly deprived of oxygen.

You watched as his head turned blue and his eyes rolled back into his skull.
You wished that you could do more to him. You wanted him to experience the same suffering that those people endured.
But you don't have the time for that. And besides... he is not the one who should be punished like that.

After making sure that he was dead as a doornail you threw his lifeless body into a pile of garbage and headed for the Sleeping Wolf.

Luckily no other goons were dispatched to track you down which was a welcome surprise.
Not wanting to waste any more time you practically kicked down the door to the little 'home' of Mezegis and his entourage.
The guards almost rise up to handle you but your friend is quick to stop them.

"Oh hi Zsold. You're early...
What's wrong? You look pale. More pale I mean."

Szikra also runs up to you with Zana in tow.
"A-Are you alright?"

"No! No I'm not!
Call the captain!"

Mezegis raised an eyebrow at that.
"Why?"

"CALL HER NOW!"

Seeing you obviously shaken they didn't even bother to speak to you as Mezegis sent a courier pigeon to deliver your summons to Beatrice.
Feeling your legs give away you sat down into a corner and made it very clear that you need some time alone.
Only Zana, with her obliviousness had the courage to go up to you and she offered you a pitcher full of water.
At first you wanted to snap at her for not leaving you alone but as you saw the ceramic container you swallowed hard and started chugging the damn thing until it was completely empty. As it shattered when it hit the ground you turned to Zana.

"Thank you..."

A couple minutes later the captain arrived.
"I came as fast as I could.
What's wrong?"

"Dunno. Ask him."
Mezegis pointed at you as you were still staring blankly into the corner.

"What did you find out?"

"Burn it... burn that place to the ground..."

"Wha- Why?"

"Culters. Lots of them."

Beatrice raised her hand to her mouth as she let out a gasp.
"By the Empress!"

"They are kidnapping people off the streets! Sacrificing them in their... twisted rituals! So much blood... so much... death!"

Szikra also felt the weight of your words and couldn't help but sit down.
"God..."

"How many?"
Beatrice asked.

"A lot. Roughly one third of the entire organization is in on it.
They also have a contact with the guard... it is absolutely certain now.
They pay them to rid the streets of the homeless, of the outcast. The fools aren't realizing that they want just that. The bodies!"

"T-This is... This is worse than I thought!
I must take this directly to the Empress at once! We must mobilize the entire army! Nay! We must call upon the church!
Nothing short of a city wide wicth hunt will suffice!"

>Yes... do that. Purge them. Purge them all!
>Leave the army out of this! We don't know who we can trust!
>No... We don't have the time to gather up an army. They could unleash cosmic horrors upon us any second! They must die NOW!
>Other? (write-in)

>>3053245
>>Leave the army out of this! We don't know who we can trust!

>>3053245
>Leave the army out of this! We don't know who we can trust!
>We need to plan this very carefully. Out ourselves too quickly, and they easily escape our net. Only bring the absolute minimum number of people we need into this.
And of course, who's to say bringing the entire city into a civil war won't draw the attention of the God of Brutality?

>>3053265
i'm going with this guy

>>3053265
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdhF4O54YjU
Oh this will be fun!

>writing

In a moment of clarity you quickly cut Beatrice off.
"No... leave the army out of this!"

"Ser Zsold..."

"Listen, we don't know who we can trust! So let's keep this as small as possible!
We must be very careful about how we plan this out!"

"If you have a suggestion then I'm listening."

"Thank you.
We need to strike as soon as possible, but act too soon with not enough force and they escape our net!
I agree that we should get some allies but at the same time if it takes too long then the problem will be the same."

"You want us to go and do this ourselves...
Do I understand this correctly?"

"Without a better alternative? Yes...
We grab what we have, review what we know and act accordingly.
So as it stands just the three of us will have to do."

*AHEM*

The sound of someone rather loudly clearing his throat catches you off guard and all of you turn to the source.
"Don't you mean the four of us?"

"Mezegis?"

"You..."
Beatrice looks at the moustache twirling criminal.
"You were content sitting on your little throne not doing anything a moment ago.
Why the sudden change?"

"AH!"
Mezegis reaches for his heart and acts as if he had an arrow jammed in there.
"You wound me Captain! It's true that I'm not exactly a man who seeks conflict. I was happy just waiting for things to blow over when it was just about a rival gang. But Cosmic Predators crawling up my ass? Noooo thank you!"
Reaching for a hefty curved sword Mezegis draws it with a quick little flurry.
"So count me in!"

Beatrice turns to you.
"Can we trust him?"

"You can trust me. And I trust him."

"I suppose that'll have to do."

Coming over Mezegis brought a chair just so he could step on it with one leg.
"And naturally that means you can count on my boys as well!
So we already got the army ye'r lookin' for. What's the next part?"

"I'll need paper and some charcoal."

"Consider it done."

After a servant brought to you the equipment you requested you got to drawing.
Though your artistic skills are questionable and so is your memory when it comes to accuracy, you still managed to draw a pretty decent picture of the sewers where the Boss dug himself in.

"There... it's by no means perfect but it'll do."
You point at the first drawing which represents the 'upper room'.
"This is the main hall. This is where they handle most of their business.
It has two entrances, here and here on the opposite ends.
And here at the side is the staircase leading down... that's where the cult is."

"Are there exits there as well? I imagine they don't move all those people through this one tiny staircase."

"I've seen only one here. But there might be another."

Beatrice then speaks up.
"But where could it lead? It can't be in the city... the traffic would attract too much attention."

"Well... if you were a filthy culter captain... where would you have the exit?"
Szikra asked her.

"In a place where nobody ever goes.
Just outside the city... a deserted place... I got it!"

"There used to be a landfill a short way from the capital!"

"Used to be?"
Szikra asked her again.

"It grew too big and the smell got unbearable.
Her Majesty then decreed that nobody shall use it anymore.
Though it no longer affects the city the area directly around it is still foul enough to drive anyone away.
They must take people out of the city by carts, go around and take them back in!"

"So this is how the guard haven't caught up to the trick yet..."
You wonder.

Meanwhile Szikra just scratches her head.
"So we have three... possibly four routes to close down... somehow.
How many men do you have exactly?"

"Not enough.
But we might not need that much."

"Oh? You got an idea?"
She asked.

"Maybe... though it is borderline madness."

"Do tell."

"Well... if one of you has the balls needed to pull it off then you could enter through the tunnel near the landfill while me and my men storm the 'main entrances'. Call it a bear trap maneuver."

"You mean a pincer maneuver?"
Szikra asks.

"Same difference."
They both look at you.
"Well boss? Whaddaya say?"

"Don't call me that!"

"S-Sorry!"

>But I'll do it.
>Can't we just lock it down instead? Make the tunnel collapse?
>I got a better idea... turn it into a death trap.
>Other? (write-in)

>>3053447
>>I got a better idea... turn it into a death trap.

>>3053447
>>I got a better idea... turn it into a death trap.
that does sound like a good idea

>>3053447
I'll back >>3053470
We might be able to smoke them out.

Okay... giant death trap it is.
Any wishes or recommendations while we're at it?

>writing

>>3053447
>I got a better idea... turn it into a death trap.
My god, it's coming full circle back to our very first thread as Zsold.

"I got a better idea."
You say as you recall your old adventure with the goblins and those kids.
"Mezegis. Can you get your hands on oil?"

"I see where this is going... and I think I can do you one better!
Oil is too obvious. The smell, the slipperiness, it all gives it away.
Don't worry about the details... I'll handle it."
Mezegis then snapped his fingers and called one of his aides.
"Oy you! I want you to go to the old dump and look for any sort of tunnel.
You find it then report back to me! Got that?"

"Yes boss!"

"Good... Now, are you sure that's the only entrance to the lower level?"

"As I said previously, no.
There could be another one that I haven't seen yet. I didn't get a good chance to look at it and frankly, I don't want to go back to find out.
Next time I'm there, I want to burn it to the ground."

"Makes sense, didn't mean to bug ya.
So... what's the plan with the other routes?"

"I know the way to one of them. I'll lead Szikra and Beatrice there.
You got more men, so it'll be easier for you to find the other one."

"That's all fine an' dandy but I'll need some details about where the fuck we should be lookin'.
'Cause... you know... the city is fucking huge."

"Don't worry. I'll tell you all I can before we leave.
In the meantime I recommend you call together your men. We shouldn't waste much time."

"Waaay ahead o' ya!"

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1.1 MB PNG

Afterwards Mezegis rounded up his goons and went out to give a speech to them.
Obviously a bunch of criminals who want nothing but make coin are hard to convince to lay their lives down for a noble cause, which they were quite vocal about, but Mezegis has a way with words.

"I understand that y'all want nothing more than live a comfy life where you don't have to worry about a thing in the world!
I know, I'm the same. But this time... this time it's different. This time we can not allow ourselves the luxury of just sitting on the sidelines and enjoy the show! You see my friends, what we got on our hands are a bunch of Culter assholes who would take our way of life away from us!
Now... I'm not a religious man and I damn well know you mother fuckers aren't either!
But lemme tell ya somethin'. If there is one thing I fear... it's whatever lurks beyond the stars, beyond our dreams and beyond our imagination.
Monsters who'd make the angels weep and the devils cry with their mere presence, who only need a chance to come into our world and fuck us sideways! That I fear.
And as much as it pains me, I am willing to work hard just this once in my life if it means those nasties don't come knocking on my door!
SO I SAY, LET'S WORK HARD NOW SO WE CAN LAZE AROUND FOR THE RESST OF OUR LIVES! SHALL WE SHOW THESE FUCKING DEMONS WHY WE ARE WORSE THAN THEM?!"

"YEEEEEEEEAH!"

"And there ya go. Ready for battle.
Just don't expect them to stay if shit goes south."

You tug on your sword.
"Leave that to me..."

"I like your attitude!
So mate, shall we get goin'?"

And sadly this is where I'll have to call it quits.
I'm feeling a bit under the weather today.

But in turn I'll do some work during the week to keep you entertained, such as combing over the pastebins as well as doing some omakes on the sidelines.
If you have any requests or in-universe questions then, as always, feel free to post them

And I'll see you guys, hopefully next week with the actual assault

>>3053639
Thanks for running Spooks! What are the chances of this whole operation going south?

>>3053652
Well... up until now y'all picked almost all the correct answers so the organizations is not at all suspicious of you. Or at least, not really.
Meaning you have the power of surprise on your hands.

Right now it'll mostly boil down to your combat rolls and you won't have to deal with other bullshit that would've made things harder.

>>3053639
I was late to the thread but I'm enjoying the fact that we're goin Cult Stompin.
And I'm happy that the whole "loyalty to Ciel" paved out well in the end for that shite.

>>3053674
Yeah, keeping silent in that case might've made him suspicious of you.
As in... he might think you worship a rival god.
But to him Ciel is an "irrelevant, lesser god"

>>3053692
>But to him Ciel is an "irrelevant, lesser god"
How dare he. Is he?r

>>3053718
I'm pretty sure Ciel is the type of god that will say he's a girl just to fuck with people.

>>3053639
Assuming that it isn't a spoiler at this point, what would have happened if we hadn't tried to shake hands with the boss?

>>3053769
This is correct

>>3053718
Technically he is the god with the smallest territory out of all of them, consisting of one planet: This.
BUT! All other gods not only avoid this place like the plague, they'll give it as wide of a berth as possible.

>>3054205
The boss wouldn't have shown you what's inside.

Omake #1: The stage is set

All actions have consequences. They might be delayed, they might be unexpected but everything you do in the world will get a reaction eventually. And as one such reaction is preparing in the city of Weisgardist the group responsible for its creation is starting to become aware of it.

"Boss! BOSS!"

"Hmmm? What is it?"

"Some of our boys are back! They are sayin' Mezegis is making a move!"

"That dog... I thought he was content sleeping things through...
I should've known better!
What's he doing?"

"He's calling all of his men together! They are coming for us!"

The boss set aside the paper he was reading and took off his glasses in surprise.
"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely!
He's calling in every favor he has and is coming!"

"Hmmmm...
We must not underestimate him...
I don't know much about him but he's no fool. In this entire rotten city he was the only one smart enough to slip through my fingers... Very well! If he wants a fight then he'll get one. We have the advantage both in numbers and force.
But I'll not be careless. Tell the workers downstairs to start packing. We will evacuate the pit as we practiced."

"Everything sir?"

"No. Just the essentials. Papers, the equipment and the workers.
If Mezegis somehow manages to break through we can set the rest on fire as we leave.
Now go on! Get to it!"

"YES BOSS!"

As the grunt ran out the boss turned to his left where his assistant was looking at him.
"Something's wrong... Mezegis wouldn't fight us so openly."

"Are you scared?"

Jez reached for her eye-patch and slowly clenched her hand into a fist.
"It still aches!"

"Well... then the time has come for you to get your revenge."

Jez grinned with malice until she looked like a blood starved dog.
"I'll get the men ready!"

"You do that.
I'll make sure everthing goes smoothly downstairs."

"Will you join us afterwards?"

"We'll see. I'd like to avoid fighting if possible.
But we might not have that luxury."

"It's been a while since I saw you mangle someone!
I wouldn't mind getting a reminder!"

With their exchange over both went their separate way to oversee the preparations.
While Jez was handling the arming of her men the boss made sure everything was taken care of down below.

"Alright! Alright!
Looks like we got everything packed up and ready to go.
Are the equipment tied down properly?"

"Yes boss!"

"Good, good! Make sure nothing happens to them!
These tools are worth more than you.
How about the papers, ledgers and contracts?"

"Everything ready!"

"Excellent... now for the most important part.
Is the aether secure?"

"Aye aye, sir!"

"Wonderful! Wouldn't want to anger our precious customers...
Very well. You may ride out to the hideout!
We'll catch up with you soon enough!"

The men nodded and gave the horses a good whipping, causing them to run as fast as they possibly could through the escape tunnels. As they left the boss smiled in satisfaction.
"It never hurts to be careful." He always says.
Even though this is nothing more than a little feud between two ring leaders it's best to pack things up and move to another location, least the guards start investigating what all the fuss was about.

But as the boss was practically fellating himself, at the other end of the tunnel a duo of highly skilled specialists were minding their own business, not caring the least about him or his grandiose plans.
"Oy Bigby! Bring another barrel, will ya?!"

"Another Slim? Won't that be too much?"

"Nonsense! There is no such THING as too much!
There we go! Now we just need to pull a nice long trail back to the entrance."

As Slim lead his big friend by the hand, guiding him so the trail of strange, black powder is not broken anywhere Bigby started wondering about something.
"Hey Slim... if we are done how will we get back to the Mezegis?"

"Get back? What are you, mad?
We finish this up and we bolt! Head to a good pub, have ourselves a few pints and wait for ALL this to blow over."

Slowly, as if speech was too difficult for him Bigby continued.
"Won't he be mad though?"

"Pfffft!
Let 'im!
We don't get paid enough to risk our necks!
Speaking of which... do you hear that?"

"I hear horsies coming."

"Exactly. Get back to the cart and make sure ours won't run away!"

"O-kay."

As Bigby rushed back to his little pets in an effort to calm them down Slim took out a long stoker which began glowing in his hand as he channeled his aether into it.
"Heh-heheheh... fire! Burn! Burnburnburn!"
Slim practically lost himself as he slowly lowered the hot piece of iron until it touched the strange black substance.
The fire was lit and sparks danced along the trail the mad pair laid down for it until it reached the dozens of barrels they set up.

Suddenly not only the underground lair but the very foundations of the capital began to shake violently.
The boss found himself tumbling until he fell to the ground as the earthquake raged on.
"WHAT IN FUCKS NAME IS GOING ON?!"

He screamed at the top of his lungs as pieces of the ceiling started raining down on him.
As a massive wave of dirt, dust and force was expelled from the escape tunnel comprehension dawned on him.
They were now trapped.

Omake #1: THE END

>>3059498
>We finish this up and we bolt! Head to a good pub, have ourselves a few pints and wait for ALL this to blow over."
I see you too have watched Shaun of the Dead.
I thought it was an okay movie. Much preferred Hot Fuzz for the over the top silliness.

>>3059525
Hot fuzz is great.

The worlds end was my least favorite of the bunch. Still fun though

Omake #2: The rematch

"OW!"

"I told you to stay put Lowan!"
Avana responded to her friends hissing.
"Sheehs! You definitely broke a rib there.
What were you doing?! Don't tell me you stomped out and started fights with strangers!"

"Nay...
I only wish that was the case! For my wounds are far worse than any weapon could inflict and they will never heal!
The cause for my pain is love!"

*sigh*
"You are hopeless..."

"I am a romantic!"

"You are both wrong..."
A third voice spoke up.
"He's an idiot."

Maxim the gierig that had a little scuffle with Lowan was leaning against the walls of the training hall. He was just as badly chastised as the human was, maybe even more. But at the very least he didn't make a fool of himself by storming out into the city, then limping back in with a broken rib and apparently a heart.

But it was not in Lowans nature to just take such an insult lying down and sprung up with renewed vigor, oblivious to the fact that his side was still hurting like a bitch.
"If you got a problem then I say you should put your sword where your mouth is!"

"Gladly."
The gierig looked him straight in the eye and pushed himself away from the wall that was supporting him.
As he took out and attached the ritual blades to his golden braces he taunted his opponent further.
"I just hope when I beat you properly this time you won't use your injury as an excuse for your loss!"

"Not a chance smoothskin!"
The boy spoke with the flames of passion burning in his eyes.
"This time I won't get carried away and end this rightly!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Mi11pfUUrk

With a satisfying click the gierig finished attaching the other blade to his arm and readied himself.
"You got that right!"

Seeing the crescent steel flash Lowan drew his own weapon and begin circling around his opponent.
The movements of the two became attuned to the other ones as they focused as much as they could on the incoming fight.
Avana and Sonya, seeing the gathering storm ran out of the ring so they could watch from a safe distance.

The two finally had enough and began to charge.
A flurry of dual slashes were parried valiantly by the steadfast sword before Lowan could find himself an opening for a counter attack. Knocking one of the blades slicing away at his right side and ducking under the one coming from his left he swung through the empty space in a wide arc.

This caught Maxim off guard as he had to lean backwards in order to avoid a grievous injury. Luckily for him he managed to avoid the slash but a few strands of his hair were not so fortunate and they fell to the ground.
He backed off a bit and touched his ruined hairdo.
"What the?"

"Sorry. I thought it looked a little off so I decided to even you out a bit."

"You'll regret this!"

"Really now?"

"Really!"

The gierig began glowing with a purple aura, not unlike the one that enveloped him last time. But much to Lowans surprise it didn't look nearly as violent, suggesting that he didn't intend to attack with it.
Seeing how his opponent honored their masters orders and didn't fight at full strength, neither did he.
Focusing intently on the power flowing through his veins he also flared up with a white light as he stared down Maxim.

The gierig closed his eye and let out a soft sigh, signaling his growing focus.
"Shave!"
He shouted as he opened his eyes and the young assassin disappeared in a blur.

It was only thanks to his instincts that Lowan didn't outright loose then. But even though he managed to block the lightning fast strike a tuft of his own hair was still lost from the gierigs corkscrew like attack.
He didn't have time to touch his cheek however as the next attack was already on its way.

Despite using his own aether gland to its fullest potential the boy still couldn't keep up with the assault of the ferocious nex.
Blows showered him from all angle. Each and every follow-up attack came from an uncomfortable direction, meaning that even though he could just barely block them all he was still running out of steam at a rapid pace, needing to move the entirety of both arms if he wanted to keep up.

But luckily not only defending against such an attack was tiring, performing it was equally taxing, as it could be heard from Maxims voice.
"Not bad human! Not bad!
But you can not win! My eyes see all of your movements and they are TOO SLOW!"
Maxim leapt into the air and spun around, putting his entire weight behind the strike, knocking Lowans sword aside.
"IT'S OVER!"

As he was turning around he prepared to bring down his other arm. It wasn't meant to injure the boy of course, he was gonna stop just before contact but it would be a good lesson for him. However the human performed something Maxim did not expect. Raising up his open palm Lowan prepared to catch the blade with his bare hand.

"WHAT?!"

But before the counter burst could be performed something interrupted the duel of these two young titans.
The earth quaked with a great tremor, sending both of them off balance.
As the two boys fell awkwardly on the ground the girls began screaming as the mansion around them was violently shaking.
"W-What is happening?!"

"I-I don't know!"
Maxim replied.

Omake #2: THE END

>>3060966
Wonder if they'll recognize the tactics we used in the goblin cave?

Nice omakes as always Spooks.

>>3061013
I currently have no plans for them to visit the actual site, since to them it felt just like a regular earthquake. And even if they did investigate the city guard would promptly urge them to fuck off from the crime scene

Well as promised I went through the pastebins and attempted to update them.
I left some unimportant people out of the Social Links but if you still want me to add them or feel like I fucked up elsewhere then just post your requests and I'll get to it.

>>3063369
Surprised Griswald and Mezegis aren't on the social links list. I also remembered the necromancer Hugh, but I suppose it's understandable that he isn't listed. Wonder how he's getting on?

Also, did you neglect to list Rosette's brooch under Zsold's possessions, or was it insignificant enough that you decided to leave it off?

>>3063396
The brooch will come up a bit later. So I don't want to spoil that.
But you're right, Griswald and Mezegis should be up there. Hold on

>>3063396
Okay. Added both of the lads

Oh and while I'm here, if all things work out I'll continue the story tomorrow in this very thread.
Let's hope nothing reels its ugly head

>>3063447
>Jinxing yourself this hard
I'd you don't want to run just say so.

Is there a link I'm missing to the pastebins?

>>3063451
All the links can be found pinned to my twitter.
But this time I'll post it.

https://pastebin.com/xFSNJwHp

And it's not me jinxing myself.
It's just being careful. I often have shit pop up during the weekends that I have no chance predicting. 99% of the cancelled threads are a result of some bullshit popping up in my life

>>3063461
It was a joke boss but thanks for the link! Still taking questions for characters?

>Sonya
What kind of spells have you picked up from the library? Still have a hang up on killing enemies?

>>3063487
>Sonya

I-I-I'm trying my hardest! Still can't look when I k-k-k-kill...
And I managed to figure out how to use water magic to animate plants! I'd... like to think I'm making progress...

Will start in about 5 hours

2 hours

The plan was simple, as they often are.
Mezegis gathered up his men. All the men and women who were in hiding crawled out whatever hole they were hiding in to take up arms against their new enemy.

After reviewing the layout of the sewers your forces were split into two. Szikra, Beatrice and you would go through the tunnel you knew, while Mezegis lead his men through the other one. Though their force is considerably larger than yours it could be argued that it was just the distraction for the main forces, You.

As you were dredging through the filth and enduring the horrid smell you felt a sudden quake spread through the bricks of the city. The force of Mezegis' little "insurance" was so great that it almost managed to swipe the ground from under you and it lasted for about half a minute. Unable to find anything to cling onto Beatrice grabbed you just so she wouldn't fall face first in the muck.

"W-Was that really NECESSARY?!"
She screamed.

"If you don't want these fucking culters to get away, then yes."
You gently eased her off from you.

"S-Still! With a shockwave like that it could've caused some damage!"

"If that's all the sacrifice we'll have to make then it's more than a fair deal.
Now...
Ready yourselves. We're almost there."

Just as you said that light began to pour out from the blackened tunnels and the voices of terrified and confused bandits echoed through the brickwork. You were close, close enough to begin the engagement.
It was just a matter of deciding when to jump into the fray...

>Wait for Mezegis to draw their attention
>Charge!
>Other? (write-in)

>>3065528
>Wait for Mezegis to draw their attention
Is it possible to Blood Magic our appearance into something different from the usual, so we retain the element of surprise as Simon even after engaging?

>>3065549
Wouldn't really change our armor or weapon though and they're really noticable.

>>3065549

This>>>3065555
And you don't have nearly enough expertise to pull off anything that complex

>>3065555
True. I'd still like to leverage the fact that they don't yet know that Simon's betrayed them somehow. Charging in swinging and instantly giving away the fact that we're not on their side any more seems like a waste.

Perhaps insert ourself in among their men so we can surprise pincer them from an unexpected angle when Beatrice and Szikra attack?

Well I see no reason to delay this any longer.
Stealth it is.

If there are enough of you here, I'd like to see some dice being thrown
3d10, as always.
Best of 3. If there aren't enough rolls I'll take them.
DC: 18; no crit

>Wait for Mezegis to draw their attention

Rolled 7, 4, 9 = 20 (3d10)

>>3065606
>>3065605
Well, well, well! Welcome!

I'd point you towards the door but I see you like explosive entrances instead

Rolled 8, 7, 3 = 18 (3d10)

>>3065604

Rolled 2, 7, 8 = 17 (3d10)

>>3065604
we already succeeded so i'll be the guy to roll garbage

In your mind the best course of action would be the indirect one. After all, Mezegis and his band of merry men will make a big enough commotion for you to slip by. And just as you were thinking that the rolling mob of death appeared right on cue.

Just as the thugs started to recover from their shock one of them found an arrow going in through one ear and leaving through the other one. His friends watch as he falls over and began shouting.
"ARCHER!"

They line up with their shields raised and begin marching against your friend who ordered his boys to tear the enemy apart.
Seeing the opportunity present itself you told the ladies to stay put while you made your way into the thick of things.
At first the bandits wanted to gut you with the rest but you showed them your badge which managed to calm them down.
"See? I'm with you, moron!"

"Ah good! Then give us a hand, will ya?! These assholes are looking for a fight!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jIXcSxBP7U

You nod and he goes back to his brothers in arms who are busy poking Mezegis and his underlings with spears over the wall of shield their frontline fighters have put up. You, however have other plans in mind. Noticing a barrel full of lantern oil, you walked over to it and forming the blood dripping from your arm into a tentacle, you wrapped the container up and lobbed it at the backline of the defenders.

The heavy wooden barrel crashed down on some poor fool, knocking him out in the process. But perhaps more importantly it spread the flammable, dark liquid on the ground. You had to act quickly though, as the men quickly started to notice what you've done. Taking a lit candle out of a wall scone you tossed it at the culters, igniting their rear line in a majestic ball of flame. Those who managed to not catch on fire found their line broken as the roaring inferno behind them managed to scare the living shit out of them.

Mezegis saw this and with a wide grin shouted.
"NOW'S OUR CHANCE! CHAAAAAARGE!"
With one swing of his curved sword he decapitated two men at once as he tore himself through the enemy.
"LEAVE NONE ALIVE BOYS! LET THESE GOD WORSHIPPING BASTARDS TASTE DEATH!"

Finding themselves between a rock and a hot place the culters didn't know what to do.
Glaring at them from one side was an angry and very much blood crazed mob that wanted nothing more than brutally murder them where they stood. And at the end of their escape route the only thing that awaited them was scorching death.

Like a trapped animal, their only options was fight or flight. And flight was out of option.
They became savage like cornered rats, determined to cut down the enemy before it could slay them.
But with nowhere to retreat and no pikemen to back them up the shieldbearers were in a bad spot, made even worse by the fact that it was Mezegis they had to face.

Fueled by drugs and determination he gave his men a simple order, which he himself followed.
"PUSH YA BASTARDS! PUSH EVEN IF IT KILLS YA!"

The two mobs clashed but with the advantage of numbers on their side, Mezegis' lads were quickly gaining ground.
They slammed themselves against the wall of enemies again and again, until the culters could feel the heat crawling up their heels. Naturally, in a loose-loose situation like that it was only a matter of time before the opposition got ground up.
When the last of the culters fell Mezegis walked up to you and extended a blood covered hand to you.

"Hah! The ol' set 'em up, knock 'em down!"
You shook his hand but warned him that this is only the beginning.
"Yeah. I'm aware. Whaddaya say? Shall we race who gets more?"

Not opposed to the idea you turned towards the large chamber in front of you and drew your sword.
In that moment the girls also managed to catch up to you.

>Join Mezegis in his rampage, do as much damage as possible
>Head straight for the stairs and let the boys do their work
>Plunder the place while there is still stuff to take
>Other? (write-in)

>>3065698
>>Join Mezegis in his rampage, do as much damage as possible

>Join Mezegis in his rampage, do as much damage as possible

Hmmm... well that's an obvious vote, so I'll take it.
No point in waiting anymore

>Writing

Aaand please roll the dice once again.
Same rules as before.
DC: 14, Crit: 21

Rolled 9, 2, 6 = 17 (3d10)

>>3065759

Rolled 6, 2, 8 = 16 (3d10)

>>3065759

Rolled 2, 5, 8 = 15 (3d10)

>>3065759
Crit please?

>>3065768
Not this time tovaris
Still a success though

Szikra twirls her spear around and Beatrice assumes her stance with her rapier.
They both look at you inquisitively and Szikra finally asks you.

"What did we miss?"

"Just the appetizer..."
You respond.
"Now here comes the main course."

Licking her lips your partner prepares herself for the upcoming brawl as more and more people inside the chamber start recovering from their shock and the criminals start arming themselves. Beatrices eyes quickly trace the whole room while her ears begin to twitch.

"I can't count them all...
But there is easily over a hundred of them.
And they are... angry."

Szikra scoffs at that.
"Wow... nice observation..."

"I got no time to explain! But trust me, they won't surrender!
Any orders Zsold?"

"Just one:"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnDHBT8kP2Y
"Leave none alive!"

With your weapons raised the four of you lead the charge. Following in your footsteps were the men that Mezegis managed to get riled up. Their shout echoed inside the large chamber, causing the hearts of your enemies to tremble.
Those who managed to arm themselves rushed to meet you and an all out brawl broke out right in the middle of the black market.

It was perhaps not the best time to test out the capabilities of your new armor but you knew that the steel wouldn't let you down. Guarding only your head and your exposed areas you managed to fend off any and all attackers. When they did hit you in the areas where you didn't bother to protect yourself they found their weapons either harmlessly bouncing off or outright breaking. And though it hurt when you took a few powerful hits, at least you paid them back tenfold when you took their lives in turn.

Seeing what an impregnable fortress you are four people ganged up on you and attempted to strike you from all sides at once. You saw only three of your opponents, one in the front and two from the corner of your eyes. This had to change.
Spinning around you raised your sword behind yourself and caught one of the swords. The other three you just had to dodge.

When all three swords passed you by with a simple flick of your hand cut through the man behind you, along his sword.
The other three didn't know what to make of this and stared with eyes wide open as you cleaved through them one by one.
Upon slicing through the last of your attackers your eyes immediately set out to find a new target.
Those who witnessed this display of power also caught a glimpse of the ruby light reflecting off your armor and believed that it was your eye that was burning with such a crimson fire.

Meanwhile Szikra with cat-like reflexes cartwheeled around the battlefield, smacking the cheek of people with the sharpened edges of her spear. It may not have always killed her victims but it sure left them in a near death state.
Just as people started recognizing her as a threat she began giggling as her enemies began rushing her down.
With absolute focus she jumped up and over one of her attackers, kicking the poor sod in the back as she landed.

As the fellow tumbled into the shank of his friend Szikra tightened her grip around the shaft of her weapon and plunged it into the back of the guy with all her might. Impaling both of them she withdrew the spear just as quickly as she thrust it forward, causing her two victims to fall to the ground. Turning around and flashing her pronounced teeth she grinned at the rest.
"WHO'S NEXT?!"

But before any of them could turn around and run for their lives they were quickly struck down one by one.
Szikra scoffed as she saw the person responsible for their demise.

Beatrice, using her rapier stabbed them once each without any of them realizing that they were being attacked.
With the group taken care of she nodded at Szikra before turning to challenge another one of the criminals, a brute carrying a mace. The slow and rather clumsy weapon didn't appear to be a threat to her as she managed to either side step or jump over every strike. And when an opening finally presented itself she readied her rapier and delivered a quick barrage of thrusts all over the mans body.

By the time she was done the giant was riddled with so many holes he could've passed off as a net and nobody would've noticed. Beatrice then cleaned the blood off of her armament and turned to Szikra.
"Lady Grimen... It appears we are surrounded."

The adventurer girl quickly glanced around her and saw that the captain was telling the truth.
"How unfortunate for them!"
Turning her back to the captain the two exchanged the briefest of nods before the mob rushed them.
Fighting back to back the two sliced and diced anyone who dared to get close enough to them.
If one of them had an unfortunate match-up they simply switched sides and started fighting there instead.

Between them, the rampage of Mezegis and your valiant effort to cut down every son of a bitch in your path the enemies rank quickly broke. Unfortunately in the heat of battle you forgot to seal the exit so many of them simply gave up and ran away. But at least you were victorious, with suffering only surface level damage.

As the dust started to settle Mezegis stepped up to you and patted your shoulder.
"Good job! But a few got away... That's not good."

"Why?"

"More might be coming. And if they meet their friends they'll know something's up.
They'll be here faster. I think I'll stay here and guard the area so we don't get backstabbed.
You go ahead and finish the rest of them off!"

"Right..."

With the boys securing the upper area you and the rest of the heavy hitters began your descent to the bowels of this hellhole.
Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs however a rather ugly sight spread out before you.
Standing before the massive, steel door that's now wide open was Jez with what appeared to be the rest of the gang.

"That's far enough!"
She shouted at you as a group of mages behind her prepared their spells.
"You can leave now and never come back, or step forth and be obliterated!
The choice is yours!"

The girls reeled back as they saw about a dozen mages all with different spells aimed right at you, no doubt these are the bastards involved in their diabolic rituals.
"W-What should we do?!"

There is no easy option here. The enemy clumped up in the doorway, determined to stand their ground.
You'll either have to brute force your way through them or... split up.

>Charge them!
>Maybe one of us can bypass them while the other two hold them up!
>"You two should go, I'll handle this!"
>Other? (write-in)

>"You two should go, I'll handle this!"

>>3065899
>>Charge them!

>>3065899
>Charge them!
As far as we know, they're trapped. So we shouldn't split up unless we have to, because that increases the likelihood of us getting ambushed or caught out alone.

Don't suppose we have any explosives or other area-of-effect weapons?

>>3065911
Nope

Also
>writing

And one more time! Let's see those dice!
3d10, best of 3.
DC: 17 Crit: 23

Rolled 8, 3, 8 = 19 (3d10)

>>3065959
Maybe this time?

Rolled 1, 9, 6 = 16 (3d10)

>>3065959

Rolled 1, 8, 1 = 10 (3d10)

>>3065959

>>3065961
>>3065964
>>3065967
Big oof in the crit department but at least you passed.

You point at the enemies lined up in front of you with your sword.
"I choose death!"

Jez sneers at you.
"THEN DIE TRAITOR!
FIRE!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSpPFG7RKF4

According to the orders of Jez the mages hurled everything they prepared just for you. Fire, lightning, ice, blood and even bone was hurled at you. But you did not falter. Stabbing your sword into the ground you began channeling aether into the Conqueror-steel. All the blood and viscera that clinged to your body after the last engagement as well as your own ran down, along the blade and into the ground.

Right before your eyes a transparent wall of blood, only an inch thick, was erected. Though thin it coursed with plenty of energy and all that collided with it stopped. The elements splattered all over it, eating away at the membrane while the blood and bones were caught in it like in a net. Once the last of the blasts got stopped the wall crumbled under all the duress and you fell to one knee in your exertion.

The mages stared in awe of your performance and Jez simply muttered to herself.
"W-What the?!"

Szikra quickly placed a hand on your shoulder and started questioning you.
"Are you alright?!"

You don't bother to answer her and stand up, despite how much that little stunt of yours took out of you.
Pulling your sword out of the stone you pointed at Jez and her men once more and spoke up.
"NOW! While their mages aren't ready!
CHARGE!"

With a fierce shout the three of you began your mad dash towards the enemy line.
As you got close enough Szikra begins spinning her spear around and you see sparks appearing at its tip.
Knowing what she's preparing you quickly pull Beatrice aside and allow your partner to do her thing.
Winding up her spear with all her might she unleashed a thunderous slash that almost deafened everyone present and cut a swath through the enemy ranks.

"KIRIN CUT!"
She screamed as the first line of the enemy got torn in half in front of her, their lifeless bodies convulsing from the lightning running through them.

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Though it wasn't nearly as powerful as the last time she did that it appears she still managed to perform that technique again, much to her own surprise. But as you and the enemy recovered from your shock Jez gave the order to her men.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! KILL HER!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktB7fpuf69M

As Szikra struggles to gather herself you jump in front of her and block the incoming blades. A couple swords are nothing to worry about but when one of the enemies brought an axe to your little sword fight you started to panic.
Though the armor protected you, when that hefty thing hit your shoulder you felt like something was going to pop out at any moment. Luckily that did not happen but it still hurt like a bitch.

"Thanks for the save Zsold!"

Szikra thanked you and as you staggered for a moment she sprung up and thrust her spear over your shoulder and into the face of the bastard that almost dislocated your shoulder. Withdrawing her weapon she danced around you and began engaging the men that began swarming the area.

As she was busy occupying most of the mob and Beatrice was dashing around the enemy back-line, cutting down the enemy mages you found yourself face to face with Jez and her handful of goons staring you down with their weapons ready.

"I knew I should've fucking killed you when I met you!
But I guess you'll make a nice offering after we gut your little whores in front of you!
Get him!"

She unleashed her dogs on you in the hopes that they'll make fighting you easier for her.
Raising your sword you managed to cut two of them down no problem, but the third managed to sneak a nasty cut in near your right armpit. But as blood began trickling under your armor you extended your arm and several spikes of hardened blood shot out, shredding the poor guys face in the process.

Jez watched intently as you dispatched three of her men and finally decided to step into the ring with another six behind her.
"Alright... Now I know what you are about Simon...
I guess you are good at keeping secrets. But it won't be enough to save you now!"

You stare her down as you find yourself panting heavily.
Despite being useful the wound on your right arm is still a setback and you already used up quite a lot of aether.
It's evident that if you keep going at this pace you'll tire yourself out. But you may not have a choice.

>Fight defensively and try to figure her out before committing
>End this quickly. Use the sword at its full potential
>Now would be a good time to Mezegis' little... gift
>Other? (write-in)

>End this quickly. Use the sword at its full potential

>>3066100
>>End this quickly. Use the sword at its full potential

>>3066100
>>Now would be a good time to Mezegis' little... gift

It's all or nothing.

Time for some dice!
DC: 20, no crit
Best of 3

>writing

Rolled 4, 4, 3 = 11 (3d10)

>>3066162
Here goes nothing

>>3066171
there went nothing

Rolled 6, 9, 7 = 22 (3d10)

>>3066162

>>3066189
thank god we're saved

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>>3066189
And here I thought this is gonna backfire on you! DAMN!

File: Imperative_2.png (1.35 MB, 1920x870)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEzDaw11q2s

Outnumbered like that left you with no choice. If there was ever a good time to test the capabilities of this sword then it's now.
You drew out what power remained in your body and drew deep from your veins. Sensing the power swelling up inside you the sword seemed to respond to your efforts. With a loud growl it began drinking up everything leaking out of you like a sponge hungering for water.

After a quick flourish the sword began to visibly change, blood binding to steel becoming intertwined and inseparable.
As if it was a natural part of your body you could feel the iron with each heartbeat. The crimson blood then began to visibly change. Just like how the steel seemed to drink the blood now the living tissue began taking in the steel, darkening in the process. Though it appeared metallic it was still obviously organic with veins and folds being clearly visible on it.

Still... the blade was now perhaps even more nightmarish than the atrocities found inside and your opponents did realize this. They stared in both awe and horror at the now curved sword, screaming all the while.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!"

"WHO GIVES A SHIT?!"
Jez tried to wrangle some semblance of order into her men.
"It's just blood magic! NOW KILL HIM!"

Some of them tried to move, tried to resist the urge to flee in terror.
They quickly gave up on that when they heard the sword growl.

With one swing you managed to cut through both flesh and steel as if it was just butter.
As Jez and her remaining three men got showered by gore you realized that the blood didn't simply assume the appearance of the metal, it now possessed the qualities of the Conqueror-steel. This brought a smile to your face.

The rest of the grunts finally caved in under the pressure as they saw your wicked grin.
They attempted to turn around and flee but found the flail of Jez smashing their head to a pulp as they tried.
"Maggots...
Well if you wanna do something right..."

She then took a step forth as you invited her to get closer.

The one eyed woman took a step forward and began spinning her flail around in preparation for her attack.
As she was walking around you in a circle she started taunting you in an effort to distract you.

"So tell me, which one was it?
Did you betray us because Mezegis is paying you more or were you just a rat from the start?"

"It does not matter. Not where I'm sending you!"

"Is this because the Boss' little project?
Look at the pot callin' the kettle black!
Do your little friends even know that you are just like the one you are trying to kill?"

That got a reaction out of you.
"Hmph... I am nothing like your boss, or you for that matter."

"You know what? You're right!
BECAUSE YOU'RE DEAD!"

Jez finally took a swing at you with her flail. If it weren't for your considerably large blade she may have even struck you.
But as it stands now it was just a futile effort on her part.
Knocking the spiked, metal ball aside you took a swing at her to which she reacted in quite a strange manner.
Extending her arm and opening her palm she attempted to catch your monstrous weapon with her bare hands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnDHBT8kP2Y

Right before your eyes her hand went white just as her fingers clamped down on the edge of your sword.
"Got you!"
She shouted.

As your weapon remained stationary you saw a white wave spreading throughout its entirety. Hoarfrost.
Jez grinned as her cold made its way to you but you remained nonplussed.

Only one push. That's all it took to break her spell as your weapon itself seemed to resist her influence.
She gasped loudly as her surprise attack failed and took a step back in order to prepare her next attack.
As she swung the flail above her head it began spewing tiny specks of ice and frost into the air. These fragments of frozen water then expanded before your eyes as they grew into fully formed icicles.

With one gesture she aimed her volley of frozen projectiles right at your face.
Raising your free arm you attempted to block the ice but as the barrage shattered several shards managed to slice your face. Where they struck you crystals of ice began to bloom which you imagined would be quite painful if they weren't so small. As they were however they were little more than an irritant.

Having grown tired of her games you delivered one vertical slash and destroyed the eye of Jez in the process.
As blood began running down her face she screamed like a banshee and collapsed right in front of you.
"Sorry... I was just getting irritated by your looks so I decided to even you out a bit."

"DAMN YOU! Y-YOU MONSTER!"

>End her suffering
>Leave her be, she can't harm anyone anymore
>Make her suffer even more!
>Other? (write-in)

>>3066347
>>End her suffering

>>3066347
>>End her suffering
yeah, even if she has no eyes left no way are we letting her live

Okay then

>writing

"Monster? No... I am just a man who had enough.
To prove this I'll give you the one thing a monster would never show... mercy."
Raising your sword you brought it down without a seconds hesitation.
"For your crimes you deserved more than this! I hope you are happy with my generosity!"

And just as the head of Jez rolled onto the ground the rest of the fight was about to wrap up as well, with Szikra and Beatrice ending their own foes rightly. They both appear to be bloodied after the fights and it's not easy to tell how much is their own.
"How are you holding up?"
You ask them.

"I'm good... Though now I'm feelin' all this fighting."
Szikra panted, tired after using that electric slash of hers.

"I'm afraid I got hit... badly.
It's not lethal but I'll need to address it!"
Beatrice hissed in pain.

You reached into your backpack and tossed some medicinal ointment to her.
"Here, it won't be enough but it'll do for now.
So... if you're ready I say we go ahead and finish this.
I don't know how long this... thing will remain but without any aether left... I doubt it'll stay for long."

Nodding in agreement the three of you marched in to the twisted laboratory the boss has set up, where thousands found their cruel and agonizing deaths. The smell of the blood soaked battlefield was nothing compared to the stench of decay and rot that permeated the place. If that wasn't enough the sight of the place was surely enough to make the girls freeze in their tracks. And perhaps for the first time the two of them... were in agreement.

"W-What is this?!"

"It's... so much worse! I... I had no idea how bad-"

"If you need a moment then leave! No need for anyone else to torture themselves because of this!"
You march forward filled with determination.

In the very center of the entire complex the boss was awaiting you. His masterwork now sullied by rubble and debris created by the little trap Mezegis laid for them, the one that almost tore the cities foundation down.
He stood there seething with rage.

"Simon..."

"Hello. Boss."

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"I should've known it was you..."

"To be fair, you did trust me with your secrets."

"Yes... and remember what I said about yours? If I go down, so do you!
You two... do you think yourselves heroes? Some sort of deliverers of justice?
Are you even aware that the man with you is a culter just like I am?"

"What is he talking about?"
Szikra asked you.

"No idea.
He's probably trying to smear me."

"GRRRR!
At least I own up to what I am! You however cover like a maggot, afraid of the consequences of your actions!
But not me... I am prepared to accept the consequences of my actions! AND BIRTH A NEW WORLD!"
What happened afterwards was nothing short of pure chaos.

The boss lifted up an iron lantern and threw it on the ground, breaking it in the process. A liquid he must've spread around quickly caught on fire and spread throughout the hall. The flames quickly began eating everything from the equipment to the piles of mangled and mutilated bodies. You even heard the agonizing screams of the many amalgamates currently burning to a fine crisp. In that instant you began to realize what the boss' intentions were and he grinned at you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS1lKA2GNF0

"I've got nothing to loose now!
So hear my prayers O' lord! AND SEE MY ULTIMATE SACRIFICE!"

Reaching down to his chest the boss broke down in a mad laughter as he dug into his own flesh. When he managed to wrap his fingers around one pair of ribs he began janking on them until they tore away from him. You tried to stop him from going any further but the fires spread too quickly and enveloped him in a protective ring.

His laughter didn't cease for a moment as he continued to pry away his own bones. Fueled by madness and adrenaline he finally reached his goal in the form of his own heart. In his final act of lunacy the mutant cut out his own heart and managed to look at it for a second before crushing it in his own fist. As the life rapidly started to fade from his eyes his laughter slowed down until he could move no more.

And in that moment the heavens themselves appeared to break down before you.
A howl echoed through space itself as something made its way to you.

To your shock as the veil opened right before your eyes the seemingly lifeless body of the boss started moving once more and from it a ghastly, pained voice could be heard.

"Myyyyy looooord... you finally... heard meeeeee!
Yeeees! Please... punish theeese fooools!"
The boss or whatever was parading as him tried to laugh but ended up coughing blood instead as a strange figure stepped through the rift and entered your world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ8NY9_i45M

It was not how you imagined it to be but the sensation was unmistakable. You froze in place as you knew what was that stood before you, that it was but a very small extension of something much, MUCH greater.
But the girls didn't. They felt the same fear but knew too little, their ignorance permitted them to move.
In their frenzy they tried to attack the being but it did nothing. It was as if they expected to cut the world in half.
Their weapons bounced off the amorphous black fog and they were stunned when they realized they stand no chance against it.

The mist of starlight then concentrated into a single form. That of a man wearing a strange red suit, similar to the ones you've seen in your vision when you struck a deal with Ciel. Once the living god took form the flames didn't entirely die out but they became calm, almost as if they bowed down before their new master.

"Loook you fools! A new world has come!
Rejoice and REPENT!
My lord... I beg of thee! Right the wrongs of this world!"

But as much as he seemed to beg his 'lord' didn't seem to care all that much. The only thing that seemed to interest it is a still living but very much burning body. It must be one of the bodies that composed those horrid chimeras or whatever they were. Moaning and groaning in pain it crawled towards what you presumed to be Arken Razak himself.
The deity did acknowledge this pitiful dreg and walked up to it.

"M-My lord?"

"Pain..."
It spoke.
"So much pain."

"Yes! I did it for you! All for you!
I am your loyal servant! Please! Command me!"

Razak looked at the boss with uncaring, empty eyes.
"Then die... Die a thousand death for each life you took."

"Wha-
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The flames came alive and lunged at the boss, devouring him with great gusto as Razak crouched down before the dreg.
Placing a finger on each eye he slowly closed them and spoke in a calm voice.
"I'm sorry... I'll make this right...
I promise!"

Arken Razak, God of Brutality, devourer of agony then shed a single tear.
And you were left wondering: "What just happened?"
A question Razak seemed keen to answer as his voice quivered and let out another tear.

"I just don't want to eat anymore!"

And with that I shall leave you fine folk!

I hope you enjoyed yourselves.
I don't have any omakes planned currently but I might change my mind. So stay tuned for any potential updates.
And if you have any requests then feel free to lay 'em on me!

As always, take care until next weekend!

Oh....well, this went better than expected. Feel bad for the poor guy now, he doesn't seem to like his job all that much.

>>3066678
Ah... At last I finally understand. Or at least theoretically understand...
Would it be possible for a mortal to replace a god in their role? it's been so long since I last checked if it was possible or not. The reason I brought it up was because I am led to believe that Arken Razak is not his real name, in a "I am the Dread Pirate Roberts" sort of way.

>>3067610
The answers for both is a hard no.
His name IS Razak and God is... more of a species than anything.

Let me elaborate:

When magic was born into the world there were entities born with it. Living, conscious manifestations of pure magic. These were the Ken.

Or as people in the Free lands call them: Cosmic Predators.

These beings are ALL minor reality warpers as they breathe and are made up of pure magic.
They are capable of putting even the most talented of mages to shame as they use WAY more complex forms of magic to perform their most basic of functions, i.e. they move around not by changing their location in space but rather BEND space around themselves so it gives the illusion of movement.

The only thing these creatures are dependent on is food. They are also the reason why the Church of the Dead God was created. Because if the souls of the deceased aren't sent somewhere they will get flung into the cosmos for the Ken to munch on.

And the Arken are simply the members of the Ken who grew bigger and stronger than any of their brethren by binding themselves to certain universal concepts so they get fed every time ANYONE would perform said action / feel said emotion etc.

I will elaborate on this next thread a bit more and in continuity so for now let's just say that Arken Razak came to regret his choice of food rather quickly. Because he can feel every action associated with his sphere of influence

So I just got the news that I'll have work to do on Saturday. Not gonna specify because you'd not believe me even if I told you.

In turn however I'll do one quick omake now as well as ask a question from y'all.
Would you be okay with a Sunday session? Because the chances of me not being completely fucking dead on Sunday night are infinitely higher than on Saturday

>>3067998
Ah ok. That actually clears up a lot of stuff.
Thanks for answering my questions Spooks.
I guess that means it's either completely impossible or next to impossible to remove one's self from a concept.

>>3073089
Gotcha, I hope you'll have a good Saturday, and see ya on Sunday.

>>3073089
I'm fine with any session over no session but I've got some family obligations on Sunday. I'll try to pop in when I can though.

>>3073176
That's fair

>>3073169
Well, not impossible but not advised.
These beings solved their only issue, which is food and gorged themselves for over a thousand years now. As they kept feeding they kept growing and now they are at the point where if they cut themselves off they literally couldn't properly satiate themselves so their own bodies would devour themselves

Omake #3: Bonded service

After their little match was interrupted twice in a row the boys decided that it must've been some sort of divine will preventing them from settling their scores and therefore resigned themselves for some passive aggressive rivalry.
For the last couple of days after the event people refer to only as The Quake, the lads have been at a constant arms race of trying to one up one another. If one of them managed to do three reps during their training, then the other would go for four. And so on and so forth.

Needless to say this left both of them in quite a sorry state as they were both too stubborn to admit defeat so their little competition always ended with both of them spontaneously collapsing as they became unable to move a singular muscle within their bodies.

sigh
"This is getting ridiculous! At first it was funny to watch but now these two idiots are getting on my nerves!
And here I thought Maxim was the smarter of the two, but NO! They BOTH need to act like children!"

"P-Please Avana! Calm down!
You are making the table shake!"
Sonya pleaded to her friend as she tried to keep the stacks of books towering above her from toppling.

"Oh... sorry...
How are you going by the way? Made any progress?"

"I... think I had a breakthrough in manipulating plants.
I think I need to test it out first to be sure..."

"Good. Good good. At least someone is getting stuff done."
Standing up from the table she made her way to the two panting boys and swiftly delivered a kick to Lowans side.
"Hey you. Learned your lesson already?"

"Not... until... he does!"

"The same... to you..."

"You two are unbelievable!
How long are you going to keep this up?! Because it's clear to see that if you don't cut it out you'll both destroy yourselves in this dick measuring contest!"

"I concur...
That would be a most unfortunate outcome."

A new voice spoke up and as if lightning has struck into him, Maxim sprung up with eyes wide open.
"N-Nico!"

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The gierig girl looked sharply at the boy and spoke up in a cold tone.
"Maxim... you address me so carelessly. Have you no shame to call a noble lady by her first name?"

"N-NO! I MEAN- Please forgive me Lady Clemantis!"

"Pffffhahaha! I jest, I jest!
Seriously though Max... I leave for a little while and this is what happens?
You really need to learn how to relax."

Realizing that they are in the presence of nobility the two girls also get on their knees leaving Lowan as the only one not kneeling since he is quite incapable of doing so.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Lady Clemantis!"

"And you must be the people father told me about!
It is an honor to make your acquaintance!"
The young lady raised her skirt slightly and gave a proper bow to the adventurers.
"Lady Nico Clemantis. A pleasure."

"Not to be rude my lady but... do you two know each other?"

"Know? Oh Maxie and I grew up together!"
The noble lady then pulled the boy close so she could put his head in a choke hold and gave him a noogie.
"This boy over here is the only one I could truly call a friend. Everyone else in my life was either a family member or just someone I pretended to like while on tea parties.
Oh and speaking of which, could we cut it out with the "My lady" part?
In private Nico will do just fine. No reason to keep up appearances."

"As you wish."

"Good!"
Nico then let go of max who promptly got to fixing his hair.
"So... you three must be the apprentices of Ser Griswald, huh?"

"You know our teacher?"

"Only from tales.
My father told me a few of them.
He is a great friend of our house and any friend of his is a friend of ours.
Aaaand... that just about brings us to the topic at hand..."

Confused and unsure what to think the adventurers gave Nico a strange look.
"What would that be?"

"You see... there is still the *ahem* problem of your continued presence here in our manor."

"W-We're sorry, if we're a problem we'll leave at on-"

"Nonononono, nothing like that!
I believe I may have expressed myself wrong.
Please, allow me to rephrase that. You see, charity is quite frowned upon around here so something needs to be done about your situation. And it just so happens that we have some positions that must be filled.
So why not hit two birds with one stone?"

"...
Are you saying you have a job offer for us?"

"Uh-huh!
Basically father and I have been worried about this for quite some time.
We live in perilous times and nothing proves that more than the recent attack on the Harvest Festival.
A couple years ago it would've been unthinkable that a prominent noble lady would be kidnapped.
But now? Now we can't be careful enough."

"No..."
Maxim muttered.

"So what would you say about becoming my personal bodyguards?"

"No no no!"

"The matter of your housing would be null since you'd be working for us.
We'd compensate you handsomely and you could keep doing whatever you've been up to up until now.
And in turn I'd rest easier knowing that Ser Griswald and his protégées would watch over me.
Would such an arrangement interest you?"

"Nonononononono-"

Without hesitation all three of them spoke up in unison.
"Of course!"

"FUCK!"

Omake #3: THE END

>>3076754
Oh poor Maxim. Maybe you'll get rid of them someday. Nice omake as always Spooks.

Posting here just in case someone is watching here for the update.

I'll be starting in roughly 2 hours

>>3083738

The new thread is here.
Let us continue