Red...
Red dress? And ponytails? But why is her nose so big?
It takes a while for his vision to focus, but when it does his heart skips a beat. It's one of the infamous Free Devils! He has never seen one, but to be honest he expected it to be a little... taller? What he took for a dress were its wide legs, and the ponytails turned out to be horns bent towards the demons back. It has no hair - it's bald head shines like a polished stone. Suddenly, it noticed him.
The boy thought he was done for at this very moment. After all, the stories say demons are cruel monsters who eat and torture humans for fun! They're not much unlike the bullies - a thought crosses his mind.

The demon approaches him and the boy has already closed his eyes and said his last prayers when a rolled piece of paper pokes his chest.

"You look like you need some help"

He can't believe what's happening. A contract from a devil? Moreover not from a bound one? It must be a dream. But wait, if it's too good to be true, there must be a catch.

"The conditions. What are they?"

"We'll see about that. Hihihi!

>Choose how big of a sacrifice you're willing to make
>Small
Roll 1d5 for the drawbacks of your contract and 1d5 for the powers
>Medium
Roll 1d10 for the drawbacks of your contract and 1d10 for the powers
>Big
Roll 1d20 for the drawbacks of your contract and 1d20 for the powers

Rolled 15, 9 = 24 (2d20)

>>4210194
>Big

Oh, and let's not forget: We need the boy's name! How else would he sign the contract?

Rolled 3, 12 = 15 (2d20)

>>4210194
>Big
Go big or go home.

>>4210201
>Lucas Hume

Rolled 4, 10 = 14 (2d20)

>>4210194
>Big

Anons please we need a name.

>>4210201
Solomon "Solo" Attenborough.

>>4210281
Supporting.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

Okay, I'll roll between those two names so we can get started. On a side note, I must say these rolls are quite... curious.

>>4210281
>>4210282
Ah, Solo it is then

You rolled Hex and Eternal Hunger.

Solomon gains the following abilities:
>Lesser Curse
Uses: 1/day
By marking an effigy with the blood of the person you want to curse and your own, you can cause misfortune to fall upon said person. The power of this spell varies depending on how much blood is used, but it can't cause death.

>Sealed Violence
Uses: 3/day
By marking an item with your blood you can make it absorb the next attack that hits it and release it when thrown. This can be used both defensively and offensively, for example by preparing attacks beforehand and linking them with regular ones into powerful combos

As a payment, Solomon is cursed with Eternal Hunger. He can never eat again. If he is to consume food other than tea, water, and coffee, he will get sick and puke. He will not die, but he will be constantly tormented by hunger and his form will become ghastly.

Solomon looked at the contract before him, feeling a gulp form in his throat. Is he ready to do this?
The steps of a running person reverberated through the alley. They're getting closer. Is it one of the bullies? The anger rekindles in Salomon and the fire in his eyes tells the devil he has decided. A prickle on his fingertip, let the blood drip on the parchment... Come on, just a little bit more and... done!
Solo let out a scream as he felt his ribcage tear apart. The devil grinned even wider and jumped inside, gripping the contract so hard it crumpled up. The devil, now strangely shrunken, deemed the position next to Solo's small intestine too uncomfortable, so he crawled up to his heart, causing the boy a great deal of pain. Tears streak down his face, but his chest is growing back together now and the pain is subduing until soon it disappears.
The contract is sealed just in time - the hunter charged into the alley mere moments after The gruesome spectacle ended, all he found was a pale, scared boy in torn clothes.

"I've got you, spawn of... Huh? Hey, are you okay?"

Solomon doesn't have the energy to reply, so he just nods. This answer seems to satisfy the man.

"Have you seen a demon? He's about three feet tall, judging by the smell he must be somewhere around here."

He gesticulated heavily with every word, so his belly was wobbling disgustingly all the time. As revolting as it was, it's movement was strangely mesmerizing and you couldn't take your eyes off it.

"There's... No devil here."

"What? It's not possible, my nose has never failed me! he must be hiding somewhere..."

Suddenly, a disembodied voice lashes out.
"He's inside the boy, you moron."

The man turns his giant head to the sword.

"Inside the boy? How's that possible? Is it some kind of demon trick?"

"It's a contract, a contract you absolute Buffon. Did they teach you nothing in Hunter school? It's rare, but Free Devils can make contracts with humans, too. If they do, they get sealed inside the human, so they only use it when it's completely necessary."
1/2

Salomon was rendered speechless by the shock, but regained his speech.

"Hey! Why's that sword talking!?"

The man looked at him, surprised, and he could swear that the light reflecting off the blade just now looked like an eye.

"Waaah! Why do you have to embarrass me like that, human!? Do you not have the slightest clue about demons? Aside from beautiful and awesome creatures that are Free Devils such as me, there also exist Bound Devils. They are demons that have created in the shape of an item. They have no means of doing anything by themselves and can hardly even move, so they have to resort to contracting with humans. How pitiful, hihihi-"

"I'll show you who can hardly move, you sly fucker!" The fat hunter struggles to hold onto the sword as it yanks him around. "Besides, what right do you have to act superior when you have just contracted with a random human yourself? And a dumb one at that!"

"Yours fatty isn't much better, inanimate object! Kekekeke!"

"I'm... only... fat... because... of my contract! For heaven's sake, calm down Sharp!" The sword finally stopped flying around. Salomon's let out a sigh of relief. The demon might be acting smug, but he sure as hell doesn't want to get sliced up.

"I'll kill you both, the kid and your "free" ass! And then I'll kill this fatass, too! Wai, no, don't sheathe me, I'll stop talking! Nooo!!"

The man pulls a business card out of his pocket and gives it to Solomon.

"While Sharp would love to kill you, I would prefer if you were to stay alive. I have been a hunter for some time now, and I haven't seen anything like that in my career. I will inform my higher-ups of you - Even if the devil you contracted didn't seem to be a strong one, you might prove useful. On this card you will find a telephone number. Call it if you decide to join us, and if you don't... Well, let's hope you can control the demon, or else we won't hesitate to eliminate the threat..."

He waddles off, clearly proud of his 'badass' speech.

Solo walks the empty streets home, accompanied only by the howling wind and hissing cats. He reaches his house - a three-room building on the outskirts of the city and realizes that he had lost his keys.

"Tough day, huh?"

"Shut up." He says as he climbs in through the luckily open bathroom window. He looks in the mirror and sees how bad he looks - his hair is matted with blood, he has a black eye and his lip is cut. Aww man, this is gonna stay for some time. As he bends over the sink to wash his face, he freezes.
His nails, or more specifically, what's under them - blood.
It's not his blood, too. It's Trevor's blood. It must've got there when he gripped the fucker's ankle. A crazy thought appears in his head. What if... What if he were to test his newly gained abilities?

>Yes (roll 1d20)
>No (Solomon goes to sleep)

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>4210391
>Yes
Those abilities are definitely not worth that curse. Oh well, that's what you get when you deal with demons.

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>4210391
>Yes (roll 1d20)
Interesting concept

Obviously you will get stronger with time, as you learn how to use your power... and your curse grows more and more painful.


* * *

Solomon hurries out of the bathroom and searches his home for a doll, any doll that he could use. Finally, he finds one under his bed - an old, dusty power ranger figurine.

"Ah, that's just so... tasteless. An effigy should be hand-sewn out of hair!"

"Does it being an action figurine make the curse any less effective?"

"No, I suppose, but it lacks style. It pains me to see my powers be used so casually."

"Tough luck."

Solomon scrapped the tiny bit of dried blood from under his nail with a toothpick. When he added a drop of water it was barely enough to smear the figurine's forehead. He made up for it with his own blood, though. The wound in his mouth reopened and a couple of spats later the green ranger turned red.

"So, what do I do next?"

"Conjure up the image of the one you want to hurt and destroy the doll, imagining yourself destroying him."

"That's easy enough." Solomon though to himself, grabbed a meat hammer from the cupboard and smashed the plastic toy to pieces and then... nothing happened.

"Why are you so disappointed? The spell worked, now you just have to wait for the effects."

"Dunno what I was expecting. Flashing lights and thunderstorms probably?" He muttered and shrugged. He took a cold shower - the heating's fucked again. Shivering even in a sweater and under two blankets, he dozed off.

* * *

Beep... Beep... Beep...

Ah, crap. Time for school again. The boy did his hair in a hurry, put on some clean clothes, and rushed out the door to make it in time for the bus.
His ride school went as usual - hot air because the AC has been broken for ages, body odors, and loud music blasting from his half-broken headphones - until the bus came to a stop at an unusual moment. He opened his eyes (bus time is perfect napping time)to see that there has been an accident. The hairs on Solomon's back stand up when he recognizes Trevor's motorcycle in the garbled mass of metal lying on the road. Trevor himself is lying on a stretcher, conscious, but his leg is twisted at an angle that's painful to look at.

"See? Told you it works."

It was hard for him to focus at school. The teacher's words barely penetrated the thick fog surrounding his mind. Emotions were rushing and changing places inside him like colors in a kaleidoscope. The thing that pulled him out of this delirium was Jane, probably the only female on earth interested in him. Her personality was very hurricane-ish, wherever she went she somehow managed to turn things upside down and make a giant mess, then leave it for someone to clean up.

"How's it going, tangerine boy?"


"Where'd you get the 'tangerine' from, retard."


"It's cuz your black eye is the size of a tangerine," She said, smiling. Teasing is commonplace in this friendship.


1/3

"Ah, piss off."


"Who did it? Trevor again?" She sighs


"Yeah, but don't worry, it's no biggie."


"Ha, good thing you don't have parents, else they'd get mad at you
for getting into fights all the time."


"..."


"Ah... Sorry! I'm such an idiot, I always blurt out something inappropriate."


"I've noticed that. What brings you here anyway? Don't you have chemistry in a couple of minutes? The class is in the other end of the school, you'll be late."


"Oh, I wanted to tell you before I forget. I'm going to the movies with a couple of friends tomorrow, want to come with us?"


"Sure, why not."


"Great, I'll be going then."


"Bye!"


"Hmm"


"What are you hmm-ing about?" Solo whispers very quietly, afraid someone will hear him.


"Something's wrong with that girl."


"Something's wrong with your head. She may say something offensive or upsetting from time to time, but she doesn't intend it to be that way, it just comes out like that. That's what she's like - a little crazy, but good-hearted. Besides, she's pretty much my only friend here. You have to be a little crazy to befriend a guy who's targeted by these motorcycle outlaws..."


"Nevermind then. By the way, you know you don't have to whisper like that? We can talk in your head since I'm inside you and all."


"Why didn't you say that earlier!?"


"Guess I just forgot."

School's over. Solomon loiters around the garbage bins behind the school building. It's his favorite spot - it's quiet and no one comes here, so he can unwind in peace. Caught up in the moment, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a candy bar. Forgetting about his contract, he unwrapped it and lifted it to his mouth.
The moment the chocolate-coated sweet touched his tongue, it was as if someone sucker-punched him in the gut. Doubled over and puking so hard he felt the pressure in his eyeballs, he heard a voice from above him

"What are you doing here? Get out! Damn kids, they get drunk, and just who do they think has to clean up their vomit?"

Damned janitor! He couldn't have picked a worse time to come. Solo scurries away to the bus stop, wondering what to do next. The Demon Hunter Bureau business card feels like it's burning through his pants.

"It's not your imagination."

"Huh?"

"The paper their business cards are made of has to purify salt mixed into it. It burns demons, so you will feel uncomfortable heat, too."

"What? Besides, how did you know what I was thinking about? Can you read my mi-"

"You touched it like ten times in the last thirty seconds, idiot. It's not hard to figure out what was on your mind."

Solo sighs.

>What will he do next? Perhaps do a little research about the Hunters/Demons? Test his new powers? Maybe go out to kill some time - He can't eat, but no one said he can't go to a club. Or maybe just timeskip to the movies?

* * *

Actually it's only two, and I fucked up the colors :/
I'm tired, sorry

>>4210942
>What will he do next? Perhaps do a little research about the Hunters/Demons?
Let's go with this. Gonna now what world we're in now

>>4210942
> Test new powers

Let's get a rock, find a reaaaaally tall place to drop it from, and try out

> Sealed Violence

Actually, let's find a heavy rock and find a really tall place to drop it on another, smaller and easily thrown object.

10kg from 100 meters height generates 9800 joules or 999kg force on impact.

20kg from 20 meters, which is much more reasonable at a height of 5 floors, generates 3920 joules at 399kg force.

20kg from 8 meters generates 1568 joules or 160kg force.

So I mean. If we drop 45lb from the roof of a two story house onto something, when we throw it and it hits someone it's gonna release 352lb of pressure.

PHYSICS.

Best part? Some dumb shit kid doesn't even need to know all that to know that a lot of force is generated by dropping heavy shit onto something, far more than he could generate with his physique alone.

>>4210942
>>4212123
Crushing grip coins.

Get 1 coin.

Place in hydraulic press. Or one of those coin flattening machines. At worst, get a table clamp and a long handle and drop your weight on it for a minute or so.

When that force get applied, it can crush whatever it hits by compressing it. Minimize shrapnel, use it to crush locked doors, chests (alway aim for the center of mass, easiest to hit), etc.

Heck, most things in your garage. Just drill a coin for penetrating damage. Slice is with a power saw. Drop a coin in a mixture of bleach and ammonia (outside, and quickly run away while holding your breath).

I genuinely feel that there needs to be a better definition of "attack". Or not! I love abusing things.

>>4212157
Stick coin in oven. Set oven to "clean".

You ever microwave a lit candle to make plasma? With a coin above it? Sure, you'll be unable to use the microwave after though.

>>4212157
Ha, I will only change if it's absolutely necessary - I'm not the type to back out of something when the players find a way to exploit it. If anything, it makes things more fun.

>>4212123
>>4212157
>>4212158
Supporting. Bullshit is always fun.

The next day at school was rather uneventful. Solo forgot his anorak and it was raining when classes ended so Jane lent him her backup jacket. Thankfully it wasn't pink, but it was a bit too small, so obviously the Trevor's dumbass "friends" made jokes about Solo only wearing hand me downs. God forbid if they found out it was a girl's jacket! Speaking of Trevor, Solo heard that his leg was only twisted and it would heal in a couple of weeks, but his bike was totaled. Serves him right.

The movies started at 9 pm, Solo still had to go to his side job today.
Dishwashing was always disgusting, but today the nastiness was turned up to eleven. Solo couldn't figure out if it was because of his curse or because today's customers were a bunch of pigs who left a half-eaten mess for him to clean up, but he was feeling nauseous. Two thirds into his shift he couldn't hold out any longer and rushed to the bathroom to puke. When he came out of the bathroom, the chef was waiting by the door with a bottle of water.

"I think you've worked enough today. Can't let you do the dishes anymore or you'd end up puking in them. Do you know what kind of a health hazard that would be? Here, take this. It's on me."

"T-thank you, sir." He said. His legs felt like cotton candy.

Two hours until the movies, time to come home and freshen up

While waiting at the bus stop, he saw a man come out of a wall.

"What the- Hey, did you see that?"


His question was met with loud snoring inside his head.

"I'm probably just exhausted," Solo said to himself and downed the water in two gulps. He was starting to get a little hungry, but drinks helped trick the brain into thinking he's full.

* * *


"Hey, Solo, don't you want some popcorn? You love it, right?"


"Uh, no, thanks. I'm not hungry. Stomach flu or something."


"Eew, that's nasty"

Solo didn't know any of the people that came w it Jane - They were from her class. She introduced them to each other some time ago, but Solo has long forgotten their names.

"Ha, look at that guy! He's so jealous the main guy gets to kiss that girl."

"Wha- Shut up! have you even been paying attention to the movie? He's not just some dude, he's an assassin sent to kill the protagonist."

Thud! Ugh! Thud, Thud, Thud

"Oooh, blood. Nice."

"Shh! You're ruining the mood."

"Oh, don't be such a pansy! If you want to know the real reason I interrupted you, I was watching the guy who has followed us around since after school and just wanted to tell you that he's going to the bathroom now."

"You what? Who is he? No, where is he?"

"I thought you noticed. Two rows back, going to the left exit."

It was the same guy who walked through the wall earlier!

"Excuse me... Sorry... Coming through."
1/2

Solo made his way to the bathroom. Looking under the stalls, he tried to locate the one where the mysterious stalker was. Feet too small, he wasn't wearing sandals, this one's empty... Got him!

The man was huge - over two meters tall and was wearing a hat and a baggy hoodie. His brutish face told Solomon it surprised him to see Solo standing outside his stall.

"You... want to use this stall? Go ahead, it's yours."


"Actually, no. I wanna know why you were following me around."

The man's cheeks seemed to blush a bit as if embarrassed for being caught.

"Well... Uh... I know you've got it, I can smell it! Would you help a brother out and give him some? I've not had a fix in two weeks and it's really getting to me."

Solo was perplexed by his answer.

"What's it?"


"Don't play dumb! The smell is unmistakable, you've got the Crystals on you, at least a couple of them."

"I don't know what crystals you're talking about man."

"Ugh, don't want to share? Fine. I'll give you 4 Dinheiro for a dime bag, what do you think? Just know that if you don't agree, I'll take it by force."

"Uh, any idea what he's talking about?"

"No, but Dinheiro is the demon world currency. I should be able to talk it over with him if you give me control over your body for a moment."

"Can't you just speak as you did earlier?"

"And let him know that I'm a Free Devil who contracted with a human? If I do that he'll have no respect for me and will absolutely not listen."

>What will you do? Can you trust the demon inside you? If not, will you be able to talk your way out of this?

>>4212567
Why can't he just tell us what to say, qnd we can act as interpreter.

That's what we're willing to deal.

>>4212567
let the demon do the talking for now

>>4212567
Offer to let the Demon control you in exchange for another ability.

1 vote to let the demon speak, one to let it control us for a new ability and one to only let it tell you what to say, so let's go with the middle option which is just letting the demon speak.
* * *

Solo judged his options and finally replied.

"Okay, you do the talking, but once you're done I'm in control again."


"Deal"


Solo felt his face twist slightly and realized moving his body became extremely hard.


"Well?" The giant demon was getting impatient.


"4 Dinheiro? Do you think I'm dumb? This is top-grade stuff! I want at least 32!"

"What!? Are you crazy? I don't have that much money on me! Don't mess with me, fucker!"
He raised his hand to hit Solo, or rather the demon controlling Solo, but stopped himself.


"Hey, you sure you know what you're doing?" Solo asked the demon


"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry"


"How much dollars is one Dinheiro anyway?"


"Around, uhh, 8 dollars I guess?"


Holy smokes, that's a lot of cash. Solo could pay his rent for the next month with that.


"Why so angry? Who was your previous supplier, hmm? I'd like to know the name of the guy selling such shit crystals. Or maybe he's running a charity?"


The other guy is even angrier now.

"How dare you say such things about Mr. Yango's crystals? They're top-notch, and anyway, who are you? This part of the mortal world corresponds to the middle of Mr. Yango's territory in the demon world, so you would've known this if you were one of his dealers or got it from him yourself. If you're a rogue dealer, then I should beat your ass and get a reward!"


He reached for his pocket.


Solo was panicking. What is the demon doing? Does he want to get him killed so he can be free again?


"Ahh, so it was little Batty that you were getting your stuff from. Well, It's no surprise. He always had too good a heart for business."


His hand stopped.


"You know Mr. Yango and still deal in his territory?"


"Know? Of course, I know him you buffoon, we've been friends since childhood! I was even there when he got his infamous scar." Solo's fingers ran across his face. "Want to know how he really got it? Kekekeke, as if I'd tell you."


The brute seems discouraged and still unsure if what he's hearing is true.


"Well, even if it's as you say, why would you be dealing in your friends' territory?"


"Who said I'm dealing, idiot? It was you who started yapping about buying shit off me. It's mine, go get some in the Nether."

1/2

"I would if I could, but it's nowhere to be found. I heard there's a shortage because too many people got addicted: The streets are dry and even the people in Mr. Yango's court must use them sparsely now. Please, sir, help me get my fix!" He fell to his knees - his hands are trembling as he puts them together to plead "I don't have the money to buy them from you, but if you could slip a word to Mr. Yango, then he would certainly sell me some."

Solo can't believe what he's seeing. A giant man who threatened to fight him just moments ago, now brought to his knees. His hunger for drugs must be unbearable, drug addiction is truly a powerful fiend.


"What's in for me?" The demon said coldly through Solo's lips.


"W-well, I already said that I'm poor, so I can't pay you in money, but my family's specialty are disguises and espionage. If you help me, then my powers will be at your disposal."


"Whaddya think, kid. Should we help him?" The demon asks Solo

>y/n

* * *

I'm having some issues with the connection so no colors sadly, also had to do some school stuff so no time to write, but expect more updates this weekend

>>4214856
>yes
those powers are pretty useful

>>4214856
> Y

We need the blood of our tormenters. Get us that.

>>4214856
Y

File: netherworld.jpg (75 KB, 784x560)

75 KB JPG

"Wouldn't hurt to try. His skills might be useful." Solo replied.
"Now give me back the control!"


"Alright, alright"

Something shifted in his chest and Solo was in charge again.

"Okay, I will help you."


The demon's eyes lit up.

"Great! Let's go, I know a passage nearby."

"Right now?"

"Why not? We'll be back before the movie's over. I'm Swift, by the way."

"Solo."

The demon left the cinema and led Solo through the streets. Solo doesn't like this. He came to watch movies with his friend, and now he's going without a word? Not to mention that it could be a trap. After all, this Swift guy still thinks he has crystals on him, whatever they are.

They stopped in front of a small convenience store.

"We're here."

Ehh? The passage to the world of demons is inside a convenience store?

"Wait, tell him to mask our scent before we enter"

"Why?"

"Just do it!" The demon said.

Upon hearing the request from Solo, Swift just nodded and pulled out a pack of matchsticks from his pocket. He flicked one at Solo, the same way that kids would do to scare each other. Solo flinched instinctively, but the matchstick burned before it could reach him and he was enshrouded by a thick cloud of smoke. It smelled very musky.

The store was rather dingy. The lights were flickering, the floor was dirty and some of the shelves were understocked. The acne-ridden cashier didn't notice them, and if he did he surely wasn't showing it. Swift walked to a beer fridge in the back of the store.

"Is this really the time to be drinking?" Solo asked

The demon only held up his finger, gesturing for Solo to watch. A cold draft ran howled through the store and the light inside the fridge went out. The machine shook as Swift banged his head while trying to fit inside. When he was fully through, his hand stuck out from the darkness and motioned Solo to come with him.
Instead of the expected smooth metal surface, Solo's feet landed on something really hard. Concrete? It took a second before his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, but now he sees his guess was right. They were standing in a seemingly normal dead-end of an alley, with concrete pavement, close to no light, and a bum sleeping in the corner, only that the bum had two heads.

Similarities grew even more sparse when they left the alley. The Demon World is like a modernist dream come true - giant, elaborate shapes of concrete tower over the streets in a display of power under an iron-gray sky. A seemingly normal woman comes out of a nearby building. It took Solo a long moment before he noticed she wasn't wearing cornrows, but rather sported a head full of snakes.

"Stop staring you, idiot! You'll draw attention."
1/2

The demon might tell Solo that, but it's one thing to say and other to do. As Swift and he walked through the city, the buildings became dirtier and the scars on people's faces multiplied. It seems they're entering a worse part of the city, if you can talk about good and bad parts in the Netherworld.
Suddenly, a building appeared on the horizon, contrasting with the neighboring blocks of flats. The building was an old mansion painted black. It looked Victorian, but Solo wasn't sure. It even had a little garden and a metal fence around it, the green looked out of place in this world of shades of gray.
As they neared the gate, two demons in tuxedos appeared out of thin air.


"Stop! Who are you and what's your business with Sir Yango?"


Their eyes were black and their gaze felt like it could pierce a hole right through Solo.


"Uh-oh." The demon's voice echoed through Solo's head


"What do you mean 'uh-oh'? You said you were his childhood friend, so just say you came to visit him."


"I said that, yes, but to be honest it was only half a truth."


"What!? Do you want to get us killed?"


Swift did the talking for them


"This man is Mr. Yango's friend. We came to ask him a favor."


The demon on the left replied.


"Sir Yango has no friends. He is holding auditions right now, so you may take a ticket and hope he listens."


Solo shrugs.

"That'll do."

The demons open the gate and lead Solo and Swift inside the mansion. In the huge hallway, there is a tumult. There are dozens of demons inside, chatting merily and waiting for their turn to talk to the powerful Yango. By the door, there is a metal cylinder painted red and as tall as a person. It dispenses tickets. The demons give one to Solo and leave. Solo looks at the ticket - it says 65.

Awkward silence ensues between our hero and Swift.

.

.

.

The wallpaper sure does look nice.

>What shall Solo do now?
>Ask the demon about what's really his relationship with this Yango guy.
>Try to get to know more about the crystals from Swift. (Roll 1d20 for not making him suspicious)
>Ask Swift about his powers
>Try to chat up some demons
>Write in

>>4216624
>Ask the demon about what's really his relationship with this Yango guy.

Damn, we didn't have time to put any attacks into anything.

>>4216624
>Ask the demon about what's really his relationship with this Yango guy.

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>4216624
>Try to get to know more about the crystals from Swift. (Roll 1d20 for not making him suspicious)

>>4216624
>Ask the demon about what's really his relationship with this Yango guy.

"So, what exactly did you mean when you said you being childhood friends with this Yango is only half true? I mean, what's the truth?"

"Well, it's true that I've known him since he was a child, but I don't know if he'd consider me a friend."

"What, you're lifelong rivals?"

There's a pause followed by a soft chuckle,

"Rivals? No, Hell forbid. His grandfather Yingo was a rich merchant that I happened to befriend. I often used to come over when Yango was still a wee demon. I'm counting on using that fact to convince him to help us."

"Eeeh? His grandpa? How old are you? You know what, nevermind. So you're telling me that you haven't seen him since he was a child? Jeez..."

"How can someone be so reckless... And he's an old man!" Solo thought to himself. "If anything, he should be the most rational out of the three of us."

Solo jumped up when a heavy hand fell on his shoulder. It turned out to be Swift's, who wanted to tell him he's gonna take a nap. How can he be so relaxed with all these ugly mugs around? Then again, he's a demon too...
As if to confirm Solo's thoughts, Swift's cap slid off his head, revealing a pair of small horns sticking from his thick mop of hair. Solo tried to put it back on, but couldn't reach Swift's head, so he just put it on his lap.

Time passed and demons came in and out of the room hidden behind the giant black door.

* * *

The crowd has thinned out. Finally, it was our heroes' turn. It came just in time because a giant demon with scaly skin seemed to grip his fist tighter and tighter every time Swift snored.

The brass handle was worn down and moved surprisingly easily.

Soft light illuminated the room, cascading off a crystal chandelier. The walls were covered with a blood-red wallpaper, a nice change after the dull green of the hallway. On the wall opposing the door, there were many paintings and portraits depicting bats wearing tuxedos, posing gracefully and at decadent dinners. Sitting in a richly decorated chair under these paintings was none other than a human-sized bat in an elegant suit, hair parted. golden wireframes sitting on its nose and a giant scar running across its face. It seemed bored.

"Well, are you done admiring my house? Speak up, I don't have all day." Mr. Yango said in a high pitched, irritated voice.

Solo was so amazed by the interior that he forgot to speak! he felt something kick in his chest.

"Come on, let me speak before he kicks us out!"

Solo gave his permission and felt the devil take over yet again.

"Hey, Lil' Yango! How's it going? Though I suppose I shouldn't call you little anymore, you're a grown man now. Running his own business empire just like the old man, eh?"

This enraged the bat.

"Who are you? Do you not want to keep your head on your shoulders?"

Swift seemed to agree with Yango because he was starring at Solo in complete disbelief.

1/2

"Ah, Yango, do you not remember me? I admit my looks might have changed, but it hurts my heart when you speak so bluntly. I was even there on that regretful summer day when your pretty face got all... messed up."

Yango's face lit up with realization, then shock.

"You-! Why are you here!? You shouldn't be able to enter the underworld, even if you changed your body... It can't be you contracted with a human? Oh, for someone like you to fall so low!"

"Yango, Yango, percipient as always. I guess there's no point hiding it now. Meet Solomon, my contractor." Solo regained control of his body.

"Even if you hid inside that child's body, it still extremely dangerous for you to come here. What matters bring you to my house?"

"I heard that you're a major player on the market of the so-called 'crystals'."

"Mhm."

"I've come to ask you to sell this fellow here a fix. And by the way, what are those crystals anyway?" The demon said, now again as a disembodied voice, alluding to Swift, who was now utterly confused.

Yango adjusted his glasses.

"Is that really all you were risking your life for? Crystals are a new performance-boosting substance developed by the devils from the Lowest City. Its effects are similar to that of morphine, including the addictive side, only they come with an interesting twist. It just so happens that the crystals boost demonic abilities, even making them comparable to Magic."

"What!? Magic! And you're selling this stuff to junkies on the street."

"Calm down, old man. It may sound powerful, but for that to happen one needs to take enormous amounts of crystals, eventually overdosing. It's funny that you come to me asking for such a favor... Great! I will give him all the crystals he wants, under only one condition."

"I'm all ears."

"Recently there has been a series of attacks on carriages coming out of the Lowest City. I want you to to use your powers to stop whatever organization is behind them. It shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"

"..." Solo felt the demon move insignificantly "I'll try."

"Fantastic! I will lend you one of my servants for this mission, and you will be off, the next carriage is supposed to set out tomorrow."

>Enceinte, abilities: Regeneration Power:| Health:|| Speed:|||

>Agog, abilities: Food Conjuration Power:||| Health:||| Speed:|

>Valance, abilities: Barriers Power: || Health:| Speed:||

>Linchpin, abilities: Explosion Power: |||| Health: | Speed: |

>Aptor, abilities: Thieft Power: Health:| Speed:|||

>>4217446
>>Valance, abilities: Barriers Power: || Health:| Speed:||

>>4217446
>Valance, abilities: Barriers Power: || Health:| Speed:||

>>4217675
>>4217584
>>4217446
Consensus.

Sorry guys, there won't be an update today. Some urgent family matters came up and I couldn't get to my computer for the better part of the day, and then when I had wrote half of this update, I found out I have an assignment due tomorrow that is pretty hard, so I'm trying to do that now. Again, I'm really sorry for not updating even though I said I would,

>>4219966
No worries, that's how QMing goes.

"Mr. Valance will go with us." The demon said.

An elegant, thin demon with green skin, blue eyes, and short gray hair came out from the shadows in the corner of the room. Wrinkles marked his face, but he stood proud. Solo shuddered - how come he didn't see him before?

"Long time no see, you geezer! Time sure took its toll on you, eh?"

"I'd prefer if you were more formal, sir" Valance's voice was quiet and silky, almost a whisper.

"I see you're as much of a buzzkill as ever."

"There'll be time to reminisce about the old times. Now you all should go." The bat clapped his hands "A carriage will be waiting outside to pick you up."

* * *

A loud neigh could be heard as they were led out through the back entrance. The sight, although mundane for The Demon and valance, was shocking for Swift and breathtaking for Solo, to say the least.
A black carriage embroidered with gold as if straight out of the 19th century stood on the asphalt road. Harnessed to the wagon was a humongous mare, with black fur and a mane of flames. The inside was no less luxurious than one might expect. Solo didn't have time to make himself comfortable when the speed pushed his body into the cushioned seat. The world outside the window blurred into a gray smudge. Even Valance, who sat next to it, seemed to turn gray, but it must've been this method of transportation making itself felt to him, too. Swift, on the other hand, endured it surprisingly well. Hooves hit the pavement with a series of thuds that sounded like fire from a machine gun.

"I suggest we fasten our seatbelts" Valance said as he reached for his with visible struggle.

It was a good idea because minutes later the carriage came to a sudden stop, launching its passengers forward. Swift's head hit the opposing wall with a deafening bang. Thankfully his head was thick enough to stop any damage to his brain.
Solo stepped out of the wagon lightheaded. He's never had motion sickness, but right now he felt like puking his guts out.
He looked around. The environment changed. At first, he thought they had stopped in the middle of a desert, but a closer look, while he was bent over vomiting, told him that they were in fact tiny skulls.

A mountain stood in the middle of this giant cemetery. Smalls skulls lay on its sides like gravel, big skulls were like boulders, entire spines embedded in the ground were trees, complete with the ribcage and a skull on top. Empty eye sockets of gargantuan proportions formed caverns. At the feet of the mountain were teeth. They stretched across its entire width, monoliths of white shielding an unknown abyss.
1/2

Bones moved behind the group. The rattling murmur alerted them. As skulls cascaded with a deafening roar, a red pillar ascended from the white soil. Twitching and pulsating, it was live muscle. The walls of meat spread apart like a curtain to reveal what looked like an ordinary elevator, only much bigger. It's doors opened and a truck drove out. It's windows were black and its license plate was a crude picture of a pitchfork

"This is the delivery." Valance said "We will be following it to ensure it's safety."

"Easy as a pie." The demon inside Solo said.

"Should I disguise it?" Swift said. Solo nodded, so Swift threw his matchstick at it. The smoke spread out over its metal surface, and when it dispersed the truck came out mostly unchanged, only now it was painted white and a huge ice cream cone was fastened to its roof.

"An ice cream truck!?" Solo screeched.

"No one suspects an ice cream truck" Swift said. "Never."

"Pshh, whatever. Let's get inside, the truck has already started."


It was true, the truck didn't wait any longer and drove off at a huge speed. Solo dreaded another journey inside that carriage, but what won't you do to help a junkie get his fix?

The outside world became blurred once again.

* * *

The truck took a sharp turn. The speed wasn't as extreme as during the last journey, so Solo was able to hold his vomit in.

"Hey! I'm not trying to be an expert here since I was away for so long and all that, but aren't we going the wrong way? I thought this was a package for Yango!"

Valance rubbed his chin.

"I'll be damned, we are! The Lowest City always keeps its promises, so this could mean only one thing - someone from the outside must've gotten inside. We must stop the truck!"

>How will you stop the truck? Solo still has his Lesser Curse and three fresh uses of Sealed violence along with the two he made at the abandoned hospital. Swift has 4 charges of Disguise which he can also like a smoke grenade. Valance has 5 uses of Outer Barrier which creates a wall of force but takes some time to cast, 3 uses of Inner Barrier which can be cast on anyone to make their body extremely durable and 2 uses of Restrict which stops an incoming attack.

>>4221399
Can we see who's riding this thing ?

>>4221426
No, the windows are blackened.

>>4221399
> Solo still has his Lesser Curse and three fresh uses of Sealed violence along with the two he made at the abandoned hospital

When did we do this? What two do we have ready to go? Is it the rock dropping?

>>4221399
Anyways

> The truck took a sharp turn. The speed wasn't as extreme as during the last journey, so Solo was able to hold his vomit in.

Oh good, there isn't some sort of magical straight line to the destination.

Next sharp turn, have everyone throw their weight toward the side that they get pshed towards, tilting the vehicle over.

>>4221476
When testing it out at the hospital. It's a dictionary and a chair.
>>4221493
Also, were not inside the truck, we're in the carriage, sorry if that wasn't clear

>>4221552
Well then. Let's bash a hole in the roof and see if it's following the Truck. If so, no need to stop it since we'll lose the truck if we do.

>>4221552
When did we go to a hospital?

>>4221576
I just checked the thread and realized I had missed a p big chunk of text. I have no idea how it happened, but after
>>4212123
There was supposed to be a segment about Solo going to an abandoned hospital to test his new powers without anyone interrupting. Again, I have no idea how that happened, I even remember posting it and it's saved on my computer. I don't know if there's any point posting it now, but I can if you want. Huge sorry for fucking up again.

>>4221682
Hey no worries man. It happens. First threads can be rough like that.

>>4221682
Might as well post it, so we know what we got out of testing our abilities.

>>4221773
Okay, here goes. It happens before
>>4212563


Solo figured it was time to check out his second ability. After thinking it through, he realized that using it to just store punches and kicks would be for uninspired losers. He had a better idea of how to use it...

First, Solo had to go to a secluded place - the abandoned hospital on the outskirts was just perfect for what he was planning to do. He used his lunch money to buy a bus ticket and made sure no one was around once he arrived. Fighting a junkie or getting caught by the police weren't on his bucket list.

Next, he found a sheet of paper in one of the drawers inside, secured it on the ground under a window with some stones, bit his thumb, and let the blood drip down. The yellowed background made it look dark like a coffee stain.

"Is that how I do it?"

[red]"Seems okay to me."[/red]

Next came the difficult part. The first thing to fly out of the window was a wheelchair. Solo hoped he'd get it right first try, counting on the wheelchair's size, but it spiraled in the air and completely missed the target. Next came a wooden drawer and a first aid kit, which eventually hit the target. Unlike the first two attempts, there was no sound upon impact. Solomon came running down flights of stairs. The paper didn't even crinkle.

"How do I release it?"

[red]"Oh, you know, just slap something with it, throw it, make a plane out of it, it's the intent to release it that matters, the only condition is it has to leave your hand."[/red]

Paper plane, huh? Solo wasn't good at origami, but he did his best, even gave the wings a little fold so it would do a barrel roll and once his work was finished, he launched it at a tree.

[i][b]Bonk[/b][/i]

The paper plane impaled into the tree, leaving a reasonably sized hole in its trunk.

Solo used pens for the two next amulets because it would be easier to explain than if someone saw him carrying bloodied pieces of paper. He hit them respectively with a dictionary and a chair. Without warning, he heard sirens. Crap, him throwing all that stuff around was pretty loud, someone must've called the cops on him!
After a crazy chase through the city jungle, he escaped the police by the skin of his teeth.

* * *

The next day at school was rather uneventful...

>>4222209
Mmkay. Blow holes in trees level is where we are.

Not a lot of people here, huh.
>>4222635
If I understood it correctly, you want to blow a hole in the trucks roof?

>>4224328
I thought we were in the truck then.

Can we have our Barrier guy cast one on the road ahead of the truck at an angle that will flip it?

If not, exploding pen to the tires.

>>4224328
Sorry I didn't check for a while.

>>4224880
Ok, roll a d20

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>4225466
later hour doots

Rolled 98 (1d100)

>>4225466
Dootdoot

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>4225466

>>4225516
it's a 1d20

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>4224328
>>4225526
Fruit of the vine

The DC was 15 but I'm gonna count it as a success because of that sweet 1d100 roll.


"Valance! Can you stop it with a barrier?" Solo shouted.

"The chances are 50/50"

"What if I blew their tire up?"

"Up to 70 percent, I'd say."

"Great" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ballpoint pen.

Solo leaned out of the window, but speed had almost pulled him out of the vehicle.

As he struggled to get back inside the carriage, Solo called out

"Hey, Swift!"

"Huh?"

"Make use of your muscles! Throw this pen at the truck, but you better hit the wheels!"

Solo handed him the "chair" pen, his gut told him this needed a lot of force to succeed.

As Swift opened the window on his side, Valance's hands glimmered red.

"Quick, go!"

With the agility of an athlete, he stretched his arm out and threw the pen forward. Solo's forehead covered with cold sweat as the pen seemed to lose speed relative to the truck. "It's not gonna make it!" He thought, but then the pen's tip just barely scraped the side of the truck's tire. Even though the wind howled awfully, they could hear a bang and then the miserable screech of its tires as the driver tried to avoid the crimson wall which appeared out of thin air.
He couldn't avoid collision and the back of the truck smashed into the wall when swerving to the side. The truck lost a lot of speed now, so the carriage was able to catch up with it, now riding side by side, a window by window.

>What next?

>>4225665
break the glass and attack the driver

>>4225665
Run up and toss the other pen in the drivers seat.

Use 'em if you got 'em. We don't know what fucky magic shit we might be up against so best to go hard right away.

>>4225665
Supporting >>4225688
But make sure to ask Valance to be ready to protect you with a barrier just in case

>>4225705
>>4225688
Alright, roll me a d20 and another one for the barrier in case it doesn't go well.

Rolled 8, 7 = 15 (2d20)

>>4225708

Rolled 16, 16 = 32 (2d20)

>>4225708

had a brain fart

Rolled 7, 7 = 14 (2d20)

>>4226051
>>4225708

Nice!

DC 12, Success.

Solo knew he had no time to waste. He pulled the other pen out of his pocket.

"I'm gonna break their window. Be ready to protect me with a barrier in case something goes wrong." He said to Valance. "Can we get closer to the truck!?"

As if responding to his shout, the horse closed the distance between them and the car, so much that the window was within an arms reach.
Solo took a few deep breaths and lunged out the window aiming to hit with his elbow. It hurt like hell, but the glass broke - it didn't fall apart though, just sort of bent, it must've been reinforced. Solo threw the pen he was holding in his other hand inside the truck, almost falling outside the carriage. He was saved by Swift, who had grabbed his legs just in time.

The truck swerved and shattered against a building. Crystals spilled everywhere and black smoke was coming from the wrecked truck, now back to its undisguised form. The carriage stopped and for a moment there was only anticipating silence. Suddenly, a blur of color moved inside the smog. As it crawled out of the wreckage, its shapes became clearer. She (the curvature around her chest and butt made her gender apparent) was clad in red leather from head to toe; shoes, pants, biker jacket, and a disturbing mask which resembled a skinned human head with tinted glass in its eye sockets.

"Ouch! Ow, ow, ow..." She said, her voice muffled by the mask. She stopped and looked around. "Uh-oh. Big trouble?" She was standing still as if waging her chances, then without warning, she struck.
Solo didn't get a good look at her attack because he was to busy dodging it, but it was some sort of liquid. When he looked over to her, the fingers were missing from her right hand. She raised her arm again. This time her entire hand turned to red liquid and sprayed them with rapid-fire. The droplets shone as they crawled back to her, up her body and crystalizing at the end of her arm back into a hand.
No one got hurt again, but from the looks of it, she wasn't planning to stop.

>How will you fight her?

Mysterious Woman
?? HP
Abilities:
???

Solo
25 hp

Valance
15 hp

Swift
30 hp

>>4226561
do we have something to throw at her ?

>>4226561
Diplomacy!

> The truck is already unable to move, and we've called for backup. Why are you sticking around?

Also pull out another pen to make it look like we can throw it again.

Have Vance cast inner barrier on the three of us while doing this.

>>4226561
Also see if Swift can grab some of those drops, they might be her blood or close enough to it for our other skill to work.

Regardless, they're probably useful in some way.

>>4226574
So, are we going with this? No one seems to disagree, so roll a d20 for the talking, d20 for the bluffing and a d20 for the casting

>>4227628
Your is different, mind posting trip ?

>>4227636
Oh yeah, that might be a good idea

Rolled 8, 16, 18 = 42 (3d20)

>>4227628

Rolled 11, 5, 15 = 31 (3d20)

>>4227628

Rolled 1, 7, 10 = 18 (3d20)

>>4227628

DC's are 15. 10 and 8.

Solo racked his brain trying to find a way out of this.

"The truck is already wrecked, you can't move the crystals, and we've called for backup. Why are you still here? You should go!" Solo shouted, but his voice was shaky.

His words threw the woman off, but she quickly regained her composure.

"So what if the truck is wrecked? I'll just steal your carriage! If I ride horseback, there'll be plenty of room for the good stuff. And backup? Don't make me laugh, as if some puny mercenaries could beat me."

Solo felt his muscles stiffen and fill with energy. It was Valance's doing, who sensed danger and had cast Inner Barrier on the three of them.
So diplomacy didn't work. A shame, they hardly have any offensive abilities... It's not like they're gonna show it, right?
Solo pulled a pen out of his pocket and the woman, alarmed, shot at his hand.

"Ow!"

Even with Valance's protection, his fingers got dislocated - If it wasn't for the shield, they would probably be blown right off. The pen was lying behind him, covered in what he assumed to be the woman's blood. It had already started backing off when he grabbed the pen with his good hand. It squirmed and moved inside his fist, but couldn't escape his grip.

Solo 23/25 HP
Mysterious Woman 38/40 HP {Heals if the blood rejoins her}

"You bastard! Give that back!" She took a step towards Solo but stopped when he pulled out another pen, pinching it between his thumb and the ring finger.
"Oy, how many pens do you have left, hm?"

"More than you'd think."

She grimaced, which added even more grotesque to the shapes of her already strange mask.

"Then I guess I'll just have to kill you before you can do any harm."

She raised her hand once again and all Solo saw was a stream of blood coming his way at high speed.

>Roll a d20 to save Solo, remember you can use Valance's Restrict to lower the DC significantly, or make use of Sealed Violence & try to capture the attack.
>How will the team counterattack?

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>4229118
let's get valance restric. does swift have a way of freezing her blood ? if not, let's try to capture it with some small shield

>>4229118

Rolled 19, 8, 19 = 46 (3d20)

>>4229118
>>4229118
>Roll a d20 to save Solo, remember you can use Valance's Restrict to lower the DC significantly, or make use of Sealed Violence & try to capture the attack.

Swift drops smoke while Vance casts restrict on the attack.

Solo then uses his pen to "catch" the attack after it's been restricted, and continues charging forward to throw the pen at the highjacker to send her attack back at her.

Vance can hopefully cast a barrier behind her, so that she gets thrown into it by the force of the attack.

Do we have anything to make an effigy with? If yes, while she's reeling from the attack grab her blood. She doesn't know we can't kill her, but we can lie and say that we've bound our life to hers with the blood.

Put effigy in pocket - stab ourselves with our pen over it - she feels the pain thinking that it's because we hurt ourself.

Or not.

A die for smoke, a die for restriction, a die for catching the attack.

My phone battery got too swolen to use over the course of the last few days. Im writing this from my sisters phone, just thought Id let you know in case I can't post tomorrow. I'll try to get my SIM card out and search for another phone, so it should be okay though, I think I have an old one somewhere.

DC's were 12, 6(14 - 8 because the first die succeeded), 16

A small piece of wood entered the woman's field of vision when she was about to shoot the boy. She flinched when it suddenly exploded into smoke. Directing verbal abuse to whoever threw it, she fired into the distance - The smoke was dense, she couldn't see anything, it was a blind shot.

Solo thought his life was about to end right here. Memories flashed before his eyes, memories bad and good, a majority of them belonged to the first category. His eyes actually teared up. Damn it, he never signed up for this. He hoped that one day his life would turn around and be okay! - The missile flew out of Swift's smoke - Why does it have to end like this? It's just so... unfair.
A flash of the missile stops his self-pity-filled monologue. What happened? When he wiped the tears off his face, he saw the missile being held in place by what must've been a hundred crimson rods. He looked over to see Valance struggling to keep it in place. Solo was moved. These people have only known him for a couple of hours, but they're working so hard to save him. He can't let them down!
In one swift moment, he bit his thumb, pulled the pen out of his other hand only letting some of the woman's blood spill on the ground, smeared his finger across the pen, and finally stabbed it into the spear of blood suspended in the air.
It dropped to the ground with a big splash. The pen didn't feel any different in his hand, but he knew it now contained a powerful attack. He looked over to his allies. Valance was wiping the sweat off his forehead, and Swift was half-crouching in an extravagant battle stance.

"Valance! Cast barrier behind her!"

Solo charged towards the woman. the smoke had distracted her, and when Solo reached her, she was facing him backward. The pen pierced her back with a wet sound. The force of the spell made the pen fly out of Solo's hand along with the woman, crashing into the wall put up by Valance. She fell to the floor. The movement of her chest told him she was in pain, but not dead. Blood spurted out of the hole.

Mysterious woman 21/40 HP

Does he have anything to make an effigy with? A pat on his pockets tells him he only has some cash and a paper clip. Will that work? There's only one person who can tell him...

"Hey, you lazy bastard! How detailed does the effigy have to be again?" He shouted inside his head.

"Hey!"

"Oh, you're talking to me? Next time maybe have some respect when addressing me."

"This is really not the time for that! Can I cast a curse with this?"

"As if! The more the effigy resembles a person, the more imminent the curse becomes. There's a lot of blood here, but if you use these, calamity may befall in the upcoming weeks, months, or even years!"

The woman moved.

"Well, how do I harm her then??"

The blood slowly inched back inside her body...
1/2

"I'm not the one to brag, but Your's Truly might have an ace or two up his sleeve... but everything has a price! Let me take over and I'll take care of this pawn."

What should he do? If he doesn't beat her quickly, she may recover.

"Valance! Can you cast a barrier to stop the blood from coming back to her?"

He replied from a distance

"I can, but the walls don't hold for long!"

It's true, the wall behind her had already started disappearing. Wait a minute, why is she reaching into her jacket?

Boom!

Shit! It's a gun! Solo threw himself to the ground

"I won't... get beaten by some asshole hired guns like you!" She fired and fired without stopping. Were her clothes always so loose? A bullet flew by Solo's ear.

>Next step?


* * *

Sorry for only posting these one-post long updates the past couple of days. I found an old phone so it's all okay. Also, would you prefer more shorrt updates, like a couple a day, or just one/two longer ones?

>>4232881
Can we taint the blood itself, somehow?

Or we could make ourselves into the effigy?

>>4233427
Note to self, carry around pre-made effigy's and a pen to draw on details. Maybe some doll wigs and stuff.

Also

> Is this shit worth our lives?

Ww can cast the spell to curse her and then run away. I mean, it's an option.

>>4232881
I'm good with updates being as short or long as needed.

>>4233427

"Well, can I make an effigy out of myself? I mean, I look a lot like a person."

"Ahh, you hit the nail on the head. But to be honest, why you? I was planning to use this Swift guy. I mean, his powers could come in handy, but he looks like he can take trashing."

Solo couldn't believe his ears.

"No way. If I understood it correctly because I am a real person, any damage I take will cause damage to her in the same moment, right?"

Solo heard a sigh inside his head.

"Yeah, that's about how it works. Listen! If you're gonna risk your life, don't die, because then my life is in danger as well. Once you die, our contract is over and I'm outta your body into the wild. I rubbed some people the wrong way a long time ago, but they aren't the kind to forget, so if they catch wind of me being back in this world, I'm dead meat. What I'm saying is... don't die, okay?"

>Who will you use as an effigy? Roll d20

* * *

>>4233440
Alright. I'll be using shorter updates for now, but will probably switch to longer ones if more people join

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>4234138
Use yourself

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>4234138
> use ourself.

Rolled 7, 19 = 26 (2d20)

>>4234138
It's safest to use ourselves, because then she can't kill us.

Fuck it. We have three instances of cursing to use and a lot of blood. Lets do it up for all three of us.

That way we can kill her without having to die ourselves.

>>4234848
Fukkin wow.

So, what, does it go horribly wrong and damage inflicted on her also damages us?

DC 12, failure.


Solo took a deep breath and crawled into the puddle of blood keeping his head low, the way salamanders do. Salamanders are unharmed by the flames of hell, so Solo thought it was a good analogy. He heard a growl behind him. Did one of them get hit? Time came to a halt as he stood up, covered head to toe in blood. Seconds elongated into minutes, minutes into hours, hours into days, and days turned into a single vowel that filled the empty streets of his mind as he realized he forgot to add his own blood.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Now the sound had escaped the cramped space inside his head and flew off into the wild. It greeted a bullet as it flew by and died down.

Darkness. Did she get his eyes? Solo doesn't feel any pain. It's quiet and he's floating. The world is at peace.

A far off scream pulled him out of this state. Suddenly he wasn't floating anymore, his chest hurt, and his nose was being squashed. He was lying face down, but why?
Oh yeah, the fight!

Solo 5/25 HP

He tried to stand up, but could only roll over to the side. His vision was hazy, but he could see that the fight is already over. Valance and Swift lied down on the street a couple of feet away from him. There were no crystals in sight and the carriage was gone, but the horse was still there.

"H-hey. Are you guys alive?"

No response.

Solo crawled over to their bodies. A bullet was stuck in Valance's throat. His eyes were closed. Solo couldn't believe this. He grabbed Swift's shoulder to see his face and recoiled when he saw it was blown to pieces. It was too much for Solo.

He sat down. The demon inside him was silent, and it has never angered Solo more than now. All these emotions, anger at the woman, at the demon, sadness, and pain, they made him feel like a child lost in the world. He never wanted it to turn out like that.

It was hard to tell because of the tears, but something has moved in the corner of his vision, where Valance's body is. He jerked to see what it was and to his astonishment, it was Valance's hand. Shaked by tremors, it slowly reached to the bullet and pulled it out. Little pillars from Restrict fell to the ground and turned to nothingness when Valance sprinkled the wound with a powder he had pulled out of his pocket.

Valance 7/15 HP (4 HP Healed)

Solo thanked God Valance is alive, but what about Swift? He touched the hole in Swift's face and smoke rose from it. No way...

The disguise faded and revealed Swift, unconscious but alive and with a generous amount of crystals cradled in his arms.

Swift 3/30 HP

* * *

The team returned to the mansion on horseback, riding in silence.

They stormed in through the backdoor, probably scaring the maid who was there (It was hard to tell because her head was a tentacle). As they entered the house, they collapsed from exhaustion.

* * *
1/2

White fluorescent light attacked Solo's eyes. With the highest effort, he managed to move his head to the side, only to see a green blob climbing onto the table. He tried to scream, but his lungs were full of fluid.

"Easy now, calm down." A female voice said as if from underwater as he trashed against the constraints.

"Where am I?" He screamed, but only "Bllghr-Bll" came out.

His chest felt weird like it was melting. The blob backed off and transformed into a woman.

"I'm Enceinte, Sir Yango's personal doctor. I have healed your wounds."

Solo looked down. It's true, his chest was no longer a gaping hole.

"Master expressed his concern for your health. He wanted to see you as soon as possible. He's in the library. Go upstairs, second door to the left and you'll reach it."

She left. Solo got dressed in the clothes he found lying folded on the floor next to the table. The room was quite small and green tiles covered its entire surface. It had an old fashioned surgical table, a sink, some cabinets and that's about it. He tried to open one of them. It was locked.

The library was of impressive size. Shelves upon shelves of books reached the ceiling, and hanging from a chandelier was Yango.

"Uhm... Hello?"

He looked up from his book.

"Oh, pardon me, Mr. Solo."

He flew to the floor.

"I heard about your fight. It was very noble of you to fight in defense of another man's business, and even if the load was stolen, you will be rewarded for your trouble." He rubbed his chin. "However, I know that no amount of money can repay a lost life. I understand if you don't want to help me any further. If you don't want to risk your life, you can stop our cooperation this moment and I will not ask a single question about it. However, if you decide to stay, there will be great prizes, but also great risk and responsibility. In light of what we learned from this encounter, it's safe to say that if you go on, there'll be no backing out of this."

>Stay? Go?

>>4235093
REVENGE. Will come later after we have gotten more powerful.

Which we are happy to do by further working together, otherwise at some time in the future we'll just be too weak to save ourselves.

So yeah. If he is gonna reward us, equipment and training pls. We got fucked up by a gun, clearly magic alone is insufficient.

"If I get stronger, then I'm in."

Simple and straight to the point.
The bat... chuckled? It was a strange sound, like the starting of an engine of a real piece of junk car.

"Very well. You will receive training under my servants, and I presume that old hand inside you will cooperate as well."

Solo felt the Devil shift in his chest.

"I don't have any other option, right? Besides, that bullet grazed my horn. It's chipped for Hell's sake! I swear I'll find the bastard who did it and kill them myself."

The Devil shook his fist in the air, however, we have to remember there was no air around him, only Solo's flesh, so he paid the price for this outburst of energy in the form of a very unpleasant ache. He doubled over.

"Are you alright? I can't believe what you must be going through having someone like him inside your body." Yango helped him stand up.

"And what's that supposed to mean!?" The Demon screeched.

"It means that even if your powers are useful, your personality leaves a lot to be desired."

"Pfff."

"Let's not talk about it. When do we begin with my training?" Solo asked.

"We can begin even right now, but there's something I want to show you. Follow me."

It was hard for Solo to keep up with him, his stride was simply very fast. He descended into the basement. Solo didn't pay much attention when he was walking to the library, but now he's noticed just how much the basement looks like a dungeon. Small rectangles of whiter stone catch his sight. Something used to be drilled to the wall here. That sparked his imagination and filled it with images of prisoners in chains. Yango pushed open a large wooden door at the end of a hallway. The contrast in lightning was a bit too much for Solo's eyes. The dungeon was dimly lit by a couple of oil lamps, but this room is illuminated by high power lightbulbs. Screws, hammers, wrenches, and the likes littered the floor and the several tables inside the room. On the central table, amidst strange tools lied a bullet.

"Is this..."

"Yeah bro, it is. The bullet which struck that geezer Valance, disassembled, analyzed and assembled again." A man with a purple mohawk and a goatee answered the question from a reclining chair in the corner of the room.

"This is Linchpin. He's our handyman and my best bodyguard."

"I think you meant to say 'assassin dropout'" Linchpin winked at Solo. "Like, seriously, being a bodyguard's boooring."

"Why did you want me to see this?" Solo turned to Yango.
Linchpin was probably a cool person, but Solo didn't feel like talking right now. He wanted to get stronger, also his stomach was feeling empty.

"Linchpin, tell Solo what you found out about the attackers." Yango requested.

"Alrighty, so where do we start? This bullet may look like it's just a piece of lead, but in fact, it's all living tissue. Well, it was. It was living tissue, now it's dead because I took it apart. Couldn't survive that, right."

"Yes, I got it! Get to the point!"

"Woah, no need to get angry. So, to skip all the irrelevant details: I'm like 100% sure the gun is a bound devil and 50% sure the attacker was someone sent by the Limbo."

"Limbo!? No way! Why would they get involved in some measly drug deal?" The devil inside Solo shouted.

"No idea, but if they're so determined not to let the crystals get into our hands, there's something fishy going on here."

"Can someone explain to me what the 'Limbo' thing is?"

Both Yango and Linchpin stared at you like you just fell from the moon. It must be common knowledge.

"Listen, kid, you can ask me that stuff instead of just shouting it out for the whole world to see you're not from here, it will save you a lot of trouble. Just like The Lowest City is the city in the netherworld that is the closest to Hell, the Limbo is the city that is the closest to the mortal world. That should make it the go-to location for any portals that open up in the mortal world, but that's not the case. Wanna know why? Because from what I heard, Limbo is a nice place to live, so some of the most powerful devils have settled here and used their demonic abilities to put a barrier around the place. Because of their insane powers that allow them to do night everything, we call them The Magicians. Now, The Magicians are in conflict with the equally powerful inhabitants of the Lowest City and both are constantly plotting against each other. But all of this is irrelevant really. The most important thing you need to know is that Free Devils are born in the fiery lakes of The Lowest City, while Bound Devils are created in the Limbo."

"So this woman we fought was a magician?"

"Hell merciless, no! That was one of their lackeys or a lackey of their lackey at best. A real magician could burn you to death before you could say 'Ta-dah!'"

The room fell silent.

"So, now that you understand what kind of a situation we're in, we can begin your training."

>What will Solo train first?
>His body: This will obviously increase his strength and agility, also making him more durable and his attacks more powerful
>His senses: This will shorten his reaction time, make him more perceptive and aware of his surroundings
>His mind: This will give him knowledge he can use later on. It will also make him a better tactician, making him fare better in combat
>His demonic abilities: This will increase the potency of his abilities such as Curse or Sealed Violence.

>>4237635
>>His mind: This will give him knowledge he can use later on. It will also make him a better tactician, making him fare better in combat

>>4237635
>>His mind: This will give him knowledge he can use later on. It will also make him a better tactician, making him fare better in combat

>>4237635
>His demonic abilities: This will increase the potency of his abilities such as Curse or Sealed Violence.

I don't need a PC to think for me.

Yango led Solo out of the room. The path they took was familiar.

"Hey, are we going back to the library?"

The bat nodded

"You know how the saying goes. Knowledge is power. What, are you dissatisfied?"

"No, it's just that... I guess I expected something more intense, like some sort of training from hell, you know?"

"A time will come for that. For now, rest assured your learning will be nothing short of intensive"

* * *

Yango took a book from the highest shelf. It was heavy enough to make him lower his flight, so it was only natural for Solo to back away when it landed on the table in front of him.

"And that makes it five."

Solo eyed the books in disbelief.

"I have to learn all that?"

Yango raised an eyebrow.

"All that? That's only an introduction!" He ignored Solo's pained sigh. "This world is vastly different from yours. If I were to go into the human domain, I bet I would have to learn a lot, too."

"He has a point" Solo thought to himself, but didn't let it show as he attacked the first handwritten line of text.

>How much time should Solo dedicate to learning? Does he take any additional training on top of that?

>>4239859
We should learn more about the basics of demonic powers and contracts and how to fight against them, I guess..


Spend a week learning?

>>4239859
Personally I wouldn't mind learning some small units tactics as well. How to take cover, how to provide cover for an advance, how to retreat in order, that sort of stuff.

It was hard to believe, but Solo was done with the five books before the week was over. Yango wasn't lying when he said it's gonna be intense. All week long, all Solo saw was books. He slept in the library, ate in the library, the only time that he left it was when he went to the toilet and even then Yango was measuring his time with a stopwatch to make sure he's not using his restroom breaks to slack off.

The first two books skimmed most of the demon world history along with the most notable demons - Who would've guessed Cassius Clay was a devil? The next two books were old volumes on tactics. They were the ones which caused Solo the most trouble, their language was cryptic and foggy.

"Eastern books. It's always like that with these, but trust me, they're worth the trouble."

Solo wasn't so sure about that. There were no clear tips or defined rules in these books, only allusions, and metaphors. This doesn't make any sense, he thought, these stories can be interpreted in a hundred different ways, but maybe that was the point...

>Solo gained the perk "Battlefield intuition"
Battlefield intuition: DC on all rolls related to managing units at combat is lowered by 5, DC on rolls related to hand to hand combat is lowered by 3.

The last and the newest book was a devil anatomy textbook.

"They look different from the outside, but on the inside, they're pretty much the same, huh," Solo muttered to himself.

Still, the organism of a Devil was so vastly different from that of a human that Solo couldn't wrap his head around it. It didn't really resemble that of any animal, it was more like an intricate machine of meat, bones, and connective tissue. It was a pinnacle of design with no apparent flaws - two hearts in case one fails, two brains, extremely durable stomach, reinforced muscles hard as steel, very dense bones, and, strangely, no genitals. To top it off, their immune system is almost invincible and they're immune to cancer.
It was certainly interesting and strange, but one bit particularly caught Solo's attention.

It was a short excerpt about a small bone called the Berith vertebrae. It is located between the C3 and C4 vertebrae. The article said that despite heated scholarly discussions on the topic, it is widely regarded as the source of demonic abilities. The evidence seems to support this stance: Demons whose bone was removed became unable to use their powers.

"Why didn't you tell me about this? We could've used it against that woman." Solo said angrily to his devil.

"How was I supposed to know it? Back when I still lived here the Divine Tumor theory was all the rage!"

"Divine Tumor?"

"Something about a tumor in our brains giving us the powers, I don't know the details, besides I was never too keen on academic subjects."


Of course, this wasn't all that Solo learned. When he read all the books, it was time for him to learn about how exactly the demonic powers and contracts work and how to fight against them.

The basics were really simple - a contract binds the flesh of a demon and a human together. They can come apart, but only for a period of time. If they're separated for more than 4 hours, they will both die. This limit isn't as strict on Bound Devils, who live normally even after they take a contract. The more powerful a contract is, the more discomfort it causes to the recipient. So, for example, someone who gave up their big toe wouldn't get a speck of the power of someone who gave up their skin. Why is it that way? No one knows.
Once a devil and a human have contracted, their senses become fused to an extent, letting them work together on a level normal partners could never imagine
A devil can't contract with another devil.
The only way to break a contract is for one of the contractors to die or getting someone from the Lowest City or the Limbo to break it.

* * *

"Ouch..."
Solo's back was killing him. No surprise, he spent a week hunched over books.

"Did we find out anything new about the hijacker?" He asked Lynchpin and took a sip of the coffee Valance made for him.

He sighed. His hair was frazzled and his goatee expanded to his cheeks.

"No breakthroughs yet. Aptor is digging around, though. On the other hand, your friend said that there were some new faces walking around in the mortal world, so that might be worth checking."

"My friend?"

Swift walked into the room.

"Oh, yeah." Solo said to himself. "So what did you see there?"

"Weird demons."

"Weird? Why are they weird?"

"They smell off. And they are different from the typical guys who enter earth. Usually when one of us goes to the mortal world, it's some crazy guy with a taste of human flesh. They go berserk, the hunters catch them, they die. But these guys are different. They carefully watch humans from the sidelines, disguised as one of your kind, they blend into the crowd unnoticed by the hunters."

"Just like you."

Swift seemed surprised by Solo's remark.

"Well... Yeah, but I go there for cultural reasons!"

"Cultural... reasons?"

He blushed.

"Yeah. I like... human movies and stuff. Say what you want, Terminator is the best!"

"Alright, I get it, I get it."

Solo couldn't help but feel something fishy was going on.

>Will he stay in the demon world, train, and help find out who the attackers are?
>Or will he go back into the human world to find out the mysterious identity of the disguised devils?

one question: is the pace too slow? Cause I feel like it's too slow & the quest has gotten a bit boring lately

>>4241512
>>Stay in the demon world, train, and help find out who the attackers are.

new thread
>>4250261