Topic: Our Salvation: It Is Written (Read 258742 times)

Toaster · « **Reply #1110 on:** June 03, 2016, 05:15:02 pm »

Huh. Okay. Well, there's that then.

Return and report.

"There is one grey stout fellow, and one other gentleman out there, one of the fellows I've seen around. They're walking toward the wall. Not sure where that noise came from!"

penguinofhonor · « **Reply #1111 on:** June 03, 2016, 05:55:11 pm »

I attempt to convince her. "Come on now, what kind of Master makes a hole you can't escape through? That sounds like a rookie move to me, especially when there are stoats about to break in here and kill us all. If getting someone down there doesn't get them to safety, then there's not much point sending them, right? They'd be no help full of crossbow bolts."

AoshimaMichio · « **Reply #1112 on:** June 04, 2016, 05:08:36 am »

"How curious. No peeking!"

Get out of his view. Behind building or something. Then kick him out of my mind. Failure to comply results something INEVITABLE. There's bound to be something good stuff in future (besides vodka. That is good stuff but not exactly what this situation calls for.)

Harry Baldman · « **Reply #1113 on:** June 04, 2016, 02:41:58 pm »

Quote from: Xantalos on June 03, 2016, 03:49:33 am

"Hmm. Well I thought maybe you'd be interested in getting rid of your competition or whatever. Far be it from me to try to serve your presumable self-interest, right?
...
Say, would you be interested in a rat sacrifice? I still have an alive one from way back when, and I could go get a random person, but this'd be quicker."

Jack quickly turns to his more devoted knight companion before she gets upset again.

"Worm-Knight, I know you said no sacrifices, but you know us demon people or whatever we are are attuned to mystical bullshit, right? Well my mystical bullshit sense says that the entities calling themselves gods inhabiting this shrine want sacrifices. Maybe we'll get good shit in return!

Actually hold up."

He turns back to the shrine and puts his hands on his hips.

"You gods will compensate me in return for sacrifices, won't you? Without fair trade there's no use in the exercise, after all."

Make sure my new god-clients will actually give me rewards for sacrificing stuff to them. If they will, and are willing to accept it, sacrifice that one live rat I still have in my hammerspace inventory to them. If they want human meat, go outside the shrine and look for someone gullible-looking and nonformidable.

Of course if they're just demanding sacrifices without any reward expected, get petulant and crush their shrine with the 'fucking rock' they refused.

[Hierophant's Trade: 4]

The offering of a rat seems uninteresting. Exceedingly familiar. Pedestrian. Even the rat seems frankly unimpressed, or perhaps simply catatonic in the holy presence inherent in the altar. Flesh seems irrelevant here. Yours isn't even vaguely bothered - not so much as a bad case of goosebumps to be seen (well, at least none that couldn't be just as well explained by walking around naked in somewhat chilly weather). Something else is needed here. Not the body - the very soul, you suspect. The thought starts to burn brightly as it occurs, alternate hypotheses falling behind it through meticulous and precise assassination. It's taking quite a while, but you're getting it.

You turn toward the Worm-knight, but find yourself disappointed. She seems to have left at some point, little trace of her remaining in the shrine. You suppose however long you spent figuring all this out was long enough for her better judgment to defeat her burning desire to defend the sanctity of... well, whatever it is she's defending the sanctity of exactly.

No matter. You turn back toward the altar. This is all fine and good, of course, but what about your reward? You're going to need a reward for this, you say. A reward. Yes. The thought rebounds in your mind a few times, wholly uneaten in the next minute or so, which is more than you can say for most other things that occur to you in that time period. It would only be reasonable to be rewarded for good work, you find yourself thinking at last. This thought remains as well.

Quote from: Toaster on June 03, 2016, 05:15:02 pm

Huh. Okay. Well, there's that then.

Return and report.

"There is one grey stout fellow, and one other gentleman out there, one of the fellows I've seen around. They're walking toward the wall. Not sure where that noise came from!"

[Mystical Happenings: 5]

The guardswoman seems a little surprised at your return. Doubly so when you appear to have a report. A gray stout fellow? Just one? Er... what did he look like? Naked, you reply. Very clearly silhouetted. And yet also seemingly lacking in both color and shading of any sort. A very interesting fashion choice, you comment, but the guardswoman seems less than amused.

This must be it, she says. This is what happened to the capital. And to legions one through eleven. Her expression becomes terribly grim for some reason.

[Politeness Rules The Day: 4]

You hear a deep and resounding knock through the courtyard, and the guardswoman is confused a second, as are the three or so guards gathered with her at the keep's door. The knock repeats. It appears to be coming from the main gate.

Is... is that the gray fellow? The lady looks quite spooked. She looks at you questioningly. Could you... take a look at who that is? You seemed to be... all right the first time, no?

Quote from: penguinofhonor on June 03, 2016, 05:55:11 pm

I attempt to convince her. "Come on now, what kind of Master makes a hole you can't escape through? That sounds like a rookie move to me, especially when there are stoats about to break in here and kill us all. If getting someone down there doesn't get them to safety, then there's not much point sending them, right? They'd be no help full of crossbow bolts."

[Cunning Arguments: 6]

That would be a very good point, she concedes grudgingly, if it weren't for the fact that most everyone here is crazy.

Still, it's an option. And options are worth investigating even if they might lead to horrible disaster.

Quote from: AoshimaMichio on June 04, 2016, 05:08:36 am

"How curious. No peeking!"

Get out of his view. Behind building or something. Then kick him out of my mind. Failure to comply results something INEVITABLE. There's bound to be something good stuff in future (besides vodka. That is good stuff but not exactly what this situation calls for.)

[A Logical Conclusion: 5]

You begin to move toward some kind of cover - a thought of home, or something similar. Oddly enough, the home seems flat, like a cardboard cutout. An ordinary thought, you suppose. Lacking in the sort of depth a mindscape possesses. You almost get out of sight, placing one foot behind the image of the building, when the thought swims back into the shapeless thought-jelly lining the idle brain of this fellow.

Despite this, you do feel something has changed. You feel... lesser somehow. You look back at the stoatman, who nervously regards the shape of the stoat girl from before in the sea of confusion. She grows a little more defined. You become less so. A little unclear of form. Thought comes a little less easily to you. You are present. But less important now. You start to meld in with the other thoughts, and they start to meld in with you. Minute worries creep into your skull as an indescribably dull existence assails you. Not a safe place to be, you immediately realize.

But there is a way out through here, no doubt. The edges are the worst-kept parts of the mind, filled with holes and vulnerabilities through which you might slip back out. Finding one large enough to accommodate you, of course, may be less than trivial. But then, when has such a thing ever stopped you?

INEVITABLE

[The Sheer Unlikelihood: 3]

It perhaps doesn't come out as properly as it should. It sounds impressive, granted. Loud. Commanding. But what does it mean? Not something the fellow knows, clearly. And within this place, what he knows is the inevitable truth.

Spoiler: Status (click to show/hide)

TopHat · « **Reply #1114 on:** June 04, 2016, 04:23:55 pm »

"I, er... Oh, yes, there are at least four of us by my count. Anyway, erm, are there any obvious alternative ways of fulfilling your contract which don't involve killing everyone? Just they seem to be, well, nice people on the whole, so I'd rather that be avoided if possible."
Any alternatives to the eviscerate-then-assimilate thing?

((apologies for the delay))

Xantalos · « **Reply #1115 on:** June 04, 2016, 05:58:17 pm »

"Look, you state a vague request, you get a vague response. I'll be back momentarily with some sacrificial guy."

Go head back to the ~~slave~~ servant quarters and drag one of them along with me back to the shrine. Do my best not to be distracted by whatever realitywarping shenanigans are undoubtedly going on at the moment.

Toaster · « **Reply #1116 on:** June 04, 2016, 07:41:47 pm »

"Yes. This I can do."

Head back up. Is it the grey stout fellow? Indicate as such to the guard. Maybe even ask him what he wants!

AoshimaMichio · « **Reply #1117 on:** June 05, 2016, 02:28:57 am »

Oh fucking fuck, I'm so fucked... Deep breaths, Leif, deep breaths. You are descendant of man who found America, child of vikings, son of cold North. There's nothing I cannot do if I put my mind into it! I will find way out or I will take everything to hell with me!. Maybe... maybe if I coax him into finding the exit? Make him think about his home? And the door that leads out? That would literally lead me out of his mind. Hmm...

Resolution.

penguinofhonor · « **Reply #1118 on:** June 05, 2016, 07:16:17 am »

"That's the spirit! Follow me." I lead the girl to Claire's place.

Harry Baldman · « **Reply #1119 on:** June 06, 2016, 06:12:10 am »

Quote from: TopHat on June 04, 2016, 04:23:55 pm

"I, er... Oh, yes, there are at least four of us by my count. Anyway, erm, are there any obvious alternative ways of fulfilling your contract which don't involve killing everyone? Just they seem to be, well, nice people on the whole, so I'd rather that be avoided if possible."
Any alternatives to the eviscerate-then-assimilate thing?

One would assume so, given that it is unlikely that all of the people in this castle are crucial to the ultimate destiny of the nation. However, one is also unqualified to determine which of these particular people would be crucial and how exactly. The queen would be one, at least according to the original intent. But then any one of these folk could become a legendary hero and cause further troubles for his kind and generous clients.

Therefore, one says as one retrieves another guardsman, the third so far, through the ceiling of the gatehouse in a manner best described as physically improbable, emptying their armor of all of its flesh with a vile sucking noise, then casting the suit aside nonchalantly, it stands to reason that the safest option would be total eradication. Frankly, even leaving you to bumble about is something of a dangerous allowance, but one supposes it to be a wise investment into future calls for assistance, given the way you appear to command certain untold magical powers that you will no doubt be able to efficiently deploy in your next meeting with, say, a city garrison with an adjunct speaker who could make the call.

Speaking of, what was that just now? One couldn't help but notice your eyes going slightly glassy. And your skin seemed to lose texture a little. A very curious thing. Oh, and- ah, wait, one is being observed again. One begs your pardon as one goes about- aha, it's him again. The creature greets a nearby murder-hole, on the opposite side of which is the unmistakable shadow of Mr. Minstep, strangely recognizable despite being about 95% covered.

Quote from: Xantalos on June 04, 2016, 05:58:17 pm

"Look, you state a vague request, you get a vague response. I'll be back momentarily with some sacrificial guy."

Go head back to the ~~slave~~ servant quarters and drag one of them along with me back to the shrine. Do my best not to be distracted by whatever realitywarping shenanigans are undoubtedly going on at the moment.

[Dinner For One: 4]

You don't even need to go that far, really, given the general commotion inside the keep. Tensions are running high. Servants are scurrying about with unclear instructions, the majordomo still bellowing something about an incoming festival. Guardsmen seem unconcerned, and are gathering materials for what seem to be barricades. You suppose this would be a good opportunity.

[A Fortuitous Grab: 2+1 vs. 3]

A passing short-haired servant finds herself the recipient of a stern grab on the shoulder. She looks at you rather irritably. Aren't you that naked idjit from before? Yes, you say as you gingerly lift her off the ground by the shoulder. Yes you are. You begin to carry her out of the keep, and this is about as far as you get as her confusion about this physically unlikely happening transforms into naked rage. Unhand her, you filthy naked idjit! Her resistance begins in earnest at this point.

Quote from: Toaster on June 04, 2016, 07:41:47 pm

"Yes. This I can do."

Head back up. Is it the grey stout fellow? Indicate as such to the guard. Maybe even ask him what he wants!

[A Complete Picture: 4]

You head on over to the guardhouse, which seems oddly empty given the time of day, and take a gander out the conveniently placed murder holes, which afford you a rather fine view of Mr. Wilde and that gray stout person standing out by the gate expectantly, the gray person currently finishing up the process of eating the previous guardsman to look through the holes like some sort of metal-clad oyster. The way the formerly inhabited suit of armor joins about three other sets on the ground around it make you wonder if you've just made a terrible mistake.

One bids you hello, good sir. The gray figure appears to see you quite well. Would you happen to be a guardsman? You appear to be of a different flesh.

Quote from: AoshimaMichio on June 05, 2016, 02:28:57 am

Oh fucking fuck, I'm so fucked... Deep breaths, Leif, deep breaths. You are descendant of man who found America, child of vikings, son of cold North. There's nothing I cannot do if I put my mind into it! I will find way out or I will take everything to hell with me!. Maybe... maybe if I coax him into finding the exit? Make him think about his home? And the door that leads out? That would literally lead me out of his mind. Hmm...

Resolution.

[Tumbling Deeper Down: 3]

Well, it's not that grim, you suppose. Getting back into the view of the stoatman and maybe tapping him on the shoulder or giving him a stern call is enough to put you back into focus, which brings a certain sense of relief even as it invariably makes the exit that much more distant from you.

You suppose there ought to be different ways to get out besides the most obvious one. Maybe you could teach this fellow some elementary minding. If stoats could even learn such a thing. He'd no doubt be much more able to direct you out if he had even a smidgen of awareness about how this all works.

Quote from: penguinofhonor on June 05, 2016, 07:16:17 am

"That's the spirit! Follow me." I lead the girl to Claire's place.

The spirit of defeat. The second best kind of spirit in your book. You head on over to Claire's place, eager to get to whatever occult business is going on in there. The door seems to be open, so you head right in.

As expected, Claire is still in, though she currently appears to be in bed, sipping from a cup of wine with a look of wonder as she regards a grubby young woman draped in a bedsheet and little else, who appears to be in the middle of a spirited lecture on something that probably wouldn't make that much more sense with full context. Something about the borders of El and the nineteen accords of 244. She half-paces, half-dances around the bed, her mind taking her on a journey no doubt assisted by quite a lot of alcohol, and both of them start laughing at something called the Great Insult of Far Horizon.

You begin to get the slight sense that you're interrupting something when Claire, wiping a tear from her eye, looks over at you. Hey! You're back! It's been a while. She sounds like she is certainly on the far side of tipsy. The other woman, leaning on a bedpost to keep her balance, looks your way as well. Welcome, she says in a mildly hoarse tone! You've missed a lot. She grabs a half-full mug on one particular end table, causing an empty glass bottle to clink to the floor with a careless movement, and downs it in one go. This gets pretty hard on the voice after a while, she comments after getting her bearings and standing the bottle up next to the bed. They both look at each other, then over to you. The girl you brought along gives you a very dubious look.

Spoiler: Status (click to show/hide)

Xantalos · « **Reply #1120 on:** June 06, 2016, 01:16:06 pm »

"Hush you, this is important to save you all from the stoats. You want to be important and shit, don't you? You'll probably be given a better occupation than servant if you do well enough."

Lie my metaphorical (since I'm not wearing any) pants off to placate her as I continue to drag her over to the shrine. Sacrifice time!

AoshimaMichio · « **Reply #1121 on:** June 06, 2016, 01:33:00 pm »

Now that is most reckless idea I have had for a while. Not that my other ideas haven't been reckless, but... Oh hell, let's do it!

Get into his view and make this into minding resistance test and training. Teach him how to kick me out, if I even know how to do that. If he can kick me out of his mind he succeeds. If he fails... well, then he fails. Consequences of failure include relocation into less pleasant job.

TopHat · « **Reply #1122 on:** June 06, 2016, 03:49:26 pm »

"You know, I haven't the faintest idea. Losing texture? That sounds concerning, how long did that last, exactly?
Oh, and hello again Mr. Minstep. How are you doing?"
Hey, wait a minute, what did happen there? Can I remember anything out of the ordinary?

penguinofhonor · « **Reply #1123 on:** June 06, 2016, 04:17:02 pm »

Not the situation I expected, but I can probably work with this. "Hey, I have someone here who's thinking about apprenticing, especially if it means escape. How about we get her a drink?" I attempt to get Claire's help convincing the girl. And hopefully alcohol can make the deal seem a little more tempting.

Toaster · « **Reply #1124 on:** June 06, 2016, 05:27:13 pm »

"Ah... uh... hmm, nice trick. But no, I am not a guard... well, I suppose I am a contract employee of the guard, but not technically an employee of the guard. I am still an insurance agent by trade. On that note, though, the guard I am working under would like to know what it is you want. Hello, Mr. Wilde. Pretty well; and you?"

Converse.

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Author Topic: Our Salvation: It Is Written (Read 258742 times)

Toaster

Re: Our Salvation: A Screaming Death

penguinofhonor

Re: Our Salvation: A Screaming Death

AoshimaMichio

Re: Our Salvation: A Screaming Death

Harry Baldman

Re: Our Salvation: A Screaming Death

TopHat

Re: Our Salvation: A Screaming Death

Xantalos

Re: Our Salvation: A Screaming Death

Toaster

Re: Our Salvation: A Screaming Death

AoshimaMichio

Re: Our Salvation: A Screaming Death

penguinofhonor

Re: Our Salvation: A Screaming Death

Harry Baldman

Re: Our Salvation: Destiny At The Gates

Xantalos

Re: Our Salvation: Destiny At The Gates

AoshimaMichio

Re: Our Salvation: Destiny At The Gates

TopHat

Re: Our Salvation: Destiny At The Gates

penguinofhonor

Re: Our Salvation: Destiny At The Gates

Toaster

Re: Our Salvation: Destiny At The Gates