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[RAM]

Idea: next time we want to meet with Meandra, send our minions forth to lure her out to meet with us. Only from, like, a room away, but it is something practical we can try out and magic is something that we probably want to discuss with her, so showing off is not entirely uncalled for...

Climb to the tallest point of the highest tower and rescue the princess Become the dark spectre of spidery justice come to bring fear to those who wield injustice Claim your rightful place as a god amongst these puny mortals absorb the view.

[TheBiggerFish]

....Decisions, decisions, shipping!

But right now, Yunikki and your father should probably be kept an eye on.  Go find them.

[Puppyguard]

Find yunikki and your father.

[RoseHeart]

TankKit should be coming soon. Gwolf I don't know.

While a winner will need to be decided by the deadline, perhaps the writing can continue after. If the contestants can manage it. (...? contestants?)

That way this trial can fullfill the service intended to this game. I wanted to post this idea here, but I will continue it in the Forum Runner thread if neccessary.

[TankKit]

Today I managed to find and fix the problem of the constant crashing, so now I should actually be able to do proper paragraphs now! Also, how many paragraphs overdue am I? We were supposed to do seven in total, with one every two days, right? Ah well.

Chapter 3: Innocence Lost

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I dashed in the opposite direction of the crumbling wall, charging directly at the bandits who had also started running away when they saw the wall falling in their direction, turning right at the first opportunity I got and leaping over a ruin of a small stone fence. I watched the wall finish crumbling from a distance, thinking myself safe, until the force of the entire tower wall falling onto the ground started causing even more ruins to fall over, trapping me in a maze of ruins that was litterally falling apart around me. I dashed in one direction, I dashed in another, I ended up running around like a headless chicken trying to avoid a butcher's cleaver, the difference being I was a human, and the cleaver was actually alot of very old ruins. But, eventually, my luck ran out. I got trapped between 4 falling walls, and would of been a goner if the wall hadn't crumbling away from underneath me, revealing a fast underground basement(?). Of course, the walls were still crumbling ontop of me, and I had to sprint to one of the sides of the underground basement, only barely managing to avoid having the walls as they collapsed around me. Then I noticed something very odd, the ruins had made a big circle around a big staff in the center of the room. And this was where my entire life went to shit.

You see, I've always been a very curious person, which was usually got me into trouble, like now, for instance. You see, when I saw a wooden staff shaped like two serphants intertwined, with a magical looking ruby seemingly held in place between the two heads by small glowing magic lines, I did the thing every logical person Wouldn't do. I decided to poke it to see what it did, and almost as soon as I touched the staff, I was locked into a small part my own mind by some strange magic, meaning I could still see and hear everything happening, but I wasn't in control of my own body anymore, nope, my body was being controlled by a malicious spirit that wanted to do nothing but Evil, Evil, and even more evil. You ever been forced into a small part of your own mind by a Malicious spirit? It's... well, let's just say it doesn't feel good. So, I just want to point out that for the rest of the story that I wasn't in control, with a few exceptions, and that I did not want to do any of the evil things the malicious spirit made me do. Oh, and by the way, the malicious spirit's name is Bob. What? You think it's funny? Well... to be perfectly honest, it is an absoloutly ridiculous name for something so evil, which is why I prefered to call him MS, short for Malicious Spirit, instead of Bob, because I really don't want the mood ruined by the main villian of the story being called Bob.

My memory of what happened for the days afterward is very fuzzy because of myself being locked into a part of my own mind, and I can't entirely remember what happened for a while afterwards. I did occasionally have sudden bouts of being able to look at everything in a non fuzzy way, but those were kind of few and far between. Of course, I am able to form a pretty good idea of what happened, and MS occasionally talked to me, taunting me about how I couldn't do anything and how he was having so much fun doing this, and how he was having so much fun doing that, and this, and that, and this, and that. As far as I can tell, for the few days afterwards he somehow managed to get the bandits to accept him into the ranks by some show of force that somehow managed to change the bandit group's collective mind about killing him. He was... well, a bit of a psycopath, obsessed with everying bad and evil, including murder. He loved murder so godamn much, it was weird having a conversation with him. Also, he didn't understand why I laughed so hard when he first told me his name, saying that he was from a line of nobles that went back to the very start of the world itself. How so very not likely.

[Liquefied Spleens]

Flashbacks

You decide you need to find your father and Yunikki. This shouldn't be too hard, as this should be around the time everybody's coming back from their business. They knew you'd be picking up a suit around this time, and they can't stand each-other, so they are likely to be returning to here. So, you spend some time looking at the stalls while passing the time. Considering you cut a very recognizable figure, you have no doubt that they will find you if you stay in sight. There are some remarkable things on display in the market. From what you can tell, the market stalls contain some of the more miscellaneous stuff of the market district. You've got fresh food, such as fish and veggies, and a bit further you've got assortments of knick-knacks. Dwarven clockwork toys that move on their own, Ilithian tops, even runed orcish sticks that fire off a small bit of firework. Those last ones cost a fortune, and you need to sign a waiver before they hand it to you, according to their sign. The most interesting sight on the market, however, is a shopkeeper. A massive black man, being almost twice as wide as you are, with a veritable dwarven carbine slung over his back. His finely curled mustache adds to the ensemble, and his items are some of the most unique you've seen. He sells trophies of all manner of beasts, such as the head of a massive wolf, or a stinger as large as your arm. When you pass by him, he seems to be in the middle of explaining where that stinger came from with a deep voice, made for storytelling. He has a gaggle of children surrounding his stall with wide-open eyes and mouths. The man revels in the attention, but does not neglect any potential customers. He also sells some practical things, such as a magic net your uncle Liam used to have, or a trick blade that you can hide up your sleeve. books, too, he even has a cookbook for dungeon life, allowing someone to live off the land even deep inside a magical dungeon filled with mimics, kelpies and what have you.

When you come closer, he double-takes at seeing you, and points towards you. The children turn to you, some of them exclaim some variant of "cool", and a few of them cry out in fear. You laugh awkwardly, and the massive man laughs alongside you. He then begins telling a story about how he cleared out a drider cult a few years ago using little more than some farming equipment and a can of oil. You're about to listen to it, until you hear a very familiar voice.
Sydney!?
You turn to the voice, and see your uncle Liam! He looks positively haggard, but his smile is absolutely wonderful. Twigs in his hair, grass stains on his pants, and tired eyes seem to point to him staying in nature for a time. You stand there smiling like an idiot for a few second, and then rush in for a bear hug. He happily returns it, breathing a sigh of relief as he is holding you.
I've never been happier to see you! Did Alibert get you out of the bandit's camp? We split up to try and find you, but I found nothing.
I'm with my dad, yeah, but the whole story's... complicated. What do you know already?
That you "joined" for the purpose of saving the village. Other than that, not much... I have to say, i'm proud of you for being so willing to sacrifice yourself, but for gods sake, don't scare me like that! Come on, I'll treat you and your dad to dinner. Where is he, right now?
I don't really know, but he should be arriving here soon. We've also got another friend with us, her name's Yunikki.
Yu-what now? Must be from the eastern continent, if I'd have to guess.
You'd be right.

You jump in surprise when you hear Yunikki's voice from right behind you. When you turn, it's an entirely different woman standing before you, wearing a tunic and a pair of pants made of very simple cloth. You still recognize her face (and biceps) however.
You look... Different.
Yeah, I managed to join up with the guards here. Temporarily, I don't think we're gonna stick around that long. Anyway, they wanted me to keep my armor there and gave me these clothes. They're a bit itchy, but honestly? It's good to be out of the armor sometimes. By the way, who's this guy?
This is my uncle Liam. He taught me everything I know about fighting.
Really? Fine teacher, in that case.
Thanks. So you're Sydney's companion?
Yep. We met in the camp. It'd be more accurate to say she's my boss, though. I owe her a debt for saving my life. Or more accurately, my soul. Guh... I still get the shivers thinking about that ritual.
...What kind of trouble were you IN, Sydney!?
I'll explain it over dinner, how about that? Yunikki, got an idea where my dad is?
He wanted to visit the refugee camp, I think. Can't think he'd be there long, sadly, so I think-hold on! There he is.

You turn to look at your father. He's not alone, from the look of things. Looks like Tommen, your old sparring partner is with him. They notice you from afar, and walk towards you. Tommen looks as bashful as ever, even though he is one of the largest people in what remains of the village now. Puberty has been very kind to him, indeed, but he remains completely introverted. He couldn't even work up to the courage to talk to a girl he liked a week ago!
It feels like last week was months ago. The thought of that dulls your smile a little. You've seen quite a bit in just a few day's time, haven't you? Still, you say hello to Tommen, who looks relieved to see you. He doesn't stay for long, however, he says something about telling the others and runs off. Your father doesn't look surprised to see uncle Liam, though he expresses his happiness quite simply. Your group moves to the inn for some grub. Your group orders a general platter of assorted meats and cheeses, along with some bread. and then you start telling the story about what you've been up to since you were whisked away to banditland.

The explanation was simple, for the most part. You explain you had a whole group available to you, and how you trained them. How you learned of the Vvulf's plan, the raid and how you can't remember a damned thing about it. Yunikki claims that you really only defended yourself, though you personally doubt that. Self-defense does not lead to people biting chunks out of their attackers. Still, then you get to the ritual. You were talking with Jack, at the time, when suddenly Vvulf started talking. You start tapping the ground with one of your legs as you tell this, and you feel a strange numbness in your hands as you continue. You tell them about the flash of black lightning and then about how everything went to hell. Your heart starts pounding as you try to explain what happened, but you can HEAR the damned noise of Jack' flesh tearing open as your uncle cuts a sausage...
It's so STUPID, but you start stuttering as your heart goes wild, you even get chest pains. You can't get enough air in you as you start shaking uncontrollably. You can see it happening again, there she is again, screaming in pain, her bones bursting through her own flesh as whatever wasn't ripped off just sloughs off. You feel the pain again, the tears, the claws, the pure fear of that moment. A red filter is over everything as Jack runs off in the distance, screeching through her shattered jaw as the people around you tear off their skin or turn into pigs. And the markings still hurt so much.
You try to scream, but your throat feels blocked and you can't get in air, you take your shield and try to get away from these damned monsters. ANYTHING to get away at this point, you want to run but your legs seem blocked. Suddenly, a sharp pain takes you out of this.

You shake your head as the vision fades. It's deathly quiet in the inn, and all eyes are on you. Your father shakes you a bit by the shoulders. You can't even understand what he's saying. You feel tears on your face, and your left arm seems to hurt.
All of your companions are around you, and you still feel the tingling on you cheek. Someone must have slapped you out of... whatever that was.
A-are you okay? You just started shaking and mumbling, and then you just went wild! You nearly gave me a concussion with that shield of yours! What was that, Sydney?
I... I don't.. I was seeing it again... The ritual, watching her transform into that... Into that THING! I can't get it out of my fucking head! I don't know what... I don't know what to do!
Hey, look. It's okay now... You're safe. You're with us, you're in a warm inn, there's food... You don't need to be afraid. It's over now.
Excuse me, m'am. But are you alright? The goblin maid tugs your clothing, her pink highlights swaying as she tilts her head sideways. She looks around her inn, at all the staring faces, and yells that people should mind their own business if they still want to be served. The other patrons quickly go back to what they were doing earlier.
Look, I had a dad that had the same troubles as you. If you need some space, we've got an empty room upstairs. You can use it for a couple of hours if you need some privacy. And don't worry. Things'll get better.
She gives a kind smile, and goes back to work.
Your heart still seems to be trying to dig through your ribcage, but you're calming down a little. The dizziness should pass with time...

Try to go back to eating
It may not be private, but you should probably get some food. It should help you calm down.

Use the room
You could use some space.

Go outside a bit.
Fresh air should help.

Other

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Level: 4
HP: 19/20
Mana: 8/8
Stress:XXX (Traumatic Flashback)
Equipment:
Drider Shirt

Items:
Around 88 coins
Steel sword
Stained iron shield
Old shirt
Leather armor(rough)

Magic:
Resurrect vermin: Allows you to resurrect very small creatures such as rats(1) (invests 1 of your max mana)
Reshape minion: Allows you to slightly change the appearance of your resurrected minions. (//.......) <== advancement bar
Minion Vision(weak): Allows you to see what a minion sees. The minion must have eyes.

Skills:
Poison Stinger (Potentially lethal)
Major experience in blocking and swords.
Climber
Crafty: Bolas
Cooking skill: excellent
Corpse Cutting: Awful.
Animal handling: inexperienced.

FORUM RUNNERS
I think it would be a good idea to speed up the last parts a little. Bandit life up to the ritual should be the next step, and then the actual transformation. If you wish to flesh out your character a little more, you can always fluff it up a little afterwards, but I'd like it if we could properly finish this by the 12th of February. The next Forum Runner game shouldn't have troubles because of us.

Small edit: thank you for pointing out the typo, RAM. I keep writing these at midnight, so I make some weird mistakes.

[RAM]

I say take the room. Clinging to someone who seems to know something seems like a good idea. And take some sort of easily-grabbable food. Food is nice, food is your friend.
Also, most instances of biting occur during defensive efforts. Even when hunting, bites will usually be to pierce or crush something important, and not be recreational or tearing. An offensive effort typically involves some brief, brutal swordplay or similar, biting is really for when your other weapons are expended or you are at a disadvantage and need something unconventional.
((For some reason I feel the need to point out that there s a typo that indicates that Yunikki is wearing nothing but a tunic and some paint.))

[RoseHeart]

I think maybe Gwolfski thought he already won. Which is clearly not the case, though I understand why he'd think so. I am very greatful this was able to happen at all.

I've messaged Gwolfski. We'll see what's up.

[TheBiggerFish]

Room, and take some grabbable food.  Thank the goblin girl!

So we have PTSD.  Hoo boy.  I mean it seems altogether reasonable, but...Sydney needs hugs and probably therapy.  Hopefully there's not so much stigma around this kind of stuff...

[Puppyguard]

Head to the empty room.
We don't need anyone to see another... seizure?

[RAM]

I rather suspect that a lack of therapy and an abundance of stigma are in full effect. We could buy hugs, chaste ones even if my understanding us correct, from the brothel, but I doubt that would help much because, well, it just treats the symptoms and feels sort of fake. Given that addressing_trauma=Violent_episode I am thinking that the only sane approach is to seal this horror up and never speak of it again, which seems somewhat ironic considering the effects that would have upon sanity...

That is... I would not necessarily say that there is an established stigma... Just, the waitress felt that this would be a matter best dealt with privately, and she is being super-nice... The other patrons seem to be acting somewhat appropriately considering that, what, 200? 150? kilograms of well-armed spider was acting erratically...

[Gwolfski]

Here's my next bit. Sorry for the formatting, I'm on my phone

[spoiler]As Arak sat in the clearing, the realization of what happened washed over him. His mother lay dead. Hours father was a murderer. He collapsed, sobbing, onto the grass. 'It's sp unfair!' he thought. And then the cold facts flood unto him. The world's wasn't fair. The stories his mother used to tell him weren't real. And with that, Arak abandoned all notions of chivalry, of mercy and fairness.

After a while, Arak wondered what he'll do with his life now. He couldn't go back that was certain. He thought about traveling far away, but he didn't have the money to do so. Then he thought of an excellent idea. He was going to join the local bandit gang. But he couldn't show up with nothing. So he waited until dark, and crept into the town. He decided to "borrow" some things from the smith. He didn't really like the smith much, so he had no regrets about stealing from him. He was used to sneaking around, as he often hid from his father. So he crept in to the forge. His town was never robbed, and so nobody hid valuables. Arak helped himself to the contents of the money box, and after that, he took a few fancy knives, as well as a richly decorated sword, a gift for the bandit leader. Then he set off

[RAM]

((I know that I keep coming back to the brothel, but they are the only place that I can think of that comes close to professional mental healthcare. With a bit of luck they may actually have experience with P.T.S.D. and can offer a sympathetic audience to cry to and a relaxing massage(Maybe. How does one massage a drider without sitting on their spider-section? Is riding a drider practical?) with some sensitivity about what is appropriate at what times. It is, afterall, likely that the brothel is somewhere that a lot of people with P.T.S.D. go to when they are trying to distract themselves from their troubles, so there is reason for them to have experience with the matter.

The only other obvious alternatives would be to try to brag it out. Get on a table and recount the tale to a room full of onlookers while trying to fill the tale with as much bravado and glory as it can hold.

One could look to religion, but being a prospective religious figure yourself, and being on personally bad terms with at least one god will make that awkward. Not to mention that religions want to sign up more people than they can help. There is no guarantee that we will get a private priest to tend to our needs...

Or we could go for mind magic! Erase a few key moments, add a dash of disassociation, mix it up with a basic obedience switch for when they decide to conquer the world... There is nothing quite like a noggin-scramble to bring out that Stepford smile!

And then again you can become one of those stoic figures that like to hang out in quantum taverns. Dark corners don't fill themselves you know! Well, okay, they do, but we would rather not think about The Dweller Below right now...))

Does Howard still exist? They were going to be a scout, right? Were the scouts out scouting? Or did Howard transition into a working blimp with which the encroaching god can rule the skies?

((Are we just ignoring the references for some reason? I do not recall any of them being commented upon and it is sort of weird... Is that cookbook an original version or has it been revised after feedback? It could be useful to know what is edible. I mean, yes, we are about as capable of carrying supplies as one could hope to be, but there is still the possibility of damage, a lack of funds, or simple curiosity. We do have some carnivorous leanings afterall...))

[RoseHeart]

+ RAMs sex-less sexytime soothing

[RAM]

It is a bit difficult to work into a plausible thought though. And there is the everpresent reputation issues. I suppose something like "this must have happened to someone else before" and "Where would such people go?"...