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Author Topic: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure (Ended)  (Read 190035 times)

Liquefied Spleens

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Re: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure
« Reply #450 on: March 03, 2017, 05:53:47 pm »

Splash of turmoil.

Alex, can you pull those bars outta there, so we have something resembling spears?
I'm not THAT strong, drider!
It's Sydney, smash the table here, then. Those tablelegs could work as clubs.
Allow me. The goat-man suddenly says. He picks up the table by the ends of each and rams his foot against it. It plain snaps in half somehow, and then he pulls the legs free from the table. He is, apparently, even stronger than he seems. And this is a very intimidating thing. The fire in his eyes flickers in the darkness. He takes a table-leg for himself, and hands one to the grey things, who have reached down a hand or three. They remain on the ceiling, "watching" you without eyes. You take another leg, and hand it to the kobolt. The leg is nearly as tall as she is, and she has trouble wielding it effectively. She drops it instantaneously, yelping a little. You relent, and hand her the knife.
You just stay on me, alright? This next part's going to be a little fast.
The kobolt nods, and puts the arm not holding a dagger around your waist. She's got a strong grip for something so small. You take the leg she dropped. This is a terrible weapon, but at least it's something...

Alright people, listen up. We can't stay in this room, they'll trap us. I say we use the thin passageway, and bash our way through.
The fairy yells out a protest: Are you dumb?! She screams There could be dozens of them.
Unlikely. They have but a single guard below. I would estimate their numbers to be around half a dozen. The goatman adds, in a tempered, calm tone. It's honestly kind of scary how calm he sounds.
We can handle that. Just gotta surprise 'em.
The footsteps stop at the door. You hear Silver yelling at them, gasping in-between some words. You can't make out what they are saying, but it's now or never.
What are we waiting for!? GO!

Alexander screams, puts his chainwrapped arms in front of him, and charges forward. The door flies open, and the armed man making a move to open it is flung aside and trampled by Alexander. You are right behind the pigman, and strike out against one of the armored men. The armor looks shoddy and rusted, but it still does its job as your table leg does little more than stun the owner of the head inside of the helmet. Still, you manage to break through, and the goblin managed to cut one of them on the legs. Looking ahead, however, Silver and another guard is standing ready to catch your little horde. He looks absolutely livid, holding the part you stung with his normal hand while his metallic hand has turned into a cruel serrated hook. The man next to him does not seem to be wielding a weapon. Alexander rams into Silver, but he does not fall aside. Instead, he is CARRIED by the charging pigman, and eventually thrown over Alexander. Before landing, however, he manages to rend deeply into Alexander's back. The pigman screams, but does not stop his charge. You thwack Silver on the head, as a parting gift. The man that stood next to him simply gets out of the way. You don't care enough to check, and you rush past him. Suddenly, however, you feel glass breaking against the back of your head. When you turn around, you see that the guard wasn't unarmed at all! He was hiding flasks in his jacket. Another thing you notice is that the goat-man is rapidly stomping his way towards you, so you NEED to get the line moving. The two guards by the door look down for the count, so he must have beaten them to a damn pump first.

You hear another groan from silver as you continue running. The liquid is seeping down you back, and it tingles strangely, but you can't care about that right now! You have to keep running. Eventually, you reach a new floor. You enter a large hall, with a large amount of pews and chairs. There is a large podium to the side of you. You let the goatman and the fairy enter. You realize only now that you have no idea where the grey things are! Still, you can see Silver and his small number of guards approaching, so you close the door and block it with a chair under the handle. With the help of Alexander and the goat-man, you quickly make quite a respectible barricade of pews, chairs and tables. You hear furious bashing against the door, but the barricade will hold for now...
You however, feel really, really bad. You feel like you're suffocating as your breathing becomes deeper and deeper. The liquid on your back, its seeping through you skin and it's making you feel... hot. Your heart feels like its going to burst out of your chest, and your legs come together. The kobolt get frightened, and jumps off. You cough as you start hyperventilating. The rest of the freed slaves are just staring, taking their distance as you hold your side. You feel like your mind is just swimming. You manage to talk a few words before...
I-I'm fine.*gasp* I'm fine. Nothing is...  nothing's...*Cough*
I'm... more than fine...

AFFLICTED

Ohhh, you feel ALIVE again! You smile ear to ear, showing all your teeth as you scratch your head roughly with both hands. You can't resist laughing a little. Your hair is a mess, ending up a little in front of your eyes, which hold a new, cold shine. The fairy and kobolt quickle make some distance, and the other two appear wary.
This could be fun.

Berate your underlings.
It's necessary to get the vermin in line. They've been listening to you, certainly, but that could be better.

Just get out of here, you first.
A queen should go before underlings, when it comes to escapes.

Make a show of force.
They should know right away that you're the leader. With no doubts. Crush one of them to keep the rest in line...

Let them come.
You minions are educated well enough, for now... Take down the barricade, show them what a true goddess can do to them!

"Other"
I do what I please...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I decided to try something new by adding my voice to it. If nothing else, it's for fun. If it is received well, I may do it more often.
NOTE THAT WHILE SHE IS AFFLICTED, SYDNEY WILL CHANGE THE COMMAND TO BETTER FIT HER NEW IDEALS.
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TheBiggerFish

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Re: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure
« Reply #451 on: March 03, 2017, 05:57:48 pm »

We're a spider.  Spin a web to catch those guards.  Leave an exit.
« Last Edit: March 03, 2017, 06:01:27 pm by TheBiggerFish »
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hachnslay

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Re: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure
« Reply #452 on: March 03, 2017, 06:44:55 pm »

That guard - how dare he afflict you with a rage poison! Preposterous! let's teach him some manners. Take that dagger from the gnoll and go teach him.
"Using a rage or berserker poison on me - bad mistake. let'S make sure you don't make that mistake again, shall we?"
In fact - those things down there have not shown you enough respect. let's slice their throats and make a jacket out of them. Not silver though. he gets a new dose of poison - and if he dares to stop keeping you awake with his screams he gets more. You have work to do.
« Last Edit: March 03, 2017, 06:48:03 pm by hachnslay »
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Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master
--Alpha Centauri ,Pravin Lal

RAM

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Re: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure
« Reply #453 on: March 03, 2017, 08:55:10 pm »

Well we really ought to get some human zombies, it is what all the cool necromancers do...

P.S.
 I feel as though the drider(and possibly author) should have this song in their head for the duration of the next update...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnHmskwqCCQ
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RAM

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Re: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure
« Reply #454 on: March 04, 2017, 03:53:17 pm »

Fear is a form of respect, and it would be silly to break your own things so soon after looting them. Really, there are only so many forms of respect, fear is not bad at all. Sure, they want to be rid of you, through flight or deicide, but terror will control them well enough. Better fear than love for example, love gets all sorts of possessive. We have seen first hand how that worked out with mother and people mistreating her children. Better to be hated than owned! But truly, the best respect is the difficult one, pure respect for ability. Oh, of course! That beast reeks of your venom, anyone with a nose could tell that they are your prey! Letting food escape is a terrible example, of course they doubt you. Not to mention how generally inappropriately the creature has treated a superior being.

It would be really convenient to have autonomous hair fighting with you. If only this Animate Piece thing didn't require concentration... There must be a way to combine minion magic with piece magic... Ooooh! You could use a small critter's skeleton as a hair-decoration! Channel the Animate Piece spell through the animated minion to empower it with command over your hair! Then you can get some nice bone blades added to it and... Hmmm, but if you use your hair as a weapon, then people might cut it : (  Perhaps there is a hair growth spell? Still, in a filthy hovel like this there should be some sort of creature, and it would be convenient to test the theory.

P.S.
 Congrats to the author for coming up with a new way for the protagonist to wake up with her face in someone's half-eaten heart and no recollection of recent events. I have no idea how this missing memory thing will work out, but it seems interesting and very uncommon as an ongoing and natural thing. Usually it is all "find out who I was" or "what did the werewolf do" or "how are they controlling me" and is usually, like, a good 40% of the story's plot...
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I shall be eternally happy. I shall be able to construct elf hunting giant mecha. Which can pour magma.
Urist has been forced to use a friend as fertilizer lately.
Read the First Post!

Liquefied Spleens

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Re: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure
« Reply #455 on: March 04, 2017, 04:36:03 pm »

The Queen makes a visit

You walk to the kobolt, with a slow and deliberate gait. This thing looks weak and generally useless. Why does it have the only weapon? Preposterous!
The dagger. Give it to me.
The kobolt starts stuttering and shuffling its feet on the ground nervously. Good lord, it's a useless wreck! You roughly grab it by the arms, lift it up and tell it drop the dagger in a tone that could disturb dragons. The kobolt quickly drops the blade to the floor, and you do the same to useless creature. You pick up the dagger, and test the edge with you finger. It barely leaves a cut in your carapace, so its blunted. If your enemies were made of bread, you'd be fine. Sadly, they're far tougher than that. And tastier. You chuckle to yourself.

I think she's gone a little bonkers. says the abomination. How droll, it thinks it may speak. You'll re-educate the pig later. You need to get your trap set up.
S-s-s-she's a-affected b-by ni-nii... eh... Night H-Howlers! Now the little thing's talking. You grind your teeth in annoyance, but you need to trap the ones trying to bash in the door. You remove parts of the barricade, and begins spinning a web. It comes easily, like you've been spinning a proper man-catching web all your life. Really shows the natural order of things, you think to yourself. The demon behind you speaks next.
Reduced to her instincts? Hm. A drider does not have the kindest instincts at heart...
Say that again, and I'll have you writhing on the floor, demon!
The fairy flies close to you as you continue working on the web. These idiots are OUT OF LINE. Hey! You can't talk to people like that, you big je-*ULP*
You grab her entire body, and lock it in an iron grip. You look down at it, rage clear in your face. You could crush her into a fine paste right now, and she knows it. Her haughty attitude doesn't protect much.
You were saying?
She seems to freeze up. She's just breathing fast in a panic as squeeze her slightly. She starts crying in fear, and eventually starts wailing. It's music to your ears, and you squeeze a little more and watch her seize a little. Suddenly, the pigman grabs your arm. You twist your head to him, and look him right in the eye. He looks defiant.
You DARE!?
I do. Now drop her before I snap your arm like a damn twig!
He gives his own show of force, hurting your arm with little more than the pressure of his hand. If he were to try, he really could break your arm. You can't afford your body getting damaged like that. You let the elf go, and she zips away at a speed you didn't even consider possible. The abomination lets your arm go, and warily makes some distance.
You will regret this...
I'm sure I will. But we're leaving. You can do whatever you want , I'm not fighting you.
He turns to leave, and the goatman and the fairy follow. You stand there in shock for a little while. They DARE defy you? THEY WOULD DENY A GODDESS?! Fine... FINE! You give a roar of disapproval. If you had more than this dumb little dagger you'd show them why that is a bad idea, but both of these heretics are stronger than you when it comes to plain fighting. Then you notice the kobolt isn't with the group leaving through the door. She does yell to the abominations

W-We can't leave her like his! She'll be killed! She's just been poisoned and she rescued us! You can't do this! Her stutter is gone, having dissipated in the wake of anger.
She's a liability! We need to escape, and if she won't help, too bad!
That's completely unfair! She needs help! She stomps her feet in indignation. The heretics leave without a word, closing the door. the Kobolt stands there, boiling in anger. You place a hand on her shoulder.
Good choice. You're far better than I though, looks like...
She shakes a little at your touch, but audibly swallows and turns to you.
I-I have to help you until you're fine again. The potion will wear off, but until then...
The door that was containing Silver and his guards cracks with a loud blow. The barricade is the only thing propping it up, and your web isn't finished! You groan in annoyance, and add more where-ever you can. The kobolt helps where she can, placing some errand strands at ankle-level. She's a much better follower than you would have expected. Once she gets going, she's a diligent worker!

Then, the door and the barricade break open entirely from the force of Silver smashing through with his shoulder, protected by his metallic arm. His momentum carries him over the tripwire the kobolt made, and he falls down. He catches himself, but you take advantage of his position and sting him in his back. He screeches in pain, and rolls away. The three guards that follow don't make the same mistake, of course, and warily enter. The one that threw that bottle on you is nowhere to be seen. Good, you plan on taking your time on that one... You hold your dagger at the ready, and grab a to use as a make-shift "shield". It serves more to give you distance, but these are still three enemies...
Your kobolt is useless right now, and she has sprinted to the podium in the middle of the room, and is hiding behind the curtains. Fair enough, she didn't look good for a fight. Besides...
These ones are all yours.

You charge forward, slamming the stool against one to the left, and giving a brutal slash to the one right in front of you. You manage to deliver a deep gash in his chest. The one from the left charges, and you counter it with a tackle while performing a backhand stab to the one you just slashed.  You hit him right in the shoulder, and when you pull it out your victim begins to scream in pain.. The man you just tackled is still staggered, and you bite his cheek in your frenzy. You actually manage to tear a piece off! Then, you feel a white-hot pain against your backside. The third guard has attacked you in the back, you yell in fury and turn to the offender. You are about to attack, until he suddenly catches on FIRE! A bottle of alcohol has been thrown against the attacker, and apparently a burning rag has been added. The fire is refuses to go out, and the guard screams and starts sprinting through the room in panic. You barely care, apart from the amusement value, and you shank the guard you bit in his throat. You pull the blade, and slice his entire throat open. The blade breaks, leaving you without a weapon. The final guard is running away, holding his shoulder wound. You rush him down, force him to the ground, and sting him with your acidic compound.

Turns out humans really DO taste like chicken. The kobolt starts vomiting at the sight, but she still looks impressive with her improvised molotov cocktails. Apparently, they had alcohol behind the curtains. You're still chowing down on the guard as Silver is groaning in a corner. Another dosage of your poison really did a number on him, so you can finish your meal. You don't even particularly care for the taste, but the fact that you're ABLE to so completely dominate and devour an enemy?
Heaven.
Without the haze of battle, however, you start feeling the wounds the guards left on you. You were hit a lot more than you thought, but msot of it was on your sturdier spider body. They weren't that smart, apparently. You grab a short-sword the guard dropped, and turn to the barbecued guard. He's still twitching and moaning, but his blackened flesh shows that he has minutes to live, if he's unlucky. Your kobolt is sitting down, looking really scared.
Oh man, I hate fire deaths... Eh, wh-whenever you're ready, we should move.
I'll consider it. Don't think to command me, even if you are useful.
You are surrounded by wooden debris, two corpses, one dying man and a very Hurt and immobile Silver. What now?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: July 24, 2017, 03:36:56 pm by Liquefied Spleens »
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Neat stuff I do:
A suggestion game about a drider that does a lot of stuff. I think it's kinda neat.

Liquefied Spleens

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Re: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure
« Reply #456 on: March 05, 2017, 11:02:33 am »

Another update will follow tonight
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Neat stuff I do:
A suggestion game about a drider that does a lot of stuff. I think it's kinda neat.

TheBiggerFish

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Re: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure
« Reply #457 on: March 05, 2017, 11:11:40 am »

Kill the slaver dude.
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RAM

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Re: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure
« Reply #458 on: March 05, 2017, 03:49:36 pm »

What does any good spider do with living prey? Gloat about their fate as they bound within a silk cocoon... Best to first remove that equipment though...
Regale your follower with how glorious you are, and subtly let her know that it is appropriate for her to extol your virtues. Also, grant her permission to tend to your body. Such damage is insignificant to such a being, but this scuffle is no cause to allow blemishes upon your magnificent person.
Hmm, the burning one. It would be nice if their final act was to worship us, but on the other hand, this would be the perfect chance to experiment. What happens when a living being expires while being filled with your power over the dead? Wild undead to be broken to your will? A vengeful servant forever confined to your service? Perhaps your power can somehow restore the living? Or maybe they simply explode? Wasting power would be unfortunate, but it is a worthy trade if it builds knowledge and cunning. Failing that, there is a mostly intact corpse or two that could be useful, if nothing else then for spare-parts/snacks. One wonders if an arm can be wielded as a weapon while animated to itself wield a sword...

But still, this whole place IS unworthy and SHOULD be vacated. Your follower has been consistently valuable and should serve well as a guide and herald and teddybear.
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Urist has been forced to use a friend as fertilizer lately.
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Liquefied Spleens

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Re: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure
« Reply #459 on: March 05, 2017, 05:26:39 pm »

Pay no attention to the medicine cabinet behind the curtain!

Well, that was fun... But you've got the opportunity to experiment now. You walk over to the dying man, who is still groaning, and attempt to flood your magic inside of him. He twitches and gasps a little, but seems unaffected. You stab him in the heart to finish him off before you spend too much mana. You actually get a result! His burnt face begins to glow purple, and a "stream" of flames go upwards to combine into a larger flame, floating right above the corpse. You just managed to capture a soul! But, it quickly begins to disappear, and you couldn't think of anything to keep it around. You need to find out how to do that at some point... Still, that leaves you with just Silver remaining. You walk closer to him, getting some webbing ready to bind him, and then look at the poor wretch. He thought he was impressive with his metallic limbs, but he's hardly even worth the venom...

He raises his arm, groaning in effort as you come closer. He doesn't have energy to try anything, your poison is wreaking havoc on his body. Binding him isn't hard, and he faints before you get far. You finish binding him before long, but you don't make a cocoon. You're just not equipped to do that to a person. Still, you can tie him up pretty well! You laugh as you make the final touches on the bindings. You also take whatever he had in his pockets, but it doesn't look like he has a weapon other than his transforming limbs.
Then, you turn to the kobolt.
So! You're full of surprises, aren't you? So am I, I'm sure, but hey, you did far more than your little body would have made me guess. You're fast, you're clever... You know just what to say...
You smile at her. This leaves her a bit shaken, but she seems to get the message. She begins praising you, in return. You don't even pay attention to the detail, you just bask in your well-deserved admiration. This is wonderful!
That's enough. Now, I've taken some minor blemishes while I was protecting you... You're a clever girl, I'm sure you can figure out what to do with that, right?
She gives an affirming noise and a nod of the head, and goes back behind the curtain. In no time at all, she comes back out with some rags and a bottle of strong alcohol. She begins binding up the wounds you have on your spider parts, with some alcohol to prevent infection. For you, that's nearly a non-factor, as you don't have much that can get infected at your spider-parts, but you appriciate the gesture. Then she starts dabbing some alcohol-drenched cloth against the wound on your back, and you have to hold back a scream. To say it stings would be an understatement. You clench your teeth, and the pain soon passes, but it made you realise the wound is actually quite deep. The kobolt then removes the heavy cloth you were wearing (carefully, with your permission) and then uses her small claws to pick out the cloth that got stuck in your wound. Like a band-aid, she pulls it out, and then binds you up with some more white cloth. There must be a whole apothecary behind those curtains!

You feel worse than before the treatment, but you know that you are much better off. You don't show your pain, of course.
But now what?

Leave.
There are no guards left, for the moment. You can just leave out the main door

Play with Silver
He's unconscious right now. You can think of something fun, right?

Go back, and look for more followers
You might have missed some other prisoners. More followers are always nice, no?

Other

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: July 24, 2017, 03:38:07 pm by Liquefied Spleens »
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Neat stuff I do:
A suggestion game about a drider that does a lot of stuff. I think it's kinda neat.

RAM

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Re: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure
« Reply #460 on: March 05, 2017, 07:08:00 pm »

((Well even like this that drider isn't all bad, she gave that poor man a merciful death rather than leaving him to die slowly from his burns.))

Well Silver should probably be "disarmed". That claw thing might make a nice trophy! We could put it on a necklace...

The kobold has been very cute helpful. We are a mighty goddess who is now blessed with an abundance, so let it know that it may take its fill from our victims.

Hrmm, you are used to a shield, you should see if any of their armour plates are separate and can have a simple silk strap attached with which to hold it.

Try to take Silver with you. He will keep fresh as he is in case you get peckish, and it doesn't hurt to drag your former foe around as a sack of spare meat.

Can we guess as to how much power it would take to animate the burned human? Or just their skeleton maybe? We could use someone loyal who can stand at our side in battle.

I cannot resist looking for more followers, but justifying it seems impossible for now so I will just vote that way...

We really do need to figure out how to capture souls. No idea what to do with them, but if we can steal souls from Death then we can consider ourselves even for warping our body. Fleshwarping really is becoming far too much of a theme in our life and I did not care to have a first-hand experience of it after... things happened, regardless of how abstract I may have been at the time. At least I only warp flesh when it is no longer in use...

We haven't seen that thing with the arms, or that thing with the bottles, so they are probably going to make trouble. Not that little things like them are a concern...
« Last Edit: March 06, 2017, 04:37:07 pm by RAM »
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Vote (1) for the Urist scale!
I shall be eternally happy. I shall be able to construct elf hunting giant mecha. Which can pour magma.
Urist has been forced to use a friend as fertilizer lately.
Read the First Post!

Liquefied Spleens

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Re: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure
« Reply #461 on: March 06, 2017, 05:49:33 pm »

The Queen Takes a Nap

You're an excellent worker... Take your fill from the corpses, I have no more need of most.
You briefly consider using the armor plating as a make-shift shield, but it would be useless. There's not real place to put the wire, and they lack proper chest armor. They were wearing bits and pieces, a hodgepodge of armor. Clearly, they didn't spend much on the guards here... Still, they put up a bit of a fight. Now... A god requires subjects, and while the kobolt is useful, you need something with a sword-arm. You turn to the burnt corpse, and poke and prod with your magic. It's quite a bit different from a critter, and you can't quite figure out how to make it move. You, not managing something? It's preposterous. Ridiculous. MADDENING!
You stomp the corpse in frustration, cracking the burnt skin. The kobolt flinches in fear and disgust as you keep stomping it and slashing and stabbing. HOW DARE IT LEAVE YOU CONFUSED ABOUT ANYTHING. It's against the natural god-damn order. Things die, or they serve their goddess. You have the magic to allow for both, and THIS. THING. WON'T. WORK!

A glob of black goo is coughed up, but your mind is too fuddled to make sense of the information. By now, the corpse is in pieces, and mutilated beyond recognition. People would have a hard time figuring out if this was even a human. You stand there, panting in exertion and anger. You stomp on it one final time, and then turn to Silver. This worthless heretic... You consider taking him with you, but he's far too fat to drag along. It would be straining, and he doesn't deserve the effort. One thing you can spend some time on, however... You raise the sword in the air, and slam it down on his shoulder. His body twitches, but he remains unconscious as you hack you way downwards. After many hacks, you finally manage to remove the metallic arm completely! You pick it up, happy about your new prize. Silver bleeds like a stuffed pig, but you don't care. Let him bleed out, what does it matter? You grin again, forgetting your rage from earlier in a heartbeat. The kobolt looks scared for some reason. You don't really understand why, though. You're fine, now, what could she be worried about. She's dry-heaving a little too. You shrug, and tell her to follow as you decide to leave. Silver can bleed out here, as far as you care. There's no way he'll survive both the poison AND having his arm removed. You open the door through which the fools that abandoned you left. It's a staircase! Wonderful. In just a little while, you'll be out of this mess.

You feel a little light-headed as you go higher, but make no outwards sign of it. Can't look weak in front of a follower, after all! You shake your head to remain aware, even as you feel your fingers going numb. You hit a wall with your fist, and it keeps you awake a little longer. Something's wrong...
When you reach the top of the stairs, you feel as though you're about ready to fall over. Your heart is... calm. Far slower than it should be, you feel, but somehow it doesn't hurt. You open the door, and look around. These look like... gardens? A very, very large garden, with trees and some-such, but the presence of a castle seems to imply that this belongs to someone. Turning around, the "door" you went through looks like part of a tree. The kobolt closes it behind her, and the illusion is complete. it looks like a perfectly normal tree. Still, you're a bit too woozy to admire the craftsmanship. Then, your vision blackens, and you fall into an endless black.

When you wake, you are in a massive hammock. You get up, and look around in bewilderment. This place looks really, really rich. Thick purple curtains, a rug with floral patterns, a cabinet filled with dresses worth more than you and across from you is a massive bed. The pillows look like they lead to a different dimension, filled with nothing but feathers, kittens and other soft things. Your hammock, comparably, sticks out in how cheap it is.
You also note that you're wearing different clothing. A more expensive variation of your drider shirt, with a pattern embroidered in it. It makes you look like a noble-woman. There's nobody in the massive room, and you can't remember anything since you entered that big hall. That potion must have done something to you...
You really hope you won't be vomiting up someone else again.
Oh, good, you're awake! are you fee-feeling alright? Night Howler extract can really do a number on some people...
Where are we and who are you?
I'm Eveline. You rescued me from the slaver's den, remember? Wouldn't be surprising if you don't remember much, though. Anyways, you're in the count's castle. I called for help after you collapsed, and the guards helped us out and cleared out the rest of the slaver's den.
How were we close enough for that?
They operated in the one spot they wouldn't think to look, I suppose. Anyways, the count would like to see you. He's interested in you for some reason. They wouldn't tell me why, but they did let me treat you.
You're a doctor?
Eh... I'd call myself an alchemist. But I know how to fix up most people! Anyways, whenever you're ready, the guard outside will escort you. I'd suggest you take it slow, though, you might still be a little woozy.

Talk a little more.
You should probably find out what, exactly, this night howler business is, and what happened since then.

Go immediately.
You shouldn't keep a count waiting, most likely.

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« Last Edit: July 24, 2017, 03:40:33 pm by Liquefied Spleens »
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RAM

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Re: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure
« Reply #462 on: March 06, 2017, 06:07:07 pm »

Going in blind has caused enough problems in the past, best to talk a little more.

Oh noes, did we forget how to catch souls!!!
I suppose it is less of a good idea to mess with souls when we have the sense not to mess with Death. Would death even mind? I wonder if we can ask questions... A blob of black nasty the size of my fist for yes and one the size of my head for no? Do you mind if I mess with souls? Are flesh abominations alive? Did the people whose flesh they were born from die? Would killing them give those people a 'proper' death? Answers could put our mind at ease, or provide solid parameters for just how horrible everything is...

Actually get to know this cute little person. If we escaped together then they might be a good friend, bonds formed in troubling times and all that, and they sort of remind you of those stuffed animals that rich people have that are as big as a person and you could really use something soft and harmless to hug and pretend that the world is a nice place. Ahem, people are not toys. Besides, your are a big scary cursed avatar of intimidation who can stare down the whole world and make it cry and definitely doesn't need any comforting! Ugh, that is pretty much literally true, and that kobolt seems a bit nervous about us, let's just hope that we can still pretend that we have only killed two people after hearing the story. Really, between the army of demons trying to take us to the world of turning-inside-out-while-alive, random specist hooligans who feel the need to prove their superiority by behaving like reckless ignorant brutes, and the apparently high value of driders that can summon random kidnappers from out of nowhere... We are getting violently attacked more than once a day so unless this kobold is a veteran warrior or some sort of insane fire-breathing monster we should probably just tell them to get as far away from the scary spider as they can. We pretty much only saved the one person, and that was only because we gave them some silk when they asked for it, they probably could have just scavenged it from our house or those bolas and not paid us lip-service. It would have been really nice if that girl and that stupid living tattoo nonsense hadn't... ugh... deep breaths...

But seriously, don't go into an important meeting when your are confused or uninformed. They have probably not been waiting for you. It seems doubtful that someone important could just idle around waiting for a girl to wake up. Best to at least try to figure out what they might know about you and what their usual business is.

Put one of those pillows on your hammock, and another behind between your back.

Maybe we can at least get some magic out of this. Let's try to determine the current location of our pets and call them to our presence.

I fear that we lost our chance at a fairy familiar. I don't know how fairy wings work, but my wings certainly wouldn't like me to be grabbed like that. Magical compulsion is a great excuse, but some experience just put you off of someone, even if they did save you from a fate that probably involved an unpleasant death but not before a lot of other unpleasantness first...
« Last Edit: March 07, 2017, 04:59:55 pm by RAM »
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Liquefied Spleens

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Re: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure
« Reply #463 on: March 08, 2017, 04:47:32 pm »

Meeting the Count

Whoah, whoah, whoah. Hold up. I need to know what in the hell happened!
Hm... Alright. From the beginning. You rescued a bunch of us, but you got hit by a vial of Nigh Howler extract. It's a poisonous plant that basically turns the target insane. Cocktail of hormones, chemicals... you name it. Different effects per people, ultimately. Similar to high stress situations, sort of... In your case, you reverted to your instincts. Usually, that'd be a lot of snarling, biting and some-such, but because your race is magical in nature, you... uh. Well, your instincts entail grandeur of godhood, sadism, the works. Makes you even more of a wild card than a man who goes insane.
I did something really messed up, didn't I?
You ate a dude. she says, matter-of-factly. She doesn't seem that shook up about it.
You recoil in disgust, and dry-heave a little over the edge of the hammock. That's horrible! Nothing seems to come up, though, so you don't have to explain a soiled carpet. The kobolt lets you finished.
If it helps, that's also part of your instincts. And it's technically not even cannibalism...
That does NOT help.
Anyways, Night howlers wreak havoc on the body, so you passed out after you strained yourself fighting four people at once. I set one of them on fire... She stops to shiver about the thought. Guh. I hate fire. But anyways, you fainted in the castle gardens. There was a secret door there... They're still looking into how they managed it, but they figure that we found a back entrance. The tunnels are shifters, most likely from the time of the elves, so they could change at a moment's notice... We got lucky that the exit was close. Still, the raider operation was fairly small-time on its own. Well, that's what they told me, anyway.
Alright... Anything else?
Is spitting up black goo normal for you?
"Normal" is getting pretty hard to define, but yes. It's Death giving me some information. It's not subtle about it.
Well, you hacked up a glob of the stuff, but if that's normal, i won't ask any more.... Say, your name's Sydney, right? I heard it getting passed around.
You'd be right. Not many driders around, I guess.
True. I heard your name in the refugee camp. One of the survivors of the Ritual Raid mentioned a blue drider helped them escape. Your village then said it was you, so you've had some talk buzzing around you in the refugee district.
I didn't notice any of that when I was in the district.
Well, you didn't spend much time at the other refugee camps, right? The low-lives have better things to do than listen to stories.

I... suppose. What does this have to do with all this, however.
That's part of the reason the count has asked for your presence. The connection to the Vvulf's raiders and the Ritual is there, and you were apparently part of it? I don't know.
This is going to be awkward.
You're not in trouble, though. Or you wouldn't have gotten the chambers of the count's daughter.
Say what?
Yep. Look upon these fine drapes, ye mighty, and be delighted. Anyway, you should go. I wouldn't want to take up too much of people's time. But I wanna meet up again. I... don't really know anybody in town and uh... One kidnapping was enough...
She sort of hugs herself and shuffles her feet. She just realized that she has to go outside in a city that already wasn't too kind to her.
Sounds good, I'll see you in the marketplace inn.
Her face lights up, and her eyes get a delighted shine to them. She also starts wagging her tail. She goes out the door, still looking happy, and gives a goodbye to you. The guard outside looks inside, and asks for you to follow.

The palace is surprisingly sparse. While there is the occasional banner, the castle feels a bit cold and barren. The few guards that are around, look rather bored and melancholy. During the boring walk, you attempt to "contact" your minions, with success! They are still in a bag, but you hear armored footsteps. You hear the familiar voice of the guardsman that entered the tower during the Bog Unicorn Incident: Alright, darling, you search that end of the room and I'll check that one, right? Bring these people their stuff back.. You are broken out of your concentration when you run into the guard escorting you, who makes a few nervous jumps. He... doesn't like spiders, it seems. 

When you reach the main hall, you see the count. At the far end, up a small staircase, he sits in a sober throne. He has a small table in front of him and appears to be performing paperwork. The only reason you even knew he was a count was because he was wearing a crown and had a nice chair, really.
Ah. You're here. the figure behind the table says. His black hair stands wild, and his beard looks as if it hasn't been looked after for weeks. His robes look in a much better state, but it only serves to offset how weak his body looks. Age has not been kind to this man. His voice sounds gravelly and tired
I'll cut to the chase. I want you to tell me as much as you can about what happened to Vvulf's raiders. Some reports came in that they had something to do with the ashes a few kilometers from my city. My tower tells me that marks a type of ritual I really don't wish to see on my lands.
That... would be an understatement.
Suddenly, you hear a laugh from above. It's a high, hissing sort of voice. You look up, and look upon the new person in the room.
It's a drider! Wearing a jester's outfit, and bells on all eight of his legs. His human half looks rail-thin, and his face looks pointed and almost predatory. His carapace is grey,  almost see-through, and his legs are far longer than yours. His abdomen are the strangest of all, though. It's almost like a stick! It gives him a very strange look, and the fact that his front legs appear even longer do not help. You'd be entirely creeped out if you weren't a drider yourself.

Heeheehee... So you DO know of the ritual of twisted flesh. How was it? Did you laugh, did you cry, did you run!? Hahahahaaaa...
His laugh seems to trail off. This guy is completely off his rocker.
Be quiet, Tiresias. You may joke after the report.
If that was a joke, I'd hate to know how you interpret "cryptic message".

Tell everything.
They need everything, you're going to give it to them. This means you will tell them you were 100% part of the bandit group.

Embellish
Change a few parts of the story. They don't need to know you joined by our own choice... Or anything else you'd want to leave out.

Lie
Just tell a bold-faced lie. You'd need something semi-plausable...

Deny
What? You don't know anything about bandits. Wouldn't dream of it. Gosh no, I'm just a simple maiden with four times the normal amount of legs and eyes.

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Sorry for the delay, things got surprisingly busy last night.
« Last Edit: July 24, 2017, 03:41:17 pm by Liquefied Spleens »
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Neat stuff I do:
A suggestion game about a drider that does a lot of stuff. I think it's kinda neat.

crazyabe

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Re: Web of Life: A Drider's Adventure
« Reply #464 on: March 08, 2017, 04:59:37 pm »


Tell him E V E R Y  T H I N G, who knows what info he might find useful?
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