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[RAM]

Note to self: Undead vermin are useful and convenient, maintain a supply. I think that blowing up a lizard would be sad, and this is still only a small fight(I mean, there is only one giant with an oversized sword here, you would need, like, three of them, or an ambush, or a demonic possession. Unless Garou is possessed? I mean, it is not like we have to be worried about weird stuff like werewolves or something but they DID spend some time under gestating ministrations...), so no need to go all-out.

But we are in friendly territory so time is to our advantage. Their crossbow is no doubt somethign crazy, and possibly they will wait until their slave has distracted us before using it, but cleaning up could get awkward if we throw the first punch. They DO, obviously, deserve to be punished for that insult, and sucking out their juices WOULD be extremely satisfying, but if they are evil then they are probably trying to goad us. They have us outnumbered so charging into their ranks could backfire if the other shifts behind us. Not to mention that we also need to protect Eveline, and we are a pretty effective wall if we need to be.

So... wait it out. And also be indignant. They are probably cultists trying to infiltrate the tower, or mimics. There aren't that many people who can survive, things... and they don't look much like that weirdo group that didn't feel like telling us anything that we needed to know but still decided to awaken us for some vague nefarious reason. ... They also insulted Eveline, who is clearly a genius, and doesn't need random maniacs telling her that she isn't good enough just because she hasn't read a certain book yet! And they stepped on our bait! It'd serve them right if a hoard of felines suddenly became convinced that her foot was the highest, most prestigious platform in the whole world! Probably can't even tell the difference between elditch abminations and magical creatures. Picking on a perfectly natural magical girl with a spider for legs and an unfortunate tattoo(Which she got from saving a village) who recently lost two of her best food-preparation appendages(again, saving a village) and one of her good eyes, and has a lifespan that can be measured in empires... You'd think they had never seen a spider made out of bones and muscles and vertebrae and strips of loose skin that just wants to rip people open because its god is insane. It is pretty easy to spot the difference! Even Yendys wasn't properly eldritch. I mean, sure, we can justify her being a homicidal maniac in the woods, but she is supposedly back to civilisation after being lost and alone and caring for her presumably crippled boyfriend who is somehow built like a VVulf wannabe and the first thing that she does is complain about the service and then point a weapon at the first person to help her! Even her soul is shifty, probably some sort of trap waiting for a signal to make her body explode into some sort of poorly-conceived attempt at a tree...

The big guy is likely absurdly strong, and presumably resilient, but a pedipalp through the foot would probably be distracting, and if they are used to fighting(or sparring with) Old Jesty's people then they are probably accustomed giant limbs swinging or stabbing for the centre-of-mass, an elegant carapace appendage to the extremities seems a bit more subtle than what those simpletons would practise. Still, probably not a good idea to match him in strength, at least not with our upper-body. Probably relies on power and training, could be that he lacks imagination and will become predictible after some observation. We need to pack bolas and vermin with us, or vermin bolas? Scurry around to tie knots and then explode when people focus on trying to remove them? Maybe we could standardise it as a spell and try to include some automation... The woman snuck up upon us and the crossbow is probably tricky, probably an agile opportunist. Probably best to attempt a slow withdrawal while keeping the woman from getting a good angle and watching the man for vulnerabilities in their technique. Once she is alone the woman ought to be much easier to deal with sans distractions.

[hachnslay]

how about a compromise between what you want and what queenie wants: "I suggest you lower your weapon, because if you shoot i can guarantee that you won't make it out of this town alive."
intimidation is your friend.

[Liquefied Spleens]

Make the first shot count. You won't get a second. You raise your shield, and bend forward to allow yourself to catch any bolts flying your way.
We'll see about that, monster. She takes aim, placing herself between you and the giant.
BOTH OF YOU CALM THE FUCK DOWN! Eveline screams, her voice breaking from the effort. She seems more angry than scared, which is not how you're used to her. She's standing far to the side, at least. out of harms way.
We're saving you, you little mongrel, now stay out of this!
You're both being ridiculous! She probably wanted you to meet me because we know eachother! Who the HELL pulls a weapon because the service was not enough.
Somebody who will get killed if things go wrong, something that creature knows well enough!
What, you never seen a drider before?!
No. But I've seen more than enough cultists. You're marked, and you somehow "resisted" it? It's unheard of. I needed you to think I was a fool.
Mission accomplished.

She doesn't take the insult well, and starts turning the crank. The first bolt is out before you can even blink, but you shield does it's work, deflecting the projectiles as you close in for the strike. Just as you're about to perform an uppercut slice, she changes stance, deftly dodging the blow and hitting you with her iron prosthetic. The hit sends you reeling, but your legs make you stable enough to stand your ground.
And more importantly, she didn't account for your pedipalps.
You stab her in the thigh with a wild flail, making her cry out in pain. The next part is almost instinctual, and you start to drain your opponent, making her scream and pull on the pedipalp. She manages to pull it out, but with her hurt leg, the next part is a synch. You perform a shield bash, which she blocks with both hands. It still knocks her back just a bit, and you follow up with a pommel strike to the side of her head. She falls on her back, and crawls back rapidly. Just as you're about to stop her, you hear the sound of several glass vials breaking. Before you can react, everything around you is covered in white, porous material, and your feet are enveloped. You pull for a bit, but you can't seem to move. You're completely rooted. The same can be said for the woman in front of you, except her hands are also stuck. She struggles for a bit, and eventually yells:
What's the meaning of this?!
I'm stopping the both of you, that's what! Eveline says, clearly furious.
Let me make on thing VERY clear. I will not have people KILLING each-other over a blown temper, do you understand? Sydney! You're better than this. Don't escalate a situation like that by getting angry! And YOU, lady. I don't mean to pry into your business, but if somebody brings you through a populated town to a person they personally know, there's a good fucking chance it's not to screw you over. I don't know WHAT the hell got into you, but that is unacceptable.
She takes a few breaths. She managed to get winded from yelling at the both of you.
Alright. Lady?
It's Cascara
Right. How deep is that leg wound?
...Just a flesh wound.
Right, fine, whatever. Minor healing potion, got it.

She throws the bottle on Cascara's chest, and after a small awkward pause, comes up to the both of you and pours it in her mouth. Whatever this stuff is you're stuck in, it doesn't remain sticky.
And now, I'm going to get the headmaster and archmage Richard. And whoever else needs a talk with you. And Sydney? If you try anything funny...
DON'T do anything funny.
She leaves the basement, apparently forgetting there's a man the size of a damned barge in the room that is most certainly on the side of the lady with an automatic crossbow. You still have your sword, but if he has that greatsword she talked about, that will hardly matter. Fortunately, he just seems to stare at the two of you. After a few tense minutes, the woman eventually sighs.
I... I'm sorry. she says, looking away in an attempt to hide the blush.
It's just... I've been on the run for so damn long I thought that... Gods. I'm just so damned tired.
Suddenly, where before she looked like a coiled up snake, ready to attack, she suddenly relaxes. REALLY relaxes. And all at once you notice just how tired she looks. Her armor looks almost as worn as she does, now that you have the time to take a proper look. The black coloring makes the wear hard to spot, and you notice several darkened spots. She has bled plenty of times.
I understand the feeling. It's just... Sometimes my temper gets the best of me.
And sometimes, prey does not know it's place.
Also I hear voices. I haven't told anybody, but to hell with it. I need a reason for me to be so angry, and there it is. Grade-a nutbar, that's me.
You slump a bit. You feel like you just swallowed a stone with how your chest feels. You feel absolutely horrible just saying it out loud. Your eyes are burning, and you can just barely resist crying.
The last month has been so, so bad. Now that you had the time to just sit down all the pain has reached you all at once. You're glad you have your own room, because you actually spend a lot of nights just hugging your pillow and staring at a wall. Or crying. Or both. You've learned to fear quiet moments, in a way.

...Gods, you really did survive by the skin of your teeth, didn't you? What's the problem, exactly. Feel like you should have died there?
More like that I should have done more. And that those things just shouldn't possibly happen. Flesh doesn't just... morph like that. People don't scream like that. The air doesn't burn like that. The sun shouldn't blink. It's all so... wrong. And then I found a cult to those things, and I had to kill myself. A clone of me. I tore her to shreds and ATE her. That's the things I dream. The things that happened while I let some voice in my head take over. You hardly noticed you started pulling at your hair, which is rapidly turning disheveled from it. It's become rather long, too, as you just don't see the point in getting it cut.
Most of all I'm just terrified. I'm so scared of the things that are out there, and the thing that I am.
It's not so bad. Really. Garou had the same feeling after he got his title as the hundred man slayer. You'll get over it after a while.
What... Do you double as a psychiatrist?
I was the commander of our group. People came to me when they had trouble, and I did my best to help. I heard plenty of problems.
You laugh. It's an empty sort of laugh, more to fill up a hole than out of actual mirth. Hollow.

Garou, at long last, makes a move. He throws his cloak up, and pulls out his weapon in a single sweeping, practiced motion. The blade is MASSIVE, and he swings it around like a wooden plaything! He looks at it for a while, and then sits back with the weapon lying on the floor in front of him. His eyes remain dull and lifeless, as if he's entirely working on autopilot. Regardless, you were ready for death when that colossus moved. He doesn't seem to do anything else, now that he's in a more comfortable position. Looking at the sheer size of the battered greatsword, it couldn't be anything other than an executioner's greatsword. Far too heavy for regular combat, but it doesn't seem to affect this man. You can see some additions were added rather crudely. For one, it has a sharpened tip that looks like it was clamped on, instead of the rounded edge of a normal executioner's blade. Not to mention this blade looks to be even larger than a normal executioner's sword. How he wields that thing is beyond your understanding, but you know for sure you don't want to be on the receiving end.

Look like you'll be here a while. Eveline doesn't do stairs that well, and the Headmaster is rather high up.
Now's probably your last chance to have a proper talk. You did your venting, you can talk like a normal person again.

Stats

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Level: 8
HP: 25/25
Mana: 35/35
Stress: 35/75
Thirst: Sated

Inventory

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Equipment:
Jungle Robes (tough robes, meant to deal with the jungle in limited amounts)
Steel sword
Gardener's iron shield

Items:
Magic Cookbook
"Bait"

Magic, skills and minions

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Magic:
Resurrect vermin: Allows you to resurrect very small creatures such as rats(1) (invests 1 of your max mana)
Resurrect average beast: Allows you to resurrect creatures such as dogs, cats and other similar-sized creatures.(10- (invests five mana)
Reshape minion: Allows you to slightly change the appearance of your resurrected minions. (////////.)2
Minion Vision(weak): Allows you to see what a minion sees. The minion must have eyes.
Animate Piece: Allows you to animate just a piece of dead tissue. It requires your constant attention, and cannot act independently. (invests one mana) (1)
Graft: Allows you to use dead tissue as a replacement limb. Requires a lot of mana. (2 per second)
Gather Soul: Allows you to make a soul visible. You can't do anything with it, quite yet. (10 mana)
Undead flashbang: Allows you to blow up a minion for a flash-bang effect. (15 mana)
Stitch: allows you to close a wound and stop bleeding as fast as you can stitch. Costs very little mana, but requires something to stitch with.
Siphoning Cloud: Breathe out a cloud that drains the life from victims and gives it to you.

Familiar (has no upkeep)
Skeletal Lizard

Skills:
Poison Stinger (Potentially lethal)
Oral Fixation: Can cast spells spells from the mouth.
Draining Limbs: Can drain blood using pedipalps.
Major experience in blocking and swords.
Climber
Crafty: Bolas
Cooking skill: Excellent
Corpse Cutting: below average.
Animal handling: inexperienced.
Necromantic knowledge
Soul Sniffer

The main point of this story is not just to introduce a few story elements, but also to explore Sydney's mental problems.

[RAM]

"Thirst: sated"
YAY!
Might be best to tell her about The Bloody Whisperer. Well, there is no real need to go that far, but we probably ought to pay a visit to Infectious Diseases together just to get everything checked out... We probably don't want to give her the wrong idea about driders either. Just perfectly normal, albeit rare, magical creatures with minor divine inclinations. Perfectly harmless if they aren't looking for cultists, or just happen to be bad people who do bad things like anyone can be... The whole bit with the tattoos and blood-sucking is personal. We used to have such nice bladed pedipalps... You know... She used to be a commander, she must have handled logistics, She probably knows lots about field rations! We know lots about inn food, perhaps we can brainstorm preserved food! Now I want to know what the cookbook says about the experimental bait... I wonder if we have it with us, I imagine that baiting involves a lot of waiting, and the cookbook is probably mildly interesting in the wilds...

Remember the vermin bolas! Volas? Can we get undead voles? I've a suspicion that a well-placed pun grants a bonus to incapacitation...

[Liquefied Spleens]

Considering that you're used to listening to troubles... Mind listening to another one?
Not much choice, really. Garou won't be moving for a while, and I think we should have a talk to that headmaster. Go ahead, lay it on me... Is it how you got turned into some spider-hybrid? It didn't happen with your eclipse, from what I gather.
Nono, I was born a drider. We're a really rare species, but nothing eldritch... though I guess I'm a magical species, so not everything neccecarily makes sense on the biology parts. Although I suppose that's part of what I need to talk about.
Haven't you told anybody close to you?
People are already mixed on me... They're my friends, but it's already strained with just the Quee- I mean the voice in my head. If I tell them all the details of what I do and what I am... They might just lock me up, and I don't think I'd be able to blame them.
Eesh, ease up on the self-loathing. I bet nobody even cares at this point.
I wouldn't risk it, especially since I got hit with an exceptional case of vampirism.
Ah? Well, you're not taking over the town or snapping after my veins, so I figure you have it under control?
I get blood vials, or I just suck an animal dry with my pedipalps. You sigh at the loss of your original limbs. You rather preferred them to some kind of eldritch mutation. The swordswoman makes a throaty sound of disgust. Doesn't like the idea of sucking something dry. Or perhaps it's because she just realised what you did during the stab.

The exceptional part is that it's a remnant of the Crimson Curse.
You see her pale in an instant. She knows of it, apparently. Even Garou seems to stir a little, and you hear him make a breathy grunt. A hint of fear?
A drop? Damned... What did you see?
Drop? I was a damned queen, for gods sakes.
Impossible. There's not turning back from a fullblown infection unless a queen is killed. The queen can't come back at all!
Well, that's how Eveline got a free scholarship. She found a cure, of sorts.
Nothing short of a complete scrubbing could cure somebody. It's too invasive, it would kill the queen anyway!
She explained that, yes. If I wasn't a drider, I WOULD have died. But I'm just a bit more sturdy than the average humanoid, I suppose.
Hm... And you got off with nothing but a minor case of vampirism? Count your lucky stars. It could have been much worse if it WAS  minor infection.
What do you even mean?
The Crimson Curse is eldritch in nature. One drop of the cursed blood could show you eldritch knowledge and perhaps controls you. We don't know what it is,
 but a lord we knew took to excavation and experimentation... It was horrid.
My god. How did you deal with that?
How do you think? We fought through it. Garou ended up bisecting the lord, besides.
Impressive.

There was some more talk about some other subjects, more to spend time than anything. Most of it is how she and Garou tore through the lord's new minions, consisting of resurrected minions and some creatures made up of flesh. The pigflesh made for the strongest, apparently because it resembled that of man the most. Still, it was all types, considering meat is more of a rarity in the east. Still, it doesn't matter overmuch.
When Richard arrives, he burns away the stuff that was keeping you locked up, without a word. He then takes the duo along, and tells you to go back to your home. He's not impressed over the fact that the both of you fought over something so silly.

You do the walk of shame back, although you feel purified, in a way. Being able to just vent to a stranger is what you needed, in a way. Although it's far from a real solution, you feel like you may have a quiet night.
Hopefully.

End of Sydney's part in the story. Back to short stories of other characters now.
Again, I take requests right now. Anything you want is available

[DolosusDoleus]

So the Darkest Dungeon is in this universe? Neat. I'll leave my suspicions of who these characters are for now. I'm probably wrong anyway, but whatever.

Let the story flow forth!

[RAM]

I suddenly got this weird and disturbing feeling that it would be out-of-character for Sydney to make a bola using undead voles and drider silk and dub it a vola. But she should be accumulating some sort of undead following and it could make for an interesting observation at some point.

Someone finding out about the cookbook could be amusing. That or the cookbook suggesting something surprising.

Would Eveline spy on Sydney's diary? She has the sneaks for it and is used to knowing things, not to mention that she has been known to take liberties when practicality demands it. Maybe if there was some pressing reason for acute concern? And then there is the girl that Sydney will/has potentially come into conflict with from her class, or possible friends, it ought to be difficult for them to intrude upon one-another's privacy but nothing is perfect...

We missed our previous chance at a Wildfellow perspective, we could try that again. Though I am not sure what she would be up to.

Meandra has some stuff to do. Getting her scars checks at the least, and she may have visited... umm... that healer that saved us back when we were first mortally wounded...

It might be fun to get a perspective involving the experiments. One assumes that it involves a lot of magical-equivalent-of-mad-science. The hunters might be interesting too, probably a bunch of wannabe heroes and animal-killing psychopaths surrounding a minority who are bored from the monotony of traps and baits and just want to get paid. Or not...

The crusaders sound like one part disciplined army, one part genocidal cult, one part responsible police force. I could see Yunikki having... a time... Probably mostly angst though.

I can't see Eveline and Sydney donning masks and fighting crime by night. If for no other reason than them both coming from species with personal-identifying body colouration.

Death has been out of the story for a while. Black vomit is always fun, especially in public, but then there were those mysterious story reasons that we couldn't do that last time...

I really don't have any requests at present. This is all just speculation or wandering-mind-disease.

P.S.
 I am getting the impression now that Sydney never told anyone about Queen. I distinctly recall Queen being mentioned when The Roach killed/eaten. So has she just been keeping quiet lately and pretending that the voice she heard has gone away? I am just a little unclear on that point.

[Liquefied Spleens]

Infectious Diseases Report
PDI-06 (Related to Incident X-15)

Potentially Dangerous Infected: 06, Orc Tower

Object Class: Safe (protocol A-15 in effect)

Special Containment Procedures:
Subject currently suffers from minor case of vampirism, but is cooperative. Blood vials have been made available, and the local hunters keep her well-supplied. She is located in in the student housing N-01 (Mannimarko lane 51, room 24).
Minor notices: Subject is suffering from multiple potential mental troubles, which is common in victims of her particular strain (Crimson Curse Queen Class). Signs indicate that she has had earlier experience with the eldritch, and potential PTSD is present. Target seems somewhat unresponsive at times, and has night terrors (if this leads to increased aggression, [Data Redacted]). Psychology will only exacerbate the issue, considering the somewhat aggressive nature of Crimson Curse Schism Syndrome (See Crimson Curse file X-01)

Description:
PDI-06 (Full Name: Sydney Aestinus) is a drider with white skin color and blue carapace. Exceptional drider features include above average (compared to the baseline drider studies) carapace on the human part, and pedipalps that have the ability to drain flesh and blood (Mutation of the Crimson Curse). She is also in possession of semi-lethal poison, which causes the muscles to constrict painfully and may eventually kill the victim.
As for "normal" features, she has a tattoo of the eldritch (no consent) which has been affected by a mark of Death (Close relation to IDC Division BB.). Her hair is blonde, with minor gray streaks at the time of writing. Body type is thin, and conventionally attractive.
As the only drider in the student town, she should not be difficult to find. She is the only drider colored blue in the whole area (the [Data redacted]driders in Ortanka have no exceptional coloring, being different shades of gray to black)

The main problem lies in the remnants of eldritch power and drider heritage. If pushed to the absolute brink, or affected by a rage potion (tested on [Data Expunged]), an alter ego, referred to as PDI-06-01 ("Queen" for short.). She carries the most common traits of a Crimson Queen and that of Drider Cult Leaders. Exceptionally, however, Sydney undergoes a metamorphosis upon the switch, gaining increased muscle mass and carapace. This makes her extremely difficult to contain, although she is deterred by Containment procedure 04. She will constantly try to convince other to worship her, and will assault anyone who gets too close and hasn't sworn allegiance to them. Due to the inherent problem in paying homage to driders in the religious sense, no attempt should be made in using her wish for worship to get closer. Instead, use long-distance tranquilizers, followed by privacy protocol.

Sydney's main troubles stem from a change in the Queen's "suggestions", having become far more agressive and violent. In turn, this has made Sydney more agressive and fearful, and she has signs of short-term memory loss. She completely refuses to talk about it to her friends, even though they have prior knowledge of her alter ego. If any more effects appear, she will be tested for brain damage and hopefully helped. If the problems will only worsen, the chosen course of action will be to [Data Redacted]

ADDENDUM-01: Aestinus is a student of the necromancy course, with excellent grades. Her mana pool is lacking, but her knowledge is exceptional. The Queen has much less control, but has less trouble with her mana pool. Beware of this

ADDENDUM-02: Recently started creating bolas out of undead critters. Mostly as a joke. Still, beware of this.

ADDENDUM-03: Recent incident has placed even more strain on her mental well-being. Agent has been put into place to keep a closer watch. See Report A-436 for further details. No need for [Data Expunged]. Aestinus remains very cooperative.

END REPORT
Infection Diseases Containment: Contain, Research, Protect.

[DolosusDoleus]

So we're throwing aaaaaalllll the things into this? Neat. Now I have to go back and scour previous posts for possible references I might have missed.

[RAM]

Wait wait wait- BB is a division of IDC? Just how badly did things go wrong to result in the [Data Redacted] incident? I would have expected at least a little bit of competence from IDC divisions...

Does [Data Redacted] involve [Data Redacted]? Manipulating romances can be messy. Lots of potential for data containment breaches and lots of damage to project stability if they occur...

P.S.
 Yes, this story has all of the references. I kind of assumed that the readership was ignoring them on purpose as some sort of in-joke with everyone just waiting for someone else to break the silence.

[Liquefied Spleens]

Sydney and Death watch Netflix

ey yo waddup the cloaked figure says, sounding much more like the first time you heard him.
uh... Hi?
what, confused about the voice thing?
General tone, more like. Last time we had a rather refined tea party and your speech was more... uh, more... I can't really describe it.
more capitalized. whatever. last time was a fib, i actually just change based on my last reaping. nihilists think i dont care, so i dont. i lie about it because its part of my programmin
Right... So. Sydney look around her, taking in the surroundings her head was actively trying to ignore. It's even more confusing than before, with stars and rocks flying past at an astonishing rate, and sometimes just being plain blackness.
"mirroring patch in our little pocket dimention. reflects the universe a bit and makes it look all funky"
Alright, cool. No really, this is real fun to look at.
dont go blind. anyhow, have a sit

The cloaked figure, with just the smallest pinpricks of light visible, gestures to a "corner" of this unending room. There both is and isn't a corner there, and your brain stops you from thinking about it much further. The thing that appears there looks to be a sack of some sort, filled with... small bits of something?
izza beanbag.
Strange name for it, but you have to admit you've sat down in much worse. You can sort of sink away in it, and it certainly lends itself rather well to dozing. It's not quite soft enough to allow outright sleeping, but still, it's comfy.
so why are you here, anyhow? no troubles, i hope?
I got a request to have a talk with you so they can observe me while it happens. Apparently they have some interest in the goop that comes out when you send me some information.
neato. how much you gettin'?
Hundred coins. Quite a bunch, but they don't exactly have a lot of people that have access to you.
i suppose. He groans a bit as he gets comfortable in his own beanbag. Before you know it, you're both next to eachother, and a strange box has appeared in front of you. It seems rather thin, and has a thicker edge. Before you can ask what it does, it suddenly starts making noise as the black screen flashes to life, revealing some kind of sign. Death moves his strange, buttoned wand at it, and the screen reacts to the different button presses. As he goes over different options, you see some amazing artwork and names. Are those books or something? Is this just a really pretty way to enjoy a book. Eventually, he presses the button when it's above a very stylized art-style. Instantly, more sound begins to play, and a song begins to play. It's in a strange language, although you recognize it as Yunikki's native language, which she babbles in when extremely bored of flustered. The pictures seem to show some kind of witch academy? Although they are put together in such a way to simulate movement, it's not quite right. You've never seen such an impressive display of art, however, and the music is considerably more intricate than you've ever heard. There must be at least FIVE different musicians in there, and there's a woman singing in that strange language. Much more impressive than a single bard at the inn!

The pictures and sound combine to form a story, and what a story it is. You honestly haven't enjoyed yourself quite so much in months! All too soon, however, the "show" as death called it,  ends. There are twenty-three more episodes, which flabbergasted you when you heard of it. Just one of these must takes months of work for a team, and YEARS if it's just one artist. Death merely shrugs, saying that everything is very efficient in the next reality over.
Shortly after that, you decide that half an hour is most likely more than enough to please the people who are running their tests. You heartily thank death for the experience, who waves it off with a "smile" (it's hard to tell when skeletons smile, but Death does his best!)
Gosh-darn, this "anime" thing is really neat! You don't want to impose on death too much, though. A healthy respect has to be kept

wow, hope i dont turn er into a weeb

[RAM]

...
 I can sort of see that happening...
 I mean, she is already half human half spider half magic half eldritch half vampire warrior necromancer with a cursed mark and distinguishing facial scar and a more powerful rage-mode/ultimate-form... Is "weeb cred" an oxymoron? Because I think she has it... Still, aside from Death, who is in control of their supply, and maybe the dwarves, who presumably have some sort of vapid entertainment for corporate armcandy that may or may not be compatible with "weeb"...

[crazyabe]

Really, it sounds very lightly like death is more interested in Sydney then he could be expected to, Still there are worse things which could be happening...

[Liquefied Spleens]

Alternate universe:
A dying world.

The axe didn't even hurt. The carapace had thickened to the point only the most grievous blows could break it. The warrior left her axe in there, disheartened at the limited effect. The Remnant performed a lazy swing with sword, a massive hunk of iron that is chipped and blunt, but the sheer weight is enough shatter pillars. The warrior takes a hit, not expecting the raw power from the slow swing. She goes flying forward, yelping in pain. Surprisingly, she isn't dead. The Remnant turns her now massive body, her eight legs throwing up clouds of dust and sand that accumulated as the warrior forces her failing body upright. The armor blocked the worst of it, but she most certainly broke a rib. She pulled out her sword, her trusted companion. It doesn't have the weight necessary to get through the carapace, however. But she didn't get this far to give up now. The Remnant rears her elbow back, intent on stabbing her massive sword into her. She just barely rolls out of the way the the weight of the blade affects even this gigantic creature. She stumbles forward, her face bearing a glazed expression through the myriad of scars. Her blonde hair flies in front of her eyes, and during the lull in the attacks, the warrior strikes at the closest leg. once again, it hardly fazed the creature, although repeated hacks finally have some effect. A trickle of white seems to pour from the wound, and the Remnant moans in discomfort as she attempts a kick with that leg. Just barely, the warrior sidesteps and rushes under the massive drider. Even with her sword pointed up, she couldn't hope to reach the softer abdomen. And she can't remain here. The drider drops herself down, and it takes a burst of speed to avoid getting crushed. In her failed scramble upright, the drider flails her legs around in a maddened frenzy. Then her human half slumps forward, exhausted. Who knows how many centuries she has been guarding this place.

It must be a strong code of honor that still forces her to attempt to fight the warrior. Still, with the weakness exposed, she rushes forward and uses her momentum to stab her sword in the abdomen. A hiss of pain, and more blood, show the success of the attack. The drider, filled with sudden adrenaline, find the strength to pull herself up as the warrior still holds on to her trusted companion. The sword cuts down a little further, aggravating the wound, and it remains stuck there. The drop is four meters, now. Survivable, but by the time she recovered from the fall the drider will have crushed her. Not an option. Prepared as she always is, the warrior pulls out a rough, serrated dagger. Hardly a proper weapon, more intended for cruel torture than for a proper fight, but every item has its purpose. A second stab in the thinner carapace gives more leverage as the drider tries to shift her body to grab the warrior. With the dagger in place, as deep as the blade will go, she removes her sword and hacks into the blue carapace. After the second hack, another wound is created, large enough to allow her to slip the sword inside and climb up. She leaves her dagger behind, using both arms to pull herself on the back of the Remnant. She pulls her sword free, and rushes to the unprotected back of the drider, who is still unable to properly counter-attack. Her human back is a blind spot, it seems, and the armor has rusted and worn itself a away. The dried husk of a previous adventurer remains at the bottom, apparently crushed by something?

It suddenly dawns on the adventurer, and she just barely manages to halt her charge in time for the drider to slam her human back against her abdomen with a grunt of effort. The warrior was so close to being crushed that she ends up tangled in the long hair of the Remnant, but in a moment of quick thinking, she raises her sword and spins her body, tangling herself in the hair. The drider slowly pulls herself upright, not even aware of the pest that is in her hair. When the warrior lands on her scalp, however, she's quick to swat at it. In her tired manner, however, she is just barely deterred by a well-timed strike of the warrior's sword, cutting her finger to the bone. She reflexively pulls back, and the warrior jumps forward, still hanging on to the hair. She swings forward, and looks back into the glazed human eye that still remained the drider. She merely had to point her blade as her momentum did the rest.
That made her scream. The Remnant dropped her sword as she screams in pain and clutches the ruined, bleeding eye. The warrior drops down, but pulls out her final backup weapon. A butcher's hook, sharpened and threatening. She just barely manages to pierce the driders nose, tearing off a hunk of flesh. More screaming, just as the warrior hoped.

She staked all her hope in this insane plan. She can only hope it pays off.
As the drider continued to scream, she hopped in her open mouth, and dived down her throat, with both her sword and hook along the side. In this tunnel, the airflow is immense, and she only barely fits. Once all her momentum stops, she releases her sword from its fleshy prison, and slashes to where the hook is. There's hardly any room, but the blade is sharp and the flesh is soft. Soon she has torn her way through, and pops out of the drider in a horrible manner. Her throat destroyed and cut, the drider coughs up blood as she falls forward. As the drider softly expires with a soft gurgle, the warrior falls out of the grisly wound she performed. The drop was short, although the landing was rough.
Now she can get to her goal.

As the soul of the drider entered her, showering her in magic yellow light, she finally manages to activate the mechanism for the door that the Remnant was guarding. The doors slowly open, slowed by many years of dust and lack of use, but clearly built to last. It opens up into a simple room, with a single intact throne. There are many tables around, with all sorts of formulas. Bottles of all sorts are lying around, many of which broken with ages-old stains around them. The warrior noted there are many maps of the land, as well. These could fetch a handy price, considering they show the world before the cataclysm. She clutched her chest as she was beginning to feel the pain of the broken rib. Looks like she'll have to take it easy. When she reaches the throne, she notes the odd shape of the skeleton. A kobolt? Seems somewhat unlikely as a leader of the last resistance against the cataclysm. Mayhaps it was a scavenger, locked in. Next to the throne, is a dusty set of armor, with a dustier skeleton inside. The armor looks eastern in make, although it clearly has been well-maintained before the owner's unfortunate death. The helmet is crushed, and so is the skull. she can only wonder who these people were.
It hardly matters. With the Remnant dead, the ruins will be ready for a new settlement.
And the warrior is one step closer to curing the cursed soil. She takes the second amulet from the kobolt. Whether they were a scavenger or the leader, the amulet was on them all the same.

The maps will pay for a much-needed drink.
And a bath.

[RAM]

Nooooo, A.U. Sydney failed the quest!

die content

This is why you should always chew thoroughly.

I am kind of really curious about Yunikki's helmet, and kind of "don't want to know", and kind of scared of that maybe being the most important part of this whole episode.

I kind of liked the warrior at first, but then it occurred to me that she probably didn't even try diplomacy. I mean, how difficult it is to camp outside for a month or two, throwing giant messages into a cave until the giant monster gets tired of ignoring you and opens a dialogue to tell you to go away. The diplomacy victory gets you a settlement location AND a giant monster guardian that may-or-may not be close to the end of its life-span but people only need to see it once to know that it is ancient and terrible and just kind of assume that it is going to continue to be there for the foreseeable future. And for all you know the remnant was the only reason that it was a viable location for a settlement anyway. Just because it is a source of corruption doesn't mean that it isn't keeping worse corruption at bay.

Ugh, and seriously, don't leave corpses lying around, they are way too much of a warning. Is it really so difficult to spin yourself a towel and rub your back clean? Besides, they were probably good eating when they were fresh. Still, not something a necromancer should have to worry about, we ought to train our familiar in back-scratching and carapace-care duties... Maybe we can make little waxing-gloves for it?