>>927786
You realize this is how he gets his kicks now? Forcing incredibly powerful spirits to do menial tasks?
Shake the poor man's hand and ask how his favorite toothbrush wound up in the basement anyway. Did a grue steal it?

I bet it's a special living toothbrush... and all the implications that go with that.

Don't shake any hands. Tell him that he should kiss your boots if he wants to show respect.

Bunt hand.

Wait, what if this is some ploy to throw you off guard? Oh look a fetch quest, just go through this suspiciously warded basement hatch and down fifty levels to find the toothbrush behind a fire-warded superseal also containing an elder god? Also why don't the guards just mail-order (spirits or otherwise) another toothbrush? Actually...

"Gav, you need to purchase a new toothbrush every three months, the old ones start fraying by the keratin even if you dip them in diluted acid. Just buy a new one, you need to take better care of your teeth or they'll fall out."

I can't tell but they didn't all fall out yet right?

>>927815
this is actually a damn good idea.

The bunting as well.

One of these days, there won't be enough left of the elder to fill that bucket on his head.
Give the swordsman a warm hug.

This is a rather transparent attempt to set you up on a romantic fling with his guard. Probably intending to gain children for his kingdom with your superior fire elemental heritage without paying the appropriate fees nor gaining the usual consent. Or he just thinks that you need to have sex in order to calm down and be more agreeable, because obviously your frustration has nothing to do with being summoned for pointless frivolities and he is a perfectly nice young summoner who everyone would like.

Do what you will for your reputation, but don't let them cheat you with this subterfuge.

1/4 Nalene 2019/03/29(Fri)14:51 No. 927842 ID: f1d90c
File 155389626043.png - (51.90KB , 768x768 , [WD]-6.png )

>>927812
Oh I'd just relish the opportunity to throw my weight around, but I don't have boots, and I'd rather someone I barely know doesn't stick their lips on my feet.

>>927790
>>927792
I give his hand a good shake...

2/4 Nalene 2019/03/29(Fri)14:51 No. 927843 ID: 724049
File 155389628324.png - (61.32KB , 768x768 , [WD]-8.png )

...And leave him with something to think about~

3/4 Nalene 2019/03/29(Fri)14:51 No. 927844 ID: f1d90c
File 155389630623.png - (106.91KB , 768x768 , [WD]-10.png )

I leave Fendas to let him ponder his thoughts. For personal reasons, I will NOT complement Jacques' "hat" and merely look at it with modest appreciation.

"Alright, Jacques, let's talk about this a bit. Toothbrushes don't last forever ya know?"

"Oh, well I'm well aware of that. It's a special kind of toothbrush, however. I'm afraid I can say no more."

A special kind? What the hell does that even mean?!

"...Fine, but what can you tell me about your basement? Don't tell me it's a huge dungeon beneath your house."

"Don't be silly! It's just a basement with 4 more subbasements below it, each one constructed with specialized dimensional stones that stretch out its dimensions by about. Uh, a couple kilometers on each axis. Each floor USED to be a research hall based around a particular discipline. My memory of what EXACTLY used to be in each floor is foggy, but don't be surprised if you find some strange gateway to another world in there or some group of experimental creatures gone awry."

...Wait, wha-

"Also there MAY have been highly illegal, sacrilegious, and extremely immoral experiments involving the Black Sun in the deepest floor."

...Oh.

4/4 Nalene 2019/03/29(Fri)14:52 No. 927845 ID: 724049
File 155389633689.png - (60.24KB , 768x768 , [WD]-11.png )

The Black Sun. Imagine the stars. The sun. Any light you know. Now, imagine what would happen if that all went away. No light. No fire. No heat. Just cold darkness across the universe. That is the goal of the Black Sun, the greatest enemy of Fire itself. Indiscernable, undefinable, it has no preferred physical form, and all who see it perceive it in their own way. Everyone except for fire spirits, who see only a burning eye of hate staring at them constantly. A voracious hunger.

And half a century ago, it almost won. I... I don't like to think about that time. Bad memories. I... I can still feel its gaze as I nea- No! No.

It will never happen again. This might as well be a ploy to get me within range of a piece of the Black Sun, but Jacques of all people is unlikely to be a lord of shadow.

"...So that's why you chose me."

"Yes. Above all, only fire elementals are completely immune to the Black Sun's Umbra."

"Assuming there is even a small trace of Umbral radiation, the result would be disastrous without a fire elemental capable of invoking the True Flame."

"Precisely. I hope you understand..."


"Just how important that toothbrush is to me. So! Any more questions?"

>_

Whisper this: "This sounds too dangerous for a non-elemental like Fendas to tag along with me if there is umbral radiation he isn't immune to. Especially for a "favorite" toothbrush. Wouldn't he just be a liability?

>>927845
So, he's obviously leaving details out. Why? He has command over you. I'm guessing it's only because of this guard here.

Ask what makes Fendas necessary for this mission. Is there something special about him?

You lost your toothbrush in the basement where you're experimenting with the enemy of all life?

>>927844
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT A DUNGEON IS!!!

>>927845
Tell him that he doesn't have to lie about what he wants you to find. So if he doesn't tell you what he actually wants you to find, you will bring back an actual toothbrush.

Yeah... We can't renege on the terms of the summon, but we should subvert the spirit of the agreement as much as possible while still adhering to the actual wording.

We'll get him his toothbrush, but any chance we have to make his subbasement safer is an opportunity we should pointedly ignore. If he's been as much of an idiot as what he's said suggests, there's NO WAY we should give him a free pass to go straight back to experimenting with black sun.

Anything else we should bring back while we're there?

Throttle Gav. You're not risking the entire universe for one magical artifact, let alone a toothbrush.

...

How long would it take to burn the entire place to ash from the front door?
Why hasn't he recruited a competent force to just fry the place as soon as he suspected Umbral radiation might be a factor. How about he summons up a full brigade and cleanse this blight upon reality and then, once that is done, you can renegotiate this toothbrush business.

He is probably intentionally sending you into mortal peril against The Black Sun's agents in order to set up romantic peril with his favourite guard. Can you sense if he and the guard are family?

1/5 Nalene 2019/03/31(Sun)10:40 No. 928075 ID: 853018
File 155405403116.png - (88.60KB , 768x768 , [WD]-2 (2).png )

I close in to Jacques, "...What is up with Fendas anyway? The bottom floor would be too dangerous for anyone not magically capable or fire attuned."

"Do not worry, I'm not the type to leave folks to rot. Fendas here has a powerful fire rune enscribed on his chest, that absorbs latent fire energy from just about anything fire related, and uses it to generate a field of True Flame that protects him from Umbra."

"Even me?"

"Especially you, don't worry, the drainage on you is minimal unless you force it. With you along, he'll be just fine. I've seen you during the Black Eclipse 50 years ago, your magic power is incredible, but your endurance and strength are lacking. This is not a bash at you, merely an observation from one whose life work was to assemble teams of various entities on the fly to prevent cataclysms from tearing towns asunder. You need someone to help you with the hardier tasks. Fendas is it, he's tougher than a fully manifested earth elemental. Physically, anyway."

2/5 Nalene 2019/03/31(Sun)10:41 No. 928077 ID: 853018
File 155405407763.png - (129.38KB , 768x768 , [WD]-13.png )

This isn't right, god DAMN IT! The Black Sun is something the world is better off without. I would incinerate Jacques for turning his back on everything we tried so hard to preserve but his hold's still too damn strong!

My mainfested body is boiling hot, and I can hear a sharp blade slip out of its scabbard behind me. My words come out in growls. "This still isn't enough you know. Why a toothbrush? I'm sure there's more to this than that. Why are you involved in Black Sun research?"

"I can assure you, Nalene."

3/5 Nalene 2019/03/31(Sun)10:42 No. 928078 ID: 853018
File 155405412892.png - (80.17KB , 768x768 , [WD]-12.png )

"...I just really want my toothbrush back."

...Seriously?

"I, personally, was not involved in anything that went on down there in basement 5. All that was my master. We did not see eye to eye in a lot of things, the Black Sun being one of them. He believed that the only way to stop it forever was to control it. But that's history now. I swear to you, Nalene, I have, and had, no involvement in my master's research into the Black Sun. I inherited this house 6 months ago when he breathed his last. And when he left, I locked the passages to every wing, tossed the keys out, and declared the research facility defunct."

Elder Tavinov. He died 6 months ago? Now that I think about it, I never saw him at all! He must have been nearing his 200s when he bit it. My body relaxes ever so slightly, but my glare remains red hot. I pierce his spirit, but find a great wall of iron will, I can barely see through him at all. Nothing about his spirit seems to connect him with Fendas.

"I still don't trust this."

"...to be frank with you, I don't really care. My favorite toothbrush could be in mortal danger!"

4/5 Nalene 2019/03/31(Sun)10:42 No. 928080 ID: 853018
File 155405417795.png - (50.47KB , 768x768 , [WD]-133.png )

"So," Jacques breaks out into a wide grin, "Both of you seem very eager to start some trouble, so I'll just point you to this here hatch and send you on your way."

Fendas' hardy voice rings out as his sword lightly taps the floor. "So is that it, just mosey on down to some forbidden research wing and get your toothbrush that somehow fell all the way down there?"

"Certainly not!" replied Jacques, "All of the floors' staircases are locked and can only be opened with a key. You'd have to be a god to destroy the locks on them. I'm sure that each floor would have some way to get the necessary key to get to next floor."

Wait a damn second. "If you need a key to pass through the different floors, how the he-, no. How did your toothbrush make it that far down to begin with?"

"I never necessarily said that the toothbrush HAD to be in the Black Sun hall, just that it was somewhere down in the basement. In any case, my old master DID mention once or twice the existence of a transport system for small objects throughout all the halls..."

"But that would require someone to move it arou-"

"Maybe someone did!"

"Why not bring some more spirits into the fold, just destroy the place? This is dangerous!"

"The less people know about this, the better. In addition, this is still my house, Nalene."

"Neither of us have to do as you say!"

5/5 Nalene 2019/03/31(Sun)10:44 No. 928081 ID: 853018
File 155405429536.png - (94.37KB , 768x768 , [WD]-14.png )

"You forget, Nalene."

"I let spirits do things their way out of courtesy."

Burning this place down might be an option, but I'd have to get here on my own means first because right now he's the one with a chain on me. I could do as he says, but so long as he decides to not take full control I could do whatever I want to do when I go down there. As far as he knows, I am a totally trustworthy spirit who has never let him down, and being in control of me for TOO long will start to tire even him out. Additionally, there's also the matter of Fendas. Hell, as far as I know this IS just an attempt to hook me up with a mortal. If I leave, there's always the possibility he'll just be sent down there alone.

If you've seen what the Black Sun could do, you would never wish it upon anyone else.

>Accept/Deny/Other
>_

So how do spirits reproduce?

One last thing before you go down there: flip Gav's bucket. Make sure he isn't hiding Black Sun corruption on his ear or something. OR that his toothbrush is in his bucket.

Whatever, let's go.

>>928081
Okay I can think of three possibilities here:
1, it's not about the toothbrush at all, and there's something down there he wants you to destroy. He put the toothbrush there on purpose so that he can send you on a legitimate errand and claim ignorance to the dangerous artifact down there or whatever it is he doesn't want you to know about.
2, he really did lose his toothbrush but he doesn't know how it got down there and he wants you to find out how and retrieve it.
3, he's got no idea what's on the bottom floor and is sending you there as a scout, with the toothbrush sent there to prove you did the scouting mission.
Any of these options are legit, if you ask me. You're doing something of importance no matter what.

So. Ask him what you should do if you find a trespasser down there. Should you bring them back alive, or incinerate them?
Then accept.

>>928080
>I never necessarily said that the toothbrush HAD to be in the Black Sun hall, just that it was somewhere down in the basement.
Bullshit. He put it in the lowest floor so that you have an excuse to destroy all of the Black Sun stuff in between here and there.

If he wanted you to destroy this stuff, then he should’ve just called you for that instead of this convoluted plan of putting a toothbrush down there and telling you to go get that.

Ok, but not because I like Fendas.

I say decline and make sure nobody is ever roped into getting that damn toothbrush. It is a toothbrush and this isnt worth the risk of opening some of those doors. If the worst happens, that would mean all the doors would be opened and someone could get in, or more worryingly, something could get out.

At least make sure you have a clear description of what the toothbrush will appear to be. If it turns out to be a hairbrush made from a giant tooth or something, and you keep looking after finding it...

Double-check that the place doesn't have trapped doors that seal you inside or something. Being forced to go through the whole place just to get back after completing the mission would be unpleasant.

might as well accept.

Tell the old man that threatening you is not very nice and also he's full of shit but regardless of what real ulterior motives he has you might as well go down to keep yourself entertained and to give lover boi some company.

inform him he'll get his toothbrush, but you are turning the contents of that lab into ash after it's back. You'll spare the other floors, of course.

Then accept if that's agreeable.

1/4 Nalene 2019/04/07(Sun)09:55 No. 928975 ID: 29d910
File 155465615037.png - (65.24KB , 768x768 , [WD]-15.png )

>>928106
>>928187
>>928417
>>928418
>>928096
>>928089
"Fine, I'll do it."

Damn it. There's way too much to think about about this.

"Excellent! Fendas, get to work opening up that there hatch."

Fendas kneels to undo the locks around the sides. Jacques looks back at me with a grin. I knock his "hat" off, revealing his other ear. To be frank, I wasn't sure what I expected.

>>928135
"What should I do if I see someone down there? What does this toothbrush look like? You DO know I'm going to burn that whole place down right?"

"Oh, I trust your judgement in what to do, Nalene. Imagine a toothbrush of white bone and blue some inscriptions around its handle and you already have an idea of what it looks like."

I huff. This man is too inscrutable for his own good.

"Nalene, I got the hatch open, shall we head down?"

I hear Fendas slowly rise behind me as I turn to head down the hatch. Strange, it's almost like he's right behind m-

2/4 Nalene 2019/04/07(Sun)09:56 No. 928976 ID: 29d910
File 155465618012.png - (138.84KB , 768x768 , [WD]-20.png )

"Uh."

His snout. Slipped into. My goddamn robe.


AND WE ARE FUCKING TILTING INTO THE

3/4 Nalene 2019/04/07(Sun)09:56 No. 928977 ID: 29d910
File 155465619841.png - (69.40KB , 768x768 , [WD]-16.png )

AW FUUUUUUUUCCCKKKK!

"Good luck down there you two! And just remember, spirits can't get pregnant if they don't want to!"

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DOES THAT MEAN?!

4/4 Nalene 2019/04/07(Sun)09:57 No. 928978 ID: 29d910
File 155465624762.png - (129.58KB , 768x768 , [WD]-18.png )

GOD DAMN IT THAT OLD FUCKING-

Uh.

"Fendas...? Are you alright?"

>_

He's got to do something about that nosebleed.
No more sticking his snout in our robes until he does!

>spirits can't get pregnant if they don't want to
We shall see, old man... we shall see...
But seriously: What are the drawbacks of spirits getting pregnant? My guess is you would incur a permanent power drain that would require ages ages to recover from, while your fluffy puff-ball spends said ages pestering you for napalm and salsa-cookies. If birth results in the eventual death of the mother that would just be sad.

>What do
Check your clothes - oh wait they're part of you. Check your overall stats for any potential damage - any of these floors might have undetectable hazards affecting you or Fendas while you move through them.

>>928978
Tell him to keep his blood inside him where it belongs.
Then brush yourself off and get moving.

Maybe he meant you won't be short on mothering duties with this guy around - and that you don't have to baby him all the time if you don't want to. Who knows.

Help Fendas up, check if he's concussed or has any bad bruises - can you heal in any kind of fashion? - and for the love of hotness find something to stopper his nose with. He'll become anemic before too long if this keeps up and that'll defeat the whole point of bringing a strong, rugged young fellow along as your muscle.

Assess your surroundings - and while you're still moderately safe, take the opportunity to chat a little more. How'd Fendas get roped into this?

Calmly stand and help Jacques' pet off of the ground. If you want to be done with this mess quickly then you'll need to be professional and helpful.

As a fire you should be able to tell which direction the air is richer in, which, ugh, is probably deeper towards the centre of the pit, so search everywhere else to avoid bypassing the "toothbrush"...

Can you enact any revenge upon him if it turns out that he was lying about something in the request?

Use humping action to help him get up.

>>928978
If you feel something poking you down below, then that means you accidentally turned him on with your beauty, which must happen pretty often for someone like you.

1/4 Nalene 2019/04/14(Sun)14:18 No. 929730 ID: 4c48ab
File 155527670261.png - (82.05KB , 768x768 , [WD]-21.png )

>>929072
>>929062
What? No. I don't feel my tail touching anything sticking out right beside it there is noooooooothing I feel at this very moment.

>>928989
>>929050
I lift Fendas back up. Interesting, despite dropping a considerable distance the only form of injury he has seems to come from his nose. I grab him by the shoulders and force him from his stupor.

"...Ah! Nalene, what...?"

2/4 Nalene 2019/04/14(Sun)14:20 No. 929731 ID: ad249e
File 155527680130.png - (124.40KB , 768x768 , [WD]-22.png )

"Look alive Fendas, we're in the basement."

"...Oh. This room doesn't seem TOO big..." He shakes his head confusedly, before grabbing his sword off the floor.

A vestibule leading to 5 branches. Above each door is an elemental sign, Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and another sign which is simply all four together, a simple compilation indicating the hall of Synergies. A common set up for an elementalist laboratory, though I'm only familiar with the Fire branch for obvious reasons. Below us is a locked hatch, from here I can tell just how difficult it would be to just destroy it, but from the airflow I can tell that it's the passage way to the lower floors.

>>928983
A spirit giving birth is like a drop of water splitting up from a larger body, it takes a small fraction of power and a little bit of everything from the mother.

...Why did I bring that up.

3/4 Nalene 2019/04/14(Sun)14:21 No. 929733 ID: ad249e
File 155527686399.png - (98.10KB , 768x768 , [WD]-23.png )

"So, Fendas, what did the old fu-, the Elder do to rope you into this?" Vengeance for a fetch quest would hardly be fitting for a spirit of my renown, though technically nothing could stop me from doing anything once I complete the request and he doesn't immediately send me off.

Fendas turns his head up in thought as he began stretching, his voice came out with the solid discipline of a warrior. "I was chosen by Master Jacques to be his new apprentice, since his elevation to Elder in the past few months. We haven't begun very many lessons yet, but he says I'm shaping up well enough." His tone begins to falter quizzically, "It's... weird, actually. Most Elders choose herbalists, medics, and other nature or healing related individuals, but he picked out a soldier."

...That is strange, Jacques was more of a fighter than a healer but became an Elder's apprentice by sheer virtue of there being very few mages remaining after the Black Eclipse. There's hasn't been any sign of war or danger in a while according to my air elemental friends who work the delivery service, so why Fendas...?

4/4 Nalene 2019/04/14(Sun)14:21 No. 929734 ID: ad249e
File 155527689416.png - (32.74KB , 768x768 , [WD]-24.png )

I search around the area, but find nothing but cold stone and more than a few cobwebs. Guess we'll have to check out the branches for a sign of the toothbrush or the key to the next floor.

I've been summoned in enough places to know what the Fire wing probably looks like, so the easiest place to start would be there. Of course, I know nothing about most of the other chambers, and as I'm not a composite elemental spirit I was not allowed in Synergies either, but I have heard that the experiments in there tend to be more dangerous and unstable than most, but have more interesting doodads. Water wing I would not touch with a twenty foot pole because this body is pretty much fire doings its best to pretend that it's solid matter.

Where to?

>Air/Water/Earth/Fire/Synergies/Other_

Fire, should be easiest for both of you to deal with.

>>929733
Could be Jaques is worried about a resurgence of conflict. Maybe due to whatever's in the lowest level. OR, Fendas is secretly an assassin meant to silence you once the lowest level is dealt with. After all, if whatever's down there could be pinned on Jaques he sure wouldn't want you telling whoever summons you next.

>>929734
Let's check out the Fire wing.

>>929731
Because Gav brought it up, duh.

Water last, find weapon artifacts from the Earth room.

If you're doing a full sweep and have knowledge of what would be easiest for you, do that first. Fire.

Narcissism would be my bet. Jock thinks Fender is like himself. What was the elder like at that age?

Check out Air, you could get along pretty well with that element.

Fire. It's your native element and we might as well get it out of the way now.

Tell Fendas to go check out the water lab.

1/3 Nalene 2019/05/03(Fri)18:02 No. 931877 ID: 562771
File 155693173071.png - (43.25KB , 768x768 , [WD]-17.png )

Fire it is. The door to the fire room is a solid sheet of fire proof ceramic. One touch is all that's needed to activate it, but it automatically locks down when it detects any plasma or superheated air through the doorway. A simple hand press is all that's needed to open the door and ensure that there's nothing to incinerate you on the other side.

I do not need to worry about that as much.

2/3 Nalene 2019/05/03(Fri)18:04 No. 931878 ID: 37d493
File 155693184080.png - (101.94KB , 768x768 , [WD]-19 (2).png )

The door slides open, revealing a modestly sized room, filled with simple machinery meant to control and study the nature of fire and its very recent cousin, electricity. Bunsen burners, ventilation, even canisters of oxygen and easily ignitable gases are strewn about with wild abandon. Above us, a gigantic funnel, which I assume is there for emergency ventilation purposes. Toxic fumes are always a concern underground after all. It's weird. How much infrastructure can a simple basement possess?

Over in the corner is a door to the summoning chamber and the thaumaturgical fire study, AKA the more magical studies of the True Flame, and nearby is... what the latest scientists call a "dynamo" in the past couple of months...? Whatever it is, it's a metal disc hooked up to a horseshoe magnet of some sort. Wait.

I can taste ash in the air, fresh...?

There's definitely something burning somewhere in here or in the other room, the smell is pervasive, however and I can't pinpoint exactly where it is. Normally there'd be foam runes that would activate if something that shouldn't be burning IS burning, but it seems like they're not active. Naturally, the foam would not affect fire manifestations such as myself. WHY there's something lit here is another question...

3/3 Nalene 2019/05/03(Fri)18:04 No. 931879 ID: 9abe9e
File 155693187397.png - (109.75KB , 768x768 , [WD]-26.png )

I hear Fen carefully slide behind me, looking into the room, "You are familiar with fire labs, Nalene?"

"Yes I am Fen, why do you ask?" Fire labs tend to not require very much space, especially since most experiments tend to be small in order to be controlled. The thaumaturgy section is somewhat bigger, more in part due to the summoning circle, and maintaining the ideal conditions for a fire summoning.

"Well, as far as I know this place is all but deserted, and I can't imagine you want to step into a possibly derelict water lab, so perhaps I could check it out for you while you look around this place?"

>_

Perhaps he is not familiar with the buddy system. Hold him closer to help educate him on the benefits of having someone to watch your back!
Track down the fire suppressant systems first, then the source of the burning.

Someone's knocked some things on the floor? Check around those areas.

>>931879
Tell him that's a good idea but first you want his help finding the source of this smoke smell.

If either of you need help this early then it bodes very poorly for the mission. Split the party!

Grab a health and mana pot fuel and oxygen canister.

>>931879
Maybe we'll find something useful, like contained samples of the True Flame. The Dynamo is interesting, but unless we find something that requires a steady supply of electricity we can leave it here.

It seems like it's safest for now to stick together, since there's really no telling what might be going on down here. Not to mention that Pierre was acting a bit fishy, so it seems like there's something about all of this that he isn't telling you. When it comes time to check out the water lab, maybe you could just observe from a safe distance when Fendas goes in.

As for what to do here in the fire lab:
>investigate source of burning odor
>inspect/collect canisters on floor (be careful with the oxygen one, you are technically made of fire after all. Maybe have Fendas handle that one.)
>inspect small chest in the cubbyhole on the left
>have a general look around for anything that seems notable (or toothbrush-like) to you or Fendas

>>931879
Tell him that based on what you've seen so far, he loses a lot of blood from his nose quite often. He might end up passing out from losing so much blood if he's not careful.

Tell him to watch your back. And make sure you bend over plenty of times while searching for the source of the odor.

1/3 Nalene 2019/05/24(Fri)09:21 No. 933928 ID: 853018
File 155871490328.png - (146.34KB , 800x800 , 1558714373375.png )

I pull Fendas into a tight hug, warming myself ever so slightly as he squirms in my hold. For a tough soldier, he seems to melt pretty easily around me. Guess I can't blame him too much.

All things considered, staying close sounds like the right option. "Nah, we'll be safer close together."

I swear I can hear his heart skip a beat, "S-sure..."

"Also at this rate you'll be out of blood before we get down to the second basement so just stay put."

2/3 Nalene 2019/05/24(Fri)09:21 No. 933929 ID: 853018
File 155871490924.png - (66.02KB , 800x800 , 1558707763612.png )

These places generally have foam release switches nearby the fume hood and the exit. A tentative button press lets out a low whine, and nothing seems to change around the room. Guess the fire foam isn't working.

Ugh, well, if I end up burning this place from the inside out, I can put the blame on the old man's shitty building.

I pick up a canister of fuel and oxygen. I have some pockets in my robes I can store these in. Since when? Since just now. I can alter my body to a degree to accomodate some objects, but not completely. Even if something happens and the two cans break for any reason, I have enough control over my body and any flames I produce to prevent anything from happening.

3/3 Nalene 2019/05/24(Fri)09:21 No. 933930 ID: 853018
File 155871491466.png - (154.60KB , 800x800 , 1558714201296.png )

Surveying the room, I can't find anything toothbrush related. As Fendas looks into opening the lockbox below the desk, I bend down towards the cubbyhole filled with canisters, presumably the source of all these scattered bottles. Odd, the burning smell is pretty strong here. Curiously enough, the can at the back seems to be melted open at one spot...? Right below the hole is a dark burn spot on the stone surface with ash strewn about, that then trails around the place before disappearing. Some paper scraps are scattered in the ash. What the hell?

I hear a hard snap behind me as Fendas tears open the lock I think? It seems he isn't up for dealing with puzzles right now.

Okay, so somebody hit one of these canisters with something and it ignited like a red barrel in a videogame. Can you trace the path of whatever hit it, if the thing is still there?
Now, what did Fendas discover?

>>933930
A trail of burn mark? It's like some kind of flame snake crawled into/out of the oxygen canister. Investigate the hole.

Tell Fendas that he has two seconds to announce what he discovered and the answer better not be "your ass"

Presumably some papers were burned in there. Burnt documents often mean illicit activity, and Black Sun is extremely illicit... Is there any way to magically view past burnings? Maybe some sort of "see what is on the far side of a flame" or "look into one flame to see through another" but applied to time rather than distance?

Hmm. The hole in that canister is curious, maybe there's still something inside. Ask Fendas what he thinks about putting his finger in the hole. Like just getting it nice and deep in there.

Check out if there was anything of interest in the chest, then enter the summoning chamber.

See where the burn trail leads.

Are you by any chance wearing underwear

1/5 Lennoxicon 2019/06/17(Mon)15:34 No. 936183 ID: 853018
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Underwear? I've never really thought about having to make underwear when I make a trip he-

Wait, that would mean...

"...Did you just look into m-"

"I DID NOT! Uh. I didn't."

2/5 Lennoxicon 2019/06/17(Mon)15:34 No. 936184 ID: 853018
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...Uh huh.

3/5 Lennoxicon 2019/06/17(Mon)15:34 No. 936185 ID: 853018
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"What did you find, anyway?"

"Flame Negators. Freezes fire spirits within 10m solid, and completely prevents fire from entering or leaving the area.

Back in the militia the magebreakers would carry Elemental Negators of all kinds everywhere, never really used one before

myself."

Thanks, I hate it.

"Anyway, keep that in your pocket for now Fendas." I lift the opened canister in my hands. "Do you mind giving your opinion on this hole?"

"the what"

"This blown canister, dude."

4/5 Lennoxicon 2019/06/17(Mon)15:35 No. 936186 ID: 853018
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"...Oh. It just looks melted, like something seared a small hole into it for some reason."

Now that I think about it, it seems like the work of a lesser fire spirit. Fire snakes? A possibility, given the freeform shape of most spiritual entities.

As far as I can tell, the traced line just seems to fade within the cubbyhole, a curved line before ceasing to be. Viewing past burnings is at a level even I've not reached yet, so no luck there.

What I DO see, however, is a trail of small pieces of burnt paper!

5/5 Lennoxicon 2019/06/17(Mon)15:35 No. 936187 ID: 853018
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Following the trail, it crawls to the upper cubbyhole, most of the documents are burnt apparently, before disappearing into a hole in the wall, leading into the summoning chamber.

We COULD enter now, assuming everything is in order here.

>_

I don't really know what else we should be looking at, so, yeah let's see what's in the summoning chamber.

Why is Sexy Spirits such a thick volume? Check that out.

>>936188
Seconding this, but first let's inspect the contents of the upper cubbyhole more closely. Can you see anything inside the hole in the wall? Elemental History might have some useful information in it if you happen to run into any other elementals down here, unless you're already well-acquainted with the subject. Might as well take Pie Festival as well, because who doesn't like pie? And is that some kind of card tucked under the pie book? Could be important. The stuff to the left seems to just be writing implements, but I'm a little curious what that thicker rod in the back is; looks kind of like someone took a bite out of it, or something.

Oh, and give Fendas that copy of Sexy Spirits, Vol. 1 -- he could probably make good use of it the next time he gets some privacy. Who knows, perhaps there's an entry in there about you... maybe it even has a fold-out centerfold for him to gawk at!

>>936187
One of these things is not like the others.

>Pie
Oooh, Pie Festival. Surely you must've oft been summoned for your perfect control of fire, so that some culinary craftsman could achieved that perfect crusty crisp.

Elder Jacques' totally did that at some point, didn't he?

Anyway, that's the book that stands out. Both the others are on elementals and spirits.

It seems odd that the scroll was burned. It is out-of-the-way? The burning must have been intense too, so as not to spread through a scroll, which is typically a very flammable thing. At least identify it, and see if there is anything odd about the burning. Can fire spirits leave messages in unusual burn patterns that most beings would miss?

Definitely check the history book. Most beings are uninterested in the history of others beyond the most fanciful and exotic tales. A dry history book would be the choice location to hide something.

Could you set fire to a pencil, toss it into the hole, and scry on that? It would be your own flames so... . And could you snuff it out if the result was a fire in a pile of valuable documents?

>Sexy Spirits Vol 1
Why is it short but thick?
Why is it here?
WHY DOES IT SAY VOLUME 1 IS THERE MORE THEN ONE VOLUME?!

>Pie
Now that's suspicious.

>>936215
>scroll was burned
Ooohhhh, so that's what it is. Well heck, open that sucker up and let's see what's written on what's left of it.

I'd guess something activated the scroll, which released a fire spirit, which then proceeded to get some oxygen, and went into the summoning chamber? Or maybe I got that backwards and the spirit came from the chamber, did stuff here, and... dunno what happened to it afterward.

The book on the spirits probably won't teach you anything new, so let Fendas read it, while you check out the rest of the items.

1/3 Nalene 2019/09/03(Tue)21:20 No. 944247 ID: 22cb75
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Oh boy, book reading. I flip through several pages in each book, making sure there's no secret letters hidden in the books like in those novels Jacques made me read to children.

As a matter of fact, the pie book reminds me of the time someone tried to make me bake pie. Long story short the building was burned to the ground but it wasn't my fault. Nothing was in the pie festival book besides some memories.

The Elemental History book was also of SOME note, but I already knew the entirety of the history of Fire due to, well, being fire itself. The other ones were kinda boring.
Water wasn't even worth looking at. After a couple pages I just shook the book to see if anything fell out. No luck.

I take a glance over the Sexy Spirits tome, not looking for myself at all.

...

Anyways. This is a dumb book and I hated reading it. I toss it backwards to Fendas so he could, I don't know, ogle at lesser, needy beings being gross.

2/3 Nalene 2019/09/03(Tue)21:20 No. 944248 ID: 22cb75
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The scroll definitely isn't a summoning scroll. What it IS is a quick cast scroll of-

water bolt.

I'll pass on this one.

Some surveillance is certainly something I can do. A lit pencil is all I need to pass the hole and see what's...

3/3 Nalene 2019/09/03(Tue)21:20 No. 944249 ID: 22cb75
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Hm.

I'm fairly certain there's not supposed to be a giant burnt hole in there.

>_

Thrust forward into yonder hole!

>>944247
Hmmm my lady doth protest too much about sexy things~

Can you gather any info about what caused the burning, since you’re a fire elemental?

>>944249
Balls. Alright that's probably a large fire elemental at this point; how well could you fight fire with fire?
Would Fendas be able to use that water bolt scroll against it?
I say the summoning chamber is our next destination, unless you think you can't fight that thing. In that case we should stock up on anti-fire stuff, which are probably all in the water chamber. Fendas can go check that one out. You can probably find some relatively safe but useful things in the earth chamber.

>>944251
I agree, but Nalene should go first. We cannot trust Fendas to go thrusting into holes blindly!

Why fight a fire elemental? It is probably just looking for a way home. Unless it is corrupted, but if the corruption got all the way here, then best to burn the whole complex to the ground. Just return with the ashes and assume that the toothrbrush's remains are in there somewhere...

Ugh, you know what? Go get that magazine back and match the figures to the hole in the wall. It stands to reason that this lab was summoning things from that book, for reasons best not thought about...

Can you detect anything in that hole?

You should enter and probably light your way.

>>944253
She just needs some encouragement, is all. Like, Nalene is still scorching hot, I’d take her over some jumped-up sloshy water elemental, any day.

>>944249
We may want to get into that room for a closer look, if only to determine which direction the wall burned - inward or outward. It’s the difference between something in the room looking to escape, or something from elsewhere (possibly lower?) seeking the surface.