>>166050
Just kill them both and then get out of there. I think Fizz/demon might need some food soon. I guess you could ask it if elf is ok. If not you could find some other place to eat at.

Bring the Volto with you though. You promised not to kill her and she might be useful in the future.

>>166063
I'm against killing anyone.

>>166063
How about not? How about leaving the cultists alive and disoriented with little to no memory of what happened here, thereby leaving the police with more work and less attention to devote to Ram, Eiko, and Possessed Fizz?

The less intently the police stares at Ram and the two demons with him, the better. If we come out of this and there's nothing but two bloody smears, the police will only send a cleanup crew and detain whoever came out.

>>166079
They won't know we came out, they don't know of this place and we won't call it in until we're far away from it. And they won't recognise Ram because he is going to change the way he looks to make sure they won't recognise him.

We have no idea if there is magic good enough to get at the memories even if we think we wiped them. Just as you can get information out of a hard drive in most cases even if the owner thinks it has been deleted. Cops might be able to see it, which wouldn't be good for Ram. And with the ease we broke out of prison I suspect the cultists may very well be freed as well, and then their friends read their memories and find out all that they knew.

Killing them is the best way to make sure that nobody else learns that Ram is a blood mage or that he runs around with two demons. Once they're dead we can call this place in as an anonymous tip or something.

>>166081
Magic to recover memories? Well, how about we ask.

Ram, is there any kind of mage that can restore memories?

>>166081
If you leave them behind they'll still remember enough about the cult to be useful for police, which means the police will keep focusing on the cult.
If you kill them, however, then they're going to bring in forensics specialists so they can both solve the murders of 'innocent people' and find a new lead.
Leaving them alive would keep the police focused on the cultists.

This is not that complicated a decision.

>>166149
If they remember enough about the cult then they might remember Ram. I say take no chances. Make it look like a demon killed them and then get out of there.

>>166184
Remember what about Ram, exactly? None of them know much of anything about him, and the ECT process is solid enough to keep his secret.

You need to remember that having cultists after us is acceptable, but having Police after us is not.
Cultists won't reveal Ram's nature to the world, but police will. Being exposed is more dangerous than anything.

>>166184
ECT generally makes you forget a few DAYS.

The most the cult will be able to say is that Ram was staying at Fizz's apartment, since they apparently went there and snooped around, putting Fizz into that brain-hemorrhage sleep trance. They had no idea he was a Blood Mage. THAT is all that matters.

>>166253
And to make sure he's not exposed he should kill them, dead cultists tell no tales. Ram can completly change his species. The cops won't be able to find him.

>>166255
Then he would need to abandon Fizz, as the police DO know he has been staying with her. Aside from that, I see no reason why he can't do a species change and leave them for police.

Just drug them and leave.

...still think you should just blow them up.

>>166259
>the police DO know he has been staying with her.

That's not true.

>>166279
Didn't he report her missing? And list her apartment as his contact address? And etc?

>>166356
Uhhh... no? We only just found out she got kidnapped. Eiko told us, then immediately broke us out of prison, and led us to the cultists.

>>166051
...I reluctantly remove my hand.

>>166059
From what I can feel, there is no difference... strange.

>>166063
"Are you hungry?"

"We've had a big lunch."

>>166094
I believe it exists, but is very difficult to use effectively.

>>166255
That definitely seems like a good idea at this point... What should I try to gather information on?

>>166259
>>166279
>>166356
>>166367
...Now that I think about it, I was never asked anything of the sort. That seems strange.

>words
...Aargh.

I set down the kobold and put my foot on the elf's solar plexus. I form alcohol and hallucinogens and spread them around her system, with particular regards to her head. I kneel down and place my hands on either side of her head. I relax her muscles and initiate a powerful bioelectrical seizure. The volto is still on the ground. I lift her up and reinforce her coma. Next I move on to the human mage. I restore the wounds I caused on her and repeat the same actions I performed on the elf. I feel quite anemic, but I am not yet useless.

I motion to Eiko. Is there anything left to do?

>>168357
Nope, let's get out of here.

>>168357
Nah, get out. Be prepared for future cultist attacks.

Eat some volto blood for more power. It's not like she's doing anything with it.

On that note, hey, test subject. Score. And she's part of a creepy demon cult so we don't even have to feel bad about it.

Ram 2010/04/25(Sun)23:54 No. 170307 ID: 0b2a05
File 127226484225.png - (32.03KB , 341x341 , fantasticjourney.png )

>>169514
I drain some of her blood. I feel good... monumentally good. Like stretching a stiff muscle, or opening a window, somehow. The volto is still alive, but an amount anemic.

The kobold looks at me, opens her mouth, raises her right hand, and drops it, quietly laughing.

>>168361
Eiko picks up the kobold, who smiles at her. She carries it up the long path back to the surface, while I carry the volto. We pass two doors to the right on either side of the area. We warily stayed away from the torches. I make sure to retrieve my clothing, but I do not put it on.

Traveling back to Fizz's apartment is uneventful. I see nothing out of the ordinary, and although Eiko appears somewhat apprehensive, she does not comment as we enter the door.

We shut the door. As far as I can tell, everything I have seen so far is exactly as it was before.

>>168469
Future attacks... and the police. I will make a list of things to do.

>>170294
Uh oh. I think you'd better avoid draining blood from people until you fully understand how your power works.

Now that we're here... ask the vengeance demon to talk.

>>170307
Now seems like a good time to talk with Kav (short handle for Fizz demon) about what she said earlier. Why are you dying? Well aside from the fact that all living things eventually die.

Alright, ask her to tell you what she meant by 'killing yourself'. Also, what she knows about how Blood magic works. Why did you feel so good when you drained some of the volto's blood?

Tell the Kav to be more clear and stop laughing at random shit. If it really wants to get on your good side, it'll stop jerking you around.

>>170307
Give Eiko a hug, ask her if she's ok, and tell her she can stay here.

After that, ask Kav how you should go about getting her a body of her own.

Oh we need to remember to phone in an anonymous tip to the police so they know where the cultist hideout is. You can modulate your voice, right Ram?

>>170310
I will keep it in mind. But I feel very much better than I did before.

>>170872
Telephones are expensive, I doubt that Fizz has one in her apartment... though I now see that she does. I can easily modulate my voice.

>>170871
I lead into the bedroom and lay the volto down on the bed, while Eiko puts the kobold beside her. I embrace Eiko. I can feel her tense up...

"Ram, what are you doing?"

"I'm giving you a hug. These past hours have been stressful, I'm wondering if you are okay."

"...Oh, yeah, I'm alright. Thanks for... asking?"

"Surely no one would mind if you spend the night here."

"Uh, thanks, and don't ca... never mind."

"..."

"It's okay, you can stop hugging me now."

"Sorry."

The demon laughs. Again.

>>170565
"Stop. Laughing."

She smirks.

"Very well."

>>170310
>>170361
>>170436
>>170565
>>170871
"Now talk."

"With another demon in the room, and an unconscious volto? Are you sure that's wise, blood mage?"

...

>>171404
"I trust Eiko. What's the problem with the volto anyway? She's unconscious."

>>171404
Move the Volto to another room, and shut the door.
"Eiko, you and I have saved each other several times so far. I trust you with my life, and I can think of nobody else more deserving of hearing this than you. I leave that decision to you."
Then turn to the possessed Fizz "You said I was killing myself. How?"

>>171413
"The volto is unconscious."

"A condition that did nothing to stop me from learning what you are."

>>171414
I pick up the volto and carry her out of the room, into the kitchen.

"Eiko, if you--"

"Wait. I think I'm going to look for something edible in the fridge, this sounds kinda personal."

Oh. Eiko exits the room. I close the door and sit on the bed, next to the kobold.

"Kav. Stop stalling. What did you mean when you said I was killing myself?"

She lies down on her side and stares off into space.

"You are a blood mage. But you are not efficient. You are imperfect."

"..."

"Inside you there is... noise."

I continue to be silent.

"This noise is a part of your own power, ripping you to shreds and fixing the damage constantly. At any given moment, you are destroying yourself, and healing it back at the same time. The constant use will have made you numb, unfeeling to its effects. In truth, you have never truly been either completely alive or dead."

She turns, propping her head up on her hands.

"And that is what I mean when I say that you are killing yourself, blood mage. Anything else you wish to know?"

>>171439
"How do I correct this? And why have all the blood mages before me turned into such monsters?"

"Why did it feel so... good when I drained the volto's blood? Where does my power come from?"

More questions:

1) Where does the extra mass go when I overeat?
2) When I use my power on other people, is there some kind of lingering effect?
3) Is it actually possible for me to use my power without touching someone? How could I do that more effectively if so?
4) What do you want of me?

>>171439
Hey that's interesting. Very interesting, so that's what we are. Doesn't really seem all that harmful. But getting more efficient would be good.

Ask her when this ripping yourself apart thing started?

Ask her when she got into Fizz?

Ask her if she could teach you to become more efficient?

>>171441
>>171443
>>171447
>>171450
"Do you know how to remove noise? When--"

"Stop."

She moves to a pillow and pulls up the blankets.

"I'm quite tired. I can't give you all the answers at once, can I? I'll tell you in the morning, assuming you don't figure it out by then. Now..."

She pats the mattress next to her and smiles.

"...Sleepy?"

...I could sleep now, or wait a few hours.

>>171480
We've got some things you need to do.

We need to find a phone in an unrelated location so they can't the anonymous tip back here. Also, when leaving the apartment complex, you should change your body so that you're in disguise. Change the color of your fur and your height and build.

>>171480
Focus inwards, and see if you can find this constant destruction and creation she mentioned.

Sigh, and say "This is needless. The only thing I have against you is that you are in Fizz's body, but I acknowledge you have a right to live. I wish to create a new body for you so that you can live without denying that right to another.
If you can see into Fizz's memories then you know that I am a man of my word, but even if you don't trust me then please consider that you know far more than I about blood magic, and helping me to create a new body for you would still leave much for you to teach me."

Demand she answer your questions now.

Also, tie her up real secure-like.

Hey Ram, can you tell if there's something special about your own blood? Like, the blood cells are a different shape or something?

>>171480
Just to be completly opposite. Tell Eiko to guard the Volto while you sleep, then lie down next to the somewhat creepy demon and go to sleep.

>>171487
I reach my hand over and disconnect her limbs. I do not know of any rope nearby, this should be much more effective.

She frowns.

>>171770
>>171481
I get up and go into the kitchen. Eiko is eating a fruit.

"Eiko."

"Hey, how are you?"

"Fine. Can you go out and find a phone, tip the police to what happened?"

"Sure, I could do something like that."

"And if you get back and I am asleep, could you guard the volto?"

"Will do."

She finishes eating the fruit and exits the kitchen. I return to the bedroom and sit back on the bed.

>>171757
As far as I can tell, my blood cells are completely normal.

>>171486
...

I can't...feel...any thing...

I can feel nothing. There is some kind of... nothing inside me, an almost tangible void. I... cannot feel it at all, but I can feel its absence, sometimes, as if it's rapidly moving. My blood too, I now can feel an... emptiness inside it.

My heart beats faster.

>>171818
Hmmm, now that is quite interesting. Wonder what it means specifically.

But unless you can find some old writings from a previous blood mage you're unlikely to be able to figure it out now. Take a nap with Kav instead and press her for more information when she wakes up later.

try to move the void to your hand then bring it to the surface. maybe we will be able to see it?

>>171818

>> There is some kind of... nothing inside me

That's probably it. She did say you would feel numb to it. If you have ever experienced third degree burns, they often don't hurt very much because the nerves that sense pain were burned away too. Now don't panic. Jostling something like that would only make it worse. You can repair the damage, and you can probably build something in your body to catch whatever in you is rapidly moving. You're not dead yet. A night's sleep would probably do you a world of good now.

If you ask Fizzdemon any questions, you should ask her what is so funny. Apparantly your efforts to understand your position as a blood mage are not only unusual, but futile for some reason. She knows that reason, and it makes her laugh. Alternatively she just thinks you're adorable.

>>171818
Do not attempt to fill the nothing. It may be the only thing keeping you from turning into a monster like the Blood Mages of old.

On the other hand, the Noise could be a gradual corrupting effect that will drive you mad some day. We need to find out more about it. Tomorrow, though. The demon surely won't tell you anything more today.

Does the void ever enter your brain?

Try to sleep.

>>171899

>> Does the void ever enter your brain?

>> Try to sleep.

Real comforting there, Holmes.

>>171819
If any blood mages recorded their exploits, I do not know of them.

>>171831
...Futile. Is that why she laughed when I mentioned healing? But no, I am not dead yet.

>>171899
The void is everywhere. It is inside my brain, on my skin, within my heart. Determining its impact could prove difficult.

>>171823
I cannot move the absence... wait...

I bring the feeling of emptiness into my hand. I feel fantastic; my hand seems... strange.

...I think I have more control over this than I had assumed. But I still do not know the full effects.

>>171968
...Erfh.

I feel more tired than I did before...

>>172084
Feeling fantastic isn't always good for you. I think you should hold off on experimenting with that stuff until we get more info from Kav.

So go to sleep next to the freaky demon kobold.

>>172091
I curl up next to her, avoiding physical contact.

...

>>172095
Sleep?