Where is Fizz? Is she on the bed with you? What time is it?

You are in a bed and,

And what? That's it? You're in a bed and here's a million dollars... or you're in a bed and here's your own space ship... I mean, what the f--

>>125524
It is the bed that I fell asleep in. It is large, the cover is clean, Fizz must have washed it after the first night. There is a pillow next to me, but I am not using it. It is hot enough that the sheets are currently unused.

>>125522
It is about 8:46 by my biological clock. Fizz is next to me, still sleeping in the same position from when I put her to sleep last night.

>>125526
You know what would surprise her? Cooking breakfast for her.

>>125528
Actually, yeah, why not?

>>125528
>>125532
I am not a chef, but I will attempt to cook something anyway. I get up and walk into the kitchen. I search around and find a... two... ...four cookbooks. There are a lot of ingredients here, I do not think there is much I could not make in regards to requisites.

>>125534
Requisites meaning Bacon, eggs, pancakes, etc.?

>>125536
Yes. If anything could be said, it would not be that this kitchen is under stocked. I could thumb through one of the books and look for a recipe, or is there anything in particular I should look up?

>>125537
I dunno, just fumble around until you see something that catches your eye.

(That, y'know, would make an okay breakfast, obviously.)

>>125538
Like, I don't know, eggs. Eggs make good breakfast, right?

>>125546
Actually, find a good omelet recipe.

>>125538
>>125546
I search around and find a recipe for crepes that does not look too difficult. I mix together the ingredients and pour the batter into a pan on a hot vent. I follow the instructions until I have some passable pancake envelopes. I scramble some eggs in another pan, then fold them in.

I now hold some breakfast. I walk back out and place it on the table.

...Fizz does not come.

>>125554
Go over and check her vitals.

>>125554
Hmm. Go check up on her. Like peek in and say her name.

>>125554
Go check on her, make sure you didn't put her in too deep a sleep?

>>125554
Okay I was a little worried about this when you mentioned she hadn't moved. Uhm.

Yeah, you should seriously go make sure she's okay.

>>125557
I go back into the bedroom.

"Fizz?"

No answer.

>>125558
I go over and look at her. She is still sleeping in the same position as before. That is unusual, people typically shift around while sleeping, even if only a little, and for someone that squeezed my back while sleeping, she does not seem like a motionless sleeper.

>>125556
I touch her nose.

?!

She has internal hemorrhaging in her head!

>>125563
Are you able to cure it? If so, do so.

>>125563
Uh, that's...

That's really, really not good at all. :(

>>125563
You didn't do that when you put her to sleep last night, did you?

Fix it.

>>125568
I drain the blood back and restore the damaged tissue. There is nothing obvious that could have caused this.

>>125573
I did not do anything other than put her to sleep. I... hope this is not some kind of side-effect to the sleep, I have never tried that before.

"Mmh!"

The pain must have woken her.

>>125576
"Sorry, I sedated you a little too much last night and had to wake you up myself. Did you sleep well?"

>>125576
Ask her if she's okay.

>>125576
Just to be sure, uh, careful with the sleep thing in the future.

Also ask her how she's feeling, and maybe mention that you made breakfast.

Ram 2010/02/04(Thu)23:17 No. 125596 ID: c0f3bf
File 126535426516.png - (20.05KB , 341x341 , fear.png )

>>125579
"Are you alright?"

"Aah! D-don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry."

"I'm, um, f-fine? Did I sleep in?"

She seems relatively alright.

>>125578
"I sedated you to sleep last night, I wanted to make sure you weren't groggy."

"Oh, that would explain it..."

>>125584
I will try to draw it out longer next time. I did not realize something like this could happen.

"I made you breakfast."

"Really? What did you make?"

"Crepes."

"Oh, that sounds good. Are you going to eat any?"

"No."

I lead Fizz out in case she falls over and she starts eating in her nightclothes. I can remember a few things to do today... find a better book on demons, send the police the teleportation shard, and give Fizz a confidence boost. Am I forgetting anything?

>>125596
I don't really remember anything else, so... I guess that's it.

We could go to the cafe and use the teleport shard there to see where it goes.

>>125596
We also need to find out what that symbol on her back was.

>>125603
Ohhh, yes good idea.

Also, ask Fizz if you did a good job cooking the crepes.

>>125602
But wear a disguise first, in case Ram gets sent back to the police station and whoever barely saw anything yesterday recognizes him.

>>125602
>>125603
>>125604
>>125605
Man my memory sucks. These are all viable ideas.

>>125596
Find the goblin. The shard seemed to let you peek into the mind of someone who was in a police station and was very upset about it. Our wayward goblin fits that description.

I suspect there might be something big going on here and that Fizz could be involved somehow, scars that show up again each time they're removed tend to indicate curses or magical damage causing them. If the goblin has similar scars then there might be someone targeting people like them for some reason.

>>125604
"Fi-"

"Hey Ram, these are pretty good, did you use one of the recipe books?"

"Yes. The thin one."

>>125602
>>125605
I won't send it to the police then, yet anyway.

>>125612
"Fizz, do you know what happened to the goblin?"

"Well she was put in the hospital f-for all the bitemarks, but I don't know anything else."

...I'm not sure what to do.

>>125624
Well, between you and us we came up with a little to-do list, right?

And, uh... it looks like everything on it requires going somewhere... except giving Fizz a confidence boost.

'Course it would help if I had any tips on doing that, wouldn't it.

>>125624
First, wait until Fizz is done eating, then do the whole confidence boost plan.

Second, go to the library and A) get a better demon book and B) research Fizz's scar symbol.

>>125625
I can think of a few things I could do today, but I'm not sure how many I would have time for, or in what order. I could try to find a better book on demons, try to find information about a soul mage, experiment with the fragment, look for the goblin at the hospital, practice magic in general, try to gather blood for later use, research that strange scar, or something else.

>>125626
I did not make much, she takes very little time to eat. After she finishes I put a hand on her back.

"Going to find another job today?"

"Yeah."

I lance pain through her spine. She jolts upright and coughs twice.

"A-ah!! What w-was that??"

"Confidence boost."

"You c-could have warned me first!"

"Do you not feel more confident now?

She stops and thinks a second.

"...Hard to tell I guess. A little I think. Yeah, I think that helped, thanks! You should really give a warning first though, that hurt a lot."

Fizz goes to change clothes and presumably take a shower. Should I leave for the library now?

>>125628
You know what you should do? You should follow Fizz and see how her interviews go. Maybe there's some way you can help make sure she gets a new job?

>>125632
While that isn't a very bad idea we have more important stuff that have a higher priority.

>>125628
Go and try to find the goblin first. We need to find out if she has similar scars to Fizz and we need to keep an eye on her. If she is an arcane horror against nature then we have to know where she is so we can act if it becomes necessary.

Btw Ram. I think I have come up with a reason why blood mages go crazy and turn into sociopaths. Time. With your magic you should be essentially ageless and immortal. Once enough time has passed they go insane and stop caring about anything or anyone. Once it progresses far enough they start destroying stuff and eventually someone manages to kill them.

>>125633
Wow, really? Well, that all sounds... really... really important! But it also sounds like it can stand to wait another day or week or so. We kinda owe it to Fizz to help make sure she gets a job, considering the trouble that caused her to lose her last one seems to be following Ram (or maybe it's entirely a coincidence!), plus, she is letting him stay at her place.

I don't think following Fizz around is a good idea. Mostly because... well, how would we manage to listen in on the interviews without being noticed?

>>125632
>>125637
>>125643
I suppose I do owe Fizz for numerous things, but monitoring her interviews would not be assuredly beneficial to her. My appearance is somewhat off-putting, and the only situations I can think of where that'd be a good thing involve intimidation, which does not generally produce good results for long term stuff like jobs.

I think if I am to help Fizz get a job, it will have to be another way. I already gave her a confidence placebo, and gave her a full massage. Aside from sex, there is not much I can think of that I could do.

>>125633
...
...I do not know what to think about that. I should mention that there is no specific evidence that blood mages are immortal, and though it would make sense, it does not give an explanation as to why they were not mentioned before they started killing.

>>125646
Well you can regrow limbs, heal very large shrapnel wounds and ressurect people. You seem to have pretty complete control of your body and it's functions. If there is any magic that sounds like it could halt or even reverse aging then that would be the one.

Anyway, let's combine two things on the to do list. First off, use the fragment and see if it's the goblins mind you get transported into. Then if that is the case find out where she is. Then go and get her.

>>125646
Right. Well, go to the library, we've got research to do.

>>125648
Ergh, I'm fairly sure that he didn't get teleported into someone's mind. He MIGHT have switched places with someone but I kinda doubt it. More likely the shard teleports the user a certain distance in a certain direction, and fudges a little to make sure it's a safe location.

>>125648
I may be biologically immortal... I am not old enough to tell as of now though.

>>125650
I could see my hand and feel myself, I definitely teleported, or did something similar. I know I did not switch minds with someone, besides, if I did I would not have kept the shard.

>>125649
I put on the fireman garb and head out for the library. It is not as hot today as it was yesterday, but it is still certainly warm out. After walking some ways I again turn into the enormous library. Where should I start? A library mage could help me with the symbol, or find a book with detailed demon information.

>>125650
Hmm, wrong of me. It seems it teleports him to a location nearby someone. Just as he was teleported into the bathroom near Fizz. And the police did take away the goblin, they might have taken her to a station once she was checked out of the hospital.

If that's the truth then it only increases the likelyhood of Fizz and the goblin having something in common. Somebody wanted both of them dead, one was probably going to be hit by the bomb and the other one by the teleported beast. The goblin might be safe at the police station, what with all the cops, but Fizz will be undefended if anything attacks her.

Ram, can you plant something on her that would allow you to monitor her heartrate and breathing as well as adrenal levels from afar? That way, if she gets into trouble, we could use the shard to teleport to her location and try to help her.

>>125655
Nonono, the bomb was definitely planted by the elf hostess. She was a temp, which means she could've taken the job JUST to abduct/eat the staff. Also she actually had time to do it. Fizz was the only waitress there and would've been quite busy with other customers.

I think the goblin's condition is unrelated to the bomb itself. There might've been something weird in the kitchen that provoked a demonic possession upon revival, or the shock of resurrection may have simply fucked up her memories temporarily. Like, she was remembering a past life or something. Regardless there's no reason for the bomb to be linked to her. The easiest way to prove this would be to go to the cafe or near it, use the shard, and see where it teleports us to. We can check the map to see the distance and direction it sent us.

Right now though... First, go talk to a mage about the symbol.

>>125659
The Bomb didn't explode until Fizz got near it and the beast went after only the Goblin. Fizz has a strange magical scar on her back that is invisible in the mirror. We know the mark on the metal is a teleport rune. It also seems to be linked to people rather than places.

All of this makes me think that someone wants the both of them dead. Now why would anyone go through all of that trouble to kill two resturant workers? There is something larger buried here.

>>125655
I might be able to make something like that if I was a spirit mage, but I'm a physical mage, and even if I was, that sounds very difficult.

>>125664
No, killing two restaurant workers does seem like a waste of time and energy. They must be linked somehow. The goblin could know why, I am still unsure as to why she did not mention me.

>>125659
I walk around until I find a library mage and scratch the symbol I saw on Fizz's back.

"Could you tell me something about this symbol?"

He looks at it and exhales.

"Oh boy... That there has too many meanings to remember, and any of them could be combined, too. What's the context?"

"It was on someone."

"Like, a tattoo? Well, if it's on a person, it's probably going to relate to deflection, or elusiveness."

He scratches his head.

"Honestly, you'd be better off looking in an encyclopedia. Any worth its print'll have a big list of associations."

He points me to a nearby bookshelf. What else should I ask him, or should I get a book?

>>127401
Ask about... reincarnation, or past lives.

>>127401
Hmmm, so it's one with different contexts. A tatoo is not the same as a scar though. But it could be there to protect her from someone by hiding her from them. But it also seems to tie into the teleport rune we found as well as possibly being the activator of the bomb. Finding a book with the possible meanings should be the best here if we want to keep it a secret. We need to find out if there is any special meaning to it in scar form as opposed to tatoo form as well as possible links to teleportation runes.

Ask the librarian where if there is any organisation for soul mages in town. There seems to be alot of stuff you won't get done properly without soul magic and it's a bit in the immediate future so you don't have ten years to spend on learning it.

>>127403
We already asked about Soul mages. They're goddamn rare so there's basically no chance for us to find one.

>>127406
Wasn't it just rare? We're in a decent sized city so we should be able to find some. Especially in a place where anyone can theoretically become a mage with enough hard work and studies. So there should be some kicking around.

>>127403
I do not think it was the trigger, the heat started long after she took my order, and it was heating up as she was walking over.

>>127406
>>127410
A soul mage could be useful... I suppose I'll have to find one eventually. I just don't want to reveal that I am a blood mage to anyone else. They are rare, but not impossible to find, there are probably two or three, though it could be a task to find them. It is almost one in three odds that a person is a spiritual mage, they are just about everywhere.

>>127402
"Can you tell me about how reincarnation works?"

He starts massaging his temples.

"You're just... full of difficult questions aren't you? I'm a weather mage, not a soul mage, so I'm not exactly going to be able to tell you about the intricacies but I know a few things. When a person dies, their soul reincarnates into a new body. With proper aid, you can sometimes see back into past lives, but it's pretty difficult to get it working right, everything is usually pretty vague. It's been discovered that this isn't always the case though, sometimes a soul will not reincarnate for decades, or even longer, and sometimes you just can't see any past lives, though I haven't a clue as to why. I heard something about connections and entwined souls and true love or something like that, but hell if I know anything about that. Answer any of your questions?"

"Thank you. Do you know of any soul mages in the area?"

"Well I know one died recently, I haven't heard of any new ones, sorry."

I get the feeling I am asking a carpenter how to farm. I cannot see any other free library mages now though. Should I look for those books now?

>>127433
Alright then, that's one other possibility as for what went wrong with the goblin: She may have been remembering a past life when you first brought her back.

Yes, get those books.

Ram 2010/02/07(Sun)15:32 No. 127472 ID: c0f3bf
File 126558554011.png - (23.01KB , 341x341 , mandibles.png )

>>127439
That does seem likely... Now I know she isn't a demon lord at least. Do I have to try and find her now?

I go over to the bookshelf and get a symbol encyclopedia. I move to another shelf--

...

There is a particularly short thri-keen in front of me. And she just picked out the book I need. Looks like the only copy, too.

>>127472
Make her nauseous.

>>127472
Ask if you can use the book after he or she is done with it.

>>127475
Tempting as it is, it could look very suspicious. I do not particularly want sudden nausea of all things give me away.

>>127477
"Will you be reading long?"

Chrrk?

"Yah, you need to rheed it too?"

"Yes."

"Ehr, Ih'm going to takeh a while, but we couhld share it maybhe?"

Click!

"Whaht did you need to look up?"

I could just search for the symbol in the encyclopedia and wait until she is done, or maybe I could try to persuade her to let me have it first?

>>127534

If she wants the book, then she probably knows something about demons. Ask her what you want to look up. If it surprises her, then she may know something that might be helpful, that would not be in the book..

>>127602
Sounds good.

>>127472
Yes you still have to find her. If she is linked to Fizz somehow then we need to find out how and we should also confirm that there is nothing major wrong with her.

>>127844
Fine. I will ask at the nearby hospital after I finish up here.

>>127602
"I am trying to to gather information about demonic rituals, I want to make sure I can recognize one if I come across it."

She clicks and tilts her head at me.

"A fihreman needingh to recognize demons? Core demons are the ones thaht can burn thinghs, but they donh't have an intricate rhitual to summon."

"What about the other ones?"

Her antennae flicks to the sides.

"W-wellh, are you referring to demonic possession, or summoning the ahctual demons? The lahtter is much more dhifficult."

What am I looking for exactly? I could mention the bomb, the kitchen, or the scar, but I do not want anyone else to know I was there.

>>128059
Well you're looking for both. You need information. Magic can turn that old saying about knowledge being a weapon into truth. The more information you have about how things work the more efficiently you can disturb or encourage the process.

You should show her the symbols in question. What the one of Fizz back looks like as well as the symbol from the piece of metal, but not the actual piece of metal. If she asks why then tell her it's because you're interested. Hell if I could get my hands on that stuff I would be checking it out simply because of intrest. Gathering knowledge is never a waste of time.

>>128059
I'm not really sure what we're looking for at this point... I guess it would make sense for the elf to have been possessed and that she did all that stuff at the cafe to set up the cooks for more possessions. Or she somehow managed to do a full demon summoning ritual in the time she had?

You can try asking about what you saw in the kitchen, like the odd temperature and such, but don't actually say where the kitchen was. I guess you can mention the scar in addition to that if you think it's related.

Say, do you think you can figure out a way to give someone a little bit of retrograde amnesia? Make them forget you talked to them? If so we could give her all the details necessary then wipe her memory of it.

>>128062
Truth is power. I scratch out Fizz's scar and the teleporting symbols on paper and show her.

"Specifically these, I need to know if they're part of demon summoning."

She looks at them quizzically.

"...The cirhcles couhld be a teleport for the demonihc dimehnsion, but one of the cirhcles shouhld have a dot in it for thaht to work."

Her antennae flick up.

"The anghle coulhd be retrhibution, so, vengheance demon maybhe? Thaht's terrhible, whaht was it on?"

>>128068
Amnesia... Possibly. I can not affect a person's mind or psyche, but I could cause brain damage that might lead to some kind of memory loss.

>>128351
Tell the truth, sort of.
"I saw it on someone's back, long ago. They didn't seem to see that it was there, even when placed before a mirror."

>>128351
Tell her the general situation of the kitchen without giving away any details about where exactly the kitchen was. If she presses you say it's part of an ongoing investigation and you're not allowed to give out details.

>>128351
And now it just got alot more important to find the goblin. If she has the same or a similar symbol/scar on her then there is definately some even weirder shit going on here, and Fizz could be in some very heavy danger and we need to know why.

>>128521
Ram would know if the goblin had any scars, as he retrieves all anatomical information from a person with a single touch.

>>128354
"It was a scar on a burn victim, it did not show up in a mirror."

"Thaht is bad! It couhld normally be for prohtection, but it wouhld have a dot in the cehnter if it was worhth anythingh. It soundhs like an anchorh for a vengheance demon, given time to seht it couhld come into the worhld on its own, or fasterh with help. Demons do not fully exhist in this dimehnsion, so thaht would explainh why it couhld not be seen indirehctly."

That does not sound good. According to her, Fizz couhl-could easily be possessed by a vengeance demon. I know little of vengeance demons.

>>128464
I am not sure what could be relevant, the kitchen looked very disorganized. I do have an idea though...

"What would be the ritual to summon a demon like that?"

"Well, increhdible traumah to shock them, some kind of maghic to put it on, and time to sphend waitingh."

The goblin died instantly, that does not fit with her.

"Is there a similar ritual that does not require waiting?"

She shakes her head.

"Only golhems, but they just need less time is all."

"I see."

>>128540
I did leave her in bad shape, I was surprised she was able to stand when she did. I did not notice anything off about Fizz's scar until I tried to heal it, the goblin might have something similar I did not try to fix.

>>128521
It is possible, something could happen at any time.

Be sure to thank the nice cockroach lady for being so helpful.

>>128587
Incredible trauma? Fizz did say something about having felt a great amount of pain at one point, worse than the pain from her help in resurrecting the goblin. This is definitely worrying, but we should look up other meanings of the scar anyway.

>>128587
Seems like Fizz could be the one with demonic troubles. Which makes it even more important to find a reliable Spirit mage. By your own admission they're the ones that are best equipped to deal with demons and demonic possession.

But that damn goblin is still odd. We need to figure out if there is any connection between her and Fizz aside from them working at the same place. This still doesn't make alot of sense.

Ram 2010/02/13(Sat)15:59 No. 130761 ID: c0f3bf
File 126610556849.png - (20.89KB , 341x341 , accent.png )

>>128600
"Is there anything else it could mean?"

Fzzt!

She shakes her head.

"Not if it didnh't have a dot, the onhly rheason it wouhld mean somehthing else is if someone scahrring them was incohmpetahnt, nobodhy wouhld scahr themselves withouht knowhing it will worhk, symbohls like thaht normally go on clothehs, not bodies. If it didhn't show up in a mirrhor, it must be part of the demonic dimehnsion."

So it did not show up in the mirror because it was demonic? If she got scarred with malformed protection symbols it was probably not with her knowledge.

Fzzt!

>>128666
You mean soul mages? Spirit mages are capable of dealing with demons, but a soul mage, a kind of spirit mage, would likely be the most adept.

"Do you know of any soul mages around here? I am new to the area."

Chrk!

"Errrh, yes! Strhange question, but thereh's one that just cahme hereh,--"

FZZT!

"...Shouhld your bahdge be flahshing like thaht?"

A fire must have broken out. The badge is directing me to the scene.

>>128594
She has been unusually helpful and knowledgeable, I would not expect that from a complete stranger.

"Thank you, you have been very helpful."

Click!

"You're welhcome, goohd luck!"

I should go... unless I want to try erasing her memory. I think it might be possible.

>>130761

Leave her, one who knows of a soul mage, ready to defend against demonic possession should it endanger the city...

...or attempt to erase her memory risking cerebral hemmoraging (making you a murderer) and possibly leaving evidence that you are a blood mage.

HMM

>>130766
Yeah, you should just go.

>>130761
Before you go ask her about the soul mage. This stuff is important.

>>130771
Not as important as saving people from a fire. Every second counts.

>>130761
Alright then, go ahead and go deal with the fire.

(I'd suggest being wary of messing with people's brains.)

>>130761
You haven't... REALLY told her anything incriminating.

At worst she'll think you're hiding stuff because it's a private matter. We really do need to get that vengeance demon out of Fizz though. I can't help but wonder if it was responsible for the entire incident at the cafe. She did say the waitress mistreated her, and perhaps the vengeance demon also thought the cooks and you were giving Fizz trouble.

It could be hiding itself from you now out of fear, or because you haven't done anything mean to Fizz lately.

Ram 2010/02/13(Sat)20:25 No. 130947 ID: c0f3bf
File 12661215369.png - (23.34KB , 341x341 , strut.png )

>>130773
>>130766
Fine. It would be incredibly useful if I could perfect it, though.

>>130771
"Wh--"
>>130772
>>130768
I run out of the library and rush towards the smoke. It is easy to follow, even without the badge signals.

>>130792
That is not a pleasant thought. If a demon is possessing her body it could know that I am a blood mage. I wonder why it killed the goblin though?

I sprint--

...

The restaurant is on fire, as is the building behind it. It seems I am the first firefighter here. I can still see the police wards in front of the restaurant.

>>130947
Well, presumably you know how to fight a fire, right? I mean, that's why you signed up for the job, right?

So, y'know, do your thing. While we speculate on why the restaurant is on fire. Like if it's because someone is trying to cover up the bombing or whatever.

>>130947
There may be people inside. Go inside and see, but be careful.

>>130953
I mean, assuming you can do "a thing." I guess there's probably not a whole lot you can do by yourself, is there...

>>130947
It probably killed the goblin to get rid of a witness. Strange that all the other bodies were missing, though.

Ye gods, what if you somehow served as a conduit from Fizz to the goblin, so that when you resurrected her, the demon possessed the goblin instead? Then the vengeance demon may have returned here after getting away from the police, to destroy the evidence. Damn it damn it damn it.

Well, the first thing you need to do is get in there and make sure nobody's still inside.

>>130947

My apologies, but it's probably best for you to practice that with people you haven't introduced yourself to. Most people wouldn't voluntarily give up their memories though, much less risk you blowing their head up, so you'll have to do it against their consent if you do choose to develop that skill.

I would focus on tissue mending and (apparantly) reversing the damage of smoke inhalation, if I were you. Note that the lungs are regenerated from the top down.

Mind erasing could be useful, but I don't see any ethical way of figuring it out. Bringing someone (dubiously) back from the dead is far more useful and interesting in my opinion. Leave the subtleties of the mind for the telepaths to bother with. Then again with voices in your head to guide you, how could anything possibly go wrong?

Probably best for you to go in there and see if you can get anyone out alive, since you can take the heat but have no available water source. The toxic fumes in a fire are very dangerous too though, not just its heat. That and the structure collapsing, but you might have some time before that happens.

Wasn't the restaurant barricaded off for the police investigation? Is there anyone in there at all? If no one is in there, just start chucking sand. Try to isolate the blaze, move flammable material away from the buildings, and soak anything you can't move away.

>>130953
There are two main focuses of firefighters: putting out fires and other disasters, and rescuing people from the damage. I could put out fires, but I am better suited to getting people to safety.

>>130955
I have extinguishing powder to put out fires, but that is mostly for containing them until more firefighters arrive with better equipment.

>>130963
I can breathe smoke easily, the reason I am not wearing my scarf. I am not sure if perfecting amnesia is worth the risk, though if I can perfect it the risk will be nullified.

I suppose for now I will just have to keep any more people from finding out. Resurrection is... strange. I think I am going to need more magic practice if I want to do that again.

>>130961
That would explain her comments... And I suppose the scar could just be permanent damage from the process. I did not feel any kind of presence transferring, but if it was a demon that might just be normal.

>>130954
I vault the wards and move inside the restaurant first. Almost everything is in flames. I check behind the bar and find nothing. I run into the kitchen, even open the fridge, but there isn't anything. I enter both of the bathrooms, but I can't find anybody in here. The fire is mostly restricted to the ceiling and walls in here, but the air is full of smoke.

>>130987
Check inside the other building that's on fire.

Personally I think testing amnesia would be worthwhile if you were trying it on someone a little less useful than that Thri-kreen. If you damaged her mind without realizing it, it would be quite a shame, and a waste of a valuable resource.

>>130987
Maybe you can practice resurrection on wild animals.

>>130989
I will resume hunting again.

>>130988
So I should not think about it until it is necessary?

I exit the restaurant and skirt around to the back. The main entrance is in flames, it looks like the fire covers most of the first floor. I run back to the alley between the restaurant and the building. I throw some powder on the flaming trash blocking it and jump over. The fire pole on this side of the building is stable, it looks like I can make it to either of the two floors.

rolled 2 = 2

---

>>131819
Hrm... up first or down first... uhm...

>>131819
Get to the first floor first.

>>131820
>>131821
I climb up to the first floor. There should be two windows on each floor, one to my left and one to my right. I can see heat from both of them.

>>133280
Left.

Go in the window that was cold before.

>>133282
Gonna go by the book here. Left.

>>133280
Left has never steered us wrong in the past.

>>133295
>>133289
>>133282
Left, then.

I move across the walk and reach the window. I can see that it does not open conventionally, I will have to smash it on entering.

I can see the fire clearly. It is covering the door and spread around the walls.

>>133333
Smashy smashy. I guess you could use your helmet to break it open and spare your fist from getting cut up.

>>133333
Let's get to business, then! Get through that window.

>>133346
>>133369
I could easily fix it, but that is more sensible.

I headbutt the window and the glass shatters easily. Smoke pours out as I climb into the room filled with it.

The fire looks to be natural, but I cannot immediately see anything that could have caused it. I have to conserve this limited supply of powder, though I could probably smother fire with my body.

The floor on the right side of the room has caved in, it reaches down to the ground floor, which I can see is on fire.

!

There is someone here, I can hear coughing and whimpering. I do not think they realize I am here. Their left leg has been crushed under a wooden beam holding their body up. Without its weight, they would have fallen into the fire.

>>133395
Alright.

Can you safely free them and get them out of here without any more of the floor caving in? Because that'd be the priority here, I'm thinking.

Oh, and if they're coherent enough, it could be useful to ask if anyone else might be in this building somewhere.

Well, lift the beam up while holding their body to keep them from falling in. As you lift off the beam, repair the leg partially so that it's not a serious break. Turn it into a hairline fracture or something. Make sure they aren't bleeding internally very much.

Also attempt to keep their lungs from being damaged further by the smoke. Don't actually cure the smoke inhalation issues, just stabilize them so that they don't get any worse.

Take them out the window and set them down so you can go back inside to find someone else.

>>133403
I grab its leg and lift up the beam.

She is a female curelian. Other than the crushed leg and lung damage she is relatively healthy.

I reassemble the bone shards and reform the muscle around her leg. I then cleanse her lungs of most of the smoke so she can talk.

I push aside the beam and support her body enough to pull her out of the pit. She continues coughing as I carry her over to the window. I push her onto the walkway and climb out.

>>133401
"Is there anyone still inside the building?"

"Don't... know..."

She wheezes, barely conscious. I cannot see any more firemen coming from this vantage point.

>>133444
Do you think you could get her somewhere basically safe and have her wait for a bit while you continue checking out the building?

The walkway should be safe for quite a while. The building won't be collapsing anytime soon.

Set her down and... um, go back into the room, open the door and see where else you can get to. Obviously you should use a little powder to make it safe to open the door itself.

>>133445
>>133446
Her health is stable and I brought her away from the window. She should be safe until recovery.

>>133452
I climb back through the window into the smoke. The door is completely engulfed in flame, but I can kick it down.

...

I kick it down. The door splinters and I step through the frame. There are stairs leading down to the ground floor, but they are smoldering and likely unstable. There are stairs leading up, untouched by the fire. The wall in front of me is burning up.

>>133454
Go up. If the stairs break, it'll take too much time to climb back up.

>>133454
Uh, go up then, I guess.

>>133454
Up. Someone might have gone upstairs to escape from the fire.

>>133455
>>133482
>>133486
I climb the stairs up to the second floor. I cannot see any fire up here, but that does not make it any more safe. There are two doors, the one to my right is ajar. Smoke fills the air, though it is lighter than it was down below.

Yell and ask if anyone's still up here, while checking in the door that's ajar.

>>133549
Go through the right door, and call out to anyone.

>>133553
>>133554
I run through the door.

"Is anyone here?"

...There is a burmecian still asleep on a couch.

>>133567
Touch him to see if there's anything wrong with him.

>>133567
Well, no time to waste, then. Get 'em up and get moving.

>>133567
Seriously? Well, wake them up and tell them to head to the nearest fire exit.

Then get to the other room.

>>133570
I touch his arm.

He is sleeping, and partially deaf in both ears. I could fix it.

>>133571
I bring him to full consciousness and he gets up with a jolt.

"W-w-what what what is it?!"

He looks at my coat and starts coughing from his rapid inhalation.

"Fuck, is the building on fire?"

I compensate for his hearing.

"Yes, is there anyone else?"

"Hold on,"

He waves his arm--!

A gust of wind blasts away the smoke. He must be an air mage.

"I dunno, sorry, I just got back and crashed."

>>133591
Alright, tell him to get to the nearest fire exit, he should be fine on his own. Let's check the other room.

Wait a second. Can he control air well enough to deprive the fire of oxygen to smother it?

>>133594
Ask this first.
>>133593
This if he says no. If he says he can, then ask him if he wants to help you put the fire out.

>>133594
>>133596
"...Can you smother the fire?"

"Yeah, but don't you guys have people for that?"

"They are not here yet, I need help to put the fire out."

"Sure man, what ya need?"

"Climb down the fire pole and try to put out the ground floor fire from the outside, it will destroy the rest of the building."

"Yeah alright, lemme get my bag."

He picks up a backpack and heads for the stair exit to the walkway.

>>133597
Alright let's check the other room now!

Hmm, maybe you should make sure he makes it to the fire escape.

>>133598
There is a clear path, I do not think he will have any trouble, especially if he can keep from breathing the smoke.

I move back into the hallway. The door is relatively cool, I open it and look around. The room is... completely bare. I can see a trapdoor on the floor, but there are no windows or furniture.

>>133654
Can you open up the trapdoor?

>>133654
Can you trap up the open door?

No wait, don't do that.

>>133659
If I had some spare materials, but there isn't anything around.

>>133656
I start lift--

CRACK!

"Rgh!"

Thud!

...Part of the floor caved in. I fell to the first floor.

>>133668
Well, that's a most unorthodox way of getting to see what's beyond the trapdoor. Look around.

>>133668
Damn it. Alright, start quickly checking all the rooms for victims of the fire.

>>133670
>>133671
There is only one room, smaller than the rest. There are no doors, but there is the window. The cooling enchantment has melted away from the fire. I cannot see anyone here, and it is very unlikely that the ceiling caved in on them.

There is a burning table--!?

Something on the table is spraying gold arcs. They are cold.

>>133744
Throw fire extinguishing powder on it!

>>133744
I'm gonna go with gold arcs spraying from the table as a bad thing, and second the extinguishing powder notion.

>>133744
Wasn't the 'bomb' at the restaurant spraying out gold arcs just as it detonated?
...This fire is definitely arson - or, to put it in simpler terms, planned.

See if you can disable it without smashing it; and figure out if it's safe for you to report it (I.E. it won't draw a lot of attention to you.)

Ram 2010/02/17(Wed)23:42 No. 134111 ID: c0f3bf
File 126647892322.png - (82.29KB , 341x341 , smoke.png )

>>133765
>>133796
I throw powder on until the blaze is out. The table is scorched beyond use, but there is some kind of slag metal melted into it.

Ash is scattered over the floor. There... is a symbol etched into it.

>>134111
Investigate the slag and the symbol on the floor.

Ram 2010/02/18(Thu)01:03 No. 134184 ID: c0f3bf
File 126648382949.png - (85.00KB , 341x341 , ash.png )

>>134112
I brush away some of the ash. I am not very knowledgeable of symbols, but the slag and the floor have something in common. I scar it into myself to check later, next to the other one.

Everything else that might have been in the room is now lost to the fire. I do not think I can climb back up the debris... and there is no door.

Break the window to get out. We should investigate the ground floor next, now that we don't have to worry about people falling through the floor or anything.

>>134184

>> I scar it into myself to check later,

You know, etching demonic symbols onto or into your own body may not be the most advisable of actions.

Just saying.

Ram 2010/02/19(Fri)19:36 No. 135668 ID: c0f3bf
File 126663699298.png - (39.62KB , 341x341 , knife.png )

>>134227
I am not a spirit mage, symbols I draw should contain such little magic as to render them useless. I am also making them free of intent, especially without any demonic components. Even if I had enough magic to effectively use them, they should not have any kind of impact.

...Regardless, I remove the scars. They heal without issue, unlike the one on Fizz's back.

>>134199
I headbutt the window and climb out.
!
More firemen have arrived now, I can see that wind mage has been relieved by a water mage to extinguish the fire on the ground. I checked all the room--

Thok!

!!!

There is a poisoned knife. In my back. The poison is deadly, I can feel it seep into my bloodstream.

>>135668
Yeah right. Neutralize that poison, and look up at the roof to see who threw it. Then remove the knife, heal the wound, and throw it back at them.

>>135668
Find the person that stabbed you and make them realise why stabbing a blood mage is a bad idea. Drain them of blood to heal yourself.

>>135668
Uh, that's not really good.

But then again poison is something you can deal with, right?

You've definitely gotten involved with somebody who doesn't want you in their shit, though.

>>135668

Don't just neutralize the poison. Collect it into your mouth and spit it back in the direction the knife came from. Expand your frill.

Ram 2010/02/19(Fri)22:21 No. 135781 ID: c0f3bf
File 12666469176.png - (18.33KB , 341x341 , bat.png )

>>135675
>>135670
>>135673
I stop the poison. The knife could not have come from above, but I see the assassin soon after I turn around. A male flight curelian on the nearby building is taking off.

!

I think he is wearing an eyepatch over his right eye!

>>135679
He is too far away, and likely has an antidote on him just in case. And I do not have a frill.

>>135781
Throw the knife at him, unless you think you can catch him.

>>135789
Ram is a fireman! He'd get yelled at if he threw a weapon at someone!
>>135781
Just yell at him. Hopefully that'll be able to surprise him long enough for you to actually do something.

>>135792
"I know and I can help"

>>135813
This. If nothing else it'll give him pause.

>>135781

Aw, too bad. Frills rock my socks dude.

Just... try to watch what direction he's flying. You probably should focus more on the fire. Gotta figure out why people are trying to kill you though. Who would know you're a blood mage, or could there be another reason?

Ram 2010/02/22(Mon)00:21 No. 137129 ID: c0f3bf
File 126682687217.png - (43.03KB , 341x341 , onomatopoeia.png )

>>135789
He is much too far away, and about to fly.

>>135840
Fizz is the only person I'm sure knows that I am a blood mage. It is possible she told other people.

>>135792
>>135813
>>135815
I stare into his... eye.

"Hey! Whatever it is, whatever you need, no matter what trouble you're in, I can help! Give me a chance, list--"

Whump!

!!!

Thud!

A nevrean just tackled me from behind.

"Bastard! Don't you dare die from this!"

!
She stabbed me with a needle! It's... an antidote to the poison in the knife.

>>137129
Hey, we might get a lead out of this after all!

Shove her off of you and ask what on earth she's on about. (Obviously don't let on that you fixed the poison issue yourself.)

I guess that assassin's gonna get away.

Act confused, then thank her. No need to blow your cover right away.

>>137129
Ask her what that was about. A dinky little knife isn't enough to bring you down. Don't let on that you know it was poisoned.

Other than that kindly ask her to get out of the burning building and get back to rescuing people.

>>137132
Long gone now, I cannot determine where he flew.

>>137133
"What exactl--"

Slap!

"Shut up, don't waste your strength on asking stupid questions."

>>137130
I roll her off me with difficulty. Her hands and back become incised with shards of broken glass. She cries out in pain and I stand up.

"Hrah!"

?!

She just kicked me off the walkway! I fall--

Whump!

...Onto a plateau of stone that rose up from the ground.

>>137140
Ask her who she is, and what she's doing here.

>>137140
Um.

You feeling okay?

If you are, you might wanna try being a little more forceful with your question. Like, punctuating it with expletives, that sort of thing. Y'know, just generally indicate that you feel basically okay (if you still do) and that you'd really like to know what the hell is going on.

>>137140
Ask her what the fuck that was for? You have people to save and no time to lie around like a lazy bastard.

>>137142
>>137141
>>137143
"The FUCK is wrong with you?! Here I am trying to save these assholes from being horribly burned and I get stabbed in the FUCKING back and stuck with a goddamn needle!! Tell me who you are and what the FUCK you want, or get the hell out of my way, you FUCKING bitch!"

"Shut. Up. Now."

She raises her--

Thuk!

?!?

The stone closed in around my body!

"Now keep your mouth shut and stop struggling. Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to take you in, and you are going to tell me everything you know about these bastards so I can arrest them and get my goddamn friend back alive. I don't know if Un-Sight was hired to hit you or me, but I'm going to find out whether you like it or not."

>>137148
Well that sounds bad. Still it's probably better to play along for now. If you continue resisting you might be faced with a confrontation where you will either have to reveal what you are or one you cannot win.

>>137148
Okay, so apparently you don't really know how to curse. Which is okay, if extremely amusing.

On a more serious note, uhh. I guess you're basically gonna have to run with this, much as you probably don't want to.

>>137148
Uh, mutter to yourself something along the lines of "What the hell is this crazy bird talking about?"

>>137148
Say nothing. Look surprised (shouldn't be hard) then resigned.

>>137151
>>137149
>>137150
>>137152
I...

...Fine. I'll wait it out. She is definitely a member of the police, or some other kind of detective.

This is not ideal.

"Crazy bird..."

Thrrk!

She covered my mouth with stone.

.

. .

. . .

She dragged me all the way to a precinct. Police. I can feel my heart beating much faster than normal. Nausea wells up in my stomach.

!

She put a blindfold on me. I can feel myself getting shifted around. ...Left. Right. Right. Left. Left. Left.

The blindfold is coming off now.

It's an interrogation room. A strong light shines on my eyes. The nevrean is staring at me with a look of absolute contempt. There is a human next to her.

"...Talk. Who was that knife aimed at?"

>>137158
"Well, it hit me, so it was probably aimed at me."

>>137158
The one that hit you in the back?

As far as you know, you, right?

>>137158
"I assume it was aimed at me because it hit me. Why someone would want to throw knifes at me is something I don't understand though. I'm just a fireman and I was there to save lives."

>>137158
"The knife? Oh, you mean the knife that embedded itself in my back?

I responded to my badge call and went to do my job, to try to save lives and put out the fire. The last thing I expected was a knife in the back, and the last thing after that was a police officer tackling me and jabbing me with a needle."

Maybe toss in a "I wish somebody had told me to expect flying daggers hitting me in the back before I got this job."

>>137159
>>137160
>>137161
>>137169
"It was in my back. What do you think?"

The nevrean starts pacing.

"Why was there a hit on you?"

"I am a fireman. The building was blazing. My badge called me there. Why would someone try to kill me?"

"I'm asking you that."

"I do not know. I would not have taken this job if I knew it would result in people actively attempting to kill me."

"You're not a fireman. You're just a volunteer. Anyone can be a volunteer. Why were you really there?"

>>137171
"My badge went off. It signaled to that building."

>>137171
"There was a fire. I'm a volunteer fireman. Why do you think I was there?"

>>137171
"What? I'm not a volunteer. I passed the tests and I'm getting paid and everything. You need to get your facts straight. This IS my first day on the job, though."

>>137173
Well it did.

I've been corrected on this; apparently Ram is a paid volunteer.

So instead, just say your badge told you to go there.

>>137173
>>137174
>>137178
>>137180
>>137183
Volunteer firemen are paid, it would be accurate to say they volunteer to perform a high-risk service for lower wages, generally with little experience.

"My badge pointed me here. I am a volunteer fireman. What exactly do you want me to say?"

"Of course you are. You're a firemen with a badge. Stop telling half truths. You know the real issue here."

"No. I do not."

She slams my head against the desk. A small trickle of blood wets my temple.

"I'm sick of your crap! Where is she!? What are you doing with her!?"

The human holds her back, whispering something about brutality and the stab wound on my back.

The nevrean seems to calm down slightly. Something is causing her irrational anger.

The human walks up to me and checks my back. I did not heal the would, it is still there. He starts dressing it with a bandage and some gel. The nevrean continues.

"Demons. Core. Golem. Morphic. It is difficult, dangerous, and downright stupid to bring them into this dimension."

She slams her fist down on the desk

"So why are we finding summoning rituals almost everywhere we look?!"

...So someone is trying to summon demons? This is starting to irritate me, she has the wrong person.

>>137190
Obviously, she's angry because someone she's got a strong emotional tie to is being negatively affected by whatever's going on. I'm guessing in the "getting abducted" way based on what she's said here so far.

The problem is I don't know what you should actually say. I mean, these guys seem to be interested in the same thing you are, but it's going to be quite difficult to get you guys working in the same direction, because knowing the "wrong" thing is just going to draw more suspicion to yourself.

That and it's obviously not in your best interest to explain what you are to the police.

>>137190
Let some of that irritation show. You are after all an innocent man. Tell her you have no idea who it is she is looking for. And tell her you have no idea who is summoning demons or why they're doing it.

Btw did you remove the runes you scared into your body? Because if you didn't now would probably be a good time to do so before they find them.

>>137193
The runes he scared are internal. They'd need to dissect him in order to find them.

>>137190
If you have that magical teleport thing on you, show it to them and ask if it has anything to do with demon summoning. Say you found it in the alleyway between the two burning buildings.

>>137193
I would say that confusion regarding the mention of demons is probably more appropriate than "I don't know who."

I guess this does give us a bit of a hint as to what the hell the deal was in the restaurant that started this whole mess in the first place.

>>137194
Well they're already gone so that point is moot. Good thing too, convincing her that he had nothing to do with it would be alot harder with demonic runes on his body.

>>137196
Hrm.

Now that I think about it.

Depending on the complexion this conversation proceeds to take, I wonder if it might be worth it to offer your aid. (Not immediately, obviously.) You both seem to be pursuing similar leads, and it might deflect suspicion if you say you'll help out however you can.

Heck, you could even potentially be able to reveal information that could be useful to them but that you can't currently reveal without drawing undue suspicion. Although that would necessarily come later.

So, y'know. I dunno. Say something like "Someone is trying to summon demons?," I guess, for now?

>>137190
"Someone is trying to summon demons?" in a confused tone; followed by "Wait, are you saying that fire was premeditated, as some kind of summoning ritual?"

>>137241

This, and at least you can tell them what you saw on the scene. A male flight Corelian with an eyepatch over his right eye threw the dagger. You don't know why you were just looking for people to rescue from the fire. Being an ezilot in town, it makes obvious sense to volunteer for the fire fighters, so they have no business questioning why you were doing it.

You should also tell them about the symbols on the slag and the floor. You put out the fire there after all. The reason you put it out is that it seemed like something was happening that could have possibly caused an explosion, NOT because you're looking for demonic symbols to help your cutebold friend.

You probably shouldn't tell them about Fizz's scar yet. It really is a coincidence that would just make them more suspicious of you, and the people they're trying to track down could be closely monitoring Fizz (thus the reason you got a dagger in your back) so any disturbance would send them into hiding.

I wouldn't tell them about that Thri-Kreen either. Again, it would expose that you're involved in looking for evidence of demonic activity. The roach was well away from the fire when it started, and the people doing this obviously already know what they need to know about demonology, so wouldn't need to go to the library about it.

"She? She who?! What's wrong with you? You can't just go around entombing people in stone because you figure they must be guilty of something if somebody decided to stab them!"

>Words

"Why would anyone want to bring demons from their home dimension?

"I just asked you that."

"I can say the same now. Our knowledge is mutual."

"..."

"Tell me what is going on. I cannot help you if I do not know what I'm supposed to be thinking of."

"...Fine. I'll bite."

She steps back from the desk and waves away the human. Then she starts bandaging her bloody hands.

"Three weeks ago, two attempts of demon summoning. Two weeks ago, five attempts, and those were just the ones we found. Before this, we had maybe two cases a month, and those only ever summoned anything if we were unlucky! This is practically unheard of."

She takes a step towards me.

"If you summon a demon and try to control it, inexperienced mages are cinches to die, from the actual demons or just the rituals alone. It takes a lot of skill, materials, or raw power for it to work, and the demon usually breaks loose anyway from the shock."

She takes another step towards me.

"Then we started finding these."

She holds out her arm.

!

There is a symbol scarred on it in the same shape as the ones in the burning building.

"One week ago, I was put on investigating this. First place I checked had three spirit mages all with scars like this, trying to summon a demon. That was when I realized all the demon summoners were connected somehow. I arrested them all... but..."

She clenches her bandaged fists.

"Someone gassed the room. I was out for three days. When I woke up, I had this scar, and was chained to the floor of an abandoned apartment. Somebody didn't count on me waking up when I did. Or leveling the earth to get out."

She closes her eyes and makes an expression of loathing.

"I finally caught up on what I'd missed, and this curelian bastard Un-Sight started assassinating all the witnesses before we could interrogate them."

She lowers her head.

"One time he grazed me with a poisoned knife. I was out for two days, but I managed to get an antidote out of it."

She makes an exasperated noise from her throat.

"I had to sleep in the cells to prevent someone from tracking me while I was resting!"

She opens her eyes.

"Then you bastards took my friend. I never had a chance to use the antidote on anyone before they died..."

She looks into my eyes.

"Until now."

"I am not part of this."

"I think you're lying."

"Your judgment is clouded with concern."

"I saw you outside the buildings that were set on fire today before. I would have arrested you, but I didn't know you were involved in a bombing then. How's that for 'clouded'."

!!

>>138546
"So you saw me pass by a building while I was out for a walk? I hardly call that conclusive evidence that I was involved with the bombings."

My gut instinct says trust her. She told you, so tell her.

"I might have seen a scar."

Depending on her reaction you can say more, or stop trusting her. She clearly is not behind the demon summoning, so at worst she would be a less dangerous enemy if she knows about Fizz. You might tell her of Fizz's unusual...behavior in the kitchen, but mostly the scar is important. Your interactions with Fizz are probably what put you on the hit list, however innocent they are.

Seeing the scar, you then went to research it in the library, and talked with a roach about demonic symbols. That might also have put you on the hit list. That will give her two new leads, Fizz and that thri-kreen lady. She might be able to help you then, but at worst she will know to leave you alone since you are despite the bizarre coincidences an innocent spectator.

Tell her about the bomb, and imply that it seemed to activate when Fizz approached. Unfortunately you did not see who was previously at that table, but maybe Fizz did.

I'd avoid telling her about the goblin for now. She already has the report for that, and there's too much risk there of exposing that you're a blood mage. You are pretty much stuck telling her your involvement with the bombing though. Apologize, but say you didn't want to get involved and just left the restaurant.

>>138626
Fizz's scar is completely different, and she didn't behave in a strange manner in the kitchen. The goblin did, though.

Tell her you were near the cafe when it was bombed, and went in to see if you could help. You found the goblin in a fridge with bite marks, and went out into the alley to see if you could find the people who did it. You were about to go back inside when you heard the police talking to the goblin, who never mentioned you, and decided not to get further involved.

Then show her the fragment, telling her you found it in the alley. You experimented with it and found out it's a teleport device. Say you hadn't thought it was related to the bombing, but from what she's said it sounds like they're teleporting the demons to somewhere where they can contain them. Maybe they're forming a demon army or something.

Tell her you found a trap door in that burning building, that lead to a strange cold-arcing device with those symbols on it. That was the room you were climbing out of when you got hit by the dagger.

Ask who her friend is.

>>138546
Tell her that of course you were at the apartment building that burned down yesterday. You lived there.

As for the bomb, you were in there to get a bit of food to eat, the bomb went off and in your very confused and shocked state you left without contacting the police. You do realise that it was a very stupid thing to do, but people sometimes do stupid things when they're shocked.

As for the demonic summoning stuff. You have no fucking idea on what's going on. You did however see a Curelian in the diner before the bomb went off. The friend you're stay with might know more since she worked at that place.

Fall into convulsions because all the voices in your head are going nuts!

>>139125
I can stop convulsions, in fact, I do not think I can have them at all unless I initiate them.

>>138549
>>138662
"I was outside the restaurant when that happened! I was going to get some food... wait!"

"What?"

"I'm remembering something! The kobold there had her back exposed!"

"...Just--"

"No, there was a scar on it! I remember it looked strange, like a perfect angle."

She puts a piece of paper and a pen on the desk.

"Draw it."

I draw the scar on Fizz's back.

"...Haven't seen this one before."

"Oh, right! There is one more thing, I found this in the alley between the burning buildings when I was looking for burn victims."

I take out the metal fragment and put it on the desk. Her eyes widen and she clutches her head with both of her hands.

"That... what... no..."

She takes it with the most... quizzical and confused expression I think I have ever seen. I break the silence.

"Guess I knew more than I thought I did... sorry."

"How come you didn't mention this sooner?"

"Because a crazy bird was asking the questions, and seemed determined to find me guilty of something! Stress is not very helpful on your memory!"

She frowns slightly and move over to the door.

"David, get in here. You... whatever your involvement in this, I'm placing you in custody, for your own good. If Un-Sight or whoever he's working for wants you dead, you're going to be safest right here."

The human returns and the nevrean motions at me. They lift me up and open the door.

My hands are free... I think I could hit them both at once.

>>139884
Attacking or incapacitating them would put suspicion back on you...

I get that staying with the police is an idea you don't like, but is there any excuse you can make that doesn't reveal you're a blood mage and doesn't force you to stay here?

And what about Fizz? What are they going to do about her? Will they find her and bring her here, too?
...I wonder if she managed to get that job today... or if it would be a good idea to tell them you're staying at her apartment.

How well can you fake death? You could go along with it, then when they leave you alone, fake death and wait. You can escape when an opportunity presents itself.

>>139890
I can keep myself from appearing nervous despite what I am actually feeling.

It is strange, the metal piece I showed them sparked much more interest than Fizz's scar. I am not sure what that means, however.

>>139960
I can definitely fake my death, in many ways. I will wait until I am alone.

They bring me down a twisting hallway and into a larger room with cells. They put me in one at the end and lock the door. The nevrean speaks.

"Stay in here, we'll bring you some food later. Not gourmet, but at least nobody's going to get in here without a serious fight."

She leaves, along with the human. I do not see any guards around the immediate area. I look around the cell. It is made out of steel, and the bars test as very sturdy. It is well-maintained.

Tink! Tink! Tink!

I think the person in the cell to my right is knocking on the wall.

"Hey. Blood mage."

!?!?

>>140030
Don't answer him. He clearly must be thinking of someone else. *wink*

>>140034
Good idea. I'll go along with that line of thinking.

"Are you talking to me? Don't be silly, Blood Mages are just a myth."

>>140030
Don't say anything about yourself.

Just presume they're talking to someone else and say, loud enough that anyone else in other nearby cells could hear, "Blood Mages aren't real. They're just a fairy tale."

>>140034
I stay silent.

Tink! Tink! Tink!

Tink! Tink! Tink!

"Hey, I know you're there, you might as well say something."

>>140043
>>140071
I scoff loudly.

"Blood mages don't exist, they're just stories kids tell to scare themselves around campfires."

"Really? But I know that's not true. Coming back from the dead kinda points otherwise."

Wait... I think I recognize her voice...

>>140075
That's silly. People can't come back from the dead. Tell her she's silly.

>>140075
It's the goblin from the cafe. I guess she realized what happened.

We have so many questions for her.

Why haven't you told them about me? Why the strange behavior after you woke up? Do you remember what attacked you?

>>140075
I think a "Who are you?" is innocent enough.

>>140075
"So you figured out what happened. Are you feeling better now or are you still convinced that you're not a goblin?"

Dammit. If you touched her and undid all the stuff you did to heal her, would that count as murder? Yeah it probably would.

Ram 2010/03/02(Tue)05:13 No. 141208 ID: c0f3bf
File 126753559558.png - (23.32KB , 341x341 , morphic.png )

>>140077
>>140077
>>140080
"That is impossible. Who are you?"

"Jeeze, relax, we're the only ones here."

I look inside the other cells. I do not see anyone else.

>>140078
"What happened? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't think you'd want me to, and resurrection counts for a lot of brownie points in my book."

"Do you remember what attacked you?"

"...Yes."

>>140331
She was already dead, but now since she is alive I would have to inflict the same wounds to undo the healing, which were fatal. Resurrection is supposed to be impossible, I can't think of any way to appeal for it without giving too much information.

>>140104
"Why were you acting so strange when you woke up? Are you feeling better, or are you still convinced you are not a goblin?"

"I died, I'm pretty sure I have an excuse to be out of it for a while. Getting better, but I still feel a bit sluggish. As for the goblin thing... I am still convinced. Maybe I should convince you too?"

I hear a strange sound not unlike silk flapping in the wind. A shifting mass slips between the bars of my cell-! It coalesces into the goblin.

"We never really got a good opportunity to talk last time, and Raka isn't my real name. Eikoesta, at your service, but people that bring me back to life can call me 'Eiko'."

>>141208
"... What are you??"

>>141208
Well this shit just keeps getting weirder. Ram, do you have a tattoo somewhere on your body that says "I love to deal with weird shit" because I'm starting to think that's the case.

But on towards buisness. So Eiko isn't really a goblin, it's a shapechanger that looks like a goblin for some god damn odd reason. So we have a one eyed curelian assassin, who may have been at the diner before it blew up, and he's involved in summoning demons. A nice kobold that's a bit bigger than normal with a fucking odd scar and some trauma in the past that was very painful. And now a shapechanging goblin that worked at the same diner as Fizz. And someone wanted them both dead.

Well not much you can do about that right now. Ask her what she is and why she is staying here when she could obviously break out at any time.

>>141208
I'm gonna go ahead and second asking "What are you?", because that's the only question that makes sense right now.

By the way, Ram, what would you do if you met a female blood mage? Barring how rare blood mages are, say the dice just suddenly fell in favor and this time around, two blood mages were alive at the same time - and met.

No wonder she was confused at being called a goblin. She's some sort of shapeshifter, so her last form, the form you brought her back as, wasn't necessarily her true form.

You didn't notice any oddities in her anatomy that might have indicated her abilities at shapeshifting when you brought her back?

#6 IS A SHAPESHIFTER

>>141209
>>141212
I... am not sure what I would do. It would entirely depend on them, I think, though I am now wondering how reproduction works with regards to blood magic. I do not think I have ever had a fertility test.

"...What are you?"

"Enuzian. But morphic demon is probably what you'd call it.

So she is a demon...

>>141226
It would appear so.

>>141225
I did not notice anything particularly strange.

>>141211
"You can just leave whenever you want, why are you still in here?"

She gives me a sly look and smiles.

"I've been listening, and watching people come in and out. Learned some very interesting things, too. Besides, it I wasn't always alone in here, someone could've seen me. I was going to leave while they were questioning you, but I'm not one to forget a face, especially one that resurrected me."

>>141228
So, uh, hey, Ram?

I think, uh.

I think you may actually have some culpability in this whole "summoning demons" thing, here. I mean, strictly speaking, I don't think you necessarily did the summoning part? ... but she's still a demon who is up and about as a direct result of your actions.

Not really sure what you should think about that.

On the upside, she doesn't seem particularly... demonic, outside of the whole freaky shapeshifting thing. Or at least she isn't out threatening anybody's lives at the moment.

Uhh.

Yeah, uh, I'd ask her what she's planning on doing in the near future. Probably.

>>141228
And the weird shit just keeps piling up. Ask her what a morphic demon was doing working as a waiter as well as why someone decided to kill her in such a messy and public way.

>>141228
Ask her what attacked her.

Let's not panic everyone. It's likely she was a demon disguised as a goblin before we ever met her. It's highly unlikely that our attempts at healing inadvertantly sacrificed a humble goblin's soul in an unholy ritual that consumed her body with a demon's dark essence OH GOD WHAT HAVE WE DONE

>>141344
"Were you ever a goblin?"

She shakes her head, ears swinging.

"Not a real one. Fully demon, through and through. No possession here!"

>>141233
>>141285
She wasn't working there, not at the time at least.

"Why was a morphic demon in a restaurant? Do you even need to eat?"

"Are you kidding me? I eat like I'm starving! That time th--uh, eating."

She is not saying the truth.

"What attacked you?"

"Niv--wild demon. Looked like a giant dog."

>>141230
"I brought a demon back to life. What are you planning on doing with it?"

"Well, I was thinking on getting us out of here, unless you wanted to stay for some reason."

>>141826
Call her out on her lies. Mention that if you just break out, they'd try to track you down and the last thing a Blood Mage needs is police attention.

Ask her why she didn't reveal your true nature.

>>141826
>She is not saying the truth.
And what she did say didn't make any sense, either. Hm.

I'm kinda torn. On the one hand, it's pretty annoying to just sort of hang around in here (and my latent paranoia is making me worried about Fizz). On the other hand, if you leave now, you're going to make the police even more suspicious of you, and as awkward as this meeting has been I'd still kind of like to help the poor crazy bird out.

One good thing is that since Eiko is quite literally indebted to you for her life, you can probably avoid her doing anything, uh, unscrupulous. I mean, she's nice enough, and we don't really have a specific reason to distrust her, but I'm a bit afraid of the sort of answer we might get if we ask her what she does for "fun" (largely on principle, since she's a demon and all).

Then again, I suppose you're a blood mage who we're working toward making into an upstanding citizen. Who knows?

>>141830
And yeah ask her for a straight answer as to what she was doing in the restaurant.

Oh, ask how she was summoned!

They don't know you're a blood mage, and they don't know she's a demon shapeshifter. It might be boring now, but my gut feeling is you shouldn't play your hand just yet. Hold off on escaping for now, at least until you finish your conversation.

>>141826
Remember all that raw meat lying around in the kitchen? That was probably her lunch, and I bet she didn't pay for it. Ask her why someone would send a Niv to rip her apart.

Tell her that you will stay. If you wanted to break out I think you could manage it. But breaking out in this situation would only increase their suspiscion and might get a manhunt started on you because you're pretty much the only lead they have currently.

But while you're here Fizz has no protection. And that is where our little demon can help you. Tell her to watch Fizz from a distance and keep her safe. She can also give Fizz a message from you "I'm held by the police. I'm not a suspect but a witness and they're holding me to keep me safe. Should get out soon, hope everything went well with looking for work." and after that she is to guard Fizz. As she is a demon herself she should be aware of any tricks the demons might pull to get to Fizz and how to watch against them.

>>141891
If you're going to go with this, Ram, emphasize one point - the demon owes you. If she tries to pull anything funny with Fizz or doesn't help out at all, you're going to be very cross.
And she doesn't want an angry Blood Mage on her ass, demon or no.

Ask about the flight Curelian. I think he was trying to kill her, knowing why would be a good idea.

>>141829
She said that she did not think I wanted her to, but she is clearly not expressing the entire truth.

"What was the real reason you did not mention me? That would have been strong initiative."

"Uh..."

>>141891
"What is a 'Niv'?"

"Nivis... Wild demon. We don't use the same words is all."

"Why would someone send one after you?"

"I... don't know?"

She could be telling the truth, but I doubt it.

>>142034
"There was an assassin there that day, was he trying to kill you as well?"

"Assassin? Who?"

"The curelian."

"I don't... think so. He was an assassin?"

>>141832
"Why were you really in the restaurant?"

"I was hungry. Look, can we talk about this after we leave or something?"

"I have to stay here. Currently, nobody is aware I can manipulate magic at all. If I break out I will be suspected, along with you."

"I can't keep this up forever! And you need--"

>>141891
>>141986
"I am staying here. I need your help with something else. The kobold from the restaurant may have demons looking for her."

"...So..."

"Guard her for a while, she may be possessed by one herself."

"I have... time now, okay."

I give her directions.

>>141838
"...How were you summoned here in the first place?"

She looks at me strangely.

"How about this. I'll tell you when you get out of here, alright?"

>>143065
Tell her that it sounds fair.

Not much you can do after that but sit down and wait. Maybe experiment a bit with what changes you can do inside of your own body. How efficeint can you make your metabolism, how good can you purge your system of impurities and things like that.

>>143065
Man she's not really answering your questions too well.

But I guess if you feel like you can trust her, and she's willing to keep an eye on Fizz, that's probably okay for now. As long as she makes good on that promise of explaining more when you get the chance.

I'm not completely sold on Eiko's trustworthiness, but then again she's the one who actually bothered to come in here and talk to you. Her motive seems to be in the right direction, anyway.

What did the wild demon look like? Was there anyone else in the kitchen when she got attacked? Did she hear anything odd before the bomb went off? Did she see where any of the other employees went?

What questions did the police ask her?

Mneme!CRITTerXzI 2010/03/06(Sat)17:49 No. 143115 ID: a85626
File 126792656951.jpg - (4.31KB , 96x107 , uhoh.jpg )

>>143065

> "...How were you summoned here in the first place?"

> She looks at me strangely.

>>143070
>>143072
>>143078
"That sounds fair."

She nods her head. Her body diffuses back into a formless entity and materializes outside the bars. I think I want to examine her like that.

>>143078
"Why were you detained in the first place?"

"I'll tell you stuff when you get out of here. Don't take too long, okay?"

She silently walks away, slipping under the door.

...

There is nobody around. Now what?

>>143263
Is there a window on the wall of your cell?

Mneme!CRITTerXzI 2010/03/06(Sat)22:36 No. 143323 ID: a85626
File 126794377594.jpg - (12.82KB , 400x225 , just_as_planned.jpg )

Do absolutely nothing.

Eh. Just... fake a heart attack, I guess.

Sit down and meditate. Experiment a bit with what you can do to your insides to make them more efficient.

>>143263
You got any ideas as to how exactly you could experiment with your abilities, since we've got a bunch of downtime to work with here?

>>143306
No, not even a barred one.

>>143485
Nothing specific...

>>143407
I curl up in a sleeping position and prepare to modify my body. I am incredibly efficient already, and I can almost unconsciously keep my condition from degrading due to natural influences. Unless there's something I've forgotten, I cannot think of anything I could try.

>>143563
Could you allow the poison to take effect, showing its symptoms, and appear to die from it but not quite?

>>143565

Oh you are cruel. I like the way you think.

I would prefer Ram not be publically declared dead at this point though.

>>143563

I have an idea you probably haven't tried. Make eyeballs on your fingers. That way you can see around corners!

>>143569
Well, they don't actually know who he is... and if we escape after they take him out of the cell, they won't ever know.

>>143569
I believe I would have to completely change the structure of my hands for the to be able to see... And it would be conspicuous, to say the least.

>>143565
>>143765
I could... but dying from a poison that takes effect quickly when introduced long after the antidote was administered does not seem like a natural death. I would also wish to stay out of hospitals and morgues as much as possible. Doctors make me... uneasy.

Crck!

The door to the rest of the station opened. I watch the nevrean girl come in. She is carrying a... tray of food. I am not hungry.

>>144105
Excellent. You may not be hungry... but you can eat some and then later pretend it was poisoned.

My plan centers around being outside of the police station with someone next to you that you can knock out and escape without anyone knowing what really happened. It would look like the demon-summoners stole your body. For added authenticity you could put a stab wound on the person you knock out, making sure it misses all vital organs.

On the other hand, the bird might notice the goblin is missing, decide it's not safe here anymore, and let you out. Then you could get away with some other method.

Tell her you're not really that hungry. Say that you ate right before getting called to the fire. I guess you could eat a bite or two, though.

>>144105
Advice from a glutton: Eat when not hungry.

>>144112
Ergh... Fine.

I increase my appetite and start eating once she puts the tray in front of me. It's not very good.

"Hey. Are you sure you can't think of any reasons someone would want you dead?"

>>144140
Well you could experiment some with the food. Can you increase the speed of your metabolism so the food is processed faster and other food related stuff.

As for her question. Tell her no, you see no reason why anyone would want to kill a ezilot with acting dreams working as a volunter fireman, makes no sense to you, you assume you were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time today. And you would also like to get back home as soon as possible.

I still don't see why you didn't tell her about your involvement with Fizz. By pointing out the scar you pretty much exposed Fizz to police scrutiny, but nothing you did in relation to that restaurant would indicate you were a blood mage. Your natural heat senses picked up a bomb going off leading you to tackle a kobold who you then found had a magic scar that you then researched at the library, which was probably where you got on their hit list.

But instead you told her you were outside the restaurant, and you just randomly saw the kobold had a scar, and just randomly found that teleport thingie, instead of when sneaking out the back later on. I could understand if you avoided mentioning you had any involvement with the goblin/demon who this police lady seems quite unsurprised not to see, but the other stuff would have actually helped your story, because they're true!

With the alibi you gave I just can't imagine any reason anyone would want to kill you specifically. The best you could say is that sparking spell you found when putting out the fire someone might have been trying to kill you for accidentally discovering that.

Only two people know you're a blood mage so far. Neither of them have told anyone, and neither of them want to kill you. Your would-be assassins can't be using this as the reason because they have no way of knowing you are at all. Plus they've killed many more people this way, and it's a good bet those people weren't blood mages. So that's not even an issue. Don't even worry about it. Do avoid doctors though they might notice your um... biological enhancements.

>>144228

Problem with that is I actually do kind of want to help the police lady person in her quest to solve this crime. :/ It would be just mean to leave her without what could possibly be vital information that's harmless enough for us to easily divulge. But the problem now is that'd mean changing your story, and once you do that they can never be sure which story is the truth or not.

>>144253
I'm more intersted in keeping Ram out of jail and as far away from suspiscious minds as possible, and cops tends to be suspicious.

We might be able to help her out later via annoymus tips.

"I can't think of anything. Maybe he mistook me for someone else? He did throw it into my back, so he might not have seen my face. Perhaps there's another firefighter in trouble. Or maybe I was just in the way, and he was throwing it at you?"

>>144266
I did think it was a good idea to send the metal fragment, perhaps the concept can be recycled.

>>144248
I... apologize. I did not think the situation through. I was too concerned with staying unrelated, I did not stop to think that it would have been a better idea to tell the truth, omitting few details.

>>144253
There are a few things I can mention without disrupting it.

>>144269
>>144228
I metabolize the food instantly. I do not think anything changed.

"I cannot think of any reason. Maybe he mistook me for someone else, or he was aiming at you."

She sighs, I think she expected an answer similar to that.

"Unless..."

"Unless what?"

I scratch the side of my neck.

"Well... the room you... apprehended me outside of. It was strange compared to the rest of the rooms I checked."

"How?"

"There was no door connecting it to the hall, just a solid wall. To get in there at all, I had to go down a trap door in the room above it. And there was something etched on the floor I think..."

"A symbol?"

"Yes. Like the one on you."

"I expected as much..."

"...Can I go home now?"

"Just because you might not've been the target doesn't mean you weren't. It's just safer if you stay here, and... you still might have something to do with this."

>>144284
'How can I prove myself to you that I'm not involved? I really do need to get back home.'

>>144284
They shouldn't be able to hold you for more than a few days without charges. Still that's annoying as fucking hell and shit might happen in the meantime that's not good.

Since she remains convinced that you're her only witness and still not convinced that you're involved I'm not really sure how to do this. Repeat that you're innocent and tell her that you really don't like being locked up for your own saftey (seem slightly panicy here), you're pretty sure they don't know who you are and frankly you're not very fond of being locked up (pretend to be even more panicy. Hopefully that might convince her to atlteast let you out of the cell.

>>144285
"I need to return home. How can I prove I'm not involved? What do you want me to say?"

"It's for your own protection. Even if you have nothing to do with this, someone might come after you anyway. I'll... just have to find out myself if you're involved or not."

>>144306
"Can you at least let me out of the cell? I do not like being locked up for my own safety."

She starts shaking her head before I finish speaking.

"Nobody's going to get in here. You didn't see going in, but it's heavily guarded. Only me and--"

She stops suddenly.

"...Where is the goblin?!"

>>144662
"What goblin?"

>>144662
"What are you talking about? Was there another prisoner in here before?"

You might want to use this breach of security to convince her that you would be just as safe taking care of yourself, since she can't even keep track of her own detainees. Unless she has charges to bring against you, you should ask or even demand to be released on your own recognizance.

Erm... unless your legal system is different from ours, in which case I don't know if that's valid or not.

>>144662
This could be useful. Let a bit even more panic creep into your voice and body language and ask if there was supposed to be a goblin here? Because you sure didn't see any goblins. Or actually, it might be better to add that you didn't see any goblins but a morphing demon that slunk out. That might convince her that it's really not safe in the cells area.

Hopefullly once she realises that this place isn't nearly as safe as she thought it was she will atleast move you out of the cell.

>>144662
"What do you mean, 'Where is the goblin?' There was a goblin?"

Panicky will probably do well here.

>>144956
Uhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Why do we want to tell the police we saw a morphic demon "slink out," exactly?