>>180598
What did you do?
What did you ask for?
What is it taking?

>>180605
I DON'T KNOOOOOOW!

Hunterkillerfinderstalkerseeker

SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP THATS NOT ME THAT NEVER WAS ME!

walkerinthenightdeathbehindtheshadow

AAAAAAAAAAAGH

Listen, there's two ways for this to go. One, this is a manifestation of your dark side, in which case you need to let it in. BUT! From how it sounds, this seems like an outside force. What happened that night? We want to help you, but we need to know what happened.

>>180618
I KILLED HIM!

I MURDERED HIM IN COLD BLOOD BECAUSE HE MIGHT TAKE HER FROM ME!

I HUNTED HIM DOWN, I STALKED HIM, I DESTROYED HIM UTTERLY!

AND THE WORST PART WAS...

THE WORST PART...

youenjoyedityouwantmoreitmakesyousohappy

The worst part is, it's right...

yesyesyesyouareterrormurderkillinghuntingslaying!

VIGOR

Fight through the pain and let go of the scepter! You can stop this. You can become more than a hunter, seeking nothing but their prey, caring only for their own goals.

Remember Rosie. She would never accept you if you became a serial murderer. A mindless killer. Don't forget the goals of your friends! Don't squander your second chance!

>>180626
30% influence

I am more than my lineage.

I am more than a demon, I am a woman. A human being.

huntslaykillstopthemdon'tletthemhurther

She is free to make her own decisions now.

Shedoesnotknowthemlikeyoudo
theywillhurther
theywillbreakherheart
justastheydidyours

And she'll learn. It's how people grow up.

Thisisyourprice! Therewillbeconsequences!

Let them come! Let them try!

Verywell.
Yourvigilancehascostyou
Onefinaltoll
Onelastregretyoushallneverescape

How many times do I have to tell you, I don't fucking ca-

NEVER SLEEP AGAIN.

... well this ether means one of two thing, you are immune to sleep, or sleeping will result in bad things. regardless i wouldn't test it from trying to sleep.

>>180630
...oh, that sucks. Well, there's always meditation.

>>180630
So we ride shotgun next time she sleeps, and eat whatever is attacking her. No big deal.

If the ability to sleep can be taken away from you, it can be given back to you. We'll find a way to fix this J.

>>180643
Th-thanks for the... s-support.

It feels like I've lost a limb, or like I've been struck blind. The sense of loss is overwhelming.

Withoutsleep,yourwillwillfade.Withoutyourwill,youshallchangeintowhatyoutrulyare.andoncethatiscomplete,sleepshallreturn.

Acceptyourfate.Donotfightit.Youshallbecomestrong,youshallstillhavecontrol.You willnotkillanyoneyourcarefor.

I don't care! I don't want her to see that side of me!

It's only happened once. Father said it was strange since the blood is so thin...

My skin blackened, my eyes became green orbs of light, and I could feel the insatiable desire for the hunt. Everything felt so easy, so simple. I could fly without even thinking, I could make weapons from literally nothing but air! It was exhilerating.

But I know that that is a monster. I can't let it happen again.
I'll just use the extra time to watch over Rosie more diligently.

>>181664
Monsters are defined by actions, not form; some of the worst monsters are completely human.
Ask your father-in-law to be for help once this is over.

>>181681
A monster in form... I just... I wouldn't be able to bear it...

"J..." Rosie helps me up, then holds me close. There are no words in this embrace, and I hold her as well.

"We need to move." I say, parting with her.

"Yes." Rosie says in reply. "Ante, do you have your gauntlets?"

"Yes'm."

"Alright, we're going to go directly to the Queen! We can't waste any more time, who knows how many more Talakks there are?"

"Right." I nod in agreement.

>>181693
Oh, I'm not saying you should give in, just that looking different doesn't make you a monster.

>>181693
I'm curious... do you think Ante is a monster? What is it exactly that you object to?

Just keep in mind that you would gain power from this. In a moment of crisis, remember that sacrifice is a virtue. You may need that strength if we are to succeed.

>>181805
Needless sacrifice is stupid.

J, how about you ask the voice if you can cut a deal? You'll accept that form and use it in combat, IF you are granted the ability to freely switch between them.
I suspect that the voice believes you'll grow to love the form, so it's likely to accept this term expecting you'll use it a few times and then just switch forever.

Make the offer, abide by the terms, and your life can proceed normally.

>>181809
What the hell? Make sure it's as needless as you say before calling my suggestion stupid.

>>181809
I...
Yes.

When I am in danger... When I need it... I shall take it.

No more.

Verywell.Fool.

I feel whole again.

"J... your eyes."

"My eyes?"

"They're glowing green."

I said no more!
...
I... We had... a deal...

as long as nothing else is different, a nice green glow looks pretty nice.

>>182466
It's just your eyes. Relax. It's symbolic or something.

Now, either tell Rosie the truth or that you don't want to talk about it. Don't lie. That only comes back to bite you in the ass later.

>>182466
If that's the mark of the deal, then it's an acceptable cost. Later you can experiment to see if you can hide that as well, but right now you have far more pressing concerns.

Tell Rosie everything. If there isn't time to do it now, then tell her the short version and promise to explain everything later.
After all, you live for her, right? Betraying her by doing things like keeping secrets from her is the only source of shame - anything else, no matter how horrible it may seem, is simply the way things are and not shameful at all.

Worrying that she'll see you as a monster is betraying her trust; you are deluding yourself into thinking that she would reject you for things beyond your control, which is doubting her love for you.
Tell her everything. Become an open book, and let her be the editor of your pages.

>>182486
I... I guess you're right.

So I talk. While we walk, I tell Rosie everything. My heritage. My failures. My... wrongdoings.

She listens silently.

When I finish, she stops walking.

"Rosie?"

"Why did you keep all this from me, J?" she asks quietly.

"I... I was afraid."

"I see." she looks up at the sky and takes a deep breath. "When.... When Ensurian revealed himself to me, I was scared. I was frightened, I was angry. But... Danny is and Danny will always be Danny to me. That sort of thing doesn't go away in a few hours." she turns to face me, and grabs my shoulders tightly. "The same goes for you, J. No matter what you become, no matter what you are... You are always J to me. Nothing will ever change that."
"Do you... Do you love me?"
She sighs, looking up at the sky.
"I... I can't answer that right now. I have a lot of things to think about. What should I do about Sanfas, what to do with the book and the sceptre, my own abilities, Flora..." she sighs. "Whatever happens, J, I want you to know that you'll always be the one I trust most."

I'm such a fool...

>>182749
you WERE a fool, but you have seen your folly and changed. the truth is more powerful then any lie. after all this is over i am certain she will say she loves you. she is right that all this stuff happening is confusing. probably has a headache.

heck, it's giving US a headache, and we have HOW many heads in here?

>>182749
I want to point out that she's not upset by the truth, she's upset by the secrecy. She said it herself: you are the person she trusts most, and you were keeping major secrets from her.

You were such a fool, but I expect things will work out fine as long as you learn from this.

Here, send us to Rosie. Not to interfere, just so she can vent her frustrations.

How do I shot trip?!H508X.HbJ6 2010/05/25(Tue)23:08 No. 183254 ID: e31d52
File 12748540866.jpg - (791.28KB , 1236x1020 , Rosieolder.jpg )

I see. You're right. I should stop focusing on the little things.

Rosie lets out a little sound of delight, and there's a flash of bright... no, not a flash, this is a sustained, firght like. I can barely look at it.

"It's beauti-"
And then the light surrounds her. And shatters, if you can picture that, leaving her in beautifully ornate armor. Her hair turns red. Wind billows up around her as the light dies down to a soft pink-red.

>>183254
A NEW TOY

I MUST MESS WITH IT

talktoyoulaterandgoodluck
>switch to Rosie

I can see why Rosie likes you so much.

#%^$%&^#
It's so beautiful...

>>183271
What's it do what's it do?

>>183274
Well, ahaha, the funny thing is, er, the funny thing is.... I have no idea.

spear of Darian:
Discovered functions:
Acts as a fire elemental focus.
Sheathes the user in heat so profound it takes physically solid form. Atmosphere and the wearer are immune to this heat, and it does not radiate.
Constantly emits fire equal to the anger the weilder feels.
???
???
???

>>183278
Spin it. Slash something with it. Jab the point into the ground.

hang on, we got a read out
Acts as a fire elemental focus.
Sheathes the user in heat so profound it takes physically solid form. Atmosphere and the wearer are immune to this heat, and it does not radiate.
Constantly emits fire equal to the anger the weilder feels.

interesting. well once we get into a nice big empty place mess around with it, spin it stab stuff the whole shebang and see if you can make it do anything else.

>Spin it

I spin it in my hands, and after three rotations.

SPLIT ITEM FOUND:

Shield of Durian:
A mobile, sealed portal to the Eternal Fire Plane, this sheild is about as tall and wide as Rosie is, if a few feet taller.
It is covered with a thin membrane.

>>183282
bwah

Okay that's new.

Point it at something you don't mind getting burnt to a crisp, and say "Open portal"

>>183286
Nothing happens. Hurm.

After a few moments of me doing nothing, it turns back.

>>183288
Well, we'll try blocking something with it after we mess with more spear functions.

Stab a boulder with the spear. Tap the pommel against the ground.

>>183296
>Stab a boulder with the spear.
Property discovered: The spearhead is very hot.
As in, the rock bubbled after a few seconds.

>Tap the pommel against the ground.
Nothing.

>>183302
Try throwing it. Perhaps it returns afterwards.

Also, Seeran were known for their jumps. Can you jump any higher now?

I wonder, can you pull the spear apart into more than one piece?

>>183318
I throw it into the sky.
...
With a flash of heat it returns to my hand.

"We need to get going." J says.

okay. we can mess with it while moving. try jumping in the direction you are going.

>>183335
Jumping? How would it help me Ju-ohmygodohmygodlandinglandingLANDING!

I hit the ground, hard, and get up.

...My armor melted the ground I landed on, fused it, and then broke the glass into little peices from het expansion.

This is slightly terrifying.

would think you learned by now to never discount anything. it's a artifact spear, what it does, does not have to make sense. besides, we were basing our assumption on a group known as dragoons you would fight flying dragons by leaping into the air and spearing them. obviously being able to jump REALLY FUCKING HIGH would make doing so easier.

anyway, assure J that you are alright, just surprised.

>>183340
Uh... you're thinking of something else. Seeran are similar though, in that they use spears and can jump really high.

So, this spear is a fire elemental focus. What does that mean? Can you use it to control fire better? Mess with its fire a bit.

>>183770
Elemental foci bring one closer in touch with an element. In other words, through the spear, I can manifest fire alchemies far far better.

>>183791
So you'll have no trouble blasting fire at things from now on, I assume. Oh hey I just realized, that armor it covers you in is likely immune to the effects of Fire Body. You don't have to worry about burning your clothes anymore!

So what do you think of that whole thing with J? I think she's had a couple of realizations that could help with her getting along with Sanfas better...

>You don't have to worry about burning your clothes anymore!
Yay~!

>So what do you think of that whole thing with J?

I... She kept a lot of secrets from me, but I can see why. I don't know. Like I told her, I don't really have time to think about romance.

We continue walking, until we enter the caves, come out the other end, and keep going. At the entrance...

Hey, it's that eagle guy.

>>183847
"The mission was a success!"

wait... give him a question that would prove it's him.

>>183850
Hm? Well okay. How about...

"Which of us did you contact first?"

>>183863
He chuckles.
"I contacted J first by knocking her out." he replies. "Have no fear, I am not a spy of any sort. Nay..." he looks at the ground. "I have bad news. While you were away, monsters attacked us in the form of iron-masked men."

ugh, fucking Talakks. i mean jeez! seriously.

>>183902
Damn... ask about casualties.

>>184056
"None of us fell, but only because we had time to run. Sanfas gaurded the way, and when we returned we found only their bodies and this."

He pulls out a small diamond.

is that his soul stone? if it is then i think the marriage is postponed. if not then examine it.

I would like to point out that he is touching the diamond. If it were a soulstone he would know that Sanfas was inside it, or be possessed.

Go on then. Take it and figure out what it is.

>>184174
I take it. "What is it?"

Ante looks at it closely.
"I'll be damned. An empty soulstone."
"What."
"Yeah. He's got a lot of dscipline to pull this."
"To pull what?"
"Put it simply, he dispersed his soul to the open air as he passed, so that the soulstone was utterly pointless. It has no connection to him, it's just a pretty rock."
"So where is he now?"
She shrugs.
"He probably managed to take one of their bodies while going down, I imagine."

>>184177
Great, now we can't just blast every Talakk we see. One of them is Sanfas.

If I were him... I'd be waiting somewhere we'd be sure to go. Try the cave shelter we made.

Tell Spargen that Virulent will no longer be a problem. The war has ended, but the Talakk are still going to be around and getting all up in our business.

I think we should try to hunt down those still hounding the Kenku here before going back home... unless the Rahkshasa are willing to hire out guards for them.

>>184192
He nods quietly. "We shall be fine against creatures such as these with the support of the Abyssinians. As I understand it, there is some danger against your home you need to go back to, yes? Please, go. We shall be fine."

I nod and leave the cave, and we all begin to make our wat back to the cave. I note that the spear reduces itself to a small dagger shaped like a candle flame when not in use, and the armor does not damage my equipment.

>>184274
That's convenient. The only problem with the spear so far is that it renders the cane somewhat redundant! Unless you think you can wield both at the same time...

fuse them together!

>>184282
I.... What?

>>184281
Well, yes. However, the cane is mine now... so...
"Ante, I want you to have something." I smile, handing the Cane to her.
"Really?"
"Really really."

We make our way back to the cave shelter, where a small man sits in the center.

"You got the rock?" he asks. "Been waiting here for hours."

"spy check first, how did you meet me?"

>>184341
Hrm. Ante's got two magic items now. I guess J has the scepter though so things aren't really that unbalanced. I wish there was someone more appropriate to give the gauntlets to. Someone who can use Fire, Water, and Steel alchemy.

Well, that probably is Sanfas but of course, we have to ask him a question to make sure. My compatriot has already suggested one question. I've got another. "Why did J slap you?"

>>184342
"At the battle at the wall at Rivermeet." he replies. "Hold on one moment..."

He leans down, grunts, and there's a lot of popping and snapping, J turning me away. I turn around once it stops.

"Oh my." I manage, while J rolls her eyes and covers him in her cloak.
"Turn around, elephant." she grumbles, then hands him the diamond.

"There. You can look now." she says, and he's back in his armor.

"Mmph. Thanks. I received a message from my lieutenant Yoshimitsu. He's stated that while the line holds... well, there's evidence of a large-scale calling taking place. 'Master' has gone mad. He ate the soulstone of Lucifer."

well shit, the coot really must of gone mad. not sure if this is a good or bad thing though, by doing it it confirms that his plans really have been shot to hell, pun intended, but it also means he is at the moment crazy powerful..

>>184348
WHAT

THAT IDIOT! DID HE NOT REALIZE WHAT HE WAS DOING!? There's no WAY any vessel can contain Lucifer for long! He just went and doomed himself and possibly EVERYONE IN HELL in a desperate move to overpower our forces. I can only HOPE that this doesn't fuck over Hell for long. Lucifer's kindof a big deal as far as stability is concerned down there.

>>184351
>>184352
"Exactly." Sanfas states, strapping on his armour. "He has at best three days before..." he pauses. "Something happens. We are not certain what would occur." he looks at me and sighs.
"It appears that my real goal must be brushed aside. What a bother. I shall send you off whilst I meet my last contact. We shall try to stall the calling that will bring him here as long as possible. To that end, I have someone I need to speak to."
"Who?"
"A certain... kobold. Get on." he snaps his fingers and a disc of force appears, about ten feet around.

let's ride, try to look as cool as you can.

>>184353
Kobold? What kobold?

I really am disappointed. It seems we are not going to get much romance out of you in this third adventure.

Then again, we have met someone special this time around... hee

Uhm. Get on the disc. Wanna practice more out of tier stuff?

>>184355
"What kobold?"
"You have to ask? Well, I guess you never met all of your grandfather's contacts."

We get on the disc, and are sent speeding away.

I'm a little sad I didn't get much time alone with him. I mean, he seemed like an okay fellow, after all.

I relax on the disc and Ante curls up atop me, tiny, the items in a weighed bag beside us. I gently pet her long hair, and J lies beside me, her head resting on my shoulder. Danny looks at us, scratches his chin, sighs, and sits on the edge, his elbows resting on his knees.

>>184358
One of Hattori's contacts? He couldn't mean Trik could he? What's she been up to that would make her able to stall the calling?

Danny looks so lonely over there... Ask him how he knows that Rahkshasa librarian.

>>184362
I have no idea.

"Danny? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I... uh, I'm fine." he says, haltingly. I gently pick up Ante and slide out from under J, sitting beside him.
"What is it? I know when you're upset, Danny. I've known you for a long time."
"You mean you've known this facade."
"No. That's wrong. You know it is. You're more than a mask to me, and you know it."
"But every minute I'm like this... Rosie, it's a lie. You know it's a lie. How can you stand me?"

...

"I... Danny, I met you after the real Danny died, or close to it. Demon or cute boy, I care about you. I..."

J rises.

"I think..."

She stands. Her shadow over Danny seems to grow, swell somehow. I turn around.

J's holding a hand over her face, blackness spreading over her skin as wings spread from her back.

"J!"

She's panting, even as her teeth lengthen and claws grow on her fingers.

@J: [mind slap!]

kiss her out of it.

>>184364
She's slipping a little... Send us over, we can either calm her down or restrain her if necessary.

Although... I am also worried about you. Did you change your mind?

>>184369
I like Danny. He's... He's dedicated to me, and... no matter what he is, he's kind, and gentle...

And he came out with his secret when I asked, the first time.

I'll send you over now.

$%#^&^^^%%^$%

No... No... I can't do this to her... Not now, not again.

youwantittakeityouhateitslayityouwishforitobtainitthatisthedemonscreed

No, I'm not like that!

calm down j, they won't run off and do it behind your back, you know rosie is better then that.
the soul is the goal, the body is the ability, the mind is the how. your goal is rosie, it is not killing those who stand in your way. just walk up to rosie and hug her, squeeze her tight, and drive it away.

>>184372
I stumble over, and hold Rosie tight in my arms, willing away the darkness with all I have.

I've never felt so pitiful.

it's okay, everyone here is your friend. showing weakness in front of them is no big deal, they'll understand.

>>184377
[Command: Banish the darkness]
[Command: Calm yourself]

Feel better?
Rosie still loves you. Yes, she's hurt and confused, but if she didn't have so much on her mind then she would have worked this out already. You've been together all your lives; that counts for a lot.

Anyway, tell Rosie you love her, and that she's your life. Later, ask sarsaparilla to train you in controlling your demonic nature.

>>184377
Everyone needs help sometimes.

Distract yourself; ask Danny what his Demon Goal is.

>>184457
"Rosie, I... I love you. That's why..."
"I know, J." Rosie replies, smiling. "But, ah... Danny, what is your demonic goal? What drives your soul?"
"To be with you and protect you."
Rosie chuckles nervously.
"You see the situation I'm in, here?"

Well. Perhaps we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Figure out what kind of relationship everyone wants. It may be possible for everyone to be happy, even WITHOUT the kind of thing Antares has going for him.

hahahahaahaha. oh man. middle of a love dodecahedron.

>>184551
Have Danny clarify what he means when he says "be with you".

I, ah... I don't... Uhm... I think Rosie should ask that.

%#^$&%*(^%$#@

"Could you clarify?"
He blushes deeply.
"By your side. I, ah... This is hard to say... ah..."
"You want me to love you? Is that it?"
He recoils a little.
"I'm sorry. I just don't think... now's the best time."
He nods. "The world is on the line right now. It's not that I don't care, it's that we all need to dedicate our energies towards having time to deal with this. Agreed?"
They both nod.

------

My, my, when did you get so competent?

------

Sh-shush!

>>184622
Rosie, I can give you a basic rundown right now:
You+J+Ante is a stable relationship.
Add in Sasquatch and it remains stable - he's not going to get between any of you, and won't leave anybody out.

Danny would destabilize any relationship. He has the same goal as J, and would try to drive her away. Since he's far stronger than her, he might try to eliminate her from the 'competition' while you aren't looking.

I think it would be best to keep Danny as a friend, and not take him as a lover.

>>184622
I suspect that this time around we're going to have trouble resolving this romantic conflict. It's a very good idea to put a hold on this until everything is calmed down... but I'm rooting for J. She is trying so hard to change her behavior, and suppress her demonic nature... all for you. It's really very impressive.

And hello there, Flora. I was just about to see if we could have a chat, since things have calmed down a bit.

>>184638
She is, is she?
...

Argh! I should just forget about it for now!

---------

?

---------


We pass over the beach and continue speeding towards Rivermeet, and I notice the earth is littered with more and more soulstones, their concentration increasing as we make our way there. And then I see it. At least a thousand demons in a large circle, seemingly kneeling or praying. We make it to the walls of Rivermeet, where Yorick is waiting, looking through a square crystal.

"You made it just in time." he says.

>>184655
Oh? Ask him in time for what. Also ask him if he knows about that big circle of demons you flew past.

Flora: Well I was just wondering if we could talk more often. I know Rosie doesn't really want to be 'out of action' so to speak unless it's necessary so I wanted to see if we could just chat on the side. Is that possible? I wish I had asked this earlier...

>>184677
"What for?"
"For show!" says a high-pitched voice behind me, and I turn and look. Standing on the parapet is an elderly kobold, wearing a deep red apron. She smiles.
"I Trik. Is nice to meet grand daughter of Hat. Watch this!"

She points her finger, imitating a gun, and I follow her pointing.

Then she brings down her thumb and whips up her hand while saying "Pow!"

One of the demons simply disappears and Trik laughs. She does it again. And again. "This more fun than I thought it be!"

--------
Yeah, anytime.
--------

try doing the same thing, maybe it will work?

>>184715
Haha, she undermined the poor bastards. How's she getting it to collapse with such good timing though?

Flora: What happens to you when you're not receiving glimpses of what Rosie is doing? When we are... in between summons, we're sortof spread out through the whole of Hell. Can't remember much of note though. If you're curious about Hell, we do have some memories from before we were Legion. Go ahead, ask us anything.

>>184726
----
I sleep, mostly. I get access to long term memories, so I... watch them. I'm up to her third birthday now!
----

"How do you do that?"
"Series of minor explosives that open holes to long pits that lead to Sanfas. I drop them... he takes care of them." She smiles. "I've done my part, but we cannot stall long. The ritual almost done, say Bone Guy."
"Yorick." he reflexively corrects, and, "Yeah, we're just buying time for the gods to get thier shit together."

try sniping a few with the spear to help.

Better check to be sure that won't fuck everything up, first. Ask what we can do to help.

Flora: Ohh. Somehow I think we'd better not tell Rosie about that; I can see her thinking it's weird. Why'd it take so long to get to the 3rd year?

>>184793
---------
I only discovered it three years ago.
---------

"What can I do to help?"

"Not much." Yorick states. "I'm worried: Lucifer was the angel who became a god in his own right, and made Hell after rebelling from the Incarnate. There's an old prophecy... No immortal, man, or fae shall defeat Lucifer."

"So how did he end up soulstoned?"

"The Lady of the Seducers stabbed him after three nights of..." he turns his head and coughs a bit. "Courtship. She tired him so, he could not stop her. Since then, Seducers have been nominally dominant... Ah, shit."

The Earth begins to split between the demons in the circle, opening like an eye.

i dunno, we are a gray area. rosie though is a mortal woman, that is no where near the list.

>>184798
Oh wait, ignore my asking about the staff. We have to wait days, not hours for it to finish charging...

>>184798
Flora, if things go south we want you to engulf Rosie's soul as tight as you can, and we'll do the same to you. Hopefully, that will let us drag you and Rosie someplace safe and avoid death.

>>184798
Seems that way. I pull out the spear, feeling the changes overcome me.

Then I pull in the ambient heat and form a long pair of fiery wings, taking off into the sky. It seems I'm the only one who can.

A great hand reaches out of the portal, easily a third of the size of Rivermeet istelf, and slams onto the ground. It is huge, and covered in black carapace, with feathers sparesly covering it. The other arm reaches out, and then his face rises above the portal, mad eyes quickly sliding to take in the world, eyes of red and black and yellow fury. Long horns rise from his head, then swirlk above it to make a black, bony halo, his wings spreading, bare of feathers, yet still shaped like a birds, ending in long blades of bone.

"Today... is the day chaos dies." rumbles his sinister and otherworldly voice.