Is it possible to use Jeeba's blood to eat through this corruption? We must return LordgenomeJeeba back to his original form, to spare him, like our ancestor did.

And Keddic! CALL FOR AID!
"WARRIORS OF GRAND GAINER, HEED MY CALL! I call, nay demand your aid! All warriors still breathing, join me in this duel with a most worthy foe! We must stop his rage before it consumes this fair city!" And clench your teeth and draw the Proud Lion to you via the Winding Way - and if that is not possible, WAY OF THE HARKSBURTON: TRUEBLOOD SIMULACRUM!!!! Draw forth the Blade of the Lion from your very flesh!
"Forgive me, Jeeba, It was you that was stronger, not I." And charge! If nothing, we must leap and strike at him like a butterfly and yet sting like a hornet!

As you charge, go over the powers you unlocked from the Ring. Gravity control, acid, even the Ways of the Sprial that the Hechler's wield so devastatingly. What have you learned from them. [Idea: Cut and lick Bang when you see him again.]

[Bob, does this mean all blood now counts as White Blood, and is Keddic now legendary?]

>>233130
You're a jerk, Trip. A jerk. Turn our eternal rival into a giant, creepy baby. Cute.

>>233325
[To questions: No, and No. Post will still be viable for update tomorrow.]

>>233130
Everyone hates you now. Forever.

>>233324
Totally awesome, totally impractical, totally Keddic.

Can Keddic, by any chance, gain altitude by jumping onto the incoming rocks, jumping ever higher with each rock, smashing the rocks into a cloud of dust? Would that even help? Perhaps using that network of anchors (sending tendrils to worry at Jeeba's soles, too) to steady Keddic, so he can send spears to catch and latch onto the boulders, Keddic can swing the rocks around, redirecting their momentum, and release the rocks in the direction of Jeeba's face with enough force to obliterate the boulders into dust, thus harming/irritating him and preventing the rocks from harming the town/people too much? Maybe combine the two?

>>233333
[Viable for update tomorrow? What does that mean? And...33333...did Keddic just do something awesome again?]

Well.

Now that the danger of our DNA being unwound has mostly passed, all we have to do is slay this Jeeba-cum-golem. And I have the perfect plan for that.

Fly into the sky, Harksburton, it's time to turn Hechler's Way against him. When of a sufficient altitude, turn your massive steely wings into a drill about your feet. Spin like mad, keeping yourself from being dizzy with control over the blood in your inner ear.

[speaking of which, it should now be utterly impossible to make Keddic unbalanced, or disorient him with normal tumbling.]

WAY OF THE HARKSBURTON:BLOODY DRILL BREAKER!

>>233314
The air is where this battle is headed. Your Sanguine Wings are good, but they can be so much more: Instead of two wings, make six. With the twisting nature of the blood in your cloak and toga and the addition of more wings, manuverability will not be an issue. Where some have noted your appearance, your abilities, your very nature to be... Angelic- Set the record straight. Remember how Jeeba described the clashing between the Founder and Oggduro?

>A prodigy with blood and iron alike, always learning, always dreaming, new ways of death appearing in his possession as if divine will.

Let us take on this visage of an ascended state of being, make this battle a thing of legends.

WAY OF THE HARKSBURTON: SANGUINE SERAPHIM

Reform your sword of blood, only this time make it different from a mere copy of your family sword. A longsword with flowing hooks along one edge that churn perpetually, the tips of these wicked and chaotic teeth adorned with white blood as if some cleansing fire threatened to burst free from this sanguine blade-

WAY OF THE HARKSBURTON: SCARLET TALON

NOW TAKE TO THE SKY KEDDIC, SHOW THIS DOG OF DOMINTUS THE MEANING OF HOLY WRATH.

The tons of rock? Well you could try PUNCHING it, relying on your newfound reinforced resilience to just smash the fucking thing...

Or we could be reasonable. Jump and launch off of it, and switch to BLOODY PINIONS to fly right at our foe. It no longer has those soul-powered unraveling spurs right? Then we need not worry overmuch about its attacks. Get yerself right up to its ugly mug and spike it. Kill its brain.

>>233349
uh guys

uh

[22:35]<TheBeardiestBob>who said the spurs are gone?
[22:35]<TheBeardiestBob>did I say the spurs were gone?

...his soul's gone. There's no soul magic behind those spurs. They're just regular ol' bone spurs now. Not much threat.

>>233314
Okay. So, that's not Jeeba anymore, which amongst other things means that we've won the tournament rather handily.

I would counsel that we take this battle out of town. Considering that the creature is guided by mindless hate and that we are quite swift, it doesn't seem unreasonable that we could provoke it easily and get it to follow us rather than harm the surrounding buildings and populace. Once we're in an area less full of innocent bystanders, we can turn on him and really cut loose.

Likewise, any call for others to aid us- if we choose to do so, which I suspect is not necessary with Jeeba's soul gone- should not take place until we are outside of town, where the Rageglut being distracted from us to random people trying to help would not result in mass property damage. Though personally, I'd rather finish this ourselves; there'll a certain satisfaction in knowing that even with Jeeba throwing this at us, we were able to take his best and emerge victorious.

Lets ask the tournament announcer or official if taking our sword, Proud Lion, will not disqualify us. I think they will be alright with that, no?
Lets take the sword or ask someone to bring it while we hold Jeeba back.

Also roar out that everyone shout evacuate the area, preferably the whole town. There will be a lot of collateral damage. Oh and lets try to be a hero, like saving a shocked damsel from a falling house at the last second IF we are sure that we wont be endangering ourself too much.

Sov 2010/09/24(Fri)00:28 No. 233434 ID: aead75
File 128531333580.jpg - (42.48KB , 450x600 , Keddic_is_octavius.jpg )

>>233346
eeh... i have doubts that it was ever the DNA being unwound in the first place- the only way that'd destroy our cells is if it unwound so forcefully that it tore the cells apart- probably not described by 'unraveling'. It is more probable that it does some shit with the phospholipid bilayer, which would pretty much make all the 'walls' of everything in keddic's cells falls apart. not sure how we'd counter that, but....

This is indeed a gigantic monster- and it has a gigantic brain, most likely. (or a giant armored container for it's little brain). I think you should go for the nice big gaps between it's vertebrae, as you makes his way to the brain.

If you use the Bloody Pinions to as an Octavius-like climbing mechanism, you can maintain maneuverability, pierce your way up the back of Jeeba, and sever his spine in several places! End with a nice exploding rageglut brain, and all is.. maybe well?

Also, if you have any control over the possibility cells that you were thinking about earlier... there are quite a few in your brain, and some (around 2000 an hour or so) turn into brain cells in a part of your head that kinda looks like a seahorse. If you can jumpstart these into growing more often, you'll have a better memory, and probably a more ordered mind.

We should cut his Achilles tendons and see how fast he heals as well as how much blood he bleeds. Also try to lead him back into the arena, we dont want the civilians killed.

I vote for killing him he is far too powerful with too little concern for harming civilians. If we leave him alive its like batman and joker only without doing anything to prevent joker from harming people after beating him.

>>233434
I like the sound of this. As we are climbing up we should try to steal as much of his blood as we can. Maybe steal some Rageglut hardiness/bloodmagic resistance.

Block the incoming boulders using mass connection. Make contact with the rock and switch yourself to the other side of it!

Let's take Jeeba on. His body is probably still destroying itself from within. Claim all the blood he's been bleeding all over since the feasting lariat and take flight using sanguine wings. Do the climb-on back maneuver, but keep using bits of the claimed blood to further attack Jeeba from inside. See if you can specifically reprogram his immune system to attack his own nerves and brain by causing swelling and cellular destruction. Watch out so he doesn't just try to crush you against the ground while you do it.

Meanwhile try to get the audience away. Shout out to the crowd that this gentlemens battle has gone a bit over the top and that they need to give you far, far more room for the fight!

Lure him back into the arena.

Angel mode
Bloody pinions tipped with white blood and Winding way energy

Impales - White blood floods him - Pinions explode with winding way energy

After that, keep distance and shoot winding-way-white-blood bullets at him.

ALL DAY EVERY DAY

Keddic! A suggestion so we can use it later, but before you charge after Jeeba, can you sense any of Senth's blood? So we may hunt him down later and retrieve Ol' Bessie?

The tournament is more or less over so we no longer need to follow its rules which means we can use our sword again. are we close enough to retrive it?

>>233521
I'd like to make sure if they're finished or not. I don't want us to get our sword and the winner being Jeeba, dead or cured.

And why are we so in favor of 'You're huge, that means you must have huge brains, rip and tear'?

 

Thought you would need some tunes bro.

...Keddic needs a horse.

A horse made from awesome, like Lubu's horse.

A golem horse, mayhap?

Pshaw, horses, Keddic seems like one of nature's pedestrians to me, a man that enjoys walking.

>>233550
True.
But I think he is also a man that enjoys horses.

Whatever we do the Blood Angel mode must be worked in sooner or later.
The shock and awe and admiration of the spectators will be worth it.
Imagine the tales, the legends, the songs that will be sung in Keddics tribute!
He would truly become immortal, I can fully imagine thousands years later that the story (after its many incarnations and retellings) would be told again.

It will be magnificent.

>>233546

We're in the land of DRAGONS, emphasis on there being actual fire-breathing dragons running about. Keddic needs to go wrassle a dragon, beat it within an inch of it's life, heal it and tame it. Then we can go commission a set of armor and a saddle for it from Iron Dragon Zuon.

Bob!t/UKid4z5s 2010/09/24(Fri)19:27 No. 233616 ID: a76809
File 128538162846.jpg - (32.40KB , 480x241 , Keddic gets on his ZOMBOLT.jpg )

>>233495
[Not a single drop.]

>>233340
[Means this:]

>>233325
[Can't replicate other's magics like that, only Blood manipulation can be flat out stolen via White blood's tricks.]

...My sword.

The match is over, my opponent now a monster that threatens the town. His scale is immense, and I wonder, even with the Blood I hold, if I can cause enough quantity of wounds to slay his gargantuan body. Only with the Proud Lion in my hands, do I feel confident I could slay him, cause grievous enough harm. With these thoughts rumbling about inside my mind, I reach out, sensing the familiar pall of ancestral Blood Iron worked and woven into worn steel, the massive cleaver near.... but not near enough. I begin to despair by increments, fearing what Jeeba's engorged form might do to the populace while I seek out my weapon, when a solution comes to me. The Winding Way, familiar metals, familiar pieces of blood... all are present, and manipulatable. I attempt something I dreamed of as a child, placing my hand to my chest, above my heart, triggering a burst of Winding Way as I pull.

The Proud Lion's hilt is in my hand, its blade wrenching free of my body, transported to my grasp by Will and Blood, Red and White. I feed even more blood to the blade, creating an extension to the blade, a sanguine edge dozens of feet longer than the weapon itself. I can only barely hold the blood rigid and firm at this scale, a thought I barely heed as I heave my now immensely weighty blade into motion, a scarlet edge twenty feet long whizzing towards the falling rock as I once more build a charge within my preferred weapon. As blade meets teahouse-sized boulder, I trigger the burst of power, grateful I hardened my system so to withstand what I now attempt.

"WAY OF HARKSBURTON: TITANIC STORM!!!"

Already cleaving through stone like butter, the sanguine blade explodes, a shifting bed of stabbing and twisting shards of blood shattering stone, breaking the pieces smaller and smaller until naught but pebbles and grit rain down around me, my twin hearts beating madly as I race to reclaim the rioting claret. As Jeeba's collosal frame bellows a roar that shatters windows, I see the crowd... remaining, watching as I heft the Proud Lion, its weight in my hand more reassuring than any other weapon could be.

>>233322
>>233324
>>233336
I sprout wings of Blood, unsure if I do so to impress the crowd or for purely utilitarian reasons, a mighty beat and leap alike sending me streaking skyward. I emerge from the cloud of shattered stone, seeing Jeeba's rheumy, blood-filled eyes turning to direct their singular hate upon me, a fist flying towards my airborne form without hesitation. My wings beat again as I lash out,a tendril of blood skewering the impending fist and giving me sufficient leverage to evade, still climbing as I heft my blade. There is no artistry in this, no clash of wills, just mindless rage that I shall cut down.

I finally fly above Jeeba's head with the eyes of the town on me.

>>233346
>>233349
I pool a mass of blood beneath my feet even as I convert my wings to a hail of sanguine spears, roaring out a challenge as I prepare my followup attack.

"WAY OF HARKSBURTON: BLOODY PINIONS!!"

The sanguine spears, each as large as an arm, fall down on Jeeba like raindrops, his massive form simply taking the impacts, the lances embedding in his skin and retaining their rigidity. I find myself thankful I assumed the attack would be insufficient, as I still outpace Jeeba's attempted counter, as my body plummets, a spike half the size of my body beneath my feet, forged of Jeeba's own twisted blood, revolving with ever greater speed as I rush to meet my foe before his rising hands close about me. With my sword used as a rudder to steer my descent, I gleefully howl out my attack, enjoying the moment.

"WAY OF HARKSBURTON: BLOODY DRILL-DRIVER!!!!"

With a crack of splintering bone that echoes about the whole of Gainer, my attack slams into Jeeba's forehead, piercing feet of hardened bone-and ultimately stopping, still not having reached the brain. ...A rather potent passive armor.

As hands rise up to clap about me to squash like a gnat, I flood myself with adrenaline.

>>233380
>>233390
>>233434
>>233485
[FANART BONUS]
With several hundred pounds of blood spilling freely from Jeeba's form, I dart behind him, evading his grasping hands as I expend all the blood in my wings, lashing out at his back as a plan brews.

"WAY OF HARKSBURTON: BLOODY PINIONS!!"

As once more his huge form simply takes the attack, I consider what I felt when I struck his skull, even as the great lumbering beast turns to face me as I begin leading him away from the middle of the town. I felt no soul, no sapience guiding this form... and I find myself wondering if Jeeba could have simply abandoned his body here, and fled as a soul. This thought almost distracts me from noting Jeeba's stomping footfalls draw near to the buildings, as I dart back in, already having converted the blood I stole from my foe. ...Truly, this learning ability of White blood is marvelous, a thought that sustains me as I charge a giant alone. I form wings yet again, almost immediately spending them to form even more spikes embedded in my massive foe.

"WAY OF HARKSBURTON: BLOODY PINIONS!!"

I dart under a fist that craters the ground and shakes nearby buildings, and begin darting up, leaping from foothold to foothold as I scale my mountainous opponent, once more forming wings only to spend them without hesitation.

"WAY OF HARKSBURTON: BLOODY PINIONS!!"

My path now extended, I finally race high enough I stand on Jeeba's chest, and I leap high into the air before he crushes me flat, the Proud Lion held high above my head in a two handed grip. I spend the last of my claimed blood, draining my toga and my cloak, the Lion's Hide, forming not two but six wings about my form, twisting and tweaking my form as a pillar of blood rises from my skyward facing blade. With the sun glistening on my sanguine emulsions, I smile as I recall what Mordre did in his bout against the Metal Titan.

My blade swings down, towards Jeeba-

And the solid line of Bloody Pinions sank into his flesh.

The blade meets resistance in the heavy skull, only barely breaking through thanks to the still healing wound I sowed moments ago, before reaching the first of my bloody trap. With each pinion the blade meets, it swells and blooms, growing larger, heavier, more potent as it continues ever downward, dividing a mountain of flesh in twain. Jeeba's form barely has time to gurgle before the blade slams to the ground with a quake that collapses a nearby storefront and divides the very earth, a new chasm beneath the falling gore-spewing halves of the giant I fought, as I think of the perfect name.

"[ u ]WAY OF HARKSBURTON: COLLOSUS CLEAVER!!!!"

...And Jeeba is no more, the respective halves pitching forward as muscles spasm, falling with a splat to encompass the whole of Gainer's main road.

Not a single person speaks. All eyes are glued to me as I withdraw my sanguine wings, unsheathe the Proud Lion in blood, and stand tall, a Giant Slayer

SECRET BONUS 21: TROLLING TROLLINGWOOD [MISSED]
SECRET BONUS 22: SLAYER OF HEROES [MISSED]
SECRET BONUS 23: FOURTH AND FIRST
>-Sustain a Moment of Inspiration long enough to become an Adept of Blood Magic
>-Force Jeeba to speak about the founder of the Harksburton family.

Knowledge Gain:
Backstory:
-Athelens, the single largest exporter of agricultural goods and general food-stock, has recently proclaimed an official national religion, called the World Order. This Order is based around worshiping Leylines.
-The general belief set follows that by praying to and sending magic to the Leylines, the world will yield great returns, frequently in the forms of ample harvests, and general good luck.
-Castiliathen has demanded that Athelens halt this false idolatry, claiming that 'dirt-worshiping' is a fool's game, pointing to this as why crop yields have diminished in recent seasons.
-In response, Athelens has increased the cost of all their exports to Castiliathen, making it impractical to buy directly. High King Arcturo Fissykus of Castiliathen has called for a meeting of all the heads of Warrior families to discuss how a response should be handled.

SECRET BONUS 24: FINISHING FATHER'S WORK [MISSED]
SECRET BONUS 25: GIANT SLAYER
>-Force Jeeba to use the Rageglut seed, and then slay his body.

Knowledge Gain:
Backstory:
-Jeeba, vowing to best Keddic no matter the cost, fled back to Castiliathen and the Hechler manor as a soul. To combat Keddic, he intends to-

-A hand falls onto my shoulder in my moment of reverie, and a red-haired head bobs forward, Old Bessie belching smoke between his smirking lips as Senth holds forth a bag that clinks when it moves.

>"So, I grabbed your prize there, and I am now officially under the employ of your master, that Mordre guy. Oh, and that dude who healed you during your semifinals fight-don't think I didn't notice that-is in a cot over yonder."

I follow Senth's gesturing finger to see Bagrom peacefully oblivious to the world around him, battered but whole upon a simple stretcher.

>"Well, unless you feel like buying me a drink, we gotta go."
"And why is that?"
>"They may cheer you... but they'll also expect you to clean all this up."

I look upon the shattered arena wall, the few toppled buildings, the gaping chasm in the ground, the tons of gore mucking everything up.....

And shortly find myself dragging Keddic's stretcher behind me as I march out of town, walking the walk of a hero.

>>233587
With the sun setting on our traveling trio, I finally give up on trying to reclaim Old Bessie on the seventeenth attempt, each time the youngster simply teleporting out of reach as if by reflex while snickering. As I consider how to actually come upon him unawares to reclaim what is mine, I find myself wishing to claim a dragon, one of the feral beasts that have roamed these lands since time immemorial, when two things happen:

A voice echoes in my head, the words of Mordre's minion Phohn carrying to me the following message: Mordre requests your immediate return. Dragon Jioga has found the trail.

A runner from Gainer present to me a missive before panting to catch his breath and jogging away. The letter bears naught but three lines on it's cover-the mark of my Master, The Lined One. I tear the letter open, and learn that he is within the town of Gainer, and heard of my exploits.... I could see my master again?



What should I say or do?
Should I go back to Mordre in Waltora, or should I return to Gainer to hunt down my master the Lined One?
[Yes, these are supposed to be mutually exclusive choices. Act under the assumption you cannot make both happen. Go to Mordre, miss out on meeting Lined One. Meet master, not there when Mordre might need Keddic. CHOOSE.]

>>myself dragging Keddic's stretcher behind me
Typo?

I vote Lined One. Mordre can handle himself mightily, and the chance to meet Keddic's master might not come again.

>>233616
Honestly, I feel that Mordre can hold off the Ash Dragon Jioga with the help of his Deepspawn.

Let's go meet our master.

>>233616
Go to Modre is my choice. But Keddic what do you feel is right?

>>233618
[Yeah, typo. Bagrom on stretcher, Keddic dragging said stretcher, Senth just strolling along, puffing on Old Bessie with the bag of money.]

Master.

>>233616
Tell Phohn that you have an opportunity to track down your old master which you cannot pass up, and that you have secured Mordre a new employee, Senth of Trollingwood, who should be fully capable of acting in your place. You trust that Mordre will understand, as he's seemed like a reasonable fellow in all your interactions and not particularly demanding of his people. Send Senth and Bagrom to Mordre, and leave on your own to track down the Lined One.

Go after the Lined One, Keddic, Mordre will be fine. Give Trollingwood (Yes I know that's not his name) and Bagrom directions from Phohn, or just tell him to give directions to Bagrom, and tell them to hurry it up. Also tell Mordre you hired a tractomancer, and he stole your goddamn pipe. (I reccommend seeing if you can WHITE BLOOD AND ADRENALINE your speed up to a point where you can grab it and put it in a blood bubblebag thing faster than he can react) Also tell Trollingwood that Mordre isn't currently in country, in fact you've never seen him because he remote controls a Soul Grave, don't ask how, research paper in progress, he'd tell you but he'd have to kill you hahaha kidding.

Why didn't I say this before? Mordre should have used the nights, assuming there's a time difference, to travel back to the Arcanoworks and talk to Vimes and Quinton and delay our fight with Eisenhardt, explaining that we're still working unfortunately but you hate to leave guests unattended, terrible luck of you to drop by right as I'm so busy, terrible bloody mess up north, glad that's sorted out, but now you're doing a job for a Grand Mage, can't delay that sort of business, sorry.

After all, we used a sedan chair thing, right? Didn't even need us there to move it, and if Burduko warped us home and warped himself back immediately and followed the chair again, between him and Phohn we could be back immediately in case of trouble/talkin'/where the hell's Mordre oh he's behind this tree here let me go get him.

Also, did we ever ask what the Ash Dragon Jioga does? I forgot. Probably something to do with fire. Actually probably not. Shoot.

To the master!

Argh. Send our new 'friend' to Mordre instead.

Master, but try to Phohn back and tell Mordre this, and relay the instructions. If possible, Keddic, meet with your master have him follow -you-, you want him to meet Mordre.

And to those of you saying Mordre can handily handle a Dragon, please let us not be stupid. Dragons are almost all Legendary Souls. Mordre would be be badly beaten if he tried to face a Dragon.

HE INTENDS TO WHAT, BOB? WHAT?

And 3x5 bonus was...what exactly? Our cool new ability to pull our sword out of us? Because that -is- awesome.

>>233640
[Senth interrupted the infodump with his appearance. I guess you'll NEVER KNOW.....]

>>233643
FUCKING SENTH

Ask Senth if he could teleport to the town and meet up with Mordre, if so make him carry Bagrom.

TO THE LINED ONE!

Think back to Phohn:

Thank you for the alert, Phohn. Please relay the follwing to Mordre: An opportunity has presented itself to find my former teacher, the Lined One. I do not know if there will ever be another chance to meet him, as he is a hunted man. I must take this opportunity to find him, before he goes to ground once more. My friend, I will try to get back as soon as I've managed to establish contact, as I've so many things to show you and Bang. I know you'll understand.

In my place, I'm sending a new hopeful I met at the tournament, with Bagrom. His name is Senth, and he's something of a troublemaker, but very talented and ready to sign on. Do see if you can't finagle my Pipe out of his grasp at some point, would you, old chap?

Oh, one more thing: I won. He has my prize money too, so keep that in mind.

>>233637
Eisenhardt right now is just on the crux of Legendary Soul territory.

And Lubu seems to be a pretty High-End dragon. I'm not saying that they're anything to scoff at, but at the same time, lets not jump to the conclusion that Mordre is out and out fucked in a fight with one.

I would dare say that this need not devolve to a fight in any case. Mordre's here as a diplomat primarily, lets act the part.

Well the competition with Jioga isn't necessarily a combat one so Senth might be even better for it than Keddic as his talent for trolling and annoying people might be turned against the Dragon.

Go to seek your master, but let Mordre know you'll be back stronger than ever as soon as you can. Maybe you can finish off some loose ends and find out what this Winding Way is all about really. Mordre can also turn this into a selling point when trying to get Oz to join up. There's always time for master-student interactions and people have to be allowed to seek their personal goals.

Hey can we try to wake up Bagrom and heal him a bit with our newfound blood abilities?

Well, if it gets down to combat negotiations, it'd probably be one on one in which case Keddic won't be of much help anyways. If chaos breaks out, I'm sure Mordre can handle himself in mass combat. And Mordre's smart enough to avoid fighting anyways, not when so much is at stake.

Really, there's no reason for us to forgo the tasty plot hook.

Somehow I feel unsure about just running away from Gainer instead of tying up all the loose ends like the arena and the final award procedures if such exist and talking to any other warriors... It may come back to bite us in the ass, but I'm willing to risk that for the Lined One.

>>233640
[Yup. Fanart Bonus yielded new ultimate tech Collosal Cleave, a giant slaying move, while 5x3 yielded ability to summon sword out of own blood so long as the Proud Lion is close enough to be detected.]

>>233618
>>233619
>>233623
>>233624
>>233625
>>233626
>>233630
>>233637
>>233665
>>233667
As I contemplate how to respond to this divide, these mutually exclusive demands of my attention, I funnel adrenaline into my system, slowing time as I tap the now heavily enriched Order of my system, striving to act so swiftly even Senth cannot respond, looking to reclaim my pipe-and again he teleports out of the way, in that instant between seconds. He looks at my wryly as he chuckles, offering words that when I reflect on them... are terrifying.

>"Hah, yeah, no, not gonna happen. I mean, if you can prise the pipe from my grip, obviously its yours again, but just getting faster? Not gonna do it. I figured out how to teleport electrical signals anywhere I want inside my body, sooo.... my reaction speed is faster than would be physically possible by any organic means. Nice try though, good turn of speed. Anyway, what's the plan here?"
"...Well, Senth you scoundrel-"
>"Ooooh, I like that, Scoundrel Senth, got some alliteration to it."
"I ultimately feel I need to track down my master.... but Mordre also needs able bodies at the moment. So I will send you on down the road to Woltora with Bagrom, while I return to Gainer. But before you leave, I need to send a message, and try to heal Bagrom."
>"Alllll right, works for me. Where in Woltora?"
"Should be in the Tyotworro estates, as this individual here is a family member."
>"No shit? Okay... and how exactly will you send that message?"
"...Just leave me be for a moment, I am sending it as we speak."
>"Neat."

As I ooze White blood over my foe, sinking it into flesh, coating burns and wrapping broken bones, I find Bagrom's system ravaged, organs threatening to fail, heart sluggish, and all in all surprising me that he is still alive. I find myself wising I had checked him earlier.... but if wishes were wings.... in any event, I bestow a full pound of my blood on him, expediting his recuperative process, even as I think back my reply to Phohn.

Thank you for the alert, Phohn. Please relay the following to Mordre: An opportunity has presented itself to find my former teacher, the Lined One. I do not know if there will ever be another chance to meet him, as he is a hunted man. I must take this opportunity to find him, before he goes to ground once more. My friend, I will try to get back as soon as I've managed to establish contact, as I've so many things to show you and Bang. I know you'll understand.

In my place, I'm sending a new hopeful I met at the tournament, with Bagrom. His name is Senth, and he's something of a troublemaker, but very talented and ready to sign on. Do see if you can't finagle my Pipe out of his grasp at some point, would you, old chap?

Oh, one more thing: I won. He has my prize money too, so keep that in mind.

.......

Your words have been conveyed to Mordre, and he accepts your proposed plan. He does ask that you be cautious, as Vandgurd and Zelgoto were struck down in a single blow, only surviving due to our regenerative abilities, and Jioga may ultimately travel towards Gainer, instead of Woltora.

I absorb this data, accepting the response given to me, as I nod towards Senth and the still unconscious Bagrom, whose body is still healing more swiftly thanks to my aid.

"Well Senth-"
>"What, no Scoundrel this time?"
"...Scoundrel Senth, I shall see you later, in Waltora, or wherever else Mordre's group may travel while I meet with my master. It was... interesting to meet you."
>"Hah, not bothering with simpering obsequiousness? Alright, alright. Well, bye now!"

As Senth takes the handles of Bagrom's stretcher from me, I turn back towards Gainer, and begin my trek back, the returning champion of the Grand Gainer.


GOLEM QUEST THREAD 8 COMPLETE!!
NEXT ARC: NOBLES AND DRAGONS.... AND DUNGEONS!?

New Thread: http://quest.lv/kusaba/quest/res/233735.html

So hey, Keddic. Way to contribute something meaningful to the Way of the Harksburton there. Mission complete there, eh? Now we can see about finding you a nice girl and continuing the line.