Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/01(Tue)09:21 No. 582269 ID: d604bf
File 140423169406.jpg - (38.08KB , 375x523 , Kyubey Magical Aspirant.jpg )

>>582268
This beady-eyed rabbit...thing just offered me a job. I think. Maybe I'm completely off my rocker--wouldn't put it past my fucked up psyche--but hell, what's the worst that could happen by listening to it for a moment?

"Magic is very real, lass. You are a part of this, and with proper training you could achieve great things."
...right. Because I'm totally going to learn magic from some plushy animal mascot toy...thingy. I'll pass.
"I understand. Because your current employment is *so* profitable, for you, is it not?"

...did that little shit just threaten me? Was it behind this?

>Calm down girl, you're losing it. Just tell it to piss off and go home to brood.
>Whatever this thing is, it needs a good ass-kicking.
>...Okay, I'm listening. What's in it for me?
>Other

>Other
What would working for you entail?

That...Sounds like a generous offer little plush critter.
But it sounds a bit more than slightly creepy.
If you're that desperate? Why say that?
And your jab at just how lovely my job was, that was petty. Does it suck? Yes, but you could be nicer about it, unless you REALLY want me to work for you.

"You look like a plush doll, and I didn't think I was drunk enough to be hallucinating something like you, or even drunk at all. Still, I couldn't agree to anything if I'm sufficiently intoxicated that I'm hallucinating animated plush thingies. No offense to whoever you really are but if that's what I'm seeing I'm in no shape for contract negotiations; gimme your business card and I'll get back to you after I drink some water and take a nap if that works for you."

>lost job
Doing what?

>...did that little shit just threaten me?
It sounded more like playing to your weak points than a threat. Still, it shows the creature is at least familiar with your situation.

>Was it behind this?
Unknown, but not implausible. Manipulating the situation so you'd be more likely to accept a deal is a possible angle.

>what do
*Sigh* Let's here your pitch. No bullshitting, and if I don't like what I hear, I'm walking away. And if you arranged for me to be suddenly unemployed, be upfront about it, now.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/01(Tue)12:13 No. 582292 ID: 86cf84
File 140424203917.jpg - (80.00KB , 312x445 , 64.jpg )

>>582288
>What job did you just lose?
I was a payroll accountant for a warehouse company based here in town. Been working here 4 years, never missed a day without calling in sick, no one had complained about my performance...until now.

>>582279
>>582285
>>582270
It's here that I sigh and try to figure out how to put this.
"Okay, I'm way too sober for this this shit, but I'm past the point of caring. Can you at least tell me what I'm about to get myself into before telling you to piss off?"

Whatever this thing is, it's just staring at me, not blinking at all. Kinda freaky, let's be honest.

"My superiors are looking for those with capable magical powers to help broker deals between various entities throughout the Blind Eternities. You would be sent out with assignments and your own magic, that I will help awaken, and do what needs to be done. In exchange, we will take care of things for you."

"So what, I'm just going to be your errand girl?"
"In a sense, though your errands will be more intensive than just fetching my dry-cleaning."

Great. It's learned sarcasm. This can only go well.

>Okay, deal. What now?
>I have a couple other questions first...(such as?)
>Do you mind if I sleep on it? Still not entirely sure you aren't my fucked up psyche.
>Counter-offer: Go fuck yourself.
>Other (Write-in)

>Do you mind if I sleep on it? Not sure if I'm just going crazy or like hearing that voice that makes people do crazy things like hack someone apart with a rusty saw.
Besides...Your timing is suspiciously quick, you know?

Ask for more information about this 'magic' you'd be working with.

I'm curious about how our purple elephant here found us so very quickly, and with such precise timing after our completely unexpected firing. This is quite a singular coincidence that we should happen to have a job offer right after our old one is (apparently?) taken away under unusual circumstances. Truly such serendipitous luck on its part is quite remarkable isn't it? Let's remark upon it, I'm not so keen on working for someone/something who either personally, or indirectly, got us fired from our old job just to make it easier to hire us.
"Yeah, it wasn't the most fun job in the world but I'm annoyed with you for arranging my 'firing.' And frankly, magic is for fools, little kids and people who aren't aware enough to catch the other hand to see the pickpocket at work. It isn't a hard no yet, but you're gonna have to do a heck of a lot better than offering me an errand-job and some line about magic here bud, and I don't like working with con-men."

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/01(Tue)19:50 No. 582375 ID: 86cf84
File 140426945779.jpg - (67.52KB , 312x445 , 61a.jpg )

>>582307
>>582350
...Right. Magic. Pull the other one, freaky rabbit pet thing, it has bells on. Still, when it says "take care of things" it certainly leads me to think that's fairly all-inclusive.

"How exactly does magic even work? I mean, I'm a grown woman in her twenties, if you expect me to run around in a top that reveals way too much and a frilly skirt two sizes too small, you've got another think coming."

"That mental image was entirely unnecessary. But no, my superiors have little concern for your wardrobe so long as it suits the task you are assigned. As for magic...it is much easier to see than explain."

...the little furball is staring me in the eyes again. Because it's in the air, floating. Why is it floa-OH GOD MY FEET AREN'T TOUCHING THE GROUND WHY AM I FLOATING?

...it's only a few inches, but it's the principle of the matter dammit!

>>582296
"...D'you think I can sleep on it, get back with you once I'm sure this isn't part of my deranged psychosis playing tricks on me?"

"...I suppose, but I can't assure that we will still have positions available, or that others will not try something..."

...goddamned creepy mutant psycho cat rabbit beast thing.

>...Okay, I'm in.
>No, and that's final.
>I'll find your fuzzy ass tomorrow with an answer.
>If I have this magic, can't you unlock it now so I can ward off these "others" you're threatening me with?
>Other (Write-in)

>>582375
>...Okay, I'm in.

Others? What others? Am I picking sides in some kind of crazy magic war here?

Before accepting, let's hear the potential terms of employment. You've been accountant too long to let yourself be tripped up by something as simple as signing (or agreeing to) a contract without reading it first.

So what are you expected to provide in terms of fulfilling your tasks, and what exactly does "taking care of you" comprise, what are the hours, the benefits, the obligations, the responsibilities of both parties? What's the medical plan look like when something goes terribly magically wrong?

tl;dr counter the annoying magic bunny by turning this into a negotiation where you've got your strengths. In petty details.

I'm still not buying this; convincing people they were levitating sounds an awful lot like stuff the CIA did as part of MKUltra. Also, even if the magic powers are real we don't have any assurances yet that they're at all useful, that having them is more beneficial than harmful, or that the process of their acquisition will leave us with a net positive: The no-free-lunch principle applies. We likely want to run far, far away from all this magic nonsense if it turns out to be real.

If we do take leave of our senses or this is an offer we can't refuse (we seem to have just been threatened with others here) we at least need to have a firm grasp of what we'd be signing up for and enough of a fist ready to squeeze this thing's throat that it isn't free to cross us as it pleases. To that end I agree with >>582395 above in calling for an explicit and detailed contract. We also need a good notary that can handle this shit and some clue how to smite the pink elephant back if they cheat or otherwise screw with us; ordinarily the power of lawsuits, legal enforcement and contract law serves here but we're talking about a hallucination gibbering about magic nonsense so that may not work at all.

>>582375
If you're give me a job offer like this, can I have a written contract so I can see what exactly I'm getting into.

Others now?
That does it you can-wait, I got a better idea.
[grab bunny and spike him like a football]
NO!

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/02(Wed)05:30 No. 582425 ID: 86cf84
File 140430420371.jpg - (52.77KB , 312x445 , 37a.jpg )

>>582395
>>582397
>>582406
Yeah. If I'm going to get this deep into crazy magical bullshit, I had better know exactly what I'm getting myself into and what the payoff is.

"Suppose I did accept your offer. What would I be getting myself into, exactly? What's the terms of this so-called employment?"

"You are most wise, young sorceress. Far too many would delve right into this world of magic without concern of the consequences. I will lay out our terms for you, but a written contract will have to wait until you meet with my superiors - they at least have opposable thumbs."
...that's reasonable, I suppose.

It takes the little fuzzy about fifteen minutes to lay out all of the exact terms of the contract (with more than a little prodding from yours truly) but here are the highlights:
For whoever these "superiors" are, I'd be working for them until they no longer need me, or I can't stand working for them anymore. If I quit or get fired I'll have to return all the magical stuff they've given me, or other magic I've learned "of equal value". As far as medical benefits goes, they'll cover any magical mishaps and take all reasonable efforts to prevent death and disfigurement. When I get assignments to go do stuff for them they'll arrange for travel to and from the location, and a guaranteed minimum 48-hours of downtime between assignments. There's also a clause in there that my employment is conditional on signing a paper contract to this effect, and I can walk away at any point before then and be free and clear.

Gotta be honest, whatever this thing is, it knows as much about contracts as I do--maybe even more. But as far as I can tell right now, everything's legit. Only thing I haven't discussed is the pay. when I do, the cat rabbit thing cocks its head.

"Two gold pieces, per week. Paid when you return from assignment." Cheap-ass fuzzy bastard.
hang on...forgive me if I'm slaughtering the math, but if I'm thinking this right and there's an ounce of gold per gp, that's...

Well then.

It's still not saying much about how I learn magic, but some things have to be taken on faith I guess?

>Okay. Deal, pending the paper contract.
>Nope. I'll take my chances with the "other" you're tossing at me.
>Other concerns about the contract I didn't mention? (specify)

>forgive me if I'm slaughtering the math, but if I'm thinking this right and there's an ounce of gold per gp, that's...
Well, it would depend on the purity, and we might have to accept losses converting gold into spendable currency, but 2 ounces of gold works out to around ~$2600 a week, I think. Not bad.

And I'm not sure if gold paid by magic cat rabbit things counts as taxable income. Which might be a nice plus, although it might be simpler in the long run not to play with tax fraud. I mean, would be an awful shame to become a kick ass sorceress or whatever only to have the IRS ruin your life. You'll have to find a way to make your income look legit.

>what do
What the hell, the offer sounds legit, and can you really pass up a chance to learn magic, if it's really real? I mean, you're talking to a rabbit, and floating.

Okay. Deal, pending the paper contract.

Pending the contract...Alright I guess. This guy's a bit creepy, but we can back out at any time if need be, and potentially even with a degree of power if we can get magic on our own.

>>582425
The least you can do now is wait for the contract.

I don't like it. There are reasons why, the second may be nitpicking inadequately defined details but the first, third and fourth parts of why I don't like this are serious.

First, let's talk about what's going on in that phrase above, "[...]take all reasonable efforts to prevent death and disfigurement."
Yeah, no, without knowing what this means it could just be not setting you on fire first before kicking you out of the airplane without a parachute. This is too vague. Permanent injury, disease or impairment and a lack of coverage and protection for it can reasonably lead to fates worse than death. That goes tenfold when magic enters the picture. Nail this down.

We also don't know what 'two gold pieces' means. Let's leave aside conversion expenses and the theft risks of carrying around thousands of dollars worth of easily-pickpocketed wealth: This statement of proposed wages/salary makes no guarantee about size, composition or origin of these 'gold pieces.' This could mean two scrapings of gold foil amounting to less than a hundredth of a gram in total, stolen from a museum-artifact spacesuit, which would get us arrested for living off of the avails or dealing in stolen goods if we tried to spend or trade it. Besides, magic has been invoked here and how do we know it'll be real gold at all instead of something that turns back to straw during the full moon?

Mandatory 48 hour down time sounds an awful lot like mercenary/assassination work. Even if we are looking at $2500 per week USD here that is below market rates for a professional mercenary or assassin in many cases, because there is such a thing as a risk premium. Those risk premiums tend to apply particularly for assignments which are risky, stressful and dangerous enough to have customary minimum down time afterwards. Even if we're okay with that level of risk, which I'll leave out there as a big unknown for someone that was previously used to working in an office, I'm not convinced fuzzy here isn't taking us for a ride. Even if they're not planning to cheat or hang us out to dry on either of the two specific concerns I raised above this might be a chump offer for someone they want to be a low-price, illegal-immigrant worker. We don't know what the normal salary expectations for this prospective employment is, frankly we don't even know that this isn't just a really weird dream or detailed hallucination.

There are other concerns about this magic nonsense. "If I quit or get fired I'll have to return all the magical stuff they've given me," doesn't say anything about what happens if this stuff is addictive or dependency-forming. I'm not convinced we aren't talking about drugs here so that's serious. "I'd be working for them until they no longer need me, or I can't stand working for them anymore," means what... no job security or employer responsibility for long-term damage from our employment? If this magic stuff is hazardous to our mental health this might mean, "If you go go crazy we dump you on a random streetcorner and welcome to your new, short and eventful life as a crazy hobo." I'm sure there's more ways for all this to bite us on the ass I haven't noticed yet too.

Oh, we also don't know how much of this is criminal or what our legal risks would be. Magic powers and getting paid in gold pieces is decidedly non-standard according to our previous experience: I really don't think we wanna go to jail for trying to smuggle pixie dust in a condom up our ass on an airline. We were an accountant though so I guess we're ethically flexible. Maybe this isn't a problem at all even if it is as bad as I think it could be, our previously-established moral flexibility combined with power and criminal-support might be an attractive opportunity.

Wah, wah magical gangfights... if we're seriously talking about a six figure salary for someone who was just fired and only has accountant credentials that is going to come with tradeoffs. After getting fired from our last job our options for accountancy positions will be more limited than we like, and I'm not entirely convinced this isn't an offer we can't refuse yet. We're talking career options that will spill over into our personal life one way or another here. That said, a drive-by shooting by someone who uses fireballs and acid might make this not worth it even if we aren't there when it happens. Unfortunately, vaguely-threatening creepy-thing here was very vague about who would be making good on his threat: It might not even be him and his people. We might be stuck with this, and perhaps we earned that as karmic retribution for being an accountant.

Not sold. I am not sold about the desirability of this at all, and the probability that fuzzy or his people caused us to get fired somehow makes me very suspicious here. I want to know more about his vague threat before going forward with anything though.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/02(Wed)12:13 No. 582462 ID: d604bf
File 140432840771.jpg - (78.07KB , 312x445 , 61b.jpg )

>>582428
>>582429
>>582434
"Okay, I'm in, pending the written contract." I sigh wearily, this is probably going to bite me in the ass at some point, but hell, when does a business venture not do that?

"Very well. A contract will be presented to you by end of business tomorrow. In the interim, you will need to awaken your own magic."

I thought the little fuzz ball was in charge of that usually.

"I can only do so much, sorceress. Your choices of magic cannot be determined by another, for it is your own soul that shapes your path. Focus inward and let your mind do the rest."

Focus inward, huh? Alright, I'm not taking my eyes off you, but it can't hurt to at least try.

...!

>Please Select a Color:

>[] White - White magic represents life, justice, and order. Has access to many defensive spells and inexpensive summons.

>[] Blue - Blue magic represents order, intellect, and deceit. Has access to powerful countermagic but most summons are fragile.

>[]Black - Black magic represents deceit, death, and ruin. Has access to destructive magics and summons, but the destruction is not limited to enemies.

>[]Red - Red magic represents ruin, passion, and impulse. Has powerful spells but summons tend to have drawbacks.

>[]Green - Color of Impulse, nature, and Life. Has the best summons but rather weak spells in comparison. Hard to destroy other summons outside combat.

>Choose one color at this junction. Other colors can be unlocked as experience progresses.

...Fire and Brimstone.
Act! Strike! Break!
RED!

So what color is appropriate for sarcastic and weary accountant girl?

Based on what personality we've seen so far, blue seems like it fits best. Maybe white too, but blue seems more worn, and about using rules to your own advantage.

We were an accountant: I'm pretty sure our colour is black, with hints of blue.

Also, we really need to know more about these threats dude was talking about. "So you said earlier, '[...]I can't assure that we will still have positions available, or that others will not try something,' and I want to know more about what you meant by that. I'm especially curious about the others trying something part."

>We were an accountant: I'm pretty sure our colour is black, with hints of blue.
I think that primary black secondary blue is more lawyers; I would think that accountants would be primarily blue.

Whats the deal with the magic cards?

>>582477
Obsolete, the primary job of an accountant these days is to lie convincingly about amounts of money and taxes, unless they're an auditor maybe.

>>582480
Short answer, it's a quest gimmick and source of background/world content if this quest follows the previous example that way. For more information you can check out the old version: http://www.tgchan.org/wiki/Magical_Girl_Quest
Hope this helps.

>>582489
Isn't using loopholes and lies to twist or cheat the system the very essence of Blue?

>>582492
I looked that up. I'm pretty sure accountancy is black, although you can make a case that it's blue.
Black is a fairly simple color to understand. It focuses on winning at all costs. It can be simple, or very abstract. Though it can be an aggressive color, it focuses on manipulating the opponent at any cost.
Black is a zero-sum color. White loves to create and enhance. It believes in continuously bringing things up to enhance the overall glory. Black doesn't care about glory. Instead of creating or enhancing, it takes.
Finally, black will do absolutely whatever it has to in order to gain the upper-hand.
Since taxes are what make shared infrastructure and common services like firefighting and sewer systems possible I'd say that cheating on taxes is a black thing.

As someone studying to be an accountant I object a bit to accounting being a black magic type. Voting on blue.

>>582462
>[] Blue - Blue magic represents order, intellect, and deceit. Has access to powerful countermagic but most summons are fragile.

>>582462
White or black

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/03(Thu)05:29 No. 582599 ID: 86cf84
File 140439059870.jpg - (60.68KB , 312x445 , 95.jpg )

>>582498
As a fellow accounting student, I take offense to your offense. In any case, looks like blue and black are more or less level. I'm the QM, so I say let's do something different to see what happens.

>[]Black Magician Girl selected.

It's...really dark. like, so dark I cant see my hands right in front of my face. It just goes on and on forever in here. I really don't know how to describe it, there's just this...empty abyss.
...this should probably freak me out some, but it doesn't. It's who I am, after all. I won't let all this inky nothingness consume me, it's my job to use it, not get used by it. To do whatever I have to in order to get the job done. It's a dank, soulless, thankless job that no one wants to bother with, but it needs doing if anything is going to work.


Heh...it's just another day at the office.

"Rise, Ebon sorceress. You may have awakened your power, but it is still dull. Unrefined. You need a teacher to hone your spellcraft to a more useful form."

Well, mangey little furball, what do you have in mind for that?

>Please Select a sub-specialty. This is mostly flavor but will shape the kinds of spells you start with. Remember, black magic (and any other magic for that matter) is only as evil as its wielder.

>[]Black Knight - Some things need to be done, no matter how ugly or morally skewed they seem to the "good" and "proper" way of things. They still request our services, acting all the holier for not staining their own hands. Doesn't matter, I have my code and I keep to it, no matter what.

>[] Black Witch - People are always looking for ways to to things better, to do them easier. Making new things like that is never an easy task, and sometimes you lose a few test subjects on the way. But it's a service that needs to be provided, for everyone's sake.

>[] Mortician - Death is as natural as life. Sometimes people need to be reminded of that fact. Those that cheat death put a strain on us that our world can only handle so much of; while those taken too soon at least deserve the proper respect. It's grisly work, but we all feel safer for it.

Ooooh I like the flavor of Mortician.
But there's something inherently awesome about the Black Knight...
I'm going to say Black Knight.

I like black knight. We do what we have to do, and we stick to our own rules.

>>582599
Mortician.
The flavor for that is amazing.

>People are always looking for ways to to things better, to do them easier.
As a programmer I am honour-bound to pick the option that seems laziest. Aside from that, accountancy is the continuous war of people trying to cheat numbers to save taxes and make amounts appear larger or smaller than they are versus the rather similar people trying to catch these lies. Innovation and counter-innovation is their norm so I suspect the witch's specialty fits us best.

>>582615
On second thought, exploiting the dead might be even lazier, and it certainly evokes the sorts of legal and fiscal necromancy involved in much tax evasion. They also have to at least minimally adhere to a code of ethics and a set of client-expectations or else they can't be employed to manage people's money either, so all three options might fit.

I would need more information to decide, put me down for neutral so far.

>>582599
I like Black Knight. It kinda reminds me of Yuri Lowell from Tales of Vesperia. Can't deal with all the bullshit "right" way to solve the big problems. You just gotta do what needs to be done because nobody else will.

>>582599

>[] Mortician - Death is as natural as life. Sometimes people need to be reminded of that fact. Those that cheat death put a strain on us that our world can only handle so much of; while those taken too soon at least deserve the proper respect. It's grisly work, but we all feel safer for it.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/03(Thu)09:52 No. 582633 ID: d604bf
File 140440637742.jpg - (63.06KB , 312x445 , 71.jpg )

>[]Black Knight/Mortician - Focus on Knight

"People see death as this really evil, bad thing, right? It's just strange that something that's so natural gets such a bad rap. Death is a thing, so deal with it."

The little furball looks at me a bit cock-eyed. "That was quite rational of you, ebon sorceress. You understand how little value a hum-
"I wasn't finished." I say, doing my best to give the rotten animal an evil glare. It's listening, so I guess that's good enough. "Death may be natural, but I don't see any need to randomly off people just because. I'm fine being the executioner and I'll do what I have to. But leave the judge and jury to people who know better than me. I'll play by my rules, and you can deal with it. Got it?"

"...I understand. The results of your actions carry more weight than the path to those results, after all. I will arrange a meeting with an instructor tonight. Be well, ebon sorceress." The mutant cat hops along and seems to disappear.


...well. This is...something. It's just past noon and the sun isn't setting for several hours.

What's a girl to do?
>Find someone to practice on (where?)
>Practice alone (where?)
>Attempt research (what topic?)
>Other (Write-In)

>As a note, being a being of black magic does not inherently make you averse to "light" or "holy" things. The sun doesn't burn your skin more than anyone else, a well-lit room isn't going to cause a migraine, and holy water will just get your clothes wet.

>Knight / Mortician.
Nice, we get the best of both flavors.

>what do?
Practicing on someone would seem to fly in the face of what we just affirmed. Our actions have consequences, and we're not going to inflict those on someone for no reason. The responsible executioner doesn't remove heads before their time just to get the hang of the axe.

Our problem is we currently have power, but no idea how to control it, or activate it. Couple that with the way black was described ("the destruction is not limited to enemies"), and blind experimentation could very well be inadvertently harmful to us (or that which you care about).

Attempting research before experimentation would seem to be in order, then. Topic to start with would probably be how to control your power, and/or activate it. Once we know that, experimentation becomes significantly safer, although we still have to worry about activating double-edged effects inadvertently.

>other
I think it would be reasonable to assume this 'lesson' tonight is going to keep you pretty busy. Probably be a good idea to have normal affairs wrapped up before your instructor shows up. Cancel any plans you had, make sure you've eaten, etc.

>>582633
Might as well do some research on your new powers. The stuffed toy said an instructor will help you get started up tonight so you'll probably practice under his or her tutelage.

[Other]
We should ensure that our affairs are in order for us to begin life anew as a Magician.

After that, I suppose wait patiently for our mentor to arrive.

I am not sure what exactly we would research, seeing how we don't yet know what our magic does or which bits of physics still apply to it.

On thing we should do as part of putting out affairs in order is to email our previous boss to about our reason for being dismissed. The circumstances around that were quite suspicious, so something might show up with a bit of investigation.

OK, so we're going to be dealing with death. We probably don't want to be messing with power we haven't practised with, but that power probably comes with some extra senses too. Let's try and check out the nearest hospital; if the presence of the near-dead or recently-dead has any particular effect on us, it'd be better to find out now rather than when it might matter.

Do we have any friends, family or romantic partner(s) to talk this over with? We have just experienced something that is akin to a vision or a drug episode here even if it was real. We need grounding, more information, and backup plans/resources for when us playing around with deadly magic gets us in trouble.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/03(Thu)20:05 No. 582707 ID: 86cf84
File 140444315847.jpg - (75.05KB , 312x445 , 14.jpg )

>>582636
>>582644
>>582652
>Get your affairs in order


Right. I still have no clue what magic entails. Sure, I can feel it's there, but that's nothing I want to really act on just yet. For now I need to make sure all my mundane affairs are taken care of.

...

Okay. I've sent an e-mail to corporate about my firing, I've set up auto-payments for my rent and utilities for the next three months (fuzzy bastard told me to keep the first two gold coins. I had to eat one-fifty on processing but having almost $2500 more in my bank account is worth it.) and I made sure to keep all my valuables locked up in the safe Mom got me when I moved out. Now all I need to do is wait...

>>582680
That...that's a good idea. I don't have many friends I still keep in touch with, and no one I'm seeing right yet, so family I guess it is.

"...Hi mom...yeah, it's me."
"Oh! It's so nice to hear from you dear. It's been a while, you know."
"Yeah...I know. sorry Mom."
"That's no problem dear, just that there's no shame in telling us how you're doing more than once a year! Anyway, how are things going for you?"


...That...that's a damn good question.

>What say? (write-in)
>Dammit charm, stop fucking up post formatting

"I just got fired out of the blue for no apparent reason. After that I had an experience I'm not sure wasn't a hallucination, but it left me with over two thousand dollars worth of gold somehow. Is there some family history with mental illness, fairies, magic or something like that I need to know about, or does this sound as crazy to you as saying it seems to me?"

>auto-payments
Good idea, since you can't be sure if you'll always be around with these 'tasks'.

>what say
...you're feeling out a new job offer. It's a little different from the kind of work you usually do, but it seems interesting. Hard to tell if it's going to be bust or great right now, but hey, there's always someone who needs their money counted.

Let's not say anything that would really upset her. If this is legit, you may be disappearing for days at a time, and you'd just be giving your family reason to worry in advance, and making things harder for yourself if you raise questions of your own mental stability.

If you want to ask about family history of mental disease, there are more circumspect ways to do that. She's a mother. Just get her talking about family. Sure, you might have to spend an hour...

>>582707
Say that you lost your job, but have a new job offer. It's not what you studied for but it's different and sounds interesting. Basically use this opportunity to talk with mom; ask about what's happening at home and maybe we can segue into magic.

Also no Death and Taxes quip?

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/05(Sat)21:34 No. 583033 ID: 86cf84
File 140462125753.jpg - (81.96KB , 312x445 , 105.jpg )

>>582872
>Also no Death and Taxes quip?
Well there WAS going to be until you went and ruined the joke.

>>582715
>>582729
Right. It's my own mother for Pete's sake. I don't want to get her too flustered, but it can't hurt to tell her things in broad strokes.

"Things are...kinda in limbo a bit. I'm looking into a job offer I got earlier. It's not exactly what I went to school for, but it kinda seems up my alley I guess."
"Oh, well that's something. Worried if you're seeing the grass greener on that side of the fence?" That's one way of putting it, I guess. "Well, you always were sharp at spotting when something isn't how it's supposed to be. You take after your father in that, I'm afraid."

Yeah, Mom's always been a bit of a sucker. At least the one love of her life has been for real.

"There's one other thing that's been bugging me lately..."
"Oh? What's that, dear?
"Well, I've just been thinking about Gramma, ever since she passed last year. The biggest thing I remember is she always seemed a bit...superstitious I guess? Do you remember anything like that, or is it just me?"

There's a pause - I know the line's not dead, Mom's just thinking about something.

"Superstition isn't what I would call it. Honestly I blamed a lot of it on the Alzheimer's, her ramblings in those last few months. Then again...they say that the ones who've lost their mind know more than everyone else put together. Who knows?" I haven't heard anyone say that before, honestly.

"You know, your grandmother left you a few things in her will. Just a couple knick-knacks, but if you're missing her I can ship them over."

That...might be interesting, depending on how deep I am in this mutant cat rabbit hole. I'm not exactly expecting much, though.
>"Sure, send them over."
>"No, no need to fuss over it."
AND
>Talk more? (about what?)
>Timeskip to this Evening
>Other (Write-in)

>Well there WAS going to be until you went and ruined the joke.
Killing the joke was as inevitable as both death and taxes.

>what do
Sure, have her send them over. Worst case, it's a nice sentimental reminder. Best case? Magic runs in the family and she deliberately left you something that's actually relevant here. Runner-up best case? You get sentimental, personal objects, with an emotional connection to you, and a connection to death. Even if Gramma wasn't a secret sorceress, that's the kind of thing that might be useful to Ebon sorcery.

>talk?
I'm not sure what about, but I see some benefit in keeping up the conversation. Keeping yourself grounded seems a good first step, here. Accepting life (and in turn death) as what it is is the right frame of mind for the discipline you chose.

>what else do
Make sure we eat before our instructor arrives (we might be up and out all night). Have the place tidy. (We're about order, right? And no need to make a bad impression, or have stuff in the way).

See about picking out clothes. Obviously has to fit the theme / color. Plus dark colors mean we won't be noticed as easily if we end up heading out for our lesson. Nothing silly or ornate, though. Need to be practical, something we can work and move in, if we need to. After all, we don't know what we're going to be doing. Coverage is probably better, in case we make a dangerous mistake (a fireball backfires? We summon some disobedient nasty with claws or teeth). Probably want your hair tied back, out of the way as well.

Hmm. In that line of thought, the modern practical mage is dressing very much like a chemistry student.

>Well there WAS going to be until you went and ruined the joke. >Killing the joke was as inevitable as both death and taxes.
We were an accountant so we've already cheated taxes, if we last long enough as a black magician we will probably cheat death. Why couldn't we cheat this too dangit?

How far away is mom? We might want to pick this stuff up directly if we have time for it. Particularly so if any of it involved a jet set on a golden chain....

"My current recruitment offer apparently comes partially on the strength of my background, as in my family tree. I found that really weird and more than a little creepy because my prospective employer seems to know more about my heritage than I do. They didn't even tell me if this was about your side or dad's side, or both, so I need to check up on our history a little bit."

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/06(Sun)20:42 No. 583188 ID: 86cf84
File 140470452153.jpg - (67.86KB , 312x445 , 49b.jpg )

>>583040
>>583055
Mom and Dad live in a tiny burg the next state over. It's about a 3 hour drive, two and a half if I give complete disregard the the speed limits. All in all there's probably not enough time to get there and back without someone getting suspicious. Really would waste gas, too.

"Sure, ship them over when you can. It'll be nice to have something to remember her by." I hear myself saying it, but there's still something all too...surreal about everything that's happened in the past few hours.
"M-mom?"
"Is everything alright, dear?"
"I...I think so. It's just...things are moving so fast, I'm getting into something that just...I don't know what to really expect." Dammit I shouldn't be crying over something this trivial, I'm a grown-up! "I ...I just..."
"You figured that once you were an adult everything would be easier?"

...Yeah. That's pretty much it, really. All my life, the parents have the answer. Adults know what to do and how and where to do it. When I get to be a grown-up, I kept thinking, I'll know what to do too.
Turns out, that's way wrong.
"Well, I guess I can relate, back when I was your age. You think that being grown up gives you all the answers. Truth is, it just gives more questions. Sometimes you just gotta bullshit your way through things. And dear, you come from a very long line of bullshitters. You'll be fine."
...heh. Leave it to a mother to know exactly what to say to her only daughter. Whatever I am getting myself in to here, I'm here for a reason. It's my job to figure stuff out for my own, because I'm the only one that can.

...Okay. I think I have my head on straight. I oughtta hang up and make sure everything else is taken care of.

...

It's approaching 8:30 at night. I've eaten, tidied up, and I'm wearing a simple black blouse and slacks in case you were morbidly curious.
...if this magic bullshit consists just of constantly making puns, I don't care how much they pay, I'm out.

It occurs to me that the mangey mutant furball never established a formal time for this meeting, I might be wa-never mind all the lights went out. It's this huge black void, like what I saw when I peered into my magic. Only this time...I can hear something. Can't tell where it's coming from...!

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/06(Sun)20:53 No. 583192 ID: 86cf84
File 140470518274.jpg - (86.56KB , 312x445 , 81.jpg )

>>583188
Out of the abyss appears a brown-haired man with a serious expression and a staff that almost looks like it came out of Tolkein's head. I...won't comment on his wardrobe, mostly because it's...yeah. saying it's "out there" would be an understatement.

"So...you're the one. Tell me, sorceress. To what end do you seek taking this talent of yours? Fame? Wealth? Conquest? Immortality? Or are your desires something more than all that?"

Whoever this man is, he speaks with an air of authority - like he runs the place. I...don't really know for sure if we're still in my apartment, so I really want to start this on a good note.

>"When I'm through, everyone the world over will know my name."
>"Money is the end-all, be-all. With that I need nothing else."
>"Being queen of the world? That sounds like a title I could get used to."
>"I want to live to see how humanity will be, ages beyond what anyone could imagine today."
>"I have my eyes set on a higher goal." (What?)
>Other (Write-in - encouraged)

>Charm, stop fucking up everything you're horrible at this

>To what end do you seek taking this talent of yours?
Cock an eyebrow. Do the ends matter, for the purpose of your instruction?

Aside from that non-answer, there's the matter of our employer, and the fact that our ends will not be entirely our own, at least for a time. That, and it would seem premature to decide on an end-purpose when we don't even know what our talent is capable of. Which, I suppose, means our goal, at least for the moment, is understanding.

After the philosophy and semantics of purpose stuff is done, see about introductions.

>>583196
Supporting all parts of this. Also, if we tell him what we want, might we ask what he wants in return.

"If you require me to state a goal for a journey whose path and destination are yet unknown that strikes me as foolish, and like you're asking me to tell you how to manipulate me. Besides that, the items you listed all seem... misguided or petty somehow: Fame is at best a double-edged sword and it directly opposes privacy and control. Wealth is often meaningless for things which cannot be purchased, and it makes you a target to others who covet it. Conquest brings new enemies and an increase in paranoia and responsibility, it turns one into the slave of their ambitions as much as a ruler of others. Immortality is a key ingredient in the manufacture of fates worse than death.
"Hypothetically I suppose I am going into the practice of magic seeking power, insight and awareness. I'm prepared for the possibility that these too may be ignorant goals that need to be abandoned or altered."

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/07(Mon)07:39 No. 583236 ID: 86cf84
File 140474395576.jpg - (68.42KB , 312x445 , 2.jpg )

>>583196
>>583203
>>583207
Right. Let's not be stupid about delusions of grandeur here - I need to know what I'm getting myself in to, and what it could do to me.

"All of those are nice, I guess...but I'm not interested. Right now what I desire...what I need, is insight. I need to understand what I've been thrown into here, and how to use this magic that I apparently didn't know about until earlier today."

The man in front of my cracks a small smile. "That's a very good answer. Everything I listed is possible, if you ignore the costs. In many cases, the cost is not worth what you really wanted to begin with."

"I'm an accountant by trade. Weighing costs is how I earned my keep. So if you're trying to sucker me into something, I suggest you stop - it won't work. By the way, what should I call you?"

"I have many titles, sorceress. The Great One, The Master, the Confidant...
"One that doesn't sound absurd to say in public?"
"...Bob will suffice. Though it's only fair for me to ask a name of you." That's better. He does seem a bit...dour, though.

>What is our budding sorceress' name? Remember you haven't had any magical experiences before this, so a normal name is encouraged.
AND
>"So...magic. How exactly do I do anything with it?" (Magic and Casting Theory)
>"What sort of things can I summon that won't eat me?" (Explanations of Black Summons)
>"Black magic should have a lot of pure spells - what are some of the safer ones for me?" (Explanation of Black Spells)

>Due to our heroine's careful nature thus far, none of the spells initially shown can cause the caster to lose or pay life.

>>583236
Therese
and
>"So...magic. How exactly do I do anything with it?" (Magic and Casting Theory)
I doubt she has any idea about the other two questions, so we start from the start.

>name
Yuliana.

>magic
Yeah, start with the basics. First choice. We need to know how to use our power at all before we explore applications.

Veronica...
Right now...I think I'll want Black Magic 101. Right now I don't know anything about how to do magic myself.

You shouldn't have boasted that you couldn't be suckered; he has all the information and you have none. It would be trivial for him to sucker you, and now you've given him cause to prove it.
But yes, we need to know about where the power comes from, what the costs are, why we can do it, and why other people can't.

>>583241
I like Veronica. V's are my thing.

>>583273
We'll just need to be careful and expect to be used. We'll do what we can to take advantage of whatever comes our way, but right now, we need a teacher, so we are in his care whether we like it or not. And I think Bob should get something out of it as well. After all, he shouldn't be expected to work for free. ESPECIALLY for our color. Charity is more for green or white.

>"So...magic. How exactly do I do anything with it?" (Magic and Casting Theory)
gotta go with the basics, I suppose. But maybe segue way into summons? A body guard is a vital tool.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/08(Tue)05:10 No. 583362 ID: 86cf84
File 140482142401.jpg - (82.37KB , 312x445 , 100.jpg )

>>583241
>>583349
>Veronica
>Derived from latin "vera icon" meaning "true image", and from Berenice, from greek meaning "bringer of victory"
>That'll do nicely, I think.

"My name is Veronica, since we're being cordial about it. Back on topic, I'm still really in the dark about how magic works. The little fuzzy that clued me in didn't say jack, so...I guess that's the first thing I need to be taught?"

Bob just shakes his head. "The first thing you need to understand is how to grasp mana - that's basic magical energy - and use it to cast spells. In here you won't have any issues with that, but on your own you'll want to have some manner of link with land that resonates with you. A graveyard or actual swamp works well, but a dark alley in the dead of night could serve in a pinch I guess."
Sounds easy enough...
...huh. I guess I wasn't paying attention before, but I can feel this...energy buzzing about. Like the air itself is charged with something. Taking it in is almost as natural as breathing.
"So...now what?"

"Try doing something with it. I'd avoid pointing it at either of us, but outside of that go wild."
Wild doesn't sound good, but I can at least dump this built-up mana.
>Summon a Creature
>Cast a Spell
>Hold it in anyway
>Other (Write-in)

summon a creature-this magic might be the kind where spells want a target, and no zapping the teacher, or yourself. Either would really really hurt.

>>583362
Summon a creature
Let's see what we get.

Also nice derivation for the name, I was going for a lame Miss Therese

>Sounds easy enough...
Wait does that mean our power is location dependent? We're helpless or powerless when caught outside of an area where we can draw power from? Or we just need to establish places we can draw on, even at range? (And if so, is there a range limit?).

Graveyards may be in short supply, if you live in an urban environment. Real estate tends to be too valuable to keep the land for that use. Or it might be all centralized in one location not necessarily close to you. Although some cities do have buried graveyards. Places that were bulldozed and paved over for the march of progress. Taking those kinds of places into account, there might be better distribution.

Same problem with swamps. Although there may be other substitutes. If a sewer system works, that's mana accessible from almost anywhere. A landfill or waste water processing plant might be similar enough, too.

Aside from dark alleys, I wonder what else would work. Hospitals? Morgues? Museums, maybe, with the right kind of collection? Maybe certain financial institutions, if your interpretation of your own power influences what works. Banks, maybe? Actuaries? Insurance firms? (Places that order or work with death).

Sounds like you might have to do some research on potential power sources, and then scout and see what works.

>what do
A summon seems a decent place to start. Afterwards, maybe ask your teacher for clarification. Did you actually bring something here from somewhere else, or make something?

Anther question (once we've got the hang of making monsters and/or blasting things) is about non-combat applications of these arts. (Since this appears to be mtg-based I suspect we're building up to duels of some kind, but there should be other, subtler ways to leverage our power outside of that).

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/08(Tue)09:14 No. 583377 ID: d604bf
File 140483606840.jpg - (49.29KB , 312x445 , 152.jpg )

>>583366
>Therese originates from the greek word meaning "to harvest" - it could have worked in a grisly enough sense actually if you go a few degrees of separation with it.

>>583365
>>583375
"A-alright, I think I have it." The mana seems to bubble up as I try shaping it...into something. I have to admit, I'm flying by the seat of my pants here. I really hope what comes out isn't some big scary dem-oh.
"My my...such a daring young lass, asking for my service. Tell me, to what manner have you brought me here?"

Well, it's not a demon - it's a strangely enchanting woman with a rather sharp sword. There's something captivating about her...not in the "I want to tap that" sense, but in the sense that she seems to command attention to herself.

I could think of several occasions when that'd be an incredibly useful asset. But...back to the matter at hand. Thankfully, Bob bails me out here.

"Peace, lady knight. My apprentice here is still learning the finer arts of controlling her magic. She will be dealt with properly."

...do I not get any say in this?

>Let bob finish and deal with whatever he has in store.
>Say something (What?)
>Other (Write-in)

>To the anon who asked about it, casting out of combat is not only very possible, but also much less restrictive. While in combat you will only have a set few spells you can cast, without those constraints you can call almost any black spell (limited of course by your experience against the spell's power and costs)

>>583375
More speculation: since we sort of went with lawful evil (well, more ordered black, to avoid restricted and limiting models), I wonder if certain law enforcement institutions would count as well (Homicide units?).

There's also the suggestion that we might be at a disadvantage if our employer's tasks send us to places where we have to locate new sources of mana. By that same token, mages would likely be stronger in their home turf, where they know and have access to local land.

>She will be dealt with properly.
You will be dealt with? I'm not sure I like the implications, there. I wonder if he said that just for her benefit, or if he means it.

>...do I not get any say in this?
Depends on if you choose to make one, I suppose.

I think we should. If we're summoning powerful, willful creatures there's a fine line to be walked. We need the authority and confidence to command things we don't necessarily have the power to compel obedience from (without veering into arrogance or weakness that could be our undoing). I think that means you need to engage her.

>Say something (What?)
Ask-ing for your service? Is that how this works? If you're a knight, that implies you owe someone your service.

(Trying to show strength, without arrogance. Challenging her questioning of our authority, engaging the headgame I think she was trying to play, and not letting Bob control the narrative of our interaction with what should be our creature).

"A neophyte awakens to her power, and applies it, calling forth. I'm sorry for the disturbance of calling you with it, I have no desire to waste your time and patience."

>>583377
"Good day, lady knight. Thank you for responding. I trust that you were not unduly bothered by what has happened."
Say this in a professional, crisp tone. Show her that you are a leader and that you have the power here.

>>583502
Supporting this.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/09(Wed)11:52 No. 583524 ID: d604bf
File 140493194173.jpg - (51.03KB , 375x523 , 43a.jpg )

>>583502
>>583394
>>583511

Right. I really shouldn't be blatantly disrespectful to these people - especially since they appear to be sentient. But by the same token she answered the call so it's hella rude to just up and bite at me like that.

"Look, you two. I'm new at this. I apologize if I disrupted you, Ma'am, but you are a knight, and last I checked knights always seemed to owe someone a favor."

"Perhaps, but I do not recall owning YOU such favors." Arrogant little...

"Listen up, I brought you into this world and don't think for a minute that I can't take you out of it! Now shut up and lemme think."

"..."
That's better.

>Ask Bob questions - are all summons going to be like this?
>Ask about non-summoning spells
>Try casting another spell on your own
>Other (Write-in)

Ask Bob if other Summons are going to be like this-
If we have to basically shout down our summons and whatnot, it'd be good to know so that we don't try to summon something much larger.

The best way to secure someones service is by employing them. Contract negotiation time! what does the lady want?

It doesn't matter if summons are bound to serve or not, you get better performance out of happy employees every time.

I'm not sure it's rude to ask why someone called after answering the phone, to continue your metaphor. Questioning you competence, or your ability to command her, maybe, but you were kind of asking for that.

>what do
We'll ask for Bob's input after you've tried to deal with your summon- he can tell you if you screwed up or not. And he's there to resolve things if you really fuck up.

Start thinking out loud. There are two ways this could work. Either we can command her obedience simply by summoning her, or she needs to chose to give it. If the former, that means you've been testing the limits, playing with me. If the later, it becomes a question of how to command obedience. Demanding it as a consequence of my power seems unreliable- if my power manifests itself through summons, I can hardly threaten you with yourself. Which suggests a need for a contract or negotiation. To convince the knight to lend me her sword.

Obvious drawback is you're limited to summoning those you can trust, and already have reached an arrangement with when you need them. (Which would explain deck constraints in battle, perhaps).

How am I doing so far?

"So what's the normal offer for the benefit of your vigilance and wisdom ma'am, if you don't mind my asking?"

>>583524
I think we should consult Bob if we should take her into our service

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/10(Thu)05:14 No. 583618 ID: 86cf84
File 140499445106.jpg - (81.24KB , 312x445 , 132.jpg )

>>583525
>>583610
Alright Roni, think this through. It can't be the most difficult thing I've dealt with.

"Is everything I summon going to be this pissy?" I look at the man who shrugs, both of us ignoring the fact that the knight with the sword is right there.
"Not usually. There's an understanding that when summoned, there's a good reason. When one doesn't appear, then some folks will get a bit cranky. Especially demons - you really won't want to summon a demon unless you need someone smashed quickly."

Good to know. I turn to the knight and figure that if we can work out a deal, she might be quite useful. "So, let's see if we can't work out an arrangement. You appear competent and someone is going to have to keep me from screwing everything up. What do you say?"

"Hm hm hm...you are correct, sorceress - someone will need to prevent you from fouling up constantly. The terms?"
...
"I'll call you when I have need of your blade. If I call you needlessly, you can leave."
"Do I get to remove limbs?" Sheesh, I can understand a blood lust but this is taking a bit far...
"...Sure. If I call you and have absolutely no use for you, you can take a swing at me."

"...Very well. I accept. And as a good-faith effort, I'll not take a limb for this transgression." With that, the woman vanishes into the inky nothingness.
>Knight of Dusk added to your summons list.

"Are you so sure that was wise?" Bob asks. I can't help but crack a smile.
"The deal was she gets to cut me 'if I have no reason for calling on her'. Never specified the reason had to be one she likes."
"...Clever girl."

>Let's try summoning something else
>Let's try a non-summon spell
>So does this mean I can summon you?
>Other (Write-In)

>>583544
>you're limited to summoning those you can trust, and already have reached an arrangement with when you need them. (Which would explain deck constraints in battle, perhaps)
That does explain a lot, and I hadn't given it much thought.

>>583618
Haha, excellent work. Even Bob is impressed.

>So does this mean I can summon you?
No harm in asking Bob that.

Then,
>Let's try a non-summon spell

Ask Bob how this summoning works. It seems you can call on people or things to (hopefully) do your bidding, but where are we calling them from? I got the impression our amputation-happy guest wasn't exactly local.

What happens to a summoned creature should they fall in our service? Do they die, or are they merely banished from whence they came? (We may have to adjust tactics depending- motivating minions in the face of death versus pain and/or embarrassment is different).

*Look around the void of black that doesn't terribly resemble your apartment* ...am I summoned? Simpler to bring me to you than make house calls.

After explanations, maybe testing a non-summon spell would be good. (Although, if we avoid targeting ourselves or Bob, that almost literally leaves us casting magic missile on the darkness).

So how does summon negotiation normally work, since they get annoyed if we summon them without an urgent reason but an actual fight would be an inconvenient time to negotiation?

Do we know where our former boss hangs out? I'm somewhat tempted to employ our new persuasion methods to find out just why it is we got fired.

>>583618
What is stopping us from summoning endless legions of undead? Is it a matter of just having enough links to mana saturated places to support the summons? Is there a burden on us to keep a creature here, even if they are mindless (undead)? Are we only limited by the time it takes to summon? Or perhaps yet, we are just limited by our current talent at the moment?

If we want a 'safe' spell to practice, might I suggest "Chorus of Woe"? Or else "Gaze of Pain" as a quieter alternative.

>>583632
>>583634
>>583659
>>583748

Well. That certainly went well. "So...since you're here, do you think we could work out a negotiation?" Bob just chuckles.
"I appreciate the offer, but you can't afford my hourly rate. Maybe once you get better at this without killing yourself." Eh, was worth a shot.
"So what happens to the summons if they get taken out?"
"The sentient ones won't - if they sense combat, you'll get a spiritual projection so they don't actually risk dying. A random beast on the other hand is real and if it dies you just grab another one."
"And the only thing stopping me from raising legions of undead to conquer the world is...what exactly?"
"Time, and from what I understand people will usually rally together with really big guns to take out someone summoning an undead army."

...I really should have expected that. He said earlier that conquest had a cost - the cost is probably everyone in the world looking to kill you.

"I think I want to try some other spell now...but I don't want it to hit either of us."

"Oh, that's no problem. I have something I can call on, for old time's sake." Bob pulls something out of his pocket, revealing...a key? It doesn't look like it fits any lock I've ever seen...

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/11(Fri)12:16 No. 583794 ID: 86cf84
File 140510616843.jpg - (87.15KB , 312x445 , 305.jpg )

And then...there's this rumbling. Like there's almost an earthquake in he...

...

...shit. Th-that's a really big robot. Like, transformers big. Bigger than transformers big.

A-and it doesn't look very happy to see me either.

"This colossus is an old friend of mine - don't worry about that though, he can be fixed up. Worry about killing it before it hits you. Have fun!"

...I think I'm about to throw up. That thing is big, way too fast for its size, and I don't want to be anywhere near it.

>I do have all this mana though...I have to stop it somehow! (Write-in only)
>Gatherer is an online card catalog of every spell ever printed - if you're at a loss, maybe trawling through that will help find an answer.

Considering it kinda works like this...

Try Banishing it into the Darkness?

Consuming Vapors might be a good option here if we're capable of it. Drain Life on the other hand would also do the job if we put enough force behind it. Agonizing Demise would definitely work but it wastes the opportunity to get something out of smacking this thing down.

Doom Blade. The answer is (almost) always Doom Blade

So... not gonna question where we're summoning these things from, then?

>but you can't afford my hourly rate
But your employers, apparently, can. Worth noting.

>>583794
...yeah, I don't think your new friend would be able to take limbs off that thing. And even if we did summon something bigger than it, then we'd have the problem of controlling that.

So blowing it up with a spell makes the most sense.

>>583802
These suggestions seem reasonable. Assuming we don't have a mana restriction in our current training enviroment, blasting it with something that kills it and drains a gain for us seems a good idea. Net some juice we can maybe walk away with. Give us a leg up before we start claiming land, or setting up our own mana generation. (Assuming we have to do that).

It's a bit cheeky, but have you considered spilling some Innocent Blood?

Well, oil.

>>583938 >>583892
Dark Banishing is more thorough, although perhaps our tutor here would be annoyed by that.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/13(Sun)16:26 No. 584097 ID: 86cf84
File 140529400617.jpg - (55.73KB , 312x445 , 95a.jpg )

>>583893
>Nonsense, all you need are 4 stinky zombie goblins and you can totally kill it!

>>583892
There's no time to plot. No time to do anything except breath and act. I have a giant monstrosity that can crush me to a pulp effortlessly charging straight towards me. My focus needs to be on killing it before it kills me. I need...I need something, something to attack it with, something to defend myself.

...a sword. That knight I summoned had a sword, didn't she? her sword might not be enough to do the job, though. One made of pure mana might...it's the only chance I have, so here goes.

The colossus is 20 feet away now. I take a step back with my right foot and focus. I remember seeing a few quickdraw demonstrations in movies, I just have to copy that.

15 Feet. I can feel the mana running through my veins. Need it to make a sword, something to kill the thing with. I don't care what it looks like, it just has to work.

10 Feet. Its arms are raised, ready to pummel me into oblivion. My mind's racing a mile a minute and my heart is doing close to the same. I can feel something on my right hip, something that belongs to me.

Five feet. This is where I need to make it count. Take a deep breath, grab the hilt, and believe that I can do this.
...not like there's any other choice.

...The sound of screaming metal fills my ears.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/13(Sun)16:37 No. 584098 ID: 86cf84
File 140529464005.jpg - (64.42KB , 312x445 , 126a.jpg )

>>584097
When the rumbling stops and I finally open my eyes, I see what's left of the giant robot. I-it's completely shredded.

...holy fucking shit. I just destroyed something that eats Optimus Prime for breakfast, with a single hit from a sword.

I have to let that sink in for a moment.

>I have zero idea how to feel about this. How should I feel about this?

don'tletgotoyourheaddon'tletgotoyourheaddon'tletgotoyourhead-
Oh who are we kidding.
Your first spell took out a giant super-duper robot destroyer! There's no way you'll forget this moment because there is no denying the EPIC!!! WHOOHOO!

>>584098
Flush with power, enjoy the feeling. It is a new experience for you, that few people get(At least on Earth). Death and destruction are some of the main aspects of the type of magic you wield. You should learn to enjoy it, to be comfortable with it, to use it for your own purposes. With power like this, few creatures can stand up to you. There are of course other things to worry about, so don't get arrogant. We'll worry about those "other" things as we get to them.

>I have zero idea how to feel about this. How should I feel about this?
Relief, that you're okay. Confidence, that you have power, and that you can use it, when you need to. You called, and it answered, and it worked.

Tempered with some caution, realizing that if that's what you can do right off the bat, other magic users are going to be able to do the same, if not worse. Defending against and dealing with this stuff is going to be complicated.

...and just a little bit of fuck yeah, I killed a giant robot. I'm awesome.

Heh. And I even cut him down with a dark sword. I am the black knight.

>what do
Turn to your instructor,see what he's got say. How's that?

I wonder what would happen if we fucked up? A last minute save? The robot stopping an inch from connecting? Bob owing out employer an apology and refund? Or maybe we'd just go poof and end up back home if my guess is right and Bob summoned us, where-ever this is.

You should at this time remember: Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Also, shame we didn't drain life on the robot there--we could have used that boost.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/14(Mon)07:58 No. 584146 ID: 86cf84
File 140534988095.jpg - (73.51KB , 312x445 , 169.jpg )

>>584102
>Had you fucked up, you'd still be alive on 2 life - remember that colossus is "only" an 8/8.

>>584137
>The last time someone used Drain Life on Bob, he got his shit beat in by a farmer and a gang of angry monkeys. (it makes more sense than it should)

>>584100
>>584101
>>584102
I...I actually did that. holy crap, stop the presses, I actually killed a giant robot that was going to smush me and I just closed my eyesandBAMdownitwentlikeasackofbricksohmygodwhyamistillholdingthis

...Breathe, Roni! Calm yourself down. After all, this was just a test, to get me working on my magic. It worked, I'd reckon. Though why I still have this sword in my hand is beyond me. It feels...right, though - it kinda feels like it's a part of me, if you'll pardon the groaning cliche.

"Well, I'd say that was pretty definitive. You have a real knack for that spell, knowing exactly when to best use it. You're learning fast, Veronica."
>Doom Blade added to your Spells list

"Heh heh...thanks, I guess. Part of it just seemed...I don't know, just instinct? It can't be a bad thing though, right?"
"Correct. That said, not every summon can be so easily taken down. Knowing what to use and when is critical when dealing with situations that aren't set up for your education." Bob then conjures up a spirit that he sends charging towards me.

It's just as natural as gathering the mana needed to cast the spell. I draw my blade (I don't care if it's just a spell, this one is mine) and swing at it...

Nothing happens as it charges into me with barely enough of an impact to register. Did I miss it? It's charging at me again, this time I'll swat it dow-hey! stop not dying, stupid thing! I know you're getting hit by this, I can feel the sword stop for a moment when it makes contact. Stop attacking and let me kill you!

...
...right. Point taken.

>"So what else can you teach me?"
>"What exactly am I supposed to do with all this, now that I know how to do it?"
>"Know anything about this? (investigate blade)
>Other (Write-in)

That wisp is black, 'Roni. Doom-blade only works on non-black creatures. It's 0/1, though, so it can't do much besides be annoying right now.

>you'd still be alive on 2 life - remember that colossus is "only" an 8/8
Okay, then. So if we have life, we're actually here then, I think.

>what do
Asking after the blade doesn't seem a bad idea. (Especially since it stuck around. It's supposed to be a spell, not an artifact).

Other things to follow up on:

How does the mana situation work, when we're not in a shadowland or whatever where we have as much as we need? Can we only use our powers near places that provide it, or do we need to 'claim' land we can tap into remotely, or...?

I've got the basics of making things and blowing things up. Where does this go from there?

ask what else can he teach you - you've mastered swordness, but what about things like the will-o-wisp? what can take out that?

>>584146
>>584149
>"Know anything about this? (investigate blade)
Should you be taking lessons on how to use a sword or something?

Okay, the wisp seems like a pretty textbook case of when to use Consuming Vapors.

"I find myself puzzled by the structure of this lesson. Should I just continue drawing on magic I don't know about to react to the situations you're throwing at me? I can't help but wonder if you're really trying to teach me about the need to be proactive and control the confrontation before my opponent does something I'm not prepared for."

>>584149
In addition, the wisp can regenerate for B, so Doom Blade and other things that say "Destroy" are completely worthless in a place with abundant black mana.

Consuming Vapors works, but I thought we were avoiding targeting Bob with anything. As such, I think Afflict is the better choice. We don't gain life, but we get whatever the in-universe equivalent of drawing a card is, and the wisp can't regenerate from having 0 toughness.

I'm not even sure we need to kill the wisp, frankly. Bob used it to make a point, and it can't do any damage to us. I think we can safely ignore it, unless it keeps annoyingly bomping into us.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/16(Wed)15:11 No. 584374 ID: 86cf84
File 140554869459.jpg - (65.57KB , 312x445 , 74.jpg )

>>584264
>It took a surprising amount of looking to find a 0-power black creature that had no way of boosting its power.

"So, am I supposed to actually try killing this thing, or was that just to make me look like an idiot with a sword?"
"Mostly an example. That said it's not easy to kill something like that anyway - resilient little thing, it is." Bob unsummons the spirit as I set the sword back on my right hip - sliding it through a beltloop will have to do for now.

"So, I have two real nagging questions: First, what's the deal with the sword? Second, how am I supposed to use black mana when I'm not...here, I guess. Make that a third question, where exactly are we?"

"Honestly I can't tell you much about the sword, only that it's imbued with black magic. There is someone who would know beyond a doubt, his kind have mastered the ways of swordsmanship." Hopefully they're willing to negotiate training me. "As for tapping in to black mana, you need to create a link to a place that you can derive the proper state of mind. When you find a place you can link with you'll know it, and you don't have to be physically near it to draw from it. As for where we are...I'm not sure it's wise to show you - suffice to say the veil of darkness is here for reasons other than the effect of gloom."

No, that's not going to work. I don't care what's out there, I have a right to know, if I'm digging myself this deep.

"I can see that you'll not be convinced. I hold no responsibility for what happens, though." Bob shakes his head as the blackness dissipates.

.........

...wow...

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/16(Wed)15:20 No. 584375 ID: 86cf84
File 140554923722.jpg - (696.86KB , 1490x1040 , 7.jpg )

It's...I can't even begin to describe it. It's like I'm looking at the universe, and millions of universes, like I'm some grand goddess of the infinite. Everything just looks so...beautiful.

I feel like this should be terrifying, but it's not. I mean, I wouldn't want to build a beach home in the nothingness looking down on the universe, but it's peaceful here.

>Maiden of the Blind Eternities -- Veronica has seen the truth between worlds and holds an intimate understanding of their interactions.

Everything about all that I've done so far seems to good to be true. I know there has to be a catch, but I also know in my heart this is something I'm meant to do. If these guys don't offer me a fair deal, I'll find someone who will.

>"I did have one last question..." (What?)
>"Who should I ask about the sword?"
>"I think...I'd like to back to my old apartment."
>Other (Write-In)

>This series of dumb high rolls seems to be my dice's penance for throwing phyrexian colossus at you.

>establish connections with land for mana
Something we'll have to explore, tomorrow.

>multiverse
Well, now you know where the summons come from, at least.

>what say
Thank you... for showing me this.

Then come back down to reality, a little. People are going to notice if you're walking around with a sword at your side. Is there a way to hide it, or make it so ordinary people just don't notice?

"I see, it's awfully beautiful but now that I've seen it I suspect you were maintaining that veil as much to empower and protect us as to avoid me being distracted. I'd ask more questions but I suspect we should be continuing with the rest of the things you think I should minimally know first before we run out of time or I end up stumbling into things I should be prepared for."

>Dark places to draw mana from
We should try seeing if we can create our own spaces to draw power from. Bob mentioned you could draw power from a darkened alleyway so you could see if you could draw power from your apartment by putting curtains on the window and turning off all the lights.

>>584377
Maybe include a quip about not everyone being able to get away with flagrantly dressing as a wizard.

>>584385
Seems a little literal, really. I would have thought the spiritual significance or metaphorical presence of the place was more what gave places power to tap into. Just darkness may not be enough.

We know graveyards, swamps, and apparently, dark alleys work. All kind of represent ordered decay. You arrange and store and remember the dead in graveyards, swamps are places of decay and breaking down, and reworking dead things into other things, and of things that live of that death and decay. The alley is a little more of a stretch, but it's still place where things are discarded to decay and break down in some kind of order, and where certain things / persons make their livings of the dying edges of society.

I'm assuming the knight / mortician focus matters here. That we're not just in tune with death, we're in tune with death that follows a set of rules, that's ordered (and natural?). Which influences places that might work. (And that in the same vein, a graveyard doesn't mean the same to us, say, as it might mean to someone who leaned more towards the witch mindset).

Places I'm guessing might be in theme: sewers, waste-water treatment plants, landfills, etc (ordered swamp-analogues), hospitals, morgues, the right kind of museum or exhibit (more graveyard-like, ordering / cataloging / storing dead), actuaries, insurance firms, certain kinds of law enforcement (less direct connection to death, but connections to what black represents to 'Roni).

Either way though, it's easy enough to experiment with. We're unemployed, we can make a day of traveling and scouting locations.

>"Who should I ask about the sword?"
>"I think...I'd like to back to my old apartment."
Whoa...
Just get the information about the sword and go home.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/17(Thu)09:27 No. 584465 ID: d604bf
File 140561445561.jpg - (72.12KB , 312x445 , 96.jpg )

>>584377
>>584382
>>584385
>>584427
>>584454

"Is...is there anything else I NEED to know?" I ask, hesitantly taking my eyes off the space scape in front of me. I do need to at least try and focus.

"Need to know? Probably not. If you want to cast spells other than those two, just gather the mana and shape in to something different. A lot of this you'll get better by doing, not by learning."

"And the sword? Is there any way to keep it hidden or something?" Bob thinks for a moment then seems to get an idea. Taking the sword, he conjures up a strange glow around it before handing it back. It feels...a little colder now, but not painfully so or anything.

"The spell I enchanted your blade with is an interesting bit of TS manipulation - I won't go into details, but you'll be able to put it away and draw it whenever you need." That's incredibly useful, actually.

"So...uh, I really don't want to overstay my welcome, and I think I have enough information to manage until my first assignment, so..." It's not easy to say what I want, but he gets the message.

"Of course. Some sleep will do you a world of good - I would say goodbye, but I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other again." The inky darkness returns, a swirling void whipping around everywhere...

...

...Alright. Well, that was a thing. It's...3:32 in the morning? Geez...

>Try to fall asleep, sleep is good.
>Might as well stay up...
>Call the mangey furball (do what?)
>Other (write-in)

>>584465
>Try to fall asleep, sleep is good.
You can hunt for mana sources maybe late afternoon, early evening.

Exhausted and inexperienced manipulation of dread energies isn't a good idea. Let's crash. It's not like you need to be up in time for work, tomorrow, and if the fuzzball really needs you, I'm sure it has ways to get ahold of you, or to show up.

Put the sword somewhere where you can see it (so we can skip that whole "oh, it was all a dream" moment when you wake up), and go dream of powers and swirling realities.

And yeah, if the fuzzball doesn't put in an appearance or make other demands on your time, going looking for mana sources sounds like a good plan for tomorrow. You can look up likely and/or possible locations and then go check them out.

sleepytimes now.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/17(Thu)17:09 No. 584523 ID: 86cf84
File 140564219428.jpg - (61.17KB , 312x445 , 184.jpg )

>>584466
>>584471
>>584475

Yeah. Sleep is good, even if it's too late for going to sleep. I've nothing on my plate anyway for tomorrow. Let me just lay down a minuZZZZ

...

...mmph. What time is it?

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/17(Thu)17:30 No. 584527 ID: 86cf84
File 140564343770.jpg - (63.91KB , 312x445 , 39a.jpg )

Right...it's...just before noon?

...if I hadn't been fired this would be problematic. It would also be problematic if I weren't a magician. I don't need a sword to remind myself of that, I can feel it in my veins.

...what, I wanted to check and make sure the sword was still there, okay? Geez.

So Bob said I should try and find a mana source I can tap into. I honestly don't know where the best place would be -- an actuary's office, a morgue, a sewage plant...I don't know if there are any graveyards I can find in town.

>Numbers never lie, and I have a couple acquaintances in the actuarial business. No one will ask questions if I poke around.
>I'm not entirely sure where in the hospital a morgue would be, but if I can find it then death should be all over that.
>Sewage is nasty, but it's essence of decay. Hopefully I can establish a mana link without needing to climb down a manhole?
>Somewhere else should do better...(Write-In)

Hrrm. A morgue might work, but another thought might be a nursing home of some sort for the 'decay' around it. Or any place where someone was killed if there's one around town...

Of those three targets, the actauary is the easiest to get to, since you have an in (contacts) and an excuse (recent unemployment) getting into either of the others would involve finding a way into places you're not supposed to be. Which I'm sure you can do, but why not try the easy route first?

>too late to sleep
Dang, that's like my regular bedtime, lately.

Google them young accountant!
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=how+to+visit+a+morgue

>>584527
Here is info on where to find a morgue:
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080907140138AAiNNly
In the comment by "FF/Paramedic"
>Finding them are easy, as they are almost universally located in the proximity of the receiving dock.
this is for the sneaking route, or if proximity alone is all you need.

>Actuary
Not really what I'd choose as a black mana fount, but might work. I'd give it maybe a 50 percent chance of working. However, I'd like if we did go there not for the mana, but to find a better place or person to change our gold to cash. Also we might want to keep some gold for our missions.

>Morgue
Best place to tap for black mana. And if you get lost, just ask for directions. Things you might need with you; some cash and a good sob story. Both are to convince anyone to let you in or stay in the morgue for as long as you need to.

>Sewers
If you can find a large drainage pipe that you can get into, then the job's done. Problem is I don't know where those are. Maybe you can get Google maps or if you can get city hall blueprints, but I think it's a bust.

>Others
Well there always the standard variety graveyard.

Go with the morgue. Keep the actuary and graveyard as your backups.

I don't know what the city dump is like where you live but here it is a cesspit unrivaled by any other. It also has the benefit of being open to the public.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/20(Sun)17:46 No. 584960 ID: 86cf84
File 140590360422.jpg - (84.51KB , 312x445 , 62a.jpg )

>>584669
I'm hopeful that being a cesspit isn't a requirement...
>>584534
>>584552
>>584648
Right - hospitals would have a morgue attached, because people die normally. And as it were, there's a nursing home right across the street from the closest hospital. I suppose after a shower and a change of clothes it's worth checking out.

...

Okay. This was...not the best idea. Mostly because four police cars came around to the back of the hospital, lights and sirens on, and from what I can see they look armed to the teeth.
I'm reasonably sure they haven't seen me, and I'm almost positive me being here isn't why they're here. But with that many guns, I really don't want to take any chances.

And as if that weren't enough, I can barely sense mana in this place and what is there is thready at best - I could maybe drop a single spell with what I can scrounge up.

>I'm a young woman without any weapons and normal clothes - if I come out with my hands up they shouldn't shoot me or anything. Might not even get arrested.
>There's not enough mana to try and tie myself to this place, but there's enough for me to get out of dodge. (what spell?)
>Keep hidden - they're not here for me, and eventually they'll leave. Until then, not letting them know I'm here is the best idea.
>Other (Write-In)

First off- where are you? Did you just walk into the hospital, or did you actually break into the morgue or do anything illegal like trespassing where it's clearly marked you shouldn't be? That affects how we make our choices.

>come out with my hands up
Not liking this idea. If the cops are jump and on edge, you're putting yourself in a bad situation going towards them. And if there's anything or anyone dangerous here, the cops have drawn their attention. You'll be exposed and in the line of fire as you approach.

Also, if you are taken in? You don't have a good reason why you're here. Although I suppose we could make something up. Even if you're released though, being taken in would probably waste the rest of the day.

>what do
Keep hidden, and bide your time. We'll leave or react as the situation develops.

I'd consider two possible kinds of spells. If someone attacks the cops, we can cast something that disables them, allowing them to take him into custody and leave (a knight has a certain respect for other enforcers of order, I would think). If we need to gtfo, we need a spell that gives us an escape (teleportation or movement of some kind). And if something that shouldn't be here attacks us, or the cops? We use doom blade to kill it.

(Unless someone else feels like suggesting cards that fit those roles, I guess I'm off to dig through gatherer).

>>584964
Figured I'd clarify this point. Veronica is outside the hospital - she was lurking around the loading dock trying to find a way in when the fuzz showed up. Her being here isn't illegal but it could be seen as kinda weird or shady.

>>584979
Ah okay so the police are between her and the objective, am I right? So what's stopping her from going "Nope", turning around and walking away to another location?

>Ah okay so the police are between her and the objective, am I right?
I don't think so? If we're near the loading dock, that puts us close the the building. If they just pulled up, they're near the road. That would put us closer to the objective than them. (Even if the objective ain't worth much since we aren't sensing mana).

I'm still mostly feeling my initial plan (wait and see), but the clarification makes me less leery about the possibility of approaching them. We're not doing anything wrong, we could make a reasonable story about passing just passing through, the knight has a certain respect for other enforcers of absolutes, and there's a small chance if we end up at a cop shop, it might be useable as land?

I kind of don't want to just duck out though. We're not on assignment, but we have our code. And if someone here breaks it, we have the power to do something about it. (If we're smart with our one spell).

I second waiting to see what happens. We might be interested in intervening, and I am curious whether any death that might occur would interact with out magic.

>there's a small chance if we end up at a cop shop, it might be useable as land?
Under most circumstances I think a cop place would be white mana, aside from arguably prisons.

>>584991
I was thinking that if they dealt in enough death, or in the right circumstances, you might end up with cops who ended up thinking along they black knight model (doing what has to be done, servants of authority or power or law rather than what is just). But yeah, in general, a most police stations would probably be white.

And come to think of it, I'm not sure we'd want to deal with one that was black.

We are a necromancer, there is little we can't do if we pay the price. A Dark Ritual would increase our available energy.
But for very little dark mana we could cast Darkness and just leave.

>>585065
Casting in front of a bunch of cops? Really? Also we don't have any mana.

>>584988
>>584991
I think a wait and see approach would be a good idea. Keep confident, don't panic and try to look like you're going to work. Hopefully you are able to go through the hospital so you can leave using the main exit.

Hmm. It says we could maybe cast one spell, not that we had one dark mana to use. I mean, in the later case, using a dark ritual to triple our mana isn't a bad idea (well, if we assume the spell won't draw any attention), but in the former, it's not strictly necessary.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/21(Mon)13:29 No. 585158 ID: d604bf
File 140597454688.jpg - (91.66KB , 312x445 , 19.jpg )

>>584988
>>584991
>>585102
Alright, I'll wait and see what happens. I really don't want to stick around longer than I have to, so if they give me a clear way out I'm taking it.

...

Okay. The cops have all gone into the building, and more importantly no one has guns pointed in this general direction.

Screw trying to get mana from this place, I'm bugging out. Walk calmly, don't attract attention to yourself, just an ordinary person walking here, nothing to get suspicious about.

...Okay. The coast is toast, I'm fucking OUT of here.

>Time to grab some air freshener and head to the local water treatment plant...
>I should try a lunch date with the local actuary - or maybe not a date, I'm not really looking or anything...
>Maaaybe I should go home for today. Not worth testing my luck any farther.
>Other (Write-In)

Almost disappointed there wasn't a monster for us to blow up.

Let's try something easy, this time. You know someone at the actuarial place, so you'll have a reason to be there. Worst case, no mana, but you can start the groundwork for a normal 'cover' job.

>>585188
I don't know if we want to actually get a job, but considering getting one is a legitimate excuse to be there.

>>585226
Nah, I didn't think we actually want to take a full on job, either. We already have one. But long term, we might want something we can pretend is our job. Like, some kind of limited contracting work, or part time stuff, that we can make look like more than it is.

Might be unnecessary, but I figured it's an option to consider.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/22(Tue)05:24 No. 585298 ID: 86cf84
File 140603188162.jpg - (84.38KB , 312x445 , 113.jpg )

>>585188
>>585226
>>585244

Right. I have a friend the next city over who has her own office, it can't hurt to see if I can work something out.

...

Yeah, I'm liking my chances here. The office is right next to a check cashing agency - if there's any scummier profession than loan shark, I probably don't want to meet them.

"Oh! Hey Veronica, what's up?"
Margaret Pelbot, CPA. Probably the best thing that happened to be in my four years of college. I guess she had an over-achieving streak in high school and that got her picked on, but she's prolly pulling down high six-figures now. At the very least she can rub that in her classmates' faces at the reunion.
...Then again, she almost still could pass for a high schooler. I do envy her a little on account of that.

And...yep. I can sense the flow of mana here - it's at least more stable than the hospital. There's plenty here as well.

>Make idle conversation while connecting the mana
>Excuse yourself for a second to focus on the connection
>Ask about a temp job/on-call consultant
>"You might want to sit down, this is kinda big..." (Explain everything)
>Other (Write-In)

>>585298
Explain to Margaret that you've lost your job and ask about how things are here. some time later say five to ten minutes, excuse yourself for a second to focus on the connection.

Like in Harry Potter, try your best to keep the Muggles out of magic business.

>mana~
Huh. Interesting that it worked here but not the hospital morgue. Not enough death there? Or does the way the character sees / interprets the significance of her color outweigh classical or more literal associations?

>Explain everything
We've been at this a day? Seems a little soon to go breaking the masquerade. I mean, there are risks involved in all of this, and if we bring anyone else into this world, it's not like we have the knowledge or power to protect them, or to give them the means to protect themselves.

And then more selfishly, there's the danger in exposing yourself. Losing friends / family if the truth gets out and scares them (or if they want to you to use your power for them, or give them power, etc), uncharitable conclusions being drawn from the color of your magic, getting committed or branded as a crazy, possibly attracting the attention of magic threats you can't deal with yet if your identity ends up public...

The only thing that could swing things the other way is how good a friend she is. Is she a really good friend? How close are you? Would you consider hurting / betraying her if she finds out you didn't trust her (or realizes you're using her as a power source) worse than the alternative? Can you trust her not to run scared, or betray your trust, or go grasping to use you or her power for herself?

...actually, if she's pulling 6 figures and has kept friends who aren't, that means she has to have some experience keeping friends despite the power imbalance, if from the other end. And really, there are other advantages to having her on your side (be a lot easier for her to provide you convincing cover, if she understood the nature of what she was covering. And there has to be an advantage to an alliance with the administrator of claimed land).

Still, that kind of depends on an evaluation of her character I don't have. If 'Roni isn't close enough to Maggie to think not bringing her in is worse than the other risks, >>585314
is reasonable.

>>585298
Tell her that you're between jobs, but have gotten an interesting offer in a different field that you can't currently discuss.

Oh, and if we're going to bring her in, we should at least draft an NDA.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/23(Wed)07:30 No. 585478 ID: 86cf84
File 140612583954.jpg - (72.41KB , 312x445 , 42.jpg )

>>585314
>>585317
>>585378
Right - she's a good friend. No need to be offputting without at least shooting the breeze.

"I'm doing okay - been better. Asshole boss fired me yesterday though, and wouldn't tell me why." I take a seat as Margaret comes around the counter to sit across from me.
"Ouch...word of advice though, don't open your own shop. It's not worth it." Didn't you do exactly that, though?
"Yeah - and it took me 3 years of hell before I got to where I am. I might wish it on my worst enemy, but no one else."

...good to know.
"Anyway, I am exploring a job offer I picked up, it's a bit out of my field of expertise but...if it pays the bills, why not?"

"Good for you Roni! So what's the job for?"
"...Not really sure I should talk about it. It's...kinda out there."

...I think I said something I shouldn't have. Maggie narrows her eyes at me, as if daring me to spill.
"Veronica, I have delved into the craziest shit humanly possible, and some that goes even beyond that. If you told me that you suddenly got a talking stick that turned you into a 15-year old pop idol, I wouldn't be that shocked. So come on, don't leave me hanging here."

...I'm not sure how to come back from that. It's one of her weaknesses though - if she really wants an answer, she'll get it. It's part of why she's such a good accountant. Then again, if she was just exaggerating then this could get awkward.

>"Funny you should mention it..." (Confess)
>"Come on, I couldn't possibly pass as a teenager anymore no matter how much makeup I wore." (Deflect)
>"I...Igottagodosomething!" (Flee)
>Other (Write-In)

>a talking stick that turned you into a 15-year old pop idol
I'm almost certain we can find cards for talking stick artifacts, or at least disembodied voices, and anti-aging / transformative / illusory effects. We could totally fulfill her hyperbole, if we were bonkers enough.

>if she really wants an answer, she'll get it
You overplayed your hand, then. An unconvincing denial or insufficient deflection would be disastrous. Instead of bringing someone into your trust, or keeping her out of it, you'd have a friend (with resources) snooping on you, trying to find out what's what. Almost certainly going to lead to trouble with us, or someone getting hurt at some point.

Let's hope she was serious then, because honestly looks like the best play.

>Confess
...not a talking stick, no. *Sword, appear*

>Then again, if she was just exaggerating then this could get awkward.
If this backfires terribly, can we cheat our way around the consequences? A short term memory erase or undo of some kind? We do have access to mana, here. (Fade from Memory, maybe?)

Not a stick, I got something much cooler, and rather sharper.

*show Doom Blade*

Kinda screwed that up, Veronica. You piqued her interest.

How about this, then. Lie and deflect. Say that you're worried about the job being illegal. Say that you think that they might have a hand in you being fired. Say you need to use the toilet, tap that mana source and get out of there. Do not reveal that you have magic.

I don't know about you guys but I don't want to have to use mental magic against Margaret. Black mental magic is bad, bad stuff.

"The stick is a sword actually, a necromancer instead of a teen popstar, and it's not the sword that does the talking. I wish I were kidding: I'm out of my depths in Anime magical heroine land except the cute talking critter might be out to eat my soul and everything's creepy instead of cute.
"Laugh and change the subject to job hunting if you value your sanity Maggie."

On the plus side, if we can pull out the sword and she can see it too, then at least we have some confirmation that we merely haven't gone bat-shit insane.

Just... make sure we're pulling the sword out of the time-space effect. Don't draw it. We're not looking to kill anyone, or destroy the building. (Although if the institution is black, it might be safe. Actually, Mags might be black by association too (unless she's business enough to be blue?) but best not to risk it).

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/24(Thu)05:13 No. 585602 ID: 86cf84
File 140620400371.jpg - (69.48KB , 312x445 , 29.jpg )

>>585482
>>585494
>>585500
>>585507

Yeah...it always was tricky working with Margaret. You never know what little thing she'll hang on to like a bulldog, and what she'll just take for granted.

"You're a lot closer than you think, you know." I hear myself saying. Slowly I reach behind me to pull out my sword, focusing to make sure I don't use it on something I shouldn't.
To her credit, Margaret doesn't freak out, even though she looks a bit bug-eyed now.

"Well shit...didn't actually expect you to have gotten that deep..." There's a nervous chuckle as she recomposes. "I kinda dabbled a bit, when things were really tough. It made ends meet when this didn't work out, but I've been out of the game since I started turning profits."

I'll admit, I didn't see that coming. But hell, if she's in on it already, so much the better.
"So, I was kinda wondering if you could help with a cover of some kind, so it at least looks like I'm doing something with my life?"
[color=0000ff]"Don't gimme that bullshit Roni, you're here because the complex is built on a freaking leyline and you want to tap that like I want to tap Leo DiCaprio."[/color] okay, THAT was a mental image I didn't need. "Look, you were good to me in a time where everyone else wasn't. I'm willing to help how I can, on the condition that you keep level with me. I still remember a couple tricks from back then, don't make me use 'em."

...Oh. I wasn't really paying attention to it before, since I was more worried about Maggie, but there's this sort of veil around her, like an invisible shield warding off anything dangerous.

Not that it'd be good to test that shield, but that it's there is comforting - if something does come after her, I trust she'll be able to handle it. Hopefully I don't have to find out.

>Yeah, I'm here for the mana. D'you mind?
>Any information you can give me about ___? (What?)
>You sure I can't bring you back in? Might be fun, traveling all over, just the two of us...
>Other (Write-In)

say "Yeah, I'm here for the mana. D'you mind? Oh and what colour were you?" should be interesting! i really wanna know. though i'm guessing black because of the mana comment.

...Did you ever see a rabbit thing of some sort with magic powers? Right after I got fired, I saw one and it offered me magic, more or less. Turns out I'm a black, I'm...Not really sure what your thing is?

First ask about the mana. Then share the story about how you got into magic, and ash how she got in, and more importantly what caused her to get out.
Also, you can put the sword away now.

First of all, put the sword away. It's an implied threat as long as you keep it out, and it already served it's purposes as a demonstration. (Even if that cloak should protect her from the effect, it's still rude to leave a threat hanging).

I'm not going to pull anything, Maggie. Honest.

If anything, I'm relieved I didn't put you in the position of helpless Buffy-friend.

...and yes, I was looking for sources of mana, if you don't mind. Didn't really anticipate a prior claim. Though I wasn't lying about thinking I might need a cover of some kind.

>questions
You're... blue? (It's her speech text and the color of every card since she showed up).

Obvious follow up question if she confirms: funny, this place feels black. You built it, you'd think it would follow suit.

Leylines? You can feel the power, but honestly, you tried this place on a guess.

And yeah, trading stories of how you stumbled into this seems reasonable.

"Honestly, it's a huge relief to have anybody to talk to about this, and I think I need expert help. It all started with my boss telling me I was fired completely out of the blue. That very same morning I got a weird and creepy mercenary-wizard job offer from some cute but creepy bunny thing that was talking about a binding contract.
"Maybe that's the world's most convenient coincidence, but maybe it isn't. It's plausible that these people are pulling some kind of long-con on me. Who do I talk to for help to make sure they're not trying to suck out my soul or scam me?"

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/25(Fri)11:22 No. 585754 ID: 86cf84
File 140631254010.jpg - (60.12KB , 312x445 , 45.jpg )

>>585603
>>585604
>>585607
>>585609
>>585664

Putting the sword away, I sigh and relay what's happened to me the last 24 hours. Margaret seems to follow along pretty well, a bit concerned at what happened this morning, but otherwise okay.

...I have to admit, I'm REALLY glad I found someone I can talk to about all this crap. It probably would've driven me crazy.

"Wow. Talk about getting thrown into the thick of things. I spent almost a full week just trying to figure out what the hell to do. You always were a quick learner though Roni."
"So, did you use the same kind of magic I do? Know any spells I should learn?"
"No, I was attuned to blue mana - it's the magic of saying 'no' to anything I don't like. So unless you keep with this long enough to master a second color I'm not much help there."

That does bring up an interesting question, though. "So, how can you draw mana from the same place I can?"
"It's really rare for mana to only be aligned to one color. Normally when you find mana there's some of everything, you just only notice what you can use."That makes sense I guess.

"So, do you mind if I...?"
[color=0000ff]"..."[/color]

That's not a good sign.

"Veronica, I appreciate what you did for me, but you're asking for a lot more than you realize. Getting out wasn't exactly the easiest thing -- sure if you're adamant about leaving they won't stop you, but damn it's tempting to do just one more job for them.
I...I don't want to get dragged back into this, and I don't want to see you get too deep into it either."

...I can respect that, I guess.

>"Is there anything I can give you or do for you that'd change your mind?"
>"If I wanted to find my own mana source, where should I be looking?"
>"Well, I'll keep your number if I need to talk. We're still good, right?"

>>585754
Oh, hey, this is actually a kinda important relevation. Ask her why she decided she had to get out/why it's not good to get in too deep.

Ah, so a good source makes more than one kind of mana. Makes sense. So this place has at least a blue business attunement, and a black accounting attunement, and who knows what else.

>>585756
Yeah, this is an important question. Not to force a bad issue, but if there's something that drove her away, maybe we should know about it? I mean, right now, we kind of want to get into it.

Actually, a point. If she's sitting on a powerhouse, how out of it can she be? Isn't she kind of stuck in a position where she has to rebuke less polite and friendly mana grubbing types? (Not to strongarm her or anything, but maybe letting us in means we could deal with some of the riff raff for her).

Ultimately though, we're not going to force anything. It would help if she lets us tap in here, but only if she's comfortable letting us. If not, maybe she has advice as to where else we could look? And if nothing else, just having someone we can talk to about this stuff from time to time is more than we had this morning, and good to have.

>>585768
Or to maybe phrase the fending off riff raff bit better:

We're apparently a knight, right? Power in exchange for land and protection is kind of the standard deal.

She's experienced, I don't think she has many problems with fending off managetters. Make sure to underline that this is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL AND THAT HER WORD IS FINAL THOUGH.
The last thing we want to do is piss her off.
The literal last.
Ask where to look!

>"If I wanted to find my own mana source, where should I be looking?"
>"Well, I'll keep your number if I need to talk. We're still good, right?"

I doubt anything you can say would make her change her mind but keeping her friendship is important. She can be a sounding board and a source of advice that you might need.

However if you can, try to get her to accompany you in looking for a mana source for yourself. That way you can ask about any experiences she had, and perhaps later on you can have a practice battle with her.

>She's experienced, I don't think she has many problems with fending off managetters
My thinking wasn't necessarily that she couldn't cope, just that it allowed her more of an out, while maybe getting us what we want.

But yes, I'd agree that keeping a friend (and someone not trying to use us we can turn to with questions) comes as the first priority.

Laugh it off if she's offended at all by our own mana-grubbingm before backing down. Come on, you can't blame me for trying.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/27(Sun)13:59 No. 586197 ID: 86cf84
File 140649477216.jpg - (84.08KB , 312x445 , 73a.jpg )

>>585756
>>585768
>>585775
>>585797
>>585801
>>585854

Yeah, this is worth asking more about, I really should know why Maggie isn't in the game anymore. It might be enough reason to stay out.
"So what exactly made you want to leave it all behind?" Margaret pinches her nose as she lets out a long sigh.

"The deeper in you go, the more magic you have access to, the feeling of power you get when you get something five times your size to obey your every whim...the only reason I'm not saying it's more addictive than crack is because I haven't tried it -- but I imagine it's true."
Okay, that's a really bad sign. "Is it really that hard to quit using magic?"
"Not really, and that's not the dangerous part either. The addictive part is the power - you sling spells long enough and you think you're invincible, that entire worlds could rise up and you could take them with one arm behind your back." Margaret lifts up her blouse to reveal a small scar across her abdomen. "Got sliced open like a tuna can here, I was almost completely cut in two. Didn't die, didn't feel most of it. But knowing that something like that could happen, despite everything I had, made me think long and hard on what was best for me in the long run."

...That...yeah, I can see why she decided to focus more on the mundane.
"You sure we can't work out a deal with the mana well?" I ask. She shakes her head and I sigh. "Alright...know a place that I could tap in to?"
"Roni, there are some things you have to find out for yourself. This is going to be one of them. I don't want to sound like a bitch, but as the owner I'm going to have to ask you to leave." I can see her mouth "sorry" as she returns to her desk.

That...could have gone better. At the very least I can sense she doesn't like throwing me out.

>Contact Added: Margaret Pelbot, former blue magic user, tentative ally

>Well, I guess I need to get my mana elsewhere...
>What she doesn't know won't hurt her - connect from the other side of the wall.
>Maybe I should go home and gather myself
>Wasn't that demonic furball supposed to get me a written contract?
>Other (Write-In)

>Well, I guess I need to get my mana elsewhere...
>Wasn't that demonic furball supposed to get me a written contract?

maggie was a boss ass bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch back in the day, lets not pull any managrabbing stunts.

>hubris and way too much power fuck you over
Honestly, something I think we were expecting. We've done a pretty good job of being cautious so far, maybe we can handle this.

>That...could have gone better.
Could have gone worse, too. If you'd tried taking power without admitting what you were up to first she might have taken it as an insult, or attack, or betrayal.

>What she doesn't know won't hurt her - connect from the other side of the wall.
Bad form. We're the knight, not the thief. If we're gonna take something, we take it, had on, no sneaking about.

Besides, this is her place. I suspect she might know if you do tap in. Long term, keeping on good terms with her is probably more valuable than filling your tank now.

>Wasn't that demonic furball supposed to get me a written contract?
Sure, but he'll manage than in his own time, I'm sure. All that means is we can't do any jobs for him until he shows up with it, and I'm comfortable exploring our options and learning in the meantime.

>Well, I guess I need to get my mana elsewhere...
Idea. She said this place was build on a leyline. Maybe we can follow it somewhere else. Or at least, if you can try following it a little ways, so we know the heading, you can draw the line on a map. See if the line intersects anywhere else that might work as a good place to tap into mana.

>follow leyline
I'm going to laugh if we can use the sword as a dowsing rod.

>>586197
>Well, I guess I need to get my mana elsewhere...

I wouldn't worry about the furball. The contract can wait until you get some mana to fuel your efforts. And now you have someone to talk to about your magic adventures and problems. A listening ear is a valuable resource.

>>586197
>Well, I guess I need to get my mana elsewhere...
Hey are there any funeral homes in town? that might be a good place for mana.

We could always go the traditional route of finding a cemetery, or depending on out location see if there is a historical battleground we could visit.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/28(Mon)11:50 No. 586418 ID: d604bf
File 140657343220.png - (12.17KB , 750x750 , map.png )

>>586206
>>586226
>>586364
>>586381
>>586388

Alright. I'll wait for the furball to get back to me when it wants. It did say it'd have a contract by end of business today, so time's running out.

In the meantime, I probably should try and find a mana source of some kind.

knowing that leyline exists is something that ought to help, and I know it's not in line with that hospital - there was no mana there.

I'd assume that this leyline is in a straight line, but there's no assurance of that. At the very least it ought to give me a place to look.

...

Right. Turns out I don't actually have a map of the town, so I'll have to make one on the computer. It's a really rough sketch, but it's better than nothing right?

>Blue areas are residential areas - the dark blue diamond is my place.
>Orange areas are commercial zones. Margaret's office is at the gold star, the green pentagon is the hospital I tried.
>The red area is the warehouse district - the gray 4-point star is where I was working until yesterday.

>Where should I try looking? Any ideas?

Zaealix 2014/07/28(Mon)13:18 No. 586436 ID: e6e228
File 140657870108.png - (14.36KB , 750x750 , Tracing Leyline.png )

Hrrm. Well first thing that comes to mind is tracing the path from Margaret's office to the hospital and seeing if you can tap into it somewhere down that line. The other thought is find a manhole, and carefully climb down and sense for mana in the sewers...Not pleasant but still an option, as long as we stay away from the Office area.

It seems as though we're trying to avoid implicating Margaret with all this magic crap so maybe avoiding the leyline for now might be a good idea since it's connected to her mana source. Before you even start poking your head inside a sewer you should look up the location of the city's water treatment plant. The symbolism of a civic institute that cleans up dirty water might work with the orderly side of your black mana.

Try walking in a circle around the outside of Margaret's place, senses open. Maybe you can tell when you cross the line? (Or we can dowse for it, maybe).

Or look at the construction. Is the building a borring regular rectangle in line with the street? Or is it at an angle to the street, or an odd shape? If she built the place there on purpose, it's probably built at a shape or angle that better connects to the line. So we might be able to infer from the construction the way the leyline goes.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/28(Mon)22:24 No. 586539 ID: 86cf84
File 140661145197.jpg - (68.53KB , 312x445 , 201.jpg )

>>586442
The building doesn't appear to be built haphazardly or off-center. That would have been a good idea though.

>>586436
You're tracing to where I used to work, and that almost certainly doesn't have mana - and even if it did, it's not worth being around. But now that you mention it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuH3aYAr6NM

For the mana to be that weak in a place that ought to be rife with death and decay, there really wasn't much. That tells me that if mana runs on leylines, that the nearest leyline was really far away.

...I'm going to take some liberties here, but right now I don't have any better thoughts. So let's see where this takes us.
If we assume that the closest point to the leyline was touching Margaret's office building, we can draw a line of shortest distance between the two. This would mean...yeah, that the actual leyline has to be perpendicular to the line I just made. Let's open that map back up and see what I can draw.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/28(Mon)22:31 No. 586540 ID: 86cf84
File 140661188963.png - (25.65KB , 2200x750 , mapextend.png )

>>586539
I remember from math class that if two lines are perpendicular, the product of their slopes will be -1. Based on this first line I just drew, it looks like it has a slope of 2, so the leyline itself ought to have a slope of...-0.5. Yeah, that'd be right. So all I have to do is extend that line as far as I can, then extend the big roads to see where it'd intersect. That'll at least get me something to look for.

...

Alright, this is really rough, but assuming the magical leyline is working the way I think it is, there are two points that should be readily accessible by a fairly short drive.

And who says you'll never use algebra in real life? :p

>The Green circle is about halfway between here and the Big City, there's no shortage of latino immigrants in the area, but it's not exactly a barrio quite yet.
>The light brown circle is the next town over to the east - It's been a long while since I've had need to head that way so I'm not entirely sure what's there.

>Green circle
>Brown circle
>Other Ideas? (Write-In)

I was going to suggest finding someplace discreetly out of sight to draw your sword, set in on the ground, and spin it. See if maybe a magic item would line up along the leyline like iron fillings along magnetic lines. But we've already got a heading, looks like? Perpendicular to know dry spots (apartment, hospital, office) isn't a bad idea.

I'd suggest starting at the green just because it's closer. If it's more rural, I suppose that makes it easier to find places like swamps and actual graveyards. And if it's a latino community... maybe there's day of the dead stuff to tap into? Although I've got some incredulous feelings that would be stretching it for the black theme.

The green circle. I wonder does it have a cheap hourly rate hotel that we could use to tap the leyline?

Explanation is this. The hotel would probably be used for and by prostitutes and that kind of thing is black in M:TG. It's man exploiting man, or women in this case and it's not like there's no precedence in this kind of thing. Just look at the Cabal from Odyssey block or Orzhov in Ravnica

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/07/30(Wed)21:41 No. 587025 ID: 86cf84
File 140678169183.jpg - (73.23KB , 312x445 , 116.jpg )

>>586550
>>586621
Green dot it is. I tried the sword thing, for the sake of completeness. it didn't seem to want to point a particular way.

...

okay, I know if this locus of mana is comparable to what I felt in Margaret's office, it'll be noticeable from a fair distance and instantly recognizable. Now all I have to do is pinpoint the exact loca-!!!!
...jackpot.
The mana flow right here...it'd be oppressive if it didn't flow through me. It's an old K-mart that probably went out of business several years ago. The lights are out, the actual building is empty, and there's this general gloom about this place. Just being close to this thing makes me...giddy? Like a kid in a candy store? something like that.

That said, let's be smart about this. Park the car in the parking lot of the next building over and walk - less chance of people thinking I'm up to something.
...they'd be right though. I'm going to be up to something. Hell, with this I could be up to multiple somethings. Maybe I'll be up to everything?
Part of me really doesn't care anymore. I can see why Mags said it was hard to get out, this shit feels better than the drugs I got when they ripped out my wisdom teeth last year. Those were some really good drugs too. I wonder if a drug dealer nearby would have some. How do you even find someone to buy from anyway, just ask random people on the street? seems kinda risky.

Whatever. This place is Mine. In the long honored tradition of Dibs-calling, this belongs to me now. and anyone without magic who dares say otherwise better think twice.

>Mana Link Established - Shadow of Capitalism: This now defunct supermarket chain was swallowed up by the retail oligopoly, leaving behind shades of profits past and the darkness that enables Veronica to use this space.

I...could go home or something, I guess. Or I could take advantage of the locked doors and tinted windows and constant source of black mana and see what other tricks I have.

>Summon a creature (One you know? A new one?)
>Cast a spell (targets include a rusty oil drum and what was probably once a checkout counter)
>Head back home
>Explore this location further
>Other (Write-In)

>>587025
>Summon a creature (One you know? A new one?)
Go ahead and summon one.
so that you can explore this location further. Better to have a bit of protection in an unexplored place. Besides, two pairs of eyes are better than one in looking out for stuff.

A later goal would be to buy this piece of land. You need to claim it legally too but I doubt you have enough money now.

(OOC: Charm, want me to bump your old questdis or would you prefer to make yourself a new one?)

>Shadow of Capitalism
...definitely influenced by your perspective, I think, ebony accountant-sorceress. The second place we've found that resonates both with death and finance.

Advantageous, I suppose. We're less likely to have to fight for resources if every mage is going to be drawn to slightly different place. The leyline may be near, but different people might see different places where they can access it. Easier for a new practitioner to set up shop.

>I wonder if a drug dealer nearby would have some.
Yes, there's definitely an illegal market for hospital-grade painkillers. Realistically though, you can't afford to indulge in hedonism. You're going to need your mind sharp and will strong in the early days of your practice.

Also, I think you're being affected a little by all the mana. Like Maggie said. False confidence, giddiness. We've been cautious so far. Keep being cautious and we'll reap the rewards.

>what do
I think exploring the location is a good first. We want to know our domain, and that it's secure, before we settle into a wizard's lab mode and start experimenting.

Maybe set up some kind of wards of protections? Simple warnings to know if our turf is being invaded, or our power source tapped would be a good start. Maybe later we could buff up to actual defense- spells ready, a summoned guardian or watchdog, etc. Not sure we know enough to set that up tonight, though.

Once we've explored though, I'd be open to experimentation, though. Maybe some more spells, first. Like something that works on black creatures. So we have options if we summon something and it's not willing to play ball.

(Any chance we could get a dis thread?).

You mentioned there were tinted windows.

How do we know there's not already some hobo-mage hiding inside?

First few gold payments? Buy up this plot of land. The Mana seems tied to the state of the site, not merely the location, so we can't just bulldoze the place and set up a front company, but making sure nobody ELSE is going to do the same would be beneficial.

Purely for the record: algebra is not optimal for use in 2D coordinate systems - it tends to break down when confronting, say, vertical lines. If you're ever bored, look into vector math.

Also seconding "buy the plot", though it might be a problem if the place is "associated" with you or if you have to give a reason why you're not developing it. Does your ownership of it imply that it's not, technically, no longer "in use", or is mana flow not a kind of use for purposes of mana flow? General note: if you're dependent on legal status or developmental status of places, it's really important to diversify. No good to be in a battle and suddenly discover the city council just decided to build a new hotel on your land.

Long-term idea: if there's an oil spill somewhere, that might be potentially interesting for a medium-term boost. Oil is rather immediately associated with both money and death, not just due to oil wars etc but also due to the fact that it's made basically out of decayed life. Might be worth checking out if an oil tanker sinks somewhere, later on.

Retail real estate tends to be... pretty expensive. Even if we pulling in a few thousand a week in gold it might be a while before we can afford a developed plot of land this size. Especially if we have living costs.

I'd think if we wanted to protect it, mana is a lot cheaper than money, at the moment. There have to be magical means we could use to divert development, if we needed to. (Scare tactics, sabotage an important negotiation or loan, make the property appear more of a fixer-upper than it actually is, etc). Well, provided we were forewarned, at all.

>>587116
This raises some good questions about how, exactly, this works. This might be something we want to talk about with Maggie, later. Provided she's willing to share, she has experience developing a claim on a piece of turf into something more. We'll probably have the opportunity to chat again sooner than there's a serious challenge to our claim. (Development is kind of a slow process, luckily for us).

>>587026
>>587028
>>>/questdis/51740
(I think I did that right. whatever!)


>>587028
>>587103
>>587116
>>587146

I don't have any proof, but I'm fairly sure that since this is on the leyline I should be able to pull mana from it even if it loses the properties that made it what attracted me here. Plus I'm hoping to get more than one mana source active in the near future so I'll have a failsafe should something go wrong.

And no, I probably wouldn't want to go buying drugs. They're expensive and frowned on and I have this which is so much better it feels like my brain is melting no stop that get your mind out of the gutter not like that it's more a peaceful calm that's filling me up gah stop with the innuendos I'm trying to be productive here okay wow I'm really starting to ramble on maybe you're right about the mana getting to me but I'm still aware of everything going on even if my thoughts are being strung out it might just be that the font of black mana puts me in my element so as long as I don't drown in the stuff I should be fine I think now that I think about it actually drowning would be bad too.

Focus. Get a hold of yourself Roni. Deep breath, just one, because holy shit this place is saturated with mana. I can't sense anyone inside, and I can't see anyone in there either (and I can see really well with as little light as there is. maybe a benefit of having magic tied to darkness? whatever.)

It's certainly quite expansive in here - it was a supermarket after all. I don't exactly plan on living here, but there appear to be a few places I could set up a cot and some other stuff and no one would be the wiser. Then again it's plenty spacious and with the right magic people would just ignore it and I could have a huge mansion and a laboratory and good grief it's happening again stupid mana flood stop it come on stop!

...Right. I need to do something with this mana NOW before it makes me go even more loopy. As good as it feels, letting my mind just run rampant isn't in anyone's best interests.

>Pump as much mana you can into a summon
>Throw all your mana at a spell
>Try doing one of each
>Other (Write-In)

>>587221
Try to summon a lot of small creatures like rats and/or bats. Hopefully they can guard this place when we're not around.

Call me greedy, but we're in an abandoned centre of commerce, this suggests to me the invocation of a Black Market.

Man, how does Maggie work in these kinds of conditions? Especially if she's trying not to use. Major distraction.

>>587239
Not a bad idea. Some kind of basic swarm minion. Would serve as disposable sentries or an alarm system, and will help flush out what's here, if there's anything here.

I still think we should prioritize exploring, once we've burned off enough juice to think. Then we can try more serious experimentation.

>>587268
I kind of have to question what the effect of that would have right now, outside the more strict confines of a formal match. The effect is kind of abstract or non-applicable, isn't it? Or would we actually be summoning a phantom market?

I think setting up an *actual* market could be an idea, particularly as we become more powerful. Acting as an honourable intermediare/contract broker is reputable, lucrative, and provides a measure of protection above absolute power.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/08/02(Sat)14:11 No. 587643 ID: 86cf84
File 140701390796.jpg - (87.22KB , 312x445 , 106.jpg )

>>587398
That might be something to look into later. Like, when I'm not at risk of a magic induced acid trip.

>>587239
>>587301
Yeah, let's dump this in to something quickly. Maybe several somethings if that'll help. Ideally it'll be something (or somethings) that won't seem too out of place but will keep people from wanting to poke their heads in. Hang on I'm not going on another of those again am I?
...okay, still sane. I hope.

There's a chittering sound echoing off the walls as I appear to assembled a small rat army. Well, maybe it's closer to a platoon, I really don't know much about military and this shit needs to stop RIGHT fucking now.

...good. I don't really know how to strike a deal with a bunch of rats, but clanging my sword around seems to make them realize who's in charge here.
>Ravenous Rats added to your summons list.

I'm also going to take a guess that whatever is causing this doesn't do the same thing to Margaret as it's doing to me. I mean shit, she built her office on that leyline - if I was working there I'd go crazy in a day from the flood.

Speaking of floods of mana...no. not happening again. I need to stay in contr-actually, I don't think I really lose control, I just get distracted way too easily.

...

>This seems like a great time to get the fuck out of here!
>I've got all this mana, might as well pump it into a big spell.
>Screw the mind wandering bullshit, I can explore this place more.
>Other (Write-In)

>set up an actual black market
Maybe once we had creatures we could delegate to. Keeping the peace and being the guarantor and organizer would be a lot to keep us busy. ...also, it might be hard to operate in those roles if we'd be suffering from mana flood while we were there.

>can't talk to rats, but clanging sword works.
Yeah, there's not much negotiating with dumb animals. A display of power probably is enough authority to command.

>probably doesn't affect Margret the same way
A reasonable hypothesis. You don't know if that's due to your magics being different colors, or due to your being different people, though.

...might want to downplay or not discuss this when next you talk. It'll only fuel her worries about you getting into something without control.

Still, I think this rules out any plans of setting up shop on top of a place like this. Nice to visit, better to tap into, but you can't live like this.

>Screw the mind wandering bullshit, I can explore this place more.
Actually, maybe you can cheat around the bullshit. You want the place explored, but you can't keep your head strait inside? You need a scout. Something you can summon and delegate the task to, who can report back. Or... maybe if we summoned a magic eye equivalent of a drone, or a crystal ball or something, or we cast magic mapping it could show you.

If you back off to say, the parking lot, or behind the store, does the effect die down enough that you can think strait? A compromise between easy access to power and being clear headed? Maybe then we'd have room to experiment. Blow some stuff up, try to bring up a few creatures for contract negotiations. Assuming no one is watching.

Taffer 2014/08/02(Sat)22:19 No. 587692 ID: ebc77d
File 140704318434.jpg - (98.33KB , 500x390 , penguinnow.jpg )

>>587643
Ah Ravenous Rats, quite a nice summon. Also it's good we have that for the time being. No one would really notice that an abandoned building has an infestation of rats.

>>587647
About setting up the black market, I figure a local human we can trust to do the day to day operations would be a better idea. I'm hoping we might want to be like pic related. We bring nice stuff in, we auction it off, we take a large cut. But this, this is a major long term investment. We have to be very careful.


>Screw the mind wandering bullshit, I can explore this place more.
However to counteract the mana flood, we need a creature that we can pump mana into. How about that annoying little glowfly that Bob summoned?

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/08/07(Thu)14:33 No. 588602 ID: 86cf84
File 140744719838.jpg - (90.86KB , 312x445 , 141.jpg )

>>587647
>>587692
(Was really hoping to get another reply or two, but it's been more than long enough.)

Okay, time to shut this off. I don't care if I go crazy from this, it's more important to figure out how to proceed. I need to stop this thing from flowing, at least for a bit, because apparently when my mind wanders it goes farther than I could even hope of throwing it okay Roni try and concentrate don't wonder about how far you could throw your brain what I need is some kind of off switch no that's probably not something I can conjure up what other things can stop flows of things well maybe a dam no that isn't likely to work what about a tourniquet actually that might be something now what kind of thing could represent sucking all the mana out of this place well if we're going with the tourniquet metaphor then leeches might be the answer plus they're ugly enough to not get noticed in a run down shack because have I mentioned how badly run down this place is okay magical mana-sucking leeches hopefully this does something.

...

W-well. I didn't expect that to work so quickly. Or that well. I still have plenty of mana to work with, so having the connection clamped off isn't something I need to worry about right now. Worse comes to worse I can always dismiss the rotten thing when I'm done here.

Anyway, let's get around to exploring. I'm not exactly sure where I should be looking, or what I ought to be looking for. Signs of life? Signs of unlife?

>What should Veronica look for?
>Maybe I should try learning more spells than just the one sword thing. (suggestions?)
>Another summon or two couldn't hurt. (Suggestions?)
>Other (Write-In)

Lets try more summons, starting with something small so we can learn the specifics of how unsummoning one of our creatures works when if want it gone.

Let's take a look around. Be ready to have that leech stop doing the thing it's doing should it occur that you need the juice to fry something.

Too bad we don't have a mana storage system to put it all into: Saving it up to use it.... Like a Mana Battery or something better.

Oh, hey, a creature that disables land. A clever quick fix, so long as we rember to remove it when we're done.

>what do
Explore the place for any sign of habitation. People might be squatting here, and you don't want to cause undo harm or collateral damage. And things might have been attracted to the mana source. Things you either bring to heel or put down.

We could also try summoning other intelligent creatures, negotiating contracts. We'll need more than one knight in future battles, I think. (The black knight, maybe?).

>>588622

I agree. Look for any thing like bedrolls, bunch of opened cans lying around.

>Maybe I should try learning more spells than just the one sword thing. (suggestions?)
And perhaps think about spells that can stregthen or weaken others and yourself. You have a sword, now you gotta make yourself strong. And if you do think of a spell that weakens another, you can test it on the leeches, to try and kill them.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/08/09(Sat)08:16 No. 588819 ID: 86cf84
File 140759740674.jpg - (39.68KB , 375x523 , 112.jpg )

>>588608
>>588635
Right. Now that the mana flood isn't driving me up a goddamned wall, now would be a good time to ensure there's no one lurking here. I don't want to have to do something, but I will.

...

Alright. I'm reasonably certain that I'm the only non-summoned living thing here. The place is oddly devoid of detritus - maybe there were some squatters that got chased out?

Eh. If they come back the rats ought to be enough of a deterrent, and it's not like I'm going to need to be here to use the mana. But for now I've got this place to myself.

>>588622
>>588603
Yeah, one or two more summons might be good. I will want to look into some spells, but summons are bound to be important too! Just center myself and spend a bit of mana...
There's a clash of sparks as something metal slams into my sword, raised just above my head a split second before...I don't even know what it was, but had I not...
like I was saying, had I not blocked the blow, and that one just there, I'd be in real trouble.

"Hey! Stop trying to ventilate me, whatever you are! Don't mak-" Another block. "Stop, dammit!"

There's a lilting giggle as my would-be assailant reveals hi-herself. A small curved dagger rests in her hands and her red hair barely shows any evidence of being involved in that little combat dance.

"You're not bad! No form whatsoever, and your guard was really open, but good reaction time, that's a start!" I'm not sure how to take that, honestly. [color=990033]"So what's up?"[/color]
"Well...I kinda wanted to know if we could work out a deal for your service. I think that's how it works." The redhead thinks for a bit before nodding shortly.

"Hmm...okay! Just so long as you get less shitty with that lumbering hunka metal." That was...a lit easier than I expected, honestly.
>Vampire Nighthawk added to your summons list.
"And is getting to use this blade better something you could help with?"
"I dunno...mostly I work with knives, since they're so much lighter. But I suppose there's at least a few things that'd help. Like, when you're blocking something like that, don't hold the blade in one spot and brace for the hit - see where the other thing would make contact and swing into it. Force them to commit to an attack before you start blocking." I...guess that makes sense.

>Ask about your sword in particular - Didn't Bob say it was magical or something?
>Ask for more combat advice (Specifics?)
>Try casting other spells (Specifics?)
>Work on dismissing summons
>Other (Write-In)

Ask her what's fun and useful to do at the same time: Vampires are a major class of summons and affected creatures for black magic, so we should learn how to be on good terms with them.
Also, sword practice and instruction *is* a valid reason to call up that knight again, and probably one they'd respect too.

Can't be blocked by non-flyers, insta-gibs anything she injures, and drains life. Nice.

Now we've got an amputation-fetish knight and a bubbly vampire assassin for intelligent allies.

>That was...a lit easier than I expected, honestly.
If the bar is really this low for getting cooperation, maybe that's why the fuzzball was frustrated with your taking as long as you did to tentatively agree to anything? I suppose there's no real risk in it for them. This is all fucking around, having fun, killing people.

Seems like basic competency tests with a threat of violence, so far. Although we might be in trouble if we summon something that pushes harder, or if and when we actually fail one...

>Ask about your sword in particular - Didn't Bob say it was magical or something?
Not the worst idea, actually. She is a shaman, and one who apparently turned her arts towards melee blade combat. Magical properties of blades might fall under her domain.

>sword practice and instruction *is* a valid reason to call up that knight again, and probably one they'd respect too
...I'm a little leery about that idea. It could work, but at the same time, I have this nagging feeling that she'd be more than happy to casually maim us if and when we make a mistake practicing.

We agreed that if we summoned her without reason, she could take a swing at us. She expects that reason to be violence, but Roni cleverly left it open ended. I doubt she'll like that, but she's probably bound to it. So if we summon her to train us... she'll be looking for a way to still get her pound of flesh within the rules, and to test our authority. And it would be all too easy for the better swordswoman to land a blow as a 'lesson'.

Although, flip side, if we overcame that, we might net some actual respect.

We've got four summons now, I'm thinking we should be good for the time being. Let's ask more about combat, for now, since I get the impression we're going to want to be skilled with that Doom Blade with the way it's our signature attack.

Okay, we might want to stop with the summoning now. We got a good bunch of creatures.

>Ask about your sword in particular - Didn't Bob say it was magical or something?
well, we do wanna get less shitty with our hunk of metal. A spar with the our knight would be good but should be for later. We want to at least be sure that we can beat her.

>Try casting other spells (Specifics?)
Spells that make your summons stronger or weaker, maybe spells that allow you to revive your dead creatures (although I think you might need a dead body to experiment with before that happens)

One thing we need to do is get back so we can look over the contract. Wonder if our vampire wants to hang out for the contract signing? Or else we'll unsummon the leeches and her and head home.

One thing I noticed: the leech was never added to our list of summons. Does that mean it didn't acknowledge our authority? There's a chance it might not go quietly when we go to dismiss it and unclamp the mana source when we leave.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/08/12(Tue)22:15 No. 589250 ID: 86cf84
File 140790695560.jpg - (67.60KB , 312x445 , 135.jpg )

>>588944
>>588834
"So...I have to admit, I'm pretty sure this sword is magic-based or something. You must know more about it than I do, so...do you think you could give it a once-over?"

"Eh, Can't hurt." The assassin girl drops down to the floor and examines the blade as I hand it to her.

"Huh...that's...huh." I don't know if that's good or bad. "This sword...has a lot of history behind it. I don't know how you came across it, but it's incredibly dangerous in the right hands. Doubly so when you have an ally who has given their true name - using this and one's true name, you'll have a powerhouse on your hands."

Well. That...should be very useful. The redhead returns the blade and I put it away before thinking up my next question.

"So...spells that don't summon creatures. All I have is making things dead with the sword, and apparently black summons don't get hurt by it. Anything there that you can help me with?"

The girl thinks and bobs her head enthusiastically. "Yeah, I think I've got some ideas."

>Killing things is always fun!
>Making my own summons stronger seems like a good idea.
>What's some weird shit that black magic can do?
>Other (Write-In)

>[the sword is] incredibly dangerous in the right hands
Huh. Hopefully those are our hands. ...and hopefully we figure out how to control that before doing something incredibly dangerous inadvertently.

>Doubly so when you have an ally who has given their true name
Interesting that it depends on knowing an ally's true name. I wouldn't expect a black weapon to be about teamwork, or trust. Do you draw on (or sacrifice?) an ally to power it for yourself? Do you bestow it on a trusted ally (a knighting?) sworn by their true name?

More stuff to research, later. Maybe ask Bob how true names work at your next lesson. Or something to discuss with Maggie, maybe. Names and histories seem like Blue-scholar stuff.

>Making my own summons stronger seems like a good idea.
Longer term, yes. Reinforcing creatures to make them better is good. But I'd like to have something a little more direct just in case we summon something and really regret it. Something that won't back down, and/or rebukes our attempt to dismiss it.

Between killing things and weird shit: I figure we can come up with basic ways to kill things pretty easily on our own. And there are plenty of things we can ask about the direct approach. We're talking to a freaky magic assassin- weird or excepted stuff sounds right up her alley.

Well looks like we have to be really careful with the sword. It's more than a stabity stab affair if we can find out what it can really do.

And yes,
>Making my own summons stronger seems like a good idea.

I'm more interested in learning about weird shit.

Here's one for learnign weird crap black can do!

I was going to suggest learning to make our creatures stronger, but a quick glance shows me no (pure) black enchantments for first strike (the only thing Nighthawk needs to be better), and the only instant return is Midnight Charm, which I would think, as a "Pick one of three" choice card, also falls under weird stuff.

So yeah, let's see some weird stuff.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/08/14(Thu)14:14 No. 589427 ID: 86cf84
File 140805089252.jpg - (66.00KB , 312x445 , 87.jpg )

>>589285
>>589297
>>589320
"Alright, how 'bout something a bit more exotic?" Having something out of the ordinary is sure to come in handy one of these days.

"Yeah, I can think of one -- you a good singer?" That's...not a question I expected to be asked. I've no chance of winning American Idol but I can carry a tune decently enough. "That should work. It's not a hard piece to learn, I don't think, just have to understand the magic behind it."

Whoever this girl is, she's got a nice voice - a clear mezzo-soprano, giving life to a haunting melody that fills the air. It's as if the music itself is charged with power, wrapping itself around...well, around me, now that I notice it. Anything that would try going after her...

...oh. Oh that could be very useful. It does take some time to match her pitch (my voice is a bit lower than hers, so the higher notes get a little squeaky) but I can feel the spell taking shape as I continue to sing.
>Kor Dirge added to your Spells list.

The sun is starting to set, has it really been that long? No matter. I probably have enough time-and spare mana-to get one more spell before that fuzzball bastard comes knocking with its precious contract.

>Let's try a spell that can give me insight.
>Let's try a spell that destroys stuff.
>Let's try a spell that brings dead things back.
>Let's go home, I'm beat.
>Other (Write-In)

>>589427
Bringing dead things back is a cool trick that'd be nice to learn, but I think I'd prioritize Insight in part because of how little we currently know and in part because of how generally useful it is.

Yeah, insight.

Before you dismiss her and head home, make a point of thanking her for the help. Actually, could we ask her name? Not uh, true-name magicing stuff, I just assume she might go by something other than 'nighthawk' (assuming there's more than one, that's her role, or title).

Also, remember to dismiss the leech when you leave. If you leave your mana supply clamped you may regret it later.

Insight is the best as you are still in the dark about all of this.

>>589441
Agreed about the leeches. They've served their purpose

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/08/18(Mon)13:04 No. 590050 ID: 86cf84
File 140839228704.jpg - (79.87KB , 312x445 , 84.jpg )

>>589428
>>589441
>>589529

"I'll be honest, uh...sorry, don't think I got a name for you."
"Elana."
"Right. Elana. Honestly, I'm really in over my head here. I mean, sure I know how to do this magic, but I don't quite know why I'm involved, or what I'm supposed to be doing. So anything that could give me insight would be great." The vampire rocks a bit on the balls of her feet before responding.
"Well, knowledge isn't free. Blue mages can fart out ideas every now and again, but that's not the same as understanding something on a primal level. That's what black magic is good at, and it almost always requires payment in blood."
Yeah, that's not going to work. No knowledge is worth draining myself dry...but wait a minute. Does it have to be my blood?
"Well...no, no it doesn't. You can offer up a summoned creature in place of your own blood, but slaying the thing is just as important to casting the spell as using the mana. And before you ask, the second you use me as your altar girl, we're over."

That's fine. I had a better target in mind. "So how do I go about this?"
...For some reason I'd expected ritual sacrifice to be more...ceremonial? Elaborate? Something. All I really did was gather up some mana and stab that leech locking this place down.

...

"Elana? You...might wanna make yourself scarce. We're being watched."

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/08/18(Mon)13:31 No. 590054 ID: 86cf84
File 140839388857.jpg - (39.70KB , 375x523 , Kyubey Magical Aspirant.jpg )

"Fufufu...do not feel it necessary to dismiss your friend on my account, young ebon sorceress." I really should have expected this, but here we are. Fuzzy bastard has come to collect and I'm caught with my pants down. (metaphorically, don't get any smart ideas)

Wait a minute. I have some insight into this. Calm down Veronica, think through what you know, take into account what I just learned from that spell. The mana flood actually should help, just from the sheer volume of stuff I can process. Deep breaths, let's see what we have.

This...thing, its job is to recruit people for its employers and use whatever it can to meet its quota of potential candidates. Jobless twenty-something with ambition, should have been too easy, which is why I bet it's pissed about having to do things the proper way. Sucks to be him. (it? not important.) In any case, I'm essentially dealing with a mid-level manager - high enough on the food chain to play fast and loose with the rules, but not high enough to call the shots.

As for the magic...yeah, there's no good way around this. It knows I'm not giving this up, and it knows I know that - he's at least playing level 3, and I don't think I can make a level 6 play if he's operating any higher than that. So it's got power. On the other hand, I know that there are other players in this game, and would gladly work for them if not given a good enough deal. Means I've got some leverage. So it boils down to what it's been told to offer, and what I'm willing to accept.

...

Right. "You have the paperwork?"

"I do, ebon sorceress. But let us talk about your role in this for a moment." the beast hops on to a countertop and locks its eyes with me. "Management has a time-sensitive assignment I am to give you. The sooner you accept the contract as is, the easier your assignment will be."

That doesn't sound trustworthy at all.

>Skim the contract, make sure there's nothing signing over your soul or similarly damning passages, then sign and go.
>Read every passage and every line, force this thing to make it on your terms (specifics?)
>Call someone to double check the contract (Who?)
>Refuse the contract outright (this will leave you still unemployed with very low funds.)
>Other (Write-In)

DONT SKIM. what a lil shit he's doing this to trip you up. go over the thing to make sure you aren't getting fucked with a cactus.

Right. He's leveraging us to accept the contract without going through it. That's a pretty strong confirmation there's something we wouldn't like hidden inside.

Tell the creature that its master's deadlines aren't yours until a deal is signed.

>summon help
...I'm kind of tempted by this option, although we haven't won the loyalty of a demon lawyer or the like.

Hey, um, crazy idea. Could we summon a peer? Annother caster, from the same plane? It might be impossing on Maggie to ask for her help, but she's kind of perfect for this. She knows where she screwed up, she's seen their contracts as an ex employee, as a business woman and a blue scholar this kind of thing should be right up her alley, and she's motivated to keep you from getting dragged too deep.


...plus I'm sure her presence would annoy the fuzzball.

Standard rate would be a favor for a favor. If she's willing to help, she can call on us in the future.

Let's not call in Maggie.
This guy would LOVE to recruit more, and she only got away when she was all but cut in half, and then it was very very hard to say no.
But definitely look through this carefully. He's pressuring you, and probably will carry out his threat... But going early means being bound unpleasantly to him...
But if it's clean? Apologize, because that was a waste of everyone's time, and get going.

Uh, relevant concerns to check:

Exit criteria. What did that bit about paying back equivalent magic qualify as? Does that give them a claim on our awakening, our land, our contracts, our sword? Would we have to surrender or pay for those? And larger than that, to what extent we own our own powers or what we learn matters.

Right of refusal. We want the right to turn down jobs under certain conditions. If we feel their completion would be unreasonable or impossible, or in the case of a personal or professional conflict of interest (I'm talking preventative measures against being sent after Maggie for breach of contract, or because she controls mana they migt want).

Education. See how much or how long they're providing from Bob.

In case of death stuff. Where you benefit payouts go, and what they can and cannot do should you become deceased. (Black is a color that might keep going after death- we're not signing on to serve in this life and the next). At the same time, it's reasonable we agree not to use our affinity to cheat a till death to us part clause.

Arbitration, settling of possible future disputes. How that works out, a neutral third party to be agreed to, etc.

>No mags
I doubt he'd pull her in. The biggest risk would be her getting mad we might be. (Maybe call or ask instead of dumping her in?).

Short of that, we could sacrfice rates for insight. Or summon annother beast for it. Maybe time or space manipulation if we wanted time to drag this out? Or slip into a plane where time passes differently?

If he can wait until now to tell us about this 'time sensitive' job, he can wait a bit longer for us to read the contract in full.

>we could [sacrifice] [rats] for insight
Excuse me while I curse out my phone's auto-correct.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/08/19(Tue)11:43 No. 590190 ID: 86cf84
File 140847381125.jpg - (79.01KB , 312x445 , 139.jpg )

>>590110
>>590063
Did I mention I thought the timing of this was sketchy as hell? because it really is.
"Listen up you mangey git, I don't give two shits about an important errand you want me to run. I don't work for you yet, and if it was so urgent you coulda brought this too me earlier. If I decide I want a week to pore over every word of this, then that's what I'll do and you can just deal."

"...I understand. Do not, however, try to waste your time -- or mine."

Right. Before I get into anything, lemme shoot a text to Margaret and see if she's willing to help double check this. It's not long before I get a reply.
"Stuck w/ a client. can't be there but my contract was fair and simple. just 2x check for yourself, k?" That's somewhat disappointing, but if she didn't have to make a huge fuss, that's a good sign.

Anyway, let's read this over and see what needs to be worked on.

>Using the disc thread ( >>/questdis/51740 ) to answer specific questions about the contract.
>We're over 200 posts in this thread (holy crap people actually like this shit) so when the contract is ironed out I think I'll start a second thread.

Well, if the person who doesn't want us getting in too deep isn't worried, that's a good sign.

Barring dis stuff, I guess that just leaves any issues Roni might find on her own, reading through. Trying to get us to skip over this implies there's something, unless the hairball is just fucking with us.

>>590211
Alternatively, fluffy's in a huffy because he has to actually do this by the book and wants to get it over and done with ASAP so he can get back to scamming actual innocent naive little girls.

>>590221
These aren't mutually-exclusive possibilities.

Charm!!p1AwZ0BJMz 2014/08/20(Wed)10:20 No. 590291 ID: 86cf84
File 140855524940.jpg - (72.41KB , 312x445 , 89a.jpg )

One more thing, because I realized it wasn't made official and it'd suck to get blindsided by this I guess.

>Altar's Reap added to Spells list.