>>799438
>Do any of the bodies look like Tim?
Well according to these pictures: >>793597 , >>794111 , Tim has a red eye with a weird asterisk looking symbol on it (which is probably his pupil) and has a blue membrane(?) around him. Can't see the rest of him since his clothes are in the way. The only match that I can see in the picture is on the top right shelf in the second jar.

>>799442
Too bad she's too blinded by this supposed chance at a "golden era" to actually see that. Let's hope we can actually stop it from happening.

Is the orb quite possibly inside the alter or the giant eye in the flesh room?

>>799442
The corpses are there. They hold power. The concept is simple, take the power from the corpses.

The crypt being haunted is a problem that can be solved; after that is done the corpses will STILL be there and will STILL hold power.

There's plenty of orbs about in the form of eyes, though. And you know from the ghastly form of the magical tome that the Orb of Concentration will likely take on a more grotesque appearance. But then again, it might not be a eye. It could be the same form as outside the dream, or another form entirely. And even if it is a eye, which eye is it? You'd have to touch every eye, wouldn't you? And then there's the big question of when you touch it will it do something horrid to your only good hand on top of bringing unwanted attention from the flare of magic. Or will it not even react to your touch, leaving you without a clue you even found it? Heck, for all you know it might not even be in this room and instead somewhere in the altar room, possibly within the altar itself.

How certain are you that all those Cibics in the glass jars are dead? Because it's possible that one of them is Tim. It would fit as a nightmare situation for him, being trapped and helpless, too weak to do anything, watching his brethren be literally butchered and knowing that eventually he'll be next. Sounds totally like where he'd have been stuck in here once he fell asleep. And you know you need to get the book and the orb to him, so he has to be somewhere you can get to and this is the most obvious.

Take a closer look at the jars with Cibics that have the same eye pupil design as Tim for any signs of movement or life. Call out Tim's name to each one and see if there's a reaction. Even if you don't see any you can't take that as certainty. Tim might be in the grips of distorted perception, making you appear to him to be monstrous. Or with his greatly reduced Cin mass he might be too weak to do anything. In that case you'll have to take down each of those jars and open it, then pour them together in a sink or empty barrel so Tim would have enough Cin mass to recover. That is, assuming the Cibics are floating in Cin and not pickling brine or suchlike. Ones not in Cin mass can be written off as dead.

Considering the possible risk of touching the Orb of Concentration direction you should take precautions in discovering and handling it. The Orb is likely sturdy, so poking it won't damage it. Get a fork or skewer you can use to poke potential Orbs. For when you determine what the Orb is, get a pair of tongs to pick it up and a couple dishcloths or other pieces of fabric to wrap it in.

Make sure to open and check all the ovens, cabinets and other storage areas in the kitchen for the Orb first before continuing on. For all you know it could be hidden in a covered pot or pan in there.

>The only other thing of note is a large, walk in pantry filled with… actual food for some reason? It really stands out from the rest of this dream.
Chances are it's from Tim's memory or related to his memories. Possibly it contains the food and drink he likes. But it might also contain the Orb somewhere in it. No time for a careful search; You'll have to toss it. Pull containers big enough to contain the Orb off the shelf and dump them out in the kitchen, making sure you don't touch their contents since the Orb might be in there. Pull everything off the front of the shelves so you can check behind them.

The maw in the altar may require a eye of the right type placed in it to do... whatever it'll do. Open up or activate or something. The drawing on the back of the altar room's door showed a eye with a single straight slit pupil in a maw, so a Cibic eye with the same kind would be the obvious choice to try first. But leave doing that to last, okay. Maybe you'll find out more about what you need to do before then.

And unrelated to the current situation, but based on what you've learned it's likely that that prophetic dream Belseth had of you falling from the balcony came from Krotos. The Nightmare has almost certainly been intruding into and influencing Belseth's dreams, and it has semi-godlike power which would include limited premonition, so it fits. So even within the Nightmare, Krotos was still looking out for you.

>Of course having an actual god on your side would be beneficial… but wasn’t the problem that there might be drawbacks?
Thing is, short-term it'd certainly be the best course of action. Belseth would of course shower miracles upon Risavia and the Empire and bring about peace in Lorentia and the Dynasty without harming anyone. And it would be a shining glorious golden age. But beyond the short-term of a century or two things get more uncertain and muddy. Time and experience changes everyone, and many times makes them more like themselves. And that applies to a immortal god. Belseth could go on like Dreamer said he likely would if he became a god, eventually taking his own life in despair. But there's always the possibility he could go wrong in some way, and if that happens there won't be a force in the world that can put him right or stop him. So, it comes down to gambling that Belseth would not turn bad in some way for the rest of his indefinitely long life. And with a life that long, odds are something will go wrong with him eventually and unless he offs himself or the world by then has found a way to chain him down, sap his power or outright kill him, it's gonna be bad.

Perhaps the safer way to go would be to tap the power of the corpses of the Five and perform less than divine acts of magic, but more controllable ones. Maybe also find a way to drain the built up energy out of the Catacombs/Soul Kiln to both power grand magic and lessen the Catacombs influence on those above. Eventually drain it dry so it'll be safe. And then there's the reborn earth elementals and what they could potentially do for the nation's farmland.

>You’re starting to sound like the Archbishop. Of course, you’re not sure if the Archbishop is really that wrong… but still…
You'd really like to know what kind of life and experiences the Archbishop has had to believe so strongly that the only hope to save us is to imbue someone with godlike power. That we can't find our own way out without some divine being handing it to us. She's about the same age as you, so growing up in the Temple during the pointless, bloody protracted war, seeing the worst of it, the hopelessness of it all, had to have scarred the Archbishop and bent her perception of things. And being a woman of faith, she of course would believe only a real god could fix such terrible things and not the perseverance of mere mortals.

>>799441
This is true. With the Old Man sabotaging anyone who dares to try and tap or study the River of Souls, the way to the knowledge of the Rune of Eternity through to that of divine ascension and the power needed to do so is blocked. The only way the Archbishop has this knowledge is the Nightmare slipped it to her, and she needed the residual divine power from the corpses of the Five combined to pull it off. It would be a one time thing made possible by extraordinary circumstances. So nobody else would be able to create a god. No nation, no temple, no other organization or person. And herein lies the problem.

For while nobody else could make a god or have any way to possibly counter or contain a divine Belseth, it also means there's no way for anybody to stop him either. He can do whatever he pleases without outside consequence. And while he almost certainly would strive to be benevolent and kind in the beginning, time and experience changes people. The first sign things are going off the rails would probably be him ignoring his appointed advisors in favor of only his ideas as his ego carries him away. He could easily become a stiflingly benevolent god-dictator, running himself ragged watching everyone within his realm all the time to catch them if they are in danger or make sure they do no evil by his standards.

But there's always the possibility of worse outcomes, and if they come to pass there will be no power in this world that can stop a mad or morally warped divine Belseth. Perhaps there wasn't even such power in the world of the Old Empire outside the gods of that age. After all, it took a gap in the flow of the River of Souls and the snuffing out of magic for a year to kill the gods of old. Maybe the Forgotten One would step out of the shadows and put down Belseth if he went really wrong, but that's not a bet anyone but a monumental fool would take.

>>799442
>>799445
Except that based on Kronos' conversation with Dreamer about Belseth ascending to godhood, Belseth can become a god and in the vast majority of possible timelines be a benevolent one. The problem with him becoming a god, if I remember correctly, is that he wouldn't be able to save everyone on his own and over the centuries it'd wear him down into despair and depression leading to him taking his own life. So the divine ascension ritual presented to the Archbishop by the Nightmare is legit, it's just that the Nightmare probably planned to jump in at a crucial point and possess Belseth or do something else to take all that divine power.

Kaktus 2017/05/09(Tue)10:24 No. 800681 ID: 65a774
File 149435064612.png - (21.01KB , 686x526 , 103.png )

>Not everyone will follow Bel just because he becomes a god.
Well, that’s a given… but I’m sure the Archbishop would just argue that we can make everyone follow Bel by either Force or generosity.
>In fact, if any of the other nations finds out he's a mortal that became a god, they'll think, "If he can do it, we can too!" Next thing you know, it turns into an arms race of whoever has more "gods" is the more powerful nation and everyone should do as they say or else.
…except they can’t make gods? We’re the only one who has the necessary… um… ‘Power sources’ lying around. As far as we know, of course.
>And all the "god" creating will just result in the same thing that happened to the old empire.
Only if we use up all the magic again. So long as there is some moderation…
>Godhood isn't going to happen, guys. It's a fever dream conjured up by demons to trick the Archbishop into digging them up. Even the high clergy have been corrupted by what's down there, Belseth will not be the exception.
Then we simply need to deal with the corruption before he ascends. In fact, it needs to be dealt with even if the god plan is scrapped. Whatever is corrupting people down there needs to be stop or we’re all in danger!
>And unrelated to the current situation, but based on what you've learned it's likely that that prophetic dream Belseth had of you falling from the balcony came from Krotos.
…except didn’t he say he had dreams before Krotos died? In fact, he had a dream about his brother death, someone that Krotos apparently killed before he was thrown in the catacombs!


>What's truly unsettling here is how few signs of Tim's influence there are.
It almost looks like he’s been corrupted completely… geez, what would have happened if you didn’t venture into his dream?
>Check the pantry, then.
…there’s just a lot of food in there…
>I guess the only thing left to do is look in the cabinets.
There’s a ton of cabinets around the room, so it would take ages to check all of them. Opening one you find it filled to the brim with… um… sharp tools and objects of different sizes.
>No time for a careful search; You'll have to toss it. Pull everything off the front of the shelves so you can check behind them.
Do you have time to just go through everything? You guess you won’t have choice if you can’t find it, but still…
>Get a fork you can use to poke potential Orbs. For when you determine what the Orb is, get a pair of tongs to pick it up and a couple dishcloths or other pieces of fabric to wrap it in.
There are a lot of knives around… and axes… and saws… skewers… corkscrews… nails… other sharp things. No forks or tongs though… or dishcloths.

>How certain are you that all those Cibics in the glass jars are dead?
…some of them are still twitching, but they don’t seem particularly… alive…
>...or maybe the "orb" is one of the Cibic eyes?
The whole room is filled with Cibic eyes! You really don’t have time to go through each and every one.
>Do any of the bodies look like Tim?
Well… um…

>Tim has a red eye with a weird asterisk looking pupil and has a blue Cib membrane around him. The only match that I can see in the picture is on the top right shelf in the second jar.
That does indeed look like Tim, doesn’t it? Maybe you should get a closer look?
>With his greatly reduced Cin mass he might be too weak to do anything. In that case you'll have to take down each of those jars and open it, then pour them together in a sink or empty barrel so Tim would have enough Cin mass to recover.
You’re pretty sure doing something like that would kill him, if he wasn’t already dead! Just like you can’t throw around blood, you can’t just throw around membrane liquids.

…taking a closer look, it becomes clear that the Cibic looking like Tim’s eye isn’t actually an… eye. It’s not made out of organic material… and the pupil is clearly painted on. Is that the orb you’re looking for? It looks like someone has sewn it to the eyestalk of a Bic body, to make it look like a Cibic eye. Now the question is… if that’s the orb, how are you supposed to get to it without… um… having to… behead Tim… is it even beheading? …and you really don’t want to dig through all that membrane either…

>>800681
Do you even need to take it out? You're supposed to bring the orb and the book to Tim. Maybe you should just take the jar, and put it on the altar with the book?

If you need to get it out without harming the body, you are gonna have to take a knife to those stitches. Just stick your hand straight in there with the knife.

>but I’m sure the Archbishop would just argue that we can make everyone follow Bel by either Force or generosity.
I'm more worried about the entire nation of Mantis Zealots who will inevitably seek to destroy this new, heretical god, and will probably end up needing to be put down by the thousands as a result.
>As far as we know, of course.
Is that some unwarranted optimism I smell? Gods were a global phenomena, there's no way in hell you're the only ones who have relics lying around.
>Only if we use up all the magic again. So long as there is some moderation…
Oh don't start up with the 'this time things are going to be different' routine. You know how that path ended, you've seen visions of how it will end again. Choose the path that doesn't end in everyone dying.

Just bring the jar with you. Put it on top of the book and carry them both that way.

>>800701
We're already at war with the Mantids, and with a new god we'll have a lot more firepower on our side. We'd emerge victorious from any escalation they can bring.
>Gods were a global phenomena
They weren't. Yeah, there are some made-up fake gods that are widespread *and still worshipped to this day* but there were only seven main gods, one for each race. The only surviving one is the seventh.

In the time of the old gods, they didn't know for sure that the world would be destroyed due to the Afterlife, and they thought they were above Life. Now we know both these things are false. Hard-learned lessons tend to stick.

>>800705
Err, rather, they thought the world wouldn't be destroyed by the Afterlife.

>>800681
Remember, Tim has been affected the longest by the Nightmare and since his whole dream has been warped by the Nightmare, Tim himeself might have been warped as well! So, that might actually be Tim! And if that is the orb you're looking for, then you can't get it without harming Tim! You'll just have to take the jar with you.

I mean, there is a chance that this isn't actually Tim and it's just the orb and you won't actually harm Tim by getting it, but until you're sure about that, let's pretend it is Tim so that you don't accidentally hurt him.

.....try talking to it to see if you can get some sort of response out of it. You said before that his real name isn't actually Tim, so try calling him by his real name acronym! Call him TiT! .....or if you don't want to do that, then call him by his full, not shortened, Cibic name of Tears in Twilight!

There's something off about this possible Orb. It might be just dream-logic muddling things, but stitches wouldn't go through a Orb like that since a Orb is crystal, right? It could be that the Nightmare is fucking with your perception, making you see Tim's eye is the Orb and leading to you cutting it off and blinding him. On the outside chance this is actually Tim, you should play it safe. Bring the whole jar to the altar along with the book and see if that does the trick. If it doesn't then you can move on to possibly cutting that Orb loose.

And also make sure to look over the other Cibics for ones that look like Tim and give them a closer examination. There might be more than one with a fake eye like this one, or one of them might be Tim.

>There are a lot of knives around… and axes… and saws… skewers… corkscrews… nails… other sharp things. No forks or tongs though… or dishcloths.
A knife would work in place of a fork. You could carry a single edged one in your beak, with the sharp edge away from you, pirate-style, if you don't have a better place to carry it. And having a knife can come in handy for other uses than retrieving the Orb. But even better for cutting those stitches would be a scalpel or a straight-razor, if it comes to that.

Since you don't have a pair of tongs, you could use a long skewer or long-handled meat hook to drag the Orb up the side of the jar, if you tipped the jar a bit. That or maybe a piece of wood from that smashed door, or a bone from the altar room. And as for a suitable cloth to handle the Orb, how about your underwear? Not like there's anybody about who'd care if you're "going commando" or not, is there?

>You’re pretty sure doing something like that would kill him, if he wasn’t already dead! Just like you can’t throw around blood, you can’t just throw around membrane liquids.
Ah, right, you'd need Cin plasm that hasn't been part of another Cibic, and even if you did you'd have to add it in relatively small amounts so as not to overwhelm the receiving Cibic. And since you don't have "blank" Cin protoplasm, that option is moot. So, that leaves the only option of feeding the dangerously underweight Cibic so they can grow their own Cin mass back, doesn't it? And there just happens to be this oddly out of place pantry full of food here.

Try putting a bit of food in the jar with the potential Orb sewn to the eyestalk on the off chance it's actually Tim obscured by Nightmare perception warping bullshit and see if its digested. And also check the other Cibics here for any others that look like Tim and add some food to them as well to see what happens.

Kaktus 2017/05/11(Thu)05:26 No. 801068 ID: 65a774
File 149450561268.png - (39.09KB , 686x526 , 104.png )

>I'm more worried about the entire nation of Mantis Zealots who will inevitably seek to destroy this new, heretical god, and will probably end up needing to be put down by the thousands as a result.
Considering that they already seek to destroy everyone but themselves it wouldn’t be that big of a difference. Personally, you rather have a superweapon to fight them with instead of just waiting for them to start swarming the whole kingdom when they think its grown weak enough.
>Gods were a global phenomena, there's no way in hell you're the only ones who have relics lying around.
If there were other ways to make a god somewhere else, it wouldn’t really matter what happened here, would it? After all, there are bound to be a lot more people like the Archbishop or Belseth out there who would not hesitate to create a new god.
>They weren't. Yeah, there are some made-up fake gods that are widespread *and still worshipped to this day* but there were only seven main gods, one for each race.
Except, considering how egoistical these old gods seemed to be, wouldn’t they have had taken over the whole world instead of just the old empire if there weren’t anyone to stop them? If there wasn’t other gods around back then, then there had to be something else that they were afraid off.
>The only surviving one is the seventh.
That is still speculation, not fact…
>Oh don't start up with the 'this time things are going to be different' routine. You know how that path ended, you've seen visions of how it will end again.
Yet, with the knowledge of the follies of the past, we can change the course of the future, can’t we? Though, it’s possible we can’t change the fate of the world if gods enter it, but we can at least consider all the possibilities before someone goes and becomes a god.


>Make sure to look over the other Cibics for ones that look like Tim and give them a closer examination.
This is the only one that truly looks like Tim. All the others are slightly different in some way.
>It might be just dream-logic muddling things, but stitches wouldn't go through an Orb like that since a Orb is crystal, right?
The orb wouldn’t be able to float in the membrane either… but here you are?

>Remember, Tim has been affected the longest by the Nightmare and since his whole dream has been warped by the Nightmare, Tim himeself might have been warped as well! So, that might actually be Tim!
…fuck, then you might already be too late!
>.....try talking to it to see if you can get some sort of response out of it.
…you get no response. None of the Cibics in here seems to react to your voice at all.
>Try putting a bit of food in the jar with the potential Orb sewn to the eyestalk on the off chance it's actually Tim obscured by Nightmare perception warping bullshit and see if its digested.
…the bread piece is just floating around on the top of the membrane… “Tim” doesn’t react to it at all.


>Do you even need to take it out? You're supposed to bring the orb and the book to Tim. Maybe you should just take the jar, and put it on the altar with the book?
Not surprisingly, seeing as the jar is the size of a person and as heavy as one as well with the added fact that you’re currently missing your right hand, trying to lift it up proves disastrous. With a loud crash, the jar falls to the floor and explodes into pieces. The Cibic inside it twitches weakly for a while before growing still, while the orb rolls away a bit from it, stopping in the middle of a puddle of the Cib membrane. You really hope that wasn’t actually Tim, as he would be rather dead right now if it was…
>A knife would work in place of a fork. You could carry a single edged one in your beak, with the sharp edge away from you, pirate-style, if you don't have a better place to carry it.
At least you now have a weapon, though you’re not sure how useful it will be with the lack of a right hand…
>As for a suitable cloth to handle the Orb, how about your underwear? Not like there's anybody about who'd care if you're "going commando" or not, is there?
Or, instead of starting to strip, you can just use your jacket to pick it up. After all, you’re wearing a shirt under it already…

Kaktus 2017/05/11(Thu)05:27 No. 801069 ID: 65a774
File 149450562732.png - (31.46KB , 686x526 , 105.png )

Carrying the book under your arm, the jacket covered orb in your left hand and a large knife in your beak, you someone managed to make your way back to the first room without accident.

Returning to the altar room again, you’re met with an odd sight. There seems to be a… crack in the air? Before you can ponder this strange phenomenon for too long, two clawed hands emerge from it and start to widen it.

Kaktus 2017/05/11(Thu)05:27 No. 801070 ID: 65a774
File 149450565489.png - (49.69KB , 686x526 , 106.png )

“Peekaboo.”

…fuck.

>>801070
It's gonna take a little more time to get out of the tear. Dash around and put the items on the altar.

> Personally, you rather have a superweapon to fight them with instead of just waiting for them to start swarming the whole kingdom when they think its grown weak enough.
You'd prefer it if one of Belseths' first actions as god was to commit near genocide? That's got to be great for his long term stability. Especially since he'll be the loneliest person on the planet once his extended lifespan takes effect, he'll start thinking of mortals as ants in record time. It'll happen even faster if his close friends start referring to him as a superweapon.
>After all, there are bound to be a lot more people like the Archbishop or Belseth out there who would not hesitate to create a new god.
And they'll be corrupted by demons too. Nothing we can do about that but make the same mistake. There will be people trying to stop them as well, we can only hope they also succeed.
>Yet, with the knowledge of the follies of the past, we can change the course of the future, can’t we?
By NOT REPEATING THOSE FOLLIES AGAIN YOU SPANNER. Does it strike you as odd that you've only become supportive of the archbishop when you're in places of high corruption?

Blind this clown again, drop the magical items if they'll slow you down, and run. He'll be wise to you trying to hide in the same room by now, so don't hide among the corpses.

>>801106
>And they'll be corrupted by demons too.
NO, these "demons" are only present HERE. THERE WAS ONLY ONE SOUL PRISON.
>By NOT REPEATING THOSE FOLLIES AGAIN YOU SPANNER.
Uh, yeah? The mistake wasn't the mere presence of a God, it was THE AFTERLIFE. We KNOW what went wrong so we WON'T DO IT THIS TIME.
If you're going to constantly badger Kronos about this subject maybe you should get your fucking facts straight first!

Christ, just shut up about it. You're wrong about when Kronos is supportive of the god stuff, too. He's been waffling about it no matter what location he's in.

>>801125
>we WON'T DO IT THIS TIME.
'WE' aren't the ones who make that decision, BELSETH WILL. WE'VE SEEN VISIONS OF EXACTLY HOW THIS ENDS.

>>801128
Visions which are inherently suspect since we don't know where they're coming from? I'm pretty certain at this point they're just more attempts at manipulation.

Plus if you're gonna trust one vision there's no reason not to trust them all, and then all we have is the choice between a fast apocalypse and a slow one. Heck, it's possible that we haven't seen a vision with Belseth as a god! The vision that Kronos got could be what happens if the seventh god rises to power!

>>801133
So you're just going to say you can selectively believe whatever supports your narrative after telling me I've got my facts wrong?

We know what happened in the past, we've seen what will happen in the future. Don't let anyone attain godhood.

>>801134
Uh, no? To both of those things?

We haven't seen "the future". We've seen two specific visions of the future, and there are other versions according to the Dreamer or whatever its name was. I'm saying it's POSSIBLE for Belseth to ascend and not end the world by doing so, and there are ways to make that possibility more likely. You're the one being selective in your information by saying it's impossible due to a SINGLE vision of the future and ignoring everything else we've found out about the other possibilities.

Again, shut the fuck up.

>>801136
By making your pipe dream future more likely, you're also making it more likely that one of the futures we've already seen, involving everybody dying, becomes possible, and in all likelihood, probable. There has been no indication whatsoever that Belseth attaining godhood will end well except for the Archbishop's biased sales pitch and your unwarranted optimism.

Don't tell me what I can and can't talk about.

>>801138
Actually Dreamer told us outright the world isn't gonna end like that. From the last thread:
>Well, seeing as there aren’t any Armageddon’s coming up, I mean sure there might be a lot of death and countries going up in smoke but no world ending things, it would be quite simple for you to prevent it, no?

This country might get destroyed (I imagine from the Nightmare monsters rising up and/or the seventh god taking over), but no Armageddon. Heck, that would discount Kronos' vision altogether, wouldn't it? When it spoke directly about Belseth he just said that eventually he'd screw up because he couldn't keep everything going by himself and was too prideful to ask for help. That doesn't imply at all that he'd cause an apocalypse, it just means the country would decline again.

>>801142
My optimism swells. I guess as long as there's no apocalypses in what an immortal calls the short term, it's clearly the best path to follow.

>>801138
>>801142
How about both of you shut the fuck up? It'll be more helpful to Kronos if you instead suggest an action for him to do right now for his current situation of not getting killed by the demon thing!

If you're going to argue, take it over to the disthread: http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/92354.html !

>>801148
I already suggested one. One that didn't involve Kronos trying to use the MAGIC book against something that reacts specifically to MAGIC.

DON'T USE MAGIC AGAINST THIS THING

>>801148
I did, but concede that using the book may not be a good idea.

While the apparent survival and return of Nerfatu is both dire and infuriating news, their means of entry may offer a potential exit for you, if it stays open. In case placing the Orb and Book in and on the altar doesn't work, or you can't figure out how to get them to work in time, then diving through that maw-portal in the hopes it leads to another part of the nightmare would be your best remaining option. But first you have to figure out how to get into the altar room at all without Nerfatu eviscerating you.

It's painfully obvious now that you had and have no way to fight or incapacitate Nerfatu yourself, and betting on the Cain guardian showing up again to slice Nerfatu to pieces would be foolish. That leaves your options as some combination of evasion, hiding from or deceiving Nerfatu. Get Nerfatu out of this room and then slip back once they're elsewhere.

So to that end, what do you know about Nerfatu's behavior and senses? You know that so far they tend not to look up, so climbing up high to hide probably would work again. You're certain they can sense and track position of sources of magic with high accuracy. However, it's probable what Nerfatu said of being able to smell your fear or your blood was either false or greatly exaggerated. That's because if Nerfatu could smell either one like that they would have either found you hiding in the NIGHTMARE room or immediately after they bit your hand off and were bleeding. Also, based on when the Cain guardian distracted Nerfatu you can deduce that Nerfatu likely can only visually focus in one direction at a time despite having a load of eyes, since otherwise Nerfatu would have seen you climbing the wall. So if they're intently focused in one direction they have a blind spot you might be able to hide in or move through.

Immediately drop the jacketed Orb and the Book, making sure it lands closed, turn tail and flee as fast as you can out of the altar room. (You want the Book to stay closed so you can get it later without Nerfatu sensing its magic power moving about or vanishing if you close it.) While you could attempt to expose the contents of the Book to Nerfatu while backpedaling out the doorway, they very likely now know to close their eyes and they'll still be able to track you by the open Book's magic. That would mean you'd just be slowing yourself down by backpedaling while Nerfatu would not be hindered in locating you.

Turn towards the MEAT room, but as soon as you're out of view of Nerfatu scale the wall next to the altar room door as fast as you did after your hand was bitten off and position yourself over the doorway. Then hold your breath and if you still have some of your Fool's luck, Nerfatu will miss you and run towards the MEAT room. In this case the MEAT room is preferable over the NIGHTMARE room because it has so many cupboards Nerfatu would have to search, as well as the pantry, and that'll take more time than the other room. Once Nerfatu is well out of sight, climb down quietly and recollect the Orb and Book.

>>801142
>>801147
Y'know, maybe if you two had put as much mental energy into thinking through and writing your suggested actions as you did bickering over a matter that would be totally moot if Kronos dies here then your suggestions wouldn't read like afterthoughts. Y'all really have that much faith Kronos' plot armor?

>>801148
And it doesn't reflect well on you if you scold others for not suggesting when you yourself don't provide a suggestion alongside the scolding.

Well, Kronos should at least *try* to use the spoon again.

>>801248
>And it doesn't reflect well on you if you scold others for not suggesting when you yourself don't provide a suggestion alongside the scolding.
I didn't suggest anything because I couldn't think of anything! Which is why I always wait and let other people suggest stuff first, since there are people on here that are way smarter than me.

>>801257
Kronos can't use the spoon again because it's gone. He said so back in >>797936. It vanished right after the Cain guardian manifested.

>>801248
On second thought, you should flash the book at Nerfatu while backing up as fast as you can, then turn and run while closing the book then drop it. While it is likely Nerfatu will close or avert their eyes to avoid the book's effect, there is a chance Nerfatu didn't learn their lesson the last time and will look at the book's contents. Either way, it'll only take a few extra seconds to try.

Well, if Kronos does manage to get away, optimally he'd hide near the ceiling again and hop down after the monster is clear of the altar room.

Also drop the knife. It won't do jack shit to help you in the current situation and keeping it runs the risk of it accidentally scraping or clinking against the wall or something else when you're attempting to hide and giving away your position to Nerfatu. You can pick it up later when you get the Orb and book.

Kaktus 2017/05/19(Fri)11:15 No. 802921 ID: 65a774
File 149521775412.png - (21.59KB , 686x526 , 107.png )

>Let Belseth ascend / stop Belseth from ascending.
Is this really the time to have this discussion? You’ll need to discuss this with the others as you’re not the only one who will take this decision, are you? …and you still lack way too much information to really make a proper decision anyway… and you’re starting to get a headache from all the back and forth…

>DON'T USE MAGIC AGAINST THIS THING
Seeing as it’s currently staring right at you and magic seems to only make it sense your exact location, the use of magic right now seem rather irrelevant.
>Their means of entry may offer a potential exit for you, if it stays open.
You’re not jumping into strange portals ripped open by a nightmare creature… for all you know it might lead straight to whatever place birthed that thing!

>Blind this clown again.
You quickly notice how hard it is to properly prop up such a large book with only one hand while standing… in fact, trying to get it open only ends with you dropping it and the orb unto the floor…

HA! You think I will fall for that again!? Guess again!

Luckily, you don’t have to actually open the book, as the creature quickly blocks its own gaze with one of its arms, seemingly ignorant that it’s lying inert on the floor now and is no danger to anyone.
>It's gonna take a little more time to get out of the tear. Dash around and put the items on the altar.
Seeing as that thing is already halfway outside the tear by now and that you have no idea what to actually do at the altar… or if it will actually do anything at all, trying to run around it would be suicidal. Even if you succeeded, you wouldn’t have any time to do anything at the altar anyway…
>Turn towards the MEAT room, but as soon as you're out of view of Nerfatu scale the wall next to the altar room door and position yourself over the doorway.
You quickly scamper up to the top of the doorway from the Meat side, out of sight from the creature emerging from the portal.

…gah, where did you go this time!? How can you just disappear like that! You’re just some spoiled brat!

…you seem to have done it a bit too quickly, as it was apparently still averting its gaze from the book… thus not seeing you “run” away…
>Also drop the knife.
…you throw the knife down the corridor towards the meat room.

HA! There you are! Don’t think you can run from me, maggot! HAHAHA!!!

It takes the bait without even hesitating, running past you towards the meat room completely ignorant of your current position. You’re starting to get the feeling that that thing isn’t really that… intelligent…
>You know what they say, bird of a feather…
Shush you…

Kaktus 2017/05/19(Fri)11:16 No. 802922 ID: 65a774
File 149521776579.png - (30.92KB , 686x526 , 108.png )

Well… you’re now alone in the altar room... what now? You’ve placed the book on it and it gave no effect… and the eye orb is too large to fit the maw on the altar… is this even the orb? You’re pretty sure it wasn’t this big… or had these weird furrows on it…

Hmm… there has to be something you can do here… but what? Either way, you better come up with something soon, as you don’t think that thing will be gone for long.

HAH! You think you can hide from me in one of these cupboards? Very well, I’ll play your game… let me just block the door and I’ll open each and every one until I find you… slowly, so you can feel the fear build as I get closer and closer…

Then again…

>>802922
Maybe the "orb" is a puzzle box and the real orb is inside it. Can you rotate or slide any of the segments? Or push them like buttons?

Attempt to place the eye in either the epicenter of the pentagram or in the teeth on the altar, and leave the book open on the altar top. Be careful to avert your everything if it's open all the way- keep your entire body below the height of the altar.

I'm just making this up as you go along, but if you know any rituals that Tim does regularly or are close to his heart that you can bastardize, try that instead.

Also as long as we're on dream logic in a very magical place, think about ways to get your arm back. Were the neatly packaged bundles of spare parts just cut down, or are they gone completely?

Kaktus 2017/05/19(Fri)18:09 No. 803023 ID: 65a774
File 149524257570.png - (41.14KB , 686x526 , 109.png )

>As long as we're on dream logic in a very magical place, think about ways to get your arm back.
…well, it’s clear you can’t just spontaneously learn divine magic and regrow it, no matter how hard you try to do it… other than that… you don’t think you’ll be able to retrieve your hand again to sew it back on or anything, so that limits your options.
>Were the neatly packaged bundles of spare parts just cut down, or are they gone completely?
What’s left of the carcasses are nothing but burned piles of ash and bones, which are filling the room with a disgusting smell of seared flesh and intestines.

>Attempt to place the orb in either the epicenter of the pentagram or in the teeth on the altar.
There is nowhere to place it on the pentagram… and the teeth hole is too small for the orb.
>Leave the book open on the altar top.
You open the book while it’s lying on the altar… which has the intriguing effect of absolutely nothing.

>Maybe the "orb" is a puzzle box and the real orb is inside it. Can you rotate or slide any of the segments?
Touching the orb, several smaller symbols light up on it. Taking a closer look, there seems to be four identical rows of symbols, each etched into their own segment. Handling the orb a bit, you find out that you can rotate some of the segments that have the symbols. Though, it seems all but one of the segments also rotates at least one of other segment, excluding one segment that is un-rotatable. Hmm… the question is, which sequence of symbol does the orb want you to spell out? Seeing that there are four rows, each with 9 different symbols, which means that there are 9 raised with 4 different combination, making it nearly impossible to blindly guess-

*Click*

…or you could just line up four of the same symbol… well, that was easy. A small hatch opens on the ‘orb’, revealing a hidden compartment containing… an eye? Wait… isn’t that… your eye? There’s something written in there too… “The flesh lost opens the path of understanding. Those that witness the darkness of what they’ve lost can see the words of the prophet, carved in the skin of those that are damned. See without eyes to find the fire that will purge the shadows cast by rotting gods. Only those that cannot see can witness the way to finally give those that rot a new beginning. Let them have peace… or watch the world around you burn from their newly awaken greed. Beware, as even dead gods still dream…” …is that a clue or…?

>Attempt to place the eye in either the epicenter of the pentagram or in the teeth on the altar.
…it would fit… but… it’s an actual eye, which means you don’t think you’ll be able to insert it without squishing it. You can try, but if you need that eye for something else…

>>803023
It's saying to read without eyes... the book?

Try closing your good eye and reading the book with your missing eye. Or you can put this... dream eye in your empty eyesocket and try reading the book with it?

Only thing I can think to do is put your eye back in its socket, but that sounds to me like it goes against the prophi-babble of blindness and sacrifice. Look at the book with your empty eye socket first, then try replacing the eye and looking at it with that. Don't expose your good eye. Yeah it's going to suck, but at the rate your vision's healed already after looking in the book, there's a non-zero chance it'll heal up and your new binocular vision will transfer into real life.

>>803023
Before you try closing your good eye and taking your eyepatch off to try and read with that eye, I've got a different idea. Close your good eye and hold the orb up with the eye still inside of it and face it towards the book. Since it's not connected to you, it shouldn't explode like the monster's eyes did.

>The flesh lost opens the path of understanding. Those that witness the darkness of what they’ve lost can see the words of the prophet
Considering that within this orb is the eye you lost, this could mean you need to "see" with the darkness of the empty eye socket of the eye you lost. Or that you have to lose the eye in the orb, and perhaps the opportunity to get your lost eye back. Maybe by closing your eye, holding the orb up to your empty eye socket and showing the eye in the orb to the book so it'd read it, and being destroyed in the process.

...But with the way this text emphasizes not using your eyes to see the words of the prophet, I doubt it's calling for reading the book with an eye at all. The fact your eye nearly burst when you tried to look at the book's contents backs this up. So only try viewing the book with the eye in the orb as a last option if no others work.

>carved in the skin of those that are damned.
The pages of the book are the skin of Varks, and it's bound in Sakkilian hide, so that's probably the "skin of the damned."

>See without eyes to find the fire that will purge the shadows cast by rotting gods. Only those that cannot see can witness the way to finally give those that rot a new beginning.
This sounds like it might be the force needed to purge the Nightmare from Tim's mind. Or it may be that which will purify Nerfatu from the rot the Nightmare has twisted it with.

>Let them have peace… or watch the world around you burn from their newly awaken greed. Beware, as even dead gods still dream…
So the corpses of Five still dream... And they're rotten? So this means that anything they are used for will be tainted while they're in the state they're in? ...Perhaps they were infested by souls from the Catacombs/Soul Kiln, same as Xuv's corpse was, and took on a "life" of their own, or rather, undeath. It's just that it wasn't to the degree Xuv's corpse was.

Okay, try things in the order from least risky to more so. First, try viewing the book with your empty eye socket. Close your good eye, flip your eye patch up and think like you're looking at the book as if you still had your eye. If that doesn't work, then move on to holding the orb with the eye up to your empty socket and seeing if it'll magically show you what is written in the book. And if that doesn't work, then try carefully taking the eye out of the orb and placing it into your empty eye socket and seeing if you can then see out of it, then looking at the book's pages.

And be aware that anything that in some way activates this book will also make it radiate magic that Nerfatu will sense, like the two previous times the book's pages were exposed to eyes. Once that happens you'll have little time before Nerfatu runs in here, so you'll need to be ready to act quickly if the book activates.

>dead gods still dream
That explains the visions you got when you tried to pray to the dead gods. Ohhh, and Xuv's body still had a mind... the corpses of the gods may be "dead" but they still have lingering minds alongside the power inside them... except, you ate Xuv's mind and gained some power that way. You've proven that is safe... but is that because her body was preserved by the infinity symbol still upon it? Or because her soul was still nearby? Or because she willingly let you do it? The other dead minds may not go so quietly.

>eye
>empty eye socket
Do you really need us to spell it out? PUT THE EYE IN YOUR SKULL!

Kaktus 2017/05/29(Mon)12:17 No. 805013 ID: 65a774
File 149608545636.png - (94.11KB , 686x526 , 110.png )

>Ohhh, and Xuv's body still had a mind... the corpses of the gods may be "dead" but they still have lingering minds alongside the power inside them...
Which mean they might be just as dangerous as Xuv was… if not even more so! One way or another, you’ll need to deal with those things if that’s true.
>So the corpses of Five still dream... And they're rotten? So this means that anything they are used for will be tainted while they're in the state they're in?
While things that are rotten aren’t really good to eat, you’re not sure if gods fits that criterion. Maybe they are just rotting as in they are dead?
>Except, you ate Xuv's mind and gained some power that way. You've proven that is safe... but the other dead minds may not go so quietly.
While you did manage to consume Xuv, you have no idea if the others will be the same. They might be dangerous to consume… or fight back… or on the flipside, they can be neither of those too.
>The pages of the book are the skin of Varks, and it's bound in Sakkilian hide, so that's probably the "skin of the damned."
It’s clear that the book is bound in skin, yes, and they are probably damned. The question is, is that really all it’s trying to say? To read the book without eyes? You have a feeling it has some other meaning behind it as well.

>Close your good eye and hold the orb up with the eye still inside of it and face it towards the book. Since it's not connected to you, it shouldn't explode like the monster's eyes did.
It doesn’t seem to want to read the book at all… maybe it prefers fantasy stories?
>Do you really need us to spell it out? PUT THE EYE IN YOUR SKULL!
You still have parts of your old eye in there, so it wouldn’t even fit.
>Try closing your good eye and reading the book with your missing eye.
Moving your eyepatch so it blocks out the sight of your working eye, you can suddenly see some kind of burning text. At first, you do not understand it’s meaning, but the more you look at it, the more you realize what it is. It’s a spell… for fire…
>And be aware that anything that in some way activates this book will also make it radiate magic that Nerfatu will sense, like the two previous times the book's pages were exposed to eyes.
You can hear its screams of rage coming from the meat room followed by the destruction of wood. Its seems that whatever barricade it created to keep you trapped in there with it is delaying its movements, giving you some extra time to act.

Seeing that Nerdfat won’t be hampered for long, you have no choice but to read the spell out loud and hope for the best.

Kaktus 2017/05/29(Mon)12:17 No. 805014 ID: 65a774
File 149608546670.png - (123.30KB , 686x526 , 111.png )

Halfway through the spell, the creature enters the room you’re in… but instead of ripping you to shreds, it starts to monolog…

How… HOW!? How do you keep evading me! You’re just some spoiled brat! How can you just disappear without a trace like that! Bah, it doesn’t matter… you cannot run forever. I’ve seen to it that you can’t escape from this nightmare. Hah, try as you might, the puzzle I’ve conceived is so fiendishly hard that it’s impossible to solve! …and even then, it’s just protecting some gibberish that doesn’t actually… mean… wait, what are you d-

Kaktus 2017/05/29(Mon)12:17 No. 805015 ID: 65a774
File 149608547443.png - (33.89KB , 686x526 , 112.png )

As you finish the spell, an inferno engulfs you. The pain doesn’t even last a second as the intense heat sears of your flesh, turning your whole body into nothing but ash. You can hear Nerdfat’s screams of agony for a few seconds until the whole world disappears in flames. Soon enough, you feel nothing, as your body is no more and you float into oblivion. It seems that you failed your quest and payed dearly for it…

Kaktus 2017/05/29(Mon)12:18 No. 805016 ID: 65a774
File 149608549613.png - (45.09KB , 686x526 , 113.png )

… … …or maybe you didn’t feel the heat of the fire because it wasn’t affecting you? …yeah, that works too…

…looking around, you notice that you’re suddenly standing in the middle of Tims study… his real study… well, his real dream study. Though, there is no sign of Tim himself...

…you also feel like you can wake up now if you so desire. Whatever was keeping you here is now gone.

[The Nightmare seed has been cleansed!]

>Nerdfat
kek
Can you check out the other rooms, now that the seed was purged?

>>805016
Check your hand, is it still missing? Go quickly look around a bit. Maybe you can find some dream bullshit to get your hand back in the dream, so when you wake up it'll be unharmed.

A second possible reason to look around would be to help Tim get over his issues with dating other people.

>>805016
count your fingers real quick.

>>805016
He had been affected for so long that he had a actual Nightmare Seed in him, unlike everyone else's dreams you had visited. Damn, if you didn't help out when you did, he might've turned into some sort of creature, like what happened to the priests that were chasing the Archbishop out of the temple!

Check your eye to see if it's still missing or if it somehow came back. Also, check your hand to see if it's still missing. If both are missing, then at least you and Bri both match even more than you did before and you can both be pirates better now. That's good, right? Right? .....hey, cut me some slack, I'm trying to be positive here!

Anyways, now that you've gotten rid of the Seed, you're now free to help the way you've done before in previous dreams! So let's go find Tears in Twilight! Er, I mean, let's go find TiT! No, damnit, Tim! I meant to say Tim! Let's go find him!

DO NOT GO yet, you need to find Tim- Or Cain, or anybody- and see if they can't put in that new eye. Do self surgery terminator style if necessary- This is an opportunity you'll never get again and can't let pass; if you keep on losing bits of yourself at the rate you are without making up lost ground, by the time that professional arrives and starts actually making you prosthetic parts, it'll be as if Xuv made you 'immortal' anyway- you'll be unable move or sense anything.

His eye is physically gone. His hand is only subconciously assumed gone. Putting the eye in his socket won't grow one in real life. If he can convince his dream self that his hand is fine, his real hand might still work.

>>805037
If losing his hand in a dream can cause it to wither away in real life, then there's a chance regaining his eye in a dream will cause it to regenerate in real life too. I mean, he did eat Xuv in a dream and that's still a thing.

I'm not discounting there's a way to regain his arm though, but it'll involve lots of dream logic and magic.

Punch the skeleton. If it doesn't break, take it with you. Maybe you can build a stronger mental construct out of what's left of this tank.

Kaktus 2017/05/31(Wed)10:26 No. 805267 ID: 65a774
File 149625158378.png - (24.33KB , 686x526 , 114.png )

>He had been affected for so long that he had an actual Nightmare Seed in him, unlike everyone else's dreams you had visited.
You’re pretty sure time isn’t the factor, but that he was pulled down into the catacombs when he tried summoning Xuv alone. Luckily, he’s the only one who’s been down there… right?
>Damn, if you didn't help out when you did, he might've turned into some sort of creature, like what happened to the priests that were chasing the Archbishop out of the temple!
Hmm, the priests might have been part of the expeditions going into the catacombs, so your theory still holds… the question is, who else is infected like that? Who else has been down there?

>Count your fingers real quick.
Five… you have five fingers on your left hand and a stump for a right hand…
>Check your eye to see if it's still missing or if it somehow came back.
It’s still gone. You’re pretty sure you won’t magically just regrow anything you’ve lost like that.
>If both are missing, then at least you and Bri both match even more than you did before and you can both be pirates better now. That's good, right? Right?
Are you suggesting that you should lose your leg next so the two of you match even more?
>.....hey, cut me some slack, I'm trying to be positive here!
Well, it’s not working very well…
>Punch the skeleton.
You try to punch the skeleton, but the whole thing just collapses into a pile of ash and charred bone shards before your fist even connects with it.

>Can you check out the other rooms, now that the seed was purged?
As you walk out of Tim’s study, you don’t find yourself in the corridor you expected to be in. Instead, you’re standing in the middle of a busy street, located in what you believe is the Scholar district of the capital.

Kaktus 2017/05/31(Wed)10:26 No. 805268 ID: 65a774
File 149625159507.png - (17.96KB , 686x526 , 115.png )

Before you can wonder too much about how you got here, a loud screech interrupts any thoughts you might have had. There suddenly seems to be a giant monster terrorizing the city! The people around you start screaming, wave their arms in the air and run around in little circles… then a few of them stops and points towards the sky.

Look! Up there! Is it a bird?
Is it a wyvern?
No… it’s…

Kaktus 2017/05/31(Wed)10:26 No. 805269 ID: 65a774
File 149625160654.png - (14.26KB , 686x526 , 116.png )

Super Archmage Tim the magnificent, here to save us all!

… … …really? That’s what his dream is about?


>Now that you've gotten rid of the Seed, you're now free to help the way you've done before in previous dreams! So let's go find Tears in Twilight! Er, I mean, let's go find TiT! No, damnit, Tim!
Well, it seems like you’ve found the super TiT, right up there in the air, getting ready to fight that huge monster. You know, something tells you that he isn’t really in need of help right now… after all, his problems isn’t really something that needs to be solved right now… not likes Bri’s or your sis…
>Maybe you can find some dream bullshit to get your hand back in the dream, so when you wake up it'll be unharmed.
Seeing that the Super TiT seems to be only able to throw around a bunch of fire, you don’t think he can help a lot with your current predicament. In fact, is there anyone who would be in Tim’s dream that can help you?

>>805267
>Are you suggesting that you should lose your leg next so the two of you match even more?
No! That's not what I meant!

>Well, it’s not working very well…
Hey! I said I was trying, I never said I was good at it!

>>805268
Is it just me or does that sorta look like Bri? Hopefully, this isn't one of those stories where the monster climbs a tower while holding a single really pretty person captive. Because those stories usually involve the captive being a girl and if the giant monster is supposed to be Bri.....then the captive is probably supposed to be you, since he feels Bri is taking you away from him. He better not be dreaming of you in a dress, damnit!

Well, he was complaining about how, ever since the Sakkilians showed up, you don't hang out with him anymore. This giant monster is probably his way of making Bri and the other Sakkilians go away? I mean, he should be more accepting of them, since you're gonna marry Bri, but as long as he doesn't actually try to attack any of them in the real world, I don't see any reason to interfere with this dream.

Helping him find a date is something that can also be worked on in the real world.

>>805269
And there's the flying boob right now.

.....get it? Cause his name is TiT? So he's a flying boob! XD

.....yeah, I'll stop trying to make jokes.

>is there anyone who would be in Tim’s dream that can help you?
No, so let's wake up and start learning how to do things with your non dominant hand.

This had to happen after you just promised your sister that you'd help with paperwork! It's going to be so hard to read anything you write with your left hand!

Is there any problem a giant monster *can't* help you solve?

You must cool Super-TiT's flames and confront the dragon yourself! 'Twas beauty that killed the beast.

To be honest I'd say you've done enough by purging the nightmare from Tim, it might have been amplifying his problems anyway. I'd say just stick around for a bit but don't interfere, maybe even try to wake up because I'm worried that the blood ritual might've had an effect on Cain and also your hand probably needs medical attention.

>>805267
>he's the only one who's been down there
Belseth might have been there, and the Archbishop. You'll have to ask them.

>>805269
>is there anyone in Tim's dream who can help you
Hmm... do you know where any doctors might be in the Scholar district? Or heck, ask one of the bystanders where you can find a doctor. Or someone who makes prosthetics. I think if you got an artificial hand in your dream, your real hand would work fine in the waking world.

Its time to wake up. You've saved Tim from the nightmare. Any amateurish attempts at saving Tim from his ego via dream shenanigans may leave you with someone that isn't Tim anymore.

Plus, you need to find out how much this ordeal really cost you.

I'm not sure if his eye is that red because of a corruption motif or if it's actually his eye color, and you still have body parts to reattach, so DON'T WAKE UP NOW. You're in a scholarly district, finding somebody who knows medicine or anatomy should be easy.

Now that I think about it, even if you could get your hand back in here, you shouldn't do it!

Think about it. Not everyone believes you've got some sorta dream magic power. Your hand will be proof that you did go into Tim's dream.

So, it's time to wake up and get back to the real world.

>>805381
So you're saying Kronos should give up his hand just to prove he has dream magic?

That's really dumb.

>>805382
And on top of being dumb, it would probably be redundant since Kronos got at least one broken rib while in here that will likely carry over into the waking world. That injury will lend credence to his dream magic claims just as well, and it's treatable.

However, I'm not holding out much hope that Kronos can just happen across a way to restore his hand. And if he did, I suspect it'd be at a unacceptable cost. I'm not wholly sure how losing a limb in the dream makes the corresponding limb in the waking world go dead, necessitating amputation, but my guess is that the part of the soul that goes in that limb was lost, causing it to die. So based on that guess, Kronos would need a piece of soul of equal amount to restore his hand. We can reasonably guess that that is possible since Nerfatu regenerated its eyes from eating Kronos' hand. But since the only other real soul in this dream is Tim, and Kronos wouldn't eat a chunk of Tim's soul just to save his own hand, this way would be out of the question.

Ask Tim for a new hand. Because why the hell not.

Guys, time in dreams is the ONE thing we can spare. Body parts and reliable allies are not. Make damn sure you've done everything you can to help Tim and yourself before waking up.

>>805269
This looks like a fun dream. We should stick around to explore for a while, see if we can find anything helpful.

>In fact, is there anyone who would be in Tim’s dream that can help you?
You know, that's a good question. What sort of mental image would be able to help you with that?

Tim is a mage of many talents. If this version of him is only capable of wielding fire, then there must be other versions around who represent his other magical skills. We simply need to find the part of him that knows about healing, or some other science that's sufficiently similar, such as biology. Given the amount of pride he seems to have, it's a good bet that he's powerful enough in his own mind to heal you.

Or, maybe we could get help from his dream image of someone else? Depending on Tim's religious beliefs, we may be able to find a god in her who'd be willing to lend their aid. Or if Tim himself couldn't do it, maybe his old teacher can, or the memory of someone else he highly respects. Or we might find a more abstract mental image; for example, we know he's got this thing where he's worried about finding the "perfect" girlfriend, and anyone capable of restoring missing limbs would certainly be worthy of his respect.

That aside, it looks like Tim's dream runs on silly comic book superhero logic. Stories like this tend to have silly and outlandish events full of superpowerful characters and amazing super-magic, generally paying more mind to what's dramatically appropriate than to what's possible in reality. As long as we keep the genre in mind, there's a good chance we can guide the story to find what we're looking for. To start, you could look for an ordinary, mild-mannered doctor and ask for their help, so they can tell you it's beyond their abilities and mention the only person in the world who might be able to heal you.

>>805442
And in addition to these, two additionally mentally and thematically fitting tropes could be mad science (or rather, mad magic) in, for example, the form of a renowned, brilliant but unusually "eccentric" Serpens mage visiting from the Sheije Isles to demonstrate a radical new biothaumic technique. The other trope could be recovered working greatly advanced tech, or rather, magic, from the Age of the Old Empire that could restore a lost limb. This would actually be more plausible 'cause it's happened for real, both currently and before. And it makes sense that there would be advanced magic in that lost age below the level of "gods" but greater than present day in which the knowledge of regenerating lost limbs would be.

Kaktus 2017/06/03(Sat)11:18 No. 805710 ID: 65a774
File 149651392156.png - (50.27KB , 686x526 , 117.png )

>Belseth might have been there, and the Archbishop. You'll have to ask them.
…actually, why didn’t the Archbishop turn like the others? She has bound to have been just as infected as them. Does she have a way to protect herself? …and Belseth… you need to find him soon, be it in the real world or in the dream one, as he’s bound to be in need of aid.

>Is there any problem a giant monster *can't* help you solve?
Anything that doesn’t involve wanton destruction on a massive scale?
>Is it just me or does that sorta look like Bri?
…by the five, it kind of does. Is that how he sees her!?
>Hopefully, this isn't one of those stories where the monster climbs a tower while holding a single really pretty person captive. Because those stories usually involve the captive being a girl and if the giant monster is supposed to be Bri...
Wait, since when are the captive ones usually girls? As far as you know, they usually are the opposite gender of the hero… or at least the gender the hero is attracted to… and seeing that Tim is technically both genders at once, the captive in distress would be-
Oh no! The giant monster has kidnapped me, Prince Kronos, best friend of Tim the Magnificent!
-or they would be a dream version of me… yeah… at least I’m not wearing a dress…
>You must cool Super-TiT's flames and confront the dragon yourself! 'Twas beauty that killed the beast.
You’re not throwing your life away battling a dream Tim has conjured up. Besides, the beast already has a beauty… that is to say, the other you… dream you…

>Tim is a mage of many talents. If this version of him is only capable of wielding fire, then there must be other versions around who represent his other magical skills.
While he is a powerful mage, true, his specialization is fire magic. After all, his main job is to keep the Palace warm and alight under the months of darkness. So it’s a given he would use fire magic in his own dream…
>Ask Tim for a new hand. Because why the hell not.
You’re not sure how to get his attention. He’s flying way up in the air, battling a giant monster on the other side of town.
>Hmm... do you know where any doctors might be in the Scholar district? Or heck, ask one of the bystanders where you can find a doctor.
Trying to open a door marked with the symbol of life, you notice that it’s actually painted onto the wall… all the doors and windows are. Trying to talk to the bystander has a similar effect, as they just stand there like statues. It doesn’t seem like Tim is focused enough on this part of the dream for them to actually be alive.

>An additionally mentally and thematically fitting trope could be a mad scientist in the form of a renowned, brilliant but unusually "eccentric" Serpens mage visiting from the Sheije Isles to demonstrate-
-my sheer brilliance of biological and artifact magic as my giant lizard / robot monster destroy the whole city! Muhahaha! No one can stop me now!

…is that… Sisah? What is she doing here? …and why is she a mad scientist mage thing trying to destroy the capital? …and can you even trust to ask her to help you?

…well, someone might stop me if they distracted me long enough for super Tim to kill my beast, but the only way that would happen is if they played my giant ego like a fiddle… and that won’t happen.

>It’s time to wake up. You've saved Tim from the nightmare. Any amateurish attempts at saving Tim from his ego via dream shenanigans may leave you with someone that isn't Tim anymore.
You know, maybe it would be for the best to just wake up… and not to take any more risks. You’re still just mortal in here… and if that giant monster so much as look at you… well, it won’t be pretty, will it?

So… take your chance with the mad Sisah… or wake up?

Take your chance with the mad Sisah. She could build you a cool robot arm, or at least a villainous claw.

..Kind of interesting isn't it. He see's Bri as a beast that he must defeat to save his best friend. It's kind of endearing in a way given that he may think your still having problems with her... However him having issues with Sisah is a bit odd unless he's jealous of her skills given that he thinks she has a giant ego..

Anyways, time to end the dream and leave.

It could just be Tim's mind seeing a faint association and running with it, dreams can be pretty weird after all. Anyway, it's time to wake up, sorry about your hand but I don't want to take more risks.

"Hey! Tim said you can't make good robot hands!"

Your biological and artifact magic is garbage, I'll bet you can't even regrow a limb or replace an eye!

>>805710
>why didn’t the Archbishop turn like the others?
She probably never went down there. She just let her body double go instead, and got a detailed report of events from her double.

>>805717
How about add "but I think he's wrong, why don't we prove it!" to the end of that?

>>805710
She's a mad scientist. What makes you think she's just going to stop at the hand? She's going to try to turn you into a weapon by replacing everything to turn you into her slave. Which will do more damage to your real body.

Think of it like this: She just said she made the giant Bri monster, which means she told it to kidnap you as a way to lure Tim out so that the monster can kill him. Meaning Sisah knows who you are.

If you just walk up to mad scientist Sisah and ask for a replacement hand, she'll recognize you as Tim's friend and see this as an opportunity to replace all of your body parts to turn you into a weapon against Tim! She'll do this thinking Tim wouldn't possibly be able to stop her if her newest weapon is Tim's friend because Tim would need to destroy Kronos to stop Sisah, but Tim won't be able to bring himself to hurt his friend!

Plus, under dream logic, if that happens, then you won't be able to control your actions and be unable to wake up. And even if you somehow did wake up, your real world body would be more or less a collection of dead limbs with your mind attached to it. You don't want that to happen, right?

Let's just accept the fact that you lost your hand and wake up before something happens and causes you to lose something else and make you wish that it was only your eye and hand that's missing.

Well, if she doesn't take the bait properly, Kronos can just immediately wake up before she does anything to him.

Kaktus 2017/06/03(Sat)15:34 No. 805741 ID: 65a774
File 149652925971.png - (40.58KB , 686x526 , 118.png )

>He sees Bri as a beast that he must defeat to save his best friend. It's kind of endearing in a way given that he may think your still having problems with her...
You just hope he realize that you actually love her before he goes to far…
>However him having issues with Sisah is a bit odd unless he's jealous of her skills given that he thinks she has a giant ego..
Hmm… the two of them haven’t really interacted, have they? Maybe he’s basing this on what he have heard of her?

>"Hey! Tim said you can't make good robot hands! But I think he's wrong, why don't we prove it!"
Huh!? Who? …wait, you’re the Prince!?
…no? The Prince is over there… being kidnapped by your monster.
…but… you kind of… look like him?
If I was the Prince, do you really think I would be stupid enough to go up and ask you for a new hand?
…true, not even the Prince would be that stupid. A new hand, you say? Why, if you have your old hand, I can easily put it back.
Err… it kind of got eaten?
Well… in that case… here, give me your stump!
H-hey!

Kaktus 2017/06/03(Sat)15:34 No. 805742 ID: 65a774
File 149652927155.png - (36.07KB , 686x526 , 119.png )

Within seconds, you can… “feel” your hand again. Though… it seems to be missing a few digits?
Wait… isn’t this shaped as a Serpent hand?
Of course it is! Serpent hand shapes are superior to all others! Now, it’s sure feels like the real thing, doesn’t it? …except for the part about it being made out of pure mithril?
Um… It’s good? Really good? …I think?
HA! That showed him! I’m the best when it-

Suddenly, a loud screech cuts her off… followed by a large thud as the Briannah beast falls to the ground, defeated by the mighty Archmage Tim.

What!? How!? HOW DID- YOU! YOU DISTRACTED ME!
Err… well, thanks for the hand, but I really need to go and water my wolfhound?
Oh no you don’t! You might not be the Prince, but you sure look like him! Why, if I turned you into a killer cyborg, Tim might hesitate just long enough for you to kill him!
…I don’t think I-
YES! I’ll START BY GRAFTING A LARGE CANNON RIGHT INTO YOUR-
>Kronos can just immediately wake up before she does anything to him.
You force yourself to wake up…

Kaktus 2017/06/03(Sat)15:34 No. 805743 ID: 65a774
File 149652927911.png - (37.77KB , 686x526 , 120.png )

But when you open your eyes you’re not met by the familiar sight of Tim’s study… instead, you find yourself in… your brother’s old room?

…Long time no see… brother…
…Krotots!?
Come, sit, make yourself at home. Please, feel free to get a cup of tea.

Kaktus 2017/06/03(Sat)15:34 No. 805744 ID: 65a774
File 149652928818.png - (240.87KB , 686x526 , 121.png )

After all, we have much to discuss… maybe over a game of regicide… for old time sake?

Punch him in the face.

For old times' sake.

>>805744
>story of another generation
Well, sounds like the Forgotten One isn't going to ascend just yet.

Agree to the game of regicide, and ask your brother why he's able to talk to you. Shouldn't he be part of a nightmarish fusion of damned souls? Ask him his side of the story of his actions during the war. Will he even contradict what you've heard? Or will he admit to being blinded by ambition?

I suppose there's something he wants from you, too.

So you didn't address any of Tim's problems with Bri or Sisah and still have a loose eye outside your skull. Why on earth would you wake up then?

>>805750
We can just talk to him, you know. The eye in the dream inside the sphere wasn't real, anyway.

>>805751
Visual prosthesis > ocular prosthesis > an empty hole in your head.

Also remember the stink bomb he put in your cologne before you go making up.

>>805750
>So you didn't address any of Tim's problems with Bri or Sisah...
And you didn't suggest he do that, or any way he could go about doing that, did you? And nobody else did either, so he didn't. And since nobody came up with a exit strategy out of the encounter with Mad Scientist Sisah besides leaving the dream, then that's what Kronos did. If somebody had suggested a effective way to stay in the dream without getting chopped up and borged by her, then Kronos maybe could have dealt with Tim's issues. But nobody did, so he didn't.

>...still have a loose eye outside your skull.
Presumably since the eye in the orb wasn't mentioned again (and nobody asked about it again to check if it was there, for some reason,) the eye and probably the orb were both burned away in the inferno, along with the nightmare seed's influence and corruption.

>>805754
And that eye would be gone when Kronos woke up 'cause Kronos doesn't have a real, physical eye there. A regenerated hand in the dream would have maybe still worked 'cause Kronos still has a physical hand.

But why everybody else was going for a goddamn magic animated prosthetic I can't figure out. That's what Kronos would have ended up with in the waking world if he'd just woken up and not dealt with Mad Scientist Sisah, so why were those suggesters for it? Now that Kronos has a prosthetic hand in the dream, it's probable his flesh and blood hand will be dead once he wakes up 'cause it's still gone in the dream.

>>805743
Kronos, don't you dare fall for the most obvious trick in the book! That's not your brother!

The Nightmare is getting desperate because of how successful you are getting at removing it's influence from people's dreams, so it's trying to trick you into staying asleep and/or trying to infect you by throwing a familiar face at you! And you can't even tell him to prove that he's really your brother by asking about something only you and him would know because since he's part of the Nightmare, the Nightmare would also know the answer!

So don't let your guard down!

>>805758
>Now that Kronos has a prosthetic hand in the dream, it's probable his flesh and blood hand will be dead once he wakes up 'cause it's still gone in the dream.
That's not how dream logic works. Worst case scenario, he'll only have a limited number of working fingers.

>>805758
Oh okay, I'll be sure to predict the future next time I suggest something, or maybe list off actions to take for every possible eventuality no matter how far off or unlikely, just to be preemptive.

>>805760
Whether he's really Krotos or not, and if he is whether he's genuinely looking out for his little brother or just manipulating him to his own ends, or something else entirely, the fact remains that he had the power to both keep Kronos from waking up and pull him in here. That means he likely still has the power to keep Kronos from leaving or waking up. So until Krotos, or "Krotos," is satisfied that Kronos has heard his say he probably won't let Kronos leave. And that's even if this is really Krotos and he genuinely cares for Kronos because he'd keep his foolish little brother from running off before he'd heard that which is of vital importance.

Kronos, hear Krotos out. You can choose once you're out of here to discard in whole or part what he said here, but until you've heard him out to his satisfaction he likely isn't going to let you leave. And don't antagonize him or say he isn't the real Krotos or he's just trying to manipulate you or anything that says or shows you're not gonna listen at all. That's because if he isn't the real Krotos, or a corrupted Krotos, or something else that just wants to sway you to his view to do his bidding, you rejecting him may mean he'll decide it's just easier to trap you here indefinitely or even outright kill you. And then you'd be stuck in this room with a hostile being with no way to deal with it, no way to hide and no way to escape.

>>805764
No, the worse case scenario is that this hand created in the dream only lasts within the dream and doesn't carry over to the waking world in any way, meaning Kronos will lose his hand for real.

>>805750
Why would he need to dream manipulate Tim to do that..? Those are things he can just talk with him about in Real Life! No need to meddle in his brain to attempt it.

>>805743
>Krotots
Typo or not I like that. It's like he has a story involving potatoes.

Well, it's good to see brother again. We don't know for sure all of him is involved with the Nightmare. He could have ended up as Xuv did, split in two between mind and body, with the one you're speaking of the more sane one.

Speak with him, and enjoy yourself a time. Grab a cup, play a game.