>>991084
Don't be a dealbreaker. Duck is technically following the terms of the deal.
"Steal" the silk. You already paid for it!

Then see if you can get a container for Duck that can be locked so it can't escape. Put it somewhere secure, then you can ask it another question tomorrow.

Cut off a wing instead, cause it PAIN, let it know if it keeps this up you'll keep doing this to different parts of it's body.

"A'ight, I know this wasn't part of the deal, but you are trying to aide the apocalypse, and you have officially exhausted my goodwill."

It's garrotte o'clock (but make sure you're facing away when you do it). There's no way this is the only angel, anyway. Scaring the kid is still a salvageable situation, though we will need to take some time to explain the appreciable nuances. It still beats having the angel who knows our face and actions running loose.

Going halfway and only causing it pain will probably just cause him to beam the experience right into poor Aaron's brain.

tippler 2021/03/13(Sat)19:49 No. 991136 ID: eedbeb
File 161569375749.png - (139.86KB , 1000x900 , p82.png )

>Cut off Duck’s head

You grit your teeth and loop the string around Duck’s neck. The little bastard is a liability and tormenting a kid is the last straw. Aaron picks up the spool of silk with a shriek and scrambles up the tree to hide in the dense branches.

Eeeep—

With your strength, you pull the tough cord straight through Duck’s abnormal flesh. The head, wings flapping furiously, shoots into the air and quickly disappears against the bright sky.

I am lesser now. Duck laments. I was to grow and now I have shrunk. Cruel, cruel you are.

>>991136
What. The fuck?
Is it like a starfish or something?
Well, at least we still have its body.
Any way we can coax Aaron out of that tree?

>>991136
Ok so it didn't die. Which part is speaking though? Is it the part of Duck still in the container?

Regardless, tell the kid it's not dead. You're gonna go put it under a rock, be back in 5 minutes.

"New deal. No telepathic stuff beyond talking to me and Body, and you don't get diced the moment you break this deal. I'll admit I'm kind of curious what the hell you grow into, so take it for both our sakes, eh?"

It's getting away! Swipe for it!

Methinks their capacity to clone themselves and still act as if each part is capable of consciousness implies they don't take good care of mortal souls.

Shoot the flyaway head until it stops flapping!

>>991136
"Pot calling the kettle black there. You literally invaded a child's mind with obscene images and now you're making our life difficult. Either you stop it and start explaining things or we just slice the rest of you apart like cheese until there's nothing left to BE you."

I have a feeling cutting it apart with the magic string is the equivalent of killing it assuming the fragments can't recombine, if not easily. Maybe it'll see some threat to it.

...Or if it values its own existence as feebly as the souls of mortals it may as well be destroyed to stop being a problem and we can find answers elsewhere.

Body: eat the corpse.

tippler 2021/03/14(Sun)08:49 No. 991235 ID: eedbeb
File 161573697725.png - (170.41KB , 1000x900 , p83.png )

Despite your and Body’s best attempts, Aaron refuses to leave the tree and you resign yourselves to the street curb to mope.

"New deal. No telepathic stuff beyond talking to me and Body, and you don't get diced. I’m kind of curious what you’ll grow into.” you tell Duck.

I won’t be growing now. My head will seize the glory and I’ll be forgotten. Cut me to pieces all you like, it’s a fitting fate for a wretch like myself.

You are so sick of the thing. The lack of sleep from last night and your hunger make you lightheaded, and you wonder aloud if Duck is edible.

“Maybe to Kibble.” Body says. “I don’t want it clogging up my guts.”

You wait in silence until Cookie comes back, car laden with takeout. The cat looks out the window to where you and Body are sitting on the curb. “You guys look sad as shit. No silk, I assume.”

“Nope.” Body sighs. “Scared Aaron pretty bad, I hope he still sells to us in the future. He’s the only young spiders whose parents let him. Maybe Jadis can put some money in his college fund or something.”

“I’ll drop you guys off at the apartment and let Jadis know. It shouldn’t be too big of deal, try to do something that will cheer you up.”

tippler 2021/03/14(Sun)08:50 No. 991236 ID: eedbeb
File 161573700011.png - (147.93KB , 1000x900 , p84.png )

Margot finds you and Body sprawled against the base of the couch, shoving sandwiches into your mouths. Duck is still in its pitcher. The angel hasn’t tried to escape once since scaring Aaron.

“Good to see you’re alive.” she says cheerfully. “Got today off, for obvious reasons. I’m sure I’ll be busy with Jadis when she finally escapes the operating table.”

“Guh.” You chew and swallow a mouthful of soggy bread.

“My bed’s open if you want to rest, or we can play something fun to relax. Kibble’s reading in the office if you were wondering.”

Do you:
-Take a nap
-Hangout with Margot
-Talk to Kibble

In complete sleep deprived delirium just go, "we got a headless ghost duck in a pitcher."

>>991237
Probably the closest we can get in this state to talking with Duck.

Take a nap, yer exhausted

I'd like to talk to Kibble some.

>>991237
pretty much tell this to Kibble.

tippler 2021/03/14(Sun)15:59 No. 991309 ID: eedbeb
File 161576278894.png - (181.92KB , 1000x900 , p85.png )

>Talk to Kibble

The food revives you enough to stagger into the second bedroom slash office. You shouldn’t be this tired after only a few hours of missed sleep, but for some reason you feel exhausted. Body seems similarly weary. You wonder if it’s because of the soul sharing. Oh god, it’s probably because of the soul sharing.

Kibble stares at you with her pale eyes as you enter, page of a witch textbook half turned in her hand.

“We got a headless ghost duck in a pitcher.” you slur. “Well, angel duck I guess.”

Kibble blinks. “Do you need my help with it?”

"It is clinically depressed after getting it's head cut off when it attempted to try to sabotage our mission. In a way, it succeeded... You can eat it if you want, or brighten it's mood. Don't care. I'm just fed up with that duck"

See that skull there on the shelf? Maybe we can attatch it to the headless duck angel, give it a new head and new purpose to live.

tippler 2021/03/14(Sun)18:29 No. 991336 ID: eedbeb
File 161577175871.png - (139.70KB , 1000x900 , p86.png )

"It has mind control powers.” you warn. “It’s depressed after getting its head cut off when it sabotaged our mission. You can eat it if you want, or try to interrogate it. Don't care. I'm just fed up with this duck."

You hand over Duck and flinch when Kibble pulls it free of the pitcher and holds it up to her face. Duck’s eyes stare into Kibble’s for a moment, then she places the duck on the desk. You prepare to whack Kibble over the head.

Didn’t try. Wouldn’t work. Not like it matters. Duck mutters.

“Souls have been taken before.” Kibble says in her trademark whisper.

“Uh, yeah, Cookie said something about that.”

Kibble opens her book to a page that shows a creature that very much resembles Duck. That’s right, Kibble had been a witch before her accident, she probably knew as much about this as Jadis.

“This is a scout. Troublesome, meant to collect information.”

“Mhm.” You don’t know where this is going.

“Next is the soldier. Nine recorded appearances in the last cycle and only defeated with great sacrifice.”

“Righto. Seems like bad news.” Kibble is just x-raying you with those empty eyes.

Well shit, so we have to fight these things? How? Magic? or is there something us non-witches can do?

>>991336
Tell Kibble there's something more you want to talk about but if there's any chance Duck can tell the enemy, we need to deal with that problem first.

It's about your soul.

"Uh, sorry. I dunno. I think it's just hitting me that Body and I are both sleeping and eating for the both of us. I think I'm gonna pass out soon."

"Anyway, real quick before we pass out; is it, like, weird that I wake up as my soul when my body goes to sleep? 'Cause I'm doing my best to run away between the moony jackass's calls, and I'm wondering if you got any tips for that."

Let's trick duck into answering more of our questions by saying that the souls coming from the moon is stupid, and other things that might hurt its ego.

You have a question surpassing all others:
What do the angels do to souls that reach the Moon?

tippler 2021/03/14(Sun)20:11 No. 991356 ID: eedbeb
File 161577787817.png - (160.69KB , 1000x900 , p87.png )

You shudder, remembering how Duck is basically indestructible. “How do people fight those things? Magic?”

Kibble nods. “The witches have their differences, but they should work together against this threat.” Not your problem then.

“Real quick, before we go take a nap. Does your book say what happens to the souls when they go to the moon?” you ask.

“The moon.” Kibble repeats blankly.

They don’t even know. Duck says. It doesn’t sounds smug, just tired.

“Um, last night when I was sleeping I woke up as my soul, and I almost got sucked into the moon again. That’s where all this stuff is coming from.”

You might have overloaded Kibble’s brain. She picks up a pen and starts scribbling down notes on a piece of paper without breaking eye contact.

“Sorry if that sounds stupid.” you say, suddenly unsure. “Duck confirmed it, though.”

“The moon is hundreds of thousands of miles away. Spells decay over space and time.” says Kibble.

“Uh, sure.” You can’t tell if Kibble’s upset at your words or at you and you slowly back away until you reach Margot’s bedroom.

>>991356
This situation is fucked. At least now the witches know how to attack now, and not just defend.
Time to get rest. Not sure what we're gonna do with soul time... ask Body if she's got any ideas.

Leave Margot's bedroom and go back to talk to Kibble.
Let's ask her what she thinks about the situation.

>>991356
...is body deflating? guys I think Body's deflating

oh wait we're at Margot's bedroom? Ask Margot if she's got any ideas for what to do during soul time.

>>991365
Probably deflating because we brought up the topic of souls, something Body isn't all too fond of talking about. Best to apologize, you've had a rough day.

Cuddle up with Body and take a nap, you're too tired to worry about this, maybe it'll all make more sense when you wake up.

tippler 2021/03/15(Mon)07:49 No. 991426 ID: eedbeb
File 161581978670.png - (197.75KB , 1000x900 , p88.png )

Margot’s room smells like lavender and blood. A dual monitor setup with accompanying gamer chair sits against the far wall and a large queen bed fills the rest of the space. You collapse on the soft blue sheets and Body thumps down next to you.

“You okay?” you mumble.

“Yeah, just really tired.” Body replies. “Feel stressed.”

“Me too man.”

You try to get your ideas in order before you fall asleep. If you wake up as your soul again, it might be smart to stay near your body, so Jadis can find it later. There’s not much you can do about getting sucked into the moon and with that comforting thought you quickly doze off.

tippler 2021/03/15(Mon)07:50 No. 991427 ID: eedbeb
File 161581980494.png - (137.51KB , 1000x900 , p89.png )

You shiver into awareness as your soul form. You must have been sleeping for a while because the sky is dark and the city is illuminated beneath you.

You’re tense, straining phantom ears for any hint of the moon’s call. There’s an odd buzzing to your right and you turn to investigate.

Ah. There’s an angel standing next to you.

Just running might be complicated, then.

Souls are what make the magic happen. See if you can manifest some "string;" really try to internalize the sensation of the one that connected you to Body.

If you can do that... Maybe this guy isn't expecting a sudden garrotte attack from behind while he's still this high up.

look at the angel and see if it's looking at you or maybe hasn't noticed you yet possibly? Or is it buzzing at you?

Examine Angel and run away.

Tell the angel that forcing souls out of their bodies is mean and bad and should feel ashamed for doing it.

tippler 2021/03/15(Mon)14:19 No. 991452 ID: eedbeb
File 161584319347.png - (148.34KB , 1000x900 , p90.png )

>Examine the angel

You scooch out of arm’s reach of the creature and get a proper look at it.

There are wings sprouting at various points on its body, glowing faintly like your own misty surface. A few feathers twitch in the breeze, but whatever’s keeping it in the air isn’t the wings.

Four eyes are set across the broad chest. The whole thing is casually swole like your gym rat pals. Square fingers, long arms, and graceful legs.

It has Duck’s fucking head. You don’t know whether to laugh or accept your impending doom. Can it still talk to you when you’re a soul?

I have been waiting for you to wake. Bring me to the one called Jadis or I will absorb you and enter your mind through your soul. Booms the angel.

And what do I even get if I comply? I'm in limbo right now; I do not give a single crap. TIM!

Souls move at the speed of thought, and magic things will break if you barrel into them fast enough with a sharp enough shape.

Go for the throat.

>>991455
This is a terrible idea.

Instead, say you're going to do it and think about going to do it if possible, then try to go to your own body and maybe jump inside it or something.

Uh, we don't know where Jadis is though.
I guess... lead it to the last place you saw Jadis?

How about the third option?

Bluff.

"That'd... be hilarious. You do realize I'm bound with the same string that cut off your head earlier, right? All Body needs to do is wrap me up and choke me out with it and boom, once again a part of you will know defeat and shame. And another part of you already know I don't bluff and don't take kindly to you fucking about all arrogant-like. You scared the wits outta a kid, you danged monster."

You are totally bluffing. Maybe? You don't know. Could be possible it'd work out like that.

"Look, what the hell do you even want Jadis for? There's plenty of witches who know about you now. And they remember you."

At least an apprentice one and a former one. And remembered... poorly, perhaps.

>>991467
Bluff, you trust body to KO you if things get too spicy. Plus you’re a soul, you could probably fly faster than that thing.

Plus why does it want Jadis in particular, thing gives you bad vibes.

tippler 2021/03/15(Mon)17:16 No. 991511 ID: eedbeb
File 161585376183.png - (174.38KB , 1000x900 , p91.png )

The apartment where you and Body are sleeping is visible from the sky. You don’t know where Jadis is. If you knew, you wouldn’t tell. The moon probably wants her dead. You open your mouth to lie or ramble or pretend you’re in control of the situation. Anything to buy time.

As expected.

The angel sweeps you into its wings and the whirling feathers brush your soul from existence.

End of Part 1. You Died will continue in the following Interlude: https://questden.org/kusaba/quest/res/991509.html[/b]

In retrospect,, cutting the duck angel's head wasn't our finest moment.

OKAY, author.
You've erased our soul and made us hate the things we already hated.
Good job, I guess.